Anno 30 Caroli Secundi.
REX.
MEMORANDUM, quod hodierno die Lunæ,
21° die Octobris, Anno Regni Serenissimi Domini
nostri Caroli Secundi, Dei Gratia, Angliæ, Scociæ,
Franciæ, et Hiberniæ, Regis, Fidei Defensoris, &c.
Tricesimo; in quem diem, post separales Prorogationes,
Parliamentum inchoatum Octavo die Maii, Anno dicti
Domini Regis 13°, continuatum fuerat, Decima sexta
ejusdem Parliamenti Sessio incepta est apud Westm.; quo
die Domini tam Spirituales quam Temporales, quorum
Nomina subscribuntur, præsentes fuerunt:
| His Royal Highness the Duke of Yorke. | |
Arch. Cant.
Epus. London.
Epus. Durham.
Epus. Rochester.
Epus. Ely.
Epus. Bristol.
Epus. Gloucester.
Epus. Bath & Wells.
Epus. Lyncolne. |
Dux Cumberland.
Heneage Finch, Ds. Finch, Ds. Custos Magni Sigilli.
Thomas Osborne, Comes Danby,
Ds. Thesaurarius Angliæ.
Dux. Norfolciæ.
Dux Albemarle.
Dux Monmouth.
Marq. Winton.
Marq. Dorchester.
Comes Robertus Lyndsey, Magnus Camerarius Angliæ.
Comes Henricus Arlington, Camerarius Hospitii Domini Regis.
Comes Kent.
Comes Huntingdon.
Comes Suffolke.
Comes Dorset & Midd.
Comes Bridgwater.
Comes Denbigh.
Comes Manchester.
Comes Mulgrave.
Comes Peterborough.
Comes Strafford.
Comes Scarsdale.
Comes St. Alban.
Comes Essex.
Comes Cardigan.
Comes Bath.
Comes Craven.
Comes Aylesbury.
Comes Shaftesbury.
Comes Powis.
Comes Guildford.
Comes Feversham.
Vicecomes Mountagu.
Vicecomes Stafford.
Vicecomes Hallyfax.
Vicecomes Newport. |
Ds. Mowbray.
Ds. Awdley.
Ds. Berkeley.
Ds. De Grey.
Ds. Stourton.
Ds. North et Grey de Roll.
Ds. Hunsdon.
Ds. Petre.
Ds. Arundell de Ward.
Ds. Maynard.
Ds. Vaughan.
Ds. Lucas.
Ds. Gerard de Brand.
Ds. Freschevile.
Ds. Arundell de Trer.
Ds. Butler de Moore Park. |
PRAYERS.
King present.
His Majesty, sitting in His Royal Throne, adorned
with His Regal Crown and Ornaments (the Peers being
likewise in their Robes), commanded the Gentleman
Usher of the Black Rod to give the House of Commons Notice, "That it is His Majesty's Pleasure, that
they attend Him presently, with their Speaker."
Who being come; His Majesty made the Speech following:
His Majesty's Speech.
"My Lords and Gentlemen,
"I have thought the Time very long since we parted
last; and would not have deferred your Meeting by
so many Prorogations, if I could well have met you
sooner. The Part which I have had this Summer
in the Preservation of our Neighbours, and the wellsecuring what was left of Flanders, is sufficiently
known and acknowledged by all that are Abroad:
And though for this Cause I have been obliged to keep
up My Troops (without which our Neighbours had
absolutely despaired); yet both the Honour and Interest of the Nation have been so far improved by
it, that I am confident no Man here would repine at
it, or think the Money raised for their disbanding to
have been ill employed in their Continuance; and
I do assure you, I am so much more out of Purse
for the Service, that I do expect you should supply it.
"How far it may be necessary (considering the present State of Christendom) to reduce the Land and
Sea Forces, or to what Degree, is worthy of all our
serious Considerations.
"I now intend to acquaint you (as I shall always do
with any Thing that concerns Me), that I have been
informed of a Design against My Person by the Jesuits; of which I shall forbear any Opinion, left I
may seem to say too much, or too little: But I will
leave the Matter to the Law; and, in the mean
Time, will take as much Care as I can to prevent all
Manner of Practices by that Sort of Men, and of
others too, who have been tampering in a high Degree by Foreigners, and contriving how to introduce
Popery amongst us.
"I shall conclude with the recommending to you My
other Concerns. I have been under great Disappointments by the Defect of the Poll Bill. My
Revenue is under great Anticipations, and at the
best was never equal to the constant and necessary
Expence of the Government, whereof I intend to
have the whole State laid before you; and require
you to look into it, and consider of it with that
Duty and Affection which I am sure I shall always
find from you.
"The rest I leave to the Chancellor."
Then the Lord Chancellor made the following Speech;
videlicet,
L. Chancellor's Speech.
"My Lords; and you the Knights, Citizens, and
Burgesses, of the House of Commons;
"How much the King relies upon the Advice and
Assistance of His Parliament, how necessary He accounts it to Him, and how safe He thinks Himself
in it, is evident by this, that He hath not suffered
you all this Year to be out of His Reach; but hath
continued you from Time to Time, by a Succession
of little and short Prorogations; and without all Per-adventure we had sooner met, if it had been possible
for us to take right Measures here, without a full
Knowledge of the State and Condition of our Neighbours.
"The Close and Period of the last Session is very
memorable; for it may seem perhaps to some to have
ended with very different, if not contrary, Counsels
and Supplies, tending both to War and Peace: But
yet they who look more nearly into the Matter shall
find, that this Incertainty proceeded not from any Unsteadiness at Home, but from the Mutability of Affairs Abroad, every Week almost producing several
and contrary Appearances.
"The same Incertainties of Counsels and Events
Abroad continued for the most Part of the Summer. One while the Parties, exhausted by the War,
seemed to be willing to accept any Peace their Enemies would give; and there wanted not those among
them who made Use of the Impatience of their People
to necessitate them to it.
"Another while the Performance of the Conditions
offered became so doubted, and was at last explained
in a Manner so vastly different from the First Proposals, that Despair begot new Resolutions of continuing the War.
In the Midst of these miserable Perplexities and
Confusions, His Majesty was daily solicited, with the
highest Importunities and the most earnest Supplications that were possible, not to disband the Troops
He had raised; and not only so, but that He would
still continue to send over more and more of His
Troops, and to augment the Forces which He had
already Abroad.
"They did as good as tell Him plainly, That it was
from the Reputation of His Alliance, that any Overtures of Peace had been made at all; and that it
was from the Continuance of His Arms that any fair
Performance could be expected.
"They prayed His Majesty to consider, That if He
thought it expedient to obtain some Kind of Respite,
or Breathing-time, for The Spanish Netherlands, or
to secure any Kind of Frontier or Barrier between
them and their too powerful Neighbours; all this,
and more, very much more, perhaps no less than
the Safety of Christendom, would entirely depend
upon His Majesty's preserving Himself in that considerable Posture both by Sea and Land wherein He
then was.
"There was no resisting such repeated Intercessions;
and though His Majesty saw well enough that His
complying with these Desires would engage Him in
an Expence far beyond what He was then provided
for, yet He could not possibly decline the Charge,
nor refuse to undergo the Difficulties. And now,
whatever the Cost of all this may amount to, yet
neither His Majesty nor His People will have any
Cause to repent it, when they shall consider, that it
hath already produced such great and good Effects to
His Majesty's Allies, and so much Honour to the
whole Nation; that whatsoever is saved of Flanders,
is now acknowledged by all the World to be wholly
due to His Majesty's Interposition.
"And though the Peace, which since hath followed,
be very far from such a Peace as His Majesty could
have wished, yet 'tis such a Peace as His Neighbours were resolved to have. No Obligations they
lay under to insist upon a better Peace, no Conjunction with His Majesty, no, nor the Offers to declare
War on their Behalfs if they desired it, could prevail with them, or keep them from being wrought
upon by the ill Arts of those who first raised unreasonable Jealousies amongst them, and then caused
them to precipitate themselves into a Peace.
"Thus you see at once, not only the Necessity
which His Majesty had to continue His Troops in
Pay, but likewise the Benefits and Advantages which
have come of it.
"Let no Man wonder (fn. *) then, if the Money given toward this Disbanding have been applied toward the
Payment of the Army as far as it would go: There
needs no Excuse for that which was inevitable.
"The Provision which was made for paying off the
Army went no further than till the last of June for
Part, and the last of August for the rest: But the
Fleet was provided for only till the Fifth of June;
so that the Continuation of the Fleet and Army
from that Time was wholly upon His Majesty's
Charge.
"And as this was an Expence so absolutely necessary
to our own Interest, in the Preservation of our Neighbours, that His Majesty could not with any Honour
or Safety to Himself have avoided it: So the Service which hath been done by this Means to a great
Part of Christendom is so universally acknowledged,
that you cannot but be well pleased to have your
Share in the Honour of it, and will be willing to
defray the rest of the Charge, which hath far
exceeded all that was given by that Act.
"And His Majesty hath found Himself in greater
Streights than He could have imagined, by the unexpected Deficiency of the Poll Bill; for whereas
it was made a (fn. †) Fund of Credit for Three Hundred Thousand Pounds, besides a further Credit for
Stores, the Product of that Act hath fallen so
strangely short of what the Parliament expected from
it, that it hath not raised that Sum of Money, by a
great deal, which was allowed to be borrowed upon
it; and by this Means, they who have furnished
Stores upon the Credit of that Act will be in Danger
to be very great Losers, unless you are pleased to take
some Care of them.
"Thus you have shortly an Account of what hath
been doing Abroad, and the Charge of it: 'Tis now
high Time to look a little nearer Home; and surely,
in that State of Things to which they are now reduced, 'tis visible and plain enough what must be
our Business for the Time to come.
"First, we must look to ourselves, and provide for
our own Safety; for that which the Consederates
acknowledge with Thanks, we may be sure hath a
quite different Resentment in other Places. And, in
order to this, Care must be taken so to strengthen
ourselves, both at Home and Abroad, that they
who see us in a firm and well-settled Estate may
have no Hopes to surprize, nor any Temptation to
make an Attempt upon us.
"And herein it will be necessary to take Notice
of what His Majesty recommended to you, and to
weigh very well the Importance of reducing the
Sea and Land Forces, and the Consequences which
may attend such a Reducement; for, this be assured,
that nothing in the World would more gratify our
Enemies, than to see us afraid of maintaining ourselves in a Posture of Defence, which is the only
Posture they are afraid to find us in.
"And that the Fears of Popery may not too much
disquiet you, be pleased to consider, that you have
One Security more; since that which was always
the Interest of His Majesty's Honour and Conscience
is now become the Interest of His Person too, to
protect the Protestant Religion, and to prevent the
swarming of Seminary Priests; for His Majesty hath
told you, that He hath lately received Information
of Designs against His own Life by the Jesuits; and
though He doth in no sort prejudge the Persons
accused, yet the strict Enquiry into this Matter hath
been a Means to discover so many other unwarrantable Practices of theirs, that His Majesty hath Reason to look to them.
"Nor are these Kind of Men the only Factors for
Rome; but there are found among the Laity also
some, who have made themselves Agitators to promote the Interests of a Foreign Religion, who meddle
with Matters of State and Parliament, and carry on
their pernicious Designs by a most dangerous Correspondency with Foreign Nations.
"What Kind of Process the Proof will bear, and
to how high a Degree the Extent and Nature of
these Crimes will rise, is under Consideration, and
will be fully left to the Course of Law.
"In the next Place, let us carefully avoid all Differences amongst ourselves, all Manner of clashing
about Jurisdictions, and all Disputes of such a Nature as can never end in any Accommodation; for
this is still what our Enemies would wish, who would
be glad to see us ruined, without their being at the
Charge of it.
"And therefore we must now above all other Times
labour to shew the World the most effectual Significations of our Loyalty and Duty that we are able
to express: For nothing in the World can more
discourage our Enemies, as on the contrary nothing
does or can so ripen a Nation for Destruction, as to
be observed to distrust their own Government. Be
pleased then now to take Occasion to manifest such
a Zeal for the Government, as to look into the State
of that Revenue which should support the constant
and necessary Charge of it, and to see that it be
made equal to it.
"There are many Motives to oblige us to this Inspection.
"First, you see, the King expects it; and then again
you cannot but see that nothing is, or can be, of a
more public Consideration, than to support the
Dignity of the Crown, which is in Truth the Dignity of the Nation: Besides, 'tis unsafe, as well as
dishonourable, that the King's Revenue should fall
short of His most necessary and most unavoidable
Expences.
"And, if upon a due Examination, it shall be made
appear to you, that though there had been no Diminution of the Customs, yet no Thrift or Conduct
in the World could ever make the Revenue able to
answer the certain Charge of the Government, much
less to discharge those Anticipations which lie heavy
upon it; how can it be possible for it to supply
those Contingencies which happen even in Times of
Peace, and which can never be brought under any
Regulation or Establishment?
"You may be sure, a great and generous Prince
would be glad, by good Managery, to have wherewithal to exercise His Royal Bounty. But our Neighbours have found a Way to prevent all that: For
their vast Preparations put His Majesty upon a vast
Expence, to preserve Himself and us.
"My Lords and Gentlemen;
"You now find the King involved in Difficulties as
great, and without your Assistance as insuperable, as
ever any Government did labour under.
"And yet His Majesty doth not think that there
need many Words to bespeak your Zeal and Industry in His Service; for the Things themselves
now speak, and speak aloud. The public and the
private Interest do both persuade the same Things;
and are, and ought to be, mighty in Persuasion.
"If the Honour and Safety of your Country, and,
which is next to that, the Concerns of your own Families and Posterities, cannot awaken your utmost Care
to preserve that Government which only can preserve
you and yours, all other Discourses will be to no Purpose.
"There can be no Difficulties at all to them who
take Delight in serving of the King and their Country, and love the Occasions of shewing it.
"Such are all here: But though the King have
had for many Years a large and full Experience of
your Duty, yet there never was a Time like this to
try your Affections.
There is so strange a Concurrence of ill Accidents
at this Time, that 'tis not to be wondered at, if some
very honest and good Men begin to have troubled
and thoughtful Hearts; yet that which is infinitely to
be lamented is, that malicious Men too begin to
work upon this Occasion, and are in no small Hopes
to raise a Storm that nothing shall be able to allay.
"If you can rescue the King's Affairs from such a
Tempest as this; if you can weather this Storm, and
steer the Vessel into Harbour; if you can find a Way
to quiet the Apprehensions of those who mean well,
without being carried away by the Passions of others
who mean ill; if you can prevent the Designs of
those without Doors, who study nothing else but
how to distract your Counsels, and to disturb all your
Proceedings: Then you will have performed as great
and as seasonable a Piece of Service to the King,
as ever He stood in Need of.
"And when the World shall see, that nothing hath
been able to disappoint the King of the Assistance
He had reason to hope from this Session, but that
there is a right Understanding between the King
and His Parliament, and that again strengthened and
increased by new Evidences of your Duty and Affection, and raised above all Possibility of being interrupted; then shall the King be possessed of that
true Glory, which others vainly pursue, the Glory
of reigning in the Hearts of His People; then shall
the People be possessed of as much Felicity as this
World is capable of; and you shall have the perpetual Honour and Satisfaction of having been the
Means to procure so much solid and lasting Good
to your Country, as the Establishment of the Peace
and Tranquillity of this Kingdom, and consequently
of all His Majesty's Dominions."
Address for these Speeches to be printed.
ORDERED, by the Lords Spiritual and Temporal
in Parliament assembled, That the Lords with White
Staves be, and are hereby, appointed to wait on His
Majesty, humbly desiring, in the Name of this House,
"That His Majesty will be pleased to give Order, that
the Speeches made by His Majesty and the Lord
Chancellor, this Day, in the House of Peers, may be
printed and published."
Bill to prevent Minors clandestine Marriages.
Hodie 1a
vice lecta est Billa, "An Act disabling Minors to marry without the Consent of their Fathers
or Guardians, and against their untimely marrying
after the Decease of their Fathers."
Committee for Privileges.
Lords Committees appointed to consider of the
Customs and Orders of the House of Peers and
Privileges of Parliament, and of the Peers of
this Kingdom and Lords of Parliament.
| His Royal Highness the Duke of Yorke. | |
Dux Cumberland.
L. Chancellor.
L. Treasurer.
Dux Norfolciæ.
Dux Albemarle.
Dux Monmouth.
Marq. Winton.
Marq. Dorchester.
L. Great Chamberlain.
L. Chamberlain.
E. Kent.
E. Huntingdon.
E. Suff.
E. Dorset & Midd.
E. Bridgwater.
E. Denbigh.
E. Manchester.
E. Mulgrave.
E. Peterborough.
E. Strafford.
E. Scarsdale.
E. St. Alban.
E. Essex.
E. Cardigan.
E. Bath.
E. Craven.
E. Aylesbury.
E. Shaftesbury.
E. Powis.
E. Guildford.
E. Feversham.
Vicecomes Mountagu.
Vicecomes Stafford.
Vicecomes Halyfax.
Vicecomes Newport. |
Arch. Cant.
Epus. London.
Epus. Durham.
Epus. Rochester.
Epus. Ely.
Epus. Bristol.
Epus. Gloucester.
Epus. Bath & Wells.
Epus. Lyncolne. |
Ds. Mowbray.
Ds. Awdley.
Ds. Berkeley.
Ds. De Grey.
Ds. Stourton.
Ds. North & Grey.
Ds. Hunsdon.
Ds. Petre.
Ds. Arundell Ward.
Ds. Maynard.
Ds. Vaughan.
Ds. Lucas.
Ds. Gerard de Brand.
Ds. Freschevile.
Ds. Arundell T.
Ds. Butler de M. Park. |
Their Lordships, or any Seven of them; to meet
on Monday next, and every Monday after, at
Three of the Clock in the Afternoon, in the House
of Peers; and to adjourn as they please.
Committee for the Journal.
Lords Committees appointed to consider of the Orders and Customs of the House of Peers, and Privileges of the Peers of this Kingdom and Lords
of Parliament; and to peruse and perfect the
Journal Book.
| | |
Marq. Winton.
E. Kent.
E. Huntingdon.
E. Bridgwater.
E. Scarsdale.
E. Essex.
E. Cardigan.
E. Bath.
E. Craven.
E. Aylesbury.
E. Shaftesbury.
Vicecomes Stafford.
Vicecomes Hallyfax. |
Epus. London.
Epus. Durham.
Epus. Rochester.
Epus. Ely.
Epus. Bristol.
Epus. Gloucester.
Epus. Bath & Wells.
Epus. Lyncolne. |
Ds. Awdley.
Ds. Berkeley.
Ds. North.
Ds. Hunsdon.
Ds. Petre.
Ds. Vaughan.
Ds. Freschevile.
Ds. Arundell T. |
Their Lordships, or any Three of them; to meet
on Saturday next, at Three of the Clock in the
Afternoon, in, or any where near, the House of
Peers; and after, when, and as often as, they
please.
Committee for Petitions.
Lords Committees appointed by the House of
Peers to receive and consider of Petitions; and
afterwards to make Report unto the House:
| His Royal Highness the Duke of Yorke. | |
Dux Cumberland.
L. Treasurer.
Dux Norfolciæ.
Dux Albemarle.
Dux Monmouth.
Marq. Winton.
Marq. Dorchester.
L. Great Chamberlain.
L. Chamberlain.
Comes Kent.
Comes Huntingdon.
Comes Suff.
Comes Dorset & Midd.
Comes Bridgwater.
Comes Denbigh.
Comes Manchester.
Comes Mulgrave.
Comes Peterborough.
Comes Strafford.
Comes Scarsdale.
Comes St. Alban.
Comes Essex.
Comes Cardigan.
Comes Bath.
Comes Craven.
Comes Aylesbury.
Comes Shaftesbury.
Comes Powis.
Comes Guildford.
Comes Feversham.
Vicecomes Mountagu.
Vicecomes Stafford.
Vicecomes Halyfax.
Vicecomes Newport. |
Arch. Cant.
Epus. London.
Epus. Durham.
Epus. Rochester.
Epus. Ely.
Epus. Bristol.
Epus. Gloucester.
Epus. Bath & Wells.
Epus. Lyncolne. |
Ds. Mowbray.
Ds. Awdley.
Ds. Berkeley.
Ds. De Grey.
Ds. Stourton.
Ds. North & Grey.
Ds. Hunsdon.
Ds. Petre.
Ds. Arundell W.
Ds. Maynard.
Ds. Vaughan.
Ds. Lucas.
Ds. Gerard.
Ds. Freschevile.
Ds. Arundell T.
Ds. Butler M. Park. |
Their Lordships, or any Five of them; to meet
on Tuesday next, and every Tuesday after, at
Three of the Clock in the Afternoon, in the
Painted Chamber; and to adjourn themselves as
they please.
Address to the King, for a Fast.
It was moved, upon Occasion of His Majesty's Speech,
"That an humble Address may be presented to His
Majesty, for a Day of Fasting and Humiliation, for
the further Discovery of the horrid Design against
the Sacred Person of His Majesty."
Whereupon a Form was drawn up, and read, and
approved of; but the House thought fit to divide it into
Two Addresses, as followeth:
"We, Your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal Subjects, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and
in Parliament assembled, having been acquainted, by
Your Majesty, that there is Information given of a
horrible Design against Your Majesty's Sacred Life
(which God long preserve); and being very sensible
of the fatal Consequence of such an Attempt, and
the Dangers of the Subversion of the Protestant Religion and Government of this Realm, which God in
His infinite Mercy hath hitherto prevented, and we
hope will prevent for the future; do most humbly
beseech Your Majesty, That a Solemn Day of Fasting
and Humiliation may be appointed, to implore the
Mercy and Protection of God Almighty to Your
Majesty's Royal Person, and in You to all Your Loyal
Subjects; and to pray Him to bring to Light, more
and more, all secret Machinations against Your Majesty and Your whole Kingdom."
Message to H. C. with it.
A Message was sent to the House of Commons, by
the Lord Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas
and Mr. Justice Jones:
To deliver the aforesaid Address to His Majesty to
the House of Commons, and desire their Concurrence
thereunto.
The Second Address to His Majesty was as followeth:
Address for Papers concerning the Plot.
"We, Your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal Subjects,
the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament assembled, having been acquainted, by Your Majesty, that
there is Information given of a horrible Design against
Your Majesty's Sacred Life (which God long preserve), are humble Suitors to Your Majesty, That
You would vouchsafe to communicate to us (as far
as Your Majesty shall think fit) such Papers as have
any Tendency to the Discovery thereof, or of any
other Design against the Protestant Religion as it is
now established in the Church of England, that we
may use our utmost Endeavours to serve Your Majesty,
according to our bounden Duty and Allegiance."
ORDERED, by the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in
Parliament assembled, That the Lords with the White
Staves do attend His Majesty, from this House, to present
their humble Address concerning Papers relating to the
Discovery of the horrible Design against His Majesty's
Sacred Life.
King's Speech to be considered.
ORDERED, by the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in
Parliament assembled, That this House will take His
Majesty's Speech and the Lord Chancellor's Speech,
made this Day in the House of Peers, into Consideration
To-morrow Morning.
Answer from H. C.
The Messengers sent to the House of Commons with
the Address return with this Answer:
That the Commons agree with their Lordships in the
Address to be presented to His Majesty for a Fast, as it
was sent down, filling up the Blank with the Word
["Commons"].
King to be attended.
ORDERED, by the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in
Parliament assembled, That the Lords with White Staves
do attend His Majesty, to know His Pleasure, at what
Time both Houses may wait on Him, with their humble
Address for a Fast.
L. De Grey takes his Seat.
This Day Charles de Grey Chevalier fat first in Parliament as a Peer.
His Writ bears Date the 16th Day of October, A° Tricesimo Caroli Secundi, coming in upon Descent of Charles
Lord De Grey his Ancestor.
Adjourn.
Dominus Cancellarius declaravit præsens Parliamentum continuandum esse usque in diem Martis, 22um diem
instantis Octobris, hora decima Aurora, Dominis sic decernentibus.
Hitherto examined, this 16th of November, 1678, by us,
Anglesey, C. P. S.
J. Bridgewater.
Seth Sarum.