His Majesties GRACIOUS SPEECH To both Houses of PARLIAMENT, On Munday the 28 th of January, 1677/8.
Published by His Majesties Command.
EDINBURGH, Printed by Thomas Brown, one of His Majesties Printers: Anno DOM, 1678.
HIS MAJESTIES GRACIOUS SPEECH To both Houses of PARLIAMENT, On Munday the 28 th of January, 1677/8.
WHen VVe parted last, I told you, That before VVe met again I would do that which should be to your Satisfaction; I have accordingly made such Alliances with Holland, as are for the Preservation of Flanders, and which cannot sail of that End, unless prevented either [Page 4] by the want of due Assistances to support those Alliances, or by the small regard the Spaniards themselves must have to their own Preservation.
The first of these I cannot suspect, by reason of your repeated Engagements to maintain them; and I know you are so wise, as to consider, That a VVar, which must be the necessary Consequence of them, ought neither to be prosecuted by Halves, nor to want such Assurances of Perseverance as may give Me Encouragement to pursue it; besides, it will not be less necessary, to let Our Enemies have such a Prospect of Our Resolutions, as may let them see certainly, That VVe shall not be weary of Our Arms, till Christendom be restored to such a Peace, as shall not be in the Power of any Prince alone to Disturb.
I do acknowledge to you, That I have used all the Means possible, by a Mediation [Page 5] to have procured an Honourable and Safe Peace for Christendom; knowing how preferable such a Peace would have been to any War, and especially to this Kingdom, which must necessarily own the vast Benefits it has received by Peace, whilst its Neighbours onely have yet smarted by the VVar: But finding it no longer to be hoped for by fair means, it shall not be My fault if that be not obtained by Force, which cannot be had otherways.
For this Reason I have recalled My Troops from France, and have consider'd, That although the Dutch shall do their parts, VVe cannot have less on Ours, then Ninty Sail of Capital Ships constantly maintained; nor less then Thirty or Fourty thousand Land-men, (with their Dependencies) to be employed upon Our Fleets, and elsewhere. And because there shall be no fear of [Page 6] Mis-employing what you shall give to these Uses, I am contented that such Money be appropriated to those Ends, as strictly as you can desire. I have given Testimony enough of My care in that kind, by the Progress I have made in Building the New Ships, wherein, for the making them more useful, I have Directed such larger Dimensions, as will cost Me above One hundred thousand pounds more then the Act allows. I have gone as far as I could in Repairing the Old Fleet, and in Buying of Necessary Stores for the Navy, and Ordnance; And in this and other provisions, for better Securing both My Foreign Plantations, and the Islands nearer home, I have expended a great deal more than the Two hundred thousand pounds you enabled Me to Borrow upon the excise, although I have not found such a Credit as I expected upon that Security. [Page 7] I have born the Charge both of a Rebellion in Virginia, and a new War with Algiers: I stand Engaged to the Prince of Orange for My Nieces Portion; and I shall not be able to Maintain My constant necessary Establishments, unless the New Impost upon VVines, &c. be continued to Me, which would otherwise turn only to their Profit, to whom VVe least intend it.
I hope these things will need little Recommendation to you, when you consider your Promises in some, and the necessity of the rest; and to let you see, that I have not only employed My Time and Treasure for your Safety, but done all I could to remove all sorts of Jealousies, I have married My Niece to the Prince of Orange, by which I hope I have given full Assurances that I shall never suffer his interest to be ruined, if I can be Assisted, as I ought to be, to preserve them.
[Page 8] Having done all this, I expect from you a plentiful Supply, suitable to such great Occasions, whereon depends not only the Honour, but (for ought I know) the Being of an English Nation, which will not be saved by finding faults afterwards but may be prevented by avoiding the chief Fault of doing weakly and by halves, what can only be hoped from a vigorous and through prosecution of what VVe undertake.
These considerations are of the greatest Importance that ever concerned this Kingdom; and therefore I would have you enter immediatly upon them, without suffering any other Business whatsoever to divert you from bringing them to good Resolutions.