A Speech made by the Honourable DENZELL HOLLES, Esquire, at a Conference by a Committee of both Houses of Parliament in the painted Chamber, May 4. 1641. in the presenting of the Protestation.
THe Knights, Citizens and Burgesses of the House of Commons, having taken into their serious consideration the present estate and condition of this Kingdome, they find it surrounded with variety of pernitious and destructive designes, practices, and plots against the well-being of it, nay, the very being of it, and some of these designes hatched within our owne bowels, and, viper-like, working our destruction.
They finde Jesuites and Priests conspiring with ill Ministers of State to destroy our Religion: they find ill Ministers conjoyned together to subvert our Lawes and Liberties.
They find obstructions of Justice, which is the life bloud of every State, and (having a free passage from the Soveraigne Power, where it is primarily [Page 2] seated, as the life bloud in the heart, and thence derived through the severall Judicatories, as through so many veines, into all the parts of this great collective Body) doth give warmth and motion to every part and member, which is nourished and enlivened by it: but being once precluded, stopped, and seared up, as the particular must of necessity faint and languish, so must the whole frame of Government bee dissolved: and consequently Soveraignty it selfe, which as the heart in the body, is Primum vivens, & ultimum moriens, must dye and perish in the generall dissolution, and all things returne, as in the beginning, in antiquum Chaos.
They find the propriety of the subject invaded and violated, his estate rent from him by illegall Taxations, Impositions, Monopolies and Projects (almost upon every thing which is for the use of man) not onely upon superfluities, but necessaries; and this to enrich the vermine and caterpillers of the Land, and to impoverish the good subjects, to take the meane from the children, and give it to dogges.
My Lords, If we find these things so, wee must conceive, they must bee ill counsels which have brought us into this condition: These counsels have put all into a combustion, have discouraged the hearts of all true English men, and have brought two Armies into our bowels, which (as the Vulture upon Prometheus) eate through our sides, and gnaw our very hearts.
Heretofore Parliaments were the Catholicon, the Balme of Gilead which healed our wounds, restored our Spirits, and made up all the breaches of the Land; But of late yeeres they have beene like the Fig-tree in the Gospel, without efficacy, without fruit, onely destructive to the particular members, who discharge their duties and consciences, no way beneficiall to the Commonwealth; Nobis exitiabile, nec Reipub, profuturum, as he said in Tacitus; commonly taken away, as Elias was, with a whirle-winde, never coming to any maturity, or to their naturall end; whereas they should bee like that blessed old man, who dyeth ( plenus dierum) in a full age, after hee hath fought a good fight, and overcome all his enemies; as the shock of wheat which cometh in in due season, to fill our Granaries with Corne, uphold our lives with the staffe of bread.
For, Parliaments are our panis quotidianus, our true bread; all other wayes are but Quelques choses, which yeeld no true nourishment, breede no good bloud.
This very Parliament which hath sate so long, hath all this while but beaten the ayre, and striven against the streame; for I may truely say, winde and tide have still been against us.
The same ill counsels which first raised the storme, which almost shipwrackt the Commonwealth, do still continue; they blow strong like the East-wind that brought the Locusts over the land.
[Page 4] These counsels crosse our designes, cast difficulties in our way, hinder our proceedings, and make all that we doe to be fruitlesse and ineffectuall; they make us to bee not masters of our businesse, and so not masters of money, which hath been the great businesse of this Parliament, that we might pay the Armies according to our promises and engagements.
For, (My Lords) our not effecting of the good things which wee had undertaken for the good of the Church and Common-wealth, hath wounded our reputation, and taken off from our credit.
Is it not time then (my Lords) that wee should unite and concentrate our selves in regard of this Antiperistasis and circumvallation of hurtfull and malitious intentions and practices against us? (My Lords) it is most agreeable to nature, and I am sure, most agreeable to reason, in respect of the present conjuncture of our affaires: for one maine engine by which our enemies work our mischiefe, is by infusing an opinion and belief into the world, that wee are not united amongst our selves; but that, like Sampsons Foxes, we draw severall waies, and tend to severall ends.
To defeate then the counsels of these Achitophels, which would involve us, our Religion, our King, our Lawes, our Liberties, all that can bee neere and deare unto an honest soule, in one universall and generall desolation; to defeate (I say) the counsels of such Achitophels, the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses of the House of Commons [Page 5] (knowing themselves to bee specially intrusted with the preservation of the whole, and in their consciences perswaded that the dangers are so imminent that they will admit of no delay) have thought fit to declare their united affections, by entring into an Association amongst themselves, and by making a solemne Protestation and Vow unto their God, that they will unanimously endevour to oppose and prevent the counsels, and the Counsellors which have brought upon us all these miseries, and feares of greater; to prevent the ends, and bring the Authors of them to condign punishment, and thereby discharge themselves both before God and man.
The Protestation your Lordships shall have read unto you, together with the grounds and reasons which have induced the House of Commons to make it, which are prefixed before it by way of Preamble.
The PREAMBLE.
WEe the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses of the Commons house in Parliament, finding, to the great griefe of our hearts, that the designes of the Priests and Jesuites, and other Adherents to the See of Rome, have of late beene more boldly and frequently put in practice then formerly, to the undermining and danger of the ruine of the true reformed Protestant Religion in His [Page 6] Majesties Dominions established: And finding also that there have beene, and having just cause to suspect that there still are, even during this sitting in Parliament, indeavours to subvert the fundamentall Lawes of England and Ireland, and to introduce the exercise of an Arbitrary and Tyrannicall Government, by most pernicious and wicked Counsels, Practices, Plots, and Conspiraces: And that the long intermission, and unhappy breach of Parliaments hath occasioned many illegall Taxations, whereupon the Subject hath been prosecuted and grieved: And that divers Innovations and Superstitions have beene brought into the Church; multitudes driven out of His Majesties Dominions, Jealousies raised and fomented betwixt the King and His people, a Popish Army levied in Ireland, and two Armies brought into the bowels of this Kingdome, to the hazzard of His Majesties Royall Person, the consumption of the Revenues of the Crowne, and Treasure of this Kingdome: And lastly, finding great cause of Jealousie, that indeavours have been, and are used to bring the English Army into a misunderstanding of this Parliament, thereby to incline that Army, with force to bring to passe those wicked Counsels, Have therefore thought good to joyne our selves in a Declaration of our united affections and resolutions, and to make this ensuing Protestation.
The PROTESTATION.
I A. B. doe in the prefence of Almighty God promise, vow, and protest to maintaine and defend, as farre as lawfully I may, with my life, power, and estate, the true Reformed Protestant Religion expressed in the Doctrine of the Church of England, against all Popery and Popish Innovations within this Realme, contrary to the same Doctrine; and according to the duty of my Allegeance, His Majesties Royall Person, Honour, and Estate; As also the Power and Priviledges of Parliament; The lawfull Rights and Liberties of the Subject, and every person that maketh this Protestation, in whatsoever hee shall doe in the lawfull pursuance of the same. And to my power, and as farre as lawfully I may, I will oppose, and by all good wayes and meanes indeavour to bring to condigne punishment, all such as shall either by Force, Practice, Counsels, Plops, Conspiracies, or otherwise, doe any thing to the contrary of any thing in this present Protestation contained. And further, that I shall in all just and honourable wayes indeavour to preserve the Union and Peace between the three Kingdomes of England, Scotland, and Ireland; And neither for hope, feare, nor other respect, shall relinquish this Promise, Vow, and Protestation.
[Page 8] NOte, That because some doubts were raised by severall persons out of the Commons House, concerning the meaning of these words contained in the Protestation lately made by the Members of that House, viz. The true Reformed Protestant Religion, expressed in the Doctrine of the Church of England against all Popery and Popish Innovations within this Realme, contrary to the same Doctrine; The House of Commons did declare, That by those words, was and is meant only the publick Doctrine professed in the said Church, so farre as it is opposite to Popery and Popish Innovations; And that the said words are not to be extended to the maintaining of any forme of Worship, Discipline, or Government, nor of any Rites or Ceremonies of the Church of England.
MY Lords, The House of Commons have commanded me to present unto your Lordships this Protestation: Every member in that House hath made it, not one refusing it; and they have sent it unto your Lordships, with an assurance of your Lordships concurrence in the same zeale and affection for the publick safety. And it is their desire your Lordships would likewise make the same Protestation, which I humbly leave to your Lordships wisdomes.
Directions for more orderly making of the foresaid Protestation.
IT is thought fit that the Protestation which the Parliament lately made be taken by the Citie of London, in the severall Parish Churches, in the afternoon of some Lords day, after Sermon, before the Congregation bee dissolved, by all Masters of Families, their sons, and men-servants, in manner and forme following, viz.
- First, That forthwith notice of this intention bee given to the Minister, Church-wardens, and some other meet persons of each Parish in London, Liberties, and adjacent Parishes, and some of them to give notice to the rest of the Parishioners.
- Secondly, That the Minister be entreated (if he please) to acquaint his Parish in his Sermon, either forenoon or afternoon, with the nature of the businesse, more or lesse, as hee shall think fit, for the better and more solemne taking of the said Protestation; or if the Minister refuse it, that some other bee intreated to preach that will promote the businesse; or if neither of these may bee had, that some other convenient course bee taken by some well affected to the businesse, to stay the Parish, and communicate, the matter to them.
- Thirdly, That the Minister or Ministers of every.
[Page 10] Congregation first take it in his or their owne person, reading the said Protestation in so distinct a voyce, that all present may conveniently hear it, and than all the Assembly present doe make the same Protestation distinctly after this manner, every man taking this Protestation into his hand.
‘ I A. B. doe in the presence of Almighty God freely and heartily promise, vow, and protest the same which the leading person took, naming the person.’ - Fourthly, That there be a Register Book wherin every man taking this vow or Protestation subscribe his name, with his owne hand or mark, and that the names bee taken of such as doe refuse the fame.
- Fifthly, That all the Parishioners abovesaid; whether in Towne, or out of Towne, be earnestly requested to bee present at their owne Parish Church in the afternoon of that Lords day whereon it shall be taken, that every man may take it in their owne place; and if any bee necessarily absent, that they may bee desired to take it the next Lords day after, or so soon as may bee with convemency.
- Sixthly, and lastly, That all whom it doth not immediately concerne, bee earnestly requested to depart.