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His Majesties Declaration to all His Lo∣ving Subjects, of the Causes which mo∣ved Him to Dissolve the last Parlia∣ment, March 10. 1628.
HOwsoever Princes are not bound to * 1.1 give account of their Actions but to God alone; yet for the satisfaction of the Minds and Affections of our lo∣ving Subjects, We have thought good to set down thus much by way of Declaration, that We may appear to the World in the Truth and Sincerity of Our Actions, and not in those Colours, in which We know some Turbulent and Ill-affected Spirits (to Masque and Disguise their Wicked Intentions, Dangerous to the State) would Re∣present Us to the Publick View.
We Assembled Our Parliament the 17th. day of March, in the third Year of Our Reign, for the safety of Religion, for securing Our King∣doms and Subjects at home, and Our Friends and Allies abroad. And therefore at the first sitting down of it, We declared the Miserable Afflicted Estate of those of the Reformed Religion in Germany, France, and other parts of Christen∣dom; the Distressed Extremities of Our dear∣est Uncle, the King of Denmark, chased out of a great part of his Dominions; the strength of that Party which was United against Us; That (besides the Pope and the House of Austria, and their Antient Confederates) the French King Professed the Rooting out of the Protestant Re∣ligion; That, of the Princes and States on Our party, some were Over-run, others Diverted, and some disabled to give Assistance. For which, and other Important Motives, We Propounded a speedy supply of Treasure, answerable to the necessity of the Cause.
These things in the beginning were well Resen∣ted by the House of Commons, and with much Alacrity and Readiness, that they agreed to grant a Liberal Aid: But before it was brought to any Perfection, they were Diverted by a Multitude of Questions, raised amongst them, touching their Liberties and Priviledges, and by other long Dis∣putes, that the Bill did not pass in a long time; and by that delay, Our Affairs were put into a far worse case than at the first; Our Forreign Acti∣ons then in hand being thereby Disgraced and Ruined, for want of timely help.
In this, as We are not willing to Derogate from the merit and good Intentions of those Wise and Moderate men of that House, (to whose forwardness We Attribute it, that it was Pro∣pounded and Resolved so soon) so We must needs say, that the delay of passing it when it was Re∣solved, occasioned by causless Jelousies, stirred up by Men of another Temper, did much lessen both the Reputation and Reality of that Supply. And their spirit, Infused into many of the Commissio∣ners and Assessors in the Country, hath returned up the Subsidies in such a Scanty Proportion, as is infinitely short, not only of Our great Occasi∣ons, but of the Presidents of former Subsidies, and of the Intentions of all well-affected men in that House.
In those large Disputes, as We Permitted ma∣ny of Our High Prerogatives to be Debated, which in the best times of Our Predecessors had never been questioned, without Punishment or sharp Reproof; so We did endeavour to have shortned those Debates, for Winning of time, which would have much advantage Our great Af∣fairs, both at Home and Abroad. And there∣fore both by Speeches and Messages, We did of∣ten Declare Our Gracious and clear Resolution, to maintain, not only the Parliament, but all Our People, in their Antient and Just Liberties, without either Violation or Diminution; and in the end, for their full Satisfaction and Security, did, by an Answer, Framed in the Form by themselves desired, to their Parliamentary Peti∣tion, confirm their Antient and Just Liberties and Rights, which We Resolve, with all Con∣stancy and Justice, to maintain.
This Parliament, howsoever besides the set∣ling Our necessary Supply, and their own Liber∣ties, they wasted much time in such Proceedings, (blasting Our Government) as We are unwil∣ling to to remember, yet We suffered them to sit, until themselves desired Us to appoint a time for their Recess, not naming either Adjournment or Prorogation.
Whereupon by advice of Our Council, We re∣solved to Prorogue and make a Session; and to that end prefixed a day, by which they might (as was meet in so long a Sitting) finish some profitable and good Laws; and withal gave or∣der for a Gracious Pardon to all Our Subjects: which, according to the use of Former Parlia∣ments, passed the Higher House and was sent down to the Commons. All which being Grati∣ously intended by Us, was ill Entertained by some Disaffected persons of that House, who by their Artifices, in a short time raised so much Heat and Distemper in the House, for no other Visible cause, but because We had declared Our Resolu∣tion to Prorogue, as Our Council Advised, and not to Adjourn, as some of that House (after Our Resolution declared, and not before) did manifest themselves to affect: That seldom hath greater Passion been seen in that House, upon the greatest occasions. And some Glances in the House, but upon open Rumors abroad, were spread, That by the Answer to the Petition, We had given away, not only Our Impositions upon Goods, Exported and Imported, but the Tunnage and Poundage, (whereas in the De∣bate and Hammering of that Petition, there was no Speech or mention of either House concern∣ing those Impositions, but concerning Taxes and other Charges within the Land; much less was there any thought thereby to debar Us of Tunnage and Poundage, which, both before and after the Answer to that Petition, the House of Commons, in all their Speeches and Trea∣ties, did profess they were willing to Grant.) And at the same time, many other Misinter∣pretations were raised of that Petition and Answer, by men, not well distinguishing be∣tween well ordered Liberty, and Licentious∣ness; as if by Our Answer to that Petition, We had let loose the Reins of Our Govern∣ment. And in this distemper, the House of Commons, laying aside the Pardon, (a thing never done in any former Parliament) and other business, sit to have been concluded in Session, some of them went about to Frame and Contrive a Remonstrance against Our recei∣ving of Tunnage and Poundage, which was so far proceeded in the Night before the pre∣fixed time, for concluding the Session, and so hastned by the Contrivers thereof, that they