House of Commons Journal Volume 8: 13 September 1660

Thursday, September 13th, 1660.

Prayers.

Excise.

THE House being informed, that the Commissioners of Excise having given Eight several Judgments against Edward Lightmaker, of London, Brewer, for neglecting to make true Entries, as not paying and clearing the Excise of Leer and Ale, from the Twenty-third of June 1660, to the Eighteenth of August following; and that thereupon the said Lightmaker appealed to the Commissioners of Appeals the Sixth of September; who, upon full Hearing, affirmed the said Judgments; whereupon the Commissioners of Excise, by Warrant, did take a Distress for the Fine, by way of Execution; upon which Lightmaker brings a Replevin to the Sheriff of London, to restore the Goods taken in Execution;

It is Ordered and Declared, by the Lords and Commons, in Parliament assembled, That the Goods, so adjudged, are not in this Case repleviable: And that the Sheriff of the City of London is hereby required forthwith to deliver the Goods so taken in Execution, to the proper Officer of the Excise, for his Majesty's Use.

The Lords Concurrence is desired herein: And Mr. Annesley is to carry it to the Lords.

Disbanding the Army.

Whereas, by Order of the Lords and Commons, in Parliament assembled, bearing Date the Fourteen of August, 1660, the Sum of Forty thousand Pounds was appointed to be reserved out of the Monies coming in of the Assessment commencing the Twenty-fourth of June 1660, to be employed towards disbanding the Army:

Ordered, by the Lords and Commons, in Parliament assembled, That Sir Thomas Player, Receiver General of the said Assessment, do forthwith give Assignations, upon the respective Receivers in the several Counties, for the said Sum of Forty thousand Pounds, or so much as remains of the said Assessment, not otherwise charged by Orders and Directions of both Houses of Parliament, according to such Warrants, Orders, or Directions, as he shall receive, on that Behalf, from the Commissioners for disbanding the Army:

That the Lords Concurrence be desired herein. And Mr. Annesley is to carry it to the Lords; and to mind the Lords of the Order for moving his Majesty, concerning a Commission for the Enabling of Commissioners to treat with Purchasers of Bishops Lands.

Clerk of the House.

Mr. Annesley reports, That the Order of this House being presented to the King's Majesty, whereby Mr. William Jessop is recommended to his Majesty, from this House, to be Clerk of the House of Commons; and to have his Majesty's Grant thereof, under the Great Seal, during his Life; his Majesty was pleased to give his Consent thereunto; and gave Order, That a Warrant be prepared for the same forthwith.

E. of Kildare.

That the Earl of Kildare be, and hereby is, discharged of the Order of this House, of the Two-and-twentieth of May 1660; whereby he was ordered to give Security for the Forthcoming of certain Goods, therein mentioned to belong to Mr. William Heveningham.

Officers of the House.

Resolved, That the several Sums of Money charged on the Excise, for the Clerk, and other Officers, attending this House, as also for the Printers, Stationers, and Provost Marshal, by several Orders sent up to the Lords, to which they have signified their Concurrence, do stand charged on the said Receipt, according to the Tenor thereof, by the Order of this House: And that the Commissioners of the Excise do forthwith pay the same accordingly; and charge the same to the Account of their incident Charges: And that the same shall be allowed upon their Account accordingly; viz.

Ordered, by the Commons, assembled in Parliament, That the Sum of Five hundred Pounds be forthwith paid to such Person as shall be appointed by Sir Harbottle Grimstone Baronet, Speaker of this House, to receive the same, to the Use of the Clerk of this House, the Serjeant at Arms attending this House, the Under Clerks, and the other Officers under the Serjeant at Arms, for their Service and Attendance there this present Parliament: And Mr. Speaker is authorized and desired to distribute the said Five hundred Pounds amongst them, in such Proportions, with respect to their several Services, he shall think fit. And the Commissioners of the Excise are hereby authorized and required forthwith to make Payment thereof; and to charge the same to the Account of their incident Charges: And this Order, together with the Acquittance of the Person who shall be appointed to receive the same, shall be, to the Commissioners of Excise, a sufficient Warrant and Discharge; and shall be allowed, upon their Account, accordingly.

Ordered, by the Commons, assembled in Parliament, That the Sum of Two hundred Seventy-seven Pounds Eleven Shillings Four-pence be forthwith paid and satisfied unto Lancelot Emot, Provost Marshal of Middlesex, on the Behalf of himself, and his Six Men, for their Service in attending the Speaker of the honourable House of Commons, for his Salary of One hundred Pounds per Annum, and Twelve-pence per Diem apiece, for said Six Men, due from the Twenty-seventh of May 1659, to the Fourth of this instant September; and that the said Two hundred Seventy-seven Pounds Eleven Shillings and Four-pence be, and is hereby, charged upon the Receipt of the Grand Excise: and the Commissioners for the Excise are hereby authorized and required forthwith to pay and satisfy the said Two hundred Seventy-seven Pounds Eleven Shillings and Four-pence to the said Lancelot Emot, or his Assigns, accordingly; and to charge the same to the Account of their incident Charges: And the Acquittance of the said Lancelot Emot, or his Assigns, testifying the Receipt thereof, shall be a sufficient Discharge to the said Commissioners in that Behalf; and the same shall be allowed, on their Account, accordingly.

Ordered, by the Commons, assembled in Parliament, That the Sum of One hundred Fifty-seven Pounds, due upon the Account of Edward Husbands, and Thomas Newcombe, Printers to this House, be forthwith paid and satisfied unto them, or their Assigns; and that the said One hundred Fifty-seven Pounds be, and is hereby, charged upon the Receipt of the Grand Excise: And the Commissioners of Excise be and are hereby required and authorized forthwith to make Payment of the said One hundred Fifty-seven Pounds unto the said Edward Husbands, and Thomas Newcombe, or their Assigns, accordingly; and to charge the same to the Account of their incident Charges: And their Acquittance, testifying the Receipt thereof, shall be a sufficient Discharge to the said Commissioners of Excise, in that Behalt; and the same shall be allowed, in their Account, accordingly.

Ordered, by the Commons assembled in Parliament, That the Sum of Two hundred Pounds, of good and lawful Money of England, be forthwith paid and satisfied unto Ralph Darnall Esquire, Clerk Assistant to this House, or his Assigns, for his diligent and faithful Service in the said House, from the One-and-twentieth Day of February 1659, unto this Day; and that the said Two hundred Pounds be, and is hereby, charged upon the Receipt of the Grand Excise: And the Commissioners of the Excise be, and are hereby, authorized and required forthwith to pay and satisfy the said Two hundred Pounds unto the said Ralph Darnall, or his Assigns, accordingly; and charge the same to the Account of their incident Charges; and that the same shall be allowed, upon their Account, accordingly.

Ordered, by the Commons, assembled in Parliament, That the several Sums of Two hundred and Thirteen Pounds, and Three hundred and Eighty-six Pounds, upon several Accounts due unto John Owen Stationer, signed by the Speaker, and by the Clerk of the House of Commons; and allowed by the said House; shall be forthwith paid and satisfied unto the said John Owen, or his Assigns; and be, and is hereby, charged upon the Receipt of the Grand Excise: And the Commissioners of Excise are hereby authorized and required forthwith to make Payment of the said several Sums of Two hundred and Thirteen Pounds, and Three hundred and Eighty-six Pounds, unto the said John Owen, or his Assigns, accordingly; and to charge the same to the Account of their incident Charges; And this Order, with the Acquittance or Acquittances of the said John Owen, or his Assigns, testifying the Receipt thereof, shall be a sufficient Warrant and Discharge in that Behalf: And the said Sums shall be allowed, on their Account, accordingly.

Ordered, by the Commons, assembled in Parliament, That the Sum of Sixty Pounds be allowed, and forthwith paid, unto James Norfolk Esquire, Serjeant at Arms attending this House, for several Contingencies, since February 1659; and also the Sum of Fifty Pounds, for providing of Fire and Candles for the Use of the House of Commons, at their next Sitting: And that the said Sixty Pounds, and Fifty Pounds, be, and are hereby, charged upon the Receipt of the Grand Excise: And the Commissioners of the Excise are hereby authorized and required forthwith to make Payment of the said Sixty Pounds, and Fifty Pounds, unto the said James Norfolk, or his Assigns, accordingly; and to charge the same upon the Account of their incident Charges: And this Order, together with the Acquittance of the said James Norfolk, or his Assigns, testifying the Receipt thereof, shall be a sufficient Warrant and Discharge in that Behalf; and the same shall be allowed, upon their Account, accordingly.

Orders taken to Lords.

Mr. Annesley reports, That, according to the Order of this House, he had delivered to the Lords the Order of this Day, concerning Edward Lightmaker, and the Forty thousand Pounds, charged on the Three Months Assessments for the Army: To which they signified their Concurrence.

Disbanding the Army.

Sir Wm. Doyley reports, That the Committee of the Army have prepared Lots for the disbanding the Army; and put them into a Glass, which was now placed upon the Table: As also a List of the Regiments of Horse and Foot, and of the Garisons of England: Which was read.

Life Guard.

A Letter from the Lord General Monck to the Committee for the Army, dated the Eleventh of September instant, concerning the not appointing of the Life Guard to come to the Lot, was read.

Poll Bill.

A Message from the Lords, by Dr. Bird and Mr. Hobart, Masters of the Chancery;

Mr. Speaker, The Lords have commanded us to return to you this explanatory Bill for the Poll Money; to which the Lords have given their Concurrence.

Message to attend the King.

* The House being informed, That the Usher of the Black Rod was at the Door;

He was called in: And, coming up to the Middle of the House, he delivered this Message;

Mr. Speaker,

The King commanded me to call yourself, and the Members of this House, to him, presently, in the House of Lords.

Mr. Speaker, and the Members of this House, went to the Lords House to attend his Majesty there; Mr. Speaker carrying with him the Act for Seventy thousand Pounds, for Supply of his Majesty's Occasions; the Act for Sevenscore thousand Pounds, to complete the Disbanding of the Army, and towards paying Part of the Navy; and the Act for supplying and explaining some Defects in the Bill for Poll Money.

Grants to Royal Family.

Resolved, by the Lords and Commons, assembled in Parliament, That the Sum of Ten thousand Pounds be presented to her Highness the Princess Royal; and that the same be charged upon the Excise in Course, with Interest, after the Rate of Six Pounds per Cent.; and that the said Ten thousand Pounds be paid to the said Princess Royal, or her Assigns, next after the several Sums ordered to be paid to their Highnesses the Duke of Yorke and Gloucester: And that the Commissioners of Excise. . hereby authorized to make Payment thereof accordingly.

Resolved, by the Lords and Commons, in Parliament assembled, That if Alderman Backwell, or any other Person, will advance the said Sum of Ten thousand Pounds, the same will be reputed an acceptable Service; and the same shall be repaid to the said Person or Persons that shall advance the same, with Interest, out of the Grand Excise, in the Method expressed in the former Order.

Ordered, That the Lords Concurrence be desired to these Votes. And the Lord Herbert is to carry them to the Lords.

Resolved, That the Sum of Ten thousand Pounds be presented to her Majesty the Queen of Bohemia; and that the same be charged upon the Excise, in Course, with Interest, after Six per Cent.; and that the same be paid to her Majesty the Queen of Bohemia, or such as she shall appoint to receive the same, next after the Ten thousand Pounds charged on the Excise for her Highness the Princess Royal: And the Commissioners of Excise are hereby required to make Payment thereof accordingly.

Ordered, That if Alderman Backwell, or any other Person, shall advance this Money, the same shall be an acceptable Service, and shall be repaid the same, with Interest, out of the Grand Excise, in the Method expressed in the said former Order.

That the Lords Concurrence be desired to these Votes.

And the Lord Herbert is to carry them to the Lords.

Relief of Soldiers.

Resolved, That Four thousand Pounds be forthwith charged on the Receipt of the Excise, and paid, in the First Place, by the Commissioners of Excise, to Mr. Wm. Ashby, Treasurer for the Hospitals of the Savoy and Ely

* All that follows from this Place, was transcribed from, and examined with, an accurate Transcript of this Journal, now in the Temple Library, by reason this Part of the Original is perished and lost. House, for the Discharge of the poor, sick, and maimed Soldiers, and their Orphans and Widows, belonging to the said Hospitals; and that the Committee to whom the Business of the said Hospitals is referred, do take Order for Paying and Distributing of the said Money among the said Persons; and, to that Purpose, to issue their Warrants to Mr. Ashby; who is to observe the same accordingly, and thereon to take their several Releases: And the said Committee are to send down the said several Persons (upon receiving their Monies) into their respective Counties; recommending it to the Justices of the Peace, to take care for the disposing and providing for them according to Law.

Ordered, That the said Committee have Power to sit any time during this Recess, for the putting this Order in Execution: And Sir Geo. Downing, Sir John Temple, Sir Edw. Massey, Sir Fra. Gerrard, Mr. Mallett, Sir John Meers, and all the Citizens and Burgesses serving for the City of London, Westminster, and Borough of Southwarke, are added to the said Committee.

Lords concur in Orders.

The Lord Herbert reports, That he had delivered to the Lords the Two Orders concerning the Princess Royal, and the Queen of Bohemia; and that the Lords gave Answer, That they concurred thereunto.

Impropriations.

Resolved, That the Committee for Impropriate Rectories do, against the Sitting of this House in November next, prepare a State of all the Arrears of Monies which shall be due for Augmentations (heretofore granted to Ministers) upon the Twenty-ninth of September 1660; and to cause an Account of all Arrears due for the Rents and Revenues of the said Rectories, to be stated, whether remaining in the Hands of Receivers, Treasurers, or Tenants; and the Money thereupon due to be called in, and received; and out of the same to pay such Augmentations then due, as are not yet discharged, so far as the same shall extend unto: And the said Committee have Liberty to sit at any Time, during the Recess, for the putting of this Order in Execution.

Ordered, That Sir Tho. Meers, and Mr. Mallett, be added to that Committee.

Captives in Algier.

Resolved, That the Committee to whom the Business of Captives of Algier, and other Places, is referred, do, against the Sitting of this House, in November next, prepare a State of the Cases of the several Persons pretending an Interest in the Monies raised for Redemption of Captives; and to consider, what is fit to be done therein; and to report it to the House: And the said Committee have Power to meet from time to time, during the Recess, for putting this Order in Execution: And Mr. Mallet, as also the Citizens and Burgesses serving for the City of London and Westminster, and Borough of Southwark, are added to that Committee: And Sir John Frederick is desired to take care hereof.

Disbanding the Army.

Resolved, That the Commissioners for disbanding the Army do attend his Majesty's Privy Council this Afternoon, in order to the putting of the Act for disbanding of the Army in Execution: And Mr. Secretary Morris is desired to move the Lord Chancellor to be present; and that the Council may then sit: At which time the Glass wherein the Lots of the Regiments are put, be then delivered to the Lord Chancellor.

Answer to Addresses.

Sir Anth. Ash. Cooper reports, That, according to the Order of this House, his Majesty had been attended with the humble Desires of this House, concerning the Court of Wards; to which his Majesty assented; as also with that concerning Ministers, which shall be removed by virtue of the Act touching Ministers; to which his Majesty gave a very gracious Return, that it should be done; and that he had given Order therein to the Lord Chancellor; who was exceeding forward in the Thing: That, at the same time, there was presented to his Majesty the Order concerning the Letting of Land, at the full Moiety of the Value; to which his Majesty gave Answer, That he had given express Order to his Treasurer to the same Effect, before the Message came, Leases being then upon Letting: And to That concerning the Timber in the Forest of Deane, and other his Demesnes and Forest, his Majesty expressed his kind Acceptance of the Desire of this House; and that he would give express Order therein accordingly.

Thanks for Answer.

Resolved, That the Members of this House, who are of his Majesty's Privy Council, be desired to return his Majesty the humble and hearty Thanks of this House, for his gracious Acceptance of the Desires of this House.

Adjournment.

Resolved, That this House doth adjourn itself to the Sixth of November next.

The House adjourned itself till the Sixth of November next, Eight of the Clock.

* His Majesty's Speech.

My Lords and Gentlemen,

The King's Speech.

IF my Presence here had not been requisite, for the Passing these many Bills, I did always intend to see you together before your Adjournment, that I might again thank you for the many good Things you have done for Me, and the Kingdom: And, in Truth, I do thank you more for what you have done for the Publick, than what you have done for my own Particular; and yet I do thank you too for That, with all my Heart: But, I confess to you, I do thank you more for the Provision you have made to prevent Free Quarter, during the Time the Army shall be disbanding (which I take to be given for my Satisfaction) than I do for the other Present you have made Me, for my own particular Occasions: And I do promise you (which is the best Way I can take to gratify you) I will not apply One Peny of that Money to my own particular Occasions, what Shift soever I make, till it is evident to Me, that the Publick will not stand in need of it: And, if I do, every Peny of it shall be disbursed that Way; and, I dare say, I shall not be the poorer for it. I cannot but take Notice of One particular Bill I have passed, which may seem of an extraordinary Nature, That concerning the Duke of Somerset: But, you all know, it is for an extraordinary Person, who hath merited as much of the King my Father, and Myself, as a Subject can do: And I am none of those who think that Subjects, by performing their Duties in an extraordinary Manner, do not oblige their Princes to reward them in an extraordinary Manner: There can be no Danger from such a Precedent; and, I hope, no Man will envy him; because I have done what a good Master should do to such a Servant.

My Lords and Gentlemen,

I will not deny to you, that I had some Inclination, when I consented, upon your Desire, to your Recess, to have made a Session; which I thought most agreeable to the ancient Order of Parliaments: And, I hope, you will all join with me, in reducing the Proceedings of Parliaments to the ancient Rules and Orders of Parliaments; the Deviation from which hath done us no Good: And, I think, there were never so many Bills passed together, as I have this Day given my Assent to, without a Session: But, upon the Desire and Reasons given by the House of Commons, for an Adjournment without a Session, I did very willingly depart from that Inclination; and do as willingly give you Leave, and direct you, that you adjourn yourselves till the Sixth of November: When, I hope, you will all meet again; and, in the mean time, that you will be all welcome to your Countries, and do much Service there. I have many other Particulars to say, and recommend to you; in which I cannot enough trust my own Memory: And, therefore, I shall command the Chancellor to say the rest to you.

After his Majesty had ended his Speech, the Lord Chancellor said as follows:

* This and the Chancellor's Speech have been compared with the Originals bound up in the Journals of the House of Lords.

The Lord Chancellor's Speech.

My Lords and Gentlemen,

The King tells you, that he hath commanded me to say many Particulars to you: And the Truth is, he hath charged me with so many, that I have great Reason to fear, that I shall stand in much Need of his Mercy, for omitting many Things he hath given me in Command; at least, for delivering them in more Disorder and Confusion, than Matters of such Moment and Importance ought to be to such an Assembly; for which the King himself hath even a kind of Reverence, as well as an extraordinary Kindness. I am to mention some Things he hath done already, and many Things he intends to do, during this Recess, that you may see (how well content soever He is, that you should have Ease, and Pleasure, and Refreshment) He hath designed Work enough for Himself.

The King hath thanked you for the Provision you have made, that there may be no Free Quarter during the Time the Army shall be disbanding; and hath told you what he will do with that Money you have given him, if there should be Want wherewithal to disband it.

And now, I hope, you will all believe, that his Majesty will consent to the Disbanding.

He will do so; and yet he does not take it unkindly at their Hands, who have thought that his Majesty would not disband this Army: It was a sober and a rational Jealousy: No other Prince in Europe would be willing to disband such an Army; an Army to which Victory is entailed; and which (humanly speaking) could hardly fail of Conquest wheresoever he should lead it: And, if God had not restored his Majesty to that rare Felicity, as to be without Apprehension of Danger at Home, or from Abroad, and without any Ambition of taking from his Neighbours what they are possessed of; Himself would never disband this Army; an Army, whose Order and Discipline, whose Sobriety and Manners, whose Courage and Success, hath made it famous and terrible over the World; an Army of which the King, and his Two Royal Brothers, may say, as the noble Grecian said of Æneas;

- Stetimus tela aspera contra, Contulimusque manus: Experto credite, quantus In clypeum assurgat, quo turbine torqueat hastam.

They have all Three, in several Countries, found themselves engaged, in the Midst of these Troops, in the Heat and Rage of Battle; and, if any common Soldier (as no doubt, many may) will demand the old Romans Privilege for having encountered Princes single, upon my Conscience, he will find both Favour and Preferment. They have all Three observed the Discipline, and felt, and admired, and loved, the Courage of this Army, when they were the worse for it: And I have seen them, in a Season, when there was little else of Comfort in their View, refresh themselves with Joy, That the English had done the great Work; the English had got the Day; and then please themselves with the Imagination, what Wonders they should perform in the Head of such an Army. And therefore, when his Majesty is so intirely possessed of the Affection and Obedience of this Army, and when it hath merited so much from him, can it be believed, or imagined, that he can, without some Regret, part with them?

No, my Lords and Gentlemen; he will never part with them: And the only sure Way never to part with them, is to disband them. Should it be otherwise, they must be exposed to the daily Importunity of his great Neighbours and Allies: And how could he refuse to lend them his Troops, of which he hath no Use himself?

His Majesty knows they are too good Englishmen to wish that a Standing Army should be kept up in the Bowels of their own Country: That they who did but in bello pacis gerere negotium, and who, whilst an Army, lived like good Husbandmen in the Country, and good Citizens in the City, will now become really such; and take Delight in the Benefit of that Peace they have so honestly and so wonderfully brought to pass.

The King will part with them, as the most indulgent Parents part with their Children, for their Education and for their Preferment: He will prefer them to Disbanding, and prefer them by Disbanding; and will always retain such a Kindness for them, and such a Memory of the Service they have done him, that both Officers and Soldiers, after they are disbanded, shall always find such Countenance, Favour, and Reward, from his Majesty, that he doubts not but, if he should have Occasion to use their Service, they will again resort to him, with the same Alacrity as if they had never been disbanded: And if there be any so ill amongst them (as there can be but very few, if any) who will forfeit that Favour and Protection they may have from him, by any withstanding his Majesty's Commands, and the full and declared Sense of the Kingdom; his Majesty is confident they will be as odious to their Companions, as they can be to any other honest Men.

My Lords and Gentlemen,

I am, in the next Place, by the King's Command, to put you in mind of the Act of Indemnity: Not of any Grants, or Concessions, or Releases, he made to you in that Act; I have nothing of that in Charge; no Prince hath so excellent a Memory, to forget the Favours he does: But of what he hath done against you in that Act; how you may be undone by that Act, if you are not very careful to perform the Obligations he hath laid upon you in it. The Clause I am to put you in mind of, is this: "And to the Intent and Purpose, that all Names and Terms of Distinction may be likewise put into utter Oblivion, Be it further enacted, by the Authority aforesaid, That if any Person or Persons, within the Space of Three Years next ensuing, shall presume maliciously to call, or allege, or object, against any other Person or Persons, any Name or Names, or other Words of Reproach, any way tending to revive the Memory of the late Differences, or the Occasion thereof; that then every such Person, so, as aforesaid, offending, shall forfeit, &c." It is no matter for the Penalty; it is too cheap a one: The King wishes it had been greater; and therefore hath, by his just Prerogative (and it is well for us he hath such a Prerogative), added another Penalty, more insupportable, even his high Displeasure, against all who shall swerve from this Clause in the Act.

Give me Leave to tell you, that, as any Name or Names, or other Words of Reproach, are expressly against the Letter, and punishable accordingly; so evil and envious Looks, murmuring and discontented Hearts, are as directly against the Equity of this Statute; a direct Breach of the Act of Indemnity; and ought to be punished too; and, I believe, they may be so. You know Kings are, in some Sense, called Gods; and so they may, in some Degree, be able to look into Mens Hearts; and God hath given us a King, who can look as far into Mens Hearts, as any Prince alive: And he hath great Skill in Physiognomy too. You would wonder what Calculations he hath made from thence; and, no doubt, if he be provoked by evil Looks, to make a further Inquiry into Mens Hearts, and finds those corrupted with the Passions of Envy and Uncharitableness, he will never chuse those Hearts to trust and rely upon.

He hath given us a noble and princely Example, by opening and stretching his Arms to all who are worthy to be his Subjects, worthy to be thought Englishmen; by extending his Heart, with a pious and a grateful Joy, to find all his Subjects at once in his Arms, and himself in theirs: And shall we fold our Arms towards one another, and contract our Hearts with Envy and Malice to each other, by any sharp Memory of what hath been unneighbourly and unkindly done heretofore?

What is this but to rebel against the Person of the King, against the excellent Example and Virtue of the King, against the known Law of the Land, this blessed Act of Oblivion?

My Lords and Gentlemen,

The King is a Suitor to you; makes it his Suit very heartily, that you will join with him in restoring the whole Nation to its primitive Temper and Integrity, to its old good Manners, its old good Humour, and its old goodNature; Good Nature! a Virtue so peculiar to you, so appropriated to God Almighty, to this Nation, that it can be translated into no other Language; hardly practised by any other People: And that you will, by your Example, by the Candour of your Conversation, by your Precepts, and by your Practice, and by all your Interests, teach your Neighbours, and your Friends, how to pay a full Obedience to this Clause of the Statute, how to learn this excellent Art of Forgetfulness. Let them remember, and let us all remember, how ungracious, how indecent, how ugly, the Insolence, the Fierceness, the Brutishness, of their Enemies appeared to them: And we may piously and reasonably believe, that God's Indignation against them, for their want of Bowels, for their not being Englishmen (for they had the Hearts of Pagans and Infidels), sent a Whirlwind in a Moment to blow them out of the World; that is, out of a Capacity to do more Mischief in the World; except we practise their Vices, and do That ourselves, which we pretend to detest them for. Let us not be too much ashamed, as if what hath been done amiss proceeded from the Humour and the Temper and the Nature of our Nation.

The Astrologers have made us a fair Excuse; and, truly, I hope, a true one: All the Motions of these last Twenty Years have been unnatural, and have proceeded from the evil Influence of a malignant Star; and let us not too much despise the Influence of the Stars: And the same Astrologers assure us, that the Malignity of that Star is expired; the good Genius of this Kingdom is become superior, and hath mastered that Malignity; and our own good old Stars govern us again: And their Influence is so strong, that, with our Help, they will repair in a Year, what hath been decaying in Twenty; and they only shall have no Excuse from the Star, who continue their Malignity, and own all the Ill, that is past, to be their own, by continuing and improving it, for the Time to come.

If any body here, or any where else, be too much exalted with what he hath done, or what he hath suffered, and from thence thinks himself warranted to reproach others; let him remember the Story of Nicephorus: It is an excellent Story, and very applicable to such Distempers. He was a pious and religious Man; and, for his Piety and Religion, was condemned to the Fire. When he was led to Execution, and when an old Friend, who had done him Injury enough, fell at his Feet, and asked his Pardon; the poor Man was so elated with the Triumph he was going unto, with the Glory of Martyrdom, that he refused to be reconciled unto him: Upon which he was disappointed of his End; and, for this Uncharitableness, the Spirit of God immediately forsook him; and he apostatised from the Faith. Let all those who are too proud of having been, as they think, less faulty than other Men, and so are unwilling to be reconciled to those who have offended, take heed of the Apostasy of Nicephorus; and that those Fumes of Envy, and Uncharitableness, and Murmuring, do not so far transport and intoxicate them, that they fall into those very Crimes they value themselves for having hitherto declined.

But, my Lords and Gentlemen,

Whilst we conspire together to execute faithfully this Part of the Bill, to put all old Names and Terms of Distinction, into utter Oblivion; let us not find new Names and Terms to keep up the same, or a worse Distinction. If the old Reproaches of Cavalier, and Roundhead, and Malignant, be committed to the Grave, let us not find more significant and better Words to signify worse Things: Let not Piety and Godliness grow into Terms of Reproach, and distinguish between the Court, and the City, and the Country; and let not Piety and Godliness be measured by a Morosity in Manners, an Affectation of Gesture, a new Mode and Tone of speaking; at least, let our Constitutions and Complexions make us be thought of a contrary Party; and, because we have not an affected Austerity in our Looks, that we have not Piety in our Hearts. Very merry Men have been very godly Men; and, if a good Conscience be a continual Feast, there is no Reason but Men may be very merry at it.

The Lord Chancellor's Speech.

You, Mr. Speaker, have this Day made a noble Present to the King: Do you think, that, if you, and your worthy Companions, had brought it up with folded Arms, downcast Looks, with Sighs, and other Instances of Desperation, it would not have been a very melancholy Present? Have not your frank and dutiful Expressions, that Chearfulness and Vivacity in your Looks, rendered it much more acceptable, much more valuable?

No Prince in Christendom loves a chearful Giver, so well as God Almighty does; and he, of all Gifts, a chearful Heart: And therefore, I pray, let not a cloudy and disconsolate Face be the only, or the best, Sign of Piety and Devotion in the Heart. I must ask you Pardon for misplacing much of this Discourse; which I should have mentioned, when I came to speak of the Ministers Bill: They, I hope, will endeavour to remove these new Marks of Distinction and Reproaches, and keep their Auditories from being imposed upon by such Characters and Descriptions. The King hath passed this Act very willingly, and done much to the End of this Act before; yet hath willingly admitted you to be Sharers and Partners with him in the Obligation.

I may say confidently, His Majesty hath never denied his Confirmation to any Man in Possession, who hath asked it; and they have all had the Effect of it, except such who, upon Examination and Inquiry, appear not worthy of it; and such who, though they are pardoned, cannot yet think themselves worthy to be preferred. His Majesty well knows, that, by this Act, he hath gratified and obliged many worthy and pious Men, who have contributed much to his Restoration, and who shall always receive fresh Evidence of his Majesty's Favour and Kindness; but he is not sure, that he may not likewise have gratified some who did neither contribute to his coming in, nor are yet glad that he is in.

How comes it else to pass, that he receives such frequent Information of seditious Sermons in the City, and in the Country; in which all Industry is used, to alienate the Affections of the People, and to infuse Jealousies into them of the King, and his Government?

They talk of introducing Popery, of evil Counsellors, and such other old Calumnies as are pardoned by this Act of Indemnity.

His Majesty told you, when he was last here, what Rigour and Severity he will hereafter use, how contrary soever it is to his Nature, in these Cases; and conjured you, my Lords and Gentlemen, to concur with him in this just and necessary Severity: Which I am sure, you will do with your utmost Vigilance; and that you will believe, that too much Ill cannot befal those who do the best they can to corrupt his Majesty's Nature, and to extinguish his Mercy.

My Lords and Gentlemen,

I told you, I was to acquaint you with some things his Majesty intends to do during this Recess; that you may see, he will give no Intermission to his own Thoughts for the publick Good, though for a time he dispenses with your Assistance.

He doth consider the infinite Importance the Improvement of Trade must be to this Kingdom; and therefore his Majesty intends forthwith to establish a Council of Trade, consisting of some principal Merchants of the several Companies; to which he will add some Gentlemen of Quality and Experience; and, for their greater Honour and Encouragement, some of my Lords of his own Privy Council.

In the next Place, his Majesty hopes, that, by a well-settled Peace, and God's great Blessing upon him and you, this Nation will, in a short time, flourish to that Degree that the Land of Canaan did, when Esau found it necessary to part from his Brother; for their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the Land, wherein they were, could not bear them because of their Cattle.

The Lord Chancellor's Speech.

We have been ourselves very near this Pinacle of Happiness; and the Hope and Contemplation that we may be so again, disposes the King to be very solicitous for the Improvement and Prosperity of his Plantations Abroad; where there is such large Room for the Industry and Reception of such who shall desire to go thither: And therefore his Majesty likewise intends to erect and establish a Council for those Plantations; in which Persons well qualified will be wholly intent upon the Good and Advancement of those Plantations.

There are Two other Particulars, which I am commanded to mention, which were both mentioned and recommended to you by his Majesty, in his Declaration from Breda: The one for the Confirmation of Sales, or other Recompence for Purchasers; the other, for composing those Differences and Distempers in Religion, which have too much disturbed the Peace of the Kingdom: Two very weighty Particulars! in which his Majesty knows you have spent much Time; and concerning which he should have heard from you before this Time, if you had not met with great Difficulties in the Disquisition of either. For the First, His Majesty hath not been without much Thought upon the Argument, and hath done much towards the Accommodation of many particular Persons: And you shall not be at your Journey's End, before his Majesty will put that Business concerning Sales, into such a Way of Dispatch, that he doubts not you will find a good Progress made in it, before your coming together again: And I believe, the Persons concerned will be very much to blame, if they receive not good Satisfaction; and some of you, who stay in Town, shall be advised and consulted with in that Settlement.

The other, of Religion, is a sad Argument indeed: It is a Consideration, that must make every religious Heart to bleed, to see Religion, which should be the strongest Obligation, and Cement of Affection and brotherly Kindness and Compassion, made now by the perverse Wranglings of passionate and forward Men, the Ground of all Animosity, Hatred, Malice, and Revenge: And this unruly and unmanly Passion (which, no Question, the Divine Nature exceedingly abhors) sometimes, and, I fear, too frequently, transports those who are in the Right, as well as those who are in the Wrong; and leaves the latter more excusable than the former, when Men who find their Manners and Dispositions very conformable in all the necessary Obligations of human Nature, avoid one another's Conversation, and grow first unsociable, and then uncharitable, to each other, because one cannot think as the other doth: And from this Separation we intitle God to the Patronage of, and Concernment in our Fancies and Distinction; and purely for his Sake, hate one another heartily. It was not so of old, when one of the most ancient Fathers of the Church tells us, that Love and Charity was so signal and eminent in the Primitive Christians, that it even drew Admiration and Envy from their Adversaries; Vide, inquiunt, ut invicem se diligant. Their Adversaries, in That in which they most agreed, in their very Prosecution of them, had their Passions and Animosities amongst themselves: They were only Christians that loved, and cherished, and comforted, and were ready to die for one another. Quid nunc illi, dicerent Christiani, si nostra viderent tempora? says the incomparable Grotius. How would they look upon our sharp and virulent Contentions in the Debates of Christian Religion, and the bloody Wars that have proceeded from those Contentions, whilst every one pretended to all the Marks which are to attend upon the true Church; except only That which is inseparable from it, Charity to one another?

My Lords and Gentlemen,

This Disquisition hath cost the King many a Sigh, many a sad Hour, when he hath considered the almost irreparable Reproach the Protestant Religion hath undergone, from the Divisions and Distractions which have been so notorious within this Kingdom. What Pains he hath taken to compose them, after several Discourses with learned and pious Men of different Persuasions, you will shortly see by a Declaration he will publish upon that Occasion: By which you will see his great Indulgence to those who can have any Pretension from Conscience to differ with their Brethren: And I hope God will so bless the Candour of his Majesty, in the Condescensions he makes, that the Church, as well as the State, will return to that Unity and Unanimity, which will make both King and People as happy as they can hope to be in this World.

My Lords and Gentlemen,

I shall conclude with the King's hearty Thanks to you, not only for what you have done towards him, which hath been very signal, but for what you have done towards each other, for the excellent Correspondence you have maintained, for the very seasonable Deference and Condescension you have had for each other; which will restore Parliaments to the Veneration they ought to have: And, since his Majesty knows, that you all desire to please him (you have given him ample Evidence, that you do); so he hath appointed me to give you a sure Receipt to attain that good End: It is a Receipt of his own Prescribing, and therefore is not like to fail: Be but pleased yourselves, and persuade others to be so; contrive all the Ways imaginable for your own Happiness, and you will make him the best pleased, and the most happy Prince in the World.

The Speaker's Speech.

The Speech which the Speaker of the House of Commons made unto the King, the Thirteenth of September, 1660, the Day of their Adjournment.

Most gracious and Royal Sovereign;

Your Commons, the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses, have commanded me to present your Majesty with the Sacrifices of their Hearts most humble Thanks for their often and frequent Admissions unto your Royal Presence; and for the Freedom you have been pleased to allow them, upon all Occasions, of making their Wants and Desires known unto your Majesty.

Sir,

This Royal Favour, and Fatherly Kindness, unto Your People, hath naturalized their Affections to Your Person, and their Obedience to Your Precepts: And as it is their Duty, so it is their Desires to manifest and evidence the Truth and Reality thereof, by supporting and upholding that Grandeur and Splendor which is due to the Majesty of so meritorious a Prince, as You Yourself: And therefore they have resolved, uno flatu, et nemine contradicente, to make up Your Royal Majesty's constant and ordinary Revenue Twelve hundred thousand Pounds per Annum.

But finding, as to some Part of the Settlement of that Revenue, that there will be a Necessity of making use of the Legislative Power; and that the Bills, already brought into the House, for that Purpose, cannot possibly be perfected, dispatched, and made ready, for Your Royal Assent, until the next Meeting of Your Houses of Parliament again; therefore they have taken into their Consideration Your Majesty's present Supply: And, first, how to raise it in the most expeditious Way, to answer Your Majesty's present Occasions; and, then, how to lay it, with the most Ease and Equality, upon Your People: And, at last, wrapped up their Affections to Your Majesty, and the Trust reposed in them by the People, in one of these Bills here in my Hand, intituled, An Act for the speedy Raising of One hundred thousand Pounds, for the present supply of Your Majesty, to be levied by way of Land Rate, within the Space of One Month, to begin the Twenty-ninth of this instant September, and to be paid in to Your Majesty's Exchequer before the End of October following.

Sir,

They have likewise passed another Bill, with Rules and Instructions, to impower and direct Your Commissioners, how, and in what Manner, to disband Your Army and Garisons, and to pay off some Part of Your Fleet, and to begin with those Ships now in Harbour: But, not knowing for certain, that the Monies upon the Poll Bill, which is designed for that Purpose, will be sufficient fully to defray that Charge; and being unwilling that any thing should be wanting, on their Parts, to perfect and complete so good a Work, so acceptable to Your Majesty, and so grateful to all Your People; they have passed another Act for raising One hundred and Forty thousand Pounds, Seventy thousand Pounds per mensem, to begin the First of November, and to be paid to Your Majesty's Treasurers, in that Bill nominated and appointed, before the Twenty-fifth Day of December next ensuing: Both which Bills I am commanded, in the Name of Your Commons, humbly to present Your Majesty withal; and to pray Your gracious Acceptance thereof, and Your Royal Assent thereunto.

Sir,

There are other Bills likewise, which wait and attend for Your Royal Assent; one intituled, An Act for regulating the Bay Trade; which is the only Way to keep up the Credit of That, which at this Time is in some Danger to be lost. When the Credit of Trade begins to decline, the Trade itself decays with it, and is never long-lived after it.

Sir,

Many Thousands of Your People depend wholly upon that Trade for their Livelihood, and Sustenance of them and their Families: And as the Loss of that Trade would be a great Damage unto Your People, so your Majesty would likewise find the Loss of it in Your Customs: for that Commodity hath its Vent in Spain and Portugal, from whence we have always rich and quick Returns: And, to prevent the Loss of both, both Prince and People, that Bill is humbly tendered to Your Majesty.

Sir,

There is another Bill, intituled, An Act for encourageing and increasing Shipping and Navigation; which will enable Your Majesty to give the Law to Foreign Princes, abroad, as Your Royal Predecessors have done before You: And it is the only way to enlarge Your Majesty's Dominions all over the World; for, so long as Your Majesty is Master at Sea, Your Merchants will be welcome where-ever they come; and that is the easiest Way of conquering, and the chiefest Way of making whatsoever is, theirs: And when it is ours, Your Majesty cannot want it.

Sir,

There is another Bill, intituled, An Act for restoring some Ministers into their Places, out of which they have been long and injuriously ejected and exposed; and for the confirming others in vacant Places. Crazy Titles need Your Majesty's Help, as much as crazy Bodies need the Help of Physicians: And what your Majesty hath already done, in that Kind, to this Parliament, and what You are now about to do, and what You have ever expressed your Readiness, if we could be as ready to receive, as Your Majesty is to give, we hope to vanish and banish all Fears and Jealousies out of Mens Minds for the future; and teach them how, with much Confidence and Contentedness, to rest, and wholly rely upon your Majesty's Grace and Goodness, for what may be thought further necessary to be done hereafter, when a fitting Opportunity shall be offered, at the next Meeting of Your Houses of Parliament.

Royal Sir,

We humbly beg Your Pardon for making thus bold with your Patience, and therefore, to pretermit, and pass over, some other such Bills, which are not of such publick Concernment as those I have already mentioned, we most humbly crave Your Majesty's Favour and Leave to conclude all our Work, at this Time, with that which is our Delight, as well as our Duty, to pray for Your Majesty's long life, and happy, blessed, and prosperous, Reign over us.

Adjournment.

After which the House returned; and, according to his Majesty's Leave and Direction, adjourned themselves till the Sixth Day of November next.

And they adjourned to the Sixth of November accordingly.