intention to set it out with all the speed pos- | French king, to be employed against the Rosible." Quest. 6. Why was not this Want of Money foreseen in the first Project of the whole Service; but now only thought upon unexpectedly, and dangerously, considering the Sickness: Why not before the last adjournment, whereby we are cast upon so unseasonable a time ? Ansa. "It was foreseen before, but interrupted by unfortunate accidents. 1. The Death of the late king. 2. The Funeral; which, for decency's sake, could follow no sooner. 3. The Journey into France, and the Marriage; which procured more delays than were expected, but necessary." Since the opening of this parliament, his maj. decared his necessity; and told you plainly, That this sitting must be not for counsel, but resolution. And when he received the grant of the two Subsidies, he understood that money to be but a matter of custom, to welcome him to the crown; and intended, when they were presented to him, to dilate inore at large, as afterwards he did by sir John Cooke. Quest. 7. Who gave the Counsel to meet so suddenly, when the Sickness was so dangerously spread-Answ. "His maj. commanded him to say, That it was the business itself that gave the Counsel, with the necessity of it, else the king would not have hazarded the two houses, and the rest of the kingdom, by its spreading. If he had been able any way, without your help, to have set out the Navy, he would have done it, and relied upon you for a Supply afterwards. If it be a fault, (as I see none, said the duke) why should the realm and the occasions of the State of Christendom suffer for it? If it be undertaken for your good and the king's honour now budding) as also for the State of Christendom, why should a particular man's fault make it miscarry? I hope your wisdom will so pierce through it, as to set the affair forward." Quest. 8. Why should not the King help on this occasion with his own Estate?--Answ. "Judge you whether he doth not; for, observing the great gift you gave the session before last, he was unwilling to take any more from you, and laid out all his estate upon the enterprize, and will do so again as soon as he shall be enabled." Quest. 9. Is not the Time of the Year too far spent for the Navy to go forth ?-Answ. "The king answered this the last day. 'Better half the Navy should perish, than the going forth thereof should be stopped.' It would shew such want of counsel and experience in the design; such want of courage, weakness and beggarliness, in not being able to go through with it. And, for the Time, there were only three ends proposed by this service, and the time of the year is yet seasonable for any of them. He could demonstrate the saune, if the design was to be published; which your wisdom would not think fit to have done." Here the duke said he would satisfy the houses in some other things. chellers, were not paid with the Subsidy Money?-Answ. "These 8 ships were, 1st, employed at the Charge of the French king. 2nd. It is not always fit for kings to give account of their counsels. Judge the thing by the event." Quest. 11. Whether, having been employed to break with Spain, the Duke made not a worse match with France, and upon harsher conditions ?-Answ. “He hoped the contrary would appear by the King's Answer to their Petition; and he assured them his maj. had broken no public faith in giving the said Answers.' Quest. 12. Did not the Duke serve us in breaking the Treaties with Spain, out of particular spleen and malice to count Olivares?— Answ. "There was no cause for him to hate Olivares, he was the means to make his_grace happy; for out of his hands came those Papers by which his grace gained the love of a nation, which before thought not so well of him. He is not vindictive in his temper; he can forgive those who had no such natural respect to that country as Olivares had. Neither doth his grace love that any man should be an instrument, by ill means, to do a good action, as Olivares intended to serve his master and kingdom by indirect means. And he can further prove that he is not vindictive; for he could forgive one of our own nation who concurred with Olivares. But he thought proper to let that business sleep; which, if it should awake, would prove a lion to devour him who was the Author of it; meaning one of our own nation who co-operated with Ŏlivares (the Earl of Bristol). Quest. 13. Will it not be objected, That hitherto the Duke speaks of nothing but immense Charges, which the kingdom is not able to bear; as, to the king of Denmark, 30,0007. a month; to count Mansfield, 20,000l. to the Low Countries, 8000, to Ireland, 2600l. a month; besides the backing of the Flect with a Supply, for which twelve of his majesty's ships are now in preparing? Answ. Make the king chief of the war, by a diversion of this kind, and he will give a greater advantage to all his allies, than by allowing them 50, nay 100,000l. a month. What is it for his allies to snatch with the king of Spain; to win a town to-day, and to lose it to-morrow? It is almost impossible to hope for a conquest of this kind, the Spanish king being so able by land: But let the king our sovereign, be master of the wars elsewhere, and make a diversion; and let the enemy be compelled to spend his money and men in other places; and our allies in these parts will be suddenly and imperceivably strengthened and enabled: and, by this kind of war, you send no Coin out of the land; you send nothing but Beef, Mutton, and Powder; by which the kingdom is not impoverished, but may make good returns." Quest. 14. Where is the Enemy ?--Ansa Quest 10. Whether these 8 ships, lent the" Make the Fleet ready to go out, and the king had given him command to bid you name | the Enemy yourselves. Put the sword into his maj.'s hands, and he will employ it to your honour, and the good of true religion. As you issue nothing that is lost, so will you bring home somewhat again; and henceforward maintain the War by the perquisites thereof. Make but once an entrance, it may afterwards be maintained with profit. When the Enemy is declared, you may have letters of marque; none shall be denied. And I have not been so idle, said his grace, but I shall make propositions of venturing, whither you yourselves may go, and may have the honey of the business."-Lastly, The Duke told us, "That the king commanded him to admonish the assembly to take care of the season and their own health; for, if they lost time, no money could purchase it again. His grace concluded with this Apology: If, in this Relation, through my weakness, I have injured the King's Affairs and those of the State of Christendom, I crave your pardon my intentions were good." Navy, and 20,000l. to count Mansfield, besides other great gifts that way; whereas, before, he owed very little, to his lordships own knowledge. The King's Disbursements defrayed out of his own coffers; to the king of Denmark, 46,000/. to the Soldiers at Plymouth and Hull, 16,000l. for Mourning and Funeral, 12,000. paid, and 16,000l. to pay. Expences of the Queen, Entertainment of Ambassadors in Diet and Gifts, 40,000l. advanced to the Queen, 50,000l. to the king and queen of Bohemia, 11,000l. to the Navy, 500,000!. and 100,000l. to be disbursed, viz. 40,000!. now, and 60,000l. at the return.-S. The King's Estate for the future, as in Charges of Continuance, consisted of ten Articles. 1. Of Debts unpaid, and Interest. 2. Old Anticipations of 50,000l. 3. Anticipations of new, 200,000l. taken up by himself, to the emptying of all his coffers, even of that which should maintain him with bread and drink from this day forward. 4. To the king of Denmark, 30,000l. per mensem. 5. To count Mansfield 20,000l. 6. To the Dutch 8,500l. 7.To Ireland 2600l. all per mensem. 8. The queen's allowance and diet, 37,000l. per annum, And 9. To the king and queen of Bohemia, 20,000l. per annum. 10. Preparations for defence of the Realm, and seconding the Navy.-The Lord Treasurer alledged, That some sums were omitted, because they were uncertain and before his time. That no total was cast up, because he had no auditor here; and promised that himself, or his subordinate officers, would be ready to give satisfaction of all or any of these particulars."-The Lord Keeper having ended this Report, which was the business of a whole day, the Lords expressed their approbation of it, and ordered it to be entered on their Journals. The Lord Treasurer's Account of the King's Estate.] We next proceed to give the rest of the Lord Keeper's Report, concerning what the Lord High Treasurer said at the Conference, relating to the King's Estate. "The Treasurer produced a Paper, wherein he had set the same down, according as his memory and the time would permit him on the sudden. And he divided the same into three parts: 1. The Estate the late King left. 2. The Estate the King now stands in. 3. How it will be in the future. And the first of these he again divided into other three parts; the late King's Debts; Anticipations; and Engagements. His Debts were to the city of London, and some gentlemen, borrowed upon the Great Scal and the Lords Bonds, 120,000l. besides growing interest. The Wardrobe 40,000l. at the least, part whereof is due to poor people. To the king of Denmark, 75,000l. and the interest; which was borrowed for the Palatinate. Arrears for Pensions, a large sum, but not cast up. To his Household, a great sum; which his lordship left to the officers thereof to relate to the Commons. The Anticipations made by the late king of his Rents, before they were due, came to 50,000l. which was presently bestowed on this occasion, the Fleet. His Engagements were, for the Pay of 6000 foot in the Low Countries; of 10,000 foot under count Mansfield; and for the rigging, victualling, and providing this great Navy, not the like in our memory.-2. Concerning the Estate of the King, as it now stands, his Idp. divided the same into Debts and Disbursements, which he defrays out of his own coffers that his father's Debts, Anticipations, and Engagements, lie ill upon him. His own Debts, as Prince, come to 70,000l. at the least, it is feared 90,000l. For payment whereof his naj. hath engaged those lands he then had," and the commissioners bonds. This great occasion brought his maj. when he was Prince, thus into debt; for he then gave 20,000l. to the Aug. 9. A report was made in that house of what had been delivered at the conference, by the recorder of London, the sollicitor general, and Mr. Pym. This report was divided, as before in the Lords, into 3 heads: The king's Answer to their Petition about Religion; the Duke's Account of the Fleet, &c. and the Lord Treasurer's Conclusion. But it is all so imperfectly inserted in the Journals of the Commons, and such great hiati made in the recital, that it is impossible to make any thing of the matter. One particular is mentioned in the Commons Journal, not taken notice of in the Lords; which was, That the Lord Treasurer told them, "That since their house had first taken care of Religion, and had received so gracious an answer to it; therefore they ought now, spee dily, to think of a Supply; not of his maj.'s wants, but of those for the defence of the king. dom." Debate in the Commons thereupon.] The re port as above, being delivered, Mr. Maynard, (afterwards the famous ser jeant Maynard,) stood up and told the house, That it was an easy matter to infest the king of Spain; but he did not like the vast charge now demanded, which was not to be supported by the kingdom. That he was not for a war by land, but by sca; and there not with letters | Mr. Mallet said, "That it was not proper to stand too much upon precedents. That it was plain the house did not regard them, when they tended to straiten the king's revenue: For, in the act of tonnage and poundage, which was always, since Henry VI's. time, granted for life, it is limited now but to the 25th of March next, contrary to former precedents. He moved for a consideration of the danger, which might grow by not contenting the king in his just desires this parliament."-Others moved for a grand Committee to go upon these matters the next morning at 8 of the clock; which was agreed to. The King's Message to hasten the Supply.] Aug. 10. Mr. Chancellor delivered a Message to the house from the king to this effect: "That his maj. understanding this house intended to enter into consideration of divers heads, concerning the king and commonwealth, had sent by him this Message: That he was well pleased with their good intentions; but desired them to consider that his affirs required a speedy dispatch. That tho' the season was far spent, it was yet seasonable; and, if the plague should begin in the navy, the action would be lost; or, if any here should be touched with the sickness, much inconvenience would ensue by an abrupt breaking up: Therefore he desired a present answer about his Supply: If not, he will take care of their healths more than they themselves, and make as good a shift for his present occasions as he could: But, if they would now comply, he gave them his royal word, that in winter, at what time they should chuse, they should meet again, and hold together till they had perfected all those things for the king and commonwealth, which are now before them. To all which he promised to give such answers, as dutiful and loyal subjects might expect from a gracious and religious king. Lastly, The king desired them to consider, That this was the first request he ever made unto them." Debate on the King's Message.] The debates on this Message and the Supply were this day very long, above 30 different members speaking in them: The most material of whose arguments, pro and con, we shall collect, and give as follows: The Master of the Wards argued, "That the reputation of both king and kingdom, in point of honour, was at stake. That the preparations now making for war, must have their movement from parliament. 2. The consideration of the disasterous state of the king's royal sister; 3. Religion in great danger abroad, which suf VOL. II. fered also at home. 4. Consideration of their confederates; who would fall asunder, if their king did not hold them together. 5. The danger of king, lords, and commons, by the sickness, by a longer continuance." Sir Roger North said, "That he was once against giving any thing at this time; but had now altered his opinion by his maj.'s most gra-. cious answer about Religion; also because it was his first request: besides the consequence of an ill parting this parliament would be a thing very acceptable to the Papists. Moved for two Fifteens to be added to the two Subsidies." Mr. Chancellor of the Duchy said, "That precedents were neither to be despised, nor adored as gods. That in the first parliament of the late king, two Subsidies were granted and four Fifteens; within a month after one Subsidy more was given in the same session. Mors in olla. If all our greatest enemies were here they would refuse to give; to give now, because they could not, at another time, give towards this supply." to leave now their fears, jealousies, and disgusts Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer wished them at home, and to rely upon the king's promise for their next meeting to reform such things. These disorders complained of did not happen and his own time, had assured them of his in this king's time; that he, both in his father's desire and resolution to reform those things. Moved the question, Whether we will give at this time, or not. Sir Robert Philips said, "That the point now before them, by the king's last message, might be reduced short to this; either to give prebe will adjourn us to some other time. That sently, or else that, in respect of danger to us, the arguments for giving were honour, necessity, and safety; honourable actions grounded upon sound counsels. That necessity had been the continual argument for Supply in all parliaments; but the counsels which had put the king, and the present great designs into it. Moved that the present necessity might be this hazard, whoever gave them must answer supplied by some other means, rather than by so dangerous a precedent. That a committee might be appointed to consider of a fit Answer to the king, why they could not now give; and yet to assure him that they would, in due time, supply all his honourable and well-grounded designs." Sir Francis Seymour said, "That the commons of England should be called hither only for a Supply of 40,000l. shewed that the king's necessities were great. What was become of all the money raised by the act of resumption of the crown lands? That 140,000/. had been also raised by places of honour; places of justice were sold, and serjeants places; which must come to a greater sum." Others argued for giving, so that it might be in a parliamentary manner. But, Sir Thos. Wentworth said, "That he feared the pressing this precedent for so small a sun D was to take the advantage of it for greater | things hereafter. Was against present giving; but most ready and willing to give in due time." Sir Heneage Finch argued, "That the granting of Subsidies in reversion, as the clergy had done, was to bind and give for our executors, as they had for their successors. He disliked their drawing hither; and wished they might never hereafter be put upon such rocks: Yet was for giving then, in respect of the king's answer to their petition about Religion; the rather, because he had said it was not done to draw us on: But to do this with great caution, and with a protestation never to do the like, upon any necessity hereafter." Mr. Rolle said, "That the king could not but have credit, without their grant, for 40,000/. That if the necessity for money was now so great, this was the time to press for redress of grievances. That Turkish pirates take our ships and men, and endanger our coasts; which were forced to arm to defend themselves." The last speaker, on this side, we shall mention was, old Edw. Coke moved for a committee to be appointed for this; and afterwards to acquaint the lords with it. Sir F. Seymour said, "That the lord admiral, Buckingham, had the care of these things; therefore the default must needs be in him or his agents. And moved for a committee to consider of the causes thereof, and where the default lay." Mr. Lyster mentioned the wrongs done to our trade, by the Dunkirkers; and therefore moved that the committee to be appointed might in a general way, consider of this, and the safety of all the seaports." Others agreeing in this, a committee of the whole house was appointed to take these matters into consideration. The rest of this day was taken up with a long repetition of the Pardon to the Jesuits, &c. and of their desiring a conference with the lords, in order to induce them to join in a Petition to the king, to beseech him not to be importuned hereafter by any foreign ambassador, to grant any thing contrary to the Answers to their former Petition. On which Sir R. Philips observed, "That no Popish king would, at the instigation of our Ambassadors, release any person out of the Inquisition." A conference with the lords, on this, was agreed upon, and held, and Sir Edw. Coke made the report of it to their house. After repeating what is said before, about obtaining the Pardon from the king, he told them, "That the Lords had resolved to move the king never to pardon any Jesuit, or other Papist, till they were attainted. For their joining in the petition, they denied it not; but, consider Sir Edward Coke; who said, "That two leaks would drown any ship. That solum & malum concilium was a bottomless sieve. An officer should not be, cupidus alienæ rei, parcus suæ ; avarus republica; super omnia expertus. Misera servitus est, ubi lex incerta aut incognita. That in the 11th Hen. 3. Hubert de Burgh, chief justice, advised the king that Magna Charta was not to hold, because the king was under age when that acting his maj.'s gracious Answer to their other was made. He was created carl of Kent, but degraded for this some time after. In the 16th. Hen. 3. Segrave, chief justice, was sentenced for giving sole counsel to the king against the common-wealth. That it was malum consilium to press inore Subsidies when they had given two; and to bring them hither only for 40,000. And, lastly, offered to give 10007, out of his own estate, rather than grant any Subsidy now." The result of all which was, resolution was then agreed on, "That a committee of the whole house should be appointed at eight o'clock the next morning, to consider what return to make to his maj.'s message delivered this day." The Commons proceed in the Consideration of Grievances, and postpone the Supply.] Aug. 11th. Notwithstanding yesterday's resolution, we find no mention of the Message in this day's proceedings; instead of that, the house went upon a Complaint made against sir Francis Stewart, an admiral, for suffering a pirate to take an English ship before his face. That the merchants acquainted him with this, and desired him to go out and chace the pirate; who answered, that his commission was not to go on the French coast, where he conceived the pirate was. He confessed that he saw the pirate board the English ship, but thought they had been fishermen. That, in conclusion, though he was offered great sums of money, or half the goods in the ship, yet he refused to go out.--Sir Petition about Religion, and that both houses were to give him thanks for it, the purport of this last might only be intimated to the king; which the Lords pressed them to consent to, That he had declared the satisfaction of that house, touching the Pardon and the date thereof, and the lord Conway's letter. Lastly, That all the lords were most hearty in the point of Religion. The King dissolves the Parliament.] Aug. 12th. A Protestation was unanimously agreed upon, by the Commons, in a grand committee, which was reported to the house, ordered to be enter ed in the clerk's book, and presented to his maj. with all convenient speed, by all the members that were of the privy council, with sir John Fullerton and sir R. Carr attending them. Immediately after this, the gentlemanusher of the black rod came to call the house and the Speaker to come up to the lords, to hear a commission from the king, read to both houses: which was done accordingly.— Thus far the Journals. But Rushworth pro ceeds to tell us, "That the king, perceiving the cominons resolved against a Supply, without redress of Grievances; and, in their debates, to reflect upon some great persons near himself, on the 12th of Aug. sent to the house of peers a commission, directed to several lords, for the Dissolution of the Parliament. And the Speaker, with the other house, being sent for, the commission was read before them all and this parliament was declared to be dissolved."-The Protestation of the Commons, mentioned above, is not in their Journals; but is preserved by Rushworth, and some other historians of those times, and is as follows: The Commons' Protestation.] "We the knights, citizens, and burgesses of the commons house of parliament, being the representative body of the whole commons of this realm, abundantly comforted in his maj.'s late gracious Answer touching Religion,and his Message for the care of our health, do solemnly protest aud vow before God and the world, with one heart and voice, that we are all resolved, and do hereby declare, that we will ever continue most loyal and obedient subjects to our most gracious sovereign lord king Charles; and that we will be ready in convenient time, and in a parliamentary way, freely and dutifully to do our utmost endeavours, to discover and reform the abuses and grievances of the realm and state; and in like sort to afford all necessary supply to his most excellent maj. upon his present, and all other his just occasions and designs; most humbly beseeching our said dear and dread sovereign, in his princely wisdom and goodness, to rest assured of the true and hearty affections of his poor commons, and to esteem the same to be (as we conceive it is indeed) the greatest worldly reputation and security that a just king can have; and to account all such as slanderers of the peoples affections, and enemies to the common-wealth, that shall dare to say the contrary." As we have hitherto given the State of the Peerage, at the beginning of every new reign, we shall now do the same; by exhibiting A List of all the Peers summoned to the first George, duke of Buckingham, lord high admiral of England, &c. William marq. of Winchester Thomas earl of Arundel and Surry, earl marshall of England. Henry earl of Northumberland John e. of Shrewsbury Henry e. of Kent William e. of Derby Edw. e. of Worcester, lord keeper of the privy seal Francis c. of Rutland Francis e. of Cumberland Robert e. of Sussex Henry e.of Huntingdon Edward e. of Bath Edward e. of Bedford William e.of Pembroke William e. of Hertford Robert e. of Essex Francis e. of West moreland tagu William vis. Wallinford Henry vise. Mande- gavenny Audley Henry West 1. De la ley and Monteagle Edward Vaux 1. Har- A New Parliament called.] In the ensuing month of February, which was still the first year of his reign, the king thought proper to sum→ minster, on Monday the 6th of the said month. mon a New Parliament, which met at West 66 The King's Speech. His maj. being placed and the commons below the bar, it pleased his on his royal throne, the lords in their robes, mai. to speak as followeth : tual and temporal, and you gentlemen all; of My lords spirimine own nature I do not love long speeches, and I know I am not very good to speak much. Therefore I mean to shew what I should speak in actions; and therefore I mean to bring in the ** By the Judgment passed upon this great man (see Vol. I. p. 1249), he was disabled from ever sitting in parliament; and though he was afterwards pardoned by king James, yet he was not summoned during that reign. |