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submissive lynes to your highness, and so much the rather, till that of late years it hath been a duty specially required, the nobility of this kingdom to advertise their princes your majesty's most noble progenitors, of all matters tending to their service, and to the utility of the commonwealth.

Your majesty's pleasure for calling a parliament in this kingdom hath been lately divulged, but the matters therein to be propounded not made known unto us, and to others of the nobility; we being, notwithstanding, of the grand councell of the realme, and may well be conceived to be the councell meant in the statute made in King Henry the Seventh's time, who should join with the governour of this kingdom, in certifying thither, what acts should passe here in parliament; especially, it being hard to exclude those, that in respect of their estates and residence, next to your majesty should most likely understand, what were fittest to be enacted and ordeyned for the good of their prince and country.

Yet are we for our own parts well persuaded they be such, as will comport with the good and relief of your majesty's subjects, and give hopeful expectation of restauration of this lately torn and rended estate, if your majesty have been rightly informed, they having (as it is said) passed the censure of your highness's most rare and matchlesse judgment. But the externe and public course held (whereof men of all sorts and qualities do take notice of the management thereof) hath generally bred so grievous an apprehension, as is not in our power to express, arising from a fearful suspicion, that the project of erecting so many corporations in places, that can scanty passe the rank of the poorest villages, in the poorest country in Christendom, do tend to naught else at this time, but that by the voices of a few selected for the purpose, under the name of burgesses, extreame penal laws should be ymposed upon your subjects here, contrary to the natures, customs, and dispositions of them all in effect, and so the general scope and institution of parliaments frustrated, they being ordeyned for the assurance of the subjects not to be processed with any new edicts or laws, but such as should pass with the general consent and approbation.

Your majesty's subjects here in general do likewise very much distaste and exclayme against the deposing of so many magistrates, in the cities and boroughs of this kingdom, for not swearing th' oath of supremacy in spiritual and ecclesiastical causes, they protesting a firm profession of loyalty, and an acknowledgement of all of kingly jurisdiction and authority in your highness; which course, for that it was so sparingly and myldly carried on in the time of your late sister of famous memory, Queen Elizabeth, and but now in your highness's happy reign first extended unto the remote parts of this country; doth so much the more affright

and disquiet the minds of your well affected subjects here, espe cially, they conceiving, that by this means, those that are most sufficient and fit to exercise and execute those offices and places are secluded and removed, and they driven to make choice of others conformable in that point, but otherwise very unfit and uncapable to undertake the charges, being generally of the meaner sort. Now whether it conduceth to the good of your estate, hereby to suffer the secret, home, evil-affected subjects (of whom we wish there were none) to be transported with hope and expectation of the effects, which a general discontentment might in time produce, and to give scope to the rebells discontented of this nation abroad, to calumniate and cast an aspersion upon the honour and integrity of your highness's government, by displaying in all countries, kingdoms, and estates, and inculcating into the ears of foreign kings and princes the foulness (as they will term it) of such practizes, we humbly leave to your majesty's most sacred, high, and princely consideration. And so, upon the knees of our loyal hearts do humbly pray, that your highness will be graciously pleased not to give way to courses, in the general opinion of your subjects here so hard and exorbitant, as to erect towns and corporations of places consisting of some few poor beggarly cottages, but that your highness will give direction, that there be no more created, till time, or traffick and commerce, do make places in the remote and unsettled countries here fit to be incorporated, and that your majesty will benignly content yourself with the service of understanding men to come as knights of the shire out of the chief countries to the parliament. And to the end, to remove from your subjects hearts those fears and discontents, that your highness further will be graciously pleased to give order, that the proceedings of this parliament may be with the same moderation and indifferency as your most royal predecessors have used in like cases heretofore; wherein moreover, if your highness shall be pleased, out of your gracious clemency to withdraw such laws, as may tend to the forcing of your subjects consciences here in matters concerning religion, you shall settle their minds in a most firm and faithful subjection. The honour, which your majesty, in all your actions and proceedings, hath hitherto so well maintained, the renown of your highness's transcendant understanding in matters of estate and government, and in particular the exemplary president of your majesty's never-to-be forgotten moderation, in not descending to such extraordinary courses for effecting the union of both kingdoms so much desired, doth give us full hope and assurance, that your highness will duely weigh and take in good worth these considerations by us layed down, and most graciously grant this our humble submissive suit, in

which hope we do, and will always remain, your majesty's most humble and dutiful subjects,

Dublin, 25 Nov. 1612.

GORMANSTON,
CHR. SLANE,

KILEEM,

ROB. TRIMBLETTSTOWN,
PATRICK DUNSANY,

MA. LOWTH.

No. XVI.

REMONSTRANCE OF DIVERS LORDS OF THE PALE TO THE KING CONCERNING THE IRISH PARLIAMENT IN 1613....PAGE 92.

MAY it please your majesty, such is the excessive grief and anxiety of mind and conscience, which we, the nobility of this your highness's kingdom, whose names are here under-written, do conceive, by the more preposterous courses holden in parliament, as we must be inforced, before we descend further, most humbly with tears to implore your gracious favour, that if the due regard of your majesty's sacred honour, the careful consideration of the good peace and tranquillity of this your realm and country, the tender and feeling respect of our bounden and obliged duty to both, do carry us in aught beyond the limits of a well tempered moderation, your highness will be graciously pleased to pardon our excess herein, so far as pius dolor et iracundia, do in themselves deserve. It would far pass the compass of a letter, if we should insist to particularize the manifest, old, precedent disorders, and such, as still do accompany this intended action; only your highness shall understand, that many knights from counties, and citizens, and burgesses from cities and towns, have, contrary to the true election, been returned; and in some places force, and in many others, fraud, deceit, and indirect means have been used for effecting of this so lawless a course of proceeding. Neither can we but make known unto your majesty, that under pretence of erecting towns in places of the new plantation, more corporations have been made since the beginning of last month or little more, than are returned out of the whole kingdom; besides the number whereof (as we conceive it) contrary to your highness's intended purpose, are dispersed throughout all parts of this kingdom; and that in divers places, where there be good

ancient boroughs, and not allowed to send burgesses to the parliament, and yet these new created corporations, for the most part are so miserable and beggarly poor, as their tuguria cannot otherwise be holden or denied than as tituli sine, et figmenta in rebus; for divers of which (their extreme poverty being not able to defray the charges of burgesses, nor the places themselves to afford any one man fit to present himself in the poorest society of men) and for others, we must confess, that some of great fashion have not sticked to abase themselves to be returned: the lord deputy's servants, attornies and clerks, resident only in the city of Dublin, most of them having never seen or known the place, for which they were returned, and others of contemptible life and carriage. And what outrageous violence was offered yesterday to a grave gentleman, whom men of all sorts that know him, do and will confess to be both learned, and grave, and discreet, free from all touch and imputation, and whom those of the lower house, to whom no exceptions could be taken, had chosen to be their speaker, we leave, for avoiding tediousness to your highness, to their own further declaration. And forasmuch as, most renowned and dread sovereign, we cannot in any due proportion of reason, or justice expect redress in these our distressed calamities, where many of those, who represent the body of cur estate, were the chief authors of them, upon the knees of our loyal and submissive hearts we humbly pray, that it would please your majesty to admit some of us to the access of your royal presence; where, if we fail in the least point of these our assertions, and declarations of other evils, which do multiply in this estate, we willingly submit ourselves to any punishment, as deserved, which it shall please your highness to lay and inflict upon us. For we are those, by the effusion of whose ancestor's blood, the foundation of that empire, which we acknowledge your highness, by the laws of God and man to have over this kingdom and people, was first laid, and in many succeeding ages preserved. To us it properly appertaineth, both in the obligation of public duty and private interest, to heed the good thereof, who never laid the foundation of our hopes upon the disturbance of it, garboils and dissensions being the downfal of our estate, as some of us now living can witness, and therefore we cannot, but out of the consideration of our bounden duty and allegiance, make known unto your highness the general discontent, which those strange, unlooked for, and never heard of courses particularly have bred; whereof, if the rebellious and discontented of this nation abroad do take advantage, and procure the evil-affected at home, which are numbers by reason of that already settled, and intended plantation in any hostile fashion to set disorders on foot, and labour some underhand relief from any prince or estate abroad, who peradventure might be inveigled,

and drawn to commiserate their pretended distresses and oppressions; however, we are assured the prowess and power of your majesty in the end, will bring the authors thereof to ruin and confusion; yet it may be attended with the effusion of much blood, exhausting of masses of treasure, the exposing of us, and others your highness's well affected subjects, to the hazard of poverty, whereof the memory is very lively and fresh among us, and finally, to the laying open of the whole commonalty to the inundation of all miseries and calamities, which garboils, civil war, and dissensions, do breed and draw with them, in a rent and torn estate. For preventing whereof, we nothing doubt but your majesty will give redress, by the equal balance of your highness's justice, which we beseech the Almighty with your royal person, ever to maintain and preserve.

Your majesty's most faithful subjects,

David Buttevant,
Gormonston,

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Da. Roche Fermoy,
Montgarret,

Christopher Slane, Thomas Cahyr.
Robert Trymbelston,

May 19, 1613.

No. XVII.

THE SPEECH OF JAMES THE FIRST TO THE LORDS OF THE COUNCIL AT WHITEHALL, ON THE 21ST OF SEPTEMBER, 1613, IN THE PRESENCE OF THE IRISH AGENTS....PAGE 92.

MY LORDS,

THESE noblemen and gentlemen of Ireland are called hither this day to hear my conclusion and determination in a cause of great consequence, which hath depended long in trial. Thus far it hath had formality; for it is a formality, that kings hold in all processes of importance, to proceed slowly, to give large hearing, and to use long debate, before they give their sentence. These gentlemen will not deny that I have lent them my own ear, and have shewed both patience and a desire to understand their cause at full: It resteth now, that we make a good conclusion, after so dong debate.

It is a good rule to observe three points, in all weighty businesses; long and curious debate, grave and mature resolution, and speedy execution. The first is already past: the second is

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