THere hath now a great and weighty businesse beene presented to this House, and a Letter hath beene read, importing a decision of the Kings naturall Subjects.

M. Speaker, this is a great case, and very worthy of the conside­ration and advertisement of this great Councell; but I am very much mistaken, if there be not a case here at home, of as great a danger as that now put to be abroad; the one stands without the doore (for so dan­gers from thence, in all our histories, have ever beene termed:) but the case that I would put is a case of danger already upon our backs.

[Page 2]And in those great cases of danger, which so much concerne the welfare of the Body Politique, we ought to do in them like skilfull Physitians, that are not led in their judgments so much by the outward expressi­ons of a disease, as by the inward Symptomes and causes of it. For it fares with a body politique, as it doth with a body naturall: It is impossible to cure an ulcerous body, unlesse you first cleanse the veines, and purge the body from those obstructions, and pesti­lentiall humours that overcharge Nature, and being once done too, botches, blaines, and scabs, that grew upon the superficies and out-side of the body, dry up, shed, and fall away of themselves.

Mr. Speaker, the danger that hath now beene pre­sented to the House, it standeth at a farre distance, and I wish heartily, that it were further off; yet as it stands at a far distance, it is so much the lesse dange­rous. But the case that I shall put, is a case of great danger here at home, domestique: and therefore so much the more dangerous, because it is home-bred, and runs in the veines.

And, Mr. Speaker, if the one shall appeare, to be of as great danger, as the other, I hope it will not bee thought unreasonable this time, to put the one aswell as the other; And the case that I would put is this.

The Charter of our liberties called Magna Charta, was granted unto us by King John; which was but a renovation and a restetution of the ancient Laws of this Kingdome. This Charter was afterwards in the [Page 3] succession of severall ages, confirmed unto us above 30 times, and in the 3 year of his Majesties reigne that now is we had no more then a bare confirmati­on of it. For we had an Act declaratory past, and then to put it out of question and dispute for the future, his Majesty by his gratious answer Soit droit comme est desire, invested it with the title of Petition of right.

Mr. Speaker,

It may be some may object. Parturiunt montes, &c. I promised to present the House with a case of very great danger here at home, but the Mountaine hath brought forth nothing but a Mouse; That this case is not worthy the name of a case, and so not worthy the putting.

And truly, for mine owne part, I should have bin of the same opinion (had not some expositors, contrary to the Lawes of God, and Man, and reason, and I am sure contrary to the Dictamen of their own Consciences) marred the text with their expositi­ons, undermining the liberty of the Subjects, with new invented subtile distinctions, and assuming to themselves a power (I know not where they had it) out of PARLIAMENT, to supercede, anni­hilate and to make void the Lawes of this King­dome.

What sad effects these wayes and opinions have produced, I am confident, His Majesty hath neither seene nor heard, as we have felt them. And it is now his Majesties goodnesse and Piety, to give us leave to speake them, and to present them with our Greevan­ces, which are not few.

[Page 4]Mr. Speaker, the Common-wealth hath bin mise­rably torne and macerated, and all the proprieties, and liberties shaken: the Church distracted, the Gos­pell and Professors of it persecuted, and the whole Kingdome over-run with Multitudes, and swarmes of projecting Cater-wormes, and Caterpillars, the worst of all the Egyptian Plagues.

Then as the case now stands with us, I conceive there are two points very considerable.

The first is, what hath bin done any way to impeach the Liberty of the Subject, contrary to the Petition of Right.

The second is, who have bin the Authors and Causers of it.

Mr. Speaker, the serious examination and decision of those two questions, do highly concerne his Ma­jesty in the point of Honour, and his Subjects in the point of Interest: and all that I shall say to it is but the words that Ezra did to King Artaxerxes, to the setlement of that State, which at that time was as much out of order, as ours is at this present; and which cured theirs, I hope will cure ours. His words were these.

Whosoever hath not done the Law of God, and the Law of the King, let judgement be speedely executed upon him, whether it be unto death, or unto banishment, or unto Con­fiscation of goods, or to Imprisonment.

Now M. Speaker, it may be some do thinke this a strange text, and is it possible! Some may thinke it as strange a case. As for the text, every man may read it, that will. And for the case, I am afraid there are but few here, which do not experementally know it, [Page 5] to be as bad as I have put it: And how to mend a bad case, is part of the busines we met about. His Ma­jesty hath graciously confirmed unto us, our great and ancient Priviledge of Freedome of Speech: and have­ing his Kingly word for it, I shall rest confidently upon it, as the greatest security under heaven. And whilst I have the honour to have a place here, I shall with humility be bound to expresse my selfe as a Free-man.

The Diseases and Distempers that are now in our body politique, are grown to that height, that they pray for, and importune a Cure. And his Majesty out of his tender care, and Affection, to his people, like a nursing Father, hath now offered himselfe to heare our prayers and Complaints.

Mr. Speaker,

We cannot complaine that we want good Lawes, for the wit of man cannot invent better then are al­ready made; There want only some Examples, that such as have bin the authors, and causers of all mise­ries and distractions in the Church and Common­wealth, contrary to those good Laws which be like Treakle to expell the poyson of mischeife out of o­thers.

But my part is but Ostendere Portam, and therefore having put the Case, I must leave it to the judgment of this House, whether our dangers here at home be not as great and considerable, as that which was even now presented.