carry home to them who have sent us matter of praise to God for inclining your heart towards these their counsels which are most likely to procure to your Majesty and all your Dominions an happy deliverance from all their present distresses May 18. 28. 1649. Cassils Ro. Bailie Liberton Ia. Wood. Hereby we obtained from his Majesty May 19. 29. this answer I Have considred the severall Papers and Propositions delivered to me by you c. vide supra Our grief for this Paper was great it was much worse then any thing we expected not onely the hand of the worst of the English Counsell but of Iames Graham also and others of our evil countrey men was visible therein we resolved to give unto it this plain Reply May it please your Majesty VVEe the Commissioners of the Kirk of Scotland having considered your Majesties Paper of May 19. 29. given to us in answer of all our formet must in conscience of our duty with all humility make known to your Majesty that to our great grief we find it in many the chiefest points of our desires very unsatisfactory Vnto our first Paper for discountenancing of excommunicate persons to which a satisfactory answer in reason was promised nothing at all is said To our other desires no proper return is made unto us but we are sent to gather it here there out of your Majesties Answer to the Commissioners of Parliament wherein though we find some things returned to their desires which they had common with 〈◊〉 yet the most part thereof runneth upon matters of State wherewith our condition permits us not to meddle but rather then to go away without all further conference we are willing in obedience to your Majesties desires to consider what in that writing we conceive may have any reference to our Propositions We blesse God that your Majesty assures us you will maintain confirm and defend the Ecclesiastick Government of Scotland as it is settled by Law and particularly these Laws which concern the National Covenant Confession of Faith and Presbyteriall government of our Church their blame must be the greater who have been Authours to your Majesty to give so frequent open and familiar accesse to Iames Graham most solemnly and justly excommunicate by that Church which things cannot but be thought as it is indeed a great violation of the Ecclesiastick government To ouâ— desire in the matter of our Nationall Covenant that as your Grand Father by his own hand and your Father by the hand of His Commissioner had subscribed it so your Majesty would be pleased to subscribe the same no answer at all is given But our prime dissatisfaction is that what we petitioned concerning the Directory Confession of Faith agreed upon by the Assembly of Divines at Westminster and approven by the generall Assembly and Parliament of Scotland Catechismes and Propositions for government is clearly denyed and our greatest desire about the solemn League and Covenants fully frustrate The Covenant it self is broken in pieces some parts are avowedly laid aside the other parts are refused to be taken into consideration till they be proven first not to be comprised in the acts concerning the Nationall Covenant and Presbyteriall government of the Church of Scotland next that they are necessary to the welfare both of the Church and Kingdome and thirdly that they have no reference either to England or Ireland When all this is made to appear an Act of oblivion of all that Iames Graham and his complices or any other have done during all the time of these sad distractions must be past and a union with all these then must be fully settled before your Majesty do so much as apply your self to give satisfaction in these things Such an answer we know cannot fail to grieve the whole Church of Scotland and all their Covenanted Brethren in England and Ireland who under the pain of most solemn Perjury stand bound to God and one to another to live and die in that solemne League and Covenant as the chiefe and necessary security of their Religion and Liberties which the Popish Prelaticall and malignant Faction by their pernitious Counsells and actions now of a long time have been overturning and to this day continue diligent in promoving to their power that their destructive designe We marvell how any can object conscience or Honour against your Majesties granting to us what we desire in the Covenant for securing the Protestant Religion who have themselves been Counsellers and perswaders that your Majesty without all scruple either of conscience or honour should conclude subscribe and seal antecedently to and without any Parliament yea contrary to all the Parliaments of Engâ—and theâ—e hundred years a liberty of the Popish Religion to the bloody Rebels of Ireland Your Majesty would be pleased to consider that any relation these things we desire may have to England hindereth them not to be lawfull Acts of the Generall Assembly of Scotland legally ratified by the Parliaments of that Kingdom which when your Majestie does approve nothing is imposed upon England since their own Houses of Parliament and Assembly of Divines did not only Act the same things but in all their Treaties with the King with Scotland for divers years together did earnestly presse them Your Majesties Father in his last Message to the Commission of our Church did offer to ratifie the Solemn League and Covenant for all that had taken it or should take it in any of the 3 Kingdoms and in his last Treaty with the English Commissioners in the Isle of Wighe did as we are enformed offer to confirm the Directory Presbyteriall Government and what else was required for Religion in England and Ireland ever till he and his Parliament should agree upon a setled Order for the Church We do not conceive what in this Covenant can stumble your Majesty The abolition of Episcopacy and of the Service-Book your Majesty maintains confirms and defends in Scotland the duty done with a good conscience allowance of God in Scotland cannot be against conscience nor offend God in England no Reformed Church no Protestant Divine out of England did ever esteem Episcopacy or Liturgy necessary All Scotland the most of England the best part of Ireland doe judge the abolition of Popery of Prelacy of the Liturgy And joyning in a Covenant for that end a necessary duty Your Majesty and all the World may see to the very great grief of our soul the wrath of the Lord burning like a flame no better mean know we to quench it then for your Majesty to be humbled under his mighty hand to seek and rely on his favour to be zealous for advancing his affairs to establish the Solemn League and Covenant to provoke him no more by holding up in his House against the Hearts of all the Orthodox abroad and of the godly at home humane inventions borrowed from Rome most unhappy to Britain No mean in our judgement is comparable to
your Majesty may be restored to the peaceable possession of the Government of your other Kingdoms Wherefore we do in all humility renew these our former Desires earnestly beseeching that without losing of precious time your Majestie would be pleased to give a direct and satisfactory Answer thereunto April 23. May 3. 1649. Signed by the Commissioners of Parliament His Majesties Answer I Cannot thinke your Paper of the 3. of this month to contain a partain Answer to the Questions of Mine of the thirtieth of the last all your Answer to My Question whether you have any other thing to propone then that you have already proposed being that you are not to propose any other unlesse you be commanded Whereas I expected you would have answered whether you are commanded to make any other proposition or no and that you would have told Me whether you have power to recede from any particular which you have proposed which you answer no other wayes then by saying what you demand is just and reasonable but I cannot but observe that to My Question of the bringing the murtherers of My Father to justice and what assistance you would give to that purpose you make not the least answer nor not so much as mention your sense of that horrid and Vnparaleld Murther and therefore I would be glad to receive your ful answer thereunto May 7. N. S. Signed C.R. May it please your Majestie OUr deep sense of the great dangers which will unavoidably ensue to your Majesties affaires upon delaying to give satisfaction to these desires which we have proposed in name of the Parliament of your Majesties Kingdom of Scotland as the best and most effectuall means for establishing your Majesties happie government of that your ancient Kingdome and for restoring your Majestie to the possession of your just right of government of your other dominions maketh us heavily regrate that so much time hath been spent without any direct Answer from your Majestie but instead thereof of some questions have been proposed to us and that notwithstanding we have once again as we humbly conceive sufficiently answered and cleared the fame both by Word and Writ yet they are renewed and insisted upon by your Majesties paper of the seventh of this instant to which little more can be said to our judgement then what hath been expressed before For to your Majesties first question whither our papers already delivered contain all particulars which we have to purpose we could not answer more directly and clearly then that we are not to propose any other unless we be further commanded by the Parliament And to that whither we had power to recede from any particulars proposed we answered that the desires we proposed are not only just and reasonable but necessary and consequently such as from which we may not recede And to your Majesties last question we gave an Answer very full and comprehensive that your Majesties granting these just and necessary desires would move your good Subjects of Scotland to do for the advancement of your Majesties service and affairs whatsoever could be expected from loyall Subjects to their gracious King and to endeavour to the utmost of their power by all lawfull and necessary means that your Majesty may be restored to the possession of your just right of government of your other Kingdomes Neither did we conceive it necessary to multiply words in repeating our deep sense of that horrid Fact against the life of your Royall Father seeing the whole Parl. of Scotland whereof we had the honour to be Members had so solemnly declared to the world how much they did detest and abominate the very design thereof as the Protestations and Papers of their Commissioners at London can bear witnesse and we were so conscious to our selves of our sincere tender respects and affection towards our late Soveraign that we looked not to have our sense of that fact in the least wise questioned Wherefore we do again with all humility and earnestness renew our former supplication that without further loss of precious time whereof too much is lost already we wish it be not to the prejudice both of your Majesties affaires and of your lamentably distracted and bleeding Kingdoms your Majestie will be pleased to give a direct and satisfactory Answer to these our most just an necessary desires in doing whereof your Majesty will be to these afflicted Kingdoms like the rain coming down upon the mowen grasse and as showers that water the earth Aprill 29. May 9. 1649. Signed by the Commissioners of Parliament May it please your Majesty HAving for a long time waited your Majesties leisure for an Answer to the humble desires of the Parliament of your kingdom of Scotland which we have in their name tendred to your Majesty and having received no Answer or the least satisfaction to any of them in discharge of our duty to your Majesty We cannot but shew that both your affairs and your distracted Kingdoms are exposed to exceeding great prejudice by the losse of so much precious time which in our humble opinion might have been much better improved for the advantage of both And by your Majesties intended removal hence and our necessitie to return we are so straitned with time that we cannot forbear any longer to renew our humble and earnest request for a speedy favourable Answer whereby your Majesty hath a fair occasion if imbraced at once to make both your self and people happie And on the contrary the great danger and irreparable losse will inevitably ensue upon further delaying or refusing to give satisfaction to so just and reasonable desires so obvious to any impartial eie so that if now when by the power and prevalencie of Sectaries and their Army in England that Kingdom brought underfoot and almost lost and when Ireland is in very great distractions your Maj. shall not speedily heartily satisfie the desires of your Maj. Kingdom of Scotland especially for Religion and the Covenant which is the strongest band to tye Subjects to their King It will weaken the hands of all those that love Religion and Monarchicall Government in England and wholly discourage and disenable Scotland to do for your Majesty by that means also your enemies will be incouraged and strengthened to prosecute their wicked designes and your good people in England will be forced to couch under the burden and submit to the yoak dispairing of any means of relief or deliverance We intreat your Majestie to remember that opportunitie once losed cannot be regained the neglect and not taking hold whereof when so frequently offered hath been the chief cause of the troubles of your Royall Family and hath to our unspeakable grief proved sad and fatall at last We are confident that your Majesty rightly pondering and laying these things to heart will in the entry of your Reign so much cherish the hopefull expectation of your Loyall people as that they may at length look for the wished ends of the
long-continued troubles and may live a comfortable and quiet life under the shadow of your Majesties prosperous and happy Government May 17 27. 1649. Signed by the Commissioners of Parliament His Majesties Answer more expresly relating to the Propositions I Have considered the several Papers and Propositions delivered to me by you and do assure you That I desire nothing more then that I may intirely unite the hearts and affections of all my good subjects of Scotland to me and amongst themselves as well for the Honour peace and prosperity of that Kingdom as that they may jointly and unanimously assist me in the revenge of that horrid and impious murther of my Father and the recovery of my just Right in my other Dominions to which they are equally engaged by the laws of God and of that Kingdom and to the obtaining of such an Union I will consent to all that in Conscience and Honor I may without imposing on my other Kingdoms As first I will maintain confirm and defend the Government Ecclesiasticall and Civil of Scotland as is setled by Law and the Ancient known Laws of that Kingdom as likewise all such Acts of Parliament as have been actually consented unto by the King my Father being personally present in Parliament or by his Commissioners lawfully authorized by him and particularly the Laws concerning the Nationall Covenant the Confession of Faith and Presbyterial government of that Church Touching that part of the League and Covenant which concerneth My other Kingdoms of England and Ireland it is not in my power justly to take any resolution therein without the advice of my respective Parliaments of these Kingdoms by whose advice and consent only Laws are there to be made and altered Neither can I consent to any thing which shall oppose or disturb the peace lately concluded in Ireland but I am very willing to refer the full consideration of the said League and Covenant and of all the other particulars you mention as to England to a free Parliament to be convened there by My Writ as soon as the condition of that Kingdom will permit me so to doe By whose advice I am resolved to govern my self therein in the mean time as I am very ready to doe all that is in my power to the safe and quiet protection of my people in Scotland under the benefit of the Lawes of that Kingdom as likewise further to gratifie them in all that may really tend to their welfare So I shall expect that obedience and duty from them in the exercise of my Royall power as is due to me by their Allegiance To which they submitting and for the burying all bitterness and animosities which the former distractions and divisions may have produced and the better effecting the happy union beforementioned I am very willing and desirous to consent to any Act of Oblivion and Indempnity to all persons of what condition soever of that Kingdom of Scotland excepting only such persons if any such there be in or of that kingdom that shall hereafter upon sufficient and due evidence in a lawfull tryall be found actually and expresly guilty of that late unparalleld horrid Act of the murther of their late Soveraign And if it shall appear unto me that the League and Covenant containeth any thing in it not comprised in these Acts concerning the National Covenant and Presbyterial government of the Church of Scotland and necessarily to the welfare of the said Church and kingdom without reference to England or Ireland I shal upon the first setling of such an Union and the passing of such an Act of Oblivion as is before-mentioned apply my self to give ful satisfaction therein Passionatly desiring to remove all occasions of misunderstanding between my self and all my good Subjects of that my Kingdom of Scotland and what is not particularly answered at this time shall be supplyed by an express whom I will dispatch into Scotland as soon as conveniently I can May 1â— 29. 1643. Signed CHARLS REX May it please your Majesty ALthough We were much troubled that your Maj. Answer should have been so long delayed at such a time when Resolution Action were so necessitated yet have we now received it with much greater grief finding that your Majesties Counsels lead you to resolutions so contrary to the satisfaction desired by us in the name of the Parl. of your Kingdom of Scotl. and so far from ingaging them to hazard their lives and fortunes in your service which with so much affection they desired as that by this strange Answer the distance is made greater then before nay by it far less is offered for Religion the Covenant and the Laws and Liberties of that Kingdom then was by your Royall Father even at that time when the difference amongst them was greatest yea many of the most materiall Acts agreed upon by the large Treaty ratified by him are by this Answer called in Question His Majesties Concessions in the Isle of Wight did bear that he would confirm the Solemne League and COVENANT in both Kingdomes for all that had taken it or should take it and that hee would settle Presbyterial Government and the Directorie of Worship in England although these Concessions were found unsatisfactory yet your Majestie is not pleased to go so much as that same length or to offer any present and expresse satisfaction as to the Solemne League and Covenant Confession of Faith Directory for Worship and Catechisme in either of the Kingdoms And although your Majesty professes that you will confirm and defend the Civill and Ecclesiasticall Goverment of Scotland as they are setled by Law yet by restricting your Concessions to such Acts of Parliament as have been actually consented to by the King your Father Being personally present or by his Commissioner authorized for that effect at once all our Laws and Parliaments these eight years by past so often acknowledged by our late Soveraign are now by this your Majesties Answer laid afide and utterly rejected seeing it hath pleased your Majesty so directly to question the clear and undoubted Laws and constitutions of the Parliament of your Majesties Kingdom of Scotland upon that ground We most humbly crave leave to remember your Majestie that as the Parliament held in the year 1561 without the presence of the Queen or her Commissioner was ever acknowledged by her Majestie and your Royall Predecessors since as a lawfull Parliament so your Royal Father our late Soveraign was pleased in his Wisdom and Justice to acknowledge all Acts of the Parliament 1640. as Laws to be observed by all his Subjects of that Kingdom Notwithstanding that neither he nor any Commissioner from him was therein present amongst which is that Act for the constitution of Parliament in all time coming whereby it is declared and ordained that that Parliament holden by the Nobilitie Barons and Burgesses or their Commissioners as the true estates of the Kingdom is and should be accompted a compleat and perfect Parliament
THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE Church and Kingdome OF SCOTLAND WITH HIS MAJESTIE at the HAGVE AND The Papers interchanged betwixt his Majestie and them as they were Reported in Parliament and the Generall Assembly Appointed by Authority to be Published Edinburgh Printed by Evan Tyler Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majestie 1649. And Re-Printed in London for Robert Bostock at the sign of the Kings head in Pauls Church-yard The Report made to the Estates of PARLIAMENT of the Kingdome of SCOTLAND By their Commissioners after their return from the Kings Majestie out of Holland WEE have from time to time as occasion offered given Your Lordships and the Committee of Estatâ—s a particular accompt of our diligence and of the progress of these affairs which it pleased Your Lordships to intrust us with which had been done more frequently if the passage had not been so difficult and uncertain that we could not get our Papers conveyed to Your Lordships with that speed which we desired And although our former Papers do bear much of the Report yet that the Parliament may have at once a recent and intire review of the whole business together we shal shortly resume the substance of what hath been at several times communicated and the Papers which have not as yet been transmitted to Your Lordships hands will make known the rest According to our Additional Instructions of the fifteenth of March finding that James Grahame was about the King We did by a Paper of the twenty seventh of March desire that he might be removed from his Majesties person and Court as one who had been deservedly forefaulted by the Parliament and Excommunicate by the Kirk of this Kingdome which when we had prest once and again his Majestie returned this Answer That he was Resolved to consider the whole that we had to propose before he Declared his Resolution upon any part Although we were sorry to receive this Answer yet being loath upon this ground to break off laying that desire aside for the time we did proceed and in three Propositions offered to his Majestie the substance of these things which we were warranted by Your Lordships to Demand the first whereof was That his Majestie would by his Oath under his hand and Seal allow the Covenant and the Solemn League and Covenant and oblâ—ige himself to prosecute the enemies thereof in his Royal Station Secondly that he would ratifie al Acts of Parliament enjoyning the Solemn League and Covenant and for setling Presbyterial Government 〈◊〉 of Worship Confession of Faith and Catechism as they are already approven by the General Assembly and Parliament of Scotland and would assent to Acts of Parliament enjoyning the same in England and observe the same in his own practise and family and never mâ—…e opposition thereto Thirdly That his Majestie would agree that matters Civil should be determined by this present and subsequent Parliaments of this Kingdome and matters Ecclesiastical by the General Assemblies of this Church as his Royal Father did formerly grant These Propositions were prest with the best reasons we could both from the justice and necessity of the matter and frâ—… the advantage that would arise to his Majesties affairs upon satisfaction given there unto which for brevity we forbear to repeat In stead of an Answer his Majestie returned a Paper containing these three Queries first whether the Papers already presented did contain all that we had to propose Secondly whether we had any power to recede from any thing therein or were bound to insist thereupon in terms as they stood Thirdly whether we had any Propositions to make toward the advancement of his Service for his restitution to his other Kingdomes and bringing the murtherers of his Father to Justice And considering that these Queries were moved of purpose to obstruct all Agreement and to cause and increase jealousies and differences betwixt his Majestie and us we offered by conference to shew that these Queries were materially answered in our Paper of April 20. and therefore intreated his Majestie not to insist in these or the like for the moving of them tended greatly to the prejudice of his own affaiars at this time But his Majestie finding that conference could not be so wel transmitted to his counsell he ansisted in the same so that we were necessitated to make it appear by Writ that they had been answered in that our former Paper as to the first we answered That we were not to propose any further unless we were commanded by the Parliament or their Committee To the second our desires proposed were so just and necessary for securing of religion and the peace of this Kingdom that we could not in reason recede from the matter contained in them which being retained we were not to stand with his Majestie upon words or terms And to the third we replyed that the granting of these desires would make his Majesties good people do all for him as could be expected of faithful and loyal Subjects to their gracious King and particularly would make them contribute their utmost indeavours that his Majesty might be restored to the possession of his just right of government of his other Dominions And when as yet his Majestie seemed not satisfied and did especially recent that in these Answers nothing was exprest of our sense of the murther of his father nor was any thing offered to bring the actors thereof to Justice We did by another Paper cleer our former Answers and did much regrat that our sense of that horrid fact against the life of our late Soveraign should be called in question since the Parliament by their Commissioners at London had 〈◊〉 to the world how much they did abhominate and detest the very design thereof all which with unanimous consent was allowed and approven in Parliament And finding that his Majestie did all this while desire to give a direct or positive Answer to the Propositions we did by another Paper of May 11. with all the freedome and faithfulness we could press his Answer and did represent to him the great danger and disadvantage which would inevitably ensue upon his delaying or refusing to give the satisfaction desired by by this Kingdome Whereupon his Majestie gave us this Paper of May 29. after consideration whereof we did represent to his Majestie how grievous that Answer was to us and how unsatisfactory it would be to Your Lordships and therefore forbearing to insist upon particulars we intreated his Majestie to take the same again into consideration to which his Majestie was pleased only to return this general Answer by the which Your Lordships may perceive his Majesties purpose of sending an express hither for your further satisfaction In pursuance of our trust there did many things occur in conference which cannot fitly be now repeated in which according to our duty we left no means or arguments unassayed that his Majesty might apply himself to the Counsels of his Parliament in which we did
our first Petition so soon as the rest of our Propositions were given in and judging his Majesties receiving of our Message and answering of all our papers without any quarrelling of our Commission whereof in every paper we made expresse mention to be a reall acknowledgement of us as Commissioners from the Church and not being instructed to break off all Treaty at the beginning upon dissatisfaction in such things as the Comissioners of Parliament so we also thought fit to proceed The man things we were instructed to propone to his Majesty were the Nationall Covenant of Scotland the Solemne League and Covenant of the three Kingdomes the Directory of Worship the Confession of Faith the Propositons for Presbyteriall government the two Catechismes as they were agreed unto by the Generall Assembly and Parliament of Scotland These six peeces we did bind together in a Book and delivered them to His Majesty speaking somewhat to the matter of every one of them and entreating that this Majesty would be pleased to read and peruse them all what ever scruple might arise in his mind from any of them we offered our best endeavour to satisfie him therein But our Positive desires concerning thâ—se Particulars we gave in on Thursday April 5. 15. in this Paper May it please your Majesty VVEE the Commissioners of the Church of Scotland hoping for an Answer satisfactory in reason to our first paper according to your Majeâ—…ies gracious promise do go on according to our Commission to signifie in the name of that Church that after their hearty prayer to God for his blesâ—ing on your Royall person and government It is their most earnest desire that it may be your Majesties pleasure to give â—hem assuâ—ance under your hand and seale of your â—pprobation of the Nationall Cavenant of Scotland subscribed by your Royall Grand-Father approven and enjoyned by your Royall Father in the Parliament of Scotland 1640. And of the Solemn League and Covenant which now for divers years the Parliaments and Generall Assemblies of Scotland the two Houses of the Parl. of England and the Assembly of Divines at Westminster after long and serious deliberation have unanimously found to be the best and necessary meanes of setling Religion of establishing the Throne and bringing back prosperity to your Majesty and all your three now lamentably distressed kingdomes also of the Directory of Worship Confession of Faith Catechisme and Presbyteriall Government of the Church agreed upon according to the word of God by the Assembly of Divines at Westminster and the Generall Assemblies of the Church of Scotland the Copies of all which we did the other day deliver to your Majesty Likewise that your Majesty would be pleased to subscribe the Nationall Covenant with the Solemn League and Covenant and give your Royall Assent to such Acts of the Parliament of Scotland as shall be offered to your Majesty for the establishing and enjoyning of the Premises in Scotland and to such Acts of Parliament as shall be offered by the two Houses of the Parliament of England for the establishing and enjoyning the same in England and Ireland and in the mean time that your Majesty would be pleased to lay aside the use of the Service-Book and conform the worship of God in your Royall Family to the Directory We are fully perswaded that your Majesties cordiall joyning with your loving Subjects in these meanes of advancing the Honour of God and true Religion shall procure from heaven the Lords powerfull assistance to bâ—ing your Majesty and your people out of the great tribulation and danger wherein both for the present are plunged We are also confident that your Majesties granting these most humble and earnest desires shall be a chief and effectuall mean to knit to your Majesty in all duty the hearts of all your good Subjects not in Scotland alone but every where else and shall loose to your Majesty none at all who either loves the truth of God or minds your Majesties happinesse above their own particular unjust interests April 5. 15. Subscribitur Cassils Robert Bailie Libberton Iames Wood Vpon Fryday the day following we received from his Majesty this short return C. R. April 16. I Desire for the reasons mentioned in my former papers to know whether the last papers I received from you contain the full demands and Propositions you or any of you have to make in reference to Church or State and if not that then you deliver what remains that I may consider of the whole and proceed accordingly April 16. 1649. To this on the Satturday we made this reply UNto the paper deliverd to us by your Majesty this day we do make this humble return that the last your Majesty received from us the Commissioners of the Kirk of Scotland doth contain the substance of all we have to demand of your Majesty the Grant whereof will make any other humble advice we are to propone most easie What the Commissioners of Parliament have to deliver in reference to the State we leave it wholly to themselves they being in a Commission and capacity altogether distinct from that which we have from the Church alone April 17. 1649. Cassils Robert Bailie Libberton Iames Wood. The dayes thereafter His Majesty and the Commissioners of Parliament interchangâ—d divers papers about points of State wherein we had no place to meddle in the mean while we were not idle but went about our instructions both by conferences with his Majesty and by frequent dealing with divers persons of quality whom we conceived to have ability or any opportunity to promove with His Majesty the Grant of our desires Also by answering sometimes even in Print a multitude of calumnies wherewith our malignant enemies with much artifice and malice did labour to poyson the ears of His Majesty and all about him against our Church and Kingdome But finding time to drive over and no answer according to our mind appearing we gave in on May 18. 28. the following Writ UPon the 5. 15. of Apr. We the Commissioners of the Kirk of Scotland did in their name present their humble and earnest desire of these things which they conceived necessary for the security of Religion for the establishment of your Majesties Throne and for putting of them in a confident expectation of the Lords blessing upon your Majesties Government since that time we have been alwayes waiting and often humbly moving for an answer but as yet none at all is given we cannot conceal but so long a delay hath affected us with grief so much the more as your Majesty hath declared your resolution to be gone from thâ—… on Thursday next which makes the time we have to consider what your Majesty shall be pleased to offer very short Wherefore with all humility and earnestnesse we do supplicate that without the losse of more time now at last we may have so gracious and satisfactory a return to our former papers as may make us leave your Majesty with joy and