Now nothing will content them, but no bishop, no book of common-prayer; and fhortly it will be, no lords, no gentlemen, and no books at all, for we have preachers already that can neither write nor read.

My lords, I wonder what we fhall get by this war; we venture more than other men; I am fure I venture more than five hundred of them; and the moft I can look for, is to escape undoing. What between being a traytor, and being a malignant, we have but a narrow way to walk in: we hear every base fellow fay in the ftreet, as we pass by in our coaches, that they hope to fee us a foot fhortly, and to be as good men as the lords; and I think they will be as good as their words, if we take this course.

They fay they will have no peace without truth. Death! Have we no truth? Have we lived all this while in ignorance? I think our fathers were as wife men as they. Had we no truth in queen Elizabeth's time; Have not all our famous learned divines been able to teach us truth, but must we learn it only out of tubs ?

My lords, I am no scholar, but I understand men; and I had rather continue ignorant ftill, than enjoy the truth thefe men would have. I have ferved the king's father and himself; and though I have been fo unhappy as to fall into his difpleasure, no body fhall perfwade me to turn traytor; I have too much to lofe.

I am a true proteftant, and I love the king and kingdom; and I am fure war is good for neither of them. I would every bodies faults were forgiven them; and I think we fhould all then take heed how we committed

new.

Good my lords, let us have peace; and if these men will not confent to it, let us think of fome other way to get it.

The Earl of Pembroke's Speech to the Houfe of Peers, when the Lords were accused of High-Treafon, 1647.

My Lords,

ou know I feldom make fpeeches, yet (my lords) ther find a tongue, or lofe my head: I am accufed for fitting

fitting here, when your lordships fled to the army: Alas! my lords, I am an old man, I muft fit: you may ride or run any whither, but I am an old man: you voted them traytors who left the houfe, and went to York; they told us then, they were forc'd away by tumults: do not you fay fo too? were they traytors for going, and am I a traytor for ftaying?'s death, my lords, what would you have me do? hereafter I'll neither go nor ftay. I have ferved you feven years; what have you given me, unless part of a thanksgiving dinner, for which you made me faft once a month? I was fed like a prince at the king's coft, twice every day, long before fome of you were born: and this king continu'd, nay, out-did his father, in heaping favours upon me; yet (for your fakes) I renounc'd my mafter when he had moft need of me; voted against him, swore against him, hired men to fight against him: I confefs I myself never struck at him, nor fhot at him, but I pay'd for thofe that did: I gave my tenants their leafes fine-free, if they would rife and refift the king, and yet, my lords, after all this, muft I be a traytor? have I not fworn for you over and over, and over again? you fent me on your earrands to Oxford, to Uxbridge, to Newcastle, to Holdenby; you hurried me up and down as if I had been a king; you made me carry a world of propofitions; I brought them all fafe and found; what you bid me fay, I fpake to a fyllable; and had the king afk'd me how old I was, without your commiffion I fhould not have told him; and yet, my lords, I am an old man: remember how I ftuck to you against Strafford and Canterbury; fome of you fhrunk at Strafford's trial, fo that your names were like to be posted for malignants; and for Canterbury,' many of you would have had him live. My lord of Northumberland, and others would have no hand in his blood; but I gave you the cafting voice, that fent him packing into another world, and yet now would you fend me after him? have not I fat with you early and late? when the parliament tumbl'd and tofs'd, and roll'd itfelf on this fide and on that fide, ftill I was for the parliament: tho' I ftay'd here with prefbyterian lords, yet when you return'd, I was firm to you. All the other lords left you in the house, when Sir Tho. Chaplin gave thanks for your return: but I ftay'd and pray'd with you, and am (for ought I know) as great an Inde

2

pendant

pendant as any of you all. I rejoic'd with you, fafted, fung plalms, pray'd with you, and hereafter will run away with you; nay, I had done it now, but who knew your minds? if you meant I fhould follow you, why did you not wink upon me? think you I could run away by inftinct? my lords, you know I love dogs, and (tho' I fay it) I thank God I have had as good dogs, as any in England. Now, my lords, if a dog follow me when I do not call him, I bid him be gone; if I call him, and he comes not, then I beat him; but if I beat him for not coming, when I never call'd him, you'll think me mad. 's death, my lords, 'tis a poor dog is not worth the whistling.

But, perhaps, my fault is not meer staying hear, but being active in your abfence; because in my robes and collar of S.S, I brought up Mr Pelham, the commons new speaker. Why what if I did? is not Mr Pelham my own coufin? would your lordships have me uncivil to my kindred? why might not I entertain the new speaker, as well as Sir Robert Harley entreat us to admit him; Mr Pelham is none of Sir Robert's coufin, and yet Sir Robert is an old man

I hear fome fay, that I was forward to begin a new war; that my hand is to all the warrants for lifting men and horfe, and in order thereunto I voted his majefty fhould come to London. 'Tis true, my lords, I did give my vote for the king's coming hither; but wherefore was it? 'twas only to chufe a new fpeaker. What! would ye have us dumb, and fit here like ferrets? my lords, I love to hear men to fpeak; and all the lawyers told me, no king, no fpeaker; that either the commons must name their speaker, and the king approve him; or the king name him, and the commons approve him: no king, no fpeaker. And fo I was for the king, that is, for the fpeaker.

Then (my lords) obferve the manner of his coming: the king was to come according to the covenant; mark ye that. I was ftill for my oaths: let him come when he will; if the covenant fetch him, he had as good stay away and yet men cry fhame on the covenant. : Those that took it, caft it up again; and those that refuse it, have given a world of arguments that it is unreasonable; which reafons our affembly (like a company of rafcals) never yet answer'd. I know, my lords, many of our

friends

friends never took this oath, but they refus'd it out of meer confcience. Shall malignant confciences be as tender as ours? why, what do they think our confciences are made of? but, my lords, fuppofe this oath be unreasonable: can we do nothing but we must give a reafon for it? this is as bad as the house of commons; who, when we deny to pass any ordinance, presently fend to know our reasons, tho' themselves give no reasons for demanding ours; and fo malignants would have reasonable oaths: only here's the difference, the house of commons do ufe to demand reafons: tho' I hold the Covenant is extream reasonable; for as fome malignants take it to fave their eftates, so we give it to make them lofe their eftates; both love their eftates, and both hate the covenant. Thus, my lords, we liave reafon for this oath, and your lordships have no reason to make me a traytor, while I give my vote according to the covenant.

As for figning warrants to raise a new army, I wonder you'll speak of it. Have not you all done it a hundred times? how many reams of paper have we fubfcribed to raife forces for king and parliament? 'tis well known, I can scarce write a word befides my name: can't a man write his own name without losing his head? if I must give account for what I fet my hand to, Lord have mercy upon

me.

I fee now my grandfather was a wife man, he could neither write nor read; and happy for me were I fo too. Come, come, my lords, be plain, and tell me, do I look like one that would raise a new war? I must confefs I love a good army; but if there be none till I raise it, foldiers of fortune may change their name. No, my lords, 'twas not I, 'twas the eleven members would have raised a war. You fee they were guilty by their running away; I neither ran with them, nor with you; I don't like this running away, I love to ftay by it. And whether was for war, I that stay'd in town, or you that went to the army? the devil a horse did I lift, but in my new coach, nor used any harness, but my collar of SS; and will you for this clap me into the Tower you fent me thither fix years fince, but for handling a ftandifh, and you'll commit me for writing my name? what, my lords, do you hate learning can you not end nor begin a parliament without fending me to the Tower? do your lordships mean to make me a lord-mayor? if I needs must go, pray send me home to Baynard-Caftle, or Durham-house: a damnable

fire burnt my house at Wilton just that hour I moved your lordships to drive malignants out of London. But why to the Tower? am I company for lions? do you think me a cat-a-mountain, fit to be fhewn thro' a grate for two pence? no, my lords, keep the Tower for malignants, they can endure it; fome of them have been prifoners feven years; they can feed upon bare allegiance, please themselves with difcourfes of confcience, of honour, of a righteous caufe, and I know not what; but what's this to me? how will these malignants look upon me? nay, how fhall I look upon them? I confefs, some of them love my fon's company; they fay, he's more a gentleman, and has wit: 's death, my lords, muft I turn gentleman? I thought I had been a peer of the realm; and am I now a gentleman ? let my fon keep his wit, his poor father never got two pence by his wit. Alas! my lords, what hurt can I do you? or what good will it do you to have my head? I am but a ward; my lord Say hath difpofed of me these seven years: I am no lawyer, tho' the Littletons call me coufin; I am no scholar, tho' I have been the uni verfity's chancellor; I am no statesman, tho' I was a privy-counfellor. I know not what you mean by the three estates; last June the army demanded a release for Lilburn, Mufgrove, and Overton; I thought they had been the three. I thank God I have a good eftate of my own, and I have the estate of my lord Bayning's children, and I have my lord of Carnarvan's estate; thefe are my three eftates, and yet, my lords, muft I to the Tower? confider, we are but a few lords left; come let's love and be kind to one another; the cavaliers quarell'd among themfelves, beat one another, and lost all; let us be wifer, my lords; for had we fallen into their condition, my conscience tells me we had look'd most wofully.

I perceive, your lordships think better of me; and you would quit me, if I were not charged by the agitators and general council of the army. How, agitators! 's death, what's that? whoever heard that word before? I underftand claffical, provincial, congregational, national; but for agitator, it may (for ought I know) be a knave not worth three pence. If agitators cut noblemens throats, you'll find the devil has been an agitator. As for the general council, I hate the name of it, 'tis. old and naught, and used to be full of bifhops: thofe fellows have troubl'd us ever fince the apoftles time: I thought we had made them