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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77525	The Lord Digbies speech in the House of Commons to the bill of attainder, of the Earle of Strafford, the 21 of April, 1641	Bristol, George Digby, Earl of, 1612-1677.	1641 (1641)	Wing B4771; ESTC R20444	4,539	15

THE LORD DIGBIES SPEECH IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS To the Bill of Attainder of the Earle of STRAFFORD the 21 of APRIL 1641. Printed in the yeare 1641. THE LORD DIGBYES Speech in the House of Commons to the Bill of Attainder of the Earle of Strafford the 21. Aprill 1641. Master Speaker WE are now upon the poin● of giving as much as in us lies the finall Sentence unto death or life on a great Minister of State and Peere of this Kingdome Thomas Earle of Strafford a name of hatred in the present age by his Practizes and fit to be made a terror to future ages by his punishment I have had the honor to be imployed by the House in this great businesse from the first houre● that it was taken into consideration it was a matter of great trust and I will say with confidence that I have served the House in it with industry according to my ability but with most exact faithfulnesse and secrecy And as I have hitherto discharged my duty to this House and to my Country in the progresse of this great Cause so I trust I shall doe now in the last period of it to God and to a good conscience I doe wish the peace of that unto my selfe and the blessings of Almighty God to me and my posterity according as my judgement on the life of this man shall be consonant with my heart and the best of my understanding in all integrity I know well Master Speaker that by some things I have said of late whilest this Bill was in agitation I have raised some prejudices upon me in the cause Yea some I thanke them for the plaine dealing have beene so free as to tell me that I suffered much by the backwardnesse I have shewn in this Bill of Attainder of the Earle of Strafford against whom I had beene formerly so keene so active Master Speaker I begge of you and the rest but a suspension of judgement concerning me till I have opened my heart unto you freely and clearely in this businesse Truely Sir I am still the same in my opinions and affections as unto the Earle of Strafford I confidently beleeve him the most dangerous Minister the 〈◊〉 insupportable to free subjects that can be characterd I beleeve his practices in themselves as high as tyrannicall as any subject ever ventured on and the malignity of them hugely aggravated by those rare abilities of his wherof God hath given him the use but the Devill the application In a word I beleeve him still that grand Apostate to the Common-wealth who must not expect to be pardoned it in this world till hee be dispatch'd to the other And yet let me tell you Master Speaker my hand must not be to that dispatch I protest as my conscience stands informed I had rather it were off Let me unfold unto you the Mysterie Master Speaker I will not dwell much upon justifying unto you my seeming variance at this time from what I was formerly by putting you in mind of the difference betweene prosecutors and Judges How misbecomming that fervour would be in a Judge which perhaps was commendable in a prosecutor Judges wee are now and must put on another personage It is honest and Noble to be earnest in order to the discovery of Truth but when that hath beene brought as far as it can to light our judgement thereupon ought to be calme and cautious In prosecution upon probable grounds we are accountable onely for our industrie or remisnesse but in judgement we are deeply responsable to God Almighty for its rectitude or obliquity In cases of life the Judge is Gods Steward of the parties bloud and must give a strict account for every droppe But as I told you Master Speaker I will not insist long upon this ground of difference in me now from what I was formerly The truth on 't is Sir the same ground whereupon I with the rest of the five to whom you first committed the consideration of my Lord of Strafford brought downe our opinion that it was fit he should be accused of Treason upon the same ground I was ingaged with earnestnesse in his prosecution and had the same ground remained in that force of beliefe with me which till verie lately it did I should not have beene tender in his condemnation But truly Sir to deale plainly with you that ground of our accusation that spurre to our prosecution and that which should be the basis of my judgement of the Earle of Strafford as unto Treason is to my understanding quite vanisht away This it was Master Speaker His advising the King to employ the Army of Ireland to reduce England This I was assured would be proved before I gave my consent to his accusation I was confirmed in the same beliefe during the prosecution and fortified in it most of all since Sir Henry V●in●s preparatory examinations by the assurances which that worthy member Master Pymme gave me that his Testimony would be made convincing by some notes of what passed at the I●nto concurrent with it which I ever understanding to be of some other Counsellour you see now prove but a Copie of the same Secretaries notes discover'd and produc't in the manner you have heard and those such disjoynted fragments of the venemous part of discourses no results no conclusions of Councels which are the onely things that Secretaries should register there being no use at all of the other but to accuse and to bring men into danger But Sir this is not that which overthrowes the evidence with me concerning the Armie of Ireland nor yet that all the rest of the 〈◊〉 upon their oathes remember nothing of it But this 〈◊〉 I shall tell you is that which 〈…〉 me under favour to an utter overthrow of his evidence as unto that of the Army of Ireland Before whil'st I was a prosecutor and under tye of Secrecy I might not discover any weaknesse of the cause which now as a judge I must Master Secretary was examined thrice upon oath at the preparatory committee The first time he was questioned to all the Interrogat●●●… and to that part of the seventh which condemnes the Army of Ireland he said positively in these words I cannot charge him with that But for the rest he desires time to recollect himselfe which was granted him Some dayes after he was examined a second time and then deposes these words concerning the Kings being absolved from rules of government and so forth very clearely But Being preist to that part concerning the Irish Army againe can say nothing to that Heere we thought we had done with him till divers weeks after my Lord of Northumberland and all others of the Iunto denying to have heard any thing concerning those words of reducing England by the Irish Army it was thought fit to examine the Secretary once more and then he deposes these words to have beene said by the Earle of Strafford to his Majesty you have an Army