Treasons Masterpiece, Date · Date 5
Lord Whitlock. 16. April.
SIR, I have very little to tuouble your Highneſs with, ſo much hath been already ſpoken, and ſo well, that it will be hard for me or any other to undertake to add to it, only the duty of my employment, and ſomething due to your Highneſs, occaſions me to ſpeak a few, words to acknowledge with very humble thanks, the honour and right which you have done this Committee, by the clear and free diſcourſes and conferences which they have had with you Highneſs, and for your frequent expreſſions and teſtimonies, of affection and reſpect to the Parliament, whoſe ſence in this I may preſume to ſpeak, that never any perſons met their Supream Magiſtrate with more love, duty and honour, than the Parliament have met your Highneſs with, in their preſent and addreſſes; which argument of Love deſerves the eſteem and force, which I doubt not but your Highneſs will put upon it, I am fearful to be too tedious at any time, eſpecially at ſo late an hour, and therefore ſhall ſpeak but ſhort, to ſome things which I remember not to have been mentioned. Your Highneſs was pleaſed at the laſt meeting, to ſay that the original Inſtitution of the Title King, was by common conſent, and that the ſame common conſent might inſtitute any other Title, and make it as effectual as that of King: this muſt be acknowledged, but withal you may be pleaſed to obſerve, that the Title of King is not only by an original common conſent, but that conſent alſo proved and confirmed, and the Law fitted thereunto, and that fitted to the Laws, by the experience and induſtry of many ages, and many hundreds of years together; whereas any other Title will be only by preſent common conſent, without that experience and approbation; for that experience which your Highneſs mentioned to have been of other Titles, and the due adminiſtration of Juſtice under them, this experience is far ſhort of the other, and for the courſe of Juſtice, we have cauſe to thank that care which plac'd ſo Good Judges and Officers over us; yet give me leave to ſay, that in private cauſes between Party and Party and in publick matters, in nominal cauſes, it was not eaſy to find juſtice to be done by ſome Jurors: and many queſtions have riſen upon the occſion of thoſe new Titles, concerning that tender point of good mens ſatisfaction: I think it requires a very great regard from us, and I doubt not but thoſe good people will be fully ſatisfied, if they conſider the covenants, promiſes and precepts, which in the Scriptures are annext to the name of King; and although ſome have alledged, that they belong to any chief Magiſtrate as well as to King: yet no man did ever read the Original word tranſlated otherwiſe than King, neither do I find the preſent Title once mentioned in the holy Text; if the preſent authority be a lawſul authority, which I hope none of us will deny, ſurely thoſe good men, who are ſo well principled in godlineſs, will not forget that precept of ſubmiſſion to authority, and to be ſatisfied with that which lawful authority ſhall ordain. Their Rights and Liberties are the ſame with ours, and the Parliament cannot adviſe any thing for the preſervation of the peoples Rights, but theſe good men are included, which I hope will be no diſatisfaction to them in all the changes which we have ſeen: there hath been a diſſatisfaction to ſome, yet ſtill the bleſſing of God hath gone along through all theſe changes, with thoſe who carried on his intereſt and the cauſe being the ſame, the ſame mercies have been continued, and I doubt not but if the intended change or rather reſtitution be made, as I hope it will, I doubt not but the ſame God will continue his bleſſings to that good old cauſe, wherein we are engaged; and that good men receive ſatisfaction by it. Your Highneſs hath been told that the Title of King is upon the foundation of Law, and that a new Title muſt have a conſtitution to make the Laws relate unto it, and that unto the Laws; I ſhall only add this, that a Title by relation is not ſo certain and ſafe, as a Title upon the old foundation of the Law; and that a Title upon a preſent ſingle conſtitution as any new Title muſt be, cannot be ſo firm, as a Title both upon the preſent conſtitution and upon the old foundation of the Law likewiſe, which the Title of King will be; if any inconvenience ſhould enſue upon your acceptance of this Title which the Parliament adviſeth, your Highneſs ſatisfaction will be, that they did adviſe it.
On the contrary part, if inconvenience ſhould ariſe upon your Highneſs refuſal of this Title which the Parliament hath adviſed, your burden will be the greater. And therefore whatſoever may fall out will be better anſwered by your Highneſs complying with your Parliament, than otherwiſe. This queſtion is not altogether new, ſome inſtances have been given of the like, (to which I ſhall add two or three) the Titles of the Kings of England, in the Realm of Ireland, was Lord of Ireland. And the Parliament in the 33. year of Hen. 8. reciting that inconveniences did ariſe there by reaſon of that Title did enact that Hen. 8. ſhould aſſume the Stile and Title of King of Ireland, which in the Judgement of this Parliament was preferred before the other. In the State of Rome, new Titles proved fatal to their liberties.
Their caſe was not much unlike ours, they were wearied with a civil War, and coming to a ſettlement, Cuncta diſcordiis civilibus feſſa nomine principis, ſub imperium accepit, ſome would not admit the Title Rex to be uſed, but were contented to give the Titles of Caeſar, perpetuus Dictator, Princeps, Senator, Imperator. Non ſum Rex ſed Caeſar, came at laſt to this, Voluntas Caeſaris pro lege habeatur, the Northern people wers more happy amongſt themſelves; a private Gentleman of a noble family took up arms with his Countrey-men againſt a Tyrant, and by the bleſſing of God reſcued their native liberties, and rights of their Country from the oppreſſion of that Tyrant. This Gentleman had the Title of Marſhall given unto him, which continued for ſome years. Afterwards their Parliament, judging it beſt to reſume the old Title, elected this Gentleman to be their King; and with him was brought in the liberty of Proteſtant Religion, and the eſtabliſhment of the civil rights of that people, which have continued in a proſperous condition ever ſince unto this day. Sir, I ſhall make no other application but in my prayers to God to direct your Highneſs and the Parliament (as I hope he will) to do that which will be moſt for his honour and the good of his people.