Selected quad for the lemma: majesty_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A84365
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Queene Elizabeths speech to her last Parliament.
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England and Wales. Sovereign (1558-1603 : Elizabeth I); Elizabeth I, Queen of England, 1533-1603.
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1642
(1642)
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Wing E534; STC 7579.3; Thomason E200_15; ESTC R12587
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2,374
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8
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UERA EFFIGIES PRUDENTISSIMAE PRINCIPIS ELIZABETHAE ANGLIAE FRANCIAE ET HIBE REGINAE ETc HONY SOI◠〈◊〉 MAL Y PNSE SEMPER EADEM QVEENE ELIZABETHS SPEECH TO HER LAST PARLIAMENT The 30 of November 1601 her Maiestie being set vnder State in the Councell Chamber at Whitehall the Speaker accompanied with Privy Councellours besides Knights and Burgesses of the lower House to the number of eight-scoore presenting themselues at her Maiesties feet for that so graciously and speedily shee had heard and yeelded to her Subâ—ects desires and proclaimed the same in their bearing as followeth Mr. Speaker VVEE perceiue your comming is to present thankes vnto Vs Know I accept them with no lesse ioy then your loues can haue desire to offer such a Present and doe more esteeme it then any Treasure or Riches for those Wee know how to prize but Loyaltie Loue and Thankes I account them invaluable and though God hath raysed Mee high yet this I account the glorie of my Crowne that I have reigned with your Loues This makes that I doe not so much reioyce that God hath made Mee to bee a Queene as to bee a Queene ouer so thankefull a People and to bee the meane vnder God to conserue you in safety and preserue you from danger yea to bee the Instrument to deliuer you from dishonour from shame and from infamie to keepe you from out of seruitude and from slaverie vnder our Enemies and cruell tyranny and vilde oppression intended against Vs for the better withstanding wherof Wee take very acceptably your intended helpes and chiefely in that it manifesteth your loues and largenesse of heart to your Soveraigne Of My selfe I must say this I neuer was any greedy scraping grasper nor a strict fast-holding Prince nor yet a waster My heart was neuer set vpon any worldly goods but onely for my Subiects good What you doe bestow on Me I will not hoard vp but receiue it to bestow on you againe yea Mine owne Properties I account yours to bee expended for your good and your eyes shall see the bestowing of it for your wellfare Mr. Speaker I would wish you and the rest to stand vp for I feare I shall yet trouble you with longer speech Mr. Speaker you give me thankes but I am more to thanke you and I charge you thanke them of the Lower-House from Me for had I not received knowledge from you I might a fallen into the lapse of an Error onely for want of true information Since I was Queene yet did I neuer put My Pen to any Grant but vpon pretext and semblance made Me that it was for the good anâ— availe of my Subiects generally though a private profit to some of my ancient Servants who have deserved well But that my Grants shall bee made Grievances to my People and Oppressions to bee priviledged vnder colour of Our Pattents Our Princely Dignitie shall not suffer it When I heard it I could give no rest vnto my thoughts vntill I had reformed it those Varlets lewd persons abusers of my bountie shall know I wil not suffer it And Mr. Speaker tell the House from mee I take it exceeding gratefull that the knowledge of these things are come vnto mee from them And though amongst them the principall Members are such as are not touched in private and therefore need not speake from any feeling of the griefe yet We haue heard that other Gentlemen also of the House who stand as free haue spoken as freely in it which giues Vs to know that no respects or intrests haue moved them other then the mindes they beare to suffer no diminution of our Honour and our Subiects loue vnto Vs. The zeale of which affection tending to ease my People knit their hearts vnto vs I embrace with a Princely care farre aboue all earthly Treasures I esteeme my Peoples loue more then which I desire not to merit And God that gaue me here to sit and placed mee ouer you knowes that I neuer respected my selfe but as your good was conserued in mee yet what dangers what practises and what perills I have passed some if not all of you know but none of these things doe mooue mee or euer made mee feare but it is God that hath delivered me And in my gouerning this Land I haue euer set the last Iudgement day before mine eyes and so to rule as I shall be Iudged and answer before a higher Iudge to whose Iudgement Seat I doe appeale in that neuer thought was cherished in my heart that tended not to my Peoples good And if my Princely bountie haue beene abused and my Grants turned to the hurt of my People contrary to my will and meaning or if any in Authoritie vnder mee haue neglected or converted what I haue committed vnto them I hope God will not lay their culps to my charge To be a King and weare a Crown is a thing more glorious to them that see it then it is pleasant to them that beare it for my selfe I neuer was so much inticed with the glorious name of a King or the royall authoritie of a Queene as delighted that God hath made me His Instrument to maintaine His Truth and Glorie and to defend this Kingdome from dishonour dammage tyrannie and oppression But should I ascribe any of these things vnto my selfe or my sexly weakenesse I were not worthy to liue and of all most vnworthy of the mercies I haue receiued at Gods hands but to God onely and wholly all is giuen and ascribed The cares and trouble of a Crowne I cannot more fitly resemble then to the Drugges of a learned Physitian perfumed with some Aromaticall sauour or to bitter Pils guilded ouer by which they are made more exceptable or lesse offensiue which indeed are bitter and vapleasant to take and for my owne part were it not for Conscience sake to discharge the dutie that God hath layd vpon me and to maintaine his glorie and keepe you in safetie in mine owne disposition I should be willing to resigne the place I hold to any other and glad to be freed of the Glory with the Labors for it is not my desire to liue nor to reign longer then my life and reigne shall bee for your good And though you haue had and may haue many mightier and wiser Princes sitting in this Seat yet you neuer had nor shall haue any that will loue you better Thus Mr. Speaker I commend mee to your loyall Loues and yours to my best care and your further Councels I pray you Mr. Controullor Mr. Secretary and you of my Councell that before these Gentlemen depart into their Countreys you bring them all to kisse my Hand FINIS