Anno 32 Car.II. fuch time when they were turning the Popish Plot upon the 1680. Proteftants.. Ordered, That Sir Robert Peyton be expelled the House, Sir Rob. Peyton and that Sir Robert Peyton be brought to the Bar, and do expelled. receive the Cenfure of the Houfe upon his Knees. But not being to be found, the Houfe afterwards ordered him to be taken into the Cuftody of the Serjeant at Arms. The King's Speech to both Houses. Debate upon it. The 15th, his Majefty made the following Speech to both Houfes of Parliament. A My Lords and Gentlemen, Tthe Opening of this Parliament, I did acquaint you with the Alliances I had made with Spain and Holland, as the best Measures that could be taken for the Safety of England, and the Repofe of Chriftendom. But I told you withal, that if your Friendship became unfafe to truft to, it would not be wondered at, if our Neigh'bours fhould begin to take new Refolutions, and perhaps fuch as might be fatal to us. I muft now tell you, that our Allies cannot but fee how little has been done fince this Meeting, to encourage their Dependance upon us. And I find by them that unless we can be fo united at home, as to make our Alliance valuable to them, it will not be poffible to hinder them from feeking fome other Refuge; and making fuch new Friendfhips as will not be confiftent with our Safety. Confider, that a Neglect of this Opportunity is never to be re• paired. I did likewife lay the Matter plainly before you, touching the Eftate and Condition of Tangier. I must now tell you again, that, if that Place be thought worth the keeping, you must take fuch confideration of it, that it may be speedily fupplied; it being impoflible for me to preferve it, at an Expence fo far above my power. I did promife you the fulleft Satisfaction your Hearts could wish, for the Security of the Proteftant Religion; ' and to concur with you in any Remedies,which might confift with preferving the Succeffion of the Crown in its due and legal courfe of Defcent. I do again with the fame Refervations, renew the fame Promises to you; and being thus ready, on my part, to do all that can reasonably be expected from me; I should be glad to know from you, as foon as may be, how far I shall be affifted by you; and what it is you defire from me.' Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would willingly move you to áppoint a Day to confider of his Majefty's Speech now made to 1680. to both Houses; because it is according to the ufual Me- Anno 32 Car.II. thods of Parliament; and I should be forry to fee this House fhew lefs refpect to his Majefty's Speeches, than former have done. But upon hearing it now read, I do conclude, that it will be to little purpofe to appoint a Day for the Confideration of it; becaufe every Paragraph of it tends to Money, unless that about fecuring Religion, if it may be fo understood, notwithstanding the Refervation in it about the Succeffion. We have already endeavoured, by feveral Addreffes we have made, to affure his Majefty of our Loyalty and Readiness to promote whatever may tend to his Happinefs and Greatnefs; and that when we are fecured of our Religion, we will readily give Money; we can do no more than confirm the fame, after we have confidered this Speech. We having not yet had any encouragement to give Money; we have made feveral Addreffes for Relief of fome Grie-, vances the People lie under; but hath any one of them been. granted? We have finished one Bill against Popery; but what Succefs hath it had elsewhere? thrown out as haftily. as if it had carried a Fire-ball with it. And yet now it feems, there is nothing to be done but giving of Money; as if all our Complaints were granted, the Proteftant Religion fecured, and nothing wanting to fatisfy the People. Sir, I think, the Complaints of the Nation, as to the Danger: of Popery, are fo great, and fo reasonably grounded, as that it cannot be expected they fhould longer be fatisfied with Words or Pretences; because we have met with many Difappointments, especially after giving of Money. And therefore confidering the defperate cafe we are in, it will not be convenient we should go that way now; but keep our Money until we have got Laws. Which I think is the best fervice we can do those who sent us here, as the cafe ftands. For thefe Reafons, I think, we had beft adjourn the Confideration of this Speech to fome other time.' • Mr. Speaker, Sir, we have been long jealous that there Silas Titus. are People that endeavour to create a Milunderstanding be.. tween his Majefty and this Houfe,which it is our business to prevent. If there be a difference between two Men, and the one will not hear what the other offers, but be utterly against all Propofals, it would be hard to reconcile two fuch Perfons; Treaties and Debates being a proper way to come to a fair Understanding. It is true, most of the Paragraphs of his Majefty's Speech are Memento's about Money; but in the conclufion, he is pleafed to tell you, that he defires to know how far he fhall be affifted by us; and what it is that we defire from him. Sir, I think, this is a fair ftep towards coming to a right Understanding; for I am apt to believe i C 2 that 1680. Anno 32 Car.. that if the King knew how reasonable the things are that we defire of him, and how ready we are to give him all the Affiftance he can defire for the Support of the Government, that we fhould not long continue under these Misunderstandings; and therefore I humbly move you to appoint a Day to confider his Majefty's Speech." Debate on Popery. Lord Cavendish. Refolved, That this Houfe will on Saturday Morning next take into Confideration his Majefty's most gracious Speech, this Day made to both Houfes of Parliament. The Houfe then Refolved into a grand Committee, how to fecure the Kingdom againft Popery and arbitrary Government. Mr. Powle in the Chair. Sir, When I confider the Immunities and Advantages we enjoy by the excellent Compofure of our Government both in Church and State: how the King, as Sovereign, enjoys all the Prerogative that can be neceffary to make him either great or happy; and the People all the Liberty and Privilege that can be pretended for their Encourage ment to be induftrious, and for fecuring to themfelves and Pofterities the Enjoyment of what they get by their Induftry; how the Doctrine of the Church is void of idolatrous, fuperftitious Opinions; and the Government of Tyranny, or abfolute Dominion: I cannot but admire that there fhould be any Body amongst ourselves, that fhould aim at any Alteration, and be the Occafion of this Day's Debate. But, Sir, it is too evident that fuch there are; and that they have made a great Advance to effect their Defign, by many Contrivances which they have pursued for a long Courfe of Years, according to the Refults and Confultations held by Jefuits for that Purpose: But above all, by converting to their Religion James Duke of York, the prefumptive Heir of the Crown; and by engaging him to efpouse their Intereft with that Zeal and Fervency, which ufually attends new Converts: Efpecially when fo great a Glory is propofed, as the rooting a peftilent Herefy out of three Nations; and the faving of fo many Souls as would depend thereon. The fad effect of this Conversion we have felt for many Years, it having had the fame Operations in our Body Politic, as fome forts of lingring Poison hath in Bodies natural; made us fick and confumptive, by infecting and corrupting all the Food and Phyfic_which hath been applied in order to preferve us from Popery and Slavery, worfe than Death itself. From this fatal Act, the Declination of the Grandeur of this Monarchy may be dated; and to the Confequences thereof, its abfolute Ruin (if not timely prevented) will be hereafter attributed. This being our Cafe, I could not but admire to fee this Houfe fo 1680. fo long coming to confider this weighty Point: infomuch, Ando 32 Cat. II, that, I began to perfuade myself, that either our Dangers were not to great as our Difcourfes, upon fome other Oc cafions, had reprefented them, or that we were not in good earneft to endeavour any Redress. It is true, when we confider what Ill-fortune we have had with our Bill, lately fent up to the Houfe of Lords, in having it thrown out in fuch a heat, without fo much as a Conference, (though whenever they fhall confider of it in cool blood, they will find there can be no other way to fecure the Proteftant Religion) we may with fome reafon be difcouraged. But I hope, Sir, that, feeing our Country have thought us worthy to be their Reprefentatives, we fhall not be lo eafily daunted in what to nearly concerns them; but be as indefatigable in finding out ways for our Prefervation, as our Enemies are to find out means for our Destruction; hoping we shall not meet always fo bad Succefs in the House of Lords: For though the too much Kindness of fome Men, who pretended to be for the Bill, but underhand made a Party againft it, did this Time operate as fatally, as Enmity difguised in Friendfhip ufeth to do; yet I hope that on another Occafion we may have better Success; not doubting but a great many Lords, when they are perfuaded that they fhall not be able to find out any other way (as I hear they begin to despair they fhall) to fecure the Proteftant Religion, that they will join with us in the fame, or fome other Bill to the fame Purpofe: Efpecially my good Lords the Bifhops, who cannot be prefumed to have made Peace with Rome, but to be ready to die for the Proteftant Religion; and therefore, doubtless, will not long ftick at joining in a Bill to fave it. But feeing that, according to the Courfe of Parliaments, we are not like to bring this to a Trial for a long Time, Í am of Opinion, we had best try fomething elfe; and although I know not what other Act can be made to ferve instead of that, but will either prove too weak, or too ftrong: yet feeing we are put upon it, we muft try, that fo we may not be reprefented as ftubborn. And therefore I humbly move you, that a Bill may be brought in for the Affociation of all his Majefty's Proteftant Subjects." Sir, Great things are expected from this Day's Debate ; Ralph Montagu and we could not well have entered into it fooner; it now comes more feasonable than it would have done beföre, becaufe of the Opportunities we have had to feel the Pulfe of Affairs fince the Beginning of the Seffion; and the Time we have spent in afferting the Right of Petitioning, by which the Effence of Parliaments, and the Foundation of the People's Liberties were ftruck at. And the Trial of my Lord Stafford, and the Difinheriting-Bill could not pof fibly 1680. . Anno 32 Car.II, fibly have been avoided. And as our Labour hath not been loft in all, fo, I hope that at laft we fhall have fome Benefit of that spent about the Succeffion-Bill. For, as it was faid at the paffing of the Bill, that there were a loyal Party that would never acquiefce in it; fo I do believe, there is a true Proteftant Party that will never acquiefce in any thing lefs, than what may be fufficient for the Security of their Religion; which, I am apt to believe, will end in that Bill. But in the mean time, that we may fhew that we are not Humorifts, let us try what Strength we can mufter up to oppofe thefe great Enemies by fome other Laws; as when a Houfe is on Are, we make ufe of Buckets and Tubs for cafting of Water, until the great Engines can be got. But I would move you to be cautious what you do; for I am afraid that the Defign of putting you upon finding out Expedients, is it not in order to have any thing done that may be effectual against Popery; but in order to have you offer at fomething that may purchase a Difrepute on the Houfe, and give your Enemies an Advantage to purfue their Designs of breaking us, by alledging that you aim at Laws that will overturn the Government. For my part, I am fully perfuaded, that this is the Design of thofe that have put the King fo often to declare againft altering the Succeffion, and to recommend other Ways; and that offer at what you will, if it be any thing that is like to prove ftrong enough to fecure us against Popery, you will fee the Houfe put off before it comes to any Perfection; and that in time it will be made ufe of to arraign the Proceedings of Parliament, and to perfuade the People, that this Houfe did attempt to alter the Government by fuch and fuch Bills; and fo by Degrees poffefs the People, that Parliaments are either dangerous, or inconfiftent with the Government, that, if poffible, they may be well content to be without them. Sir, I am afraid that the Popish Party are more ferious in this Defign than we are aware of; and that, next to the great Endeavours they have used for many Years to keep up cur Divifions in Points of Religion; the next great Artifice which they depend on is, the infufing into the People the diflike of. Parliaments; for they well know, that Popery can never be established in this Nation, as long as Parliaments are permitted to fit and act. Therefore, though I know it is below a Houfe of Commons to mind every little Difcourfe; yet I think, if we conclude, that this powerful Party, amongst their many Designs, have this for one, that we ought to countermine it as much as we can. We cannot well comprehend what a Bill of Affociation will be before it be drawn up, nor what Difficulties may be found . |