A speach, deliuered to the Kings most excellent Maiestie at his entrie into his good-towne of Edinburgh, vpon the xvi. of May, anno Domini 1617. In the name of the magistrates and citizens of the saide towne. By Master Iohn Hay, their clerke deputie.

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A SPEACH, Deliuered to the Kinges most excellent Majestie, at his Entry into his good Towne of EDINBVRGH, &c.

HOw joyfull your Majesties returne (Gracious and dread Soueraigne) is to this your Majesties Natiue Towne, from that King∣dome due to your Sacred person by Royall discent, the countenances & eyes of these your Majesties loyall Subjects speake for their hearts. This is that happie Day of our New-birth, euer to bee retained in fresh memorie, with consideration of the goodnesse of th'Almightie our God, considered

with acknowledgement of the same, acknowledged with admiratiō, admited with loue, & loued with joy; wherein our eyes behold the greatest humane felicitie our heartes could wish, which is to gaze vpon the Royall countenance of our true Phoenix, the bright Starre of our Northerne Firmament, the Ornament of our Age, wherein wee are refreshed, yea reuiued with the heat and bright Beames of our Sunne, the powerfull Adamant of our Wealth; by whose remo∣uing from our Hemisphaere, wee were darkened, deepe sorrow and feare possessing our heartes (with∣out enuying your Majesties happinesse and felici∣tie) our places of solace euer giuing a newe heat to the feuer of the languishing remembrance of our wonted happinesse: The verie Hilles and Groues ac∣custumed of before to be refreshed with the dewe of your majesties presence, not putting on their wonted Apparrell; but with pale lookes representing their miserie for the departure of their Royall King.

I Most humblie begge pardon of your Sacred Ma∣jestie, who most vnworthie and vngarnished by Arte or Nature with Rethoricall coloures haue presumed to deliuer to your sacred Majesty, formed by Nature, and framed by education, to the perfection of all elo∣quence; the publike message of your majesties loyall subjectes, heere conuened vpon the verie knees of mine heart: Beseeching your sacred majestie, that mine obedience to my Superiours command may be a sacrifice acceptable to expiate my presumption:

your Majesties wonted clemencie may giue strength and vigour to my distrustfull spirites, in gracious ac∣ceptance of that which shall bee deliuered, and par∣doning mine escapes.

REceiue then, dread Soueraigne, from your Ma∣iesties faithfull and loyall Subiectes, the Magi∣strates and Citizens of your maiesties good Towne of Edinburgh, such Welcome as is due, from these who with thankfull hearts doe acknowledge the infi∣nite blessinges plenteouslie flowing from the para∣dise of your maiesties vnspotted goodnesse and Ver∣tue, gouerned with the Scepter of Wisedome, nowe fiftie yeeres to this your maiesties natiue Towne, wishing your maiesties eyes might pearce into their verie heartes, there to beholde the excessiue ioye in∣wardlie conceiued of the first messenger of your ma∣iesties princelie resolution to visite this your maie∣sties good Towne, increased by your maiesties con∣stancie in prosequuting what was so happily in∣tended, and nowe accomplished by your maiesties fortunate and safe returne, which no tongue, howe liberall so euer, is able to expresse.

WHo shall consider with an vnpartiall eye the continuall carefulnesse your maiestie hath had ouer vs from the first houre that Nature opened your maiesties eyes: The setled temper of your ma∣iesties gouernament, wherein the nycest eye could finde no spot, your selfe as the life of the Countrey,

as the father of the people, instructing not so much by precept, as by example, your maiesties Court, the marriage place of Wisedome and Godlinesse: without impietie hee can not refuse to auouch, but as your maiesties prudencie hath wonne the pryze from all Kinges and Emperoures which standeth in degree of comparison: So hath your maiesties go∣uernament beene such, that euerie mans eye may bee a messenger to his minde, that in your maiestie stan∣deth the Quint-essence in ruling skill, of all prospe∣rous and peaceable gouernament, much wished by our Fore-fathers; but most aboundantlie, praised be God, enjoyed by vs, vnder your Sacred maiestie.

For if wee shall in a view lay before vs the times past, euen since the first foundation of this Kingdom, and therein consider your maiesties most noble pro∣genitoures; they were indeede all renowned princes for their vertues, not inferiour to anie Emperoures or Kinges of their time, maintained and deriued their Virgine Scepters vnconquered, from age to age, from the inundation of the most violent floods of conque∣ring Sworde, which ouer-whelmed the rest of the whole Earth, and carried the Crownes of all other Kinges of this Terrestriall Globe captiues vnto thral∣dome: But farre short of your sacred maiestie, na∣ture hauing placed in your sacred person, alone what in euery one of them was excellent, the senate house of the Planets being, as it would seeme, conue∣ned at your maiesties birth, for decreeing of all per∣fections in your Royall person: The Heauens and

Earth witnessing your Heroicall frame, none in∣fluence whatsoeuer beeing able to bring the same to anie higher degree.

IF wee shall call to minde the tumultuous dayes of your maiesties more tender yeeres, and therein your maiesties prudencie, wisedome and constancie in Uniting the disjointed members of this Com∣mon-wealth, who will not with the Queene of Sche∣ba confesse hee hath seene more wisedome in your Royall person, than report hath brought to for∣raine eares.

There is not of anie estate or age within this your maiesties Kingdome who hath not had particular ex∣perience of the same, and as it were, sensiblie felt the fruites thereof: The fire of ciuile discorde, which as a flame had deuoured vs, beeing thereby quenched, euerie man possessing his owne Vineyarde in peace, reaping that which hee hath sowne, and enjoying the fruites of his owne laboures: Your maiesties great vi∣gilancie and Godlie zeale in propagating the Gospel, defacing the monumentes of Idolatrie, banishing that Romane and Antichristian Hierarchie, and esta∣blishing of our Church, repairing the ruines there∣of, protecting vs from forraine inuasion. The rich trophees of your maiesties victories, more powerful∣lie atchieued by your sacred wisedome, and deserued more worthilie by your vertue, than these of the Caesars, too much extolled by the ancients; all ages shall recorde: and euen our posteritie shall blesse the

Almighty our God, for giuing to vs their Forefathers: A King in heart vpright as Dauid, wise as Salomon, and godlie as Iosias.

THis also your majesties Good Towne of Edin∣burgh is not the lest witnesse of your majesties royall beneficence, and superexcellent wisedome, which beeing founded in the dayes of that worthie King, Fergus the first, builder of this Kingdome, and famous for her vnspotted fidelitie, to your maiesties most noble progenitours was by them enriched with manie Freedomes, Priueledges, and Dignities, which all your maiestie hath not onelie confirmed, but also with accession of manie more enlarged, beautifying her also with erecting of a Colledge, famous for pro∣fession of all liberall Sciences: So that shee justlie doeth acknowledge your majestie as the author and conseruer of her peace, her sacred Phisition, who bound vp the woundes of her distracted Common∣wealth, the onelie magnes of her prosperitie, and the true fountaine from whence, vnder God, all her hap∣pinesse and felicitie floweth, and doeth in all humili∣tie recorde your majesties Royall fauoures extended towardes her aswell absent as present.

WEe should prooue most vngratefull, if wee should passe ouer in silence your maiesties sa∣cred wisedome, in disposing of the gouernament of this your maiesties natiue Kingdome, during your maiesties absence, and placing such subalterne

magistrates and officers of the Crowne, within the same, who haue shined as cleare Starres in this firma∣ment, keeping euer the prescript of your maiesties Royall commandes, watching for the good of your maiesties Subiectes, and squaring all their actions to your maiesties frame, as their paterne: and returning all their springes to the same fountaine from whence they themselues receiued influence of vertue: beeing vigilant in nothing more than in procuring the good and peace of this Church and Commonwealth: To approue their loyaltie to your maiestie and to knit vs your maiesties Subiectes in a more firme knot of obe∣dience to your sacred authoritie.

NEither hath the oceane of your maiesties vertues contained it selfe within the precinct of this Ile: What eare is so barbarous, that hath not heard of the same? What forraine Prince is not indebted to your sacred wisedome? What reformed Church doeth not blesse your maiesties Birth-day, and is not prote∣cted vnder the winges of your maiesties sacred au∣thoritie from that Beast of Rome and his Antichri∣stian locustes, whose walles your maiestie by the So∣ueraigne wisedome wherewith the Lord hath ende∣wed your sacred person hath battered & shaken more than did the Gothes and Vandales, the olde frame o∣the same by their sworde: Would God as your ma∣iestie hath made happie beginninges in drying vp their Euphrates, laying the nakednesse of that hoore open to the view of the world, & ruinating of that

Lernean hydra: So your maiesties dayes may bee pro∣longed, to see the accomplishment of the same.

ALl this your Majesties Royall Storehouse of ver∣tues perpetuall vigilancie in managing of the pu∣blicke affaires, your prudencie in your actions, your vertue in your life, and your felicitie in all the Lord hath crowned, not onelie with continuance of your maiesties peaceable gouernament ouer vs, your na∣tiue Subiectes more yeares nor anie of your prede∣cessoures reignes attained vnto: But also with acces∣sion of three great Kingdomes, and made your name famous thorow the whole Earth aboue all the Prin∣ces of your time.

And therefore, wee your maiesties most humble Subjects doe in all submission of minds acknowledge your maiestie, not onelie for our just and lawfull Prince; but also the first founder of the United Mo∣narchie of this famous Ile, borne for the good of the same; who during the whole time of your maiesties most happie reigne, hath so in publicke carried your selfe ouer vs your maiesties Subiectes, as if yee were priuate, no man could lay anie imputation or blotte to your vnspotted life, who neuer more desired to bee aboue vs than for vs, nor to bee accounted great than good: joyning euer to your maiesties power modestie and true pietie: And that as for your sacred vertue, your maiestie deserueth to bee Monarch of the worlde: So for your pietie and vnfained zeale in propagating and maintaining of the Gospel, doth of

due appertaine the true titles of the most Christian and Catholicke King.

FOr the which all your Majesties Royall fauoures hauing nothing to render but that which is due, We your Majest. humble Subjects, prostrate at your Majest. sacred feete, lay downe our Liues, Goods, Li∣berties, and whatsoeuer else is most deare vnto vs: and doe vow to keepe vnto your sacred Majesty vn∣spotted Loyaltie and Subjection, and shall euer bee readie to sacrifice and consecrate our selues for main∣tainance of your Royall Person and Estate: Praying th'Eternall our God, that Peace may bee within your Majesties Walles, Prosperitie within your Maje∣sties Palaces, Length of Dayes to your Sacred Per∣son, One from your Majesties Loynes neuer wan∣ting to weigh the Scepter of these your Majesties Kingdomes, And that Mercie may bee to your Ma∣jestie and your Seede for euer.

FINIS.