Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
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A92444
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The Scottish Commissioners demand concerning their sixt article.
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Scotland. Parliament.; England and Wales. Parliament. House of Lords.
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1641
(1641)
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Wing S1001B; ESTC R11089
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6,435
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16
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THE SCOTTISH Commissioners Demand concerning their sixt ARTICLE COncerning our Sixt demand Although it hath often come to passe that these who have been joyned by the bonds of Religion and Nature have suffered themselves to be divided about the things of this World And although our Adversaries who no lesse labour the division of the two Kingdomes then wee doe all seek Peace and follow after it as our common Happinesse doe presume that this will be the Partition wall to divide us and to make us lose all our labours taken about the former Demands Wherein by the help of God by his Majesties Princely goodnesse and Iustice and your Lordships noble and equal dealing Wee have so fully accorded and to keep us from providing for a firme and weell grounded Peace by the wisdome and justice of the Parliament of England which is our greatest desire expressed in our last Demand We are still Confident that as wee shall concerning this Article represent nothing but what is true Iust and Honourable to both Kingdomes So will your Lordships hearken to us and will not suffer your selves by any slanders or suggestions to be drawne out of that straight and safe way wherein yee have walked since the beginning IT is now Wee suppose knowne to all England especially to both the Honourable Houses of Parliament And by the occasion of this Treatie more particularly to your Lordships That our distresses in our Religion and Liberties were of late more pressing then Wee were able to beare That our Complaints and Supplications for redresse were answered at last with the terrours of an Army That after a Pacification greater Preparations were made for warre whereby many Acts of Hostilitie were done against us both by Sea and Land The Kingdome wanted administration of Iustice and Wee constrained to take armes for our defence That wee were brought to this extreame and intollerable necessitie either to maintaine divers Armies upon our borders against Invasion from England or Ireland still to be deprived of the benefit of all the Courts of Iustice and not onely to maintaine so many thousands as were spoiled of their ships and goods but to want all Commerce by Sea to the vndoing of Merchants of Saylors and many others who lived by Fishing and whose callings are vpholden from hand to mouth by Sea trade Any one of which evils is able in a short time to bring the most potent Kingdome to Confusion Ruine and Desolation how much more all the three at one time combined to bring the Kingdome of Scotland to be no more a Kingdome Yet all these behoved we either to endure and under no other hope then of the perfect slavery of our selves and our posterity in our Soules lives and Meanes Or to resolve to come into England not to make Invasion nor with any purpose to fight except we were forced God is our Iudge our actions are our witnesses and England doth now acknowledge the truth against all suspitions to the contrary and against the impudent lyes of our Enemies But for our reliefe defence and preservation which wee could find by no other meanes when we had essayed all meanes and had at large expressed our pungent and pressing necessities to the Kingdome and Parliament of England Since therefore the Warre on our part which is no other but our comming into England with a guard is defensive and all men doe acknowledge that in common equity the defendant should not be suffered to perish in his just and necessary defence but that the pursuer whether by way of Legall Processe in the time of Peace or by way of violence and unjust invasion in the time of warre ought to beare the charges of the defendent Wee trust that your Lordships will thinke that it is not against reason for us to demand some reparation of this kind And that the Parliament of England by whose Wisedome and Iustice we have expected the redresse of our wrongs will take such course as both may in reason give us satisfaction and may in the notable demonstration of their Iustice serve most for their own honour Our earnestnesse in following this our Demand doth not so farre wrong our sight and make us so undiscerning as not to make a difference betweene the Kingdome and Parliament of England which did neither decern nor set forward a Warre against us And that Prevalent faction of Prelats and Papists who have moved every stone against us and used all sorts of meanes not onely their counsells Subsidies and forces but their Kirk Canons and prayers for our utter Ruine which maketh them obnoxious to our just accusations and guilty of all the losses and wrongs which this time past wee have sustained Yet this wee desire your Lordships to consider That the Estates of the Kingdome of Scotland being assembled did endeavour by their Declarations Informations Remonstrances and by the proceedings of their Commissioners to make knowne unto the Counsell Kingdome and Parliament of England and to forewarne them of the mischiefe intended against both Kingdomes in their Religion and Liberties by the Prelates and Papists to the end that our Invasion from England might have bin prevented if by the Prevalencie of the faction it had beene possible And therefore wee may now with the greater reason confidence presse our Demand That your Lord ps the Parliament the Kingdome and the King himselfe may see us repared in our losses at the cost of that faction by whose meanes we have sustained so much dammage And which except they repent will find sorrow recompensed for our griefe Torments for our toyle and an infinite greater losse for the Temporall losses they have brought upon a whole Kingdome which was dwelling by them in Peace All the devices and doings of our common enemies were to beare downe the Truth of Religion and the just liberties of the Subjects in both Kingdomes They were confident to bring this about one of two wayes Either by blocking us up by Sea Land to constraine us to admit their will for a Law both in Kirck and policy and thus to make us a Precedent for the like misery in England or by their Invasion of our Kingdome to compell us furiously and without order to break into England that the two Nations once entered in a bloody Warre they might fish in our trouble Waters and catch their desired Prey But as wee declared before our comming Wee trusted that God would turne their Wisedome into foolishnesse and bring their devices upon their owne Pates by our Intentions and Resolutions to come into England as among our Brethren in the most peaceable way that could stand with our safety in respect of our common Enemies to present our Petitions for setling our peace by a Parliament in England wherein the Intentions and Actions both of our Adversaries and ours might be brought to light The Kings Majesty and the Kingdome rightly informed The Authors and Instruments of our divisions and troubles punished All the mischiefes of
a Nationall and doubtfull Warre prevented and Religion and Liberty with greater Peace and Amity then ever before established against all the Craft and violence of our enemies This was our Declaration before wee set our foot into England from which our deportments since have not varied And it hath bin the Lords wonderfull doing by the wise Counsels and just proceedings of the Parliament to bring it in a great part to passe and to give us lively hopes of a happy Conclusion And therefore wee will never doubt but that the Parliament in their Wisedome and Iustice will provide that a proportionable part of the Cost and charges of a worke so great and so comfortable to both Nations bee borne by the Delinquents there that with the better Conscience the good People of England may sit under their owne Vines and Figtrees Refreshing themselves although upon our greater Paines and Hazard yet not altogether upon our cost and charges which wee are not able to beare The Kingdome of England doth know and confesse that the Innovation of Religion and Liberties in Scotland were not the principall designe of our common Enemies but that both in the Intention of the Workers whole zeale was hottest for setling their devices at home And in the Condition of the Worke making us whom they conceived to be the weaker for opposition to bee nothing else but a leading case for England And that although by the power of GOD which is made perfit in weaknesse they have found amongst us greater resistance then they did feare or either they or our selves could have apprehended Yet as it hath beene the will of God that wee should endure the heate of the day So in the Evening the pretious wages of the vindication of Religion Liberties and Lawes are to be received by both Kingdoms and will enrich wee hope to our unspeakable Ioy the present Age and the Posterity with Blessings that can not bee valued and which the good People of England esteeme more then Treasures of Gold and willingly would have purchased with many thousands Wee doe not plead that Conscience Piety have moved some men to serve GOD upon their owne cost and that Justice and Equity have directed others where the Harvest hath been common to consider the pains of labouring and the charges of the Sowing yet this much may wee say that had a forraine Enemy intending to reduce the whole Iland into Popery made the first assault vpon our weakenesse We nothing doubt but the Kingdome of England from their desire to preserve their Religion and Liberties would have found the way to beare with us the expense of our resistance and lawfull defence how much more being Invaded although not by England yet from England by common Enemies seeking the same ends we expect to be helped and relieved We will never conceive that it is either the will or the well and honour of England that wee should goe from so blessed a worke after so many grievous sufferings bearing on our backes the insupportable burdens of worldly necessities and distresses returne to our countrey empty and exhausted in which the people of all Rankes Sexes and conditions have spent themselves The possessions of every man who devoted himselfe heartily to this cause are burdened not onely with his owne Personall and particular expense but with the publicke and common charges Of which if there be no reliefe neither can our Kingdome have Peace at home nor any more credit for Commerce abroad Nor will it be possible for us eyther to aide and assist our friends or to resist and oppose the restlesse and working wickednesse of our Enemies The best sort will lose much of the sweetnesse of the enjoying of their Religion and Liberties and others will run such wayes and undirect courses as their desperate necessities will drive them into Wee shall be but a burthen to our selves a vexation unto others of whose strength we desire to be a considerable part and a fit subject for our enemies to worke vpon for obtaining their now disappointed but never dying desires We will not alledge the example of other Kingdomes where the losses of necessary and just defence had beene repaired by the other party Nor will wee remember what helpe we have made according to our abilities to other reformed Kirks And what the Kingdome of England of old and of late hath done to Germany France and Holland Nor doe we use so many words that England may be burthened and we eased or that this should be a matter of our Covetousnesse and not of their Iustice and kindnesse Iustice in respect of our adversaries who are the causes of the great miserie and necessity to which we have beene brought kindnesse in the supply of our wants who have beene tender of the welfare of England as of our owne that by this equality and mutuall respect both Nations may be supported in such strength and sufficiencie that wee may be the more serviceable to his Majestie and abound in every good work both towards one another and for the comfort and reliefe of the reformed Kirks beyond the Seas that we may all blesse God and that the blessing of God may be vpon us all The English Peeres demand concerning the Preceeding Article Whether this be a positive demand or onely an Intimation of the charge thereby to induce the Kingdome of England to take your distressed estate into consideration and to afford you some friendly assistance The Scottish Commissioners answer to this Demand We would be no lesse willing to beare our Iosses if wee had ability then we have beene ready to undergoe the hazard But because the burthen of the whole doth farre exceed our strength We have as is more fully conceived in our Papers represented to your Lordships our charges and losses not intending to demand a total Reparation but of such a proportionable part as that wee may in some measure beare the remanent which we conceive your Lordships having considered our reasons will judge to be a matter not of our Covetousnesse but of the said Iustice and kindnesse of the Kingdome of England Proposition of the Peeres to proceed to the other Demands during the debate of the Scottish losses That in the Interim whilst the houses of Parliament take into consideration your demand of losses and dammages you proceed to settle the other Articles of the Peace and Intercourse betwixt the two Kingdomes Answer to the Peeres Demand Wee have represented our losses and thereby distressed Condition ingenuously and in the singlenesse of our hearts with very great moderation passing over many things which to us are great Burthens That there might be no difficulty nor cause of delay on our part hoping that the Honourable houses of Parliament would thereby bee moved at their first Conveniencie to take the matter to their consideration We doe not demand a totall Reparation Nor doe wee speake of the payment till wee consult about the setling of a solid peace at which