TOM. III. 1685. had in that Kingdom, would be an example and spur to the rest of his Majestys Subjects, and rais a wholsom emulation in the English Parliament, which met likewise on the 24th of May, to whom after they had chosen S' John Trevor their Speaker, the King made them the following Speech. After it had pleased Almighty God to take to his mercy the late King my dearest Brother, and to bring me to the peaceable possession of the Throne of my Ancestors, I immediately resolued to call a Parliament, as the best means to settle every thing upon those foundations as might make my reign both easy and happy to you, towards which, I am disposed to contribute all that is fit for me to doe; what I sayd to my privy Councel at my first comeing there, I am desirous to renew to you, wherein I freely declared my opinion concerning the principles of the Church of England, whose Members haue shewn themselves so eminently Loyal, in the worst of times, in defence of my Father and support of my Brother of blessed memory, that I will always take care to support and defend it, I will make it my endeavour to preserue this government both in Church and State, as it is by law established; and as I will never depart from the just rights and prerogatiues of the Crown, so I will never invade any man's propertie, and you may be sure that haueing hitherto venter'd my life in defence of this realm, I shall still go as far as any man in preserueing it in all its just rights and liberties; and haveing given you this assurance of the care I will haue of your religion and property, which I haue chosen to doe in the same words I used at my first comeing to the Crown, the better to evidence to you, that I spoke them not by chance and consequently that you may more firmely rely upon a promis so firmly made, I cannot doubt that I shall fail of sutable returns from you, with all immaginable duty and kindness on your part, and particularly what relates to the settling my Revenue, and continuing it during my life as it was III. 1685. in the time of the King my Brother, I might use many TOM. arguments to enforce this demand, from the benefit of trade, the support of the Navy, the necessity of the Crown, and the well being of the government it self, which I must not suffer to be precarious, but I am confident your own consideration of what is just and reasonable, will suggest whatever may be enlarged upon this occasion: there is one popular argument which I foresee may be used against what I ask of you, from the inclinations men haue to frequent Parliaments, which some men think would be the best secured by feeding me from time to time with such proportions as they shall think convenient ; and this argument (it being the first time I speak to you from the Throne) I will answer once for all, That this would be a very improper method to take with me, and that the best way to engage me to meet you often is always to use me well. I expect you will comply with me in what I haue 'desired, and that you will doe it speedily, that this may be a short Session and that we may soon meet again to all our satisfactions. I must acquaint you that I haue had news this morning. from Scotland, that Argile is landed in the West Highlands, with the men he brought with him from Holland, and that there were two Declarations published, one in the name of those in arms there, the other in his own; it will be too long for me to report the substance of them, it is sufficient to tell you I am charged with usurpation and Tyranny, the shorter of them I have directed to be forthwith communicated to you. I will take the best care I can that this declaration of their treason and rebellion may meet with the reward it deserves, and I doe not doubt but that you all will be the more zealous to Support the government, and give me my Revenue as I have desired it, without delay. This Speech gaue so much Satisfaction, that there was all imaginable apearance of a perfect harmony and concord TOM. III. 1685. No complaint betwixt the King and them, they immediately return'd him their humble thanks for his Speech; the Lords in an adress promis'd to stand by him with their lives and fortunes for suppressing Argile, and the rest of those Rebells; the Commons were not behind hand in the like assurances, and then without any previous complaints, or representation of grievances, fell immediately upon Settling the Reuenue. 1 The King had continued to collect the Customs ever since his Brother's death, thō granted only for the late King's life, the inconvenience of an interruption he knew would be too were giuen by well understood by the judicious Members of Parliament, or the collecting the Customes, before they Parliament. generalitie of y people *, to blame his conduct therein; on the contrary he had thanks given him for it in a most dutyfull adress from the Middle Temple, in order to obviate that old dispute which in the begining of King Charles the first his reign, had been one of the main origins of the ensuing troubles; they thank'd him therefore amongst other things for his preservation of the Customes, the intermission whereof would not only (sayd they) have disabled him to mentain the Navy in defence of the Realm, but by takeing away the ballance of trade, haue ruin'd thousands of his Subjects, that payd customes in the life of the late King, and by an excessiue importation and exportation custome free, had render'd that branch of the Revenue improfitable for some years to come, in spight of all the care and loyalty of succeeding Parliaments, that the same had been continually receiu'd by his Royal predecessors for some hundreds of years, and never question'd in any Parliament, excepting that in which were sown the seeds of rebellion against the glorious Martir his Royal Father; that it was a receiu'd maxim of the Common Law, that Thesaurus * Interlined as before by the Son of James the second. EDITOR. Regis est vinculum pacis et bellorum nervi, and that such was the happy constitution of this Monarchy, that his Majestys high prerogatiue was the greatest security of the libertie and propertie of the Subjects, so that whoever would impair the revenue of the Crown, must by this fundamental maxim (as binding as Magna charta it self) be esteem'd an enemy to the -peace and wellfare of the Kingdom. This adress comeing from so learned a body of Lawiers, sayd to be pen'd by S Bartlemy Shore, and presented by Sr Humphrey Mackworth, carryd great authority with it, however the King made no mention of this clame by vertue of his prerogatiue, nor did the Parliament find fault with him for collecting it as he had done, So there was no manner of contest one way or other about it; but that, and the rest of the Reuenue, which the late King dyd possess'd of, was settled likewise upon his present Majesty for his life too, wherein they were so expeditous that on the 18th of June he pass'd the Bill, and then made them an other Speech as follows. MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN: I thank you very heartely for the Bill you haue presented me this day, and I assure you the readiness and cheerfullness which has attended the dispatch of it, is as acceptable to me as the Bill it Self; after so happy a begining you may beliue I will not call upon you unecessarily for an extraordinary Supply, but when I tell you that the Stores of the Navy and Ordinance are extreamly exhausted, that the anticipations upon several branches of the Reuenue are great and burthensom, that the debts of the King my Brother to his servants and family are such as deserue compassion, that the Rebellion in Scotland, without puting more weight upon it than it realy deserues, must needs put me to a considerable expence extraordinary, I am sure such considerations will moue you to giue me an aid to prouide for these things, wherein the eas and TOM. III. 1685. The Parliament Settles the Revenue. The King's second Speech to the Parliament, 18 June. TOM. III. 1685. The Parliament grants an hapiness of the government are so much concern'd; but aboue all I must recommend to you the care of the Navy, the strenght and glory of the Nation, that you will put it in such a condition as may make us be respected and considerable abroad: I cannot express my concern on this occasion more sutable to my own thoughts of it, than by assureing you I haue a true English heart, as jealous of the honour of the Nation as you can be, I pleas myself with the hopes that (by God's blessing and your assistance) I may carry the reputation of it yet higher in the world than ever it has been in the time of any of my Ancestors; and as I will not call upon you for supplys but when they are of publick use and advantage, so I promis you that what you giue me on such occasions, shall be managed with good husbandry, and I will take care it shall be imploy'd to the use for which I ask it. They were no less pleas'd with this than the former Speech, augmentation. so that neither Argile's descent terrifyd them, nor so early a demand of Supplys shocked them; but they seem'd so sencibly touch'd at some expressions, particularly that of his haveing an English heart, that they waited not the usual formes of thanking him for it, but by their very jestures and countenance while he was actually speaking, gaue him so much the more vnfain'd testimony of their satisfaction, as that manner of shewing it was less capable of being counterfeit or unsincere; and in this good humour, without the least grumbling or hesitation, went immediately upon augmentations, and granted him certain new impositions upon wines and vinegars, Sugar, tobacco, French and east India linnen, and several other French and Idian commodities; they revoked the Act which prohibited the importation of French wines, vinegar, brandy, linnen &c, so that his Revenue with these aditions amounted to aboue two millions yeearly, besides what he had before as Duke of York, which (with his good management) would |