[Page] [Page] Master Rigb'ys SPEECH IN Answer to the Lord FINCH, of that he delivered before the House of Commons, in behalf of himself.
With a CONSPIRACIE DISCOVERED: OR, The Report of a COMMITTEE to the House of Commons in Parliament, of the Examination of divers of the Conspiratars, and others in the late Treason, June the 17 th. 1641.
1. Concerning the Tower.
2. Wherein the French are concerned in this Conspiracy.
3. Of provoking the Army against the Parliament by false Reports.
Printed in the yeare, 1641.
Master RIGBIES answer TO THE LORD KEEPERS SPEECH, in the House of COMMONS, 1640.
MY Judgement prompts me to sit still, and to be silent, yet the duty I owe to my King, my Country, and my Conscience, moves me to stand up and speak. Master Speaker, had not this Siren had so sweet a tongue, surely he could never have effected so much mischief to this Kingdome: you know Sir, optimorum putrefactio pessima, the best things putrified, become the worst; and as it is so in the naturall, so it is in the body politick; and what's to be done then, Mr Spea. we all know, Ense recidendum est, the Sword (Justice) must strike, ne pars sincera trahatur: M. Speaker, tis not the voice, non vox, sed votum, not the tongue, but the heart and actions, that are to be inspected, for doth not our Saviour Christ say it? Shew me thy faith by thy works, O man: Now Master Speaker, hath not this Kingdome seen, (seen say I) nay felt, and smarted under the cruelty of this mans injustice? so malicious, [Page 2] as to record it in every Court of Westminst, as if he had not been contented too with the inflam [...] of us all, unlesse he entail it to all posterity, Why shall I beleeve words now? Cum factum videam: Shall we be so weak men, that when we have been injured and abused, will be gained again with fair words and complements? Or like little children, that when we have been beaten and whipt, be pleased again with sweet meats? O [...]o, there be some Birds that in the Summer of a Parliament, will sing sweetly, who in the Winter of Persecution, will, for their prey, ravenously fly at all, upon our goods, nay seize upon our persons, and hath it not been by this man, so by some in this Assembly.
Master Speaker, it hath been objected unto us, that in Judgement we should think of mercy, and be you mercifull, as your heavenly Father is mercifull; Now God grant that we may be so, and that our hearts and judgements may be rightly rectified, to know truly what is mercy, I say, to know what is mercy, for there is the point, Master Speaker: I have heard of foolish pitie, foolish pitie, do we not all know the effects of it? and I have met with this Epithite to mercy, crudelis misericordia, and in some kind I think there may be a cruell mercie; I am sure that the Spirit of God sayes, be ye not pitifull in Iudgement; nay, it saith, be not pitifull of the poore in Iudgement: if not of the poor, then a fortiori, not of the rich, there's the Emphasis, we see, by the set and solemn appointments of our Courts of Justice, what provision the wisdome of our Ancestors hath made for the preservation, honour, [Page 3] and esteeme of Iustice; witnesse those frequent Terms, Sessions, and Assises, and in what pomp and state the Iudges in the circuits by the Sheriffs, knights, and Iustices, and all the Country are attended oft times for the hanging of a poor thief, for the stealing of a hogg or a sheep, nay in some cases, for the stealing of a penny, & iustly or in terrorem and now shall not some of them be hanged, that have rob'd us of all our propriety, and sh ered at once all our sheep, and all we have away, & would have made us all indeed a poor Beliasarius to have begged for a halfe-penny, when they would not have left us one penny as we could have called our own.
Let us therefore, M. Speaker, not be so pittifull, as that we become remisse, not so pittifull in judgment as to have no judgement, but set the deplorable estate of Great Britiaine now before us, and consider how our most gracious Soveraigne hath been abused, and both his Majesty and all his subiects ini [...]red by these wicked instruments, for which my humble motion is, that to these particulars we become not so mercifull, as to the generall (the whole Kingdome) we may grow mercilesse.
Fiat Iustitia.
A CONSPIRACIE DISCOVERED: OR, The Report of the Coramittee to the House of COMMONS in PARLIAMENT, of the Examination of divers of the Conspiraters and others in the late Treason, Iune the 17 th, 1641.
Mr. FYNES made Report to the House of COMMONS of three Heads.
1. Concerning the Tower.
2. Wherein the French are concerned in the conspiracie.
3. Of provoking the Army against the Parliament by false Reports.
Captaine Billingsleyes Examination was reported by Mr. Hambden, who sayes, he had no hand in the Conspiracie, onely that Sir Iohn Suckling invited him to the employment in the Army.
[Page 5] Also, one Nuts Examination reported, who deposed that the Earle of Straffords escape was practised.
Then the Lievtenant of the Towers Examination was reported, who sayes cleerly, that the Earle of Strafford endeavoured an escape, promising 20000 l. to marry his Son to his Daughter, and to have made her one of the greatest Marriages in the Kingdome.
Concerning the Army, Lieutenant Colonell Ballads' Examination was reported by Sir Philip Stapleton, which shews, that Captain Chidley had brought downto the Army many instructions.
And that Colonell Goring should be Lieutenant Generall of the Army, and the Prince, and the Lord of Newcastle to meet them in Nottingamshire, with one thousand Horse.
All which propositions came from Master Henry Iermin, and were dispersed by Serjeant Major Wallis and Captain Chidley.
Serjeant Major Wallis upon his Examination, sayes, that the French would assist them, and the Clergie would at their own charge, send 1000 horse.
Colonell Goring upon his Examination, sayes, he was tyed up by an Oath of secrecy, and therefore durst not answer to all the Interrogatories, which Oath he saith was given him by Mr. Piercy in his Chamber at White-Hall, in presence of Mr. Wilmos, Colonell Ashburnham, Captaine Pollard, and others, who said, they had all of them taken this Oath, and that he was the last of the company that was to take it.
[Page 6] Mistresse Plumwell, sayes that a French man, a [...] ver to the Queen, brought Armes to her house, and desired her to keep them, for that the house of Commons had made an order, that no Papists should have Armes in their custody, and then fetched them back again, about the time the Earle of Straffords escape was practised.
There was also a report of a Letter from Mr. Iermin to Mr. Mountague, which was intercepted, wherein he writ, that he hoped that the horse Leeches would be starved for want of food.
Also, of another Letter from Mr. Mountague to Master Iermin, which shewed, they expected the Lord of Strafford shortly with them.
Also, Mr. Bland upon his Examination, saith, that Mr. Iermin much endevaoured to get Portsmouth into his hands.
And that there was two Letters from one Roberts a Priest to the Bishop of Chalcedon, in recommendation of two English Priests.