Selected quad for the lemma: state_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A47689
|
Mr. Speakers letter to the Kings most excellent Majestie, Febr. 16, 1641 concerning the great affayres, and state of the kingdome.
|
Lenthall, William, 1591-1662.
|
1641
(1641)
|
Wing L1076; ESTC R39009
|
4,368
|
8
|
Mr. SPEAKERS LETTER To the Kings most Excellent Majestie Febr. 16. 1641. Concerning the great Affayres and State of the Kingdome HONI SOIT QVI MAL L Y PENSE CR London Printed for Iohn Thomas 1641. The Speakers Letter of the House of Commons to the Kings most Excellent Majestie February the 12. 1641. SIR BEsides my sorrowes which pressed me very sore and remaineth still upon me the troubles and griefe that fell upon me for the lamentable breaches in Church and State and for your Sacred Majesty hopefull offspring filled up my sorrowes and in my thoughts J was grieved that those feares and Desolations fell out in your dayes I confesse charity suspects not and the best minds thinkes the least hurt and the freer a man is from vice in himselfe the more charitable he is of others and this is that which hath proved formerly prejudiciall to your Majesty but had your Majesty been the first or the best that had bin instead misinformed or ill rewarded it would be an hard thing to command patience but griefe is asswaged either by presidenâ—s or examples Jt is true of late dayes your Majesty being misinformed against some of your best subjects your Majesty thought to have dealt with them as Ioseph thought to have dealt with Marie and so put them away farre from you but with Marie they travailing as it were with child and that that which they travailed withall might not appeare an illegitimate the onely wise God sent as it were an Angell unto you to let you see that like Marie they being contracted unto you in love they have not as yet defiled their Marriage Bed but remaine like Marie faithfull to their Head and Soveraigne and your Majesty having beene formerly seduced by false opinions from others against them J hope you will now be reduced unto them and by them by true perswasions and that you may be so the onely wise God that gave your Majesty your being and so knew you better then your selfe hath dealt with your Majesty as he did with Adam in Paradise and so hath provided you a meet helper when with Adam you thought no need of it now desired it and your Majesty yeelding as Adam did in sparing a superfluous Rib for to make him a meet helper will become a great gainer for your Majesty shall not onely loose those who may very well be spared but you will gaine to your selfe and your posterity a meete helper that will endeavour by all meanes that may be Lawfull to ease you of many burthens that otherwise might have layne heavie upon you and this helper is many members of that body whereof your Majesty is become the head and considering their paines and labour in Love you should doe them iniustice if you should suffer any for to accuse them J hope there is none or will be none neere you if neere you yet dares not so ingrosse your favours any more to their owne advantage whereby your good Subjectâ— may be bereaved of those Benefits that ought to be common to all as for your Commons they goe not about to steale your favours but to purchase them them legally and are become unto you as Abrahams Servant was to his Master who would not either Eate or Drinke untill he had done his Masters busines and I dare say if your Commons as your late Monopolists and others had or did seeke themselves or their owne advantages more then the good of King and Kingdome they would have beene wearied after so much labour before now but mee thinkes J heare your Commons say as Adam said let us be but one and that it may be so they are willing not onely for a time to be seperated from their Domesticke imployments but to forsake all and runne many hazards to cleave only to your Maiesty in a solemne Contract wherefore to make up the contract you must with Isaacke part with something that was formerly neare unto you and who would noâ— spare a part to save the rest being done it will prove to your Maiesty as comfortable and welcome as Rebecca was into Isaacks Tent This happy match being made it would not onely refresh your people but make glad your heart in time of feares dangers it is true there is many that have brought your Majesty into troubles and feared dangers and the more too blame they for leaving your Majesty having brought you into them it is true there are many with Orpha seeing your troubles have left you but your Commons like Ruth are resolved to stick close unto you and will endeavour to helpe you if with David you will be advised by them who blessed God for the seasonable Councell of a woman when he was upon a desperate designe judge then of their loves affections to your Majesty by yours to them and then tell me whether they doe not love you doubtlesse yes accounting their lives not deare unto them so that they may but finish their worke with â—oy and accomplish their good ends concerning you and I doubt not but that J speake it in the name of many in truth by your late yeelding and free expression you have stollen me from my selfe yea and am now wounded within me and like Moses who was wounded within himselfe and could hardly endure to looke upon God 〈◊〉 he discended in mercy Jt is true there is nothing engageth a soule to God or a Subject to a King as the appearance of love this made Moses to say How dreadfull is thy place O God and this is that which hath stollen me from my selfe so that J am no more mine owne but yours yea by this returne of yours to your people you will winne them to obedience with kindnesse and by doing so you will make good that which you were sent for whose eares ought to be imployed for the good of your Subjects knowing that their love is your greatest safety and their prosperity your greatest honour and â—elicity this is that which will make your bed easie when you shall possesse the just Title to the Crowne with the love of your people and the continuance of it with the willing applause of the Subject is the â—ighest way to a blessing and the hopes of this is that which hath brought me to renue and confirme the Covenant that your Majesty made with me from your first entrance to the Crowne and because you could not sweare by no greater swore by the eternall God that you would defend mee and at the first of our contract we made but one your power and all that you had was mine to defend me to do me good but there have bin some of late that have set your Majesty against mee J speake it in the name of many and have perswaded you to beate me and to force me to obedience though of my selfe willing to obey being of a nature sooner wonne then compelled and this is that which hath sore troubled me yet this is not all