That they will never desert you, but will stand by you, with their lives and fortunes, for the preservation of the city in general, and those persons in particular, who have been faithful, and deserved well, both of the parliament and kingdom; and they will pursue all means, both with their lives and fortunes, that may be for the preservation of this city, and for the procuring of safety, happiness, and peace to the whole kingdom.

The speech of this noble lord being entertained with loud expressions of joy and thankfulness by the commons, and after some time of silence being made, Mr. Pym, that worthy member of the house of commons, and patriot of his country, gave the sense of both houses, upon the several passages of his Majesty's answer, expressing it as follows;

A Speech, delivered by John Pym, Esq.

MY Lord Mayor, 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 been published to you, they do observe many things of great aspersion upon the proceedings of parliament, very scandalous and injurious to many particular members of this city; whereupon they think, that it becomes them, both in tenderness of their own honour, and in respect to you, to take away all those aspersions, and to let you know the truth of their proceedings, which have been full of honour and justice, as they stand in relation to their own 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 book which hath been read to you, and to let you know the proceedings in their own native condition, clear from those misrepresentations, which make them appear in a quality 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 loyalty, humility, and obedience, that you might well have expected an answer of another kind.

The first observation I am to make you is this: That it is said here, 'That his Majesty was inforced by tumults to leave the parliament, and to go from Whitehall, and to withdraw himself into those courses, which now he hath taken.'

I answer thereunto, 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 majesty's departure; and you may very well remember, that, after his violent coming to the commons house of parliament in that unusual and unheard-of manner, which was the be ginning of these unhappy differences, the very next day his Majesty came into the city without any guard; that he was present at the commoncouncil, dined at the sheriff's, and returned back again, with manifold

TWO SPEECHES

SPOKEN BY

THE EARL OF MANCHESTER AND JOHN PYM, ESQ.

AS A REPLY TO HIS MAJESTY'S ANSWER

TO THE

CITY OF LONDON'S PETITION,

SENT FROM HIS MAJESTY.

By Capt. Hearne, and read at the Common Hall, on Friday, the Thirteenth of January, 1642.

ALSO,

A TRUE NARRATION OF THE PASSAGES OF THAT DAY.

Ordered by the Commons in Parliament, that these Speeches be forthwith printed and published. H. Elsing, Cler. Parl. D. Com.

London, printed for John Norman, for the Good of the Commonwealth, 1642. Quarto, containing eight pages.

little cause for his Ma- he himself doth, by force, my Lord Digby, and many divers other great delinquents, mes all which, by force, are ---- trial in parliament.

berty of the subject is destroyed

an arbitrary power. To this not require a twentieth part, but il not go beyond a twentieth part, a from both houses of parliament; terest in making laws in this kingacted and chosen to represent the and trusted for the good of the people, the kingdom: And they say further, Die the two houses of parliament to raise the safety of religion, and of the kingdom, require contributions, whereby these forces it was a vain power to raise forces, if they altain them in that service for which they

n commanded to add this further answer, That or this to be objected, on his Majesty's behalf, at, from the subjects, which are within the majesty doth take the full yearly value of their s more; that not only particular houses, but plundered by command and design; and that are declared to forfeit all their estates, because rary commands; and this is commonly practised his part, and therefore, there was little reason

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 days at Whitehall, and afterwards at Hampton-court, Windsor, and places adjoining, with small forces about him, and yet never any attempt was made, which might give him any apprehension of fear: By all which it is manifest, that this is an unjust aspersion cast upon this city, That any tumultuous carriage of your's was the occasion of his Majesty's leaving the parliament, and withdrawing himself to remoter parts.

It is affirmed, "That the government of your city hath been managed by a few desperate persons, and that they do exercise an arbitrary power. In answer to which, the two houses of parliament give you this testimony, That you have, in most of the great occasions concerns ing the government of the city, followed their direction; and that direction, which they have given, and you have executed, they must and will maintain to be such, as stands with their honour 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 join battle 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 am commanded to say, That the design of bringing up the English armies, the gathering together of the cavaliers about Whitehall, the violent coming to the house of commons, the king's going into the north, and raising armies there, are clear evidences, that violence was first intended, and divers practices 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 Majesty's person, they were sorry for it, and did, by divers humble petitions, labour to prevent it; and, as touching the royal issue, they have sufficiently declared 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 expressed, in this answer, 'That the king demands the Lord Mayor, Mr. Alderman Fowke, Col. Ven, and Col. Manwaring to be delivered up, as guilty of schism 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 privilege of parliament (two of them being members of the commons house) and most dis honourable to the city, That the Lord Mayor of London should be subjected to the violence of every base fellow, be assaulted, seized on, without due process 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 king's 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 gene ral charge, when no particulars are proved against them; and this you are to take notice of, as the answer to those scandals, and to that disgrace upon my Lord Mayor 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 other great delinquents, that stand charged there for heinous crimes; all which, by force, are kept from the due proceedings and legal trial in parliament.

It is alledged, in this answer, 'That my Lord Mayor, 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 kind 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 profess.

It is affirmed, 'That men's persons have been imprisoned, and their houses plundered, because they will not rebel against his Majesty.' To this I am commanded to declare, that no men's houses have heen plundered by any direction of the parliament, but that they have been very careful to restrain all such violent courses, so far as they were able; and that they have never committed any man, but such 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 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 hereditary interest in making laws in this kingdom, and the commons who are elected and chosen to represent the whole body of the commonalty, and trusted for the good of the people, whenever 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 these forces may be maintained; or else it was a vain 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 add this further answer, That there was little reason for this to be objected, on his Majesty's behalf, when it is well known that, from the subjects, which are within the power of his army, his majesty doth take the full yearly value of their lands, and in some cases more; that not only particular houses, but whole towns have been plundered 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