I Thought this day to have welcomed You with an honourable Peace; My preparations for the War, and Condescentions at the Treaty, gave Me great reason to believe so; but the Dutch have disappointed Me in that expecta­tion, and have treated My Ambassadors at Cologne, with the Contempt of Conquerors, and not as might be expected from men in their Condition.

They have other thoughts then Peace.

This obligeth Me to move you again for a Supply, the Safety and Honor of the Nation necessarily requiring it: It must be one propor­tionable to the Occasion; and I must tell you besides, that if I have it not speedily, the [Page 4]Mischief will be irreparable in My prepa­rations for the next Spring: The Great Ex­perioene I have had of you Gentlemen of the House of Commons, will not suffer Me to be­lieve, that the Artifices of Our Enemies can possibly divert you from giving Me this Supply, or that you canfail of adjusting the pro­portion of it.

I hope I need not use many words to per­swade you that I am steady in maintaining all the Professions and Promises I have made you concerning Religion and Property: And I shall be very ready to give you fresh instances of My Zeal, for preserving the establisht Re­ligion and Lawes, as often as any occasion shall require.

In the last place, I am highly concerned to commend to your consideration and Care the Debt I owe the Goldsmiths, in which very many other of My good Subjects are involved; I heartily recommend their condition to you, and desire your assistance for their relief.

There is more that I would have you infor­med of, which I leave to the Chancellor.

HIs Majesty had reason to expect, That He mould have [...] you [...] Olive-Branch of Peace: His Naval Prepa­rations, greater then in any former years, together with the Land Forces He had ready for any Occasion, gave Him assurance to obtain it before this time. And the rather, because His aims were not Conquest, unless by obstinacy inforced; But His Condescentions at the Treaty have been so great, That the very Mediators have declared they were not reasonably to be refused. He could not be King of Great Britain with­out securing the Dominion and Property of His Own Seas; The first by an Article clear and not elusory of the Flagg; The other by an Article that preserved the right of the Fish­ing, but gave the Dutch permission, as Tenants, under a small Rent, to enjoy, and continue that gainful Trade upon His Coasts. The King was obliged, for the Security of a [Page 6]lasting Peace, as also by the Laws of Gratitude, and Rela­tion, to see the House of Orange setled, and the Lovestein, that Carthaginian party, brought down. Neither in this did the King insist beyond what was moderate, and agreeable to their Government: And what the Princes ancestors enjoyed amongst them. Besides these, there was necessary to the Trade of England, that there should be a fair Adjustment of Commerce in the East-Indies; where the Kings Demands were reasonable, and according to the Law of Nations; and their Practice of late years hath been Exorbitant, and Oppressive, suitable onely to their Power and Interest, and destructive, if continued, to our East-India-Company. These were all, of any moment, the King insisted on; as judg­ing aright, That that Peace that was reasonable, just, and fair to both parties, would be sacred and durable. And that by this means, He should depress the Interest, and Reputation of that Lovestein party amongst them, who sucked in with their milk an inveterate hatred to England, and transmit it to their posterity, as a distinguishing Character, wherein they place their Loyalty to their Country. In return to this Candid, and fair proceeding on the Kings part, His Majesty assures you he hath received nothing, but the most scornful, and contemptuous treatment imaginable; Papers delivered in to the Medatiors, owned by them to bestuffed with so un­handsome Language, that they were ashamed and refused to shew them. Never agreeing to any Article about the Flagg, that was clear or plain: Refusing any Article of the Fishing, but such a one, as might sell them the right of Inheritance, for an inconsiderable sum of money, though it be a Royalty so inherent in the Crown of England, that I may say, (with His Majesties pardon for the Expression) He cannot sell it. The Article of the Prince of Orange, and the Adjustment of the East-India-Trade had neither of them any better suc­cess; And to make all of a piece, they have this last week sent a Trumpetter with an Address to His Majesty, being a deduction of their several Offers of Peace, as they call them, and their desires for it now; but it is both in the Penning and the Timeing of it, plainly an Appeal to His Majesties People against Himself; And the King hath commanded me to tell you, He is resolved to joyn issue with them, and Print both their Address, and His Answer, that His People and the World may see how notorious falshoods and slights [Page 7]they endeavour to put upon Him. In a word, in England, and in all other Places, and to all other Persons of the World, they declare they offer all things to obtain a Peace from the King of England: But to Himself, His Ministers, the Medi­ators, or His Plenipotentiaries, it may with confidence and truth be affirmed, that to this day; nay, even in this last Address they have offered nothing. They desire the Kings Subjects would believe they beg for Peace, whilst their true request is, onely to be permitted to be once Masters of the Seas; Which they hope, if they can subsist at Land, length of time may give them: And if once got, is never to be lost; Nor can it be bought by any State or Empire, at too great a rate. And what Security their Agreement with us in Re­ligion will afford when they shall have the Power, former Instances may give Demonstration of. Joynt Interests have often secured the Peace of differing Religions, but agreeing Professions hath hardly an example of preserving the Peace of different Interests.

This being the true and natural state of things, His Ma­jesty doth with great assurance throw Himself into the Arms of You His Parliament, for a Supply suitable to this great Af­fair He is engaged in. When you consider we are an Island, 'tis not Riches nor Greatness we contend for; yet those must attend the Success; But 'tis our very Beings are in question: We sight [...] & [...] in this [...]. We are no longer Freemen, being Islanders, and Neighbours, if they Master us at Sea. There is not so lawful or commendable a jealousie in the World, as an Englishmans, of the growing Great­ness of any Prince or State at Sea. If you permit the Sea, our British Wife, to be ravished, an eternal mark of Infamy will stick upon us; Therefore I am commanded earnestly to recommend to you not onely the Proportion, but the Time of the Supply. For unless you think of it early, it will not be serviceable to the chief end of setting out a Fleet betimes the next Spring.

As for the next part of the Kings Speech, I can add nothing to what His Majesty hath said. For as to Religion, and Property, His heart is with your heart, perfectly with your heart: He hath not yet learned to deny you any thing; and He believes your Wisdom and Moderation is such, He never shall. He asks of you to be at Peace in Him, as He is in You, and He shall never deceive you.

There is one word more, I am commanded to say concer­ning the Debt is owing to the Goldsmiths. The King holds himself in Honour and Conscience obliged to see them satisfied. Besides, you all know how many Widows, Orphans, and par­ticular persons, the publick Calamity hath overtaken; and how hard it is, that so disproportionable a burthen should fall upon them, even to their utter Ruine. The whole Case is so well and generally known, that I need say no more. Your great Wisdoms hath not done it at the first, peradven­ture that the Trade of the Banker might be suppressed; which end is now attained. So that now your great Goodness may re­store to those poor people, and the many innocent ones that are concerned with them, some life and assurance of Pay­ment in a competent time.

My Lords and Gentlemen, I have no more in command, and therefore shall conclude with my own hearty Prayers, That this Session may equal, nay exceed the honour of the last; That it may perfect what the last begun for the Safety of this King, and Kingdom; That it may be ever famous for having established, upon a durable Foundation, our Religi­on, Laws, and Properties; That we may not be tossed with boisterous Winds, nor overtaken by a sudden dead Calm: But that a gentle fair Gale may carry you in a steady, even, and re­solved way into the Ports of Wisdom and Security.