XXIX. The remonstrance of the lords sperituall and temporal and commons in parliament assembled, declaring the acknowledgement of their heartie thankfullness to the most honourable James marquess of Ormond, lord lieutenant general of Ireland his excellency. WEE the lords and commons assembled in parliament in our whole body doe represent our selves before your lordships, acknowledging with great sence and feeleing your lordships singular goodness to os the protestant party, and those who haue faithfully and constantly adhered vnto them, who haue bin preserved to this day (under God) by your excellencies providence and pious care, which hath not bin done without a vast expence out of your owne estate, as also the hazarding of your person in great and dangerous difficulties. And when your lordship found your selfe (with the strength remaineing with you) to bee too weake to resist an insolent, (and vpon all advantages,) a perfideous and bloody enemy, rather then wee should perish, you haue in your care transferred us to their handes, that are both able and willing to preserve us; and that, not by a bare casting us off, but complying soe farr with us, that you haue not denyed our desires of hostages, and amongst them of one of your most deare sons. All which being such a free earnest of your excellencies loue to our religion, nation, and both our houses, doe incite us here to come unto you, with hearts filled with your love, and tongues declareing how much wee are oblidged vnto your excellency professing our resolutions are with all reall service (to the utmost of our power) to manifest the sinseritie of 15 this our acknowledgment and affections unto you, and to perpetuate to posterity the memorie of your excellencies meritts, and our thankfullnesse, we haue appointed this instrument to be entered in both houses, and vnder the hands of both speakers to be presented to your lordship, 17° die Martii 1646. Intr. Val. Savage, Dep' Cl' Parl. RI. BOLTON, Canc'. Int. 17° die Martii 1646. p. Phill. The lord lieutenant's speech to both houses of parliament, upon presenting their remonstrance to his grace the 17th of March 1646. MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN, WHAT you haue now redd and delivered hath much surprized mee, and containes matter of higher obligation layd vpon mee by you then thus suddainly to bee answered; yet I maie not suffer you to departe hence without sayinge somewhat vnto you; and first I assure you, that this acknowledgment of yours is vnto mee a jewell of verie great vallewe, which I shall laie vp amongst my choicest treasures, it beinge not only a full confutation of those calumnies that have binne cast vpon my accions duringe the tyme I haue had the honnour to serve his majestie heere, but likewise an antidote against the virulencie and poison of those tongues and penns, that I am well assured, will bussily sett on worke to traduce and blast the integritie of my present proceedinges for your preservacion. And now, my lords and gentlemen, since this maie perhapes be the last time, that I shall haue the honnour to speake to you from this place; and since, that next to the words of a dyeinge man (those of one readie to banishe himself from his countrey for the good of it) challenge creddit, give mee leave before God and you, heere to protest, that in all the tyme I haue had the honnour to serve the kinge my master, I never received anie commands from him, but such as speake him a wise, pious, protestant prince; zealous of the religion hee professeth, the wellfare of his subjects, and industrious to promote and settle peace and tranquilitie in all his kingdomes; and I shall beseeche you to looke noe otherwise vpon mee, than vpon a readie instrument sett on work by the kinges wisedome and goodnes for your preservacion; wherein, if I haue discharged myself to his approbacion and yours, it will bee the greatest satisfaccion and comfort, I shall take with mee, whereever it shall please God to direct my steppes; and now that I maie dismisse you, I beseeche God longe, longe to preserve my gratious master, and to restore peace and rest to this afflicted churche and kingdome. XXX.-A speech made by the lord lieutenant general of the kingdom of Ireland, to the general assembly of the confederate catholics at the city of Kilkenny, at the conclusion of the peace in 1648. MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN, I shall not speake to those expressions of duty and loyalty soe eloquently digested into a discourse, by the gentleman appointed by you to deliuer your sence, you will presently haue in your hands greater and more solid arguments of his majesties gra- 16 cious acceptance then I can enumerate or then perhaps you yourselues discerne; for besides the provision made against your remotest feares of the severity of certaine lawes, and besides many other freedoms and bountyes conveighed to you and your posterity by these articles; there is a doore and that a large one not left, but purposely sett open, to giue you entrance by your future merritts to whateuer of honour, or other advantage you can reasonably wish, soe that you haue in present fruition, what may abundantly satisfy, and yet there are noe bounds sett to your hopes; but you are rather invited, or to use the new phrase but to an ould and better purpose, you seeme to haue a call from heauen to exercise your armes, and your vttermost fortitude in the noblest and iustest cause the world hath knowne; for lett all the circumstances incident to a greate and good cause of warr be examined, and they will be found comprehended in that which you are now warrantably call'd to defend, relligion, not in the narrow circumscribd diffinition of it, by this, or that (late found out names,) but Christian relligion is our quarrell, which certainely is as much, as fatally struck at (I may say more) by the blasphemous license of this age, then euer it was by the rudest incursions of the most barbarous and avow'd enemys to Christianity; the venerable laws and fundamentall constitutions of our ancestors are troden vnder impious, and for the most parte mechanick feete. The sacred person of our king, the life of those lawes, and the head of those constitutions, is under an ignominious imprisonment, and his life threatened to be taken away by the sacrileadgious hands of the basest of the people that owe him obedience; and to endeare the quarrell to you, the fountaine of all the benefitts you haue but now acknowledged, and of what you may further hope for by this peace and your owne merritts is in danger to be obstructed by the execrable murther of the worthyest prince that euer ruled these islands. In short, hell can add noething to the desperate mischeefe now openly projected. And now judge if a greater, a more glorious feild was euer sett open to action, and then prepare yourselues to enter into it, and receiue these few advices from one thoroughly imbarqu'd with you in the adventure. First, let mee recomend vnto you that to this, as to all other holy actions (and such certainely is this) you would prepare yourselves with perfect charity; a charity that may oblitterate whateuer of rancour a long continued ciuill warr may haue contracted in you against any that shall now co-operate with you in soe blessed a worke, and lett his engagement with you in this whoeuer he is, be, as it ought to be, a bond of vnity, of loue, of concord, stronger then the neerest tyes of nature. In the next place, marke and beware of those that shall goe about to renue or create jealousies in you, vnder what pretence soeuer, and account such as infernall ministers imployed to promote the black designe on foote to subvert monarchy, and to make vs all slaues to those that are soe, to their owne auaritious lusts. Away, as soone, and as much as possibly may be, with those distinctions of nations, and of partyes, which are the feilds wherein the seeds of those ranker weeds are sowne by the greate enemy of our peace. In the last place, lett vs all devest ourselues of that preposterous, that rediculous ambition, and selfe interest which rather leads to our threatned generall ruine then to the enjoyment of advantages vnseasonably desired. And if at any tyme you shall think your selues pincht too neere the bone, by those taxes and leavys that may be imposed for your defence; consider then how vaine, how foolish a thing it will be to starue a righteous cause for want of necessary support, to preserue your selues fatt, and guilded sacrifices to the rapine of a merciless enemy. And if wee com thus well prepar'd to a contention soe iust on 17 our part God will bless our endevours with success and victory, or will crowne our sufferings with honour and patience; for what honour will it not be, if God haue soe determin'd of vs to perish with a long glorious monarchy? And who can want patience to suffer with oprest princes? But as our endeuours, so let our prayers be vigorous, that they may bee delivered from a more vnnaturall rebellion then is mention'd by any story, now raisd to the highest pitch of successe against them. I should now say something to you for myself in retribution to the advantagious mention made of mee and my endeuours to bring this settlement to passe, but I confesse my thoughts were wholy taken up with those much greater concernments; let it sufise, that as I wish to bee continued in your good esteeme and affection, soe I shall freely aduenture upon any hazard, and esteeme noe trouble or dificulty too great to encounter, if I may manifest my zeale to this cause, and discharge some parte of the obligations that are vpon mee to serue this kingdome. XXXI.-The king to the marquis of Ormond. ORMOND, LEST you might be misled by false rumours, I have thought fit by this to tell you my true condition. I am here in a treaty, but such a one, as if I yield not to all that is proposed to me, I must be a close prisoner, being still under restraint. Wherefore I must command you two things; first, to obey all my wife's commands; then not to obey any publick command of mine, until I send you word that I am free from restraint. Lastly, be not startled at my great concessions concerning Ireland; for that they will come to nothing. This is all at this time from Your most reall, faithfull, constant friend, CHARLES R. Newport in the Isle of ORMOND, XXXII.-The same to the same. I hope before this, mine of the tenth of this month will have come to your hands. I sent it by the way of France. This is not only to confirme the contents of that, but also to approve of certain commands to you; likewise to command you to prosecute certain instructions, untill I shall, under my own hand, give you other commands. And though you will hear that this |