His Majesties GRACIOUS SPEECH TO BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, On the 29. day of August, 1660. At the Passing of the ACT for FREE PARDON, INDEMPNITY and OBLIVION, And several other Acts.
PƲblished at the desire of the Lords in Parliament, and by His Majesties Allowance.
Whereunto is annexed the SPEECH Which the Speaker of the House of Commons made to the KING In the House of Lord's, at His Passing of the BILLS therein mentioned, August 29. 1660.
Edinburgh, Re-printed by Christopher Higgins, 1660.
His MAJESTIES Gracious SPEECH to both Houses of Parliament on the 29. day of
August 1660. at the passing of the Act of Free Pardon, Indempnity and Oblivion, and several other Acts.
I Have been here some times before with you, but never with more willingnesse, than I am at this time: And there be few men in the Kingdom, who have longed more impatiently to have these Bills passed, than I have done to passe them, and I hope they will be the Foundation of much Security and Happinesse to us all.
I do very willingly pardon all that is pardoned by this Act of Indempnity, to that time which is mentioned in the Bill; Nay, I will tell you, that from that time to this day I will [Page 4]not use great severity, except in such cases where the malice is notorious, and the publick Peace exceedingly concerned. But for the time to come, the same discretion and conscience which disposed me to the clemency I have expressed, which is most agreeable to my Nature, will oblige me to all rigor and severity, how contrary soever it be to my Nature, towards those who shall not now acquiess, but continue to manifest their Sedition and dislike of the Government, either in action or words. And I must conjure you all (My Lords and Gentlemen) to concur with me in this just and necessary Severity; and that you will in your several Stations be so jealous of the publick Peace, and of my particular Honor, that you will cause exemplary justice to be done upon those who are guilty of seditious Speeches, or Writings, as well as those who break out into seditious Actions: And that you will believe those who delight in reproaching and traducing my Person, not to be well affected to you and the publick Peace. Never King valued himself more upon the affections of His people than I do; nor do I know a better way to make my self sure of your affections, than by [Page 5]being just and kind unto you all: And whilst I am so, I pray let the world see that I am possessed of your affections.
For your Pole-Bill, I do thank you as much as if the money were to come into my own Coffers; and wish with all my heart, that it may amount to as great a sum as you reckon upon. If the work be well and orderly done to which it is designed, I am sure I shall be the richer by it in the end; and upon my word, if I had whrewithall, I would my Self help you, so much I desire the business done. I pray very earnestly, as fast as Money comes in, discharge that great burthen of the Navy, and disband the Army as fast as you can, and till you can disband the rest, make provision for their support.
I do conjure you, as you love Me, let Me not hear the noise of Free-quarter, which will be imputed to My want of Care and Government, how innocent soever I am; and therefore be sure you prevent it.
I am so confident of your affections, that I will not move you in any thing that immediately relates to my Self, and yet I must tell you, I am not richer, that is, I have not so [Page 6]much money in my Purse as when I came to you; the truth is, I have lived principally ever since upon what I brought with Me, which was indeed your money; for you sent it to Me, and I thank you for it. The weekly expence of the Navy, eats up all you have given Me by the Bill of Tonage and Poundage. Nor have I been able to give my Brothers one shilling since I came into England, nor to keep any Table in My House but what I eat my Self. And that which troubles Me most, is, to see many of you come to Me to Whitehall, and to think that you must go some where else to seek your Dinner.
I do not mention this to you, as any thing that troubles Me, do but take care of the publick, and for what is necessary for the peace and quiet of the Kingdom, and take your own time for my own particular, which I am sure you will provide for with as much affection and francknesse as I can desire.
The Speech which the SPEAKER of the House of Commons made unto the King, the 29. of August, 1660.
NOt many moneths since, England was but a great Prison, where the worst of men were our Governors, and their vilest lusts the Laws by which they governed.
The great and most wise God, conveyed divine intelligence into Your patient and pious Soul, and taught You how by suffering for us, to deliver us from our sufferings; to knock off our shackles, and set Your people at liberty, when neither Power, nor Policy could effect it. So soon as Your Majesty set Your Foot upon Your English shore, our Prison was turned into a Paradise [Page 8]of pleasure, and the whole Nation fill'd with Joy, and Love, and Peace.
Sir, This great Blissing is already registred in Your Peoples thankfull Hearts; and they desire that the memory thereof might be perpetuated; and therefore they have laid it up amongst their choicest jewels, and annext it to their Magna Charta; which they are willing to pawn unto Your Majesty, upon condition, when they forget this, to forfeit that and all.
Sir, Amongst Your many Illustrious Titles, which like fair and beautifull flowers do adorn and be-deck Your Royal Crown, there's one exceeds and excels all the rest, as well in Vertue as in Beauty, and that is Your Title of Defender of the Faith. Sir, As that Title is Your Honor, so the truth of it, is our happiness, Neither the highest Provocations, nor the strongest temptations, that ever Prince met withall, have been able to [Page 9]shake Your Victorious Faith, nor abate Your holy Zeal; witness Your first Act, after Your return to the exercise of Your Regal Power, in Your early and timely suppressing Prophanenes, and discountenancing Debaucht persons, who know not how to expresse their thankfulnesse unto God for mercies, but by a sinfull drinking them away, a practice Your Soul abhors.
And as it is Your highest Honor, to be the Defender of that Faith which we profess; so it is the greatest interest, prerogative, and Priviledge Your Majesty can be indowed and invested withall in this world, and will be Your most lasting comfort in the world to come, That God who hath hitherto been a Sun to direct You, will be a shield to protect You; and that Faith which You defend, will defend You against all Your enemies, maugre the malice of the Devil, and all his wicked instruments.
Your eminent Vertue, and those excellent Qualifications that God hath bestowed upon You, to make You every way worthy and fit for Government, invites us at this time, with joyful hearts, to make our humble addresses unto Your Majesty, and to give You a chearfull accompt of our proceedings in this Parliam. wherein we have spent our whole time upon publick Bills; some we must confesse of very great concernment to Your Majesty, and all Your People, are not yet ripe, nor brought to perfection: But though like an after-crop, yet with the fair weather of Your Majesties wonted patience, we hope likewise to Inn them well at last, to Your Majesties full satisfaction, and the great contentment of all Your Loyall and Faithfull Subjects
Some Bills are passed both Houses, and already lodged here, which attend and wait [Page 11]for Your Majesties Royal Assent, and I shall humbly beg the favor onely but to touch upon some of those of most publick concernment, by the way, and in transitu, to that Bill here in my hand.
Sir, There is one Bill now before You, intituled, An Act for the Confirmation of Judiciall Proceedings; the scope and intendment of that Bill, is to settle Mens Estats, which is the way to quiet their minds; and when their minds are at rest, there will be no fear of their breaking the Peace, or forfeiting their good-behavior any more in time to come.
There is another Bill, intituled, An Act to prevent the taking of Excessive Ʋsury. The restraining men of avaritious mindes, whose Consciences are as large as their Bags, will be a great ease to Your People, and an inablment to Your Merchants the better to go on with their Trades. They are the Laborious Bees that bring in Honey into your Majesties [Page 12]Hive; and Usurers are the lazy, idle drones, that rob your Hive of the Honey.
There is another Bill, Entituled, An Act for a perpetuall Anniversary Thanksgiving to be observed and kept upon the 29. of May: A day that God himself was pleased to honor and adorn with a new and additional Star, never seen before nor since; a Star of rare aspect, which declar'd to all the world at once, the happy news of your Majesties Blessed Nativity: And as it was your Majesties Birth-day, so it was the day of your Restauration to your Kingdoms, Parliament, and People: And likewise the day of your Peoples re-Creation out of a Chaos of confusion and misery. And therfore they humbly pray, That not only we (for there would need no Act for that so long as we live) but that our posterity, and the ages that shall succeed us, might for ever be obliedged to set a part that day, as a holy day, to dedicate [Page 13]their Praises and thanksgivings up unto Almighty God for his miraculous Deliverance of this poor Nation, when it lay in dust and ashes, in a most miserable, desperate, forlorn and deplorable condition.
There is another Bill, Entituled, An Act of Free and General Pardon, Indempnity and Oblivion. It may well be called a Free Pardon: for Your Majesty was pleased to offer it before we had confidence enough to ask it, and at a time when Your People had most need of it: And it may as truly be called a General Pardon, in respect of the extensiveness of it. But looking over a long black, prodigious, dismal Roll and Catalogue of Malefactors, we there meet not with men, but Monsters guilty of Blood, Precious Blood, Precious Royal Blood, never to be remembered without tears; incomparable in all the kinds of Villany that ever was acted by the worst of Miscreants, [Page 14]perverters of Religion, subverters of Government, false to GOD, dissoyal to the best of Kings, and perfidious to their Countrey: And therefore we found an absolute and indispensable necessity incumbent upon us, to except and set some apart for Treacle, to expel the poison of Sin and Rebellion out of others, and that they might be made sacrifices to appease Gods wrath, and satisfie Divine justice.
And now I am come to that Bill here in my hand, which I am commanded humbly to present Your Majesty withall.
Royall Sir, Your Commons, the Knights, Citizens and Burgesses now assembled in Parliament, taking into consideration the great and unsupportable Burden of the Armies and Navy, that Your people do now groan under; and knowing, as Money is the sinews of VVar, so as the Sate of Affairs now stand, that it is likewise the best [Page 15] Medium that can be us'd, in order to the attaining that end we have all so much desired, and so long prayed for, The settlement of a happy Peace; and therefore they have passed this Bill, Entituled, An Act for a speedy Provision of Money, to pay off and disband all the Forces of this Kingdom both by Sea and Land, upon which they hope such a Sum will be advanced and brought in, as may be sufficient fully to discharge and dispatch that work. And they humbly pray Your Majesties gracious acceptance thereof, and Your Royal assent thereunto.
I am further to inform and assure Your Majesty, that Your people have passed another Supply and Revenue unto Your Majesty, which far surmounteth all they have already done in value, and that is, their Hearts and Affections; having their hearts, Your Majesty may comand their purses.
Most Royal Soveraign, VVe have nothing [Page 16]more to offer, or to ask at this time, but your Majesties gracious favour, so soon as your Service, and the Publick Affairs will permit, that we might have leave to go into our Countries, where we shall make your people sensible of their happiness, in having such a King to govern and rule over them; and as we praise your Majesty, so likewise to pray for your Majesty, that you may Live long, and Reign prosperously.