curious in their new sumpsimus; thus all men almost bee in variety and discord, and few or no preaching truly and sincerely the word of God, according as they ought to doe, shall judge you charitable persons doing this: no, no, I cannot so doe. Alas! how can the poore souls live in concords, when your preachers sow amongst them in your sermons debate and discord? Of you they looke for light, and you bring them darkenesse. Amend these crimes, I exhort you, and set out God's word, both by true preaching and good example giving; or else I whom God hath appointed his vicar* and high minister here, will see these divisions extinct, and these enormities corrected, according to my very duty; or else I am an unprofitable servant and an untrue officer. Although I say the spirituall men be in some fault that charity is not kept amongst you, yet you of the temporality be not clear and unspotted of malice and envy; for you rayle on bishops, speake scandalously of priests, and rebuke and taunt preachers, both contrary to good order and Christian fraternity. If you know surely that a bishop or preacher erreth or teacheth perverse doctrine, come and declare it to some of our councell, or to us, to whom is committed by God † the high authority to reforme and order such causes and behaviours, and be not judges your selves of your fantastick opinions and vaine expositions; for in such high causes you may lightly erre; and al· though you be permitted to reade Holy Scripture, and to have the word of God in your mother-tongue, you must understand it is licensed you so to doe only to informe your own consciences and instruct your children and family, and not to dispute and make Scripture a rayling and taunting stock against priest and preachers, as many light persons doe. I am very sorry to know and heare how unreverently that most precious juell the word of God is disputed, rymed, sung and jangled in every alehouse and taverne, contrary to the true meaning and doctrine of the same; and yet I am even as much sorry A pretty sort of type of the Godhead. † Divine right again! Hal is quite Homeric and Hobbish : that the readers of the same follow it in doing it so faintly and coldly; for of this I am sure, that charity was never so faint amongst you, and vertuous and godly living was never lesse used, nor God himselfe amongst Christians was never lesse reverenced, honoured, or served therefore, as I said before, be in charity one with another, like brother and brother; love, dread, and fear God; to the which I, as your suprem head and soveraigne lord, exhort and require you; and then I doubt not but that love and league that I speake of in the beginning shall never be discouraged or broken betweene us. Now to the making of lawes which wee have now made and concluded, I exhort you the makers to be as diligent in putting them in execution as you were in making and furthering of the same; or else your labour shall be in vaine and your common-wealth nothing releeved. Now to your petition concerning our royall assent to be given to such acts as hath passed both the Houses, they shall bee read openly, that yee may heare them." [Brit. Mus., King's Pamphlets, vol. iv. small quarto, entitled Parliamentary Speeches, A°. 1641-2, 2 Jan. Sept., Article 40.] The following is a noble speech, and more resembles the message of the American president, than the usual kings' speeches of our own or any time. The language in general is pure and nervous, and not unworthy of the tone of a patriarch explaining to his tribe what he believed it his duty to do for their happiness. It will be observed that there is less of the Divine-right language than in the preceding, and less still than in what will be quoted presently. But for the old spelling, and a few words that are not in use now, such as "conserve," culp" "lapse of an error," the reader would find little difference between the language and that of the present day, save perhaps in its greater simplicity and force. If it be her own composition, which there seems no reason to doubt, it does honour to the character of the Queen and stateswoman, and will remain a distinguished monument of her noble spirit and masculine intellect. 9966 "Queene Elizabeth's Speech to her last Parliament. "The 30 of November 1601, her Majestie being set under state in the Council-Chamber at Whitehall, the Speaker, accompanied with Privy Councelleurs, besides Knights and Burgesses of the Lower House to the number of eight-scoore, presenting themselves at her Majestie's feet, for that so graciously and speedily shee had heard and yeelded to her subjects' desires, and proclaimed the same in their hearing as followeth : "Mr. Speaker, "Wee perceive your comming is to present than kes unto us; know I accept them with no lesse joy than your loves can have desire to offer such a present, and doe more esteeme it then any treasure or riches, for those wee know how to prize, but loyaltie, love, and thankes, I account them invaluable; and though God hath raysed mee high, yet this I account the glorie of my crowne, that I have reigned with your loves. This makes that I doe not so much rejoyce that God hath made mee to bee a Queene, as to bee a Queene over so thankefull a people, and to bee the meane under God to conserve you in safety, and preserve you from danger, yea, to bee the instrument to deliver you from dishonour, from shame, and from infamie; to keepe you from out of servitude, and from slaverie under our enemies, and cruell tyranny, and vilde oppression intended against us: for the better withstanding wherof, wee take very acceptably your intended helpes, and chiefely in that it manifesteth your loves and largenesse of heart to your soveraigne. Of myselfe I must say this, I never was any greedy scraping grasper, nor a strict fast-holding prince, nor yet a waster; my heart was never set upon any worldly goods, but onely for my subjects' good. What you doe bestow on me, I will not hoard up, but receive it to bestow on you againe; yea, mine owne properties I account yours o bee expended for your good, and your eyes shall see the bestowing of it for your wellfare. "Mr. Speaker, I would wish you and the rest to stand up, for I feare I shall yet trouble you with longer speech. "Mr. Speaker, you give me thankes, but I am more to thanke you; and I charge you, thanke them of the Lower House for me, for, had I not received knowledge from you, I might a (have) fallen into the lapse of an error, onely for want of true information. "Since I was Queene yet, did I never put my pen to any grant but upon pretext and semblance made me that it was for the good and availe of my subjects generally, though a private profit to some of my ancient servants who have deserved well; but that my grants shall bee made grievances to my people and oppressions to be priviledged under colour of our pattents, our princely dignitie shall not suffer it. "When I heard it, I could give no rest unto my thoughts untill I had reformed it; and those varlets, lewd persons, abusers of my bountie, shall know I wil not suffer it. And, Mr. Speaker, tell the House from mee, I take it exceeding gratefull, that the knowledge of these things are come unto mee from them. And though amongst them the principall members are such as are not touched in private, and therefore need not speake from any feeling of the griefe, yet we have heard that other gentlemen also of the House, who stand as free, have spoken as freely in it; which gives us to know that no respects or interests have moved them other then the mindes they beare to suffer no diminution of our honour, and our subjects' love unto us. The zeale of which affection, tending to ease my people, and knit their hearts unto us, I embrace with a princely care farre above all earthly_treasures. I esteem my people's love, more then which I desire not to merit: and God that gave me here to sit, and placed mee over you, knowes that I never respected myselfe, but as your good was concerned in mee; yet what dangers, what practises, and what perills I have passed, some, if not all of you, know: but none * Whence it appears that all this while the poor devils were on their marrow-bones. of these things doe moove mee, or ever made mee feare; but it is God that hath delivered me. "And in my governing this land, I have ever set the last judgment day before mine eyes, and so to rule as I shall be judged, and answer before a higher Judge, to whose judgement-seat I doe appeale in that never thought was cherished in my heart that tended not to my people's good. "And if my princely bountie have beene abused, and my grants turned to the hurt of my people, contrary to my will and meaning, or if any in authoritie under mee have neglected, or converted what I have committed unto them, I hope God will not lay their culps to my charge. "To be a king, and weare a crown, is a thing more glorious to them that see it, then it is pleasant to them that beare it for myselfe, I never was so much enticed with the glorious name of a king, or the royall authoritie of a queene, as delighted that God hath made me his instrument to maintaine his truth and glorie, and to defend this kingdome from dishonour, damage, tyrannie, and oppression. But should I ascribe any of these things unto my selfe, or my sexly† weakenesse, I were not worthy to live, and of all most unworthy of the mercies I have received at God's hands; but to God onely and wholly all is given and ascribed. The cares and trouble of a crowne I cannot more fitly resemble then to the drugges of a learned physitian perfumed with some aromaticall savour, or to bitter pils guilded over, by which they are made more acceptable or lesse offensive, which, indeed, are bitter and unpleasant to take; and for my owne part, were it not for conscience sake to discharge the dutie that God hath layd upon me, and to maintaine his glorie and keepe you in safetie, in mine owne disposition I should be willing to resigne the *Faults, from the Latin culpa. Probably the word never was English. Elizabeth was a scholar, and in this, perhaps, showed, as scholars are apt to do, a little pedantry. † A good word, which we do not recollect ever to have met with elsewhere. |