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A39786
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Some thoughts concerning the affairs of this session of Parliament. 1700
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Fletcher, Andrew, 1655-1716.
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1700
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Wing F1297A; ESTC R222664
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8,455
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SOME THOUGHTS CONCERNING The Affairs of this Session OF PARLIAMENT 1700. Quis eum ruat ardnus Aether Complos tenuisse Manus Printed in the Year M. DCC Some Thoughts concerning the Affairs of this Session of Parliament 1700. OF all Governments Monarchy is the best and least subject to Inconveniences but because the Monarch is a man subject to Errors in Judgment and capable of being byassed in his Affections it was therefore necessary that the Common-Wealth as it gave him great Power over them so it should assigne him also the best Helps for directing both his Will and Judgement The first Help was Law which is the Rule both to King and People The second were certain Councills and Counsellors with whom to consult in matters of most Importance as we see in the Dyets of Germany the Courts of Spain and the Parliament of England without which no matters of moment can be concluded The Romans had their Senat and the Graecians their Ephori As We are happy in a Limited Monarchical Government so it has succeeded well with our Kings when they have had VVise Counsellours and have been advised by their Parliaments in things relating to the Publick Good The Nature of our Parliament is explained in the 8. Par. K. Ja. 6. Act 2. where it 's said That by the court of Parliament under GOD the Kingdom hath been upholden Rebellion and Traiterous Subjects punished the Good and Faithfull Preserved and maintained and the Laws and Acts of Parliament by which all good men are Governed are made and established c. This Act was made whilst our King was yet amongst Our selves but no sooner did We loose Him than We dwindled all of a sudden into old Age and altho' the whole Island has been Christened by the Name of Great Britain the English only have reaped the Honour and Advantage of this Union Henry VII of England said to one of his Counsellours that the Marriage between his Daughter and Our King would make Scotland an Accession to the Crown of England some VVay or other nor could it be otherways when our Kings ever since the Union have lived in England and that the English being made secret to our nearest Concerns have had the Art to Influence Our Counsells for their own Interest Kingdoms are United either when they become the same People in Subjection such is our Union with England or when they are United in Laws and Interest so that they become the same Common-Wealth one Head Rules them and all inferiour Members conspire for the Prosperity of the whole Body The last of these Unions is Good for both Whereas the first is neither lasting nor can all Parties be justly dealt with by the same Master We Knovv Portugall soon Revolted from Spain If We are Stated That as the Poorer Part of this Island VVe are to Enjoy nothing that the English may think of ill Consequence to them The Question is Whether We should prefer their Interest or our own And surely a just King who is Father of both countries must be put to it by Deliberate Reflections upon the Oaths He has taken to both Kingdoms Our Secretaries who have been obliged to attend at Court were the Persons by whom the Advice of the Privy Council concerning the Affairs of this Nation has been communicated to our Kings and by whom their Majesties have signified their Will to the Subject But it may be doubted whether the Advice followed by those Kings has been that of England that of the Secretaries or that of the Council here By the great Trust Our Secretaries have they ought to be Guardians to their Country that by their Vigilant Care and Probity Subjects may find experimentally that they are as much for their Advantage as they have Power and Dignitie No privat Advantage no Self-Ends should move them to Betray their Charge No English Dependence should Dare them but by their Virtue they should raise their Character above the Envy of wicked men They should mind what Tacitus says that tho' the Deliberations of all other men do commonly consist in the Considerations of Utility and Profit yet the state of a Prince is such that He ought principalie to respect Fame and Reputation It should be a great Awe upon them to be Honest that Favorites of Princes have been so often Sacrificed to an oppressed People Plutarch sayeth that the Counsellors of Dionysius Phalaris and Apollodorus were justlie Tormented by the People because he who Seduceth a Prince deserveth no less to be abhor'd of all men than one that should Poyson a publick Fountain whereof all men should Drink Henry VIII in the Beginning of his Reign to satisfie his English Subjects who Importuned Him for Justice against Emson and Dudly for the evill Council they had given to Henry VII in matters of Exactions and Impositions delivered them to be Punished according to Law VVe might be liable to suffer if we had no other to informe His Majesty about our Ease and Riches than Secretaries and Courtiers from whom must depend the Character of every one in Publick Trust here It 's our Parliaments therefore that have taken Notice of our Concerns and it is to this Parliament we have Recourse for our present Affairs seeing His Majestie is for the present so occupied in Managing the Interests of England and Holland that He leaves tacitely to our Honourable Members of Parliament not only to call missinformers to an Account but to inform himself in every thing concerns our Good We would have been very happy to have had the Presence of His Majesty in this Session of Parliament according to His Royal Promise which has been allways necessary for us That He might be informed at one View what is fit to be done in every Juncture of Affairs that He might know what part of His Kingdom Flourishes and what part of it Languishes That He who is above all in Honour and Authority would be likeways Interessed for the Benefit of the Publick and that He might have Occasion to influence His People to their Duty by His Piery Justice Valour Clemency and other Princely Qualities Noble was that Speech of Henry IV. of France and worthy of so good a King when he Assembled the States of his Kingdom at Rouen 1596. which he ends thus I have not called you to this Place as my predecessors have done to oblige you blindly to approve of my Will I have Summoned you to Receive to Believe and to Follow Your Councils In a Word to make You my Guardians How acceptable would such a discourse be to this present Parliament from His Majesty and what might we hope but to be watched over our Good our Ease and Wellfare to be the End of His Undertakings and the Happiness Strength Wealth and Honour of our Country to be His Joy and Satisfaction But it 's You most Honourable Members He makes at present Judges of every thing is for the Benefit of this Nation and in whose hands He Depositates
more Humour than Love for the Country because by the same Argument we may be Bullied out of any thing the Spaniard Dutch or any other Nation has a Likeing to and even be Obliged at last by another Step of Complaisance to renounce the Title of a free Kingdom If our Directors have failed either by Ignorance or Negligence in their Designs that should not keep Us from doing our Duty nor to contribute all that 's in our Power for Recovering the Losses of our Companie otherways all advantageous Projects may be balked because ther 's allways Knaves Embarqued in them If any Body has the Impudence to amuse us with Fisheries and other usefull Projects it should be looked on as Banter For when His Majestie has discountenanced us to gratifie the English or rather the Dutch we don't Know what more he will doe for his Native country 2 ly Society is a great Support to Trade for great Interprises can be better carryed on by the Credit of many than by one single Family or Person and it has been the Practice of our Neighbouring Countries to Establish Companies Trading to different places of the World and severall Societies at Home to mind their Manufactories and have protected them with particu-Laws and Immunities It 's by Honesty and fair Dealing that all Societies flourish and vvell did the Romans Know that when they punished the Members of Societies for Frauds and supine Negligence with Infamy l. 1. ff de his qui not infa § poen Inst de poen tem litig The Nature of Man is so prone to Wickedness and so easily led away by Temptation that if there be not some severe means taken to prevent all ill Practices Ther 's no Society but may be ruined being exposed to the catch of everie miserable Sâ—arper and specially here where some Merchants know better how to impose upon people that deal with them than to preserve that Candor which becomes every honest Trader Therefore it 's advisable that it should be made Death and Forfeiture to every one who is found Defrauding the Society of which he is member and Punishable for all other delinquences Proportionably to their Nature The one half of the Forfeiture should be added to the stock of the Companie and the other half given to Him who Accuses the said Member by such Laws ill men will be keep'd in their duty and honest men will not easily be Imposed on 3 ly Every well Governed Nation must be in a Posture to Defend her self and upon good ground to assist her Allyes abroad Had we therefore either fear to be attaked by our Enemies or Allyes to assist we should have all the reason imaginable to keep a standing Armie and I believe no Subject would repine to be Taxed for It's Subsistence Proportionably to his Abilities Why should we be affraid for Enemies abroad when England which is the better part of this Island thought it self secure immediatly after the Peace and Kept no more Force than to Secure the Peace at Home and prevent all Disturbances What Allyes have We to assist unless We are so officious as to call those of England and Holland our Allyes like the Highland Countrey-man who called all his Master s Cousins his own At the Treatie of Rysewyck was ever the name of our Nation mentioned any more than as one of his Majesties Titles did ever any bodie endeavour to Recover our old priviledges from France or what have we Reaped for all that our Country men shewed either in Valour or Adress for Obtaining an Honourable Peace We are neglected by all the World when they don't stand in need of us Contempt is our only Reward for declaring Warr against France when we had not a Ship to defend our little Traiâ—e And our Souldiers are sent home Poor and Mutilated to eat our Bread till such time the Dutch or English find service for them Is it not time to look to our selves when everie other Nation minds their particular Interest and either at present to declare our selves mercenary Fools or to act as a wise Free Nation Let our Parliament remember that Mercy is to be used to the Purse of the Subject Or how dangerous standing Armies have proved to France Denmark Poland and other Countries nor do we Know what Influence our Forces might have upon Us at present were they ill inclined Let our Honourable Members consider the Poverty of our Country the Decay of Trade and the great Treasure our Courtiers and Pensioners carry every Year from this to England So accordingly may they inform their Judgements about the Necessitie of a standing Armie Alltho ' it's absolutelie necessarie to Disband the most of Our Troops yet Justice and Interest require that all the well-deserving Officers should be provided with Pensions to keep them in this Countrie that they may be in a Readiness to Serve when the common Defence requires Wise Men know that in Time of Necessitie good Officers are ill to be got and the Confoederats in the beginning of the last War found that all the Advantages the French had over them were occasioned by the Pawness of their Officers And it 's also remarkable that the French who are absolute Masters of War set a great Value upon experienced and brave Commanders In Time of Peace were We to augment our Force it should be at Sea because everie Countrie is to be Guarded according to its Situation Lastly As Advice is the Head so Money moves the Springs strengthens the Nerves of every State by which it Moves Acts and is Knit together No Orator is so perswasive upon the Wills and Affections of men nor no Conqueror so Successfull by Force of Arms as a good Treasure and such is the Temper of most men that they serve Money with Zeal and obey it without Grudging It is our Interest according to the custome of all wise Governements both to Provide good Funds and to Imploy the money arising from them to proper Uses There 's many ways to raise Money from different Funds Yet the Ease of the subject is to be had in Consideration and all Impositions so qualified that they may be laid upon persons proportionablie to their Estates for it 's not just that all People should be levelled where Fortune hath made a vast difference it 's therefore that all Excises upon Meat Drink Cloaths c are equal for all every Body being obiged to contribute according to their Luxurie If considerable Taxes were laid upon Moneyed Men they would be forced to apply their Money upon Trade where they might have the greatest Gain Poll and Hearth-Money should be avoided being too heavie Taxes for the Poor Great Duties should be laid upon everie Forraigne Commodity for which the subject has not an absolute necessity or a way to vent it abroad and and it would be for the advantage of Trade that the Rates of his Majesties Customs were revised and that no Exported Goods should pay Custom No Custom or Taxes should be Fermed because we know by Experience that they serve to Enrich particular People who have the Art of Jugling with these who are Deputed to Examine their Accounts and what Favours are given to the said Publicans by his Majestie it would be for the Honour of the Government that they were given to the Poor who are never spared by the Insolent Tax men Publick Collectors should be appointed for gathering all customs and each Collector ought to have a good Salary to make him Honest and he obliged to find Bail for his Intromissions so that the Nation might be Honestly served To imploy the Money arising from funds to the advantage of this Kingdom Our Parliament is to take notice because all Supplyes run in Form of free gifts from the Subjects to his Majestie for their own behoofe Now whither these gifts are applyed to the publick good the members of Parliament that gave them are most capable to Judge and when ther 's a good understandiug between Prince and People I believe the Parliament will do it's Duty that neither his Majestie be imposed on nor the People cheated out of their Money and Liberties by pensions We have the exemple of this present Parliament in England to state the present defects of our Treasury to examen the occasions exhausted it and then to make the People sensible of the necessity of new Supplies A great many good Laws are usefull to be made this Session of Parliament to prevent severall inconveniencies our Constitution is lyable too and which might secure both the authoritie of future Parliaments and the liberties of the Subject All Officers or any body that depends upon Court ought to be declared incapable to vote in Parliament because such Persons are supposed to move according to the Inclination of the King from whom they receave their bread immediatly and that they would doe little for the Good of the Subject when it happens that the Interests of Prince and People are not the same This should be one of the Preliminary Votes and no sooner is this Vote stated but all Pensioners become incapable to Vote for themselves We may Learn by the English Practice and our own Parliaments how Convenient it is that all Ovetrures concerning the affairs of the People be Voted and Receave the Royall Assent before any Supplyes be granted to his Majestie But what may we not expect from this Parliament for the meeting of which we have so Languished but that all Grievances will be redressed that the interest of the Subject will be minded and that every Law will be made that can contribute to the Glory and Safety of this Nation Then let Us lay aside all Animosities and confide in each other Aiming all at the Publick Good Let everie Member Act as a man of Honour and Conscience Let our most Noble High Commissioner behave as above the frouns of Fortoune as one that 's Mortall whose Fame must be Transmitted to Posterity never had any a greater Opportunity of becoming Universally Beloved or Universally Hated never had any such an Occasion to shew his Zeal for his Country or his Love for his Friends Nor ever did this Nation stand in need of so Vertuous a Person Let us all then Concur with good wishes and advice for Posâ—erity to our selves and for the Floorishing of this Kingdom FINIS