Two Speeches 2, Floating text 2
A SPEECH DELIVERED BY JOHN PYM Eſquire.
MY Lord Major, and you worthy Citizens of this noble and famous City of London,
I am commanded by the Lords and Commons, to let you know, that in this Anſwer, which hath beene publiſhed to you, they doe obſerve many things of great aſperſion upon the proceedings of Parliament very ſcandalous and injurious to many particular Members of this City, whereupon they thinke that it becomes them, both in tenderneſſe of their owne honour, and reſpect to you, to take away all thoſe aſperſions, and to let you know the truth of their proceedings, which have beene full of honour and juſtice, as they ſtand in relation to their owne duty, and full of humility, and obedience towards His Majeſty, and of care for the common good, and ſo ſhall ever be; And they have commanded me to let you know the true Anſwer to moſt of thoſe things that are imputed either to the Parliament, or to the City, by obſerving ſome particulars of This booke which hath beene read to you and to let you know the proceedings in their owne native condition, cleere from thoſe miſrepreſentations which make them appeare in a qualitie much different from the truth: which before I enter into I am to declare as the Senſe of both Houſes that your petition was ſo full of Loyaltie, Humilitie, and Obedience, that you might well have expected an Anſwer of another kinde.
The firſt Obſervation I am to make to you is this, that it is ſaid here, That His Majeſty was enforc'd by tumults to leave the Parliament, and to goe from White-hall, and to withdraw himſelfe into thoſe courſes, which now he hath taken.
In Anſwer hereunto, I am commanded to tell you, that there was no occaſion given by any tumults riſing out of this City or the Suburbs which might juſtly cauſe His Majeſties departure, and you may very well remember, that after His violent comming to the Commons Houſe of Parliament in that unuſuall and unheard of manner (which was the beginning of theſe unhappy differences) that the very next day His Majeſty came into the City without any Guard, that He was preſent in the Common-councell, din'd at the Sheriffes, and returned back againe, with manifold evidences of fidelity on the part of the City, and without any ſuch expreſſions as were unbeſeeming the Majeſty of a King, or the duty of Subjects; that He reſided divers dayes at White-hall, and afterward at Hampton-court, Windſor, and places adjoyning, with ſmall Forces about him, and yet never any attempt made which might give Him any apprehenſions of feare; by all which it is manifeſt, that this is an unjuſt aſperſion caſt upon this City, that any tumultuous carriage of yours, was your occaſion of His Majeſties leaving the Parliament and withdrawing himſelfe to remoter parts.
It is affirmed, that the Government of your City hath been mannaged by a few deſperate perſons, and that they do exerciſe an arbitrary power.] In anſwer to which the two Houſes of Parliament gives you this teſtimony, that you have in moſt of the great occaſions concerning the Government of the City, followed their direction, and that direction which they have given, and you have executed, they muſt & will maintain to be ſuch as ſtands with their honor in giving it, and your truſt and fidelity in the performance of it.
It is objected in the third place; That Contributions have been publickly made, for the maintenance of that Army which did joyne Battell with the King, and did by all the means that Treaſon and Malice could ſuggest, endeavour to take away His Life, and deſtroy His Iſſue.] To this I am commanded to ſay, That the deſign of bringing up the Engliſh Armies, the gathering together of the Cavaliers about White-hall, the violent coming to the Houſe of Commons, the Kings going into the North, and raiſing Armes there, are cleer evidences that violence was firſt intended, and divers practiſes were made againſt the Parliament, before they took any courſe, or made any preparation to take up arms for their defence; for the danger of His Majeſties perſon they were ſorry for it, and did by divers humble Petitions labour to prevent it; And as touching the royall iſſue, they have ſufficiently declar'd to the world, their good affections towards them, by the care they have taken both for the ſafety and maintenance of thoſe who are left here.
It is further expreſſ'd in this Anſwer; That the King demands the Lord Major, Maſter Alderman Fowke, Colonell Ven, and Colonell Manwaring, to be delivered up as guilty of Schiſme and high Treaſon.] Concerning which, I am commanded to tell you, as the ſenſe of both Houſes of PARLIAMENT, That this demand is againſt the priviledge of Parliament (two of them being Members of the Commons Houſe) moſt diſhhonorable to the City, That the Lord Major of London ſhould be ſubjected to the violence of every baſe fellow, be aſſaulted, ſeiz'd on, without due proceſſe or Warrant, which the Law doth afford every private man; and that you ſhould be commanded to deliver up your chief Magiſtrates, and ſuch eminent Members of the City to the Kings pleaſure, only becauſe they have done their duty in adhering to the Parliament, for the defence of the Kingdom, and that it is againſt the rules of juſtice, that any men ſhould be impriſoned upon ſuch a generall charge, when no particulars are proved againſt them; and this you are to take notice of, as the anſwer to thoſe ſcandalls, and to that diſgrace upon my Lord Major, and the other Members of the City.
And I am further to tell you, that there is little cauſe for His Majeſty to make this demand, conſidering that He Himſelf doth by force keep away many accuſed in Parliament, as my Lord Digby, and many more impeached of high Treaſon, beſides divers others great Delinquents, that ſtand charged there for hainous crimes, all which by force are kept from the due proceedings, and legall triall in Parliament.
It is alleaged in this Anſwer, That my Lord Maior, and thoſe other perſons named, are countenancers of Browniſts, and Anabaptiſts, and all manner of Sectaries.] To this I am commanded to ſay, That hereof there is no proof; It doth not appear that they give any ſuch countenance to Sectaries of any kinde whatſoever; and if it did, His Majeſty hath little reaſon to object it, while notwithſtanding the profeſſion he hath often made, that he will maintain the Proteſtant reformed Religion, he doth in the mean time raiſe an Army of Papiſts, who by the principles of their Religion are bound, (if power be put into their hands) to deſtroy and utterly to root out the Proteſtants together with the truth which they profeſſe.
It is affirmed, That mens perſons have been impriſoned, and their houſes plunder'd, becauſe they will not rebell againſt His Majeſty.] To this I am commanded to declare, that no mens houſes have been plunder'd by any direction of the Parliament, but that they have been very carefull to reſtrain all ſuch violent courſes, ſo far as they were able; and that they have never committed any man, but ſuch men as by due information they conceived to be ſeditious perſons, and like to trouble the peace of the State.
It is objected further; That the Property of the Subject is deſtroyed by taking away the twentieth part by an Arbitrary power.] To this they ſay, That that Ordinance it doth not require a twentieth part, but doth limit the Aſſeſſors, that they ſhall not go beyond a twentieth part; and that this is done by a power derived from both houſes of Parliament; the Lords who have an hereditarie intereſt in making Laws in this Kingdom, and the Commons who are elected and choſen to repreſent the whole body of the Comminalty, and truſted for the good of the people, when ever they ſee cauſe to charge the Kingdom: And they ſay further, that the ſame Law that did enable the two Houſes of Parliament to raiſe forces to maintain and defend the ſafety of Religion, and of the Kingdom, doth likewiſe enable them to require contributions, whereby thoſe forces may be maintained, or elſe it were a vaine power to raiſe forces, if they had not a power likewiſe to maintain them in that ſervice for which they were raiſed.
And to this point I am commanded to adde this further anſwer, that there was little reaſon for this to be objected on his Majeſties behalf, when it is well known that from the ſubjects (which are within the power of his army) His Majeſty doth take the full yeerly value of their Lands, and in ſome caſes more that not only particular houſes, but whole Towns have been plunder'd by command and deſign; and that by Proclamations men are declared to forfeit all their eſtates, becauſe they will not obey Arbitrary Commands, and this is commonly practiſed by His Majeſty, and on his part, and therefore there was little reaſon to charge the Parliament with ſo neceſſary and moderate a contribution as the twentieth part.
It is declared, That the King expects to be kept from Tumults and Affronts.] Upon which, I am commanded to obſerve, that His Majeſties expreſſions in His Anſwer tend to the making of a diviſion in this City, and to the raiſing of a party, which may make ſome diſturbance in that orderly government which is now eſtabliſhed, both which will certainly prove equally deſtructive to him and both Houſes of Parliament; and more prejudiciall to his quiet abode here, then any thing that hath ever beene acted by the Houſes of Parliament, or the preſent Governors of the City.
They obſerve further that in this Anſwer, His Majeſty doth profeſſe that He will ſeize upon the eſtates of thoſe that ſhall contribute any thing towards the maintenance of the Parliaments Army, and will put them out of His protection, and by His Miniſters in forraign States, will take ſuch courſe, that they may be proceeded againſt as enemies; that is, deſtroyed and ſpoiled.] To which the LORDS and COMMONS do Declare, That this is an exceſſe of rigour and injuſtice beyond all example, that particular men ſhould loſe their private eſtates here without law or judiciall proceeding: And that our Prince who owes protection to the Kingdom, aſwell as to particular perſons, ſhould ſuffer the wealth thereof to be robbed and ſpoiled by forraign States; upon due conſideration whereof, they hope His Majeſty will be induced by better Councell to forbeare the execution, then that by which he hath been perſwaded to publiſh ſuch a Reſolution.
Beſides theſe Obſervations out of the Anſwer, I am to obſerve one out of a narrative that was received from the Common Councell, that the King did Declare that he would ſend ſome meſſengers here to obſerve your carriage in the City, and what was done amongſt you, the Parliament have juſt cauſe to doubt, that theſe will be meſſengers of ſedition and trouble, and therefore deſire you to obſerve them and find them out, and that they may know who they are.
I am for a concluſion to commend to your conſiderations, that you ſee by the proceedings to which the King is drawn by the ill councell now about Him, that Religion, the whole Kingdom, this glorious City, and the Parliament, are all in great danger, and that this danger cannot be kept off in all likelyhood, but by the Army that is now a foot, and that the Lords and Commons are ſo farre from being frighted by any thing that is in this Anſwer, that they have for themſelves and the Members of both Houſes declared a further contribution towards the maintenance of this Army, and cannot but hope and deſire, that you that have ſhew'd ſo much good affection in the former neceſſities of the State will be ſenſible of your own, and of the condition of the whole Kingdom, and adde (to that which you have alreadie done) ſome further contribution, whereby this Army may be maintain'd for all your ſafeties.
At the end of every period of this Speech, the applauſe was ſo great, that he was fain to reſt till ſilence was again made; and at laſt (the Company ready to be diſſolved) after ſome pauſe and conſultation with the Committee of Lords and Commons then preſent, and by their direction (ſilence being made) he cloſed all with the words following:
Worthy Citizens, you have underſtood the ſenſe of both Houſes of Parliament, concerning my Lord Major here, and thoſe worthy Members of your City, that are demanded; you have heard the Parliament declare, that they will protect them in that which they have done by direction of both Houſes; and they expect that you ſhould expreſſe it your ſelves likewiſe, that if any violence be offer'd to them, you will ſecure and defend them with your uttermoſt force; and you ſhall alwaies finde, that this protection of the Parliament ſhall not onelyonly extend to theſe, but to all others that have done any thing by their command.
Which words were no ſooner uttered, but the Citizens with one joynt harmony of mindes and voices, gave ſuch an acclamation as would have drown'd all the former, if they had been then breathing, which after a long continuance reſolv'd it ſelf into this more articulate and diſtinct voice, We will live and dye with them, We will live and dye with them, and the like.
So that in the managing of this dayes work, God was ſo pleaſed to manifeſt himſelf, that the well-affected went away not ſtrengthened onelyonly, but rejoycing; and the Malignants (as they have been called) ſome convinced, others ſilenced, many aſham'd; it fully appearing how little power they had to anſwer their deſires of doing miſchief: whileſt in ſtead of dividing the City, they were exceedingly united; in ſtead of a diſſipation, thouſands were unexpectedly brought (as it were) into an unthought of Aſſociation, to live and dye in the defence of theſe zealous and honorable Aſſertors of their peace and liberties: All which we may ſumme up in that triumph of the man of God: In the thing wherein they dealt proudly, God was above them.
FINIS.
End of the text · Edward Montagu, Two Speeches 2 (1642)