Page:Archaeologia volume 38 part 1.djvu/283

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in the Fourth Year of King Charles the First. 243 is true y* misfortunes wee suffer are manie, wee knowe what* discoveries have been made, howe Arminianisme creeps and undermines, and howe Poperie comes upon vs; they maske not in strange disguises, but expose themselves to the vewe of the world : in search whereof wee have fixed our eyes, not simply one the Actors (the Jesuits and Preists) but one their masters, those that are in authoritie ; hence comes it wee suffer. The feare of them makes these intemptions. You have seene Prelates that are their Abettcrs. That great Bishop of Winchester, wee knowe what he hath done to favour them ; this feare extends to some others, that contract a feare of beini* discovered, and they drawe r from hence this iealosie : This is the Lord Treasorer, in whose person is con- tracted all the evill : I find him acting and building one those grounds laid by his Master the late great Duke of Buckingham, and his spiritt is moving for these interruptions : And from this feare they breake Parliaments least Parlia- ments should breake them. I find him the head of all that great party y* Papists; and all Jesuits and Preists derive from him their shelter and protection. In this great question of Tonnage and Poundage, instruments moved att his com- mand and pleasure, he dismaies our Merchants, and he invites strangers to come in to drive our trade, and to serve their owne ends.' "The Remonstrance which he offered was put to a question, hut the Speaker refused to doe it, and said he was otherwise commaunded from the King; b whereupon Mr. Selden spake : ' You say, Mr. Speaker, you dare not put the " The words " misfortunes wee " arc here repeated in the MS., but are underlined, apparently by the copyist, as if he had discovered the mistake. b The Harleian MS. 0,800, fol. CC, here contains the following very important addition : " And being yet againe pressed, hee still denied to put it to the question, or to rend it : which the Clerk also refused to doe. Whereupon the Remonstrance was againe redd' [redelivered] to his handcs, and by him read. "And being the third time urged to it and refusing, still insisting upon the Kings command, lie was checked by Mr. Selden, who told him he had ever loved his person well, but hee could not choose but much blame him now, that hee, being the servant of the Howse, should refuse their commands under any pretence or colour whatsoever; that this his obstinacy would growe a president to posteritie, for that lux-rafter if wee shall meete with a dishonest Speaker (as we cannot promise or assure ourselves the contrary) hee might, under pretence of the King's command, refuse to propose the business and intendment of the Ilowse, and therefore he wished him to proceed. The Speaker, with aboundance of tcares, answered, "I will not say I will not, but I dare not ;" desiring that they would not commaund his ruine therein: That hee had been their faithfull servant, and would gladlie sacrifice his life for the good of his country, but hee durst not sinne against the express command of his soveraigne ." VOL. XXXVIII. 2 K