Speech before the House of Commons
The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A57827.0001.001
Project Note
This is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND. This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
The source of this document is the Early English Books Online (EEBO-TCP) website. Those books were transcribed in a character for character manner and can be very cumbersome to read since there was no standard spelling during that time. Many spelling variations such as "unlesse", "vnlesse", and "vnles" regularly appear.
This project was conceived to clean up those books as much as possible and make them more accessible to the interested reader, leading to the creation of a massive list of variant spellings and their corrections. This was used to clean up the text, but is of course only as complete as the list itself. Because of the nature of the original transcription, some words have missing characters or places where the original language (e.g., Greek) was not transcribed. This effort does not change that. Be aware that the original transcription can also be faulty and in some cases entire sentences may be missing.
Although this is no substitute for a properly compared, proofed, and scholarly edition, I believe that the result is a document which is far more accessible, particularly for searching for terms using standard spelling. The document has been cleaned and presented in what I hope is a pleasing and useful format for the vast majority of Christian brothers and sisters who just want access to read these spiritually nourishing works.
However, a word of warning: The Puritans were a very diverse group of people and their age was characterized with godliness, but also much upheaval, disputation and strife. They disagreed on many doctrines and some of these works contain less orthodox or Scriptural views than others. The reader is strongly advised to read with discernment, particularly if it is unknown whether author is trustworthy.
This project took a huge amount of time and skill to bring to fruition. I would particularly like to thank David Jonescue for the initial list of Puritans he found on EEBO and the concept behind this project as well as the continuous, unceasing efforts toward seeing this complete. Without his labor, this would not be available. Alex Sarrouf was invaluable in providing the initial list of over 7,000 spelling variations he had identified and corrected, as well as continuing to review more than 16,000 additions to that list for any typos.
Logan West
(with David Jonescue and Alex Sarrouf)
www.puritansearch.org
A most worthy SPEECH Spoken in the Honorable House of COMMONS, By Sir BENIMIN RVDYARD.
Desiring a happy union between the King and his Parliament without effusion of blood, this present July 9th 1642.
London, Printed for N Allen, and are to be sold in the Old Bailey. 1642.
A Speech spoken in the House of Commons by Sir Benjamin Rudiard, July 9. 1642.
M r SPEAKER,
I N the way we are, we have gone as far as words can carry us: We have voted our own Rights, and the Kings duty: No doubt there is a Relative Duty between a King and Subjects; Obedience from a Subject to a King, Protection from a King to his People. The present unhappy distance between His Majesty and the Parliament, makes the whole Kingdom stand amazed in a fearful expectation of dismal Calamities to fall upon it: It deeply and conscionably concerns this House to compose and settle these threatening ruining distractions. Mr. Speaker, I am touched, I am pierced with an apprehension of the Honor of the House, and success of this Parliament. The best way to give a stop to these desperate, imminent mischiefs is, To make a fair way for the Kings return hither; It will likewise give best satisfaction to the people, and will be our best Justification. M. Speaker, That we may the better consider the condition we are now in, let us set ourselves three years back: If any man then, could have credibly told us That within three years the Queen shall be gone out of England into the Low-Countries, for any cause whatsoever. The King shall remove from his Parliament, from London to York, declaring himself not to be safe here That there shall be a total Rebellion in Ireland, Such discords and distempers both in Church and State here, as now we find; certainly we should have trembled at the thought of it: Wherefore it is fit we should be sensible now we are in it.
On the other side, if any man then, could have credibly told us, That within three years ye shall have a Parliament, it would have been good News; That Ship-monie shall be taken away by an Act of Parliament, the Reasons and Grounds of it so rooted out, as that neither it, nor anything like it, can ever grow up again; That Monopolies, the high-Commission Court, The Star-Chamber, The Bishops Votes shall be taken away, The Counsel Table regulated and restraiened, The Forrests bounded and limited; That ye shall have a Tryenniall Parliament; And more then that, A perpetual Parliament, which none shall have power to dissolve without yourselves, we should have thought this a dream of happiness; yet now we are in the real possession of it, we do not enjoy it, although His Majesty hath promised and published he will make all this good unto us: We stand chiefly upon further security; whereas, the very having of these things, is a convenient, fair security, mutually securing one another: there is more security offered, even in this last answer of the Kings, by removing the personal Votes of Popish Lord's, By the Better Education of Papists children, by supplying the defects of Laws against Recusants, besides what else may be enlarged and improved by a select Committee of both Houses, named for that purpose. Wherefore, Sir, let us beware we do not contend for such a hazardous unsafe security, as may endanger the loss of what we have already; let us not think we have nothing, because we have not all we desire; and though we had, yet we cannot make a Mathematical security; All human Caution is susceptible of corruption and failing, God's providence will not be bound, success must be his: He that observes the wind and rain, shall neither sow nor reap; if he do nothing till he can secure the weather, he will have but an ill harvest.
Mr. Speaker, It now behooves us to call up all the wisdom we have about us, but we are at the very brink of combustion and confusion: If blood once begin to touch blood, we shall Presently fall into a certain misery, and must attend an uncertain success, God knows when, and God knows what. Every man here is bound in conscience to employ his uttermost endeavor, to prevent the effusion of blood; blood is a crying sin, it pollutes a Land; let us save our Liberties and our Estates, as we may save our souls too. Now I have clearly delivered mine own conscience, I leave every man freely to his.