we (no ways intending to press upon your Majesty's undoubted and regal prerogative) do with the fulness of our duty and obedience humbly submit to your most princely consideration .. Rushworth, I. p. 40. 13. The King's letter to the House of Commons, 3 Dec., 16211. To our trusty and well-beloved Sir Thomas Richardson, Knight, Speaker of the House of Commons. Mr Speaker: We have heard by divers reports, to our great grief, that our distance from the Houses of Parliament, caused by our indisposition of health, hath emboldened some fiery and popular spirits of some of the House of Commons to argue and debate publicly of matters far above their reach and capacity, tending to our high dishonour and breach of prerogative royal. These are therefore to command you to make known in our name unto the House, that none therein shall presume henceforth to meddle with anything concerning our government or deep matters of state, and namely, not to deal with our dearest son's match with the daughter of Spain, nor to touch the honour of that king or any other our friends and confederates and also not to meddle with any men's particulars, which have their due motion in our ordinary courts of justice. And whereas we hear that they have sent a message to Sir Edwin Sandys, to know the reasons of his late restraint, you shall in our name resolve them, that it was not for any misdemeanour of his in parliament: but, to put them out of doubt of any question of that nature that may arise among them hereafter, you shall resolve them in our name, That we think ourself very free and able to punish any man's misdemeanours in parliament as well during their sitting as after; which we mean not to spare hereafter, upon any occasion of any man's insolent behaviour there that shall be ministered unto us. And, if they have already touched any of these points which we have forbidden, in any petition of theirs which is to be sent unto us, it is our pleasure that you shall tell them, That, 1 Read in the House on Dec. 4 (C. J. I. p. 658). 2 He was imprisoned (with others) on June 16, and released on July 16. except they reform it before it comes to our hands, we will not deign the hearing nor answering of it. Dated at Newmarket, 3 December, 1621. Rushworth, I. p. 43. 14. Petition of the House of Commons, 9 Dec., 16211. Most dread and gracious Sovereign: We your most humble and loyal subjects, the knights, citizens and burgesses assembled in the Commons House of Parliament, . . . in all humbleness beseech your most excellent Majesty that the loyalty and dutifulness of as faithful and loving subjects as ever served or lived under a gracious sovereign may not undeservedly suffer by the misinformation of partial and uncertain reports, which are ever unfaithful intelligencers: but that your Majesty would, in the clearness of your own judgment, first vouchsafe to understand from ourselves, and not from others, what our humble Declaration and Petition, resolved upon by the universal voice of the House, and proposed, with your gracious favour, to be presented unto your sacred Majesty, doth contain. [A summary of the petition (No. 12, above) follows.] ... This being the effect of what we had formerly resolved upon, and these the occasions and reasons inducing the same, our humble suit to your Majesty and confidence is, That your Majesty will be graciously pleased to receive, at the hands of these our messengers, our former humble Declaration and Petition, and vouchsafe to read and favourably to interpret the same: and whereas your Majesty, by the general words of your letter, seemeth to restrain us from intermeddling with matters of government or particulars which have their motion in the courts of justice, the generality of which words, in the largeness of the extent thereof (as we hope beyond your Majesty's intention), might involve those things which are the proper subjects of parliamentary occasions and discourse and whereas your Majesty doth seem to abridge us of the ancient liberty of parliament for freedom of speech, jurisdiction and just censure of the House, and other proceedings there (where Debated on Dec. 5, 6, and 7; passed by the House on Dec. 8 (C. J. I. pp. 658-661), and presented to the King on Dec. 10 (ibid. p. 663). in we trust in God we shall never transgress the bounds of loyal and dutiful subjects), a liberty which, we assure ourselves, so wise and so just a king will not infringe, the same being our ancient and undoubted right and an inheritance received from our ancestors, without which we cannot freely debate nor clearly discern of things in question before us, nor truly inform your Majesty ; we are therefore now again enforced, in all humbleness, to pray your Majesty to allow the same, and thereby to take away the doubts and scruples your Majesty's late letter to our Speaker hath wrought upon us... ... 15. The King's answer, 10 Dec., 16211. ... Now whereas, in the very beginning of this your apology, you tax us, in fair terms, of trusting uncertain reports and partial informations concerning your proceedings, we wish you to remember that we are an old and experienced king, needing no such lessons, being, in our conscience, freest of any king alive from hearing or trusting idle reports; which so many of your House as are nearest us can bear witness unto you, if you would give as good ear to them as you do to some tribunitial orators among you . . . In the body of your petition, you usurp upon our prerogative royal and meddle with things far above your reach, and then in the conclusion you protest the contrary; as if a robber would take a man's purse and then protest he meant not to rob him... And touching your excuse of not determining anything concerning the match of our dearest son, but only to tell your opinion and lay it down at our feet, first we desire to know how you could have presumed to determine in that point without committing of high treason?... And as to your request that we would now receive your former petition, we wonder what could make you presume that we would receive it, whereas in our former letter we plainly declared the contrary unto you. And therefore we have justly rejected that suit of yours, for what have you left unattempted in the highest points of sovereignty in that petition of yours, except the striking of coin?... These 1 Given on Dec. 10, and read in the House on Dec. 14 (C. J. I. p. 663). are unfit things to be handled in parliament, except your king should require it of you: . . . and therefore, ne sutor ultra crepidam... And although we cannot allow of the style, calling it your ancient and undoubted right and inheritance, but could rather have wished that ye had said that your privileges were derived from the grace and permission of our ancestors and us (for most of them grow from precedents, which shows rather a toleration than inheritance), yet we are pleased to give you our royal assurance, that as long as you contain yourself within the limits of your duty, we will be as careful to maintain and preserve your lawful liberties and privileges, as ever any of our predecessors were, nay, as to preserve our own royal prerogative1; so as your House shall only have need to beware to trench upon the prerogative of the crown; which would enforce us, or any just king, to retrench them of their privileges, that would pare his prerogative and flowers of the crown: but of this, we hope, there shall never be cause given. Dated at Newmarket, 11 Dec., 1621. Rushworth, I. p. 46. 16. Protestation of the House of Commons, 18 Dec., 1621 2. The Commons now assembled in parliament, being justly occasioned thereunto, concerning sundry liberties, franchises and privileges of parliament amongst others here mentioned, do make this protestation following: That the liberties, franchises, privileges and jurisdictions of parliament are the ancient and undoubted birthright and inheritance of the subjects of England; and that the arduous and urgent affairs concerning the king, 1 In another letter, dated Dec. 16, read in the House on Dec. 17, the King says, 'The plain truth is, that we cannot with patience endure our subjects to use such antimonarchical words to us concerning their liberties, except they had subjoined that they were granted unto them by the grace and favour of our predecessors' (Parl. Hist. p. 1350). 218 Dec., 1621, p.m. Mr Speaker taking his chair, Mr Sergeant Ashley, from the Grand Committee, presenteth to the House a draft of the Protestation concerning the privileges of the House. The Protestation read several times and, upon question, allowed and ordered to be presently entered of record in the journal of the House' (C. J. I. p. 668). In the margin is written, “King James, in Council, with his own hand rent out this Protestation "' (ibid. note). state and defence of the realm, and of the church of England, and the maintenance and making of laws, and redress of mischiefs and grievances which daily happen within this realm, are proper subjects and matter of counsel and debate in parliament and that in the handling and proceeding of those businesses every member of the House of Parliament hath and of right ought to have freedom of speech, to propound, treat, reason and bring to conclusion the same: and that the Commons in parliament have like liberty and freedom to treat of these matters in such order as in their judgments shall seem fittest: and that every member of the said House hath like freedom from all impeachment, imprisonment and molestation (other than by censure of the House itself) for or concerning any speaking, reasoning or declaring of any matter or matters touching the parliament or parliament business; and that, if any of the said members be complained of and questioned for anything done or said in parliament, the same is to be shewed to the king by the advice and assent of all the Commons assembled in Parliament, before the king give credence to any private information. Rushworth, I. p. 53. 17. The King's Proclamation on dissolving Parliament, A Proclamation for dissolving this present Parliament. Albeit the assembling, continuing and dissolving of parliament be a prerogative so peculiarly belonging to our imperial crown, and the times and seasons thereof so absolutely in our own power, that we need not give account thereof unto any; yet according to our continual custom to make our good subjects acquainted with the reasons of all our public resolutions and actions, we have thought it expedient at this time to declare not only our pleasure and resolution therein, grounded upon mature deliberation, with the advice and uniform consent of our whole privy council, but therewith also to note some special proceedings moving us to this resolution . . . This Parliament was by us called, as for making good and profitable laws, so more especially, in this time of miserable distraction throughout Christendom, for the better settling of |