Address of the Commons to be prefented to His Majesty upon the Meffage touching the Bill of Indemnity, as Reported by Sir William Williams on the 28th of March, 1685.

WE

E Your Majefty's most Loyal and Dutiful Subjects, the Commons of England now af fembled in Parliament, being filled with Joy and Gratitude, by Your moft Gracious Meffage, recommending to Us the Confideration of an Act of Free and General Pardon, Indemnity and Oblivion, humbly affure Your Majefty, That we now directly fee what we always believed, that Juftice and Mercy are to be equally extended and diftributed to all the People, in Your Adminiftration of the Government. This doth confirm Our intire Confidence in Your Sacred Majefty, and cannot but make us believe, and heartily hope, it will conduce much to a perfect Union amongst Your Subjects. If any thing happen amifs, it must proceed from our Selves, and not from Your Majefty: Since You are pleased to fet no other Bounds to Your Grace and Clemency, than fuch as to the Parliament fhould feem neceffary, it is our Duty, and fhall ever be our principal Care to provide for Your Majefty's Safety, as well in this as in all other Proceedings, with Exceptions agreeable with Your most merciful purposes only, that we may manifeft to the World we defire to comply intirely with Your Majefty's Mercy, as far as is confiftent with the Security of Your Royal Perfon, and the Government. As Your Majefty has been pleafed to accept the Imperial Crown of this Realm, fo You are refolved all Your good Subjects fhall partake of the Bleffings of Your Coronation, which muft oblige and difpofe all good Men to join and unite, in all Acts that may Secure and Support Your Majefty's Crown and Government, under our prefent Constitution and Establishment, and never to depart from the fame.

Meffage

MeJage in favour of the IRISH.

Die 9 Aprilis, 1589.

MR. Wharton, one of His Majefty's moft Honourable Privy Council, acquaints the Houfe from His Majefty, That he is commanded by the King to acquaint the Houfe, that there are a great many poor Proteftants come out of Ireland, who are now in feveral Towns and Corporations upon the Coafts of Chefter, Bristol, and feveral other places, and that feveral of them are Tradefmen, and Artificers, and that they have made Application to the King to this Effect.

That they hope they fhall not ftand in need of the Affiftance and Relief of the Proteftants here, in Cafe they may have liberty to Work in the Corporations where they come, and that they are very defirous. fo to do; but if this be denied them, they fhall fall into Diftrefs, and at laft be a Charge to the Publick. And therefore the King thinks what they defire is reafonable, and is willing to give them all the Countenance he can by Law: But then on the other fide he is tender of breaking in upon any Liberties and Rights of the Corporations, and therefore defires to know what this Houfe would advife him in this matter, whether to iffue out a Proclamation, or to país any Temporal Act for their being at Liberty to Exercife Trades in Corporations?

Ordered, That a Bill be brought in to enable the Irifo Proteftants to Exercife Trades in Corporations for a certain time.

WE E Your Majefty's moft Loyal and Obedient Subjects the

and Commons in Parliament affembled, do with utmoft Duty and Affection render to Your Majefty our moft humble and hearty Thanks for Your Gracious Declaration, and repeated Affurances that you will maintain the Church of England Eftablished by Law, which

Your

Your Majefty has been pleafed to refcue from the dangerous Confpiracy that was laid for its Destruction, with the hazard of Your Royal Perfon. The Doctrine and Practice of the Church of England have evinced their Loyalty beyond the Contradiction of the most malicious Enemies, and the Misfortune of former Princes can be attributed to nothing more than their Endeavours to Subvert and Difable the Members thereof for contributing to their Support and Defence.

We therefore humbly pray Your Majefty will be graciously pleafed to continue Your Care in the Prefervation of the fame, whereby you will effectually Establish your Throne, by fecuring the Hearts of Your Majefty's Subjects within this Your Realm, who can no better fhew their Zeal for Your Service, than by a firm adherence to that Church, whofe Conftitution is beft fuited to the Support of this Monarchy. We likewife humbly pray, that according to the Ancient Practice and Ufage of the Kingdom in time of Parliament, Your Majefty will be gracioufly pleafed to Iffue forth Your Writs for calling a Convocation of the Clergy of this Kingdom,and to be advifed with in Matters Ecclefiaftical; affuring Your Majefty, that it is our intention forthwith to proceed to the Confideration of giving eafe to Proteftant Diffenters.

After fome Amendments made, it was agreed to, and fent to the Lords for their Con

currence.

Die

Die Veneris 19 Aprilis 1689.

Mr. Hamden Reported the following Address to be prefented to the King, about entering into a WAR with FRANCE.

WE

E Your Majefty's most Loyal Subjects_the Commons of England in Parliament affembled, having taken into our moft Serious Confideration, the Condition and State of this Nation in refpect of France and Foreign Alliances, in order to which we have examined the mifchiefs brought upon Christendom in late Years by the French King, who without any refpect to Juftice, has by fraud and force endeavoured to fubject it to an Arbitrary and Univerfal Monarchy.

In Profecution of this Defign, fo pernicious to the Repofe and Safety of Europe, he has neglected none of thofe means, how indirect foever, which his Ambition or Avarice could fuggeft to him. The Faith of Treaties among all Princes, especially Chriftian Princes, ever held moft inviolable, has never been able to restrain him, nor the folemnest Oaths to bind him, when any occafion prefented it felf for extending the Limits of his Kingdom, or oppreffing those whom his Intereft inclin'd him to qualify by the Name of his Enemies; witnefs his Haughty and Groundless Declaration of War against the States-General of the United Provinces in the Year 1672, in which he affigned no other Reason for disturbing that profound Peace (which by God's mercy all Europe enjoyed at that time) but his own Glory, and his Refolution to punish the Dutch for fome imaginary Slights and Difrefpects which he would have made the World believe they had put upon him: Whereas the true occafion was nothing elfe but a form'd defign laid down and agreed upon by that King, and his Accomplices for the Subverfion of the Liberty of Europe, and for Abolishing

lishing the Commonwealth of Holland, as being too dangerous an Example of Liberty to the Subjects of the Neighbouring Monarchs. The Zeal of the Catholick Religion, which was pretended by him in this, and the following War, did afterwards fufficiently appear to the World to be no other than a Cloak for his unreasonable Ambition; For at the fame time when the Perfecution grew hottest against the Proteftants of France, Letters were intercepted (and published) from him to Count Teckely, to give him the greatest Encouragement, and promife him the utmoft Afliftance in the War, which, in Conjunction with the Turks, he then managed against the first and greatest of all the Roman Catholick Princes.

Witness alfo the many open Infractions of the Treaties both of Aix la Chapelle, and Nimeguen, (whereof Your Majefty is the ftrongest Guarrantee) upon the most frivolous pretence imaginable, of which the most ufual was that of Dependencies; an Invention fet on foot on purpofe to ferve for a pretext of Rupture with all his Neighbours, unless they chofe rather to fatisfy his endlefs demands by abandoning one place after another to his infatiate Appetite of Empire; and for maintaining whereof, the two Chambers of Metz and Brifack were Erected to find out, and forge Titles, and to invent equiVocable Conftructions for eluding the plain meaning of Treaties, concluded and Sworn with the greatest Solemnity, and, than which, nothing can be more Sacred to Mankind.

From hence it was alfo, That Strasburgh was fo infamoufly furpriz'd by the French King in a time of full Peace; and tho' Conditions were agreed and promifed to the Inhabitants of that City, yet no Tooner was he in poffeflion of it, but all Stipulations were forgotten, and that ancient City doth groan under the fame Yoke with the reft of that King's Subjects.

The Building of the Fort at Hunningen, contrary to fo many folemn Affurances given to the Swiffers, and the Affair of Luxemburgh, are too well known to need a particular Deduction. In a Word, the