well-beloved Sir VVilliam Balfoure Knight and Iohn Dolbier Esquire or either of them for levying and providing certain numbers of Horses with Armes for Horse and Foot to be brought over into this Kingdome for our service viz. for the levying and transporting of one thousand Horse fifteen thousand pounds for five thousand Muskets five thousand Corslets and five thousand Pikes ten thousand five hundred pounds and for one thousand Curaseers compleat two hundred Corslets and Carbines four thousand five hundred pounds amounting in the whole to the said summe of thirty thousand pounds And this our letter shall be your sufficient warrant and discharge in this behalf Given under our Privy Seal at our Palace of Westminster the 30th of Ianuary in the third year of our Reign Iune the seventh the King came to the Lords House and the House of Commons were sent for And the Lord Keeper presented the humble Petition of both Houses and said MAy it please your most excellent Majesty the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons in Parliament assembled taking into consideration that the good intelligence between your Majesty and your people doth much depend upon your Majesties answer unto their Petition of Right formerly presented With unanimous consent do now become most humble Suitors unto your Majesty that you would be pleased to give a clear and satisfactory answer thereunto in full Parliament Whereunto the King replyed The answer I have already given you was made with so good deliberation and approved by the judgements of so many wise men that I could not have imagined but it should have given you full satisfaction But to avoid all ambiguous interpretations and to shew you there is no doublenesse in my meaning I am willing to pleasure you as well in words as in substance read your Petition and you shall have an answer that I am sure will please you The Petition was read and this answer was returned Soit droit fait come il est desire C. R. This I am sure said his Majesty is full yet no more then I granted you in my first Answer for the meaning of that was to confirm your liberties knowing according to your own Protestations that ye neither meane nor can hurt my Prerogative And I assure you my Maxime is That the Peoples Liberties strengthen the Kings Prerogative and the Kings Prerogative is to defend the Peoples Liberties You see how ready I have shewed my self to satisfie your demands so that I have done my part Wherefore if this Parliament have not a happy conclusion the sin is yours I am free from it Whereupon the Commons returned to their own House with unspeakable joy and resolved so to proceed as to expresse their thankfulnesse and now frequent mention was made of proceeding with the Bill of subsidies of sending the Bills which were ready to the Lords of perfecting the Bill of Tunnage and Poundage and Sir Iohn Strangeâ—â—ies also expressed his joy at the answer and further added Let us perfect our Remonstrance King Iames was wont to say He knâ—w that by Parliaments which otherwise he could never have known After the granting of the Petition of Right the House ordered that the Grand Committees for Religion Trade Grievances and Courts of Justice to sit no longer but that the House proceed only in the consideration of Grievances of most moment And first they fell upon the Commission for Excise and sent to the Lord Keeper for the same who returned answer that he received Warrant at the Councel Table for the sealing thereof and when it was Sealed he carried it back to the Councel Table The Commission being sent it was read in the House viz. CHarles By the Grace of God King of England Scotland France and Ireland Defender of the Faith c. To Sir Thomas Coventry Knight Lord Keeper of the Great Seale of England To James Earl of Malburg Lord High Treasurer or England Henry Earl of Manchester Lord President of our Councel Edward Earl of Worcester Lord Keeper of our Privy Seal George Duke of Buckingham Lord high Admiral of England William E. of Pembrook Lord Steward of Our Houshold Philip Earl of Mountgomery Lord Chamberlain of Our Houshold Theophilus Earl of Suffolk Edward Earl of Dorset William Earl of Salisbury Thomas Earl of Exeter John Earl of Bridgwater James Earl of Carlisle Henry Earl of Holland William Earl of Denbigh George Earl of Totnes Sir George Hay Kt. Lord Chancellor of Scotland William Earl of Morton Thomas Earl of Kelley Thomas Earl of Mellers Edward Uiscount Conway one of our principal Secretaries of State Edward Uiscount Wimbleton Oliver Uiscount Grandison Henry Falkland Lord Deputy of Ireland To the Lord Bp. of Winchester Wil. Lord Bp. of Bath and Wells Fulk Lo. Brook Dudley Ash Lord Carlton Uice Chamberlain of Our Houshold Sir Thomas Edmonds Treasurer of our Houshold Sir John Savil Controler of Our Houshold Sir Robert Nanton Master of the Court of Wards Sir John Cook one of the principal Secretaries of State Sir Richard Weston Chancellour and under Treasurer of our Exchequer Julius Caesar Master of the Rolls and Sir Humphrey May Kt. Chancellour of Our Dutchy of Lancaster Greeting Whereas the presâ—nt Conjuncture of the general affairs of Christendom and our own particular interest in giving assistance unto our oppressed Allies and for providing for the defence and safety of our own Dominions and People do call upon Us to neglect nothing that may conduce to those good ends And because Monies the principal sinâ—ws of War and one of the first and chiefest movers in all great Preparations and Actions are necessary to be provided in the first place and We are carefull the same may be raised by such ways as may best stand with the State of Our Kingdoms and Subjects and yet may answer the pressing occasions of the present times We therefore out of the experience We have had and for the trust we repose in your wisdoms fidelities and dutifull care of your service And for the experience we have of all great Causes concerning us and our State both as they have relation to Foraine parts abroad and as to our Common-wealth and People at home Ye being persons called by us to be of Our Privy Councel have thought sit amongst those great and important matters which so much concern us in the first and chiefest place to recommend this to your special care and diligence And we do hereby authorise and appoint and strictly will and require you that speedily and seriously you enter into consideration of all the best and speediest ways and means ye can for raising of Monies for the most Important occasions aforesaid UUhich without extreamest hazard to Us our Dominions and People and to our Friends and Allies can admit of no long delay the same to be done by Impositions or othâ—rwise as in your wisdoms and best Iudgments ye shall find to be most convenient in a case of this inevitable necessity wherein Form â—nd
and others was now moved by Mason to have the resolution of the Iudges and the Court with one voice said That they are now content that they shall be bailed but that they ought to find Sureties also for the good behaviour And Jones Iustice said that so it was done in the case which had been often remembered to another purpose to wit Russell's case in 9 E. 3. To which Mr. Selden answered with whom all the other Prisoners agreed in opinion That they have the Sureties ready for the bayl but not for the good behaviour and desire that the bayl might first be accepted and that they be not urged to the other Sir Robert Heath the Kings Atturney-generall exhibited Information in this Court against Sir John Eliot Knight Denzill Hollis and Benjamin Valentine Esquires the effect of which was That the King that now is for weighty causes such a day and year did summon a Parliament and to that purpose sent his Writ to the Sheriff of Cornwall to chuse two Knights by vertue whereof Sir John Eliot was chosen and returned Knight for Cornwall And that in the same manner the other Defendants were elect Burgesses of other places for the same Parliament And shewed further that Sir John Finch was chosen for one of the Citizens of Canterbury and was Speaker of the House of Commons And that the said Eliot publickly and malitiously in the House of Commons to raise sedition between the King his Nobles and People uttered these words That the Councill and Judges had all conspired to trample under-foot the Liberties of the Subjects He further shewed that the King had power to call adjourn and dissolve Parliaments And that the King for divers reasons had a purpose to have the House of Commons adjourned and gave direction to Sir Joâ—n Finch then the Speaker to move as adjournment and if it should not be obeyed that he should forthwith come from the House to the King And that the Defendants by confederacy afore-hand spake a long and continued Speech which was recited verbatim in which were divers malitious and seditious words of dangerous consequence And to the intent that they might not be prevented of uttering their premeditate speeches their intention was that the Speaker should not go out of the Chair till they had spoken them the Defendants Hollis and Valentine lay violent hands upon the Speaker to the great afrightment and disturbance of the House And the Speaker being got out of the Chair they by violence set him in the Chair again so that there was a great tumult in the House And after the said speeches pronounced by Sir John Eliot Hollis did recapitulate them And to this information the Defendants have put in a plea to the Iurisdiction of the Court because these offences are supposed to be done in Parliament and ought not to be punished in this Court or in any other but in Parliament And the Atturney-Generall moved the Court to over-rule the plea to the Iurisdiction And that he said the Court might do although he had not demurred upon the plea. But the Court would not over-rule the plea but gave day to joyne in Demurrer this Tearm And on the first day of the next Tearm the Record shall be read and within a day after shall be argued at Barre But Hyde chief Iustice said to the Counsell of the Defendants So far light we will give you This is no new question but all the Iudges of England and Barons of the Exchequer before now have oft been assembled on this occasion and have with great patience heard the Arguments on both sides and it was resolved by them all with one voice That an offence committed in Parliament criminally or contemptuously the Parliament being ended rests punishable in an other Court Jones It is true that we all resolved That an offence committed in Parliament against the Crown is punishable after the Parliament in another Court and what Court shall that be but the Court of the Kings Bench in which the King by intendment sitteth Whitlock The question is now reduced to a narrow room for all the Iudges are agreed That an offence committed in Parliament against the King or his Government may be punished out of Parliament So that the sole doubt which now remains is Whether this Court can punish it And Crook agreed That so it had been resolved by all the Iudges because otherwise there would be a failer of Iustice. And by him If such an offence be punishable in another Court what Court shal punish it but this Court which is the highest Court in the Realm for criminall offences And perhaps not onely criminall actions committed in Parliament are punishable here but words also Mason of Lincolns-Inne argued for Sir John Eliot one of the Defendants The charges in the Information against him are three 1. For speeches 2. For contempts to the King in resisting the Adjournment 3. For conspiracy with the other Defendants to detain Mr. Speaker in the Chair In the discussion of these matters be argued much to the same intent which he had argued before upon an information brought in the Star-Chamber against the same Defendants and others for the same offences therefore his Argument is reported here very briefly 1 st For his speeches They contain matter of accusation against some great Peers of the Realm and as to them he said That the King cannot take notice of them The Parliament is a Councill and the grand Councill of the King and Councills are secret and close none other hath accesse to those Councills of Parliament and they themselves ought not to impart them without the consent of the whole House A Iury in a Leet which is sworn to enquire of offences within the said Iurisdiction are sworn to keep their own counsell so the House of Commons enquire of all grievances within the Kingdom and their counsells are not to be revealed And to this purpose was a Petition 2 H. 4. numb 10. That the King shall not give credit to any private reports of their proceedings To which the King assents therefore the King ought not to give credit to the information of these offences in this case 2 ly The words themselves contain severall accusations of great men and the liberty of accusation hath alwaies been Parliamentary 50 E. 3. Parliament-Roll numb 21. The Lord Latimer was impeached in Parliament for sundry offences 11 R. 2. the Arch-Bishop of York 18 H. 6. numb 18. the Duke of Suffolk 1 Mar. Dy. 93. the Duke of Norfolk 36 H. 6. numb 60. un Uickar Generall 2 3 E. 6. c. 18. the Lord Seymer 18 of King James the Lord of St. Albans Chancellor of England and 21 of King James Cranfield Lord Treasurer and 1 Car. the Duke of Buckingham 3 ly This is a priviledge of Parliament which is determinable in Parliament and not else-where 11 R. 2. numb 7. the Parliament-Roll Petition exhibited in Parliament and allowed by the King That
discreet a hand that I little fear the handsome carriage of it And I hope that before these Letters arive with you we shall hear from you in such a stile that this advice of mine shall be of no use I pray you be very earnest with the Conde Gondomar that he will not forget to negotiate the liberty of Mr. Mole for whom I hope now my Lord Ross is dead for that which you and I know it will not be so difficult to prevail You may put him in minde how when Father Baldwills liberty was granted unto him although he could not absolutely promise Mr. Moles release yet he then faithfully protested he would use the mediation of the Duke of Lerma and of the Kings Confessor and of that King if need were and that he would try the best friends he had for the procurement of his enlargement wherein you may desire him to deal effectually for that there is great expectance that he should proceed honorably and really therein I my self likewise will use all the means I can for his relief for it is a thing which is very much desired here and would give a great deal of satisfaction As touching Osulivare it is very fit that you let them know that the report of the honor they did him hath come unto his Majesties ears and that although they will alleage that in the time of Hostility betwixt England and Spain it may be he did them many services and may then have deserved well at their hands for which they have just cause to reward him Yet since by his Majesties happy coming to these Crowns those differences have had an end and that there is a perfect League and Amity betwixt them his Majesty cannot chuse but dislike that they should bestow upon him any title or dignity which onely or properly belongeth unto him towards his own Subjects that therefore he would be glad that they would forbear to confer any such titulary Honors upon any of his Subjects without his Privity This you shall do well to insist upon so that they may understand that his Majesty is very sensible that they should endeavor to make the Irish have any kinde of dependence on that State Queen Anne died this year at Hampton Court and was thence brought to her Palace at Denmark-house in the Strand The common people who were great Admirers of Princes were of opinion that the Blazing-Star rather be-tokened the Death of that Queen then that Cruel and Bloody War which shortly after hapned in Bohemia and others parts of Germany IN the beginning of the year One thousand six hundred and nâ—neteen the Emperor Matthias died but immediately before his death to engage Persons of Honor in the Service of the Empire he instituted Knights of several Orders for the defence of the Catholick Religion who were bound by Oath to be faithful to the Apostolick Sea and to acknowledge the Pope their cheif Protector The Count Palatine of Rhine who in the interregnum is cheif Vicar of the Empire published his right by the Golden Bull to govern in cheif till a new Emperor be chosen and by Advice assumed the Power requiring the people to demean themselves peaceably under his Government King Ferdinand in his broken Estate propounded a Cessation of Arms and offered fair terms of peace but was not answered for the breach would not be made up The Bohemians declared that their Kingdom was Elective not Hereditary that the States-General ought to have the free Election of their King who always ought to be one of the Royal House of Bohemia That Ferdinand took the Government upon him by vertue of his Coronation in the Emperors life time and had thereby made the Kingdom a Donative The Evangelicks in the Upper Austria demanded equal Priviledges with the Catholicks and resolved to make union with the Bohemians The Protestant States of Moravia Silesia and Hungaria banish the Jesuites The Bohemians prospered in these beginnings but the Austrian party received vigor by supplies out of Hungary and Flanders and were able to stand their ground and the Emperor capitulated with the Duke of Bavaria to levy forces to his use for the expence of which service he engaged part of his Country to him The War grows to a great height and the King of England interposed in these differences and sent the Viscount Doncaster Extraordinary Ambassador to mediate a Reconciliation His constant love of Peace and his present fear of the sad issue of these Commotions and the request of the King of Spain moved him to take this part in hand It was the Spaniards policy to make him a Reconciler and by that means to place him in a state of Neutrality and so frustrate the hopes of that support which the Princes of the Union might expect from him by the Interest of the Count Palatine For which cause the King of Spain speaks out large promises That he should be the sole and grand Arbiter of this Cause of Christendom Nevertheless his Mediation was slighted by the Catholick Confederates and his Ambassador shufled out of the business And at the same time Mr. Cottington being very sensible of their unworthy dealings in the Court of Spain professed That his most useful service and best complying with his own Conscience would be to disengage the King his Master The Archbishop of Ments the Representers of the Duke of Saxony and the other Electors Brandenburgh Cullen and Tryers met at Franckford to chuse the Emperor Upon the Eighth day of August Ferdinand was chosen King of the Romans and upon the Nineteenth of September had the Imperial Crown set upon his Head Ambassadors from the Elector Palatine came to oppose Ferdinand but were denied entrance at Franckford The Bohemians disclaimed the said Election and being assembled for that purpose with the consent of their Confederates elected for their King Count Frederick Palatine of Rhine At that time Bethlem Gabor Prince of Transylvania made known to the Directors Evangelick his great sense of their condition since those troubles began desired union with them and offered to come in with an Army hoping for the Great Turks consent to peace during the time of that Service The Directors return their thanks accept the offer and Prince Bethlem immediately entred Hungary to the Emperors great vexation danger and detriment marching with an Army even to the Walls of Vienna The Count Palatine Elected King of Bohemia craved advice to his Father in Law the King of Great Brittain touching the acceptation of that Royal Dignity When this important business was debated in the Kings Council Archbishop Abbot whose infirmities would not suffer him to be present at the Consultation wrote his minde and heart to Sir Robert Nanton the Kings Secretary That God had set up this Prince his Majesties Son in Law as a Mark of Honor throughout all Christendom to propagate the Gospel and to protect the oppressed That for his own part he
under the Marquess Ansbach The Evangelicks were put to the worst by General Buquoy in several encounters and were much terrified by the Duke of Bavaria who marched with an Army of Fifteen thousand Horse and Foot and a Train of Artillery proportionable and they were weakned by a Cessation of Arms in Hungary between the Emperor and the Prince of Transylvania In Spain they make all possible preparations for this War onely the King of England will not take the Alarm abhorring War in general and distasting the Palsgraves cause as an ill president against Monarchy and fed with hopes of composing all differences by the success of the Spanish Treaty For which purpose Sir Walter Aston was then sent Ambassador into Spain and Gondomar returned into England there to abide till the long debated Match be fully effected The Articles of Religion for securing Liberty of Conscience to the Infanta and her Family were greatly inlarged by the Commissioners designed for the Treaty and were allowed by the King of England but without a dispensation from Rome the transactions between the two Kings were but Nullities And for this cause it was expected that our King should propound such conditions for the increase and great advantage of the Roman Catholick Religion that the Pope may deliberate whether they be of that nature as may perswade and merit the dispensation To this demand the King made answer in his Letter to the King of Spain That he had done as much in favor of the Catholicks as the times would bear and promised in the word of a King That no Roman Priest or other Catholick should thenceforth be condemned upon any capital Law And although he could not at present rescind the Laws inflicting onely pecuniary mulcts yet he would so mitigate them as to oblige his Catholick Subjects to him And if the Marriage took effect his Daughter in Law should finde him ready to indulge all favors which she should request for those of her Religion Herein the Spanish Council acknowledged great satisfaction given and a Paper was conceived and drawn up by a Iunto of Canonists Lawyers and Divines to perswade the Pope to act his part IN the mean while an Army of Thirty thousand was levying in Flanders under the command of Marquess Spinola The King of England sent to know the cause of so great preparations The Marquess gave answer That he received his Commission sealed up with a charge not to open it till his Army were compleated and brought together to a Rendevouz But the King had proof enough to assure him that this Army was intended for the Palatinate Yet no more then one Regiment under the Command of Sir Horatio Vere could be obtained from him though two more were promised When Spinola had his Rendevouz where he mustered Six and twenty thousand Foot and Four thousand Horse he opened his Commission which required him to make War against all those which should be confederate with the Bohemian Rebels and he communicated the same to the Ambassador of Great Brittain At the same time the English began their march as brave a Regiment as hath appeared in any age consisting most of Gentlemen under a most worthy Leader who was accompanied with the Earls of Oxford and Essex persons innobled as well by their own vertues as by their Progenitors Other Commanders in this Regiment were Sir Edward Sackvile Sir Gerard Herbert Sir Robert Knolles Captain Stafford Captain Wilmot Captain William Fairfax Sir Iohn Burlacy Cap. Burroughs Cap. Robert Knightly c. This handful of men reached the Palatinate with some difficulty by the aid and conduct of Henry Prince of Nassau The Imperial forces became exceeding numerous by large supplies from several Countreys and Provinces The States Protestant of the Upper and Lower Austria upon the approach of the Bavarian Army seeing nothing but manifest ruine renounce their Confederacy with the Bohemians and submit to the Emperor saving to themselves their Rights and Priviledges in Religion Whereupon the Bohemians and their King being but Twenty thousand strong besides an addition of Ten thousand Hungarians from Bethlem Gabor and fearing least Bavaria and Buquoy joyning their forces should fall into Bohemia thought it best to fortifie the Frontiers and to defend their Country which they conceived they might well do if the Elector of Saxony would continue in his Neutrality The Emperor sent to the said Elector to execute his Ban or Declaration of Treason against the Count Palatine and the Bohemian Rebels The Bohemians by their Ambassadors requested him if he would not own their Cause yet at least to remain Neutral The Duke of Saxony replied to King Frederick That he had often represented to him what ruine was like to follow him by taking an others Crown and for his own part being called upon by the Emperor to execute his Ban and chastise the Rebels he could not disobey that just command The Protestant Princes sent to him again and gave him notice of Spinola's advance to subdue the Palatinate but this did nothing move him He entred Lusatia with some forces and quickly reduced a part of that Province In the Palatinate Spinola having got the start of the English by means of a far shorter march had no sooner arived but he took in divers Towns and prevailed greatly over a spiritless people yet he warily declined the hazard of Battel with the Princes of the Union Neither was the Marquess Ansbach very forward to engage or to seek or take advantages The Dutch slowness was not excusable howbeit the great access of strength to the Emperors party and this slender aid from the King of Great Brittain to preserve his Childrens Patrimony must needs dishearten the German Princes and help to dissolve the Union After a while the season of the year drew them into their Winter Quarters the Princes retired into their several Countreys and the English Regiment was disposed into three principal Garisons Sir Horatio Vere commanded in Manheim Sir Gerard Herbert in Heidelborough and Captain Burroughs in Frankendale having onely power to preserve themselves within those Walls whilest the enemy ranged round about them A Letter written from the Marquess of Buckingham to Conde Gondomar discovered the bent of the Kings minde and will touching the German War That he was resolved to continue Neuter for Conscience Honor and Examples sake In regard of Conscience judging it unlawful to inthrone and dethrone Kings for Religions sake having a quarrel against the Jesuites for holding that opinion Besides he saw the World inclined to make this a War of Religion which he would never do In point of Honor for that when he sent his Ambassador into Germany to treat of Peace in the interim his Son in Law had taken the Crown upon him And for Example sake holding it a dangerous president against all Christian Princes to allow a sudden translation of Crowns by the Peoples Authority Nevertheless he could not sit still and
which your self shall discover And you shall advertise me of whatsoever you shall understand the learn governing your self in all occurrents with that wariness and discretion as your zeal to my service doth assure me of These were the Arts of Spain to corrupt divers in the Court of England Buckingham and his Dependants followed the Kings inclinations The Duke of Lenox Marquis Hamilton and William Earl of Pembroke disliking the Kings course did not contest with him but only intimated their dissent It was said of Gondomar That when he returned into Spain he gave in his Account of Disbursments for Pensions given in England amongst others To Sir Robert Cotton 1000 l. a person of great Integrity and one who was ever averse to the House of Austria Which Sir Robert getting notice of by the English Agent then in Spain demanded reparation which was obtained but with a salvo to the Ambassadors honor the error being said to be committed by a Dependent upon the Ambassador and not by himself The King being jealous of uncomptrolled Soveraignty and impatient of his Peoples intermedling with the Mysteries of State had fallen into a great dislike of Parliaments and for many years before had given way to Projects and Monopolies And many of his Ministers perhaps fearing an enquiry into their own actions might suggest to him that he might better furnish himself by those ways and the Match now in treaty then by Subsidies usually accompanied with the redress of Grievances Nevertheless he was now minded to call a Parliament conceiving it might be of special use For he observed the affections of the People to be raised for the Recovery of the Palatinate and then concluded that those affections would open their purses to the supply of his wants and the Treaty with Spain would effect the business without the expence and troubles of War and the good accord between him and his people would quicken the Spaniard to conclude the Match And accordingly Writs were issued forth to assemble them the 30. of Ianuary In the calling of this Parliament he recommended to his Subjects the choice of such Members as were of the wisest gravest and best affected people neither superstitious nor turbulent but obedient Children to this their Mother-Church In the mean while in Germany the Protestant Union continually declined by the gradual falling away of the several partakers The Elector of Saxony reduced the remainder of Lusatia The Province of Moravia upon the approach of Buquoy seeing the Count de Latiere came not in to their succor prayed that they might enjoy their Priviledges in matter of Religion and be received into the Emperors grace and favor which submission was well received at Vienna Likewise the States of Silesia failing of assistance from the Elector Palatine were constrained to make their peace Then the Palatine propounded to the Elector of Saxony an Overture of Peace declaring That he took the Crown upon him to preserve the Protestants in the free exercise of their Religion The Saxon replied That he had no way to make his Peace but to renounce the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Provinces Incorporate and to beg the Emperors pardon Afterwards the Elector Palatine goeth to Brandenburgh and then to Segenburgh where there was an Assembly of Princes and States Protestant to oppose the exploits of Spinola In the mean while Count Mansfield stirs in Bohemia pillages several Towns and the Goods of all those that cryed God save King Ferdinand The relation of England to these affairs of Foreign States had caused a general liberty of discourse concerning matters of State which King Iames could not bear but by Proclamation commanded all from the highest to the lowest not to intermeddle by Pen or Speech with State-concerments and secrets of Empire either at home or abroad which were no fit Themes or Subjects for Vulgar persons or Common meetings On the Thirtieth day of Ianuary the Parliament began to sit and the King came in person and made this Speech MY Lords Spiritual and Temporal and you the Commons Cui multiloquio non deest peccatum In the last Parliament I made long discourses especially to them of the Lower House I did open the true thoughts of my heart but I may say with our Saviour I have piped to you and you have not danced I have mourned and you have not lamented Yet as no mans actions can be free so in me God found some spices of vanity and so all my sayings turned to me again without any success And now to tell the reasons of your calling and this meeting apply it to your selves and spend not the time in long Speeches Consider that the Parliament is a thing composed of a Head and a Body The Monarch and the Two Estates It was first a Monarchy then after a Parliament There are no Parliaments but in Monarchical Governments For in Venice the Netherlands and other Free Governments there are none The Head is to call the Body together And for the Clergy the Bishops are chief for Shires their Knights and for Towns and Cities their Burgesses and Citizens These are to treat of difficult matters and to counsel their King with their best advice to make Laws for the Commonweal And the Lower House is also to petition their King and acquaint him with their Grievances and not to meddle with their Kings Prerogative They are to offer supply for his Necessity and he to distribute in recompence thereof Justice and Mercy As in all Parliaments it is the Kings office to make good Laws whose fundamental cause is the Peoples ill manners so at this time that we may meet with the new Abuses and the incroaching Craft of the times Particulars shall be read hereafter As touching Religion Laws enough are made already It stands in two points Perswasion and Compulsion Men may perswade but God must give the blessing Iesuites Priests Puritans and Sectaries erring both on the right hand and left hand are forward to perswade unto their own ends and so ought you the Bishops in your example and preaching But Compulsion to obey is to bind the Conscience There is talk of the Match with Spain But if it shall not prove a Furtherance to Religion I am not worthy to be your King I will never proceed but to the glory of God and content of my Subjects For a Supply to my Necessities I have reigned Eighteen years in which time you have had Peace and I have received far less supply than hath been given to any King since the Conquest The last Queen of famous memory had one year with another above a Hundred thousand pounds per annum in Subsidies And in all my time I have had but Four Subsidies and Six Fifteens It is Ten years since I had a Subsidy in all which time I have been sparing to trouble you I have turned my self as nearly to save expences as I may I have abated much in my Household expences in my
the zeal of our true Religion in which we have béen born and wherein by Gods grace we are resolved to die the safety of Your Majesties person who is the very life of Your people the happiness of Your Children and Posterity the honor and good of the Church and State dearer unto us then our own lives having kindled these affections truly devoted to Your Majesty And séeing out of our duty to Your Majesty we have already resolved to give at the end of this Session one intire Subsidy for the present relief of the Palatinate onely to be paid in the end of February next which cannot well be effected but by passing a Bill in a Parlâ—â—mentary course before Christmas We most humbly beséech Your Majesty as our assured hope is that You will then also vouchsafe to give life by Your Royal Assent to such Bills as before that time shall be prepared for Your Majesties honor and the general good of Your people And that such Bills may be also accompanied as hath béen accustomed with Your Majesties Gracious Pardon which procéeding from Your own méer Grace may by Your Highness direction be drawn to that Latitude and Extent as may best sort with Your Majesties bounty and goodness And that not onely Felons and Criminal Offenders may take benefit thereof but that Your good Subjects may receive ease thereby And if it shall so stand with Your good pleasure That it may extend to the relief of the old Debts and Duties to the Crown before the First year of Your Majesties Reign to the discharge of Alienations without Licence and misusing of Liveries and Oustre le Maine before the first Summons of this Parliament and of concealed Wardships and not suing of Liveries and Oustre le Maines before the Twelfth year of Your Majesties Reign Which gratious Favor would much comfort Your good Subjects and ease them from vexation with little loss or prejudice to Your own profit And we by our daily and devout Prayers to the Almighty the Great King of Kings shall contend for a blessing upon our endeavors and for Your Majesties long and happy Reign over us and for Your Childrens Children after You for many and many Generations The House had sufficient cause to set forth the danger of true Religion and the Miseries of the Professors thereof in Foreign parts when besides the great wound made in Germany and the cruelties of the prevailing House of Austria the Protestants in France were almost ruined by Lewis the Thirteenth being besieged at once in several places as in Montauban by the King and in Rochel by Count Soysons and the Duke of Guise And for their relief the King of England prevailed nothing by sending of Sir Edward Herbert since Baron of Cherbury and after him the Viscount Doncaster Ambassador for Mediation The King having Intelligence of the former Remonstrance wrote his Letter to the Speaker To Our Trusty and Welbeloved Sir Thomas Richardson Knight Speaker of the House of COMMONS Mr Speaker WE have heard by divers Reports to our great grief That our distance from the Houses of Parliament caused by our indisposition of health hath imboldned the fiery and popular Spirits of some of the House of Commons to argue and debate publickly of the matters far above their reach and capacity tending to our high dishonor and breach of Prerogative Royal. These are therefore to command you to make known in our Name unto the House That none therein shall presume henceforth to meddle with any thing concerning our Government or deep matters of State and namely not to deal with our dearest Sons Match with the Daughter of Spain nor to touch the honor of that King or any other our Friends and Confederates And also not to meddle with any mans particulars which have their due motion in our ordinary Courts of Iustice. And whereas we hear they have sent a Message to Sir Edwin Sandis to know the reasons of his late restraint you shall in our Name resolve them That it was not for any misdemeanor of his in Parliament but to put them out of doubt of any question of that nature that may arise among them hereafter you shall resolve them in our Name That we think our self very free and able to punish any mans misdemeanors in Parliament as well during their sitting as after Which we mean not to spare hereafter upon any occasion of any mans insolent behavior there that shall be ministred unto us And if they have already touched any of these points which we have forbidden in any Petition of theirs which is to be sent unto us it is our pleasure that you shall tell them That except they reform it before it come to our hands we will not deign the hearing nor answering of it Dated at New-Market 3 Dec. 1621. Hereupon they drew up another Petition which they sent accompanied with the former Remonstrance Most Dread and Gratious Soveraign WE your most humble and loyal Subjects the Knights Citizens and Burgesses Assembled in the Commons House of Parliament full of grief and unspeakable sorrow through the true sence of your Majesties displeasure expressed by your Letter lately sent to our Speaker and by him related and read unto us Yet comforted again with the assurance of your grace and goodness and of the sincerity of our own intentions and procéedings whereon with confidence we can relie In all humbleness beséech your most Excellent Majesty that the loyalty and dutifulness of as faithful and loving Subjects as ever served or lived under a gratious Soveraign may not undeservedly suffer by the mis-information of partial and uncertain Reports which are ever unfaithful Intelligencers But that your Majesty would in the clearness of your own Iudgment first vouchsafe to understand from our selves and not from others what our humble Declaration and Petition resolved upon by the Universal voice of the House and proposed with your gratious Favor to be presented unto your Sacred Majesty doth contain Upon what occasion we entred into consideration of those things which are therein contained with what dutiful respect to your Majesty and your service we did consider thereof and what was our true intention thereby And that when your Majesty shall thereby truly discern our dutiful affections you will in your Royal Iudgment frée us from those heavy charges wherewith some of our Members are burthened and wherein the whole House is involved And we humbly beséech your Majesty that you will not hereafter give credit to private Reports against all or any of the Members of our House whom the whole have not censured until your Majesty have béen truly informed thereof from our selves And that in the mean time and ever we may stand upright in your Majesties grace and good opinion than which no worldly consideration is or can be dearer unto us When your Majesty had Reassembled us in Parliament by your Royal Commandment sooner then we expected and did vouchsafe by the mouths
Provinces because among other quarrels they gave refuge to the expulsed Palatine Nevertheless King Iames resolved to wait upon the Match with Spain as the onely means to consolidate these publique fractures in Christendom And now behold a strange Adventure and Enterprise The Prince and the Marquis of Buckingham accompanied with Cottington and Endimion Porter Post in Disguise to Spain to accelerate the Marriage The 17. of February they went privately from Court and the next day came to Dover where they imbarqued for Boloign and from thence rode Post to Paris where they made some stop The Prince shadowed under a bushy Peruque beheld the splendor of that Court and had a full view of the Princess Henrietta Maria who was afterwards his Royal Consort For besides the great privacie of the Journey they had so laid the English Ports that none should follow or give the least advertisement until they had gotten the start of Intelligencers and passed the bounds of France Howbeit they escaped narrowly and a swift Intelligence sent to the King of Spain from Don Carlos Coloma was even at their heels before they arrived at Madrid The Prince and Buckingham being in the Territories of Spain to make but little noise rode Post before their Company The 7. of March they arrived at Madrid the Royal residence and were conveyed with much secrecie into the Earl of Bristols house The next morning the Earl acquainted Gondomar with the arrival of the Marquis of Buckingham Olivares sends immediately to desire leave to visit the Marquis which was by no means permitted but in the evening the Marquis went privately accompanied with the Earl of Bristol Sir Walter Aston and Conde Gondomar and met this great Conde in a place near the Palace and after some Converse was led by a back-way into the Kings quarter and had private Audience of the King who received him with extraordinary courtesies and expressions of so great joy that might signifie he was not ignorant of the Princes arrival also Insomuch that the Conde Olivares having procured the Kings leave went back with the Marquis of Buckingham and kissed the Princes hands After this the King and State devise how to give his Highness the most honorable reception Instantly they decree That upon all occasions of meeting he shall have the precedencie of the King That he shall make his entrance into the Royal Palace in that form of State which is used by the Kings of Spain on the day of their Coronation and that one of the chief quarters in the Kings house shall be prepared for his Lodgings That an Hundred of the Guard attend him and all the Council obey him as the Kings own person The Common sort did magnifie this brave Adventure and express his Welcom by shouts and acclamations of joy and presently they marry him to the Infanta as it were by publique voice And the King to please him with a sight of his Mistress went abroad to visit a Monastery with the Queen the Infanta and his Brothers Don Carlos and the Infant-Cardinal So that his Highness had the happiness of a full View in several places The King in person gave him several Visits and forced him to take the hand and place of him Divers Grandees and prime Officers of State came to present their service and as yet none did visit him but by the Kings special order A General Pardon was published the Prisons were opened and hundreds of Offenders were set at liberty And a late Proclamation against Excess in Apparel was revoked Neither may we forget the Kings strain of Complement in the Advancement of Gondomar to whom he ascribed his great contentment and honor received by his Highness's presence That he had made the Conde whom he was pleased to term an English-man one of his Council of State to the end that his Highness might be confident of their Proceedings and privy to all their Passages The Prince on the day of Publique Entrance was attended in the morning by the Conde Gondomar and divers Councellors of State to S. Ierom's Monastery the place whence the Kings of Spain are wont to make their solemn entrance into Madrid on the day of their Coronation There the Prince was feasted and served by divers great Officers of State waiting bare-headed After dinner the King came to conduct his Highness through the Town to the Royal Palace having prepared all things for the Solemnity in the greatest magnificence and splendor The King setting the Prince on his right hand they rode in great glory under a Canopy of State supported by the Regidors of the Town who were arrayed in Cloth of Tissue The Nobility and Grandees of Spain attended by their several Liveries all very rich and costly went before And after came the Marquis of Buckingham and the Conde Olivares executing their places of Masters of the Horse After them followed the Earl of Bristol and Sir Walter Aston accompanied with divers Councellors of State and Gentlemen of the Kings Chamber And being alighted at the Palace-gate the King led the Prince to the Queens quarters where having entred her chamber he was met and received by her with great respect in manner becoming the state of great Princes three Royal seats were placed the Queen sate in the middle the Prince on her right hand and the King on the left His Highness was thence conducted by the King to the Lodgings prepared for him where after they had conversed a while the King left him After a little pause the Queen by her Major-domo gave him a further and very noble Welcom with sundry rich Presents as Perfumes and costly Wearing-Linen The King sent him two Golden Keys which would open all his Privy-lodgings and his Bed-chamber giving him to understand that he had free access unto him at all hours The Councellors of State presented themselves to let him know That by the Kings express command they were to obey his Highness as exactly as the King himself He was constantly attended and served with Grandees and Tituladoes and was entertained with many Shews and Triumphs and several daily Pastimes And one day running at the Ring in company of divers of the Nobility his Higness was the onely Person that bore the Ring away and that in presence of the Infanta his Mistress which was interpreted a good Omen at the beginning of his Atchievement In fine there wanted nothing which the wit of man could devise for the height of outward glory The Governors of the Town presented the Marquis of Buckingham with the rich Cloth of State which was borne over the King and Prince in the great Solemnity as a Fee belonging to the Place which he then executed From the Court of England many Lords and Gentlemen went after the Prince that by a splendid Train and Retinue of his own People he might appear as the Prince of England And the Marquis of Buckingham was then made a Duke by a Patent
affair among so many grave Statesmen to the prejudice of so able a Minister as the Earl of Bristol who had laid the first stone in that building Whereupon his power was called in question and found imperfect in regard it was not confirmed by the Council of England Moreover the Duke lay open to some affront which inraged him sore against the Conde Olivares and things grew to that extremity between the Duke and that Kings Ministers that they did not stick to say That they would rather put the Infanta headlong into a Well then into his hands Nevertheless in the Prince himself they observed an extraordinary well staid temper and grave comportment In the present action Buckingham and Bristol ran different ways with great animosity Bristol had the advantage in Spain yea in the Court of England he had gained a great esteem and powerful party and had wrought himself into the Kings opinion by his strenuous Negotiation and pleasing Services As concerning the Dukes demeanor the opinions in England were very different By the people in general who loathed the Match he was favored for his care of his King Prince and Country but by the Court he was much maligned and censured as the occasion of those delays by diverting and changing the ways wherein they began to treat But the King himself was very reserved either still loving the Duke or over-awed by his intimacy and power with the Prince For in all occurrences the Prince closed with him and seemed to give him a large room in his heart Now the Dukes friends at Court pressed him to return speedily and by all means with the Prince and assured him That the longer he stayed there the stronger he made his enemies and himself the weaker And Buckingham well observed that he had little obligation to Spain and had reason to seek some surer props to uphold his greatness And to draw him further off the Secretary of the Prince Palatine coming to Madrid under pretence of praying the Duke to be God-father to one of his Masters Children labored to engage him against the Marriage For the Palatine could not relie on the new overture of Marriage between his Eldest Son and the Emperors yongest Daughter it being a labyrinth out of which no Thred would guide him were the Proposals already granted For being an act of so many various parts as the Pope the Emperor the King of Spain the Duke of Bavaria and divers others it must needs be full of tedious intricacies What Money or other conditions could be offered that were like to satisfie the honor humor and huge expence of the Bavarian for quitting his conquest to an irreconcileable Neighbor What Forein Alliance is able to perswade the Emperor who hath changed all Tenures of Election into Succession and shaken the antient Freedom of the German Princes that he should revive his Enemies dead forces to the prejudice of all that he enjoys or aspires unto Would the Pope be won to suffer Heidelburgh which he accounted the most dangerous Nest of Hereticks after Geneva to return to her former strength Besides the Education of the Palsgraves Son in the Emperors Court and the Sequestration of his Country during his Sons Nonage would be required as necessary to that Conjunction By this time the King must needs be full of jealousies and the Princes patience well nigh speâ—t by the Spaniards intricate proceedings for the Divines insisted stifly That the Consummation of the Marriage and the delivering of the Infanta should be deferred to the next year which seemed a rigorous Proposal Howbeit that King promised to abate the rigor and engaged himself to accomplish the Marriage at Christmas following iâ— the Prince would continue there so long But the resolution touching the delivering of the Infanta was unalterable The English Papists apprehending that a Rupture was like to follow were much perplexed A great Stickler Sir Toby Matthews by name did press his Catholick Majesty to give the Prince some foot of ground upon which he might be able to stand with honor in complying with that extraordinary affection which he beareth to the Infanta Moreover he protested to him That if the Catholicks of these Dominions should grow liable to persecution or affliction by the occasion of this breach through the disgust of the King and his Council or through the power which the Puritans assembled in Parliament will infallibly have with him that blood or misery may be partly required at their hands who have advised his Majesty not to accept those large Conditions which the King and Prince had condescended unto and that more then Moral security which they had offered for the performance thereof Now the Prince is thinking to leave the Court of Spain and they say he wrote to his Father a Letter of high Despair wherein was this passage You must now Sir look upon my Sister and her Children never thinking more of me and forgetting that ever you had such a Son Whereupon King Iames sent swift dispatches to hasten his return The King and Council of Spain seemed to be startled at these Resolutions and his Majesty importuned the Prince That having staid so many years for a wife he would stay some few moneths longer And if he pleased to give way that the Infanta's journey might be put off till the following Spring he would give him a Blank to write his own Conditions touching the surrender of the Palatinate But when his Highness urged Reasons for his departure they took the matter in debate afresh and consented upon Oath first given as well by his Catholick Majesty as by the Prince to accomplish the Marriage and to make the Espousals within ten days after the Ratification should come from Rome To which purpose the Prince made a Procuration to the King of Spain and Don Carlos his Brother to make the Espousals in his Name and left it in the Earl of Bristols hands Nevertheless he left in the hand of one of the Dukes Creatures a private Instrument with Instructions to be delivered to the Earl of Bristol to stay the delivery of the Proxies till further direction from him pretending That the Infanta might retire into a Cloister and defraud him of a Wife But these Instructions were to be concealed from the Earl till the Ratification came from Rome The Duke not regarding a Ceremonious Farewel at Court departed hastily a little before the Prince pretending to prepare the English Navy that lay at the Port of St. Andrew for the Princes transportation Olivares and he had but a harsh parting for he told Olivares That he was obliged to the King Queen and Infanta in an eternal tye of gratitude and that he would be an everlasting Servant to them and endeavor to do the best Offices for concluding the Match and strengthning the Amity between the Crowns But as for himself he had so far disobliged him that he could not without flattery make the least profession of
to day were presented to them they have put themselves to the Offensive by preparing a strong Fleet which is ready to set sail to the West-Indies to the end they may at least interrupt the peaceable Annual return of the Gold and Silver of those parts by which the House of Austria do continually advance their greatness And this preparation together with their Voyages into the East-Indies will make them irreconcileable to Spain These enterprises were commended to the King as approved by all good men to be a principal means to cast down the fearful power of Spain Onely it was too vaste a design for that little Countrey but if the King were pleased thoroughly to close with them their Affections and constant interest would so binde them to him that he might absolutely dispose of them and by their forces by Sea and Land conjoyned with his own be able to give the Law to Europe And the present state of the Provinces might incite the King to this Conjunction For the last Summer if the Imperialists had joyned with the Spaniards they had undoubtedly made an irruption into the borders of that State and they are like to break in this next year except some notable Turn shall intervene and then our best Link for a Bond of Friendship is broken and those Provinces of a strong Staff will become a broken Reed Such Râ—presentations were made to the Court of England but the Counsels then prevailing were not propense to this Conjunction and Interest although we were then breaking with Spain and the House of Austria About the beginning of December when the Ratification came from the new Pope Bonfires were made throughout all Spain and the great Ordnance thundred out reports of joy And that King to satisfie his Oath made to the Prince of Wales prepared for the Espousals and a day was prefixed and all things appointed for the Solemnity according to the Magnificence of that Court The Infanta's Family was setled her Officers distinguished and the beginning of March was the time for her journey into England From the Princes departure she had applied herself to the learning of the English Tongue The English Ambassadors carried themselves like Subjects towards her as being their Masters Wife or Spouse Many rich presents had she prepared for her future Lord and Husband And the Earl of Bristol had provided many costly Liveries for his Attendants in the Solemnity of the Espousals But all things were instantly discomposed by the opening of the new commands from England to the Earl which were to procure an intire surrender of the Palatinate and Electorate before he move one step further towards the Contract In the Court of Spain there was great resentment of these new delays and they discerned a breach towards The Infanta gave over the study of English and was no more stiled the Princess of England but to the Demands from England the King of Spain replied That if a Treaty be set on foot and the Emperor and Duke of Bavaria will not come to Terms of Conformity he will joyn Arms with England to recover the Palatinate The Spaniards confessing the Demand just but unseasonable professed the Desponsorio's past the Infanta on her knees should have been a Suiter to the King to restore the Palatinate making it thereby her act and drawing the Obligation wholly to her These offers did not satisfie Bristol was called home and all was dashed to peeces It was an amazement to the Christian World that when the Match was brought to such perfection the motion should be rejected by that side which pursued it with so much eagerness and patience as being the master-peece of all their designs In the latter part of this long tedious act the Spaniard appeared real but in the former part their reality was questionable For our parts the business shall remain as we finde it a dark Riddle and Mystery The Earl of Bristol having demurred upon the new Instructions to prevent as he desired the embroiling of the whole Treaty was to make his Apology to the King his Master and for himself he thus pleaded That he understood the Infanta was his yong Masters wife or Spouse at least and that both the King and Prince infinitely desired the Match The powers were drawn by the intervention of both parties the King of Spain accepting them and the Prince legally delivering them and they were deposited with him in trust as the Ambassador of the King of Great Britain with a Publick Declaration how and when he was to deliver them and this was drawn into an Instrument by the Secretary of State According to this state of things he appeals to any Censure which were the more prudent honest and dutiful way whether to put a disgrace upon so great and worthy a Princess who was to be his Masters Wife and a scorn upon the King of Spain by nominating a day for the Marriage when the powers would be expired and not at all to insist upon making good the Publick Trust reposed in him by two so great Monarchs to the hazard and overthrow of so great and important a business or contrariwise to represent to his Majesty the state of things in Truth and Sincerity with his humble opinion of the wrong and disgrace to the Infanta by deferring the Marriage and of the indignity offered to the King of Spain and the danger of the whole Treaty by the detention of the Powers without the pretence of some emergent cause And after all this when his Majesty had declared his pleasure there was ready an exact obedience Wherefore in the confidence of his own innocencie he professeth as great a confidence of his Majesties accustomed grace and favor Bristol being called home acquainted the Conde Olivares with the Letters of Revocation and desired withall to have a day assigned him to take his leave of the King Olivares answered That he had much to say to him by his Majesties order and spake to this effect in the presence of Sir Walter Aston and the Conde Gondomar That the King had received large advertisements with what malice and rancor his Enemies did prosecute him and how powerful they are in England And in regard that the Envy which was drawn upon him proceeded from his earnest endeavors to accomplish the Match and that the particular fault laid to his charge was in point of delivering the Proxies deposited in his hands that his Majesty takes it to heart and judgeth himself touched in his honor if for this cause his Enemies shall prevail so far as to work his ruine or disgrace And therefore he will write to the King of Great Britain and send a particular Ambassador if it be needful to mediate for him for that he had served his Master with that exactness and fidelity which deserved not only to be assisted by all good offices but to be rewarded and published And his Majesty for the example of his own Subjects and for the encouragement
attended by all the Servants in Ordinary The day following the Privy-Counsellors to the late King with all the Lords Spiritual and Temporal then about London were in the Council Chamber at Whitehall by Eight of the Clock in the morning ready to go together and present themselves to his Majesty but there came in the mean a Commandment from the King by the Lord Conway and Sir Albertus Morton Principal Secretaries of State to the deceased King that the Lord Keeper of the Great-Seal should be sworn of his Majesties Privy-Council and that he should give the Oath to the Lord President by whom all the rest of the late Kings Council should be sworn Counsellors to his present Majesty The Lord Keeper of the great Seal the Lord President the Lord Arch-bishop of Canterbury the Lord Treasurer of England the Lord Privy-Seal the Duke of Buckingham Lord Admiral of England the Earl of Pembrook Lord Chamberlain the Earl of Montgomery the Earl of Kellye the Earl of Arundel Earl Marshal of England the Lord Viscount Grandison the Lord Conwey the Lord Brook Mr Treasurer Mr Comptroller the Master of the Wards Mr Secretary Morton Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Master of the Rolls were this day sworn accordingly the Lord Keeper did take an Oath apart as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal the Lord Treasurer as Lord Treasurer of England the Lord President as Lord President of the Kings Privy-Council and the Lord Conwey and Sir Albertus Norton as principal Secretaries of State the Lords which were not of his Majesties Privy-Council repaired by themselves to St Iames's and presented themselves to the King and kissed his hand The Council sat immediately and advised of the most important and pressing matters to be offered to the King for his present service and resolved upon these particulars That a Commission be granted to authorize the Great-Seal Privy-Seal and Signet till new ones be prepared also Commissions for authorizng of Judges Justices of Peace Sheriffs and other such Officers for Government that there be a general Proclamation for continuation of Proceedings preservation of Peace and administration of Justice that Letters be prepared for the Ambassadors with foreign Princes to authorize their services to the King that special Messengers be sent unto foreign Princes that the like Proclamations to those of England be sent into Scotland that Commissions be renewed into Ireland to the Deputy and Officers there that the Mint for Coyning of money go on and all things be mannaged by the Officers as then they stood till the Kings pleasure be further known that a Parliament be summoned when the King shall appoint that the Kings pleasure be known concerning the time of his Fathers Funeral and where the Corps shall rest in the mean time as also the time of his Majesties Coronation This being done the whole Council attended the King at St Iames's where the Lord Keeper in the name of all the rest presented their humble thanks that it had pleased his Majesty to have affiance in those that had been Counsellors to his Father to receive them all to be of his Privy-Council the Lord President represented to the King the matters before mentioned which the King allowed and gave order that those of them which required speed should be put in execution and most of the powers he signed presently And first because by the death of the late King the Authorities and powers of the greatest number of Offices and places of Government did cease and fail by the failing of the Soveraign Person from whom the same were derived a Proclamation issued forth signifying his Majesties pleasure that all persons whatsoever who at the decease of the late King were invested in any Office or Place of Government Civil or Martial within the Realms of England and Ireland and namely Presidents Lieutenants Vice-Presidents Judges Justices Sheriffs Deputy Lieutenants Commissaries of Musters Justices of Peace shall continue in their several Offices till his Majesties pleasure were further known In another Proclamation of the same date the King took notice of his Fathers death and that he being his onely Son and undoubted Heir is invested and established in the Crown Imperial of this Realm and all other his Majesties Realms Dominions and Countries with all the Royalties Preeminencies Stiles Names Titles and Dignities to the same belonging and he declared That as he for his part shall by Gods grace shew himself a most benign and gracious Soveraign Lord to all his good Subjects in all their lawfull Suits and Causes so he mistrusteth not but that they on their parts will shew themselves unto him their natural Liege Lord most loving faithfull and obedient Subjects The Council resolved to move the King that his Fathers Funeral might be solemnized within five weeks and within a few dayes after the Ceremonial Nuptials in France and before the Parliament began in England These Resolves the Lord President represented unto the King who accepted of the advices and said he would follow them Moreover he summoned a Parliament to begin the seventeeth of May but by the advice of his Privy-Council Prorogued it to the one and thirtieth of May afterwards to the thirteenth of Iune and then to the eighteenth of the same moneth which Prorogations were occasioned by the Kings going to Dover to receive the Queen April 23. The Body and Herse of King Iames was brought from Theobalds to London being conducted by the Officers of the Guard of the Body all in Mourning every one having a Torch and attended by all the Lords of the Court and great numbers of other persons of quality and was placed in Denmark-House in the Hall of the deceased Queen Anne The seventh of May was the day of Burial the Body and Herse were taken from the said Hall of State and brought in great Pompe and Solemnity to Westminster where the Kings of England use to be interred The new King to shew his Piety towards his deceased Father was content to dispense with Majesty he followed in the Rear having at his right hand the Earl of Arundel at his left the Earl of Pembrook both Knights of the Garter his Train was born up by twelve Peers of the Realm So King Iames who lived in Peace and assumed the title of Peace-maker was peaceably laid in his Grave in the Abby at Westminster King Charles in his Fathers life time was linked to the Duke of Buckingham and now continued to receive him into an admired intimacy and dearness making him Partaker of all his Counsels and Cares and Chief Conductor of his Affairs an Example rare in this Nation to be the Favorite of two succeding Princes The Publick State of Religion and the steering of Church-matters had an early inspection and consultation in the Cabinet Council Bishop Laud who in King Iame's life time had delivered to the Duke a little book about Doctrinal Puritanism now also delivered to the Duke a
Schedule wherein the names of Ecclesiastical persons were written under the letters O and P O standing for Orthodox and P for Puritans for the Duke commanded that he should thus digest the names of eminent persons to be presented unto the King under that Partition King Charles in the entrance of his Reign proceeds with preparations for a War begun in his fathers time the Militia of the Kingdom through the long continued Peace was much decayed and the Musters of the Trained-bands were slight and seldom taken and few of the Commons were expert in the use of Arms wherefore the Lords Lieutenants were commanded by order of the Council to make a general Muster of the Trained Horse and Foot in their several Counties and to see to the sufficiency of the Men Horse and Arms and that all be compleat according to the best modern form and be in readiness for all occasions and especially now the affairs of Christendom stand upon such uncertain Terms and more particularly that the Maritine Towns be well manned and their men duely exercised and the King declared his will and pleasure that the Lord Lieutenants of the several Shires should have the nomination of their Deputy Lieutenants In the beginning of May Warrants were issued forth for a Leavy of Souldiers to be imployed in the service of his Majesties Brother and Sister the Prince and Princess Palatine whereof eight thousand were pointed to Rendezvous at Plymouth by the five and twenty of this Moneth and the charge of Coat and Conduct was ordered to be disbursed by the Country and the Country to be repaid out of the Kings Exchequer after the President of former times in like manner two thousand men were appointed to Rendezvous at the Port of Hull to be transported into the Netherlands for the service of the United-Provinces and two thousand were to be returned thence into England for his Majesties present service the mingling of a good proportion of old Souldiers and Officers with the new raised Companies was the ground of this exchange The remembrance of the late violence committed by Count Mansfield's Army in their passage to Dover occasioned a Proclamation to repress and prevent the like attempts of Soldiers as they now passed through the Counties to the places of their Rendezvous threatning the Offendors with the strictest proceedings against them for an Example of Terror and straitly commanding the Officers who have the charge of the Conduct for the removing of all occasions and pretences of disorders to see their Companies duely paid and provided of all necessaries and to be alwayes present with them and carefully to conduct them from place to place in like manner to prevent their Outrages when they should come to Plymouth or the parts adjoyning a Commission was sent impowering persons of trust upon any robbery fellony mutiny or other misdemeanors punishable with death by Martial Law committed by the Souldiers or other dissolute persons joyned with them to proceed to the trial and condemnation of all such Delinquents in such Summary course and order as is used in Armies in time of War according to the Law Martial and to cause Execution to be done in open view that others may take warning and be kept in due obedience The consummation of King Charles his Marriage with Henrietta Maria Daughter of France was near at hand The Treaty had proceeded far in his Fathers life time but was not in all points concluded the Articles were signed the year before by King Iames on the eleventh of May and by the French King on the Fourteenth of August On the Thirteenth of March this present year the Earls of Carlisle and Holland being then Ambassadors and Commissioners in France for this Marriage King Charls signed the Articles Besides the general there were other private Articles agreed upon in favor of the Papists of this Kingdom That the Catholicks as well Ecclesiasticks as Temporal imprisoned since the last Proclamation which followed the Breach with Spain should all be set at liberty That the English Catholicks should be no more searched after nor molested for their Religion That the Goods of the Catholicks as well Ecclesiastical as Temporal that were seised on since the forementioned Proclamation should be restored to them And on the Tenth of May as the first fruits of this promised Indulgence and favor the King granted unto Twenty Roman Priests a special Pardon of all Offences committed against the Laws then in force against Papists The Dispensation being come from Rome about the beginning of May the Espousals were made in Paris by Cardinal Richelieu The Ambassadors having first presented to the King the Contract of Marriage which was read openly by the Chancellor and his Majesty of France agreed thereunto The Duke of Chevereux likewise shewed his Procuration of power which the King of England had given him concerning the said Marriage The Archbishop of Paris pretended that it belonged to him to perform this Solemnity but the Cardinal carried it as well for the eminencie of his Dignity as for that he was chief Almoner and prime Curate of the Court. Sunday following the day appointed for these Nuptials the Bride went from the Louure about Nine in the morning to be dressed in the Archbishops house and afterwards the King Queen and Princesses and all the Court in rich Attire parted likewise from the Louure and came to the said house of the Archbishop and thence conducted the Bride to a Theatre exected on purpose before the Frontispiece of Nostre-Dame The Duke of Chevereux had Black habit lined with Cloth of Gold and beset with Diamonds The Earls of Carlisle and Holland Ambassadors were both clad in Beaten-Silver and went on each side of the Duke of Chevereux A Canopy being placed upon the Scaffold the King of France and Monsieur his Brother consigned the Queen of Great Britain their Sister into the hands of the Duke of Chevereux and the Marriage was solemnized according to the ordinary Ceremonies of that Church Which being performed they went in the same order and solemnity to Nostre-Dame the Duke of Chevereux going before the King When they came to the door of the Quire they made great Reverence to the King and Queen and then the Ambassadors retired into the Bishops house while Mass was said in the Church The Mass being ended the Duke of Chevereux and the Ambassadors came again to the door of the Quire to take their places and the same Order was observed in returning as in going And so they came from the Church into the Hall of the Archbishops house where the Feast Royal was made in as great magnificence as can be expressed The King sate under a Canopy at the middle of the Table and the Queen of Great Britain at his left hand and the Queen-Mother at his right the Duke of Chevereux sate next the Queen of England and the Earls of Carlisle and Holland next to the Duke To the intent that all
sorts of persons might partake of the Publick Joy Prisoners for Debts were set at liberty and Pardon was granted to several Criminals as an earnest of the Kings respect and love to his Sister after this new Alliance The Duke of Buckingham was sent into France to his Christian Majesty to send away the Wife to the King of Great Britain and to be her Convoy He arrived at Paris the 24. of May with the Earl of Montgomery and other English Lords and was lodged in the Palace of the Duke of Chevereux who with his Lady was to conduct the Queen into England there to render her to the King her Husband During the seven days stay which the Duke made at Park the Feastings and Rejoicings were renewed and multiplied Bonfires shining and Canons playing but none did equalize the Feast that was made by the Cardinal of Richelieu The Second of Iune was the time appointed for our Queens departure The King of France sent to the Towns in her way to render her Majesty all due honors as if it were to himself The King of England having notice that the Queen was gone from Amiens sent a Royal Navy to Boloign to transport her the Fleet saluted the Town with a hundred peece of Canon Among other great Ladies the Duchess of Buckingham was sent to kiss the Queens hands as from the King her Husband desiring her to take her own time of coming over with most conveniencie to her own person The 22. of Iune New Stile the Queen imbarqued at Boloign and within Twenty four hours arrived at Dover And as the King was preparing to receive her she sent to his Majesty to desire him not to come till the morrow because she had been somewhat indisposed at Sea She passed that night at Dover and the next day about Ten of the clock the King was there with the Flower of the Nobility and after some Complements past caused every-body to retire and they were half an hour together in the Closet Thence his Majesty conducted the Queen to Canterbury and the same evening the Marriage was there consummated Then the Queen in testimony of her respect and love to the King her Husband made it her first suit as afterwards the King made known That he would not be angry with her for her faults of Ignorance before he had first instructed her to eschew them For that she being young and coming into a strange Country both by her years and ignorance of the Customs of the Nation might commit many Errors And she desired him in such cases to use no Third person but by himself to inform her when he found she did ought amiss The King granted her request and thanked her for it desiring her to use him even as she had desired him to use her which she willingly promised The Knights and Gentlemen of Kent together with the Trained Bands were by Order of the Council commanded to attend and receive the Queen at the most convenient places as she passed in such solemn manner and equipage as beseemed the dignity of his Majesty and the quality of her person Likewise the Magistrates of the Cities and Towns were commanded to attend at her passage in such Formalities as are used in principal and extraordinary Solemnities On the Sixteenth of Iune the King and Queen came both to London Great preparations were made and intended for her Majesties reception but the Plague then increasing those Ceremonies were laid aside A Chappel at Somerset-house was built for the Queen and her Family with Conveniencies thereunto adjoining for Capuchin-Friers who were therein placed and had permission to walk abroad in their Religious habits Thence-forward greater multitudes of Seminary-Priests and Iesuites repaired into England out of Forein parts This Summer the Pestilence raged in London At the entrance of the late King there was a great Plague in the City but this was far greater and the greatest that ever was known in the Nation For which cause a great part of Trinity-Term was adjourned from the First Return to the Fourth by the advice of the Privy-Council and the Justices of the Courts at Westminster and some few days in the beginning and ending thereof were holden for the better expediting and continuing of Causes and Suits and the returning and suing out of Processes and such like business as might be done in the absence of the Parties by their Attornies On the Eighteenth day of Iune the Parliament began at Westminster The King being placed in his Royal Throne the Lords sitting in their Robes the Commons also being present his Majesty spake thus I Thank God that the Business to be treated on at this time is of such a nature that it needs no Eloquence to set it forth For I am neither able to do it neither doth it stand with my Nature to spend much time in words It is no new business being already happily begun by my Father of blessed memory who is with God therefore it needeth no Narrative I hope in God you will go on to maintain it as freely as you advised my Father to it It is true He may seem to some to have been slack to begin so just and so glorious a work but it was his wisdom that made him loth to begin a work until he might find a means to maintain it But after that he saw how much he was abused in the confidence he had with other States and was confirmed by your Advice to run the Course we are in with your Engagement to maintain it I need not press to prove how willingly he took your Advice for the Preparations that are made are better able to declare it then I to speak it The assistance of those in Germany the Fleet that is ready for action with the rest of the Preparations which I have only followed my Father in do sufficiently prove that he entred into this Action My Lords and Gentlemen I hope that you do remember that you were pleased to imploy me to advise my Father to break off those two Treaties that were on foot so that I cannot say that I came hither a free unengaged man It 's true I came into this business willingly and freely like a Young man and consequently rashly but it was by your interest your engagement So that though it were done like a Young man yet I cannot repent me of it and I think none can blame me for it knowing the love and fidelity you have borne to your King having my self likewise some little experience of your affections I pray you remember that this being my first Action and begun by your Advice and intreaty what a great Dishonor it were to you and me if this Action so begun should fail for that Assistance you are able to give me Yet knowing the constancie of your love both to me and this Business I needed not to have said this but only to shew what care and sense I have
Lordships according to the unanimous Advice of all the Iudges of England and his Majesties pleasure signified therein That the First Article propounded viz. You shall do all your pain and diligence to destroy and make to cease all manner of Heresies and Errors commonly called Lollaries within in your Bayliwick from time to time to all your power and assist and be helping to all Ordinaries and Commissioners of the Holy Church and favor and maintain them as oftentimes as you shall be required shall be left out in the Oath to be given to Sir Edward Cook and shall ever hereafter be left out in all Oaths to be given to the High Sheriffs of Counties hereafter And their Lordships do likewise Order according to the unanimous Advice of all the Iudges of England That the other thrée Articles doubted of shall stand in the said Oath to be ministred to the said Sir Edward Cook and to all other High Sheriffs as heretofore hath béen accustomed and that the Lord Keeper do give order to such Officers and Clerks in the Court of Chancery to whom it appertained to make out the Oath for the time to come according to present Order The expectation of a Parliament gave encouragement to the Bishop of Lincoln who yet retained the name of Lord Keeper notwithstanding his Sequestration several moneths before from the presence of the King the Council Table and the custody of the Seal to make an Address to his Majesty for a favorable interpretation of his actions But his carriage towards the Duke at the Parliament at Oxford was fresh in memory where the Bishop told the Duke in Christ-Church upon the Dukes rebuking him for siding against him That he was engaged with William Earl of Pembroke to labor the Redress of the Peoples Grievances and was resolved to stand upon his own Legs If that be your resolution said the Duke Look you stand fast and so they parted and shortly after that he was sequestred though the Seal was not disposed from him till the Thirtieth of October at which time it was given to Sir Thomas Coventry at Hampton-Court who was that day sworn of the Privy Council and sate there and sealed some Writs and afterwards came to the Term at Reading and sate there as Lord Keeper and heard Causes The King being pressed with his own Necessities and the Cry of the Nation against the Fruitless Voyage of Cadiz summoned a Parliament to meet in February and before the time of meeting his Majesty enjoyned the Archbishops and Bishops in both Provinces to proceed against Popish Recusants by Excommunication and other Censures of the Church and not to omit any lawful means of bringing them to Publick Justice especially he recommended to their vigilant care the unmasking and repressing of those who were not professed Papists yet disaffected to the true Religion and kept close their evil and dangerous affection and by secret means and slights did encourage and advance the growth of Popery This Command was seconded by a Proclamation requiring That all Convicted Papists should according to the Laws of this Realm remain confined to their dwelling places or within five miles thereof unless upon special Licences first obtained in Cases necessary Immediately before the Parliament Bishop Laud procured the Duke of Buckingham to sound the King concerning the Cause Books and Tenets of Mr. Richard Montague and understanding by what the Duke collected That the King had determined within himself to leave him to a Tryal in Parliament he said I seem to see a Cloud arising and threatning the Church of England God for his Mercy dissipate it About the same time the King declared his purpose to celebrate the Solemnity of his Coronation on Candlemas-day at the Palace of Westminster and required all persons who by reason of their Offices and Tenures were bound to perform any Duties at the Solemnitie to give their attendance and to be furnished in all respects answerable to an action of so high State according to their places and dignities Wherefore by a Commission under the Great Seal of England Sir Thomas Coventry Lord Keeper of the Great Seal Iames Lord Say High Treasurer of England Edward Earl of Worcester Keeper of the Privy Seal Thomas Earl of Arundel and Surrey Earl Marshal of England William Earl of Pembroke Lord High Chamberlain Edward Earl of Dorset and Sir Randol Crew Cheif Justice of the Common Pleas were authorised to receive and determine the Claims exhibited by any Person concerning Services to be performed at the approaching Coronation And the more to credit the Solemnity the King resolving to make certain of his Servants and other Subjects in regard of their Birth good Service and other Qualities Knights of the Bath Authorised Thomas Earl of Arundel and Surrey and Earl Marshal of England William Earl of Pembroke Lord Chamberlain to perform in his Majesties Name and behalf all the Rites and Ceremonies belonging thereto At the same time Writs were directed to all Sheriffs in the Realm of England and Dominions of Wales commanding them to make Proclamation That all such as had Forty pounds a year or more of Lands or Revenues in their own hands or the hands of Feoffees for their use for the space of Three years and are not yet Knights do at their perils prepare to present themselves in his Majesties Presence by the One and thirtieth of Ianuary to receive the Order of Knighthood Upon the asswaging of the great Pestilence through the Mercy and Goodness of God in withdrawing and almost removing the Scourge the King by His Royal Authority ordained a Publick and General Thanksgiving to be celebrated upon the Nine and twentieth of Ianuary being the Lords day in the Cities of London and Westminster and the places adjacent and on the Nineteenth of February in all other places of the Kingdom the manner and form whereof was prescribed by a Book composed by the Bishops according to his Majesties special Direction The Contagion ceasing the restraint enjoyned to the Citizens of London from resorting to Fairs for a time was taken off The number of those that died this year within and without the Walls of the City of London and in the Liberties and Nine out Parishes from the Sixteenth of December 24. to the Fifteenth of December 25. Was in Total Fifty four thousand two hundred sixty and five whereof of the Plague Thirty five thousand four hundred and seventeen On Candlemas-day King Charls was Crowned Bishop Laud had the cheif hand in compiling the Form of the Coronation and had the honor to perform this Solemnity instead of the late Lord Keeper Williams who through the Kings disfavor was sequestred from this Service which belonged to his place as he was Dean of Westminster Mr. Iohn Cosens as Master of the Ecclesiastical Ceremonies kneeled behinde the Bishop when the Prayers were read and directed the Quire when to answer The Ceremony in going to and all the
into my hands not as an Attorney onely for the Prince But the King of Spain having taken the substitution of them by his Secretary of State entred in Legal form whereby that King was then become interessed in them by their occupation as well as the Prince by granting of them And becoming the Instrumentum stipulatum wherein they were both interessed they were deposited in my hands as an indifferent person trusted between the King of Spain and the Prince with a Declaration of the Trust. And now the Duke was returned out of Spain he plotted my ruine and put it in execution in this manner He concealed that the powers were to expire at Christmas and procured his Majesty to write a Letter not a direct Commandment but expressing a desire that the Desponsories should not be till one of the days in Christmas intending thereby to draw me into a Dilemma That if I proceeded in the Match this Letter should as now it is have been inforced against me as a breach of Instructions If I had not proceeded then I had broken my trust between the Prince and King of Spain overthrown the Marriage so long sought and labored it being the main scope of my Ambassage contrary to express Warrant and that upon a Letter I must needs know to be a mistake And when I had written into England to have a direct Warrant in the point the Duke then seeing that Plot would not take he dealt with divers great Lords as was well known to some of their Lordships there present to have me upon my arival in England committed to the Tower before I should ever come to speak with the King which the Spanish Ambassador here in England having gotten private notice of gave advertisement thereof to that King Who thereupon foreseeing my danger and consulting with his Council and Divines what were fit for him in Honor and Conscience to do in that Case they resolved That seeing my Sufferings grew by being an honest man and endeavoring to perform the trust reposed in me by that King as well as the Prince That King was bound both in Honor and Conscience not onely to preserve me from ruine but to make me a reparation for any loss I should sustain by occasion of the Trust Whereupon at his departure going to Court to take his leave the Conde de Olivares told me what was plotted against me in England and in respect of the danger by reason of the greatness of my Adversary pâ—rswaded me to stay there and in his Masters Name made an offer not in secret but in the presence of Sir Walter Aston Here he repeated those offers of Reward Honor and Preferment which we have mentioned before in order of time and at present pass it by he then proceeded and said Upon what grounds and hope came I to encounter with those dangers Not upon hope of my greatness in Court and strength of Friends there to bolster out an ill Cause no sure my strength was too weak and my adversaries too powerful But I knew my Conscience was clear and my Cause was good and trusted in God Almighty And to him now and to their Lordships judgments recommended my self and my Cause And then he delivered his Answer desiring their Lordships it might be after Recorded in Parchment that it might remain to posterity which being read by one of his Council the Lord Keeper asked him Whether he desired to say any more then he had done he answered That he had something more to say but knew not the order or whether Mr. Attorney would speak first but he being desired to speak He desired their Lordships he might put them in minde of what he conceived they had already promised which was That the Duke whom he accused in that House of far higher offences then any with which he was charged might be proceeded with as he was and that they might be upon equal Conditions And that such heads as he had delivered against the Duke being of such Matters as he met withal in his Negotiation as an Ambassador and which he had according to his duty acquainted the State withal might by their Lordships care and order be put into Legal form and prosecuted for so was the use when he had the honor to sit at the Council Table He said He conceived he had already done his part to inform and would be ready to make it good it concerning their Lordships to see it prosecuted it not being to be expected that he should solicit it or if he would he could not being under restraint And he desired likewise that the Judges might deliver their opinions Whether the matter charged against him were Treason that if it should not so be in their opinions he might not lie under so heavy a burthen He put their Lordships in minde that it was a strange manner of proceeding that upon a displeasure a Peer of the Kingdom complaining of those that had practised against him and had been the causers of his Sufferings should then and never but then be charged with Treason He told them it was not his case alone but it equally concerned them and their Posterity and it might be some others hereafter more then him now For he said he thanked God he had some experience in the World and thereby and by those things he had kept was able to make his innocency appear which perhaps would not be every mans hereafter and so many an honest heart in a good cause distracted with fears and abandoned of Friends might perish through the malice of a potent Adversary The Lords again asked him whether he had any thing more to say he answered No but desired leave onely to explain himself in two things one in his Speech now spoken and the other when he was first brought to the House That in his Speech this day was where he affirmed he had like to have been ruined in his Negotiation First For being a Puritan and now for being a Papist and both by one hand he explained it to be by the hand of the Duke of Buckingham And the other when he first came to the House saying there For Redress of former sufferings and meeting on the sudden with Treason charged upon him he spake in Passion expressing the Wrongs and Injuries done him by the Duke and told their Lordships he had used means to convey part of his Sufferings to the late King his Master who in the Dukes hearing sware he would after he had heard the Duke against him hear him also against the Duke for which his Majesty suffered much or to some such purpose Now he understandeth this Speech to reflect upon what was in Agitation in the Lower House but he said although he could not well excuse the Dukes indiscretion in that point yet he spake it not any ways to corroborate that opinion For howsoever the Duke were his enemy yet he could not think so dishonorably of him The Answer of the Earl of Bristol to
and spun out two days time It was managed by Eight Members and Sixteen more as Assistants The Eight cheif managers were Sir Dudley Diggs Mr. Herbert Mr. Selden Mr. Glanvile Mr. Pym Mr. Sherâ—and Mr. Wandesford and Sir Iohn Elliot Sir Dudley Diggs by way of Prologue made this Speech My Lords THere are so many things of great importance to be said in very little time to day that I conceive it will not be unacceptable to your Lordships if setting by all Rhetorical Affectations I onely in plain Country Language humbly pray your Lordships favor to include many excuses necessary to my manifold infirmities in this one word I am Commanded by the Knights Citizens and Burgesses of the Commons House to present to your Lordships their most affectionate thanks for your ready condescending to this Conference which out of confidence in your great Wisdoms and approved Justice for the service of his Majesty and the welfare of this Realm they desired upon this occasion The House of Commons by a fatal and universal Concurrence of Complaints from all the Sea-bordering parts of this Kingdom did finde a great and grievous interruption and stop of Trade and Traffick The base Pirates of Sally ignominiously infesting our Coasts taking our Ships and Goods and leading away the Subjects of this Kingdom into Barbarous captivity while to our shame and hindrance of Commerce our enemies did as it were besiege our Ports and block up our best Rivers mouths Our friends on slight pretences made Imbargoes of our Merchants Goods and every Nation upon the least occasion was ready to contemn and slights us So great was the apparent diminution of the antient Honor of this Crown and once strong Reputation of our Nation Wherewith the Commons were more troubled calling to remembrance how formerly in France in Spain in Holland and every where by Sea and Land the Valors of this Kingdom had been better valued and even in latter times within remembrance when we had no Alliance with France none in Denmark none in Germany no Friend in Italy Scotland to say no more ununited Ireland not setled in peace and much less security at home when Spain was as ambitious as it is now under a King Philip the Second they called their Wisest the House of Austria as great and potent and both strengthned with a malitious League in France of persons ill-affected when the Low-Countreys had no Being yet by constant Councils and old English ways even then that Spanish pride was cooled that greatness of the House of Austria so formidable to us now was well resisted and to the United Provinces of the Low-Countreys such a beginning growth and strength was given as gave us honor over all the Christian World The Commons therefore wondring at the Evils which they suffered debating of the Causes of them found they were many drawn like one Line to one Circumference of decay of Trade and strength of Honor and Reputation in this Kingdom which as in one Centre met in one great Man the cause of all whom I am here to name The Duke of Buckingham Here Sir Dudley Diggs made a little stop and afterwards read the Preamble to the Charge viz. The Commons Declaration and Impeachment against the Duke of Buckingham FOr the speedy Redress of great Evils and Mischeifs and of the cheif cause of these Evils and Mischeifs which this Kingdom of England now grievously suffereth and of late years hath suffered and to the honor and safety of our Soveraign Lord the King and of his Crown and Dignity and to the good and welfare of his people The Commons in this present Parliament by the Authority of our said Soveraign Lord the King assembled Do by this their Bill shew and declare against George Duke Marquess and Earl of Buckingham Earl of Coventry Viscount Villers Baron of Whaddon Great Admiral of the Kingdoms of England and Ireland and of the Principality of Wales and of the Dominions and Islands of the same of the Town of Calais and of the Marches of the same and of Normandy Gascoigne and Guienne General-Governor of the Seas and Ships of the said Kingdom Lieutenant-General Admiral Captain-General and Governor of his Majesties Royal Fleet and Army lately set forth Master of the Horse of our Soveraign Lord the King Lord Warden Chancellor and Admiral of the Cinque Ports and of the Members thereof Constable of Dover Castle Iustice in Eyre of all the Forests and Chases on this side the River Trent Constable of the Castle of Windsor Gentleman of his Majesties Bed-Chamber one of his Majesties most Honorable Privy Council in his Realms both in England Scotland and Ireland and Knight of the most Honorable Order of the Garter The Misdemeanors Misprisions Offences Crimes and other Matters comprised in the Articles following and him the said Duke do accuse and impeach of the said Misdemeanors Misprisions Offences and Crimes My Lords THis lofty Title of this Mighty Man methinks doth raise my spirits to speak with a Paulò Majora Canamus and let it not displease your Lordships if for Foundation I compare the beautiful structure and fair composition of this Monarchy wherein we live to the great work of God the World it self In which the solid Body of incorporated Earth and Sea as I conceive in regard of our Husbandry Manufactures and Commerce by Land and Sea may well resemble us the Commons And as it is incompassed with Air and Fire and Sphears Celestial of Planets and a Firmament of fixed Stars all which receive their heat light and life from one great glorious Sun even like the King our Soveraign So that Firmament of fixed Stars I take to be your Lordships those Planets the great Officers of the Kingdom that pure Element of Fire the most Religious Zealous and Pious Clergy and the Reverend Judges Magistrates and Ministers of Law and Justice the Air wherein we breathe All which encompass round with cherishing comfort this Body of the Commons who truly labor for them all and though they be the Foot stool and the lowest yet may well be said to be the setled Centre of the State Now my good Lords if that glorious Sun by his powerful Beams of Grace and Favor shall draw from the Bowels of this Earth an exhalation that shall take Fire and burn and shine out like a Star it needs not be marvelled at if the poor Commons gaze and wonder at the Comet and when they feel the effects impute all to the incorruptible matter of it But if such an imperfect mixture appear like that in the last age in the Chair of Cassiopeia among the sixed Stars themselves where Aristotle and the old Philosophers conceived there was no place for such corruption then as the Learned Mathematicians were troubled to observe the irregular motions the prodigious magnitude and the ominous prognosticks of that Meteor so the Commons when they see such a blazing Star in course so exorbitant in the Affairs of this Commonwealth cannot
but look upon it and for want of Perspectives commend the nearer examination to your Lordships who may behold it at a nearer distance Such a prodigious Comet the Commons take this Duke of Buckingham to be against whom and his irregular ways there are by learned Gentlemen legal Articles of Charge to be delivered to your Lordships which I am generally first commanded to lay open 1. The Offices of this Kingdom that are the Eyes the Ears and the Hands of this Commonwealth these have been ingrossed bought and sold and many of the greatest of them holden even in the Dukes own hands which severally gave in former ages sufficient content to greatest Favorites and were work enough for wisest Counsellors by means whereof what strange abuses what infinite neglects have followed The Seas have been unguarded Trade disturbed Merchants oppressed their Ships and even one of the Royal Navy by cunning practice delivered over into Foreign hands and contrary to our good Kings intention employed to the prejudice almost to the ruine of Friends of our own Religion 2. Next Honors those most pretious Jewels of the Crown a Treasure inestimable wherewith your Noble Ancestors my Lords were well rewarded for eminent and publick Service in the Common-wealth at home for brave exploits abroad when covered all with dust and blood they sweat in service for the honor of this Crown What back-ways what by-ways have been by this Duke found out is too well known to your Lordships whereas antiently it was the honor of England as among the Romans the way to the Temple of Honor was through the Temple of Vertue But I am commanded to press this no further then to let your Lordships know one instance may perhaps be given of some one Lord compelled to purchase Honor 3. As divers of the Dukes poor Kinred have been raised to great honors which have been and are likely to be more chargeable and burthensome to the Crown so the Lands and Revenews and the Treasuries of his Majesty have been intercepted and exhausted by this Duke and his Friends and strangely mis-employed with strange confusion of the Accounts and overthrow of the well established antient Orders of his Majesties Exchequer 4. The last of the Charges which are prepared will be an injury offered to the person of the late King of Blessed memory who is with God of which as your Lordships may have heard heretofore you shall anon have further information Now upon this occasion I am commanded by the Commons to take care of the honor of the King our Soveraign that lives long may he live to our comfort and the good of the Christian World and also of his Blessed Father who is dead on whom to the grief of the Commons and their great distaste the Lord Duke did they conceive unworthily cast some ill odor of his own foul ways whereas Servants were antiently wont to bear as in truth they ought their Masters faults and not cast their own on them undeservedly It is well known the King who is with God had the same power and the same wisdom before he knew this Duke yea and the same affections too through which as a good and gratious Master he advanced and raised some Stars of your Lordships Firmament in whose hands this exorbitancy of will this transcendency of power such placing and displacing of Officers such irregular runing into all by-courses of the Planets such sole and single managing of the great Affairs of State was never heard of And therefore onely to the Lord Duke and his procurement by mis-informations these faults complained of by the Commons are to be imputed And for our most Gratious Soveraign that lives whose name hath been used and may perhaps now be for the Dukes justification the Commons know well That among his Majesties most Royal Virtues his Piety unto his Father hath made him a pious nourisher of his Affections ever to the Lord Duke on whom out of that consideration his Majesty hath wrought a kinde of wonder making Favor Hereditary but the abuse thereof must be the Lord Dukes own And if there have been any Commands such as were or may be pretended his mis-informations have procured them whereas the Laws of England teach us That Kings cannot command ill or unlawful things when ever they speak though by their Letters Patents or their Seals If the things be evil these Letters Patents are void and whatsoever ill event succeeds the Executioners of such Commands must ever answer for them Thus my Lords in performance of my duty my weakness hath been troublesome unto your Lordships it is now high time humbly to entreat your pardon and give way to a learned Gentleman to begin a more particular charge Then were read the First Second and Third Articles viz. 1. THat whereas the great Offices expressed in the said Dukes Stile and Title heretofore have been the singular Preferments of several Persons eminent in Wisdom and Trust and fully able for the weighty Service and greatest Employments of the State whereby the said Offices were both carefully and sufficiently executed by several Persons of such Wisdom Trust and Ability And others also that were employed by the Royal Progenitors of our Soveraign Lord the King in places of less Dignity were much encouraged with the hopes of advancement And whereas divers of the said places severally of themselves and necessarily require the whole care industry and attendance of a most provident and most able person He the said Duke being yong and unexperienced hath of late years with exorbitant Ambition and for his own profit and advantage procured and ingrossed into his own hands the said several Offices both to the danger of the State the prejudice of that Service which should have been performed in them and to the great discouragement of others who by this his procuring and ingrossing of the said Offices are precluded from such hopes as their Vertues Abilities and Publick Employments might otherwise have given them II. Whereas by the Laws and Statutes of this Kingdom of England if any person whatsoever give or pay any sum of Money Fee or Reward directly or indirectly for any Office or Offices which in any-wise touch or concern the Administration or Execution of Justice or the keeping of any of the Kings Majesties Towns Castles or Fortresses being used occupied or appointed for places of strength and defence the same person is immediately upon the same Fee Money or Reward given or paid to be adjudged a disabled person in the Law to all intents and purposes to have occupy or enjoy the said Office or Offices for the which he so giveth or payeth any sum of Money Fee or Reward He the said Duke did in or about the Moneth of Ianuary in the Sixteenth year of the late King Iames of Famous memory give and pay to the Right Honorable Charles then Earl of Nottingham for the Office of Great Admiral of England and Ireland and the Principality of
Wales and for the Office of General-Governor of the Seas and Ships of the said Kingdoms and for the Surrender of the said Offices then made to the said King by the said Earl of Nottingham being then Great Admiral of the said Kingdoms and Principality and General-Governor of the Seas and Ships to the intent the said Duke might obtain the said Offices to his own use the sum of Three thousand pounds of lawful Money of England and did also about the same time procure from the said King a further Reward for the Surrender of the said Office to the said Earl of an Annuity of One thousand pounds by the year for and during the life of the said Earl and by the procurement of the said Duke the said late King of Famous memory did by his Letters Patents dated the Seven and twentieth of Ianuary in the said year of his Reign under the Great Seal of England grant to the said Earl the said Annuity which he the said Earl accordingly had and enjoyed during his life and by reason of the said sum of Money so as aforesaid paid by the said Duke And of his the said Dukes procurement of the said Annuity the said Earl of Nottingham did in the same Moneth surrender unto the said late King his said Offices and his Patents of them and thereupon and by reason of the premisses the said Offices were obtained by the Duke for his life from the said King of Famous Memory by Letters Patents made to the said Duke of the same Offices under the Great Seal of England dated the Eight and twentieth day of Ianuary in the said Sixteenth year of the said late King And the said Offices of Great Admiral and Governor as aforesaid are Offices that highly touch and concern the Administration and Execution of Justice within the provision of the said Laws and Statutes of this Kingdom which notwithstanding the said Duke hath unlawfully ever since the first unlawful obtaining of the said Grant of the said Offices retained them in his hands and exercised them against the Laws and Statutes aforesaid III. The said Duke did likewise in or about the beginning of the Moneth of December in the Two and twentieth year of the said late King Iames of Famous memory give and pay unto the Right Honorable Edward late Lord Zouch Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and of the Members thereof and Constable of the Castle of Dover for the said Offices and for the Surrender of the said Offices of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and Constable of the said Castle of Dover to be made to the said late King of Famous memory the sum of One thousand pounds of lawful Money of England and then also granted an Annuity of Five hundred pounds yearly to the said Lord Zouch for the life of the said Lord Zouch to the intent that he the said Duke might thereby obtain the said Offices to his own use And for and by reason of the said sum of Money so paid by the said Duke and of the said Annuity so granted to the said Edward Lord Zouch he the said Lord Zouch the Fourth day of December in the year aforesaid did surrender his said Offices and his Letters Patents of them to the said late King And thereupon and by reason of the premisses he the said Duke obtained the said Offices for his life from the said late King by his Letters Patents under the Great Seal of England dated the Sixth day of December in the said Two and twentieth year And the said Office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and of the Members thereof is an Office that doth highly touch and concern Administration and Execution of justice and the said Office of Constable of the Castle of Dover is an Office that highly concerneth the keeping and defence of the Town and Port and of the said Castle of Dover which is and hath ever been appointed for a most eminent place of strength and defence of this Kingdom which notwithstanding the said Duke hath unlawfully ever since this first unlawful obtaining of the said Office retained them in his hands and exercised them against the Laws and Statutes aforesaid These Three Articles were discoursed upon by Mr. Herbert and touching Plurality of Offices he observed That in that vast power of the Duke a young unexperienced man there is an unfortunate complication of Danger and Mischeif to the State as having too much ability if he be false to do harm and ruine the Kingdom and if he be faithful and never so industrious yet divided amongst so many great places whereof every one would employ the industry of an able and provident man there must needs be in him an insufficiency of performance or rather an impossibility especially considering his necessary attendance likewise upon his Court places To the Second and Third namely The buying the Office of Admiralty and Cinque-Ports both which he comprised in one he said That to set a price upon the Walls and Gates of the Kingdom is a Crime which requires rather a speedy remedy than an aggravation and is against the express Law of 5 Edw. 6. upon this foundation That the buying of such places doth necessarily introduce corrupt and insufficient Officers And in the Parliament of 12 Edw. 4. it is declared by the whole Assembly That they who buy those places these are the express words binde themselves to be Extortioners and Offenders as if they pretended it warrantable or as if they did lay an Obligation upon themselves to sell again And though the buying of such places be not against any particular Law enjoyning a penalty for them the breach whereof is a particular Offence yet as far as they subvert the good and welfare and safety of the people so far they are against the highest Law and assume the nature of the highest Offences IV. Whereas the said Duke by reason of his said Offices of Great Admiral of the Kingdoms of England and Ireland and of the Principality of Wales and of Admiral of the Cinque Ports and General Governor of the Seas and Ships of the said Kingdoms and by reason of the trust thereunto belonging ought at all times since the said Offices obtained to have safely guarded kept and preserved the said Seas and the Dominion of them and ought also whensoever there wanted either Men Ships Munition or other strength whatsoever that might conduce to the better safeguard of them to have used from time to time his utmost endeavor for the supply of such wants to the Right Honorable the Lords and others of the Privy Council and by procuring such supply from his Soveraign or otherwise He the said Duke hath ever since the dissolution of the two Treaties mentioned in the Act of Subsidies of the One and twentieth year of the late King Iames of Famous memory that is to say the space of Two years last past neglected the just performance of his said Office and Duty
and broken the said Trust therewith committed unto him And hath not according to his said Offices during the time aforesaid safely kept the said Seas insomuch that by reason of his neglect and default therein not onely the trade and strength of this Kingdom of England hath been during the said time much decayed but the same Seas also have been during the same time ignominiously infested by Pirates and Enemies to the loss both of very many Ships and Goods and of many of the Subjects of our Soveraign Lord the King and the Dominion of the said Seas being the antient and undoubted Patrimony of the Kings of England is thereby also in most eminent danger to be utterly lost V. Whereas about Michaelmas last past a Ship called the St Peter of Newhaven whereof Iohn Mallerow was Master laden with divers Goods Merchandise Monies Jewels and Commodities to the value of Forty thousand pounds or thereabouts for the proper accompt of Monsieur de Villieurs the then Governor of Newhaven and other Subjects of the French King being in perfect Amity and League with our Soveraign Lord the King was taken at Sea by some of the Ships of his Majesties late Fleet set forth under the command of the said Duke as well by direction from him the said Duke as great Admiral of England as by the Authority of the extraordinary Commission which he then had for the command of the said Fleet and was by them together with her said goods and lading brought into the Port at Plymouth as a prize among many others upon probabilities that the said Ship or Goods belonged to the Subjects of the King of Spain And that divers parcels of the said goods and lading were there taken out of the said Ship of St Peter that is to say Sixteen Barrels of Cocheneal Eight Bags of Gold Twenty three Bags of Silver two Boxes of Pearl and Emeralds a Chain of Gold Jewels Monies and Commodities to the value of Twenty thousand pounds or thereabouts and by the said Duke were delivered into the private custody of one Gabriel Marsh servant to the said Duke and that the said Ship with the residue of her goods and lading was from thence sent up into the River of Thames and there detained whereupon there was an arrest at Newhaven in the Kingdom of France on the seventh day of December last of two English Merchants Ships trading thither as was alleadged in certain Petitions exhibited by some English Merchants trading into France to the Lords and others of his Majesties most honorable Privy-Council after which that is to say on the 28 day of the said moneth his Majesty was pleased to order with the advice of his Privy-Council that the said Ship and Goods belonging to the Sucjects of the French King should be redelivered to such as should re-claim them and accordingly intimation was given unto his Majesties Advocate in the chief Court of Admiralty by the right honorable Sir Io. Cook Knight one of his Majesties principal Secretaries of State for the freeing and discharging of the said Ship and Goods in the said Court of Admiralty And afterwards that is to say on the Six and twentieth of Ianuary last it was decreed in the said Court by the Judge thereof with the consent of the said Advocate That the said Ship with whatsoever Goods so seised or taken in her Except Three hundred Mexico Hides Sixteen Sacks of Ginger one Box of gilded Beads Five Sacks of Ginger more mentioned in the said Decree should be clearly released from further detention and delivered to the Master and thereupon under Seal a Commission was in that behalf duty sent out of the said Court to Sir Allen Appesly Sir Iohn Worstenholme and others for the due execution thereof The said Duke notwithstanding the said Order Commission and Decree detained still to his own use the said Gold Silver Pearls Emeralds Jewels Monies and Commodities so taken out of the said Ship as aforesaid And for his own singular avail and covetousness on the sixth day of February last having no information of any new proof without any legal proceeding by colour of his said Office unjustly caused the said ship and goods to be again arrested and detained in publick violation and contempt of the Laws and Justice of this Land to the great disturbance of Trade and prejudice of the Merchants These were enlarged by Mr Selden who said That by nature of his Office the Duke as Admiral ought to have guarded the Seas By his Patent he is made Magnus Admirallus Angliae Hiberniae Walliae Normaniae Aquitaniae Villae Calesij Marchiarum ejusdem praefectus generalis classium Marium dictorum regnorum The Seas of England and Ireland are committed to the Admiral as a part of the Demesne and Possessions of the Crown of England not as if he should thereby have Jurisdiction onely as in case of the Admirals in France or Spain The State of Genoa Catalonia and other Maritine parts of Spain the Sea-Towns of Almain Zeland Holland Friezland Denmark Norway and divers other parts of the Empire shew That the Kings of England by reason that their said Realm hath used time out of minde to be in peaceable possession are Lords of the Seas of England and of the Islands belonging to them And though Grotius that Hollander wrote of purpose to destroy all Dominion in the East-Ocean yet he speaks nothing against the Dominion of our English Seas howsoever he hath been misapprehended but expressly elsewhere saith Meta Britanicis littora sunt oris the utmost limits of the Demesne of the Crown of England are the Shores of the neighbouring Countries the whole Sea or the Territorium maximum that intervenes being parcel of the possession of the Crown the keeping and safe-guard of these committed to the Lord Admiral by the name of the Praefectus Marium Admirallus being but the same anciently Before the use of the word Admiral came in which was under Edw. 1. the Admirals had the Titles of Custodes Maris And this Praefectura or Custodia or Office of safe-guarding the Seas binds him to all care and perpetual observance of whatsoever conduceth to that safe-guard as in Custos sigilli Custos Marchiarum Custos portium custos comitatuum agreeable to the practice of former times 1. In certifying yearly to the King and his Council the many Forces both of the Kings ships and ships of Merchants the names of the owners the number of Marriners c. That the King and his Council may always know his force by Sea 2. In shewing wants of ships c. for the safe-guarding of the Seas with the Estimates of the Supply that so they might be procured In personal attendance upon the service of guarding the Seas upon all occasions of weight In 7 H. 4. Nich. Blackborn and Rich. Cliderowe one of the Knights of Kent were made Admirals for keeping the Seas upon consideration had of it in Parliament and
in the chief Court of Admiralty in the name of the said late King and of the Lord Admiral against them for Fifteen thousand pound taken Piratically by some Captains of the said Merchants ships and pretended to be in the hands of the East India Company and thereupon the Kings Advocate in the name of Advocate for the then King and the said Lord Admiral moved and obtained one Attachment which by the Serjeant of the said Court of Admiralty was served on the said Merchants in their Court the sixteenth day of March following whereupon the said Merchants though there was no cause for their molestation by the Lord Admiral yet the next day they were urged in the said Court of Admiralty to bring in the Fifteen thousand pounds or go to prison wherefore immediately the Company of the said Merchants did again send the Deputy aforesaid and some others to make new suit unto the said Duke for the release of the said Ships and Pinaces who unjustly endeavoring to extort money from the said Merchants protested that the Ships should not go except they compounded with him and when they urged many more reasons for the release of the said Ships and Pinaces the Answer of the said Duke was That the then Parliament must first be moved The said Merchants therefore being in this perplexity and in their consultation the three and twentieth of that moneth even ready to give over that Trade yet considering that they should lose more then was demanded by unlading their ships besides their voyage they resolved to give the said Duke Ten thousand pounds for his unjust demands And he the said Duke by the undue means aforesaid and under colour of his Office and upon false pretence of Rights unjustly did exact and extort from the said Merchants the said Ten thousand pounds and received the same about the 28. of April following the discharge of those Ships which were not released by him till they the said Merchants had yielded to give him the said Duke the said Ten thousand pounds for the said Release and for the false pretence of Rights made by the said Duke as aforesaid VII Whereas the Ships of our Soveraign Lord the King and of his Kingdoms aforesaid are the principal strength and defence of the said Kingdoms and ought therefore to be always preserved and safely kept under the command and for the service of our Soveraign Lord the King no less then any the Fortresses and Castles of the said Kingdoms And whereas no Subject of this Realm ought to be dispossessed of any his Goods or Chattels without order of Justice or his own consent first duly had and obtained The said Duke being Great Admiral of England Governor-General and Keeper of the said Ships and Seas and thereof ought to have and take a special and continual care and diligence how to preserve the same The said Duke in or about the end of Iuly last in the first year of our Soveraign Lord the King did under the colour of the said Office of Great Admiral of England and by indirect and subtile means and practices procure one of the principal Ships of his Majesties Navy-Royal called the Vantguard then under the Command of Captain Iohn Pennington and six other Merchants Ships of great burden and value belonging to several Persons inhabiting in London the Natural Subjects of his Majesty to be conveyed over with all their Ordnance Munition Tackle and Apparel into the parts of the Kingdom of France to the end that being there they might the more easily be put into the hands of the French King his Ministers and Subjects and taken into their possession command and power And accordingly the said Duke by his Ministers and Agents with menaces and other ill means and practices did there without order of Justice and without the consent of the said Masters and Owners unduly compel and inforce the said Masters and Owners of the said six Merchants Ships to deliver their said Ships into the said possession command and power of the said French King his Ministers and Subjects and by reason of his compulsion and under the pretext of his power as aforesaid and by his indirect practices as aforesaid the said Ships aforesaid as well the said Ship Royal of his Majesty as the others belonging to the said Merchants were there delivered into the hands and command of the said French King his Ministers and Subjects without either sufficient security or assurance for redelivery or other necessary caution in that behalf taken or provided either by the said Duke himself or otherwise by his direction contrary to the duty of the said Offices of Great Admiral Governor-General and Keeper of the said Ships and Seas and to the faith and trust in that behalf reposed and contrary to the duty which he oweth to our Soveraign Lord the King in his place of Privy-Counsellor to the apparent weakening of the Naval strength of this Kingdom to the great loss and prejudice of the said Merchants and against the liberty of those Subjects of our Soveraign Lord the King that are under the Jurisdiction of the Admiralty VIII The said Duke contrary to the purpose of our Soveraign Lord the King and his Majesties known zeal for the maintenance and advancement of the true Religion established in the Church of England knowing that the said Ships were intended to be imployed by the said French King against those of the same Religion at Rochel and elswhere in the Kingdom of France did procure the said Ship Royal and compel as aforesaid the said six other Ships to be delivered unto the said French King his Ministers and Subjects as aforesaid to the end the said Ships might be used and imployed by the said French King in his intended War against those of the said Religion in the said Town of Rochel and elswhere within the Kingdom of France And the said Ships were and have been since so used and imployed by the said French King his Ministers and Subjects against them And this the said Duke did as aforesaid in great and most apparent prejudice of the said Religion contrary to the purpose and intention of our Soveraign Lord the King and against his duty in that behalf being a sworne Counsellor to his Majesty and to the great scandal and dishonor of this Nation And notwithstanding the delivery of the said Ships by his procurement and compulsion as aforesaid to be imployed as aforesaid the said Duke in cunning and cautelous manner to mask his ill intentions did at the Parliament held at Oxford in August last before the Committee of both Houses of Parliament intimate and declare that the said Ships were not nor should they be so used and imployed against those of the said Religion as aforesaid in contempt of our Soveraign Lord the King and in abuse of the said Houses of Parliament and in violation of that Truth which every man should profess These three Articles were aggravated by Mr. Glanvile
then to believe That the said ships were never meant or any way in danger to be imployed against the Rochellors or those of our Religion in France and herein he did great injury and disservice to his Majesty to the great scandal and prejudice of our Religion and Affairs and highly abused both the Lords and Commons by this cautelous and subtile Speech and Insinuation and thereby gave both Houses occasion to forbear Petitioning or suing to his Majesty for Redress in this Business while the time was not then passed for the ships were not as then actually imployed against the Rochellors albeit in truth they were then delivered into the French Kings power And the same time before the Parliament was dissolved Captain Pennington who could have opened the whole truth of the business for the Service of the King and the Realm came to Oxford but was there drawn to conceal himself by means of the Duke and not to publish in due time his knowledge of the Premisses as was there shortly after reported The truth whereof the Lords in this Parliament may be pleased to examine as they shall see cause the Parliament at Oxford being shortly after viz. Aug. 12. unhappily dissolved In or about September 1625. The said ships were actually imployed against the Rochellors and their Friends to their exceeding great prejudice and almost utter ruine It hath been said by some of the French that the Vantguard she mowed them down like grass To the great dishonor of our Nation and the scandal of our Religion and to the disadvantage of the great affairs of this Kingdom and all Christendom Also the Ships themselves were in eminent peril to be utterly lost for lack of sufficient Cautions If they be come home since this Parliament sate down long after the matter was here expounded and taken into examination It may be well presumed that it is by some underhand procuring of the Duke and the secret complying of the French with him to colour out the matter which the Lords may examine as they see cause The one and onely English-man that presumed to stay in one of the Ships and serve against the poor Rochellors of our Religion at his return was slain in charging a Peece of Ordnance not by him well sponged In February last 1625. Monsieur de la Touche having speech with Master Thomas Sherwell a Member of the Commons House of Parliament at Salisbury as he was coming up to the Parliament and Monsieur de la Touche going down into Somerset-shire to Master John Pawlets to Monsieur Sobysa He told Master Sherwell in the hearing also of one Master Iohn Clements of Plymouth who is now in Town the words that the Duke had spoken to him the last Summer touching these Ships and thereupon used these words Ce Duque est un meshant homme Upon this whole Narration of the Fact touching the manner of Delivery of the Ships to the French divers things may be observed wherein the Dukes offences do consist As In betraying a Ship of the Kings Royal Navy unto a Foreign Princes hand without good Warrant for the same The dispossessing the Subjects of this Realm of their Ships and Goods by many artifices and subtilties and in conclusion with high hand and open violence against the good will of the Owners In breaking the duty of Lord Admiral and Guardian of the Ships and Seas of this Kingdom In varying from the original good Instructions and presuming to give others of his own head in matters of State In violating the duty of a sworne Privy-Counsellor to his Majesty In abusing both Houses of Parliament by a cautelous Misinformation under a colour of a Message from his Majesty And in disadvantaging the Affairs of those of our Religion in Foreign parts Offences of an high and grievous nature For the proof of some parts thereof which are not the least I offer to your Lordships consideration the Statute of the 2 3 E. 6. touching the Duke of Somerset wherein is recited That amongst other things he did not suffer the Piers called the Newhaven and Blackerst in the parts beyond the Seas to be furnished with victuals and money whereby the French were encouraged to invade and win the same Aud for this offence amongst others it was Enacted That a great part of his Land should be taken from him And if Non-feazance in a matter tending to lose a fixed Castle belonging to the King be an high offence then the actual putting of a Ship Royal of the Kings into the hand of a Foreign Prince which is a moveable and more useful Castle and Fortress of the Realm must needs be held a greater offence I will forbear to cite any more Presidents of this kind because some of those who have gone before me have touched at divers Presidents of this nature which may be applied to this my part Only because the abuse of the Parliament which is the chiefest Council of State and Court of Judicature in the Realm is not the least offence in this business I shall desire your Lordships to take into consideration the Statute of Westm. 1. cap. 30. whereby such as seem to beguile Courts of Justice are to be sore judged in the same Courts and punished as by that Statute appeareth So he concluded and left the Duke to their Lordships equal Justice The Ninth and Tenth Articles were read next IX Whereas the Titles of Honor of this Kingdom of England were wont to be conferred as great Rewards upon such vertuous and industrious Persons as had merited them by their faithful service The said Duke by his importunate and subtile procurement hath not only perverted that antient and most honorable way but also unduly for his own particular gain he hath enforced some that were rich though unwilling to purchase Honor As the Lord R. Baron of T. who by practice of the said Duke and his Agents was drawn up to London in or about October in the Two and twentieth year of Reign of the late King Iames of famous memory and there so threatened and dealt withall that by reason thereof he yielded to give and accordingly did pay the sum of Ten thousand pounds to the said Duke and to his use For which said sum the said Duke in the moneth of Ianuary in the Two and twentieth year of the said lake King procured the Title of Baron R. of T. to the said Lord R. In which practice as the said Lord R. was much wronged in his particular so the Example thereof tendeth to the prejudice of the Gentry and dishonor of the Nobility of this Kingdom X. Whereas no Places of Judicature in the Courts of Justice of our Soveraign Lord the King nor other like Preferments given by the Kings of this Realm ought to be procured by any Subject whatsoever for any Reward Bribe or Gift He the said Duke in or about the moneth of December in the Eighteenth year of the Reign of the late King Iames of famous
memory did procure of the said King the Office of High Treasurer of England to the Lord Vicount M. now Earl of M. Which Office at his procurement was given and granted accordingly to the Lord Vicount M. And as a Reward for the said procurement of the same Grant he the said Duke did then receive to his own use of and from the said Lord Vicount M. the sum of 20000 l. of lawful money of England And also in or about the moneth of Ianuary in the sixteenth year of the Reign of the said late King did procure of the said late King of famous memory the Office of Master of the Wards and Liveries to and for Sir L. C. afterward Earl of M. which Office was upon the same procurement given and granted to the said Sir L.C. And as a reward for the same procurement he the said Duke had to his own use or to the use of some other person by him appointed of the said Sir L.C. the sum of Six thousand pounds of lawful money of England contrary to the Dignity of our Soveraign Lord the King and against the duty that should have been performed by the said Duke unto him These as also the Eleventh Article were enlarged and aggravated by Mr. Pym in this manner My Lords ALthough I know that I shall speak to my own disadvantage yet I shall labor to speak with as little disadvantage to the matter as I can I have no learning or ornament whereby I might shew my self and I shall think it enough plainly to shew the matter For all that I aim at is that I may lose nothing of the Cause And therefore my Lords I shall apply my self with as much convenient brevity as one that knows that your Lordships time is much more precious then my words Your Lordships being such Judges as will measure things by true and natural proportions and not by the proportion of the action or expression The first entrance into my service must be reading the Articles My Lords This Charge for matter of Fact is so notorious and apparent that it needs no proof that these Honors have been procured And therefore I will only insist upon the Consequence First I will shew That by this fact the Duke hath committed a great Offence And secondly That this Offence hath produced a great Grievance to the Commonwealth And I will conclude in strengthening the whole by some Presidents of former times that Parliaments have proceeded in that course in which your Lordships are like to proceed First to prove it a fault or an offence I must prove that there was a duty for every fault presupposeth a duty And in this case the first work is to shew that the Duke was bound to do otherwise For which I need to alleage nothing else then that he is a sworne Servant and Counsellor to the King and so ought to have preferred his Majesties honor and service before his own pride in seeking to Ennoble all that Blood that concerned him And it is not enough to say that it is not questionable For there have been Great men questioned in the like cases There be some Laws made that are particular according to the temper and occasions of several States There are other Laws that be coessential and collateral with Government and if those Laws be broken all things run to disorder and confusion Such is that Rule observed in all States of suppressing Vice to encourage Vertue by apt Punishment and Rewards And this the fittest Law to insist upon in a Court of Parliament when the Proceedings are not limited either by the Civil or Common Laws but matters are adjudged according as they stand in opposition or conformity with that which is suprema lex Salus populi 2. By this late Law whoever moves the King to bestow Honor which is the greatest reward binds himself to make good a double proportion of Merit in that Party who is to receive it The first of value and excellence the second of continuance and durableness And as this Honor sets men up above others so they should be eminent in vertue beyond others As it is perpetual not ending with their persons but descending upon their posterity so there ought to be in the first root of this Honor some such active merit in the service of the Commonwealth as might transmit a vigorous Example to his Successors whereby they may be raised to an Imitation of the like Vertues He said he would for bear to urge this point further out of a modest respect to those persons whom it did collaterally concern professing his Charge to be wholly against the Duke of Buckingham 3. From the consideration of Honor together with the price of Money The which being compared together may be reduced to two heads may it please your Lordships The one being earthly and base may be bought with a proportionable price of white and red earth Gold and Silver The other which is spiritual which is sublime to which Money cannot be a proportionable price Honor is transcendent in regard it was held a sacred and divine thing insomuch that there was a Temple dedicated to her by the Romans And so I conclude by prescription that Honor is a divine thing for the Scripture calls Kings Gods and then those that are about Kings must needs be resembled to those Powers and Principalities that attend next to the Throne And if Honor be such a divine thing it must not then be bought with so base a price as Money 4. Lastly Honor is a Publick thing it is the reward of Publick Deserts And thus your Lordships have seen that the sale of Honor is an offence unnatural against the Law of Nature Now what an offence this is your Lordships may discern considering the kinds of the offence and the Adjuncts which I now fall upon 1. It extremely deâ—lowers the Flowers of the Crown for it makes them cheap to all beholders 2. It takes from the Crown the most fair and frugal Reward of deserving Servants For when Honor comes to be at so mean a rate as to be sold there is no Great man will look after it 3. It is the way to make a man more studious for lucre and gain then of sufficiencie in Vertue when they know that they shall be preferred to Titles of Honor according to the heaviness of purse and not for the weightiness of their merit 4. It introduceth a strange confusion mingling the meaner with the more pure and refined metal 5. Lastly It is a prodigious scandal to this Nation as the House of Commons think For Examples and Presidents I am confident there are none and your Lordships can look for none because it is not parallel'd to any President But certainly it is now a fit time to make a President of this man this great Duke that hath been lately raised to this transcendent height in our Sphere who thinketh he cannot shine enough unless he dim your Lordships Honors in
Madam Saint George that he was resolved no longer to endure it So the King dismissed and sent back into France the Queens Retinue of French first paying all that was due for Wages or Salaries and gave the King of France an account of the action by the Lord Carlton for the preserving of their mutual Correspondency and Brotherly Affection But this Dismission was ill resented in France and Audience denied to the Lord Carlton and the matter was aggravated high at the French Court as a great violation of the Articles of the Marriage And those persons who returned into France being for the most part yonger-brothers and had parted with their Portions at home in expectation of raising their Fortunes in the service of the Queen of England did heighten the discontent This jarring with France breaks forth to a publick War and King Charles is at once engaged against Two Great and Mighty Princes It is not our purpose to relate the particulars of those private transactions which were here in England concerning the preparing of a Fleet and Army nor how the same was managed at first by an Abbot who had relation to the Duke of Orleance and had been disobliged by Cardinal Richlieu This Man was full of Revenge against the Cardinal and labored much and at last effected the dismissing of the French about the Queen his cheif end therein was to put an affront upon Richlieu and withal to heighten the differences between the Two Crowns of England and France to which purpose he remonstrated to the Duke of Buckingham the Commotions and Discontents that were in France and how hardly the Protestants there were treated notwithstanding the Edict of Peace procured by the Mediation of the King of Great Britain This Abbots Negotiation with the Duke procured the sending of Devic from the King of England to the Duke of Rhoane who was drawn to engage to raise Four thousand Foot and Two hundred Horse upon the landing of the English Army in France but not before This private transaction was also managed by Mr. Walter Montague but in another capacity The Duke of Sobiez and Monsieur St. Blanchard contributed their endeavors also to hasten the Fleet and the raising of the Army in England against the French for the relief of those of the Reformed Religion there The King declared as a ground of his War with France That the House of Austria conspiring the ruine of all those of the Reformed Religion throughout Christendom as he said plainly appeared in the affairs of Germany had such an influence upon the Council of France as to prevail with them to obstruct the landing of Count Mansfields Army contrary to promise with whom the French should have joyned forces for the relief of the Palatinate and the German Princes which failer of performance in them proved the ruine of that Army the greatest part whereof perished and was by consequence the loss of the whole Protestant Party in Germany His Majesty further declared That having by his Mediation prevailed for a Peace between the French King and his Protestant Subjects and engaged his word That the Protestants should observe the Articles of Agreement Nevertheless the King of France contrary to the said Articles blocked up their Towns Garisons and Forts and had committed many spoils upon them when they had done nothing in violation of the Edict of Peace And that the King of France had committed an example of great injustice in full Peace to seise upon One hundred and twenty English Ships with all their Merchandise and Artillery for which Reasons the King was resolved to send a powerful Army and Navy to require satisfaction The Duke of Buckingham was made Admiral of this Fleet and Commander in chief of the Land forces and had a Commission to that purpose wherein it is expressed That his Majesty hath taken into his Princely consideration the distressed estate of his dear Brother-in-law and onely Sister the Prince and Princess Elector Palatine and their Children and finding himself in Nature and Honor nearly bound unto them At their request and for their just Relief in recovering their rightful Patrimony taken from them by the Advice of his Privy Council did the last year prepare and set out to Sea a Royal Fleet for Sea-service for performance of such services as on his Brother-in-laws and Sisters behalf his Majesty had designed And for the doing of those designs and for the honor and safety of his people his Majesty hath now prepared a new Fleet which he intends with all convenient expedition to set out to be employed as well by way of Offence as of Defence as shall be most behoveful for his said Brother-in-Law his service and therefore doth by the said Commission appoint the Duke of Buckingham to be Admiral Captain-General and Governor of his said Royal Fleet with such Soldiers and Land-forces as shall be conveyed therein for the accomplishment of such execution and employment as they shall be designed unto according to such private Instructions as his Majesty shall give unto the said Duke His Majesty by the said Commission giving to the Duke power to lead and conduct the said Navy and Army and with them to fight against his said Brother-in-law and Sisters enemies or the enemies of the Crown of England and to advance to the Order of Knighthood such persons employed in the Fleet Forces and Supplies as by their Valor Desert and good Service in this Expedition shall be thought fit in his the said Dukes discretion to merit the same and as to the Office of Captain-General doth appertain On the Seven and twentieth of Iune the Duke set fail from Portsmouth in order to the Relief of the Palatinate with the Fleet consisting of One hundred fail of Ships whereof Ten were of the Kings Royal Navy having aboard about Six or seven thousand Land-soldiers and towards the latter end of Iuly he appeared with his Fleet before Rochel who once much longed for their coming but now shut their Gates at their appearance Hereupon the Duke of Sobiez went a shore with Sir William Beecher from the Duke of Buckingham Sir William Beecher being also accompanied with a Letter of Credence from his Majesty of Great Britain they were at last admitted into the Town and the Magistrates called an Assembly and there Sir William Beecher declared unto them That the Duke of Buckingham was come with a great Fleet and Army to their assistance which his Master had sent out of a fellow-feeling of their sufferings and to require from the King of France a performance of the Articles of Peace made by the King of Englands Mediation on the behalf of the Protestants in France And further declared unto them That if they do now refuse to give their assistance by joyning forces with the English he said he would and did protest before God and Man in the name of the King his Master That his said Master was
are imprisoned will have mercy but we leave that we must not counsel you If in Justice we ought to deliver you we would do it But upon these grounds Records Presidents and Resolutions cited and produced the Court is of opinion they cannot deliver you but you must be remanded Whilst these Arguments about the Loan were in agitation which began in October in Michaelmas-Term various Reports and Advertisements came from the Isle of Rhee Sometime That they were in a Treaty with the Duke to surrender the Citadel unto him Others wrote That it was but a device of the Governor to get time till Relief came And many were dissatisfied with the Presents and Complements which passed between the Duke and the Governor of the Citadel Civilities to an enraged Enemy as was said seldom producing good effect Besides it was observed the Governor by his frequent sending out of Messengers though in a military way with Drums and Trumpets gave the Enemy advantage of seeing the Works and Army But the Vulgar sort at home spake more plainly of the miscarriages at Rhee how all things went there The clean contrary way It hath been observed when things come to be Vox populi it is commonly an ill presage But at this time persons of better quality and judgment gave out odd speeches concerning Affairs at Rhee That the business could not go well at the Isle of Rhee That there must be a Parliament That some must be sacrificed That Bishop Laud was as like as any The Bishop hearing of these speeches and that they were doubled being spoken by several persons he acquainted the King therewith who replied unto him Let me desire you not to trouble your self with any reports till you see me forsake my other Friends c. And the Parliament which afterwards followed said Bishop Laud sought his ruine which by the Kings sudden dissolution thereof was prevented and the Kings other Friends by that means not forsaken Notwithstanding these reports the King is resolved speedily to set to Sea divers Ships with a further supply of Soldiers to be sent to the Army in the Isle of Rhee and commands to press certain Companies of Soldiers and Mariners who were to rendevouz at Plymouth and from thence to be imbarqued and disposed as aforesaid In order to which service the King by Commission appointed the said Soldiers and Mariners to be at present under the Command of Charls L. Vicount Wilmot But afterwards his Majesty by Commission did constitute and appoint the Earl of Holland to repair to Plymouth and there to take into his charge and under his command the oversight rule order and government of all the said Soldiers and Mariners both at Sea and Land and to see them and all Provisions and Necessaries to be shipped and with all conveniencie to be transported and conducted to the Isle of Rhee and a Squadron of Ships was also appointed for their transportation and he was to deliver them under the command of the Duke of Buckingham Admiral of England and General of the Army But before the Earl of Holland set sail let us see what they are doing at the Isle of Rhee The first news we meet with there is That the French notwithstanding our Army at Land and a hundred Sail of Ships at Sea had got into the Harbor with relief of Provisions And that Sir Iohn Burroughs the 20. of September going to take a view of the Works was shot with a bullet whereof he presently dyed His death was much lamented having been a great Honor to the English Nation both at home and abroad About this time landeth Sir Pierce Crossby and some other Commanders with about Sixteen hundred English and Irish which came as an Assistance to the Forces before Rhee And now Toras the Governor began to foresee want notwithstanding his late supply and to study all ways and means how to give advertisement to the King of France of the low condition he was reduced unto Sandgrein a Frenchman adventured out of the Citadel and privately escaped the Guards and got with Intelligence to the King of France Yet Toras fearing left he might miscarry prevailed with three of his men promising large rewards to adventure their lives and to swim to the shore of the main Continent Two miscarried but the third got safe and delivered the Message which the Governor entrusted him with In the mean time more small Vessels got into the Harbor under the Citadel and was a further though small Supply unto them But the King of France was extremely allarm'd by the advertisement from Toras and thereupon blocks up Rochel with his Army as if he had designed the taking of it but the main end in seeming to design the Army against Rochel was thereby to take the opportunity to be near at hand to land Forces under the favor of the Little-Fort so much neglected at first and to put Victuals into the Citadel at S. Martins which was at that time reduced to a low condition And the same was effected time after time and supplies of men and victuals got in notwithstanding the English Guards at Land and Sea which now and then took some of the Vessels but nevertheless so much provision got in as served their occasion in the Citadel to the end of the Siege Now the Rochellers after they had in vain continued promises of obedience to the King of France and entettained a division among the Protestants one Party crossing another and finding the evil consequence of the division they put forth a Manifesto and declare for England and the Duke of Rhoan having given Commissions to raise Forces to assist the English declareth in preservation of the Edict of two Peaces and protesteth not to demand any thing but the observation of the said Edicts On the other part the King of France declareth and promiseth That he will on his part observe the said Edict And further declares the Duke of Rhoan to be drawn to death and declares Sobiez a Traitor and that he that should kill him should be accounted Noble By this time the French had got a great supply of Shipping from the Spaniard for their assistance which with their own made up above a hundred Sail exceeding the English Navy in number yet did avoid engaging with the English Fleet exercising all their skill and art how to get in a good and round supply of Provision into the Citadel and Toras the Governor employed his wit to gain time to that end by entertaining a Treaty of Surrender upon honorable terms and prevails with the Duke that he may first send to the King of France that he might come off with honor The Duke consents thereunto on condition that an English Gentleman an Attendant upon the Duke might go with that Party which Toras sent and have a safe conduct through France to pass into England And so they both go to the Court of France where the English Gentleman
was secured but the Party whom Toras sent did his errand and no doubt gave the King of France a perfect account of their condition in the Citadel whilst the English Gentleman was detained that he could not do the like service for the King of England in delivering to him what he had in command from the Duke The French Gentleman returns to the Leagure at S. Martins but by reason the English Gentleman was not permitted to go for England the Frenchman was not permitted to go again into the Citadel Toras again renews the Treaty pretending that if he had not Relief such a day by such an hour he would surrender And spun out the time so long that in good earnest Relief got in both of men victuals and ammunition and the same Vessels which brought the Relief carried away the sick and wounded and unserviceable men in the Citadel So the Treaty proceeded no further and the Enemy holds upon their Pike-heads Mutton Capons Turkies c. to let the English see they had no want Now we go to work with Mine and Battery And presently also comes news that the French had landed more Forces near the Meadow-Castle a place also at the first neglected though then unmanned And orders are given to draw out men leaving the Trenches unguarded to encounter the French that were landed Which was performed with some reasonable success but the Enemy got security under the Castle and thereupon the English retreated and were enforced to fight to recover their Trenches which the Enemy had now possessed and many mens lives were lost in the regaining thereof This last refreshment of the Enemy being about the middle of October caused the Duke to enter into Council and to think of a resolution for a Retreat which he communicated to Sobiez and tells him further That the season is past his Army diminished his Victuals consumed and his Council of War had judged it fitting to retire Sobiez answered the Duke That the Earl of Holland's Fleet was coming with Supplies that the Relief given was not considerable that the Retreat would draw after it the loss of Rochel and thereby make Sobiez guilty of the ruine thereof but above all it would bring an irreparable prejudice and dishonor upon his Master of Great Britain that had made an Enterprise of so little honor and profit Upon this the Duke continues the Siege and shortly after resolves to storm the Citadel and Works to which it was said the English Commanders were much averse but the French Commanders were zealous for it And so for a farewell Novemb. 6. a vain Attempt was made on all sides of the Citadel In short we lost men and honor for the Fort was unaccessible besides well manned with fresh supplies of men newly put in And having left many dead and hurt we were forced to retire This ill success with the advise given that the Troops of the other Forts did increase the French notwithstanding our Shipping pouring their Forces amain into the Island hastened the Duke to raise the Siege and to retreat to ship his men again for England Novemb. 8. early in the morning the Drums beat and the Army prepares for a March but scarce had the Rearguard come out but the Troops of the Enemy appeared equal in number for Foot and far stronger in Horse which the Enemy had during the Siege landed in the Island under the favor of the Little-Fort and the Meadow-Castle the two places so strangely omitted at the first to be possessed by the English Yet notwithstanding their strength and the advantage of falling upon an Army on a retreat which had endured much hardship and received many discouragements would not the Enemy engage in plain field when the Duke several times drew up the Army in their march and made a stand in hopes of a Battel But the wary French Commander shunned the hazard of Fight on equal terms foreseeing a greater advantage with less hazard For no sooner were the English entred into the Narrow Causey and Lane having on each hand deep ditches and Salt-pits but the Enemy observed the advantage and that the English had neglected to raise a Fort at the entry of the Causey to secure their retreat and yet worse that they had not raised a Fort at the further end thereof near the Bridge to secure the passage over it but had only raised a small Work not tenable on the further side of the Bridge whereupon the Enemy advanced with great fury on a weak Rearguard of Horse and quickly put them to a retreat who in that Narrow Causey disordered the Foot and the Enemy thereby took the advantage followed close and did much execution upon the English Those who escaped the sword were drowned in the Salt-pits and Ditches and the Crowd was so great on the Bridge the Enemy pursuing them over that many English were drowned in the River Yet in this discomâ—ited condition the English took courage faced about rallied their Forces made up a smart body that drew up to fight the Enemy but the French not daring to engage but upon great advantage were enforced to retreat over the Bridge The English lost several hundreds of men and many Colors and great was their dishonor The loss of the men was not so great as that they were left upon so unequal terms where the proof and valor of an Englishman could not put forth it self Novemb. 9. the Army was shipped and the Duke promiseth the Rochellers to come again to their relief and presently after set sail for England meeting with the Earl of Holland as he was setting out of Plymouth coming with a Supply And now every man passeth his censure upon this Expedition Some laying the fault upon the Duke 1 For being too slow in his march after the first landing whereby the Enemy got in provision and heartned his men 2 In being too remiss during the Siege in not preventing provisions for going into the Citadel by doubling Guards at Land and Sea when the wind stood fair 3 In omitting to take in the Little Fort from whence as it was said proceeded all the misery that afterwards followed 4 In retreating before all things were certainly prepared in order to a secure march in narrow places and passages The Duke pleaded for himself That he acted for the most part by the advice of a Council of War and if Orders were given and not observed it was not his fault That had the Earl of Holland come with a Supply of shipping men and victuals so soon as he might and ought to have done he had then without doubt so narrowly blocked up the Harbor to the Citadel by Sea that no Provision should have got into it The Earl of Holland answered for himself That when he was ready to have gone aboard the Fleet at Plymouth the Ships with Provision were not come out of Chattam and when the Provisions were shipt time was spent before he could
of Soldiers 546. His Answer to that Petition p. 552. The Lord Keepers Speech by his Command to rely on the Kings word p. 555. Secretary Cooks Speech thereupon on behalf of the King p. 555 556. Sir Benjamin Rudiards Speech concerning the Kings word p. 557. The King sends another Message by Secretary Cooke to know whether the Parliament will or no relie on his word p. 558 559. Several debates thereupon ibid. He sends another Message that he intendeth shortly to end that Session p. 560. Debates thereupon p. 561. The Speakers Speech in Answer to the Kings several Messages ibid. The Kings Answer thereunto p. 562. The King sends another Message to relie on his word p. 563. Several Debates thereupon ibid. The Petition of Right to be presented to the King delivered at a Conference p. 564. His Letter declaring that he will preserve Magna Charta c. communicated at a Conference p. 565 566. The Lords Addition to the Petition of Right to have a saving for Soveraign power p. 567. Several Debates and Conferences thereupon â—hewing the danger of such a Salvo p. 568 569 c. The Lords agree to the Petition of Right without the Addition p. 592. The Kings and Lord Keepers Speech at the presenting of the Petition of Right p. 596. The Petition of Right at large p. 597. The Kings Answer thereunto p. 598. Not satisfactory and several Speeches thereupon p. 598 599 c. A Message from the King to end the Session on such a day p. 601. He sends another Message that he will certainly hold his day to end the Session p. 613. Several Debates thereupon and the Duke declared the cause of all Grievances p. 613 614 c. The King commands the House to adjourn p. 616. The Lords Address to the King to prevent a dissolution ibid. The King sends another Message to qualifie his former Messages p. 622. Several Speeches thereupon p. 623. The Kings Privy-Seal for payment of monies to raise German Horse p. 624. Burlemachs Examination that they were to be imported into England ibid. The King receives a Petition from both Houses for a better answer to the Petition of Right p. 625. The Kings fuller Answer thereunto and his Speech ib. The Kings Commission for raising of Monies by way of Imposition p. 626. Debates thereupon p. 627. Debates about a Remonstrance to the King against the Duke p. 628. A Remonstrance to the King against the Duke p. 631 632 c. The King causeth the Proceedings in the Star-chamber against the Duke to be taken off the File p. 638. And causeth the Commission for Excise to be cancelled p. 640. A Remonstrance to him concerning Tonnage and Poundage ibid. The King ends the Session of Parliament p. 643. A Particular of such Laws as he passed that Session of Parliament p. 644. Suppresses Dr Manwaring's Sermon by Proclamation p. 645. Grants a Commission to compound with Recusants ibid. His Proclamation against the Bishop of Calcedon ibid. Sends Romish Priests to Wisbitch p. 646. Advances Sir Rich. Weston to be Lord Treasurer Bishop Laud to the Bishoprick of London and Montague to a Bishoprick ibid. Pardons Montague and Manwaring p. 647. Solicited to send Relief to the King of Denmark under Sir Charls Morgan p. 648. Adjourns the Parliament that was to meet the 20 of October to the 20 of January p. 650. Takes the advice of the Iudges about racking of Felton ibid. Declares his resolution about taking the Imposition upon Currants p. 651. Consults with certain of his Council concerning the ensuing Parliament p. 654. His Speech at the second meeting of the Parliament p. 656. Sends a Message about the Bill for Tonnage and Poundage p. 657. Sends a Message to give precedency to Tonnage and Poundage p. 658. Petition to him for a Fast p. 662. His Answer thereunto p. 663. Notwithstanding his Message precedency given to Religion ibid. His Answer to that Particular p. 664. His Declaration against Disputes about Religion debated p. 665. A Report concerning his Pardon to Manwaring and Montague p. 667. His Message about Customs p. 668. His Commission about it p. 669. His Declaration concerning the dissolving the third Parliament at large App. p. 1. Common Fame p. 221 222. Conway Lord p. 12 23 178 182 185 235 238 243 268 292 450 451 455 c. Cook Secretary p. 182 498 501 502 531 544 54 558 559 560 563. Cook Mr. p. 218 222 229 Cook Sir Edward p. 201 497 505 508 526 529 538 543 564 615 627. Corriton Mr. p. 660 Coronation p. 203 204 Cottington Mr. p. 9 13 18 76 122 Cotton Sir Robert p. 20 471 Coventry Sir Thomas made Lord Keeper p. 202. His Speeches in Parliament p. 206 225 481 555 567 592 596 623. Privy Council new sworn p. 169. They write to Dalbeir about disposing the German Horse p. 648. Creswel Mr. 502. Crew Sir Randolf displaced about the Loan p. 424. Crew Sir Thomas p. 55 117 149 150. Again made Speaker p. 176. Cromwel Oliver against the Bishop of Winchester p. 667. Cromwel Lord p. 199. Crosby Sir Piercy Lands with Supply of men p. 467. D. DArnel Sir Thomas about Habeas Corpus p. 462. Davenport Serjeant Argument App. p. 27. Dawes Mr. his Answer about Customs p. 668. Decimation projected 5 Car. App. p. 14. Denmark King his Declaration p. 421. His Battel ibid. His overthrow p. 422. Digby Sir John his discourse betwixt the Duke of Lerma about a Match with Spain p. 1. His advice to the King in that matter p. 2. Is authorised to treat and conclude the Match p. 3. Presents the first draught of Articles p. 4. Sent Ambassador into Flanders p. 23. The substance of his Ambassie to the Emperor and Duke of Bavaria p. 37. Gives an account in Parliament p. 39. Made Earl of Bristol p. 67 68. A Letter to him from the King p. 68. Gives the King hope of a Match p. 69. Hath a Proxy delivered to him by the Prince to consummate the Marriage p. 103. Receives also private instructions not to put it in execution p. 104. Labors to satisfie the Prince to recal his instructions but in vain p. 105. He and Sir Walter Aston again attempt it but in vain p. 106. Bristol sends his Apology to K. James for demurring upon the new instructions p. 112. Hath a tender of large offers from the K. of Spain p. 113. Protests against The Dukes Narration in Parliament p. 149. A Letter from the Lord Conway to him p. 238. His answer to the Lord Conway p. 239. His Petition for a Writ of Summons p. 240. The Kings Letter to him p. 241. He Petitions the Lords again about his Writ of Summons ibid. And desires to be heard in the Accusation of the Duke ibid. Sends a Copy of the Lord Keepers Letter p. 242. With his Answer thereto p. 243. A Message from the King concerning him ibid. He is brought to the Bar p. 252. Articles preferred against him by the Kings Command p. 253. His
take up their Winter Quarters A Letter of the Duke of Buckinghams to Gondomar touching King Iames his bent to the German War Octob. 25. Frederick's Forces totally routed in the Battel at Prague His calamity joined with loss of Honor. An Order at the Council-Table for recovering the Palatinate The Spaniards flatter the King Private Instructions to the Spanish Ambassador into England The King calls a Parliament The Protestant Union declines in Germany The Palatine propounds a Peace to the Elector of Saxony The King puts forth a Proclamation forbidding discourse of State-affairs The Kings Speech to the Parliament * Buckingham The Lo. Digby sent Ambassador into Flanders and Mr. Gage to Rome The Palatine and his Princess go into Holland The Emperor proceeds severely with the Bohemians Imperial Protestant Towns reconcile themselves to the Emperor and intercede for the Palatine but in vain Grievances proposed in Parliament Sir Giles Mompesson imprisoned but escapes beyond Sea 19 Iac. An. 1621. The Kings Speech to the Lords Sentence given against Sir Giles Mompesson And Sir Francis Michel his Compartner in Projects Lord Chancellor Bacon accused and convicted of Bribery Sir Henry accused by the Commons Gondomar reviled and assaulted in London streets Sir Rob. Mansel sent into the Mediterranean Sea The Emperor calls in question the Authors of the Commotions in Bohemia The King intends to adjourn the Parliament The Commons take it not well The King resents it The Commons Declaration touching the Palatinate The King by Proclamation reforms the late grievances handled in Parliament Puts forth another Proclamation against Talking of State-affairs The King is sollicited from Spain to enlarge his favors towards Catholicks The chief heads of the Lord Digby's Embassie to the Emperor The Emperors Reply to those Demands The L. Digby's second Proposal to the Emperor The Emperors Answer The English Ambassador goes to the Duke of Bavaria The Emperors Letter to Don Baltazar de Zuniga The Parliament begins again Nov. 20. The Substance of the Lord Keepers Speech Lord Digby's Speech Lord Treasurer's Speech The Commons Petition and Remonstrance to the King At this time the Protestants are ill treated in France The Kings Letter to Sir Tho. Richardson The Commons send the Remonstrance accompanied with another Petition The Kings Answer to the later Petition The Lord Keepers judgment touching the Kings sharp Answer The Lo. Digby to the Peers The Commons Protestation The King takes the Protestation out of the Journal-book with his own hand In the mean time the King dissolves them Some Eminent Members of the Parliament in Prisoned Others sent for punishment into Ireland The Council write to Judges concerning such as speak of State Affairs The Palatine spoiled of his hereditary dominions The terms which King Iames desires the Emperor to accept in behalf of the Palatine The Emperors Answer to King Iames Ian. 14. 1621. King Iames to Philip the Fourth of Spain King Iames his Letter to the King of Spain Prince Charls to the King of Spain King Iames his Letter to the Lord Balthazar of Zuniga The Privy Council by the Kings command issue out an Order for raising Money for the defence of the Palatinate Archbishop Abbot not relished at Court an advantage taken against him Bishop Laud suspected to incline to Popish Tenents while he was of Oxford as appears by a notable passage The Arminians begin to be favored by the King by means of Bishop Laud. Favors shewed to Recusants by the Kings Order Iacobi 20. 1622. The Lord Keepers Letter excusing the Kings favor towards Papists The Kings Letter to the Archbishop for regulating the Clergy Directions concerning Preachers The new K. of Spain Philip the Fourth procures the Popes assent to the Match The Infanta cools in tâ—e Palsgraves business The pretended Obstacles of the Treaty removed Heidelburgh besieged New Conditions demanded of the King before the Pope gives a Dispensation The Kings Answer to the said Demands The King sends his Resolution to Digby in Spain now made Earl of Bristol Likewise a Letter was â—ent to â—ondomar 〈◊〉 recalleâ— into Spain The Answer to the Memorial presented by the Earl of Bristol to the Spanish King Bristol gives the King hope of the Match Heidelburgh taken The King provoked sends his former Resolutions with anew dispatch into Spain In the mean time Manheim is taken The Emperors Intentions to King Iames not good Nor the King of Spains witness his Letter to Conde Olivares Olivares Answer Bristols Answer from the King of Spain The Popes Demands signed by the King and Prince Frankendale block'd up by Papenheim The King writes to Bristol The Electorate conferred upon the Duke of Bavaria in the Diet at Ratisbone The Protestant Princes plead for the Palatine's restitution The Catholick Princes reply The Protestants reassume the argument The Emperor takes up the debate Sir Dudley Carlton Resident at the â—â—gue sends his judgment of the matter to the Marquis of Buckingham The Prince and the Marquis of Buckingham go to Spain Buckingham visits Olivares and by him is conducted to the King Orders for the Prince's entertainment The Prince sees the Infanta Is entertained honorably by the King Makes his entrance publiquely into Madrid The King sends the Prince two Golden Keys The Grandees are commanded to attend his Highness The Marquis of Buckingham made Duke The people talk that the Prince is come to change his Religion Endeavors to make the Prince change his Religion * Quare Apostoliâ—is literis hortamur Catholicam Majestatem ut eum Principem redigere suaviter conetur sub Romanae Ecclesiae ditionem cui veteres Magnae Britanniae Domini coronatum caput imperii fasces Coelo plaudente submiserunt Quare te monemus ut ad Catholicum Regem religiosus Consiliarius accedas easque rationes despicias quibus insigne aliquod beneficium Britanniae Regnis Romanae Ecclesiae in praesenti rerum opportunitate comparetur Res ipsa magna atque gravissima est quare eum verbis amplificare non debemus Regnum Coelorum Britanniae Principi patefacere Regnum Britanniae sedi Apostolicae restituere incipiet qui Regii istius Adoloscentis animum Catholicae Religionis studio inflamaverit atque haeriticae impietatis odio impleverit c. The Pope's Letter to the Prince of Wales There is another Copy of the Princes Letter to the Pope published by several hands somewhat different from this Allurements to make the Prince change his Religion The Prince stedfast in his Religion Is not well dealt with in his Address to the Infanta The Dispensation is at last procured The Dispensation comes clogged Olivares proposes ways of Accommodation The King of Spain proffers to engage himself on the behalf of the King of England and the Prince His Ghostly Fathers approve his intentions The Match is declared publickly The Archbishops Letter to the King against Toleration of Popery Articles sworn to by the King Prince and Privy Council The Oath Private Articles sworne to by the King in
favor of Roman Catholicks A difficulty concerning the Popes title on the Kings part Another on the Ambassadors part concerning prayers in the Kings Chappel A titular Bishop of Calcedon sent into England Preparations for conducting the Infanta into England No mention made in the Capitulations of restoring the Palatine Mr. Allured his Letter to the Duke The French jealous of this conjunction Pope Vrban to K. Iames. Pope Vrbans Letter to Prince Charls The Treaty begins to tend to a rupture The Prohibition to the Judges and Bishops in behalf of the Catholicks suspended Some of the English in Spain dislike the Match and Religion The Duke disgusted in Spain Buckingham and Bristol run different ways The Palatine by his Secretary labors to engage the Prince against the Marriage The Spaniard continues new delays The English Papists perplexed The Prince ready to depart from the Court of Spain leaves a Proxy with the Earl of Bristâ—l The Duke and Olivares part not Friends The Prince universally â—steemed His departure solemn The Prince feasted the Dons aboard his Ship and bringing them back again to the shore a storm surprises them Expressions of joy for the Princes safe return into England Private Instructions delivered to Bristol contrary to the Proxy Bristol in a Letter gives the Prince a good account of the business King Iames falls off and for a Condition of the Mariage demands the Restitution of the Palatinate Bristol and Asâ—â—n demur upon the new Instructions Sir Walter Aston endeavors to reconcile the Dâ—ke to Spain Advice to the King touching the Duke The Earl of Bristol is commanded by the King to follow the new Instructions King Iames puts the Palatine in hope by Proposal of new terms The Palatines Answer to those Terms proposed by the King The Netherlands appear ready to embrace the antient Union with England The Ratifiâ—â—â—ication come from the new Popâ— and when all is ready for the E 〈◊〉 ls thâ—n is the Maâ—ch dasht by order from England Bristol sends his Apology to K. Iames for having demurred upon the new Instructions Olivares offers Bristol large Preferments in the Kings name when he was to take his leave Bristols Answer to those Profers The Spaniards prepare for a War with England The L. Kensington sent Ambassador into France to feel the pulse of that Court touching a Match renders an account of his acceptance The King advised to call a Parliament The Kings Speech to the Parliament The King approves Sir Tho. Crew for Speaker who made this Speech The Dukes Narrative Both Houses of Parliament justifie the Duke in his Narrative His Majesties Answer to that Justification Both Houses of Parliament concur that the King may not honorably proceed in tâ—e Treaty of the Prince's Marriage and the Palatinate The Kings Speech 〈◊〉 Parliament perswaâ—â—â—â— him to break off the two Treaties of the Match and of the Palatinate Sir Edw. Sackvile's Speech Sir Edw. Sackvile's Speech The Parliaments Answer to the Kings Speech The Parliament offers his Majesty Three Subsidies and Three Fifteens if he break off both Treaties His Majesties Reply The King declares his Resolution to dissolve the Treaties The King accepts the aid proffered him King Iames his Letter to Secretary Conway touching a Petition against the Papists The Petition His Majesties Answer to the Petition The Spanish Ambassadors accuse Buckingham to the King of matters of high concernment The issue of those Accusations The Earl of Bristol protests against the Dukes Narration is imprisoned in the Tower The Speakers and the Kings Speech at the Adjournment of the Parliament Kings Iames demands the Town of Frankendal deposited in the Archducâ—hess hands Spinola marches out of the Town and immediately Re-enters King Iames very desirous of a Match with France The Match with France concluded Count Mansfield arrrives in England 12000 Foot and 200 horse raised to go under his command Scarce the third part of Count Mansfields Army came safe to Land Richard Smith made Bishop of Calcedon and sent into England with Episcopal Jurisdiction * The Duke of Buckingham Instructions to Mr Drummond The Privy-Counsellors present themselves to King Charles King Charles proclaimed at Theobalds At Whitehall In London The old Privy-Council new sworn The Councils advice to the King Proclamation concerning Persons in Office c. Proclamation of Government Resolution taken by the King concerning King Iames Funeral and his own Marriage A Parlamenâ— summoned King Iames Funeral Duke of Buckingham continues Favorite to King Charles Religion considered A general Muster Souldiers levied for the Palatinate Proclamation against disorders committed by Souldiers Articles of the marriage with France signed by the King Private Articles in favor of the Catholicks The Marriage solemnized in France The Duke sent into France for the Queen A Royal Navy sent to Bolâ—ign to transport the Queen The Marriage consummated at Canterbury The Trained Bands of Kent commanded to attend the Queen The King and Queen come to London A Chappel built at Somerset-house for the Queen A great Plague in London The Parliament opened The Kings Speech in Parliament The Lord Keepers Speech in Parliament Sir Tho. Crew Speaker Debates in the House of Commons A Fast. Committees chosen Message to the King touching Religion and his Answer Mr. Montague brought to the Bar. The Arminian party assert his cause The King takes Montagues businâ—â—â— into his own hand Two Subsidies presented to the King The King accepts them and desires more A short Answer to the Petition touching Religion The Parliament adjourned to Oxford The Exchequer removed to Richmond The Vantguard and seven other Ships employed against Rochel The Parliament meets again at Oxford Grievances Mr. Montague Summoned to appear His Cause recommended by the Bishops to the Duke The Appeal to Caesar disputed The Kings Speech in Christ-Church Lord Conway and Secretary Cook by the Kings Command declare the present slate of Affairs Lord Treasurer proceeds in that subject Debates in the House of Commons touching the present state of Affairs Complaints against Papists favored notwithstanding the Kings Answer to the Petition against them The Petition concerning Religion together with his 〈…〉 The Duke renders an account to both Houses of the Fleet. He speaks by way of Objection and Answer * The Earl of Bristol The Dukes Relation accasioned variety of Opinions in Parliament The Kings Message to the Commons Debates upon the Kings Message The Commons Declaration The Parliament dissolved The King follows his Design of War The Kings Proclamation to recal home children of Recusants The Kings Letter to the Lieutenants for the Loan of Money upon Privy-Seals Privy-Seals issued forth to certain Persons Warrants for disarming Recusants Letters directed to Lords Recusants Concourse of Papists prevented Viscount Wimbleton Commander in Chief in the Voyage to Cadez Lord Cromwels Letter to the Duke touching the Fleet. The Earl of Warwick secures Langer-Point in Essex English and Dutch Fleet before Dunkirk dispersed by a storm The General examined before the Council The
in writing against the Sermon Bishop Laud is employed to Answer these Objections King Iames was a long time offended with Bishop Laud. He was advance by Bishop Williams Bishops of Durham and Bathe sworn of the Privy Council Mr. Murrey brings the Answer to the Archbishops Objections The Archbishop is not suffâ—red to see the Writing but Mr. Murrey reads it Sibthorps Sermons Licenced by the Bishop of London Mr. Selden The Duke presseth his Majesty to have the Archbishop sent away before he set to Sea The Archbishop commanded to withdraw The Lord Conway tells the Archbishop the reason why he is commanded to retire The Archbishop writes to the Lord Conway to know if his Majesty will give him his choice of two houses to retire to The Lord Conway 's Answer The reason why the Duke was thought to be offended with the Archbishop The Archbishop accustomed to Hospitality King Iames injoyned the Archbishop to live like an Archbishop The Duke was not pleased that Sir Dudley Diggs frequented the Archbishops house The Archbishop was Tutor to Sir Dudley Digs at Oxford The Duke was offended that Sir Thomas Wentworth frequented the Archbishops House The Archbishop commanded to meddle no more in the High Commission Commendations of the High Commission Court The High Commissioners chargeable to the Archbishop The Archbishops infirmity permitted him not to come to the Star-chamber or Council-Table The Archbishops observation concerning the rise of the Duke Various Reports concerning the Army at Rhee A further Supply preparing for Rhee and to be conveyed thither by the Earl of Holland The Citadel at Rhee relieved Sir Iohn Burroughs slain Toras sends intelligence to the King of France The Rochellers at last declare for England A Treaty for Surrender between the Duke and Toras The Citadel reliev'd again A Retreat resolved on Sobiez against it The Citadel stormed The Army retreats The Enemy engageth the Rear of the Army Several opinions concerning this Expedition to Rhe. The misfortune of Rhee-Expedition causeth a clamor in the Nation A List of Arrearages for freight of ships and Sea-mens wages Anne-Royal Repulse Assurance Nonsuch Waltspite Adventure Triumph Victory S. George S. Andrew Rainbow Vantguard Red-Lion S. Esperite Gard-Land Convecline Antelop Entrance Sir Robert Cotton's Advice touching the present state of affairs A resolution to call a Parliament Order of the Council to set at liberty the Gentry imprisoned for the Loan-money A Parliament summoned A Commission for Impoâ—itions Thirty thousand pounds paid to Burlemach to be returned by Bill of Exchange to raise Forein Forces Recusants taken at Clerkenwell A Letter from a Jesuite concerning the ensuing Parliament The King's Speech at the opening of the Parliament The Lord Keepers Speech Sir Iohn Finch being chosen Speaker made this Speech to his Majesty The Speech without doors Grand Committees setled Petition for a fast Debates touching Grievances Sir Francis Seimour Sir Thomas Wentworth Sir Benjamin Rudyard acts the part of a Moderator Sir Edward Cook Mr Secretary Cook Sir Robert Philips * Sibthorp and Manwaring * Sommersetshire * Scots Secretary Cook moves for Supply for his Majesty In Clerkenwel Thursday March 15. Mr Secretary Cook tenders Propositions touching Supply The House turned into a Committee Habeas Corpus and the Liberty of the Subject debated Mr Creswel Sir Robert Philips Sir Edward Cook Judge Whitlock in justification of the Proceedings in the Upper-Bench upon the Habeas Corpus Judge Doderidge the like Mr Hackwel resumes the Debate of the Habeas Corpus Mr Selden Judge Andersons Reports Sir Edward Cook Resolves touching the Subjects liberty in his Person The Kings Propositions to the House of Commons touching Supply A Conference between the Lords and Commons managed by Secretary Cook against Recusants The Lord Keepers Speech at the presenting a Petition from both Houses against Recusants The Kings Answer to the Petition 1. Article 2. Article 3. Article 4. Article 5. Article 6. Article 7. Article 8. Article Debates touching his Majesties propositions Sir Francis Seimor Sir Nath. Rich. Secr. Cook Sir John Elliot Sir Ed. Cook Sir Thomas Wentworth Sir Henry Martin The House waves c. Mr. Selden Sir T. Hobby Sir Peter Hayman about forein imployment Mr. Hackwel Sir E. Cook Sir Thomas Wentworth Sir John Elliot The King sends a Message to the House of Sâ— Cook touching some words said to be spoken by the Duke Debates on the Message Friday 4 April Secretary brings another Message from the King Mr. Pym. 5. Subsidies resolved on Mr. Secretary Cook report the Kings acceptance of five Subsidies The Duke of Buckinghams Speech at the Councel Table thereupon It is ill taken by Sir John Elliot that the Dukes name was intermingled with the Kings by Secretary Cook Sir Dudly Diggs begins the Conference by way of Introduction Mr. Littleton Mr. Selden Sir Edward Cook 1. Obj. Answ. 2. Obj. Answ. His Majesties Message for non-recess The Message not approved Sir Ro. Phillips Sir E. Cook Sec. Cook to expedite Subsidies Sir Dudly Diggs Sir Thomas Wentworth Mr. Secret Cook delivereth another Message concerning Supply Sir Rob. Phillips Secr. Cook Mr. Wandesford Sir Humphry May. Mr. Speakers Speech to the King at the delivery of the Petition for billeting of Soldiers The Petition concerning billeting of Soldiers Martial Law debated Serj. Ashley questioned for some words Archbishops Speech at a Conference concerning the Petition of Right Propositions tendred to the Commons by the Lords touching the Petition of Right Sir Dudley Diggs replies to this Speech The Lord Keepers Speech to both Houses concerning supply by the Kings command Sir Ben. Rudyards Speech concerning that motion A Committee ordered to draw up a Bill in order to the Petition of Right Mr. Secretary Cook brings a Message to relye on the Kings Word Sir Thomas Wentworth The King gives notice to both Houses that he intends shortly to end this Session Sir John Elliot The Speakers Speech to the King in answer to several Messages His Majesties answer to the Speakers Speech Mr. Secretary Cook brings another Message to relie on the Kings Words Sir John Elliot Sir E. Cook Lord Keepers Speech communicating a Letter from the King His Majesties Letter The Lords Proposition at a Conference about an addition to the Petition of Right The Lords addition to the Petition of Right Mr. Alford Mr. Pimme Mr. Hackwell Sir Ed. Cook Sir Thomas Wentworth Mr. Noy Mr. Selden Mr. Glanviles Speech at a Committee of both Houses concerning Soveraign Power Sir Henry Martins Speech as to the rational part of the matter of the Conference The Lords and Commons agreed touching the Petition of Right Mr. Rouse against Dr. Ed. Manwaring 9. Hen. 3.29 28. Ed. 3.3 37. Ed. 3.18 38. Ed. 3.9 42. Ed. 3.3 17. Ric. 2.6 25. Ed. 3.9 9. Hen. 3.29 25. Ed. 3.4 28. Ed. 3.3 The Petition The Answer debated Sir Jo. Elliots Speech in the laying open of grievances Some against the recapitulating of Grievances Exceptions to Sir John Elliots Speech More exceptions Sir
Sword and Blade and to what place both the head and tail became Vertical together with other secrets Said That not onely all Europe to the elevation of Fifty two degrees was liable to its threatnings but England especially yea That person besides in whose fortune we are all no less imbarked then the Passenger with the Ship is in the Pilot that guideth the same the truth whereof said he a few years will manifest to all men And it was observed by Dr. Bainbridge a famous Astronomer that toward the Declination of it the Eleventh of December it past over London in the morning and so hasted more Northwards even as far as the Orcades Amidst these distractions the House of Austria made no small improvement of their interest in the King of Great Brittain who in the hot pursuit of the Spanish Match was earnest to oblige them And the Spaniards made shew that on their part nothing under Heaven was more desired then this Alliance and in their Discourses magnified the King Queen and Prince of England For the state of their Affairs did press them hard if not to close really yet at least to fain a pressing towards it For the French administred cause of discontent the Truce with the United Provinces was near expiring but above all they took to heart the Bohemian War and resolved to set the main stock upon it Wherefore the King of Spain gave commandment that his Treasure should be gathered together for the Infanta's vast portion being no less then Two Millions and gave hopes of the payment of half a Million beforehand as was desired and with himself all Dispatches seemed to pass freely But his Ministers gave not the same satisfaction and proceeded so slackly in the business that they were suspected either not to intend it at all or not so soon as was pretended Besides the wiser here observed and repined that all difficulties hazards and odious passages must rest on the English side which Spain did little value That King Iames did that to gratifie the Spaniard which rendred him disgusted by his Subjects but if Favor were granted to any Subject of his by the King of Spain it was not without design to engage him in his own Service Which resentments may be collected from a Letter written by a great Minister of State to Mr. Cottington his Majesties then Agent in Spain which for clearer satisfaction you have here at large GOod Mr. Cottington I doubt not but that before these come to your hands you will have heard of the Receipt of all your former Letters These are in answer of your last of the Eighth of October wherein you advertise of the arrival of the Conde Gondomar at Lerma and of his entertainment by that Duke It seemeth unto us here in England that he hath gone but very slowly in his journey and divers seeing how long time he hath spent in the way do make conjecture That it proceedeth from the small affection that he judgeth to be there towards the effecting of the main business saying If the Ambassador were assured that his Master did so really desire the speedy effecting thereof as is pretended he would have made more haste homeward and that it hath not been sincerely intended but meerly used by that State as an amuzement to entertain and busie his Majesty withal and for the gaining of time for their own ends And this is muttered here by very many but I hope we shall ere long receive such an account from thence of their proceedings as will give sufficient satisfaction For my own part I must confess I am yet well perswaded of their intentions for if there be either Honor Religion or Moral honesty in them the Protestations and Professions which I have so often heard them make and you likewise daily advertise hither are sufficient to perswade a man that will not judge them worse then Infidels to expect sincere dealing in the business and whensoever I shall perceive that they go about to do otherwise I must confess my self to have been deceived as I shall ever be on the like terms while I deal with inmost care but withal I shall judge them the most unworthy and persidious people of the World and the more for that his Majesty hath given them so many testimonies of his sincere intentions toward them which he daily continueth as now of late by the causing Sir Walter Rawleigh to be put to death cheifly for the giving them satisfaction whereof his Majesty commanded me to advertise you and concerning whom you shall by the next receive a Declaration shewing the Motives which induced his Majesty to recal his mercy through which he had lived these many years a condemned man In the mean time I think it â—it that to the Duke of Lerma the Confessor and the Secretary of State you do represent his Majesties real manner of proceeding with that King and State and how for the advancing of the great business he hath endeavored to satisfie them in all things letting them see how in many actions of late of that nature his Majesty hath strained upon the affections of his people and especially in this last concerning Sir Walter Rawleigh who died with a great deal of courage and constancy and at his death moved the common sort of people to much remorse who all attributed his death to the desire his Majesty had to satisfie Spain Further you may let them know how able a man Sir Walter Rawleigh was to have done his Majesty service if he should have been pleased to imploy him yet to give them content he hath not spared him when by preserving him he might have given great satisfaction to his Subjects and had at command upon all occasions as useful a man as served any Prince in Christendom and on the contrary the King of Spain is not pleased to do any thing which may be so inconvenient unto him as to lessen the affections of his people or to procure so much as murmuring or distractions amongst them And therefore it is to be expected that on his part they answer his Majesty at least with sincere and real proceeding since that is all they are put to the difficulties and hazards being indeed on his Majesties side And truly I should think it â—it that not by way of commination but as it were out of zeal to the Peace and Amity betwixt these two Crowns you did intimate to the Duke and the other Ministers how impossible you held it to have peace long continued betwixt their Majesties if in this business wherein so much hath been professed there should be found any indirectness But herein you must be cautious and temperate for as on the one side you and I well know that this stile most perswades with them so on the other side the decency and buen termine that is to be observed betwixt great Princes will hardly admit of Threats or Revenge for a Wooing Language but this I know falleth into so
so we pray God that this desire among you of kindling Wars shewing your weariness of peace and plenty may not make God permit us to fall into the miseries of both But as we already said our care of Religion must be such as on the one part we must not by the hot persecution of our Recusants at home irritate Foreign Princes of contrary Religion and teach them the way to plague the Protestants in their Dominions with whom we daily intercede and at this time principally for ease to them of our profession that live under them Yet upon the other part we never mean to spare from due and severe punishment any Papist that will grow insolent for living under our so mild Government And you may also be assured we will leave no care untaken as well for the good Education of the Youth at home especially the children of Papists as also for preserving at all times hereafter the Youth that are or shall be abroad from being bred in dangerous places and so poisoned in Popish Seminaries And as in this point namely the good education of Popish youth at home we have already given some good proofs both in this Kingdom and in Ireland so will we be well pleased to pass any good Laws that shall be made either now or at any time hereafter to this purpose And as to your request of making this a Session and granting a General Pardon It shall be in your defaults if we make nor this a Session before Christmas But for the Pardon ye crave such particulars in it as we must be well advised upon lest otherwise we give you back the double or treble of that we are to receive by your entire Subsidy without Fifteens But the ordinary course we hold fittest to be used still in this case is That we should of our free grace send you down a Pardon from the Higher House containing such points as we shall think fittest wherein we hope ye shall receive good satisfaction But we cannot omit to shew you how strange we think it that ye should make so bad and unjust a Commentary upon some words of our former Letter as if we meant to restrain you thereby of your antient priviledges and liberties in Parliament Truly a Scholar would be asham'd so to misplace and misjudge any sentences in another mans book For whereas in the end of our former Letter we discharge you to meddle with matters of Government and Mysteries of State namely matters of War or Peace or our dearest Son's Match with Spain by which particular denominations we interpret and restrain our former words And then after we forbid you to meddle with such things as have their ordinary course in Courts of Justice Ye couple together those two distinct sentences and plainly leave out these words Of Mysteries of State so as ye erre à bene divisis ad male conjuncta For of the former part concerning Mysteries of State we plainly restrain our meaning to the particulars that were after mentioned And in the latter we confess we meant it by Sir Edward Cook 's foolish business And therefore it had well became him especially being our Servant and one of our Council to have complained unto us which he never did though he was ordinarily at Court since and never had access refused unto him And although we cannot allow of the stile calling it Your antient and undoubted Right and Inheritance but could rather have wished that ye had said That your Priviledges were derived from the grace and permission of our Ancestors and Us For most of them grow from Precedents which shews rather a Toleration then Inheritance Yet we are pleased to give you our Royal assurance that as long as you contain your selves within the limits of your duty we will be as careful to maintain and preserve your lawful Liberties and Priviledges as ever any of our Predecessors were nay as to preserve our own Royal Prerogative So as your House shall only have need to beware to trench upon the Prerogative of the Crown which would enforce us or any just King to retrench them of their Priviledges that would pare his Prerogative and Flowers of the Crown But of this we hope there shall be never cause given Dated at Newmarket the Eleventh day of December 1621. The Lord Keeper Williams advised That the harshness of this Answer should be mitigated with a Letter from his Majesty to the Houses For said he his Majesty rightly inferrs That their Priviledges which they claim to be their Natural birthrights are but the favors of former Kings Now the Kings assertion and their Claim may easily be reconciled if men were peaceably disposed and affected the dispatch of Common business These Priviledges were originally the favor of Princes neither doth his Majesty go about to impair or diminish them Therefore if his Majesty would be pleased to qualifie the passage with some mild and noble expression and require them strictly to prepare things for a Session and to leave those needless disputes He shall make it appear to all wise and just men that those persons are opposite to those Common ends whereof they vaunt themselves the onely Patrons Will the King be pleased to add in this Letter That if they will not prepare Bills for a Session he will break up the Parliament without any longer Prorogation acquainting the Kingdom with their undutifulness and obstinacie and supply the present wants by some other means Or else will he adjourn the present Assembly to the appointed Eight of February This latter course is fitter for further Advice but the former to express a just indignation The Lord Digby minded the Peers That this Session was called for the present support of the Palatinate as was declared by the Message from his Majesty to both Houses in the beginning thereof He reported also That he had received many great Advertisements of that Countries present distress and danger by the Duke of Bavaria and that the Army of Mansfeld who came in for defence if he be not speedily supplied with monies is in a possibility of deserting the service For he hath fair offers of making his Peace but nothing will take with him being in hopes of relief from England But the Parliament thought it their duty as well to advise his Majesty as to supply his wants December 19. The Prince delivered to the Clerk the Commission for an Adjournment to the Eight of February Which discontented the Commons and good people of England foreseeing a Dissolution by Gondomar's means Before the Adjournment in vindication of their Parliamentary rights and Priviledges the Commons made and entred this Protestation following THe Commons now assembled in Parliament being justly occasioned thereunto concerning sundry Liberties Franchises and Priviledges of Parliament amongst others here mentioned do make this Protestation following That the Liberties Franchises Priviledges and Iurisdictions of Parliament are the antient and undoubted Birth-right and Inheritance of the Subjects
the King of Spain either by Publick Act or by Answer under his Hand and Seal a direct Engagement for the Restitution of the Palatinate and the Electoral Dignity by Mediation or by the assistance of Arms if Mediation fail together with a limitation of the time when the way of Mediation shall determine and the assistance of Arms begin And the King declared That he had reason infinitely to think it requisite to deal plainly and clearly with his Brother of Spain because the Berkstrot in the Palatinate the prime flower of his Son-in-laws Revenue was taken by the Arms of Spain and put into the possession of a Spanish Garison or under their command and the Countrey or Revenue thereof was contrary to the Contract with the Infanta at Bruxels and upon an old pretence freshly delivered into the hands of the Bishop of Mentz being none of those to whom Interest or Mediation had been formerly used or thought of who were onely the Emperor the King of Spain and the Duke of Bavaria And concerning the Marriage Portion he absolutely rejected both Jewels and yearly Revenue as contrary to the first Agreement and expected the Total sum in specie at reasonable times of payment As touching the Espousals he commanded the Suspension of the Powers left and sent the Powers renewed by the Prince for a larger time that no blame might light on him or his Son in case that King could not give satisfaction in so short a time as that where in the former powers would become invalid In the mean while he said he was ready to propound good ways to satisfie the Duke of Bavaria in point of Title and Honor and to continue the Negotiation for Matching the Palatines Eldest Son with the Emperors Daughter The Earl of Bristol had a difficult part to act in Spain and in England the Duke set all his strength to crush him The Surrender of the Palatinate to the Kings contentment was not probable after it was ransacked and alienated and as a common Booty shared in parcels to several Princes Nevertheless as yet the King hoped by Treaty to compose the whole business and to satisfie the several Interests And having by his continued patience and industry reduced Matters to a Circle of lesser extent then the former generalities tendered to the Palatine these terms of hope In the first place That he make a due submission to the Emperor under convenient Limitations which shall first be granted in Conformity to that which is Noble with Assurance requisite for the free and safe going and return of his Person and Train And that this being done a Present and full Restitution of all the Palatinate shall be made to the person of his Son and that he himself shall be his Administrator during life and that after the death of the Duke of Bavaria his Son shall be established in the Electoral Dignity Moreover if the Marriage between his eldest Son and one of the Emperors Daughters should take effect it would ensure the enjoyment of all according to the present Contract and make way for the bettering of the Conditions to his own person In Contemplation of which Mariage the other party have approached a degree nearer to wit That the Electorate shall return to his own person after the death of the Duke of Bavaria And as touching the many difficulties in the Treaty of this Mariage to wit The Education of his Son he had devised a way for the satisfaction of parties which was That he should be brought up neither at the Hague nor in the Emperors Court but with his own Son the Prince of Wales and in the presence of the Infanta of Spain after her arival in England Upon these Overtures the King adviseth his Son-in-law to have recourse to his own Wisdom and after mature deliberation to make a choice agreeable to the honor and safety of his estates And he delivered his own opinion That a ready entrance into the possession of his own estate with a kinde of present liberty and an assurance in time to recover more was to be chosen rather then his present bare condition and hazardous expectation upon other uncertain means Upon the tender of these Proposals Letters of Consultation were sent to the King from his Son-in-law and from Sir Dudley Carlton to the Duke of Buckingham who for the greatness of his power was to be courted and made a friend in all transactions To the submission in the first place required reply was made That in natural order the Restitution which was material and substantial ought to precede the same which was but a point of Ceremony or at least it is necessary that all things be resolved and setled in such assurances as shall be held convenient otherwise a submission might be yielded and the Restitution never follow Besides if the Emperors intentions be sincere and real and without any aims to take advantage upon the Palsgraves person as the Emperor Charls the Fifth did upon the Landgrave of Hessen under the subtile distinction of a syllable in the safe conduct the Submission might as well be made by a Deputy by which means he might be freed from those apprehensions which the Executions at Prague and other cruelties used by the Imperialists might impress in his minde Moreover a Submission under the specified Condition of yielding the Electorate to the Duke of Bavaria will prejudice his cause for ever For the Electors of Saxony and Brandenburgh who have always protested against the Translation and the other Princes of Germany who have like-feeling will disavow their own Protestations in regard of him who shall abandon his own pretensions and instead of favoring him may be made his enemies The experience of things may shew what issue is like to follow a consent to the like Conditions for the Emperor had manifestly abused him in two Overtures already First The Instrument signed for the Conditional Resignation of the Crown of Bohemia in the year One thousand six hundred twenty and one serued the Emperor to accelerate the Treaty then on foot with Bethlem Gaber Secondly The Ratification of the Suspension of Arms the last Summer served to intimidate the Electors of Brandenburgh and Saxony that they may not undertake any thing against the Emperor For both the one and the other were for these very ends divulged by the Emperor before any thing was therein concluded And so will the Emperor make his advantage of the present Proposition both to hinder the Progress of Gaber and to continue the intimidation of the Princes of Germany Furthermore in this Submission it were necessary to take care that his undue Proscription and Banishment being to the prejudice of the Constitutions of the Empire and held by the Electors of Saxony and Brandenburgh of no validity may not be approved and a mark of Infamy set upon the Palatine and his posterity And lastly shame and disgrace will be the end of this Submission there being assurance of no
lending of the Ships and received fair Answers from them both But the King sent an express and strict Order to Pennington requiring him without delay to put his former Command in Execution for the consigning of the Ship called the Vantguard with all her furniture into the hands of the Marquess D' Effiat assuring the Officers of the Ships that he would provide for their Indempnity and further commanding him to require the Seven Merchants Ships in his name to put themselves into the Service of the French King and in case of backwardness or refusal to use all means to compel them thereunto even to their sinking Upon this Pennington went back to Deep and put the Vantguard into the absolute Power and Command of the French King to be employed in his Service at pleasure and commanded the rest of the Fleet to the like Surrender At the first the Captains Masters and owners refused to yield weighed Anchor and were making away but when Pennington shot they came in again but Sir Ferdinando Gorge came away with the Ship called the Neptune The Companies unanimously declined the Service and quitted the Ships all but one Man who was a Gunner and Pennington hasted to Oxford where the Parliament was Reassembled but as was voiced was there concealed till the Parliament was dissolved On the First of August the Parliament Reassembled at Oxford whether the news of the Ships lent to the French against the besieged Rochellers did quickly flie and exasperate the spirit of that great Assembly against the Duke of Buckingham The Grievances insisted upon were the mis-spending of the Publick Treasure the neglect of guarding the Seas insomuch that the Turks had leisure to land in the Western parts and carry away the Subjects Captives The Commons appointed a Committee to consider of secret Affairs and to examine the Disbursements of the Three Subsidies and the Three Fifteens given to King Iames for the Recovery of the Palatinate and they prepared to assault the Duke Also Mr. Richard Montague was summoned to appear according to the Condition of his Bond and a Committee was appointed to proceed in the further Examination of that business Mr. Montagues Cause was recommended to the Duke by the Bishops of Rochester Oxford and St. Davids as the Cause of the Church of England They shew that some of the Opinions which offended many were no other then the resolved Doctrine of this Church and some of them are curious Points disputed in the Schools and to be left to the liberty of Learned Men to abound in their own sense it being the great fault of the Council of Trent to require a Subscription to School Opinions and the approved Moderation of the Church of England to refuse the apparent Dangers and Errors of the Church of Rome but not to be over-busie with Scholastical Niceties Moreover in the present case they alleage that in the time of Henry the Eighth when the Clergy submitted to the Kings Supremacy the Submission was so resolved That in case of any difference in the Church the King and the Bishops were to determine the Matter in a National Synod and if any other Judge in Matters of Doctrine be now allowed we depart from the Ordinance of Christ and the continual practice of the Church Herewithal they intimated That if the Church be once brought down below her self even Majesty it self with soon be impeached They say further That King Iames in his rare wisdom and judgment approved all the Opinions in this Book and that most of the contrary Opinions were debated at Lambeth and ready to be published but were suppressed by Queen Elizabeth and so continued till of late they received countenance at the Synod of Dort which was a Synod of another Nation and to us no ways binding till received by Publick Authority And they affirm boldly That they cannot conceive what use there can be of Civil Government in the Common-wealth or of External Ministry in the Church if such fatal Opinions as some are which are opposite to those delivered by Mr. Montague be publickly taught and maintained Such was the Opinion of these forenamed Bishops but others of Eminent Learning were of a different Judgment At Oxford in a late Divinity Disputation held upon this Question Whether a Regenerate Man may totally and finally fall from Grace The Opponent urging the Appeal to Caesar the Doctor of the Chair handled the Appellator very roughly saying He was a meer Grammarian a Man that studied Phrases more then Matter That he understood neither Articles nor Homilies or at least perverted both That he attributed he knew not what vertue to the sign of the Cross Dignus Cruce qui asserit and concluded with an Admonition to the Juniors That they should be wary of reading that and the like Books On the Fourth of August the Lords and Commons were commanded to attend his Majesty in Christs-Church Hall in Oxford where he spake unto them in manner following MY Lords and you of the Commons We all remember that from your Desires and Advice my Father now with God brake off those two Treaties with Spain that were then in hand Well you then foresaw that as well for regaining my dispossessed Brothers Inheritance as home defence a War was likely to succeed and that as your Councils had led my Father into it so your assistance in a Parliamentary-way to pursue it should not be wanting That aid you gave him by Advice was for succor of his Allies the guarding of Ireland and the home part supply of Munition preparing and setting forth of his Navy A Council you thought of and appointed for the War and Treasurers for issuing of the Moneys And to begin this Work of your Advice you gave Three Subsidies and as many Fifteens which with speed were levied and by direction of that Council of War in which the preparation of this Navy was not the least disbursed It pleased God at the entrance of this Preparation by your Advice begun to call my Father to his Mercy whereby I entred as well to the care of your Design as his Crown I did not then as Princes do of Custom and Formality Reassemble you but that by your further Advice and Aid I might be able to proceed in that which by your Counsels my Father was engaged in Your love to me and forwardness to further those Affairs you expressed by a Grant of Two Subsidies yet ungathered although I must assure you by my self and others upon credit taken up and aforehand disbursed and far short as yet to set forth that Navy now preparing as I have lately the estimate of those of care and who are still employed about it whose particular of all expences about this preparation shall be given you when you please to take an accompt of it His Majesty having ended his Speech commanded the Lord Conway and Sir Iohn Cook more particularly to declare the present state of Affairs which
Coronation was briefly thus THe King went that day from Westminster-Hall to the Abbey Church attended by the Aldermen of London Eighty Knights of the Bath in their Robes the Kings Serjeants at Law Solicitor and Attorney Generals the Judges Barons Bishops Viscounts and such of the Earls who bore no particular Office that day in their Parliament Robes going two by two before the King all uncovered and after them followed his Officers of State being Eight Earls and one Marquess those persons according to their respective places and offices carried the Swords the Globe the Scepter the Crown and the Lord Major of London carried the short Scepter two Bishops carried the one the Golden Cup and the other the Plate for the Communion Next before his Majesty went the Earl of Arundel as Earl-Marshal of England and the Duke of Buckingham as Lord High-Constable of England for that day The King being cloathed in White Sattin went under a rich Canopy supported by the Barons of the Cinque Ports the King having on each hand a Bishop and his Train of Purple-Velvet was carried up by the Master of the Robes and the Master of the Wardrobe At the entring into the Church Bishop Laud delivered into the Kings hands the Staff of King Edward the Confessor with which the King walked up to the Throne then the Archbishop of Canterbury presented his Majesty to the Lords and Commons there present East West North and South who gave their consent to his Coronation as their lawful Soveraign After Sermon was done the King went to the Altar where the Old Crucifix amongst other Regalia stood as also the Ointment consecrated by a Bishop to take the Coronation Oath which as is said was performed in this manner viz. SIS says the Archbishop will You grant and kéep and by Your Oath confirm to the People of England the Laws and Customs to them granted by the Kings of England Your Lawful and Religious Predecessors and namely the Laws Customs and Franchises granted to the Clergy by the glorious King St. Edward Your Predecessor according to the laws of God the true Profession of the Gospel established in this Kingdom agréeable to the Prerogative of the Kings thereof and the Antient Customs of the Realm I grant and Promise to keep them Sir will You kéep Peace and Godly Agréement according to Your Power both to God the Holy Church the Clergy and the People I will keep it Sir will You to Your Power cause Law Justice and Discretion to Mercy and Truth to be executed to Your Judgment I will Sir will You grant to hold and kéep the Laws and Rightful Customs which the Communalty of this Your Kingdom have and will You defend and uphold them to the honor of God so much as in you lyeth I grant and promise so to do Then one of the Bishops read this Passage to the King Our Lord and King we beseech You to Pardon and to Grant and to Preserve unto us and to the Churches committed to Your Charge all Canonical Priviledges and do Law and Iustice and that You would Protect and Defend us as every good King to His Kingdoms ought to be Protector and Defender of the Bishops and the Churches under their Government The King answereth With a willing and devout Heart I promise and grant my Pardon and that I will preserve and maintain to you and the Churches committed to your Charge all Canonical Priviledges and due Law and Justice and that I will be your Protector and Defender to my Power by the assistance of God as every good King in his Kingdom in right ought to protect and defend the Bishops and Churches under their Government Then the King arose and was lead to the Communion Table where he takes a Solemn Oath in sight of all the People to observe all the Premisses and laying his hand upon the Bible said The things which I have here promised I shall perform and keep So help me God and the Contents of this Book After the Oath the King was placed in the Chair of Coronation and was Anointed by the Archbishop with a costly Ointment and the Antient Robes of King Edward the Confessor was put upon him and the Crown of King Edward was put upon his Head and his Sword girt about him and he offered the same and two Swords more together with Gold and Silver at the Communion Table He was afterwards conducted by the Nobility to the Throne where this Passage was read to his Majesty Stand and hold fast from henceforth the place to which You have been Heir by the Succession of Your Forefathers being now delivered to You by the Authority of Almighty God and by the hands of us and all the Bishops and Servants of God And as You see the Clergy to come nearer to the Altar then others so remember that in all places convenient You give them greater honor that the Mediator of God and Man may establish You in the Kingly Throne to be a Mediator betwixt the Clergy and the Laity and that You may Raign for ever with Iesus Christ the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Afterwards the Nobility were swâ—rn to be Homagers to the King and some other Ceremonies were performed which being done the Lord Keeper by the Kings command read a writing unto them which declared the Kings free Pardon to all his Subjects who would take the same under the Great Seal The Ceremonies of the Coronation being ended the Regalia were offered at the Altar by Bishop Laud in the Kings Name and then reposited The Bishop of Lincoln faln into disgrace by the displeasure of the Duke of Buckingham had not received his Writ of Summons which he represented to the King with Submission to his Majesties pleasure denied as he said to no Prisoners or condemned Peers in his Fathers Reign to enable him to make his Proxy if his Personal attendance be not permitted Likewise he besought his Majesty That he would be pleased to mitigate the Dukes causless anger towards him who was so little satisfied with any thing he could do or suffer that he had no means left to appease him but his Prayers to God and his Sacred Majesty Also that in his absence in this Parliament no use might be made of his Majesties Sacred Name to wound the Reputation of a poor Bishop who besides his Religion and Duty to that Divine Character which his Majesty beareth hath affectionately honored his very person above all Objects in this World as he desired the Salvation of the World to come And he craveth no Protection against any other Accuser or Accusation whatsoever On Monday the Sixth of February began the Second Parliament of the Kings Reign The King being placed in his Royal Throne the Lords in their Robes and the Commons below the Bar it pleased his Majesty to refer them to the Lord Keeper for what he had to say The Lord Keepers Speech My Lords ANd you the Knights
he had heard by several ways the King suffered much and was infinitely pressed by the Duke concerning the said Earl and his affairs and this he said was the suffering he had spoken of to their Lordships the other day The Earl craved leave of their Lordships to specifie some other particulars whereby it should appear that his Majesty was in no kind ill opinioned of him till his dying day viz. That several persons will depose that they have heard his Majesty say that he esteemed him an honest man And that he was pleased to accept of Toyes by way of Present from him graciously and in good part and at last was likewise pleased to give him leave to come to London and to follow his own affairs and that his pleasure was signified unto him by the Duke his own Letter Whereupon he determined to come to London intimated to the Duke his intention of going to his Lodging in Whitehall but the Duke was therewith incensed again and said he mistook the Kings meaning which was that he might privately follow his own business And this he said was the true State and Condition when it pleased God to take unto his mercy his late most gracious Majesty Upon his Majesties coming to the Crown he said he wrote a most humble Letter unto his Majesty imploring his grace and goodness and desiring the Dukes mediation But he was pleased to answer by his Letter of 7 Maii 1625. That the resolution was to proceed against him without a plain and direct Confession of the Point which he had formerly required him to acknowledge and in a Courtly manner of menace telleth him That he would take the freedom to advise him to bethink himself in time what will be most for his good But in the interim his Majesty was graciously pleased that his Writ of Parliament should be sent him and thereupon he wrote unto the Duke of the receipt of the said Writ but that he should do nothing but what he should understand to be most agreeable to his Majesties pleasure Whereunto the Duke answered in his Letters of May in this manner I have acquainted his Majesty with your requests towards him touching your Summons to the Parliament which he taketh very well and would have you rather make excuse for your absence notwithstanding your Writ then to come your self in person Whereupon he sent humbly to desire a Letter of leave under his Majesties hand for his Warrant but in stead thereof he received from the L. Conway an absolute Prohibition and to restrain and confine him in such sort as he hath been in the late Kings time And although he was indeed absolutely set free he could never get cleared by the Lord Conway though he sent him all the Papers to examine and when he could make no further reply he said he conceived he was under restraint and that his liberty expired with the late Kings death when indeed Restraint may expire but Liberty is natural After this he continued for the space of three quarters of a year in the Country without moving in which time he was removed from those Places and Offices he held during his late Majesties life and the greatest part of his Estate being laid out in their Majesties service by their particular appointment he could never be admitted so much as to the clearing of Accompts Yet hereof he never made the least complaint But against the time of his Majesties Coronation he thought it fit to lay hold of that occasion when Princes do Acts of grace and favor to be a most humble Suitor to his Majesty for his grace and goodness and addressed his Letters unto the Duke of Buckingham from whom he received a Letter all written in his own hand and therein a Letter inclosed from his Majesty so different from some gracious Message which he had received from his Majesty since the said Earl returned into England upon the occasion of a great sickness and likewise from his speeches several times delivered to his Wife to wit That he had never offended him and that for his faults he no ways held them criminal but to be expiated by any easie acknowledgment That he confessed he knew not what judgment to make of the said Letter neither hath presumed hitherto to make any Answer thereto although by reducing the occasions of speeches and circumstances to his Majesties memory he no ways doubteth but he shall be able to give unto his Majesty such satisfaction to every particular as his Majesty would not remain with the least scruple in any one point After this he said that his Writ of Parliament was detained whereupon he addressed himself to the Lord Keeper that he would be a Suitor to his Majesty for him in that behalf which diligences not taking effect by Petition he became a Suitor to their Lordships for their Honorable mediation to his Majesty and thereupon his Writ of Parliament was awarded But the Duke of Buckingham upon that took occasion as he had published Copies of the said Letter over all the Kingdom to read it likewise in that Honorable House as was best known unto their Lordships and the Writ was accompanied with a Prohibition from the Loâ—d Keeper whereupon he addressed himself for Justice to that Honorable House being possessed of his Cause by his Petition for both redress of his own wrongs and likewise of Complaints against the Duke for many Crimes And that Honorable House being possessed of his Cause by his Petition there is preferred against him a succeeding Complaint amounting as high as Treason as it is pretended although he for divers years hath not been questioned yet since his Complaint against the Duke he hath been fetcht up like a Prisoner and brought into that House as a Delinquent And the Duke of whom he hath complained for his great Crimes is admitted still to sit in the House as one of his Judges The which with all that he hath formerly said together with his Life Fortunes and Honor he did with all willingness humility and duty submit to the Justice and Honor of that House Then the Lords asked him When he would bring in his Answer He promised to answer as soon as might be but knew not how far he should have occasion to use his antient Dispatches The Lord Keeper told him that Mr. Attorney might help him by letting him know it The Attorney said that his Charge should in nothing look further back then to the year 1621. Which he desired might be recorded Whereupon the Earl thanking their Lordships for their patience he was carried away by Mr. Maxwell the Gentleman-Usher in whose house and custody he remained Then were read the Earls Articles against the Duke and the Lord Conway viz. Articles of the Earl of Bristol whereby he chargeth the Duke of Buckingham bearing Date the First day of May 1626. I. THat the Duke of Buckingham did secretly combine with the Conde of Gondomar Ambassador for the King of Spain before
his late Majesty was pleased to give order to the Duke and Earl to proceed in the Business which his said Majesty would not have Treated till the said Marriage was concluded as will appear by a Letter of his said late Majesty joyntly to the Duke of Buckingham and the said Earl of the 23 Iuly 1623. Secondly It will appear by Letters of the said Lord Conway to the Duke of Buckingham bearing date September 4. 1623. That the said Duke had good assurance of the Conclusion of the said Match and upon this confidence were all things put in due execution in England as had been Capitulated And the Lord Conway and others faithfully agreed and setled all the Points of Immunity and Liberty for the Roman Catholicks for the use of their Religion as was set down in the Declaration August 9. 1623. hereafter mentioned in the Answers to the Fifth Article of this Charge Thirdly the very day his now Majesty and the Duke of Buckingham departed from the Escurial in Spain towards England the said Duke solemnly swore the Treaty of the said Marriage and the furtherance of it all that should be in his power upon the holy Evangelists in the presence of the said Earl and Sir Walter Aston Fourthly The Treaty of the said Marriage had been formerly signed sealed and solemnly sworne by the King of Spain And when his Majesty and that King took their leaves he did solemnly in the words of a King faithfully and punctually protest to perform all that had been capitulated in the Treaty of Marriage and thereupon imbraced his Majesty at his departure and sent the very next day a Letter written all with his own hand to his Majesty vowing and protesting to make all good that he had capitulated or promised unto his Majesty at his departure the day before So that if there were no true meaning on the part of Spain to make the Marriage as by Mr. Attorney is pretended yet certainly the Earl hath not been sleightly deceived neither can it be as he conceiveth any fault in him since not only his late Majesty but also his Majesty that now is and the Duke of Buckingham being then both upon the place did confidently believe and that upon other grounds then misinformations suggestions and perswasions of the said Earl that the Marriage was really intended And to that effect both his late Majesty of blessed memory and his most Excellent Majesty that now is after his return into England wrote unto him the said Earl several Letters assuring him that their intents and pleasures were to have the said Match proceeded in and thereupon the Proxies of his Majesty then Prince were again inrolled and sent unto the said Earl So that the said Earl having so many and so great causes to be assured that the Match was really intended on both sides he conceiveth it will be hard for Mr. Attorney to make good that part of his Charge wherein he affirmeth that the Earl should know the contrary or the Assurance to be upon false grounds as in the said Article is alleadged II. To the Second Article He directly denieth all the supposed Offences wherewith he stands charged by the said Article And for a clear declaration and manifestation of the truth and manner of his proceedings He saith First as to the continuing the Treaties upon Generalities That the Temporal Articles were by Agreements on both sides not to be treated or setled until such time as the Articles of Religion were fully agreed on For that it was held most proper and honorable for both sides first to see if the Difficulty of Religion might be removed before they passed to any further Engagements And the said Articles of Religion by reason of the Popes new Demands sent into England by Mr. Gage were not signed nor condescended unto by his late Majesty nor his Majesty that now is then Prince until Ian. 5. 1622. and were then sent away in Post out of England to the said Earl by Mr. Simon Digby who arrived with them at Madrid in Spain about the 25. of the same moneth But the Earls care was such to have no time spent in the setling of the Temporal Articles that before he would condescend so much as de bene esse unto the Articles of Religion that they should be sent back to Rome he procured the King of Spain to promise That within the time limited for procuring the Desponsories which was by March or April following the furthest all the Temporal Articles should be setled and agreed to the end that the Infanta might be delivered at the Spring as by the King of Spain his Answer in writing was declared to be the Kings intention And accordingly Sir Walter Aston and the said Earl did not deal in general but did most industriously labor to settle all in particular viz. That the Portion should be Two Millions it appearing that it was so agreed by the late King of Spain That the Dispensation coming the Desponsories should be within Forty days after And that Don Duarte de Portugal should be the man that should attend the Infanta in the Journey And all other Particulars necessary for the Conclusion of the said Treaties were by Sir Walter Aston and the said Earl and the Spanish Commissioners drawn up into heads in writing and after many Debates they were consulted with that King and 2 Martii 1623. stilo vet the Conde Gondomar and the Secretary Don Andreas de Prada were appointed to come home to the house of the said Earl to signifie unto Sir Walter Aston and himself as they did That the King of Spain had declared his resolution in all the Particulars and given them order to come to a speedy Conclusion with them in all things And that Kings Answer to that Conclusion the Earl saw and read all written with the King of Spain's own hand On the seventh day of the said moneth of March 1623. the Kings Majesty then Prince and the Duke of Buckingham arrived at Madrid And then the Spaniards took new laws and the Negotiation was put into a new form So that whereas it is objected against the Earl that he entertained and continued the Treaties so long upon Generalities He conceives it is not meant upon the Spiritual Articles for they were such as were sent from Rome into England and from thence they came to the Earl And for the Temporal Articles they were not to be setled and treated till the Articles of Religion were concluded He conceiveth it cannot be alleadged with any colour that his Majesty was entertained with Generalities since the time that the said Articles of Religion were brought unto the said Earl by Mr. Simon Digby being about the 25. of Ianuary There were but six weeks until March 7. following when his Majesty then Prince arrived in Madrid and in the interim all the above-mentioned Particulars were setled And the time that hath been spent in this Treaty hath not been through his the said Earls
their Lordships as followeth YOur Lordships may have observed how in handling the former Articles I have in my Discourse used the method of time which I hold to be best for the discovery of the truth I shall therefore by your Lordships patience whereof now I have had some good experience use the like order in my enlargment upon these later Articles touching which that which I have to say is thus In or about the Two and twentieth year of the reign of our late dear Soveraign Lord King Iames of famous memory there being then a Treaty between our said late Soveraign and the French King for a Marriage to be had between our then most Noble Prince now our most gratious King and the French Kings Sister our now Queen and for entring into an Active War against the King of Spain and his Allies in Italy and the Valtoline Our said late Soveraign passed some promise to the French Kings Ambassador here the Marquess D' Effiat for procuring or lending some Ships to be employed by the French in that Service upon reasonable conditions but without thought or intent that they should be employed against the Rochellers or any others of our Religion in France For it was pretended by the French Kings Ministers to our King That the said Ships should be employed particularly against Genoa and not otherwise But afterwards some matter of Suspition breaking forth from those of our Religion in France that the Design for Italy was but a pretence to make the Body of an Army fall upon the Rochellers or other of our Religion in that Kingdom the King grew so cautious in his Conditions that as he would perform his promise to lend his Ships so to preserve those of our Religion he contracted or gave directions that the greater part of the Men in the same Ships should be English whereby the power of them should be ever in his hands And the Duke of Buckingham then and yet Lord Great Admiral of England well knowing all this to be true pretended he was and would be very careful and proceed with art to keep the said Ships in the hands of our King and upon our own Coasts and yet nevertheless under hand he unduly intended practised and endeavored the contrary For afterwards by his direction or procurement in or about the Two and twentieth year aforesaid a Ship of his Majesties called the Vantguard being of his Majesties Royal Navy was allotted and appointed to be made ready for the service of the French King and seven other Merchants Ships of great burthen and strength belonging to several persons Natural Subjects of our said late Soveraign Lord were by the Dukes direction impressed as for the service of his said late Majesty and willed to make themselves ready accordingly The Names and Tunage of the said Seven Merchants Ships were as followeth 1. The Great Neptune whereof Sir Ferdinando Gorge was Captain 2. The Industry of the burthen of Four hundred and fifty Tuns whereof Iames Moyer was Captain 3. The Pearl of Five and forty Tuns Anthony Tench was Captain 4. The Marigold of Three hundred Tuns Thomas Davies Captain 5. The Loyalty of Three hundred Tuns Iasper Dare Captain 6. The Peter and Iohn of Three hundred and fifty Tuns Iohn Davies Captain 7. The Gift of God of Three hundred Tuns Henry Lewen Captain Also about the same time a Contract was made by and between Sir Iohn Cooke and other the Commissioners of his Majesties Navy as on behalf of his Majesty for his said Ship the Vantguard and on behalf of the Captains Masters and Owners of the said Seven Merchants Ships but without their privity or direction for the service of the French King upon conditions to be safe and reasonable for our King this Realm and State as also for the said Captains Masters and Owners of the said seven Merchants Ships and for the Companies For Sir Iohn Cooke drew the Instructions for the Direction of the said Contract which Instructions passed and were allowed by the King and such of the Council as were made acquainted therewith and used in this business In which Instructions as Sir Iohn Cooke hath since alleaged in the House of Commons there was care taken for provision to be made that the said Ship of his Majesty called Vantguard should not serve against the City or Inhabitants of Rochel or those of the Religion in France nor take into her more men of the French then she could from time to time be well able to command and master But whether the Instructions for the Merchants Ships and the Kings said Ship were all one is not yet cleared unto the Commons howbeit it appeareth not but that the intent of our King and State was to be a like careful for both Nevertheless a Form of Articles dated the Five and twentieth day of March in the Three and twentieth year of his said late Majesties raign was prepared ingrossed and made ready to be sealed without the knowledge of the Captains Masters and Owners of the said Merchants Ships between the said Marquess D' Effiat the Ambassador on the one part and the several Owners of the said Merchants Ships respectively on the other part viz. A several Writing or Instrument for every of the said Ships respectively whereby amongst other things as by the same appeareth it was covenanted and agreed by and on the part and behalf of the owners to and with the said Marquess D' Effiat to this effect namely 1. That their said Ships respectively with a certain number of men for every of them limitted with Ordnance Munition and other necessaries should be ready for the French Kings service the Thirteenth of April then next following 2. That they should go on in that Service under a French General to be as Captain in every of the said Merchants Ships respectively of the appointment of the French King or his Ambassador 3. That they should serve the French King against any whomsoever but the King of Great Britain 4. That they should take in as many Soldiers into their said several Ships as they could stow or carry besides their Victual and Apparel 5. That they should continue six moneths or longer in the Service so that the whole time did not exceed eighteen moneths 6. That they should permit the French to have the absolute Command of their Ships for Fights and Voyages And it was amongst the said Articles besides other things Covenanted and agreed by the said Marquess D' Effiat as for and on the behalf of the French King to this effectly namely I. That there should be paid to every owner a moneths freight in hand after the rate agreed on and freight for two moneths more after the same rate within Fifteen days after the date of the Articles the computation of the moneths to begin from the 28 of March II. And that the Ships should be ready in a certain form prescribed at the end of the Service When all things were in a
readiness for circumvention and surprisal of the Owners Captains and Masters of the said Ships then and not before they were suddenly pressed to Seal the Countreparts of the prepared Articles and they were about the same time released and discharged from the Imprest of his Majesties Service and acquainted and designed to serve the French King the said three moneths pay being offered and afterwards paid unto them before-hand as a bait to draw on and intangle them in the business Nevertheless the Captains and Owners of the said Merchants Ships doubted upon some points to wit first Against whom they should be employed secondly What Foreign power they should be bound to take into their Ships and thirdly What sufficient security they should have for their freight and redelivery of their Ships But there were private Instructions given to Captain Iohn Pennington Captain of the Kings Ship the Vauntguard as for him and the whole Fleet that he should observe the first Instructions to wit Not to serve against those of the Religion and to take into his Ship no more Frenchmen then they could master The pretence for Genoa and these private Instruments for Pennington were but a further Artifice of the Dukes to draw the Ships into France and to conceal the breaking forth of the matter here in England And the more to endear them and confirm them in an opinion of right intention they were commanded to conceal these private Instructions as if the Duke and his Agents hast trusted them more then they did the Ambassadors By these and other like cunning and undue proceedings of the said Duke the said Marquis d' Effiat sealed one part and the Owners of the said Merchants ships respectively sealed the other parts of the said pretended Articles trusting they should not be bound to the strict performance thereof by reason of the said private Instructions to the contrâ—â— After the passing of these Articles the said ships being formerly ready the said Duke May 8. 1625. made a Warrant under the Great-Seal to call the Companies aboard which had been raised and fitted for the said French service according to former Instructions and with first opportunity to go to such Port as the French Ambassador should direct c. there to expect Directions of the Party that should be Admiral of the said Fleet so prepared with a requiry of all Officers to be assistant hereunto All things being now in readiness Captain Pennington being Admiral of this whole Fleet in May 1625. went with the Kings said ship the Vantguard and the seven Merchants ships aforesaid to Diep in France There instantly the Duke of Memorancy Admiral of France would have put Two hundred French Souldiers aboard the ship called the Industry being no more men then she could stow but a far greater proportion of men then her proper Company was able to command or master and offered also to do the like to every one of the said ships telling the said Captain Pennington and other the said English Captains and Owners and their Companies in direct tearms that they were to go and should go to serve against the City and Inhabitants of Rochel and against those of our Religion whereunto they all shewing themselves unwilling there were Chains of Gold and other Rewards offered unto some of the Captains Masters and Owners to induce them All which they utterly refused protesting unanimously against the Design and would not take in above a fit number of men such as they might be able to command Also the Company of the Kings ship did there inform Captain Pennington of this Overture made to go against Rochel and exhibited a Petition to him against the same subscribing their names to the Petition in a Circle or Compass that it might not appear who was the beginner of the same and then they laid it under his Prayer-Book where he found and read it Whereupon Captain Pennington and the rest consulted more seriously of the matter and by a general assent returned all back to the Downs where they arrived about the end of Iune or beginning of Iuly 1625. From thence Captain Pennington sent a Letter to the Duke of Buckingham by one Ingram with the said Petition and imployed him to become a Suitor to get a discharge from serving against Rochel Ingram delivered the Letter to the Duke and saw him read it together with the said Petition whereby as by other former and later means he had full notice of the Design and intent of the French to go against the Rochellors Iames Moyer also about the same time came to the Court and had conference with my Lord Conway and Sir Iohn Cook now Secretary acquainting them what had passed at Diep praying them to acquaint the Duke which they did and the Duke delivered the said Letter and Petition to Sir Iohn Cook The Duke of Chevereux and Monsieur de Villocleer being now come into England as extraordinary Ambassadors from the French King they and the said Marquis d' Effiat more especially d' Effiat sollicited and got a Letter from the Lord Conway by the Dukes means dated Iuly 1O 1625 directed to Captain Pennington whereby he took upon him to express and signifie his Majesties pleasure to be That his Majesty had left the command of the ships to the French King and that now Captain Pennington should receive into them so many men as that King should please for the time contracted and recommended his Letter to be as a sufficient Warrant in that 〈◊〉 All this while the King or Body of the Council were never made acquainted with any other design then that of Genoa nor heard any thing of the passages at Diep nor of the design for Rochel nor of our Masters Companies Petitions Informations or Complaints thereupon This Letter of the Lord Conways was sent by Parker from Hampton-Court unto Pennington being now about the Downs and was not long after delivered into his hands About this time Monsieur de la Touche and others as from the Duke de Rohan and others of the Protestant party in France sollicited our King and Council against the going of the ships and had good words and hopes from both but from the Duke the contrary who told them the King his Master was obliged and so the ships must and should go The ships remained still in the Downs and afterwards viz. about Iuly 15. 1625. there was a Treaty at Rochester between the three Ambassadors Extraordinary of France and Iames Moyer and Anthony Touchin for themselves and other English Captains and Masters of ships c. The said Moyer and Touchin being by Message commanded to attend the Duke of Buckingham at Rochester for conclusion and settlement to be had of this business the said Ambassadors did there proffer and offer to the said Moyer and Touchin an Instrument in French purporting thus viz. 1. That the said English Captains and their Companies should consent and promise to serve the French King against all none excepted but
the King of great Britain in conformity of the Contract formerly passed between d' Effiat and them 2. That they should consent and agree in consideration of the assurance given them by the Ambassadors to the Articles of March 25. 1625. whereby the French King should be made Master of the said ships by indifferent Inventory that then they should by him be warranted against all hazards of Sea-fight and if they miscarried then the value thereof to be paid by the French King who would also confirm this new Proposition within fifteen dayes after the ships should be delivered to his use by good caution in London 3. That if the French King would take any men out of the said ships he might but without any diminution of freight for or in respect thereof The said Iames Moyer having gotten the French Instrument interpreted answered 1. they would not go to serve against Rochel 2. nor send their ships without good warrant for their going and 3. not without sufficient security to their liking for payment of their freight and reddition of their ships or the value thereof for the Ambassadors security was by them taken not to be sufficient and they protested against it and utterly refused this peraffetted Instrument Here also Sir Iohn Epsley and Sir Thomas Love disswaded the Duke from this enterprise telling him he could not justifie nor answer the delivery of the ships to the French The Lord Duke being at Rochester and there acquainted with all these proceedings commanded the said Moyer and the rest before these Ambassadors that they should obey the Lord Conways Letter and return to Diep to serve the French and that so was our Kings pleasure howbeit herein his Majesties pleasure appeared not but the contrary yet privately at the same time the Duke told them that the security offered or formerly given by the Ambassador was insufficient and that though they went to Diep yet they might and should there keep their ships in their own power till they had made their own conditions to their own liking Iuly 16. 1625. The Duke of Chevereux and Monsieur Villocleox finding that they could not accomplish their designs at Rochester but they must be fain to defer the getting thereof till the coming of the ships back again to Diep where it was thought that better opportunity and more advantage for their ends would be had did to that purpose make and ordain the Marquis d' Effiat their Deputy to contract with the Captains and Masters of the English ships for the French Kings service as effectually as themselves might do thereby transferring their power in that behalf to the said d' Effiat who intended to go over to Diep forthwith about this business The Duke of Buckingham having thus the second time dealt with the Captains and Masters to go to Diep and armed and prepared d' Effiat how and in what manner there to circumvent them sent over to Diep privately and underhand his Secretary Mr Edward Nicholas together with d' Effiat Mr Nicholas at and before the going over had Instructions from the Duke by word to see the execution of the Kings pleasure signified by the Letter from my Lord Conway and to procure the Captains and Masters of the said Merchants ships to deliver over their ships into the hands of the French upon the security peraffetted at Rochester by the three French Ambassadors and by them delivered to the Duke of Buckingham who committed the same to the said Mr Nicholas as the security which in that behalf he was to take and accept Mr Nicholas according to those Instructions went to Diep with d' Effiat and was there very urgent to get the ships delivered to the French according to the said Instructions at their coming over to Diep d' Effiat entred a Suit and Protest against our Captains and Masters and their original Articles the better to enforce them to perform the same without respect to the Dukes verbal pretences or Allegations made to the Captains and Masters at Rochester and in other places formerly to the contrary The Captains and Masters came over again to Diep about Iuly 20. where they found themselves in a strait by reason of the said Protest there entred against them the Dukes instructions by word being too weak to exempt them from obtaining their Contract under their Hands and Seals also Mr Nicholas using the Kings name with threatning words was there very earnest from day to day and very vehemently pressed them to deliver over their ships before security given to their content contrary to the former Proposition viz. the Lord Dukes word to them at Rochester which they refusing to yeild unto Advertisement thereof was speedily sent to the Duke of Buckingham and to his Agents into England and Mr Nicholas continued still at Diep about his former Negotiation Iuly 27. 1625. Sir Ferdinando Gorge Anth. Touching James Moyer Henry Lewen Tho. Davies Jasp. Dard and Iames Davies as owners and Captains of the said seven English ships hired for the French did express in writing that they held it fit they should not quit ships their till they had made their own reasonable conditions and were freed from the questions and troubles they were in and in particular 1. They prayed to be free of the said Protest that they might the better treat of their affairs 2. If the the French King would have delivery of their ships into his power and possession that then they might have security by money deposited in London without Revocation for satisfaction of their ships the former security by Merchants being insufficient and a stop already made of their pay which upon that security they know not how to come by 3. Because their ships being Fortresses of this Kingdom and the delivery of them over into the hands of a Forein Prince without good warrant concerneth even their very lives that they might have a warrant in that behalf under the Great-Seal of England before they should be bound to deliver them over 4. To be free of their bonds entred into for not selling their Ordnance and also free of punishment in that behalf and they shewed how they were more cautious herein for that Commissioners drew the first Articles which were now wholly broken and these Articles were to be done by themselves And this writing they sent from their ships by one Mr Basset Cole to present on shore to the Marquis d' Effiat at Diep appointing the said Mr Cole to treat for a speedy conclusion according to these Articles who treated accordingly And the said Marquis to induce him to yield to his demands shewed a Letter in French signed by the Duke of Buckingham whereby the Duke promised his endeavors to get the Marquis's turn served touching these ships The next day viz. 28 Iuly 1625. Mr Nicholas came aboard the Neptune and declared in writing under his hand how and why he was sent over by the Duke of Buckingham as before and craved the Captain and Masters
Answer in writing under their hands whether they would conform to the Lord Conways Letter and to the Instrument peraffetted at Rochester for delivery over of the said ships yea or no offering to procure them a sufficient discharge to their contentment for their so doing The same day also Sir Ferdinando Gorge and the rest by writing under their hands subscribed did declare as followeth namely That they were willing to obey our King but held not the security peraffetted at Rochester by the three Ambassadors to be sufficient though honorable and so they absolutely refused to deliver their ships upon that security desiring better caution in that behalf 1. By Merchants of Paris 2. To be transferred to London 3. Irrevocable 4. And such as might not be protected by Prerogative and to have this under the Hands and Seals of both Kings All this while our King or body of the Council knew nothing in certain of any other design of the French then only of their pretence against Genoa and believed that all the Articles and Instruments that had passed between the French and us or the Captains Masters and Owners of the English ships had been penned and contrived with full and good Cautions accordingly for pâ—evention of all dangers that might grow to the contrary Also the same 28 Iuly the Captains and Masters taking notice of Mr. Nicholas pressing them to deliver their ships before security given to their content contrary to former Propositions which they held unreasonable did make answer unto the Marquis in writing That until they should have security to their contentment they would not quit the possession of their ships unto the French which was but reasonable and they sent therewith a valuation of their several ships as they would stand to They likewise demanded a performance of all things formerly sent to his Lordship from them by Mr. Nicholas save only for the security by money deposited saying that for all the rest they durst not proceed otherwise Lastly they prayed for a speedy Answer that the delay in this business may not seem to be in them But D' Effiat being confident of the Duke of Buckingham's Letters promises and proceedings aforesaid would not consent to these reasonable demands of the Captains and Masters of the English ships protracting the time till he might hear further from the said Duke out of England While these things were thus in handling both in France and in England there were written over out of France into England Letters of advertisement how and upon what ground or by what act or means procured or occasioned appeareth not yet from one Mr. Larking a servant to the Earl of Holland and a kind of Agent a person some way imployed by our State or under some of our Ambassadors or Ministers in France That the Peace was concluded with those of our Religion in France and that within fourteen days the War would break forth or begin in Italy with a Design upon Genoa a matter of great importance for annoying the Spaniard This Letter of Larking came to the English Court at Richmond 28 Iuly when the Duchess of Chevereux Child was there Christened and the Contents thereof as hath been alleaged were confirmed by the Ambassadors of Savoy and Venice By the advantage and colour whereof the Duke of Buckingham drew the King who all this while knew nothing of the Design upon Rochel or those of our Religion but thought the â—ormer Articles had been safe and well penned both for him and his Subjects according to the most religious and politick intention and Instructions in that behalf originally given by his late Father to write a Letter dated at Richmond the same 28 Iuly directed to the said Captain Pennington to this effect viz. His Majesty did thereby charge and command the said Captain Pennington without delay to put his Highness former Command in execution for consigning the Vantguard into the hands of the Marguis D'Effiat for the French with all her Furniture assuring her Officers his Majesty would provide for their Indemnity And to require the seven Merchants ships in his Majesties name to put themselves into the service of the French King according to the promise his Majesty had made unto him And in case of backwardness or refusal commanding him to use all forcible means to compel them even to sinking with a Charge not to fail and this Letter to be his Warrant This Letter was sent by Captain Thomas Wilbraham to Captain Pennington who was yet in the Downs In the beginning of August 1625. Captain Pennington went over again to Diep carrying with him the said Letters of his Majesty and certain Instructions in writing from the Duke of Buckingham to Mr. Nicholas agreeable in substance to the former verbal Instructions given by the Duke to him at Rochester as the said Nicholas alleadgeth who also affirmeth that in all things what he did touching that business he did nothing but what was warranted by the Dukes Instructions to him which if it be true then the Duke of Buckingham who commanded and imployed him therein must needs be guilty of the matters so acted by the said Mr. Nicholas If there be any subsequent act or assent of Council or of some Counsellors of State for the going of these ships to the French or for putting them into their power it was obtained only for a colour and was unduly gotten by misinforming the Contents of the sealed Articles and concealing the Truth or by some other undue means Neither can any such latter act of Council in any sort justifie the Dukes proceedings which by the whole current of the matter appears to have been indirect in this business even from the beginning About the time of Captain Pennington's coming over to Diep the second time Mr. Nicholas did in his speeches to the Captains and Masters of the seven Merchants ships threaten and tell them That it was as much as their lives were worth if they delivered not their ships to the French as he required which put them in such fear as they could hardly sleep And thereupon two of them were once resolved to have come again away with the ships and because the former threats had made them afraid to return into England therefore to have brought and left their ships in the Downs and themselves for safety of their lives to have gone into Holland Captain Pennington being the second time come into Diep there forthwith delivered and put the said ship the Vantguard into the absolute power and command of the French King his Subjects and Ministers to the said French Kings use to be imployed in his service at his pleasure and acquainted the rest of the Fleet with the effect of his Majesties Letter and Command and demanded and required them also to deliver and put their ships into the power and command of the French King accordingly The Captains Masters and Owners of the seven Merchants ships refused so to do as conceiving it was not
no man amongst the Thebans was to take upon him any Place of Government in the Commonwealth if that he were a Merchant unless there were ten years distance between And the reason is this Because Merchants are used to buying and selling It is their Trade and Art to to 〈◊〉 Money so that their fingers are accustomed to that which they cannot leave when they come to Places of Trust and Judicature Nay further in honor of the Merchants He is accounted the wisest Merchant that gains most so that if any such comes to Offices and Places of Trust he thinks it best to advance his profit Next to the Pagans the Popes a Generation full of Corruption yet they by their Bulls are full of Declamation against such And this is plain by a Bull of Pius Quintus who lays the Penalty of Confiscation of Goods of any that do for money acquire any Offices and condemns them by his Papal sentence to be great sinners So Gregory the Thirteenth condemns the like And now to come nearer home to come to that which will principally lead your Lordships which are the Judgments of your Ancestors in Parliament wherein it appears by the Statute of 5 H. 6. that the same Statute condemns the Seller and Receiver as well as the Buyer and Giver It further appears by the Preamble of that Statute that such offences were against the Law and they foresaw the Corruptions of those that came into those Places by those means and that it is a hinderance of sufficient and worthy men from those Places And also 2 3 E. 6. which was likewise cited in the Case of the Duke of Somerset by which he was to forfeit his Estate that one thing was for selling of Places in the Commonwealth for money And certainly with your Lordships favor it is most just and probable that they that profess themselves to be Patriots and shew by their actions that they aim at their own lucre and labor to hinder the distributing of Iustice it is most just and proper that those men should return back again to the Publick Treasury of the King and Kingdom what they have by their unsatisfied lucre gotten And so my Lords craving Pardon of you for my boldness confusion and distractions in going through this business I humbly leave my self to the judgments of your favors and charities and this Great man the Duke to your wise Censure and Justice Then was read the Eleventh and Twelfth Articles XI That he the said Duke hath within these ten years last past procured divers Titles of Honor to his Mother Brothers Kindred and Allies as the Title of Countess of Buckingham to his Mother while she was Sir Thomas Compton's wife the Title of Earl of A. to his younger Brother Christopher Villiers the Titles of Baron of M. P. Vicount F. and Earl of D. to his Sisters Husband Sir W. F. the Titles of Baron of S. and Vicount P. to Sir Iohn Villiers elder Brother unto the said Duke and divers more of the like kind to his Kindred and Allies whereby the Noble Barons of England so well deserving in themselves and in their Ancestors have been much prejudiced and the Crown disabled to reward extraordinary Vertues in future times with Honor while the small Estates of those for whom such unnecessary Advancement hath been procured ar◠apparently likely to be more and more burthensom unto the King notwithstanding such Annuities Pensions and Grants of Lands annexed to the Crown of great value which the said Duke hath procured for those his Kindred to support these their Dignities XII He the said Duke 〈◊〉 contented with the great Advancement formerly received from the late King of famous memory by his procurement and practice in the Fourteenth year of the said King for the support of the many Places Honors and Dignities conferred on him did obtain a grant of divers Manors Parcel of the Revenue of the Crown and of the Duchy of Lancaster to the yearly value of One thousand six hundred ninety seven pounds two shillings halfpenny farthing of the old Rent with all Woods Timber Trees and Advowson part whereof amounting to the sum of Seven hundred forty seven pounds thirteen shillings four pence was rated at Two and thirty thousand pounds but in truth of a far greater value And likewise in the Sixteenth year of the same Kings reign did procure divers other Manors annexed to the Crown of the yearly value at the old Rent of Twelve hundred pounds or thereabouts according as in a Schedule hereunto annexed appeareth In the Warrant for passing of which Lands he by his great favour procured divers unusual Clauses to be inserted viz. that no Perquisites of Courts should be valued and that all Bailiffs Fees should be reprised in the particulars upon which those Lands were rated whereby a president hath been introduced which all those who since that time have obtained any Lands from the Crown have pursued to the damage of his late Majesty and of our Soveraign Lord the King that now is to an exceeding great value And afterwards he surrendred to his said Majesty divers Mannors and Lands parcel of those Lands formerly granted unto him to the value of Seven hundred twenty three pounds eighteen shillings and two pence half-penny per annum in consideration of which surrender he procured divers other Lands of the said late King to be sold and contracted for by his own Servants and Agents and thereupon hath obtained grants of the same to pass from his late Majesty to several persons of this Kingdom and hath caused Tallies to be stricken for the money being the consideration mentioned in those Grants in the Receipt of the Exchequer as if any such monies had really come to his Majesties Coffers whereas the Duke or some other by his appointment hath indeed received the same sums and expended them upon his own occasions And notwithstanding the great and inestimable gain by him made by the sale of Offices Honors and by other Suits by him obtained from his Majesty and for the countenancing of divers Projects and other Courses burthensom to his Majesties Realms both of England and Ireland The said Duke hath likewise by his procurement and practise received into his hands and disbursed to his own use exceeding great sums that were the monies of the late King of famous memory as appeareth also in the said Schedule hereunto annexed And the better to colour his doings in that behalf hath obtained several Privy-Seals from his late Majesty and his Majesty that now is warranting the payment of great sums to persons by his named causing it to be recited in such Privy-seals as if those sums were directed for secret Services concerning the State which were notwithstanding disposed of to his own use and other Privy-seals by him have been procured for the discharge of those Persons without accompt and by the like fraud and practice under colour of free gifts from his Majesty he hath gotten into
see them earthed before me My Answer to the several points in Charge I shall crave leave to deliver in brief and in form of Law but as naked as truth loves to be and so I leave my self and my cause to your Lordships Justice The humble Answer and Plea of George Duke of Buckingham to the Declaration and Impeachment made against him before your Lordships by the Commons House of Parliament THe said Duke of Buckingham being accused and sought to be impeached before your Lordships of the many Misdemeanors Misprisions Offences and Crimes wherewith he is charged by the Commons House of Parliament and which are comprised in the Articles preferred against him and were aggravated by those whose service was used by that House in the delivery of them Doth finde in himself an unexpressible pressure of deep and hearty sorrow that so great and so worthy a Body should have him suspected of those things which are objected against him whereas had that Honorable House first known the very truth of those particulars whereof they had not there the means to be rightly informed he is well assured in their own true judgments they would have forborn to have charged him therewith The Charge touching Plurity of Offices To the first which concerneth Plurality of Offices which he holdeth he answereth thus That it is true that he holdeth those several Places and Offices which are enumerated in the preamble of his Charge whereof onely three are worthy the name of Offices viz. The Admiralty the Wardenship of the Cinque Ports and Mastership of the Horse the other are rather titulary and additions of Honor. For these Offices he humbly and freely acknowledgeth the bounty and goodness of his most Gratious Master who is with God who when he had cast an Eye of Favor upon him and had taken him into a more near place of service about his Royal Person was more willing to multiply his Graces and Favors upon him then the Duke was forward to ask them and for the most part as many honorable persons and his now most Excellent Majesty above all others can best testifie did prevent the very desires of the Duke in asking And all these particular places he can and doth truly affirm his late Majesty did bestow them of his own Royal motion except the Wardenship of the Cinque Ports onely and thereto also he gave his approbation and encouragement And the Duke denieth that he obtained these places either to satisfie his exorbitant ambition or his own profit or advantage as is objected against him And he hopeth he shall give good satisfaction to the contrary in his particular Answers ensuing touching the manner of his obtaining the places of the Admiralty and the Wardenship of the Cinque Ports whereunto he humbly desireth to refer himself And for the Mastership of the Horse to his Majesty he saith it is a meer domestick office of attendance upon the Kings person whereby he receiveth some profit yet but as a conveniency to render him more sit for his continual attendance and in that place the times compared he hath retrenched the Kings annual charge to a considerable value as shall be made apparent And for the number of places he holdeth he saith That if the Commonwealth doth not suffer thereby he hopeth he may without blame receive and retain that which the liberal and bountiful hand of his Master hath freely conferred upon him And it is not without many Presidents both in Antient and Modern times That one man eminent in the esteem of his Soveraign hath at one time held as great and as many Offices But when it shall be discerned That he shall falsly or corruptly execute those places or any of them or that the Publick shall suffer thereby he is so thankful for what he hath freely received that whensoever his Gratious Master shall require it without disputing with his Soveraign he will readily lay down at his Royal Feet not onely his Places and Offices but his whole Fortunes and his life to do him service But the integrity of his own Heart and Conscience being the most able and most impartial witnesses not accusing him of the least thought of disloyalty to his Soveraign or to his Country doth raise his spirits again to make his just defence before your Lordships of whose Wisdom Justice and Honor he is so well assured That he doth with confidence and yet with all humbleness submit himself and his cause to your Examinations and Judgments before whom he shall with all sincerity and clearness unfold and lay open the secrets of his own actions and of his heart and in his Answer shall not affirm the least Substantial and as near as he can the least Circumstantial point which he doth not believe he shall clearly prove before your Lordships The Charge consisteth of Thirteen several Articles whereunto the Duke saving to himself the usual benefit of not being prejudiced by any words or want of form in his Answer but that he may be admitted to make further explanation and proof as there shall be occasion and saving to him all Priviledges and Rights belonging to him as one of the Peers of the Realm doth make these several and distinct Answers following in the same order they are laid down unto him For his buying of the Admirals place the said Duke maketh this clear and true Answer That it is true that in Ianuary in the Sixteenth year of his late Majesties Raign his late Majesty did by his Letters Patents under the Great Seal of England grant unto the Duke the Office of Admiralty for his life which Grant as he well knoweth it was made freely and without any Contract or Bargain with the late Lord Admiral or any other and upon the voluntary Surrender of that Noble and wel-deserving Lord so he is advised it will appear to be free from any defect in Law by reason of the Statute of 5 Edw. 6. mentioned in this Article of his Charge or for any other cause whatsoever For he saith the true manner of his obtaining this Office and of all the passages thereof which he is ready to make good by Proof was thus That Honorable Lord the late Earl of Nottingham the Lord Admiral being grown much in years and finding that he was not then so able to perform that which appertained to his place as in former times he had done to his great Honor and fearing lest his Majesties service and the Commonwealth might suffer by his defect became an humble and earnest Petitioner to his late Majesty to admit him to surrender his Office His late Majesty was at the first unwilling unto it out of his Royal Affection to his Person and true Judgment of his worth But the Earl renewed his Petitions and in some of them nominated the Duke to be his Successor without the Dukes privity or fore-thought of it And about that time a Gentleman of good place about the Navy and of long experience
of himself came to the Duke and earnestly moved him to undertake the place The Duke apprehending the weight of the place and considering his yong years and want of experience to manage so great a charge gave no ear unto it but excused it not for form but really and ingenuously out of the apprehension of his then unfitness for it This Gentleman not thus satisfied without the Duke applied himself to the late King and moved his Majesty therein and offered Reasons for it That the Duke was the fittest man at that time and as the State of the Navy then stood for that place for he said it was then a time of peace That the best service that could be done for the present was to repair the Navy and Ships Royal which then were much in decay and to retrench the Kings charge and to employ it effectually and that before there was like to be personal use of service otherwise the Duke being yong and active might gain experience and make himself as fit as any other and that in the mean time none was so fit as himself having the opportunity of his Majesties Favor and Means to his Person to procure a constant assignment and payment of moneys for the Navy the want whereof was the greatest cause of the former defects These Reasons perswaded his late Majesty and upon his Majesties own motion perswaded the Duke to take the charge upon him And thereupon the Earl voluntarily freely and willingly and upon his own earnest and often suit surrendred the place without any President Contract or Promise whatsoever which might render the Duke in the least degree subject to the danger of the Law which was not then so much as once thought upon and upon that Surrender the Grant was made to the Duke But it is true That his Majesty out of his Royal bounty for recompence of the long and faithful service of the said Earl and for an honorable memory of his deserts to him and the Crown of England did grant him a Pension of One thousand pounds per annum for his life which in all Ages hath been the Royal way of Princes wherewith to reward antient and well-deserving Servants in their elder years when without their own faults they are become less serviceable to the State And the Duke also voluntarily and freely and as an argument of his noble respect towards so honorable a Predecessor whom to his death he called Father whose Estate â—s he then understood with his late Majesties privity and approbation did send him Three thousand pounds in money which he hopeth no person of worth and honor will esteem to be an act worthy of blame in him And when the Duke had thus obtained this place of great trust he was so careful of his duty that he would not relie upon his judgment or ability but of himself humbly besought his then Majesty to settle a Commission of fit and able persons for the Affairs of the Navy by whose Council and assistance he might manage that weighty business with the best advantage for his Majesties service which Commission was granted and yet continueth and without the advice of those Commissioners he hath never done any thing of moment and by their advice and industry he hath thus husbanded the Kings money and furthered the service that where before the ordinary charge of the Navy was Fifty four thousand pounds per annum and yet the Ships were very much decayed and their Provisions neglected the charge was returned to Thirty thousand pounds per annum and with that charge the Ships all repaired and made serviceable and two new Ships builded yearly and for the two last years when there were no new Ships built the ordinary charge was reduced to Twenty one thousand six hundred pounds per annum And now he dare boldly affirm that his Majesties Navy is in better state by much then ever it was in any precedent time whatsoever For his buying the Wardenship of the Cinque Ports he maketh this plain ingenuous and true Answer That in December in the Two and twentieth year of his late Majesties Raign he obtained the Office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and Constable of the Castle of Dover being one entire Office upon the Surrender of the Lord Zouch then Lord Warden The manner of obtaining whereof was thus The Lord Zouch being grown in years and with his almost continual lameness being grown less fit for that place he discovered a willingness to leave it and made several offers thereof to the Duke of Richmond and Richard Earl of Dorset deceased but he was not willing to part with it without recompence Notice whereof coming to the Duke by an offer made from the Lord Zouch he finding by experience how much and how many ways both the Kings service might and many times did suffer and how many inconveniences did arise to the Kings Subjects in their Goods Ships and Lives by the intermixture of the Jurisdictions of the Admiralty and Wardenship of the Cinque Ports by the emulation disaffection and contention of their Officers as clearly appear by these particulars amongst many others which may be instanced 1. Where the Admiral-Jurisdiction extends generally to all the Narrow Seas the Warden of the Cinque Ports hath and exerciseth Admiral-Jurisdiction on all the Sea Coasts from Show-Beacon in Essex to the Red Noor in Sussex and within those Limits there have been continual differences between the Lord Admiral and the Lord Warden whether the Lord Wardens Jurisdiction extends into the main Sea or onely as far as the low Water Mark and so much further into the Sea as a man on Horsback can reach with a Launce which occasioneth Questions between those cheif Officers themselves 2. There are many and continual differences in executing of Warrants against offenders the Officers of the one refusing to obey or assist the Authority of the other whereby the offenders protected or countenanced by either easily escapeth 3. Merchants and Owners of Goods questioned in the Admiralty are often enforced to sue in both Courts and often enforced for their peace to compound with both Officers 4. The Kings service is much hindred for the most usual and ordinary Rendevouz of the Kings Ships being at the Downs and that being within the Jurisdiction of the Lord Warden the Lord Admiral or Captains of the Kings Ships have no Power or Warrant to press men from the shore if the Kings Ships be in distress 5. When the Kings Ships or others be in danger on the Goodwins and other places within the view of the Portsmen they have refused to help with their Boats lest the Kings Ships should command them on board whereby many Ships have perished and much Goods have been lost 6. When Warrants come to press a Ship at Road for the Kings service the Officers take occasion to disobey the Warrants and prejudice the Kings service For if the Warrant come from the Lord Warden they will pretend
they ought not to have righted themselves before Legal Complaint and a denial on our part and then by way of Reprisal and not by Imbargo So that the Duke doth humbly leave it to the consideration of your Lordships whether the harm which hath hapned to our Merchants hath not been more occasioned by the unseasonable justifying of the actions of the French which animated them to increase their injuries then by any act either of the Duke or any other To this Article which consisteth of two main Points the one of the Extorting Ten thousand pounds unjustly and without right from the East-India Company the other admitting the Duke had a right as Lord Admiral the compassing it by undue ways and abusing the Parliament to work his private ends the Duke giveth this Answer wherein a plain Narration of the Fact he hopeth will clear the Matters objected and in this he shall lay down no more then will fully appear upon Proof About the end of Michaelmas Term 1623. the Duke had information given him by a principal Member of their own Company that the Company had made a great advantage to themselves in the Seas of East-India and other parts of Asia and Africa by rich prizes gotten there forcibly from the Portugals and others and a large part thereof was due to his Majesty and to the Duke as Admiral by the Law for which neither of them had any satisfaction Whereupon directions were given for a legal prosecution in the Court of Admiralty and to proceed in such Matter as should be held fittest by the Advice of Council In the Moneths of December and Ianuary in that year divers Witnesses were examined in the Admiralty according to the ordinary course of that Court to instruct and furnish Informative Processes in this behalf After the Tenth of March 1623. an Action was commenced in the Court in the joynt names of his Majesty and the Admiral grounded upon the former proceeding this was prosecuted by the Kings Advocate and the demand at first was Fifteen thousand pounds The Action being thus framed in both their names by Advice of Council because it was doubtful in the judgment of the Council Whether it did more properly belong to the one or to the other or to both and the form of entring that Action being most usual in that Court on the Eight and twentieth of April 1624. the Judicial Agreement and Sentence passed thereupon in the Admiralty Court wherein the Companies consent and their own offer plainly appeareth so that for the second part of the right it were very hard to conclude that the Duke had no right contrary to the Companies own consent and the sentence of the Court grounded on their Agreement unless it shall fully appear That the Company was by strong hand inforced thereto and so the money extorted Therefore to clear that scruple That as the matter of the Suit was just or at least so probable as the Company willingly desired it for their peace so the manner was as just and honorable your Lordships are humbly entreated to observe these few true Circumstances The Suit in the Admiralty begun divers moneths before the first mention of it in Parliament and some moneths before the beginning of it in that Parliament it was prosecuted in a legal course and upon such grounds as will yet be maintained to be just The Composition made by the Company was not moved by the Duke but his late Majesty on the behalf of himself and of the Duke treated with divers Members of the Company about it and the Duke himself treated not at all with them The Company without any compulsion at all agreed to the Composition not that they were willing to give so much if they might have escaped for nothing but that they were willing to give so much rather then to hazard the success of the Suit And upon this Composition concluded by his Majesty the Company desired and obtained a Pardon for all that was objected against them The Motion in Parliament about the stay of the Companies Ships then ready prepared and furnished was not out of any respect to draw them the rather to give the Composition but really out of an apprehension that there might be need of their strength for the defence of the Realm at home and if so then all private respects must give way to the Publick Interest These Ships upon the importunity of the Merchants and Reasons given by them were suffered nevertheless to fall down to Tilbury by his late Majesties direction to speed their Voyage the better whilst they might be accommodated for this Voyage without prejudice to the publick safety they were discharged when there was an Accommodation propounded and allowed which was That they should forthwith prepare other Ships for the home service whilst those went over with their Voyage which they accordingly did That the Motion made in the Commons House was without the Dukes knowledge or privity That when there was a rumor that the Duke had drawn on the Composition by staying of the Ships which were then gone the Duke was so much offended thereat that he would have had the former Communication to have broken off and have proceeded in a legal course and he sent to the Company to that purpose but the Company gave him satisfaction That they had raised no such rumor nor would nor could avow any such thing and entreated him to rest satisfied with their publick acts to the contrary That after this their Ships being gone themselves careful of their future security solicited the dispatch of the Composition consulted with Councel upon the Instruments which passed about it and were at the charge thereof and the money was paid long after the sentence and the sentence given after the Ships were gone and no security given at all for the money but the sentence and when this mony was paid to the Duke the whole sum but Two hundred pounds thereof onely was borrowed by the King and employed by his own Officers for the service of the Navy If these things do upon proof appear to your Lordships as is assured they will he humbly submitteth it to your judgments how far verbal Affirmations or Informations extrajudicial shall move your judgments when Judicial Acts and those things which were acted and executed prove the contrary To this Article which is so mixt with Actions of great Princes as that he dareth not in his duty publish every passage thereof he cannot for the present make so particular an Answer as he may hath and will do to the rest of his Charge But he giveth this general Answer the truth whereof he humbly prayeth may rather appear to your Lordships by the Proofs then by any Discourse of his which in Reason of State will happily be conceived fit to be more privately handled That these Ships were lent to the French King at first without the Dukes Privitie That when he knew it he did that which belonged
gracious Pardon of his now Majesty granted to the said Duke and vouchsafed in like manner to all his Subjects at the time of his most happy Inauguration and Coronation Which said Pardon under the Great Seal of England granted the said Duke beareth date the 10. day of February now last past and here is shewn forth unto your Lordships on which he doth most humbly rely And yet he hopeth your Lordships in your Justice and Honor upon which with confidence he puts himself will acquit him of and from those misdemeanors offences misprisions and crimes wherewith he hath been charged And he hopeth and will daily pray that for the future he shall by Gods grace so watch over his actions both publick and private that he shall not give any just offence to any The Duke having put in this Answer earnestly moved the Lords to send to the Commons to expedite their Reply and the Commons did as earnestly desire a Copy of his Answer The next day his Majesty wrote this Letter to the Speaker TRusty and Welbeloved We greet you well Our House of Commons cannot forget how often and how earnestly we have called upon them for the speeding of that Aid which they intended us for our great and weighty affairs concerning the safety and honor of us and our Kingdoms And now the time being so far spent that unless it be presently concluded it can neither bring us Money nor Credit by the time which themselves have prefixed which is the last of this Moneth and being further deferred would be of little use we being daily advertised from all parts of the great preparations of the Enemy ready to assail us We hold it necessary by these our Letters to give them our last and final admonition and to let them know that we shall account all further delays and excuses to be express denials And therefore we will and require you to signifie unto them that we do expect that they forthwith bring in their Bill of Subsidy to be passed without delay or Condition so as it may fully pass the House by the end of the next week at the furthest Which if they do not it will force us to take other resolutions But let them know if they finish this according to our desire that we are resolved to let them sit together for the dispatch of their other affairs so long as the season will permit and after their recess to bring them together again the next Winter And if by their denial or delay any thing of ill consequence shall fall out either at home or abroad We call God and man to witness that We have done our part to prevent it by calling our People together to advise with us by opening the weight of our occasions unto them and by requiring their timely help and assistance in these Actions wherein we stand engaged by their own Councels And we will and command you that this Letter be publickly read in the House About this time there happened at three a clock in the afternoon a terrible storm of Rain and Hail in and about the City of London and with it a very great Thunder and Lightening The graves were laid open in S. Andrews Church-yard in Holborn by the sudden fall of the Wall which brought away the Earth with it whereby many Coffins and the Corps therein were exposed to open view and the ruder sort would ordinarily lift up the lids of the Coffins to see the posture of the dead Corps lying therein who had been buried of the Plague but the year before At the same instant of time there was a terrible Storm and strange Spectacle upon Thames by the turbulencie of the waters and a Mist that arose out of the same which appeared in a round Circle of a good bigness above the waters The fierceness of the Storm bent it self towards York-House the then habitation of the Duke of Buckingham beating against the stairs and wall thereof And at last this round Circle thus elevated all this while above the water dispersed it self by degrees like the smoke issuing out of a Furnace and ascended higher and higher till it quite vanished away to the great admiration of the beholders This occasioned the more discourse among the Vulgar in that Doctor Lamb appeared then upon Thames to whose Art of Conjuring they attributed that which had happened The Parliament was then sitting and this Spectacle was seen by many of the Members out of the windows of the House The Commons agreed upon this ensuing Petition to his Majesty concerning Recusants To the Kings most Excellent Majesty YOur Majesties most obedient and loyal Subjects the Commons in this present Parliament assembled do with great comfort remember the many Testimonies which your Majesty hath given of your sincerity and zeal of the true Religion established in this Kingdom and in particular your gracious Answer to both Houses of Parliament at Oxford upon their Petition concerning the Causes and Remedies of the Increase of Popery That your Majesty thought fit and would give order to remove from all Places of Authority and Government all such persons as are either Popish Recusants or according to direction of former Acts of State justly to be suspected which was then presented as a great and principal cause of that mischief But not having received so full redress herein as may conduce to the peace of this Church and safety of this Regal State They hold it their duty once more to resort to your Sacred Majesty humbly to inform you that upon examination they find the persons underwritten to be either Recusants Papists or justly suspected according to the former Acts of State who now do or since the first sitting of the Parliament did remain in places of Government and Authority and Trust in your several Counties of this your Realm of England and Dominion of Wales The Right Honorable Francis Earl of Rutland Lieutenant of the County of Lincoln Rutland Northampton Nottingham and a Commissioner of the Peace and of Oyer and Terminer in the County of York and Justice of Oyer from Trent Northwards His Lordship is presented to be a Popish Recusant and to have affronted all the Commissioners of the Peace within the North-Riding of Yorkshire by sending a Licence under his Hand and Seal unto his Tenant Thomas Fisher dwelling in his Lordships Mannor of Helmsley in the said North-Riding of the said County of York to keep an Alehouse soon after he was by an Order made at the Quarter-Sessions discharged from keeping an Alehouse because he was a Popish convict Recusant and to have procured a Popish Schoolmaster namely Roger Conyers to teach Schollers within the said Mannor of Helmsley that formerly had his Licence to teach Schollers taken from him for teaching Schollers that were the children of Popish Recusants and because he suffered these children to absent themselves from the Church whilest they were his Schollers for which the said Conyers was formerly complained of
for the continuance of that service and safety Which we cannot hope for and we beséech your most excellent Majesty graciously to receive this our humble and frée protestation That we cannot hope for it so long as we thus suffer under the pressures of the power and ambition of the said Duke and the divers and false Informations so given to your Majesty on his behalf and for his advantage especially when we observe also that in such his greatness he preventeth the giving of true Information to your Majesty in all things that may any ways reflect on his own misdoings to shew unto your Majesty the true state of your Subjects and Kingdoms otherwise then as it may be represented for his own ends And to that purpose also hath he procured so many persons depending on him either by alliance or advancement to places of eminencie near your Sacred person Through his misinformations of that kind also and power we have séen to our great grief both in the time of your Majesties Royal Father of blessed memory and of your Majesty divers Officers of the Kingdom so often by him displaced and altered that within these few years past since the beginning of his greatness more such displacings and alterations have by his means happened then in many years before them Neither was there in the time of your Royal Father of blessed memory any such Course held before it was by the practice of the said Duke thus induced And since that time divers Officers of the Crown not only in this your Kingdom of England but also in Ireland as they have béen made friends or adverse to the said Duke have béen either so commended or mispresented by him to his Soveraign and by his procurement so placed or displaced that he hath always herein as much as in him lay made his own ends and advantage the measure of the good or ill of your Majesties Kingdoms But now at length may it please your most excellent Majesty we have received from the Lords a Copy of the said Dukes Answer to our Charge transmitted against him whereunto we shall presently in such sort reply according to the Laws of Parliament that unless his power and practice again undermine our procéedings we do not doubt but we shall upon the same have Iudgment against him In the times also most gracious Soveraign of these Interruptions which came amongst us by reason of the procurement of two of our Members committed A gracious Message was formerly received from your Majesty wherein you had been pleased to let us know That if you had not a timely Supply your Majesty would betake your self to New Counsels which we cannot doubt were intended by your most excellent Majesty to be such as stood with Iustice and the Laws of this Realm But these words New Counsels were remembred in a Speech made amongst us by one of your Majesties Privy-Council and lately a Member of us who in the same Speech told us He had often thought of those words New Counsels That in his consideration of them he remembred that there were such kinds of Parliaments antiently among other Nations as are now in England That in England he saw the Country-people live in happiness and plenty but in these other Nations he saw them poor both in persons and habit or to that effect Which state and condition happened as he said to them where such New Counsels were taken as that the use of their Parliaments ended This intimation may it please your Majesty was such as also gave us just cause to fear there were some ill Ministers near your Majesty that in behalf of the said Duke and together with him who is so strangely powerful were so much against the Parliamentary Course of this Kingdom as they might perhaps advise your most excellent Majesty such New Counsels as these that fell under the memory and consideration of that Privy-Counsellor And one especial reason among others hath increased that fear amongst us For that whereas the Subsidies of Tonnage and Poundage which determined upon the death of your most Royal Father our late Soveraign and were never payable to any of your Majesties Ancestors but only by a special Act of Parliament and ought not to be levied without such an Act yet ever since the beginning of your Majesties happy Reign over us the said Subsidies have béen levied by some of your Majesties ministers as if they were still due although also one Parliament hath béen since then begun and dissolved by procurement of the said Duke as is before shewed wherein no Act passed for the same Subsidies Which example is so much against the constant use of former times and the known Right and Liberty of your Subjects that it is an apparent effect of some new Counsels given against the antient setled Course of Government of this your Majesties Kingdom and chiefly against the Right of your Commons as if there might be any Subsidy Tax or Aid levied upon them without their consent in Parliament or contrary to the setled Laws of this Kingdom But if any such do so ill an office as by the misrepresentation of the state and right of your Majesties loyal Subjects advise any such new Counsels as the levying of any Aid Tax or Subsidy among your people contrary to the setled Laws of your Kingdom We cannot most gracious Soveraign but esteem them that so shall advise not only as Uipers but Pests to their King and Commonwealth as all such were to both Houses of Parliament expresly stiled by your most Royal Father but also Capital Enemies as well to your Crown and Dignity as to the Commonwealth And we shall for our parts in Parliament shew as occasion shall require and be ready to declare their offences of this kind such as that may be rewarded with the highest punishment as your Laws inflict on any Offenders These and some of these things amongst many other Most gracious Soveraign are those which have so much prevented a right understanding betwéen your Majesty and us and which have possessed the hearts of your people and loyal Commons with unspeakable sorrow and grief finding apparently all humble and hearty endeavors misinterpreted hindred and now at last almost frustrated utterly by the interposition of the excessive and abusive power of one man Against whom we have just cause to protest not only in regard of the particulars wherewith he hath béen charged which in Parliamentary way we are enforced to insist upon as matters which lie in our notice and proof but also because we apprehend him of so unbridled Ambition and so averse to the good and tranquillity of the Church and State that we verily believe him to be an Enemy to both And therefore unless we would betray our own duties to your Majesty and those for whom we are trusted We cannot but express our infinite grief that he should have so great power and interest in your Princely affections and under your Majesty wholly in
fully acquit of his engagement of Honor and Conscience for their Relief But notwithstanding this Declaration and Sobiez his earnest solicitation and endeavor The Magistrates and wealthier sort of People in the Town being possessed with the fear of the King of France his Army then upon a march against them and there being a Court party also prevalent in the Town could be drawn to give no other answer at that time but this That they did render all humble and hearty thanks to his Majesty of Great Britain for the care he had of them and to the Duke for his forwardness and readiness to do his best service for their good but said They were bound by Oath of Union to do nothing but by the common and unanimous consent of the rest of the Protestant party in France And therefore prayed the King of Great Britain to excuse them in that they did suspend the Conjunction of Forces till they had sent to the rest of the Protestant Towns who were of the Union with them And in the mean time their Prayers and Vows should be for the happy progress of such actions as the Fleet and Army should undertake Notwithstanding this Answer Sobiez had strong assurance from a well-affected party in the Town That they could and would be able to preserve the same for the encouragement of the English and to assist them also with supplies from thence When Sobiez went from the Fleet into Rochel with Sir William Beecher the Duke of Buckingham was pleased to communicate his design to Sobiez by reason of his knowledge of the Countrey as well as for his interest in that Kingdom to raise forces that his full purpose and intention was to land his Army in the Isle of Oleran near unto Rochel and not at the Isle of Rhee being a little further distant Which Sobiez well approved of as a thing feasible at the first entrance the forces therein being few and the Forts weakly manned and victualled and besides it was of advantage for the Oyls Wines and other Commodities therein whereas the Isle of Rhee as he said to the Duke was furnished with a considerable force both of Horse and Foot which would make the landing there very difficult and besides they had a Cittadel well fortified to retreat unto The Duke not staying for Sobiez his return from Rochel alters his resolution and directs his course to the Isle of Rhee Toras the Governor thereof having before taken the alarum by the sight of the Fleet at Sea marches with his forces to impede their landing but maugre their opposition and the Fort La Prie. Sir Iohn Burroughs Sir Alexander Bret Sir Charles Rich together with Monsieur St. Branchard and other brave Commanders land first ashore and after them about Twelve hundred men who were presently encountred with the French horse and foot and a sore fight happened thereupon being a long time well maintained on both sides and many Commanders fell both of the English and French few of the English were unwounded but at last the English forced their way the enemy was constrained to retreat and to permit the whole Army to land In this combate Monsieur St. Blanchard was slain whose loss was much lamented by the Protestant party in France Sir William Heyden and some hundreds of the English were slain The foot which engaged on both sides were much equal in number but in horse the French had a great advantage The Victory was not pursued by a speedy march after Toras who retreated to his Cittadel at St. Martins with his wounded men for five days time was spent before the Army moved whereby Toras got not onely time to encourage his men to hold out being much discomfited at this fight but to get in assistance of Men and provision of Victuals out of the Island into the Cittadel which he improved to great advantage The Fort La Prie near unto the landing place and meanly Victualled and Manned was all this while the Army staid neglected omitted or contemned as inconsiderable the gaining whereof as was said would have secured a retreat for the English and impeded the landing of the French during the siege of the Fort at St. Martins This landing of the English was a great astonishment in the Court of France and if the taking of the Fort had immediately followed there would have appeared a great change of Affairs for the King fell sick about the same time and great discontent there was at Court and the King sent his Resolution to give the Protestants honorable terms if they will not joyn with the English sent to the Duke of Rhoan to content him with money and other proffers and renders the landing of the English to other Protestant Towns to be a thing not to be complied withal The Duke in two days march came with his Army before St. Martins and published a Manifesto justifying his Masters taking up of Arms against the King of France declaring amongst other Reasons as one cause thereof the Frenches employing of the English Ships against Rochel contrary to promise and lodgeth his Army at the Burgh of St. Martins at Rhee which upon the approach of the Duke the enemy quit and retreated into the City and quit a Well which was about thirty paces from their Counterskarf which being not at first coming of the Army made totally unserviceable to the enemy they presently drew a work unto it and so secured the same for their use by which they subsisted during all the time of the siege The Duke blocks up the Cittadel draws his forces round about it in order to a close siege and disposes his Fleet so as to hinder Relief by Sea and resolves to take it by Famine upon presumption and as the truth was that they were not provided with Victuals in the Cittadel for a long siege and being Master at Sea he might in short time be Master of the Cittadel But whilst the Duke employs his time in drawing a Line of Circumvallation and raising of Bulwarks and Batteries let us see what they are doing in England Those Gentlemen who stood committed for not parting with moneys upon the Commission for Loans were appointed to several Confinements not in their own but Foreign Counties Sir Thomas Wentworth afterwards Earl of Strafford and George Ratcliff Esq afterwards Sir George Yorkshire Gentlemen were sent for by Messengers and removed out of the County of York into the County of Kent and there secured by Confinement Sir Walter Earl and Sir Iohn Strangwayes who were Dorsetshire men were secured in the County of Bedford Sir Thomas Grantham and some others of the County of Lincoln were removed and secured in the County of Dorset Sir Iohn Heveningham and others of the County of Suffolk were secured in the County of Somerset Richard Knightly Esq and others of the County of Northampton were secured in the County of Southampton and Wiltshire Sir Nathaniel
get them to a Rendevouz and when they were come to a Rendevouz and he ready to set sail with the whole Fleet the winds proved contrary But some of the chief Commanders when they came into England spake somwhat loudly of other miscarriages at Rhee pleading much on the behalf of the Council of War And now when the unfortunate Action of Rhee was known and published throughout the Nation the cry of the People was so great and the Kings necessities so pressing that it was in every mans mouth A Parliament must needs be summoned For we have now provoked two potent neigbor Kings and near Enemies our Coasts and Ports were unguarded our able Commanders worne away or not imployed The Mariners come in multitudes to the Court at Whitehall in great disorder and confusion crying out for Pay and much ado there was to appease them The Enemies come into our Harbors survey our Rivers and the Fishermen can scarce look out A vast number of our Ships have been lost and taken in the three years past and the Merchants cease to build more because they were prest for the Kings service at a low rate and not paid and the Mariners flee from their own imployment fearing to be prest again And our Enemies grow upon us especially in the Eastern Countries We give you here a brief Account of such Arrearages as were behind and unpaid for Freight of Ships Seamens Wages and Materials for Shipping in the Years 1625 1626 1627. FOr freight of Merchants and Newcastle-Ships imployed in his Majesties service and for several Bills of provisions yet unpaid in the years 1625 1626 according to the former Estimates Privy-seals passed for the same l. 60000 s. 00 d. 00 For the freight of sundry Merchants and Newcastle-ships imployed in his Majesties service to the Isle of Rhee and other places in the year 1627 19560 12 04 For Seamens wages in the same year 1627 ending the last of this moneth 61957 19 08 The repairing of the Hulls Masts of the said Ships to make them fit only for imployment in the Narrow-Seas together with repair and for setting forth of the Nostredame and Sea-waller two Prise-ships 05761 10 04 For repairing the said Ships mentioned in the margin for their Hulls Masts c. at 1000 marks apeece 08000 00 00 For supply of 700 Tuns of Cordage taken out of his Majesties Stores for furnishing to Sea of several Fleets at 26 l. 13 s. 4 d. per Tun being demanded upon several Estimates to be made good at the end of each service and yet unpaid 18666 13 04 Besides these Arrears there were Demands made by the Navy for supplying the Stores with Mast Timber Plank Deal Sales Ropes Tar Tallow Iron Anchors c. the Sum of 26000 00 00 The Rochellers after the Dukes arrival in England sent their Deputies to his Majesty for succor and relief in their distressed condition and presented their Desires in nature of a Remonstrance to the King and the Lords of the Council wherein they gave his Majesty most humble thanks for the great assistance and comfort they had received by the Fleet sent in Iuly last whereof the Duke of Buckingham was Admiral which would have been of greater assistance unto them had the season of the year permitted their stay longer there or that the supply of Victuals and Ammunition had come unto them which his Majesty had assigned That they are given to understand that there is application made to the King of Denmark to propound the making of a Peace between the two Crowns of England and France a thing to be wished if really intended But the Proceedings of France with the Reformed Churches there hath hitherto been such as when they spake most fair and nothing but Peace uttered nothing less was intended and great advantages thereby have been taken against the Reformed Churches But in case the Treaty do proceed they humbly prayed that then his Majesty will be pleased to insist upon the Capitulation which was made upon his mediation and for which he passed his word that the Reformed Churches should perform on their part which they kept inviolable till there were Forces placed and kept in Forts against them contrary to Capitulation and more Forces drawn down in order to the reduction of the Remonstrants and a Fleet unexpectedly come upon them to destroy their Navigation when nothing on their part was offered in violation of the Treaty They did further remonstrate That now the Forces of France are breaking down apace about them totally to block them up by Land and do intend to make a Barracado cross the Channel leaving a narrow passage for the flux and reflux of the Sea and by that means to stop all manner of Provisions by Sea which evidently remonstrates their further ruine if they with all expedition have not succor and help from his Majesty of Great Britain For their necessities and straits are very great already by reason their Magazines are consumed their monies spent and the Inhabitants reduced to small allowances And therefore do beseech his Majesty with all possible diligence to send them supply of all sorts of Provisions fit for a Siege and to succor them once more with the Navy-Royal to interrupt the blocking up of the River otherwise they are inevitably lost And lastly they did humbly beseech his Majesty and the Lords of his Council to have also so far pity of their indigencie and need as to permit a General Collection to be made in England and Scotland of such persons whom God shall move to contribute to their succor and relief And declare that they are resolved still to hold out hoping yet a Relief would come that might be of advantage unto them and they were assured thereof by the Duke of Buckingham at his departure that he would once more come in person to their assistance In this state of Affairs it is said Sir Robert Gotton being thereunto called presented his Advice to certain Lords of the Council in manner following AS soon as the House of Austria had incorporated it self with Spain and by their new Discoveries gotten to themselves the Wealth of the Indies They began to affect and have ever since pursued a Fifth Monarchy The Emperor Charls would lay the first Foundation of Italy by surprising Rome From this he was thrust by force and respect of Religion Hen. 8. being made Caput Foediris against him He then attempted High-Germany practising by faction and force to reduce them first to Petty States and so to his absolute power In this Hen. 8. again prevented him by laying the Lutheran Princes under this Confederacie and assistance His Son the Second Philip pursued the same Ambition in the Netherlands of Germany by reduction whereof he intended to make his way further into the others This the late Queen of England interrupted by siding with the afflicted people on the one part and making herself the Head of the
Articles of Marriage p. 86. The Oath taken by him p. 88. Swears to private Articles p. 88 89. And afterwards findes delays in Spain p. 102. Resolves to depart thence and leave a Proxy with Bristol p. 103. Feasts the Spanish Dons aboard his Ship p. 104. Arrives safe in England ibid. Left private Instructions with Bristol to contradict the Proxy ibid. Attests the Dukes Narrative in Parliament p. 119 Is Proclaimed King p. 169. New swears the old Privy Council ibid. Pursues their Advice p. 170. Puts forth a Proclamation of Government p. 171. Attends in person his Fathers Funeral ibid. Continues the Duke intimately in favor ibid. Levies Soldiers for the Palatinate p. 172. Signs the Articles of Marriage with France ibid. The Marriage solemnised in France p. 173. Sends the Duke of Buckingham into France to attend the Queen into England p. 174. And meets the Queen at Dover ibid. The Marriage consummated at Canterbury ibid. Brings her to London ibid. His first Speech in Parliament p. 175. The Lord Keepers Speech by his direction p. 176. Owns Montague as his servant p. 178. Adjourns the Parliament to Oxford ibid. His Ships employed against Rochel ibid. His Speech at the Parliament in Oxford p. 181. Seconded by the Lord Conway and Secretary Cook p. 182. He Answers the Commons Petition against Recusants p. 185. Sends a Message for supply p. 194. The Commons insisting still upon grievances he dissolves the Parliament p. 195. And follows his design of War ibid. Sends out Privy Seals for money p. 196. Disarms Recusants p. 198. Sends out his Fleet and Army under command of Viscount Wimbleton p. 198 199. Their unsuccessful Voyage p. 200. He now prohibites trade with Spain p. 201. Takes the Seal from Lord Keeper Williams p. 202. Calls a Parliament ibid. Prepares for his Coronation p. 203. Commands all of Forty pound per annum to appear and receive the Order of Knighthood ibid. The manner of his Coronation p. 204. The King is present at the opening of the second Parliament p. 206. And commands the Lord Keeper Coventry to speak what he intended himself to have said ibid. Forbids resort to hear Mass p. 216. The Kings Letter to the Commons to hasten supply p. 218. Seconds it with a Message p. 219. To which the Commons sent an Answer p. 220. The Kings Reply ibid. And sends another Message concerning Mr. Cook and Doctor Turner p. 222. Three Subsidies and three Fifteens Voted to be given him p. 225. And hot Debate against the Duke ibid. Whereupon the King speaks to the Parliament ibid. And refers to the Lord Keeper to speak further p. 225 226 c. And speaks again himself p. 229. His Speech explained by the Duke ibid. Receives a Petition touching Nobility p. 237. His Letter to Bristol p. 241. His Message concerning Bristol p. 243. Receives a Remonstrance from the Commons concerning the Duke p. 247. Adjourns the Parliament for a week p. 250. He is attended by some Bishops concerning the Duke p. 251. Leaves the House at liberty to present the matter concerning the Duke p. 252. His Message on behalf of the Duke against Bristol p. 260. His Speech on behalf of the Duke p. 361. Commits Sir Dudley Diggs and Sir John Elliot p. 362. Releases them p. 364. His Message concerning the Earl of Arundel p. 368. His Answer to the Lords Petition p. 371 372. His further Answer concerning the Earl of Arundel p. 373. Another Message from the King concerning the said Earl p. 374 375. The Earl of Arundel set at liberty p. 375. His Message to the Parliament that they hinder not the Election of the Duke as Chancellor of Cambridge p. 376 377. His Letter to that University on the Dukes behalf p. 378. His Letter to the Speaker concerning Supply p. 394. The Commons Petition him against Recusants p. 395. A Speech made to him by Sir Hennage Finch concerning the Duke p. 401. His Commission to dissolve the Parliament p. 403 The Parliaments Remonstrance to him p. 404 405 c. His Proclamation against the said Remonstrance p. 415. And another against disputing about Arminian Controtroversies p. 416. Causes an Information to be preferred against the Duke p. 417. Prohibites the Book of Bounty ibid. Takes the Forfeiture arising from Recusants ibid. Grants a Commission to compound with Recusants p. 418. His Proclamation to make his Revenue certain ibid. Sends to his Nobles to lend him money ibid. Demands of the City of London the Loan of One hundred thousand pounds p. 419. Requires Port Towns to furnish Ships ibid. Which the Ports in Dorsetshire dispute ibid. The City of London the like and are checked ibid. Issues forth Privy Seals p. 420. Requires inhabitants in Port Towns to repair to their Houses ibid. Sends Ships to the River Elbe ibid. Declares the King of Denmarks overthrow to be one ground of the Loan p. 422. Puts forth a Declaration concerning the Loan ibid. Gives private Instructions concerning the Loan ibid. Grants a Commission for Martial Law p. 423. Displaces Sir Randal Crew about the Loan and makes Sir Nicholas Hide Chief Iustice p. 424. Sends Six thousand English into the Netherlands pag. 425. Makes Sir Charles Morgan General of them ibid. Causes refusers of Loan money to be pressed for Soldiers p. 426. Dissatisfied with the French about the Queen p. 427. and dismisses them p. 428. His Declaration concerning a War with France p. 429. Makes the Duke of Buckingham Admiral and General and gives him a Commission ibid. Secures several Gentlemen for not paying the Loan money p. 433. Grant a Commission to sequester Archbishop Abbot p. 435. Appoints a supply to be sent to the Duke under the Earl of Holland p. 466. A List of the Debt the King owes for Fraights of Ships upon the two Expeditions to Cadize and Rhee p. 470. Calls a Parliament p. 476. Set at liberty the imprisoned Gentlemen about the Loan money p. 477. A List of those Gentry imprisoned by the King about Loan money ibid. His Commission for an Imposition in nature of an Excise considered of p. 478. His Privy Seal to pay Thirty thousand pound for raising of German Horse ibid. His Speech at the opening of the Third Parment p. 480. Lord Keepers Speech by his direction p. 481. The Speakers Speech to him p. 484. Petition to him for a Fast p. 494. His propositions for supply p. 502. His Propositions touching supply again mentioned p. 509. His Answer to the Petition against Recusants p. 511. His Propositions debated p. 525 526. His Message concerning words said to be spoken p. 529. Another Message to secure Liberties by Bill p. 530 531. Subsidies resolved to be presented unto him ibid. The Kings Answer concerning the same ibid. The Dukes Speech concerning the Commons liberal gift to the King ibid. A Message from him against a Recess at Easter p. 543. A Message from the King to hasten supply p. 544. The Speakers Speech unto him at the delivery of the Petition against Billeting
sent from England This magnificent Entertainment and the universal Joy in Spain was grounded on the hope of the Prince's turning Catholick For the voice of the people went That he was come to be a Christian And the Conde Olivares when he gave him the first Visit did congratulate his Arrival with these expressions That the Match should be made presently and that the Kings of Spain and England should divide the World between them For that he did not question but he came thither to be of their Religion Whereunto the Prince answered That he came not thither for Religion but for a Wife But there wanted no endeavors to reconcile the Prince and by him the British Dominions to the Sea of Rome Gregory the Fifteenth then Pope exhorted the Bishop of Conchen Inquisitor-General of Spain to improve the opportunity And he sought to charm the Prince by writing a very smooth Letter to him Yea he condescended to write to Buckingham his Guide and Familiar to incline him to the Romish religion And the Pope also wrote a Letter to the Prince the tenor whereof followeth MOst Noble Prince We wish you the health and light of Gods grace Forasmuch as Great Britain hath always been fruitful in vertues and in men of great worth having filled the one and the other World with the glory of her renown She doth also very often draw the thoughts of the Holy Apostolical Chair to the consideration of her praises And indeed the Church was but then in her infancie when the King of Kings did choose her for his inheritance and so affectionately that 't is believed the Roman Eagles were hardly there before the Banner of the Cross. Besides that many of her Kings instructed in the knowledge of the true salvation have preferred the Cross before the Royal Scepter and the Discipline of Religion before Covetousness leaving examples of piety to other Nations and to the Ages yet to come So that having merited the Principalities and first places of blessedness in Heaven they have obtained on Earth the triumphant ornaments of Holiness And although now the state of the English Church is altered We see nevertheless the Court of Great Britain adorned and furnished with Moral vertues which might serve to support the charity we bear unto her and be an ornament to the name of Christianity if withall she could have for her defence and protection the Orthodox and Catholick truth Therefore by how much the more the glory of your most Noble Father and the apprehension of your Royal inclination delights us with so much more zeal we desire that the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven might be opened unto you and that you might purchase to your self the love of the Universal Church Moreover it being certain that Gregory the Great of most blessed memory hath introduced to the people of England and taught to their Kings the law of the Gospel and the respect of Apostolical authority We as inferior to him in holiness and vertue but equal in name and degree of dignity think it very reasonable that we following his blessed footsteps should endeavor the salvation of those Provinces especially at this time when you design most Noble Prince elevates us to the hope of an extraordinary advantage Therefore as you have directed your journey to Spain towards the Catholick King with desire to ally your self to the House of Austria We do commend your design and indeed do testifie openly in this present business that you are he that takes principal care of our Prelacy For seeing that you desire to take in marriage the Daughter of Spain from thence we may easily conjecture that the antient seeds of Christian piety which have so happily flourished in the hearts of the Kings of Great Britain may God prospering them revive again in your soul. And indeed it is not to be believed that the same man should love such an Alliance that hates the Catholick Religion and should take delight to oppress the Holy Chair To that purpose we have commanded that most humble prayers be made continually to the Father of lights that he would be pleased to put you as a fair Flower of Christendom and the onely Hope of Great Britain in possession of that most noble Heritage which your Ancestors purchased for you to defend the authority of the Soveraign High-Priest and to fight against the Monsters of Heresie Remember the days of old enquire of your Fathers and they will tell you the way that leads to Heaven and what way the Temporal Princes have taken to attain to the everlasting Kingdom Behold the gates of Heaven opened The most holy Kings of England who came from England to Rome accompanied with Angels did come to honor and do homage to the Lord of Lords and to the Prince of the Apostles in the Apostolical Chair their actions and their examples being as so many voices of God speaking and exhorting you to follow the course of the lives of those to whose Empire you shall one day attain Is it possible that you can suffer that the Hereticks should hold them for impious and condemn those whom the faith of the Church testifies to reign in the Heavens with Iesus Christ and have command and authority over all Principalities and Empires of the Earth Behold how they tender you the hand of this truly happy Inheritance to conduct you safe and sound to the Court of the Catholick King and who desire to bring you back again into the lap of the Roman Church beseeching with unspeakable sighs and groans the God of all mercy for your salvation and do stretch out to you the arms of the Apostolical charity to embrace you with all Christian affection even you that are her desired Son in shewing you the happy hope of the Kingdom of Heaven And indeed you cannot give a greater consolation to all the people of the Christian world then to put the Prince of the Apostles in possession of your most noble Island whose authority hath been held so long in the Kingdom of Britain for the defence of Kingdoms and for a Divine Oracle The which will easily come to pass and that without difficulty if you open your heart to the Lord that knocks upon which depends all the happiness of that Kingdom It is from this our great charity that we cherish the praises of the Royal Name and that which makes us desire that you and your Royal Father may be stiled with the names of Deliverers and Restorers of the antient and paternal Religion of Great Britain This is it we hope for trusting in the goodness of God in whose hands are the hearts of Kings and who causeth the people of the earth to receive healing to whom we will always labour with all our power to render you gracious and favorable In the interim take notice by these Letters of the care of our charity which is none other then to procure your happiness And it will never grieve us
to an Admiral of England and a true English man And he doth deny that by menace or compulsion or any other indirect or undue practice or means he by himself or by any others did deliver those Ships or any of them into the hands of the French as is objected against him That the Error which did happen by what direction soever it were was not in the intention any ways injurious or dishonorable or dangerous to this State or prejudicial to any private man interested in any of those Ships nor could have given any such offence at all if those promises had been observed by others which were professed and really performed by his Majesty and his Subjects on their parts To this Article wherewith he is taxed to have practised for the employment of the Ships against Rochel he answereth That he was so far from practising or consenting that the said Ships should so be employed that he shall make it clearly to appear that when it was discovered that they would be employed against those of the Religion the Protestation of the French King being otherwise and their pretence being That there was a Peace concluded with those of the Religion and that the French King would use those Ships against Genoa which had been an action of no ill consequence to the Affairs of Christendom The Duke did by all fit and honorable means endeavor to divert that course of their employment against Rochel And he doth truly and boldly affirm That his endeavors under the Royal care of his most Excellent Majesty hath been a great part of the means to preserve the Town of Rochel as the Proofs when they shall be produced will make appear And when his Majesty did finde that beyond his intention and contrary to the faithful Promises of the French they were so misemployed he found himself bound in honor to intercede with the most Christian King his good Brother for the Peace of that Town and of the Religion lest his Majesties Honor might otherwise suffer Which intercession his Majesty did so sedulously and so successfully pursue that the Town and the Religion there do and will acknowledge the fruits thereof And whereas it is further objected against him That when in so unfaithful a manner he had delivered those Ships into the power of a foreign State to the danger of the Religion and scandal and dishonor of our Nation which he utterly denieth to be so That to mask his ill intentions in cunning and cautelous manner he abused the Parliament at Oxford in affirming before the Committees of both Houses That the said Ships were not nor should be so used or employed he saith under the favor of those who so understood his words That he did not then use those words which are expressed in the Charge to have been spoken by him but there being then a jealousie of the mis-employing of those Ships the Duke having no knowledge thereof and knowing well what the promises of the French King were but was not then seasonable to be published he hoping they would not have varied from what was promised did say That the event would shew it was no undertaking for them but a Declaration of that in general terms which should really have been performed and which his Majesty had just cause to expect from them That the Duke did compel the Lord R. to buy his Title of Honor he utterly denieth and he is very confident that the Lord R. himself will not affirm it or any thing tending that way Neither can he nor any man else truly say so but the said Duke is able to prove that the Lord R. was before willing to have given a much greater sum but could not then obtain it and he did now obtain it by solicitation of his own Agents For the selling of places of Judicature by the Duke which are specially instanced in the Charge he answereth That he received not or had a penny of either of those sums to his own use but the truth is the Lord M. was made Lord Treasurer by his late Majesty without contracting for any thing for it and after that he had the Office conferred upon him his late Majesty moved him to lend him Twenty thousand pounds upon promise of repayment at the end of a year the Lord M. yielded to it so as he might have the Dukes word that it should be repayed unto him accordingly The Duke gave his word for it the Lord M. relied upon it and delivered the said sum to the hands of Mr. Porter then attending upon the Duke by the late Kings appointment to be disposed as his Majesty should direct And according to the Kings direction that very money was fully paid out to others and the Duke neither had nor disposed of a penny thereof to his own use as is suggested against him And afterwards when the Lord M. left that place and his money was not repayed unto him he urged the Duke upon his promise whereupon the Duke being jealous of his Honor and to keep his word not having money to pay him he assured Lands of his own to the Lord M. for his security But when the Duke was in Spain the Lord M. obtained a promise from his late Majesty of some Lands in Fee-farm to such a value as he accepted of the same in satisfaction of the said money which were afterwards passed unto him and at the Dukes return the Lord M. delivered back unto him the security of the Dukes Lands which had been given unto him as aforesaid And for the Six thousand pounds supposed to have been received by the Duke for procuring to the Earl of M. the Mastership of the Wards he utterly denieth it but afterwards he heard that the Earl of M. did disburse Six thousand pounds about that time and his late Majesty bestowed the same upon Sir Henry Mildmay his Servant without the Dukes privity and he had it and enjoyed it and no penny thereof came to the said Duke or to his use To this Article the Duke answereth That it is true that his late Majesty out of his Royal Favor unto him having honored the Duke himself with many Titles and Dignities of his bounty and as a greater argument of his Princely Grace did also think fit to honor those who were in equal degree of Blood with him and also to ennoble their Mother who was the Stock that bare them The Title of the Countess of Buckingham bestowed upon the Mother was not without President and she hath nothing from the Crown but a Title of Honor which dieth with her The Titles bestowed on the Viscount P. the Dukes Elder Brother were conferred on him who was a Servant of the Bed-chamber to his now Majesty then Prince by his Highness means the Earl of A. was of his late Majesties Bed-chamber and the Honors and Lands conferred on him was done when the Duke was in Spain The Earl of D. hath the Honors mentioned in the