Three Speeches

Die Iovis 27. Iulii. 1643.

IT is this Day Ordered by the Lord's in Parliament, that M. Newcomen hath hereby thanks given him for the great pains he took in the Sermon he made at the Fast, for the Assembly of Divines in the Abby Church, Westminster, on Friday the 7. of this instant July. And he is hereby desired to cause his said Sermon to be forthwith printed and published.

Jo. Brown Cleric. Parliamentorum.

The Right Honorable, EDWARD Earl of Manchester's Speech:

MY Lord Major, and you worthy Citizens of London, I am Commanded by the Houses of Parliament, to express their thanks, and their acknowledgments to you, for your good affection and fidelity, which you have always expressed for the preservation of the Parliament, and the Kingdom; particularly for that great care and readiness that you have shown in sending forth those forces for the suppressing of that Tumultuous Insurrection in Kent: It hath pleased God to bless you with good success, and to you is the honor due, and to those that have commanded those forces in that happy execution of it.

I am likewise Commanded by the Houses of Parliament, to let you know that they will agree with you in all things, that shall be in order to the preservation of this City, and of the Kingdom; and that they may manifest and express their good opinion, and their trust, & confidence that they have in the City of London, in order to that, they have this day passed two Ordinances, The one for the putting into the power of my Lord Major, and the Militia of the city of London, all those forces that are within the lines of Communication here in London, and in those Counties adjacent to it.

And they likewise have passed an Ordinance for the putting of the Tower of London into the power of my Lord Major, & Sheriffs of London.

They have likewise agreed, That all the Forces that shall be raised by the City of London, and are now under the Command of the Militia of the City of London, shall be Committed to Sir William Waller as Commander in chief under the Militia of the City of London.

Gentlemen, I am further commanded to let you know, that they will be wanting in nothing, that may express their care, not only for the preservation of the whole Kingdom, but in particular for the preservation of this City of London, that hath expressed greater affection then ever any City did to a Parliament, or a Kingdom.

JOHN PYM Esquire, His SPEECH.

MY Lord MAJOR, and you the rest of the worthy Citizens of this great City, I am commanded by the Lord's and Commons in purs • i •• of that, which hath been expressed by this 〈◊〉 Lord in general, so to show you the particular care, and sense of everything that may concern this City, either in the honor, or in the safety of it; And to accquaint you with a Proclamation, that is here in my hand, which they conceive to be very pernicious to you, very full of danger, and to express a great deal of wrath, and a great deal of desire of doing great hurt, even the greatest of all to this City; you shall be pleased to hear the Proclamation read, and after it is read, I shall then declare to you some observations by direction of both Houses of Parliament, which they make; and afterwards I shall offer to you somewhat that may be by way of Remedy and prevention of great mischiefs which this Proclamation is likely to bring upon you, that it may not have that effect which your enemies, and the enemies of the Kingdom do desire.

By the King. A Proclamation prohibiting from henceforth all intercourse of Trade between Our city of London and other parts of this Our Kingdom, until other direction given by Us.

W Hereas out of our tender care to Our City of London, and in hope to reduce them to their due obedience to Vs, We by Our Proclamation, bearing date at Our Court at Oxford the 8. day of December now last past, did Declare Our Royal pleasure to be, That there should be no stop or interruption to any of our loving Subjects, as they should travel to our City of London with any Clothes, Wares, or Merchandize, but that they should freely and peaceably pass without any let, trouble, or molestation whatsoever; Which grace and favor unto them, hath in these many Months wrought this contrary effect, That above all other parts of this our kingdom, a prevalent faction of that City (which over-rules the whole) hath so far joined with, and in that horrid rebellion, that it hath denounced war against the whole kingdom, by violent opposing all the possible ways to peace; and so that City formerly famous for their loyalty and love to their Sovereigns, is now become the head of that traitorous faction, and the receptacle of all such as are disaffected to our Government, and the Laws of the Kingdom; and not only willingly consents and submits to all burdens and impositions laid upon them for the support and maintenance of the rebellious Armies raised against Vs, but maliciously prosecutes and pursues all such who are but suspected to wish well to Our service. And when We pitying the desperate and deplorable condition of Our People, were graciously pleased to desire a Treaty for an Accommodation, and propounded that whilst that Treaty should continue, there might be a cessation of Arms, and a free Commerce for all Our loving Subjects in all the parts of Our Kingdom, that so the benefits of Trade and Commerce being enjoyed, Our good People might be the more in love with Peace; yet this motion thus proceeding from Vs, was nevertheless by special incitation from the city of London, (which by the Grace of Our said Proclamation enjoyed the advantage of the whole Trade of the Kingdom) scornfully neglected by the Enemies of Peace, and all intercourse interdicted to Our city of Oxford, the present place of Residence for Our Court and Army, and that restraint is continued upon all those who are thought to be serviceable, or but well-affected to Vs: We therefore being thereunto enforced out of this necessity, and finding that the Trade and Commerce of the Kingdom, which ought to be maintained for the public benefit of all our good people, is by this means inverted only for the advantage of those Places, and Persons which cherish this Rebellion, the Goods and Merchandize of such who are thought well-affected to Vs ••• ng seised when they are brought to Londo • 〈…〉 thought it fit and reasonable to revoke 〈…〉 that Our former Act of Grace and 〈…〉 this Our Proclamation, We do publish 〈…〉 Declare to all Our Subjects, That whosoever of them, either in their Persons shall from henceforth travel unto our city of London, without License from our Self, or one of our Principal Secretaries of States, the Generalls, or Lieutena •• -Generalls of our Armies, or the Governors of any our Towns, Castles, or Forts, or with their Goods, cattle, Victuall, or Merchandize of any sort whatsoeover, shall from henceforth travel unto, or for our said city of London or suburbs thereof, without our express License for the same under our Sign Manual, shall adventure the same at their own perils, We being resolved by all possible means to seize the same; And that all those who from any parts of this our Kingdom shall furnish or serve our said city of London, or suburbs thereof, either by sea or land, with any Victualls, or other Provisions, or with any Merchandize to maintain them or their Trade, as long as they shall thus obstinately stand out in Rebellion against Vs, We shall esteem as persons disaffected to Vs, and to our Government, and as Ayders and Assisters to the Rebells, and shall accordingly deal with them, and proceed against them; And that this restraint shall continue upon them until such time as the Inhabitants of the said city, finding their Errors, shall return to their due Obedience unto Vs, straitly commanding all the officers of our Armies, and all other our officers, Ministers, and loving subjects, in all places through which any persons, Goods, cattle, Victuall or Merchandize, shall pass or be conveyed towards the said city of London, to apprehend the persons, and seize and detain the Goods, until upon speedy notice to Vs they shall receive our farther directions; We hereby assuring them, they shall receive part of such Goods so seized in satisfaction and for their reward. But for the continuing of the general Trade and commerce of the Kingdom, and the Manufactures thereof (which we desire to uphold and advance) We leave all Our subjects to Trade freely in, and unto all other parts, and in and unto all other Ports, or Harvens of this our Kingdom, not being in actual Rebellion against Vs; and from those ports to Trade with their Merchandize freely into any other parts wheresoever beyond the seas, being in amity with Vs, without any restraint whatsoever.

AFter the Proclamation was read, Mr. Pym spake as followeth:

My Lord, and these worthy Gentlemen, you have heard this Proclamation read, there is no man but in the very hearing of it, must needs apprehend that it is very contrary, not only to the wealth and profit of the City, but to the Peace and Safety of it; This in general I doubt not doth appear to everyone of you.

I am commanded to make you some particular Observations: The first that I shall present to you is this, That in this Proclamation there are terms of great aspersion, of great Infamy, put upon some Actions of the City, which actions in themselves are not only warrantable, and very laudable, but such as will be evidences of your virtue, of your piety, of your honor, to the present age, and Monuments of all to the future age; you are here in respect of that obedience which you have shown to the two Houses of Parliament, in respect of that fidelity which you have shown to to the State, in defending the Parliament from violence of the War that is raised up against them: you are here called Traitours, nay to be the head of a great Rebellion, to be the Fomentors of it, This action of yours, so full of Honor, of Justice, and of Duty, is now represented here in these odious terms: that is the first.

Another action of yours which is represented here in very odious terms is this; That you have been ready by the valor, and by the diligence of the Citizens, to suppress Mutinies, and Rebellions, and Insurrections, and Violence, in your Neighbor and adjacent Counties here, and this is called a making War against the whole Kingdom; being an action very full of honor in you, and very full of good care of the public peace; yet it is here odiously represented.

The third is this: That you have given safety and protection here, (by the good Government of the City) to many that could find no safety in the Country, Ministers, and others, and for this work of Charity, of Honor, of public good, you are represented here to be a Den, a Receptacle of Rebells, and Traitours: These particulars are upon the first head, that your actions, that are virtuous and honorable, and worthy both of present thanks, and of future remembrance, to the honor of the City, they are hore represented after an odious manner.

The second Observation that I shall make to you is this; That some actions of the Kings, that are here represented to you with a face of Favor and of Grace, were yet in themselves such as would have been either fruitless to you, or would have been full of danger both to you, and to the whole Kingdom.

The first is this: That Proclamation that there should be a free Trade from all parts of the kingdom to this City, it hath a face of much Grace, but it was in a great manner fruitless: for notwithstanding this Proclamation, divers Carriers were robbed, not only of private men's goods, but of the good; of the Kingdom; even those Provisions that were sent for Ireland, they were taken away: that is the first thing.

An other thing that is represented unto you, as a matter of great Grace, is, That the King was pleased to desire a Treatie for an Accommodaton: A Treaty indeed was desired, but there have no evidenses been given, that we can believe that an Accommodation was indeed desired, for though Committees weer sent, though such propositoins were offered, as were full of Honor, and security to the King, and yet did afford the Subject also, reasonable security and safety in enjoying Religion, and liberties, (which they ought to desire) they were refused, the Treaty was desired, which would have been a snare to you, which would have withdrawn the hearts of the People from you, & your abilities from the Parliament, of raising such strength as was neessary: The Treaty was desired indeed, but if the Accommodation it self had been desired, we might have expected a betrer Answer to the Propositions that were made.

A third thing is this, it was represented, that a Cessation was propounded, that there might have been a free Trade to Oxford, udder which all provisions of Munition, Arms, and money might be sent thither to strengthen your enemies against you: And yet this here hath put on a disguise of favor, and of grace to you.

This is the second Head, that as your Actions, that are good, are represented in an odious form, so those actions which are hurtful and prejuditall to you, they are represented to you in a gracious form. That is the second Observation upon this.

The third observation, that though you have had many evidences of wrath, and of revenge, that have been expressed against you, you have been intended as a prey to both armies, when they were invited to come up against the Parliament; you were that that gave hope to the Kings army by such a sudden and hasty march to surprise the City, that they might have had the spoil of it. Though you have had a Conspiracy here among you, which would have thrust your swords mutually in one another's sides, which would have filled this City with blood; yet in this Proclamation there is somewhat of wrath against this City expressed, beyond all those; here you see is a restraint of all trade, no provisions, or merchandize, must go out from you, or must come to you, this will necessarily (if it should take effect) introduce a famine, a want even of bread amongst you, it will introduce a general poverty because your handy-crafts, they will have no vent for their commodities, yea the merchandize and manufactures of the Kingdom, they will be at a stop, and so not only the City, but the Country will be exceedingly distempered with it; Farmers will not be able to pay their rents; the Gentry and Nobility will be brought into as necessitous a condition as the rest, because they will be able to make nothing of their own, and this general necessity cannot be avoided: it will also put you into a general combustion, because the poor will rise, and rich be made poor, and none shall know his friends, and we shall even fight for a morsel of bread, which God (I hope) will avert. These are the miscries which this Proclamation will bring upon you, which in many things exceeds the former: For first, it is more general, in that it comprehendeth all, in the former notice was taken of some that were well affected, & some ill affected, one part would have scaped, those that they thought well-affected, and termed the Kings friends: but here those that they say are well assected, and those they say are ill affected, will be joined together (if this Proclamation take effect) in the mischief it will produce: therefore in that respect it exceedeth all the former: And in divers other respects, For it doeth extend not only to a moment, to have been acted in a night, as that would have done, but this will be a durable evil and mischief, which will not be recovered to the Kingdom in many ages, being likely ta brirg an universal desolation upon the Kingdom.

This I am commanded to represent to you, as that which is intended for a great mischief but through the blessing of God, if you take a rise from hense, to do that which which you have hitherto shown yur selves very forward to do that which is intended for universal mischief, to bring perpetual misery and desolation upon the Citty, it may be a means of procuring for you not only peace and safety, but eternal honor, that is this, that since your trade is to be interrupted, you will have many men will not have wherewith to employ their hands, nor wherewith to fill their bellies, that now you will set them all upon the work; that before this misery and desolation come upon the Kingdom, you will raise all the forces you can, for it is force must do it, You fee there is a Commander provided for you, so you see you have all encouragements that can be from the Houses of Parliament. That now you will improve the time, and raise all the forces you can, that may remove the fountain, and go to the root of all your miseries, that may be such a force as may be applicable to the several dangers of yourselves and Kingdom; Your Enemies you see are very diligent, they stir up one another, and combine one with another; and I have here in my kand, an examination to acquaint you with taken beyond Seas, wherein all that would come in, and give any money for the relief of the Catholics in England, they should come in; this was done in Flanders; so they make it the general cause of all the Papists in England; let us that are of the true Religion, that are of one and the same Country, let us unite ourselves, with all our strength and means to defend our Religion, and to defend our Liberties and to defend the public safety, as our Enemies unite themselves, and combine, and stir up one another, to do that which may overthrow and destroy all; This is commended to you from both Houses of Parliament, You have expressed such affections heretofore, that we cannot doubt that we shall fail in this; There is somewhat else that will be said to you by another Gentleman, which are the expressions of Your City, in some particulars, which will be represented to you, and I shall leave that part to him; I shall end here, hoping that you will make a good use of this admonition, to stir up yourselves to prepare all the force you can that you may join together, under such Commanders as are appointed to you to do the work, and to restore yourselves to peace and safety in as short a time as may be, least you be consumed.

THE EXAMINATION OF HENRY MAYO.

WHo saith, that on Thursday last being the twentieth of July one thousand six hundred forty three, he being at Bridges in Flanders, heard proclamation made in Dutch, (who understands it very well) that all people within that Citty, that would go to the Governors house, and give any money to maintain the Roman Catholics in England, they should have their money repaid them again in a years time, with many thanks.

HENRY MARTIN Colonel, His Speech.

MY Lord Major, and you worthy Gentlemen of this Honorable City, the principal cause why this meeting was desired, was to communicate unto you, a Petition of many thousands of well affected persons of this City, and other parts of the Kingdom, that Petition it did represent the groans of the people under this tedious and destructive war, it did desire that now at last a speedy end, (by God's blessing) might be put unto it, it did desire that for that purpose, a Committee might be appointed to receive contributions, and list and dispose of men, for a present army under the conduct of such a Commander, as was fit to be trusted, to be employed for the restraint of the Common Enemy. This Committee hath met, hath considered of this Noble Gentleman, for a Commander in chife over those forces, hath presented him to both Houses of Parliament, and you have heard, they have approved of their choice; I need not commend the cause to you, it is God's, it is your own, I think I need not commend the Gentleman to you, you have cause to trust him; I am to commend that work unto you, a work which the House of Commons conceives to be the only hopeful means under God to preserve our Religion, our Laws, our Liberties, and that which is left of our estates; They conceive that if there shall be a general and unanimous rising of the people both in this City, and in other parts of the Kingdom, it will take down the partition wall betwixt well-affected, and ill-affected; Your enemies will spare none of you, their bullets do not distinguish you, they would starve you all. It is desired you would all join in saving yourselves, if it please you to give your best assistance and furtherance, to that work under the hands of that Comittee, I presume they will be very faithful, and they have been very diligent in the work, but certainly I am of opinion, that either you must go forth all, and meet the Ememy as Vassalls with Ropes about your necks, or like men with swords in your hands.

Imprimatur

This is Licenced according to an Order of PARLIAMENT.