Company This will still be further evident from the Proclamations publish'd against our Colony in Iamaica Barbadoes and New England which were not only treacherous to the highest degree but such an Invasion upon the Sovereignty and Independency of our Nation as ought not to be pass'd over by our Parliament without a Protestation against them and a strict enquiry after the Authors and Advisers of them That they are full of Treachery and Malice against our Country is plain from their being emitted as appears by their Dates before ever any Complaint was made against us by the Spaniards before we were heard what we could say in our own defence and at the same time whilst our Lord President and Advocat were sent for from Scotland to hear what they could say in Justification of our Colony's Settlement The Treachery is also plainly demonstrable because the said Proclamations were publish'd without consulting the Council of Scotland and that they were contrary to the solemn Promises made by the Commissioners and Presidents in our Parliaments from time to time wherein His Majesty promis'd to encourage and protect our Trade of which those Proclamations are utterly subversive If it be objected that His Majesty was obliged to publish those Proclamations out of regard to the English Nation and His Foreign Allies We answer that his Majesty by his Coronation Oath as King of Scotland is oblig'd to govern us by our own Laws and not by any Consideration of Foreign Interests but admitting that he ought in this Case to have giv'n the preference to the English Nation and his Foreign Allies It will by no means acquit the pernicious Counsellors of Treachery towards us since the least they could have advis'd in this case was that we should have had notice of such Proclamations before-hand that we might have been upon our Guard and have done what we could to have prevented our Colonies being frightened or starved from Darien the omitting of which alone had there been nothing of an actual concurrence to destroy us makes those Counsellors chargeable with the Blood of our Men the Loss of our Treasure and the Disappointment of the just Expectation we had from that Expedition That the publishing of those Proclamations was an unsufferable Intrenchment upon the Sovereignty and Independency of our Nation is undeniable since thereby the King of England takes upon himself to condemn the Subjects of Scotland as Invaders of the Dominions of Spain and thereupon forbids his English Subjects to have any Correspondence with them or to supply them with any Necessaries which by the Law of Nations must be interpreted an Act of Hostility when done by one Nation to another That this being done by the King of England is an Invasion upon the Sovereignty of Scotland is evident because he hath no right neither as a Liege-Sovereign nor Conqueror to judge of our Actions If he did it as King of Scots then it concerns our Parliament to enquire by what Law he could do it without their Consent or what Scotsmen advis'd him so to do and whether it be true what Mr. Vernon said That it was done with the Lord S 's Privacy and Consent That the emitting of those Proclamations was a deliberate Action of the pernicious Counsellors and full of Malice and Treachery against the Kingdom of Scotland appears further from the publishing a Second Proclamation Sept. 5. 1699 at Barbadoes against entertaining any Correspondence with the Scots at Darien tho the Lord President and Advocate had so long before given in sufficient Reasons to justify our Settlement This will appear yet more plainly if the Tenor of that Proclamation be considered which is not so positive as that at Iamaica in condemning our Settlement at Darien as contrary to the Peace with his Majesty's Alâ—ies but is express'd doubtfully Lest the same should derogate from the Treaties His Majesty hath entered into with the Crown of Spain or be otherwise prejudicial to any of His Majesty's Colonies in the West-Indies Whence it is evident that we have a positive Injury done us tho the Court could not be positive but only suppoâ—'d that our Settlement might derogate from his Majesties Treaties with Spain or be prejudicial to his Majesties Colonies in the West-Indies The Authors of this Proclamation knew well enough the state of our Colony's Provisions and how fatal those Proclamations would be to them and therefore no Art can palliate their Malice and Treachery That the said Proclamations were emitted with a design to ruin our Colony is demonstrable from this That tho our Company upon the dismal News of its Disaster did in a very dutiful manner petition his Majesty put him in mind of the several Acts of Parliament and his Letters Patent authorising the Natives of this Kingdom to settle Plantations in Asia Africa and America upon the Faith and Encouragement of which they form'd themselves into a Company and had made a Settlement at Darien precisely according to the Terms of the said Acts and Letters Patent at the same time informing him That they had too much reason to believe that the said Proclamations had been of fatal Consequence to our Company and Colony desiring that the effect of the Proclamations might be taken off and that they might be supplied from the English Plantations in the ordinary way of Commerce Yet notwithstanding all this Application they had a meer trifling Answer returned them and Couch'd in such Ambiguous Terms as might leave room for farther trifling viz. That we should have the same freedom of Trade and Commerce with the English Plantations as ever we had formerly which was just none at all So that this was nothing but a meer Evasion and no direct Answer to our Companies necessary and reasonable Petition Certainly it concerns our Parliament to enquire who were the Authors of this scandalous Breach of Publick Laws upon the Faith of which our Country ventur'd so much to Sea and by the violation of which in such a manner the Sovereignty of our Nation is trampled under foot and we have lost so much Blood and Treasure The Malice of these pernicious Counsellours against our Country and Colony is further display'd by their doing all that 's possible â—o preclude us from having our Grievances redressed we have in vain Petitioned the Court ever since the last Sessions of Parliament and therefore had no way left us but to Petition that the Parliament may meet again at the day appointed in November next that His Majesty may have the Advice and Assistance of the Great Council of this Nation in such a Weighâ—y and General Concern This those blessed Counsellours are so far from thinking fit to be Granted that they Advise His Majesty to Adjourn our Parliament further till the 5th of March following just when they heard this Petition was coming up and at the same time we are told that His Majesty will Order the Parliament to meet when he judg'd the Good of the Nation did require it as
gave His Majesty such Council that they may be punished according to Demerit We come next to consider his Majesty's Answer to the Contents of the Address brought up by my Lord Basil Hamilton viz. That he was resolved in the Terms of the Treaty to demand that Capt. Pincartâ—n and those of his Crew who are detained Prisoners at Carthagena be released and set at liberty That the Subjects of Scotland shall be allowed the same liberty of Trade that others enjoy with the English Plantations that it was his Resolution to Promote and Advance the Trade of the Kingdom And the three Frigats they demand having been given by Parliament for Guarding the Trade of the Coasts he was not resolved to dispose of them till he had the Advise of his Parliament By this His Majesty owns that Capt. Pincarton and his Crew were detained Prisoners by the Spaniards contrary to the Treaty Then what can his Counsellors in Scots Affairs say for their not having Advised His Majesty to demand him sooner especially since he was obliged to it by the Act Establishing our Company had the Zeal of those Counsellors who pretend to be concerned for the Wellfare and Honour of our Nation been equal to the malice of those that Advised His Majesty to issue Proclamations against our Colony in the West Indies before he knew whether we had done any thing in contravention to his Treaties with Spain or not they would certainly have put him upon demanding Satisfaction sooner for a manifest breach of those Treaties This we conceive deserves also the Consideration of our Parliament In the next place by His Majesty's Promise that we should have the same Liberty of Trade that others enjoy with the English Plantations It is owned by the Advisers of it that it was in His Majesty's Power so to do and that he might lawfully do so which is a plain Conâ—ession that we had acted nothing contrary to his Treaties with Spain nor to the detriment of his English Plantations and that the former Prohibition was the Act and Deed of those Pernicious Counsellors for had it been contrary to the Laws of England or Treaties betwixt the Crown of Great Britain and Spain that our Colonies should be supplied with Provisions c. from the English Plantations it had not been in His Majesty's Power to dispence with it now The matter then being so it concerns the Parliament of Scotland to enquire who they were and upon what motives they Advised His Majesty to emit those Proclamations against supplying our Colony with Provisions c. Since it was settled in the precise Terms of the Act of his Scots Parliament and his own Letters Patent and that our Colony had done nothing contrary to his Treaties with Spain or to the Interest of his English Plantations At the same time it may be proper for them to enquire why Capt. Pincarton and his Company as also the Ship and Goods are not restored all this while And whether the promise of demanding them from Spain hath not been as ill performed as was that of recalling the Memorial at Hamburgh As to His Majesty's Promise of our having the same Liberty of Trade to the English Plantations as others have it is worth the while to observe the management of the Pernicious Counsellors in this point It would seem they were sensible that His Majesty's Promise if performed might be of advantage to our Colony and would make shew to the World that he really Countenanced our Undertaking and by consequence oblige those that oppose us to greater Precautions and therefore though this Promise was made us to calm the Spirits of our People whom they knew to be in a general Ferment they were resolved it should never be performed but how to bring His Majesty handsomly off was their next Enquiry This they found a method to do by endeavouring to have the Parliament of England approve what his Majesty had done against our Company and Colony and they thought no doubt that His Majesty would be sufficiently absolved and the mouths of our Nation for ever stopped as having neither Courage nor Power to call the Kingdom of England to an Account This was in vain attempted upon the House of Commons but carried at last in the House of Lords viis modis yet not without a Proâ—estation against it and several sharp Speeches inveighing against the Courtiers who had promised that very thing to the Scots against which they were then soliciting the House to Address His Majesty The Address it self we shall view anon after some further Considerations on His Majesty's Promise to our Company as to the three Frigaâ—s they demanded which he says Because they were given by the Parliament for Guarding the Trade of the Coasts he is resolved not to dispose of till he have the Advice of our Parliament It is certainly an essential part of our Constitution for a King of Scots to Advise with his Parliament Why then was not the Parliament summoned to meet speedily at the Companies desire since the Honour and Interest of our Kingdom required it And we would willingly know of those that Advise His Majesty in Scots Affairs whether they think the Parliament meant those Ships when the Peace had rendred the Guarding our Coasts unnecessary should have been denied for Guarding the Trade of the Nation and the Coasts of our new Settlement at Caledonia And in the next place we would willingly know of them why the Granting of this necessary demand should be deferred till the Parliament can be Advised with concerning it since the Granting of it in all common Interpretation must be supposed to be according to their Act and why their Advice was not also staid for or desired before the emitting the Proclamations against our Colony in the West Indies This is certainly worth our Parliaments enquiring into For 't is not to be supposed that they entrust our Kings to do whatever Pernicious Councils Advise them to against the Interest of the Nation and only to delay doing what is visibly for its Advantage till they have the consent of Parliament Upon the whole it is demonstrable beyond contradiction that they who have His Majesty's Ear as to Scots Affairs and by whose Advice he has Governed himself as to our Kingdom designed no good to our Company Colony or Country otherwise such reasonable Requests as they have from time to time desired of His Majesty could not have been refused as they have constantly been in manifest violation of our Laws and to the irreparable Disgrace of our Nation This will appear convincingly to those that consider the Proclamation issued in Scotland by His Majesty's Order against carrying on a Naâ—ional Petition for a Parliament in order to redress our Grievances as to Darien c. The frivolous pretext of the Pernicious Counsellors that the same was promoted by Persons who had given no proofs of their Affections to the Government and that they endeavoured to charge the miscarriage of the
it hath met with to be National Rebukes Yet since the Compliance of that Assembly so far with those that are Enemies to our Colony hath in a great measure disgusted the People it 's the more incumbent upon the Presbyterians in Parliament to retrieve it and by a steady and firm adherence to the Interest of the Nation to oppose a Standing Army and to concur in every thing that may tend to the Security and Advancement of our Colony We are sure if they don't act contrary to their own Principles they must do so The poor Country Ministers who for the most part have more Honesty than Policy may be imposed upon by the sly Insinuations of crafty ill Men that if the Presbyterians don 't fall in with the Party another Parliament shall be call'd to establish Episcopacy But we hope Gentlemen and Members of Parliament know better Things Admitting it to be true that the Faction hath threatned to do so it is contrary to the Divine Rule to do Evil that Good may come of it or to commit Sin to avoid Suffering Nor will it be in the power of the Faction to abolish Presbytry so long as it has the Affections of the People It is likewise evident that if the Presbyterians adhere at this time to our Civil Rights the Nation will be more and more endeared to their Constitution and it will be one of the most effectual means to convince its Enemies that our Discipline is not only best accommodated for the preservation of Religion but likewise for the Support of Civil Liberty It 's also evident that if the Presbyterians adhere to the Interest of the Nation it will be impossible to overturn their Church Constitution without shaking of the Throne since it is one of the fundamental Articles in the Claim of Right upon which His Majesty received the Crown But if the Presbyterians should at this time take part with the Wicked Counsellors against their Country and by that means lose the Affections of the People they infallibly ruin their Church Constitution which may be demonstrated thus Presbyterian Government was first settled in Scotland at the time of the Reformation by the Affections of the People it hath been supported by that same Means against all our Courts to the late Revolution and was restor'd to be the National Establishment then because most agreeable to the Inclinations of the People and 't is for that only reason it hath been continu'd since because the Court found it the best Method for securing their Interest in Scotland But if once it lose its ground in the Hearts of the People as it must unavoidably do if the Presbyterians at this Juncture act contrary to the Interest of the Kingdom then the Court will overturn Presbytery of their own accord both from a Principle of Interest and Inclination That it will be their Interest so to do is plain for if Presbytery once lose the Affections of the People of Scotland it can be of no more use to the Court but will afford them as good an opportunty as heart can wish to ingratiate themselves with the Church of England which is by much the greatest Interest in that Nation That it 's the Inclination of the Courtiers so to do we have no great reason to doubt it being well known that they have several times broke in upon our Laws since the Revolution in favour of the Episcopal Party Witness the long time they took to consider whether they should allow us Presbytery or not after Prelacy was Annull'd by the Convention of States and their Adjourning and Disolving the General Assemblies of our Church contrary to the express Statute when the E. of Lothian was Commissioner besides several Arbitrary Letters sent to the Assembly and Commissions of Assemblies to put a stop to the Exercise of the Jurisdiction the Law had invested them with It 's no way improbable that the pernicious Counsellours who endeavour to make Tools of the Presbyterians for carrying on their present purposes have also the ruin of Presbytery in view in Conjunction with their other designs against our Nation they put them upon those Measures to disoblige the People and divert their Inclinations from Presbytery that so they may have a fair pretence for getting the Law that Establishes it repealed since it 's founded upon the Peoples Inclinations If they be able to effect this all the Laws in fâ—vour of it will be but so many Cobwebs our Parliament themselves will be provok'd to Annul them or if they should not think it their Interest so to do the Faction will certainly break through them It 's in vain to suppose the contrary for since they have broke in upon our Sovâ—reignty and Trade which all but those who depend upon the Faction are unanimous to defend they will find it a much easier task to overturn Presbytery when back'd by the Church of England abroad and a strong Party at home We heartily wish this may never happen to be the Case for abstracting from all Theological Arguments in favour of Presbytery which we are satisfied are unanswerable we are fully convinced that it 's as much the Political Interest of our Nation to maintain that Form of Church-Government in opposition to Episcopacy as it 's the Interest of the Wise Venetians to exclude Church-men and their Dependants from having any share in the Civil Government and upon the same account too That Sage Republick excludes their Ecclesiasticks because they depend upon a Foreign Head and therefore are liable to tentations to espouse an Interest opposite to that of their Country It always has been and must be the same with Bishops in Scotland since we have no King of our own but in Partnership with another Nation who Claim Ten â—arts in Twelve or to speak the plain truth allow us no share in his Government at all but in order to subject us to themselves or to secure or promote their own Interest and therefore since all our Bishops must depend upon the King of England for their Nomination and Conge d'Eslire since they must be acted by the Church of England an irreconcilable Enemy to our Nation since we have found by our own Experience that the Bishops went always along with the Court to enslave the Country and since they concurred in Parliament to exalt the Prerogative to that Blasphemous heiâ—hâ— over Church and State it arrived to in the late Reigns It must of necessity be the Interest of Scotland to oppose that Form of Government and so much the more that our Episcopal Party don't think it of Divine Institution as appears by the first Act of Lauderdale's Second Parliament By parity of Reason it 's our Interest to maintain Presbytery because that Form has no dependence on the King of England our Ministers have no Honours nor Benefices from him and â—y consequence are under no such â—entations as the Bishops are to aâ—â— contrary to the Interest of their Country Besides Presbytery admits Laymen
Equivalent we can propose for do what we can our Princes must be educated in a Country that as His Majesty himself has been pleas'd to express it is like to interfore too often with us in point of Trade and he plainly sees they have no Disposition to an Union with us by which it might be prevented Since we are so unhappy as to have our Princes educated by those who differ from us both as to Church and State and that by consequence they must needs be bred up in an Aversion for our Constitutions It 's absolutely necessary we should have Laws to secure otherwise it will be a perpetual Source of Discord betwixt Prince and People and a Seminary of Division betwixt the two Nations to prevent which as it's the Duty so it ought to be the Care of every Prince that wou'd shew himself to be a true Father to his Country That this fear of creating in our Princes an Aversion for our Nation and Constitution is but too well grounded time past hath prov'd beyond Contradiction and we wish that time to come may not prove it farther If we take but a cursory view of the behaviour of our Kings to us since that Union the marks of their Aversion towards us stare us in the Face K. Iames our Sixth and their First tho a Native of Scotland and swore at his Accession to the Crown of England he would visit us once in three Years never came near us afterwards but once and that only to strengthen the Faction amongst us that had joined with him in endeavouring to inslave us K. Charles I tho likewise a Native of Scotland the first time that ever he came near us was with an armed Force to subdue us because of our struggling against that Slavery of which his Father had laid the Foundation Having after this under Pretence of a mock Treaty sown the Seeds of an unnatural War which soon after broke out in our Nation by Montrosse and the Irish Rebels that join'd him he never came near us more till Necessity constrain'd him to flee to our Army At that time it 's known we made honourable Terms for him with the English and such indeed as neither his Circumstances nor our own could oblige them to make good which considering the Provocations he had given us and the Slights put upâ—n us in all Treaties during that War as is testified by Whitlock in his Memoirs and other English Writers could proceed from nothing but an Exuberrant Affection to a Prince that all along had testified such an Asiersion for us His Son K. Char. II. he came to us in his Distress or to speak more truly we invited him to a Crown when he had not so much as a Cottage and exposed our selves to Ruin and Devastation for his sake yet after the Restauration he never came near us but ungratefully overturned our Constitution in Church and State cut off the Marquis of Argile's Head that set our Crown upon his own and made those injurious Acts which ruined us in our Trade with England King Iames our VII and their II. when chased from England as a Traytor and in danger of being excluded from their Crown we received him with open Arms Settled our Succession upon him and turned the Balance in England on his side Yet he never once came near us afterwards but by his despotical Proclamations overturned the small remains of our Liberties that his Brother had left and wounded our Religion and Laws both at once King William for whom we have shed so much of our Blood in Britain Ireland and the Netherlands and whom we allowed a Standing Army when the Parliament of England would scarcely allow him his Guards He hath never yet honoured us with his Presence and we see how we have been treated by wicked Counsellors about him how our Sovereignty is trampled under foot our Trade opposed our Men starved and our Colony by that means deserted Certainly these Instances are enough to justifie our demands of having Laws for the security of our Liberty as good at least if not better than those of our Neighbours since our Kings have ever since the Union been in the Hands of our Enemies and that there 's little probability of its ever being otherwise To come to a Conclusion our Trade is the thing that 's now struck at and tho' we be a Soveraign free People have Heads Hearts Hands Commodities Harbours some measure of Shipping and good Laws to encourage our carrying it on yet our Neighbours will not allow us to do it but break through all the Laws of God and Man to put a stop to it Our King that should protect us and go in and out before us is in the Hands our Enemies that plainly tell him our Trade is inconsistent with theirs and that they expect the preference and in a word he is forced to act against us What shall we do then Because our King is a Prisoner must our Parliament be so too Because he cannot do what he would and what he ought must not they do it neither Because some of our Country-men about him and who have posts under him concur with our Enemies to betray us must not the Representatives of our Country redress us Must we who never allowed our Princes when at home and governed by our own Councils to plead their Prerogative contrary to Law suffer our Princes now when govern'd by Foreign Councils to swallow up our Laws and Constitution by pretended Prerogative We see that no Kings can either by the Laws of God or Man plead any Prerogative that 's inconsistent with the good of the People and our Kings least of any Our Neighbouâ—s may boast of their Magna Charta and other Priviledges granted them by their Kings We have something more Glorious to boast of ond that is our Kings have no Prerogative but what was granted them by us Our Ancestors who first inhabited this Island did not receive their Lands from the Gift of a Conqueror or General who afterwards made himself Prince as happened to most other Nations in Europe but being possessed of a Country we sent for Fergus and made him King and let his Eldest Son Ferlegus know to his cost that we chose a King for our own good to be our General fight our Battles and not to to Luxuriate in Wealth and Pleasures that Ambitious Youngster was quickly made sensible that we never intended our Crown should be Hereditary in such a manner as to be entailed upon the Heads of Fools and Madmen in like sort when we were banished the island by the Britains Picts and Romans we sent from the Western Islands where we kept Possession for Fergus II. and made him King and under his Conduct recovered our Country In a word in all the Revolutions of Time and Government it 's plain from our Histories that our Kings always received their Crowns at our Hands upon such Conditions as we thought fit in the respective Junctures from
SCOTLAND's Grievances Relating to DARIEN c. Humbly offered to the Consideration OF THE Parliament Vos quibus potior est turpis cum securitate servitus quam honesta cum periculo libertas istam quam magni estimatis fortunam amplectamini Ego in Patria saepe defensa liber libens moriar nec me prius ejus caritas quam vita relinquet Vallas ad Brussium Buchan Hist. lib. 8 Which for the benefit of those that don't understand Latin is English'd thus You who had rather like Cowards submit your Necks to a Yoke of Ignominious Slavery than expose your selves to any Danger in asserting the Public Liberty Hugg that Fortune which you value so highly For my part I shall cheerfully Sacrifice my Life to die a Free-man in my Native Country which I have so often Defended Nor will I cease to Love it till I cease to Live Wallace to Bruce when he join'd with the English against his Country Printed 1700. ERRATA OUr Nation being so Unhappy that those who Write or Act against it are Rewarded and Carested whereas those that Write or Act for it must do it at their Perril It is not to be wondred at that many Faults should escape the Press in those few Sheets when all must be done in Hurry and Fear And therefore the Readers are not only desired to Pardon but also to Amend the following Errata before they peruse the Book because they marr the Sense Page Line   9 36 read the Claim  12 18 Councellors  16 36 for too late read truly 20 24 for Wrought wrote 21 37 prove pave 44 care taken taken care 24 28 unequal equal 25 2 for made by by 14 pact pack'd 26 26 for question mention 27 43 read the Government  28 24 read that Nation  32 9 read the Parliament  PART I. SINCE our Nation bethought themselves of advancing their Trade by the Act for establishing a Company Trading to Africa and the Indies a greater Invasion hath been made upon our Sovereignty and Freedom than hath happened at any time since we were ingloriously betray'd by Baliol. 'T were needless to offer Instances to prove this had we not to do with a Sett of Men who having basely betray'd us would willingly bereave us of our Senses that we should neither perceive nor resent it The Matters of Fact being notorious we shall only mention them here with some short Reflections and take them in order of time as follows The Addresses of both Houses of Parliament in England against our Act above-mentioned was such an Invasion as to which it may be a proper Enquiry for our Parliament Whether those Addresses were not Contriv'd and Promoted by some about the K. as the last Address of the House of Lords was and whether any Native of Scotland was concern'd in Contriving or Promoting the same In the next place it will appear That the Parliament of Scotland has as much Right to signifie to the King by Address or otherwise that the said Addresses were contrary to the Law of Nations and an Intrenchment upon the Sovereignty of Scotland as the English Parliament had to present the said Address to him against our Act. They that Advis'd the King's Answer to the said Address are guilty of such an Invasion as to which it would seem that the Parliament of Scotland have as much Right to Resolve That whoever Advis'd His Majesty to the said Answer had done as much as in them lay to create a misunderstanding betwixt him and his People of Scotland as the Commons of England had to Resolve so upon His Majesty's Answer to their Resolves about the Irish Forfeitures The Memorial given in to the Senate of Hamburgh April 7th 1697. against our Company 's making any Convention or Treaty with that City for Promoting our Commerce was such an Invasion This may certainly be a just Cause of Enquiry to the Parliament of Scotland Whether the said Memorial was not a breach of the Law of Nations since the King of England has no Right to take Cognizance of what is done by the Subjects of Scotland out of the Dominions of England If the Faction say he did it as King of Scots let them produce their Authority In the next place they have Cause to enquire whether the Assertion in that Memorial that the Commissioners of our Company were no ways Authorized by His Majesty to make the said Treaties was not false And whether the said Memorial was not an actual Dispensing with and acting contrary to the Law Establishing our Company which Empowers them to Treat for and to procure Exemptions and other Grants as may be convenient for Supporting Promoting and Enlarging their Trade and Navigation from any Foreign Potentate or Prince whatsoever in Amity with his Majesty It would also seem to be a proper Enquiry for the Parliament of Scotland Whether all the Dammages the Company has sustained by the said Memorial and other Opposition made them by the Court ought not to be made good out of the Estates of those who gave His Majesty those Advises and that in order thereunto His Majesty be Address'd to know who they were or else that he would be pleased to make good the said Dammages some other way for effecting of which he stands obliged by the said Act to interpose his Authority upon the Publick Charge Since in the Close of the said Memorial His Majesty's Ministers threaten the Hamburghers with the Consequences of a breach of Friendship and good Correspondence with England if they did not put a stop to the proceedings of our Commissioners in that City This together with the before-mentioned Proceedings of the Parliament of England gives the Parliament of Scotland a more just ground to Address His Majesty to put a stop to those Intrenchments made by an English Faction for we don't charge it upon the whole Nation upon the Sovereignty and Freedom of Scotland than the English Parliament had to Address His Majesty against our Act. It may also deserve the Enquiry of the Parliament of Scotland Why the King of England's Ministers should dare to have call'd themselves Ministers to the King of Great Britain in that Memorial which was in direct opposition to a Scots Act of Parliament and Letters Patents Granted by the King of Scotland Since our Country is included in the Denomination of Great Britain and that His Majesty as King of Scots neither did nor could give them any Authority to present that Memorial This deserves their Enquiry so much the more that by this means our own Authority and Name may always be made use of against our selves as it was in this Case if care be not taken to prevent it and besides it may in future Ages be made use of as an Argument by the English Historâ—â—ns to prove that the Scots were Subject to England as their former Historians ignorantly made use of it as an Argument to prove the same thing that some of their Kings