Two speeches delivered, the one by the Earle of Manchestr [sic] and the other by Iohn Pym Esquire, in Guild-Hall on fryday the 13. of Ianuary 1642:

A SPEECH Delivered by the Earle OF MANCHESTER.

MY Lord Major and Gentlemen you of the City of London,

this Assembly can ne∣ver bee looked upon by any Members of both Houses of Parliament; but there must bee some offering of gra∣titude made to you, both of thankes and acknowledgments for your former large-hearted ex∣pressions, both of affection and care for the preservati∣on both of the Parliament and Kingdome: The occasi∣on why my Lords, and these Gentlemen of the House of Commons are come hither is this, They have read an Answer to an humble Petition of the Lord Major and Common-counsell and Citizens of London to His Maje∣sty;

In which Answer, They finde many wounding as∣persions cast upon persons of very eminent Authority in your City, and upon others of very great fidelity and trust among you; this Answer they doe finde as it is prin∣ted to agree with that which the Gentleman from His Majestie hath here read; And they owning themselves equally interessed (in all things that concerne you) with you, have commanded this Gentleman to make some ob∣servations by way of vindication both of the proceedings of both Houses of Parliament, and of the proceedings of the City, with this assurance that they will never dissert you, but will stand by you with their lives and fortunes for the preservation of the City in generall, and those per∣sons in particular, who have beene faithfull, and deserved well, both of the Parliament and Kingdome, and they will pursue all meanes both with their lives and fortunes, that may be for the preservation of this City, and for the pro∣curing of safety, happinesse, and peace to the whole King∣dome.

The Speech of this Noble Lord, being entertained with loud expressions of joy and thankfulnesse by the Commons; and after some time of silence being made, Mr. Pym that worthy Mem∣ber of the House of Commons and Patriot of his Countrey, gave the sense of both Houses upon the severall passages of His Ma∣jesties Answer; expressing it in the next Page following.

A SPEECH DELIVERED BY JOHN PYM Esquire.

MY Lord Major, and you worthy Citizens of this noble and famous City of London,

I am commanded by the Lords and Com∣mons, to let you know, that in this An∣swer, which hath beene published to you, they doe observe many things of great a∣spersion upon the proceedings of Parliament very scanda∣lous and injurious to many particular Members of this City, whereupon they thinke that it becomes them, both in tendernesse of their owne honour, and respect to you, to take away all those aspersions, and to let you know the truth of their proceedings, which have beene full of ho∣nour and justice, as they stand in relation to their owne duty, and full of humility, and obedience towards His Majesty, and of care for the common good, and so shall e∣ver be; And they have commanded me to let you know the true Answer to most of those things that are imputed either to the Parliament, or to the City, by observing some particulars of This booke which hath beene read to

you and to let you know the proceedings in their owne native condition, cleere from those misrepresentations which make them appeare in a qualitie much different from the truth: which before I enter into I am to declare as the Sense of both Houses that your petition was so full of Loyaltie, Humilitie, and Obedience, that you might well have expected an Answer of another kinde.

The first Observation I am to make to you is this, that it is said here, That His Majesty was enforc'd by tumults to leave the Parliament, and to goe from White-hall, and to withdraw himselfe into those courses, which now he hath taken.

In Answer hereunto, I am commanded to tell you, that there was no occasion given by any tumults rising out of this City or the Suburbs which might justly cause His Majesties departure, and you may very well remember, that after His violent comming to the Commons House of Parliament in that unusuall and unheard of manner (which was the beginning of these unhappy differences) that the very next day His Majesty came into the City without any Guard, that He was present in the Common-councell, din'd at the Sheriffes, and returned back againe, with manifold evidences of fidelity on the part of the Ci∣ty, and without any such expressions as were unbeseeming the Majesty of a King, or the duty of Subjects; that He resided divers dayes at White-hall, and afterward at Hampton-court, Windsor, and places adjoyning, with small Forces about him, and yet never any attempt made which might give Him any apprehensions of feare; by all which it is manifest, that this is an unjust aspersion cast upon this City, that any tumultuous carriage of yours, was your occasion of His Majesties leaving the Parlia∣ment and withdrawing himselfe to remoter parts.

It is affirmed, that the Government of your City hath been mannaged by a few desperate persons, and that they do exercise an arbitrary power.] In answer to which the two Houses of Parliament gives you this testimony, that you have in most of the great occasions concerning the Go∣vernment of the City, followed their direction, and that direction which they have given, and you have executed, they must & will maintain to be such as stands with their honor in giving it, and your trust and fidelity in the per∣formance of it.

It is objected in the third place; That Contributions have been publickly made, for the maintenance of that Army which did joyne Battell with the King, and did by all the means that Treason and Malice could suggest, endeavour to take away His Life, and destroy His Issue.] To this I am com∣manded to say, That the design of bringing up the Eng∣lish Armies, the gathering together of the Cavaliers a∣bout White-hall, the violent coming to the House of Commons, the Kings going into the North, and rai∣sing Armes there, are cleer evidences that violence was first intended, and divers practises were made against the Parliament, before they took any course, or made a∣ny preparation to take up arms for their defence; for the danger of His Majesties person they were sorry for it, and did by divers humble Petitions labour to prevent it; And as touching the royall issue, they have sufficiently declar'd to the world, their good affections towards them, by the care they have taken both for the safety and maintenance of those who are left here.

It is further express'd in this Answer; That the King demands the Lord Major, Master Alderman Fowke, Colonell Ven, and Colonell Manwaring, to be delivered up as guilty of Schisme and high Treason.] Concerning

which, I am commanded to tell you, as the sense of both Houses of PARLIAMENT, That this de∣mand is against the priviledge of Parliament (two of them being Members of the Commons House) most dish∣honorable to the City, That the Lord Major of London should be subjected to the violence of every base fellow, be assaulted, seiz'd on, without due processe or War∣rant, which the Law doth afford every private man; and that you should be commanded to deliver up your chief Magistrates, and such eminent Members of the City to the Kings pleasure, only because they have done their du∣ty in adhering to the Parliament, for the defence of the Kingdom, and that it is against the rules of justice, that any men should be imprisoned upon such a generall charge, when no particulars are proved against them; and this you are to take notice of, as the answer to those scandalls, and to that disgrace upon my Lord Major, and the other Members of the City.

And I am further to tell you, that there is little cause for His Majesty to make this demand, considering that He Himself doth by force keep away many accused in Parliament, as my Lord Digby, and many more impea∣ched of high Treason, besides divers others great Delin∣quents, that stand charged there for hainous crimes, all which by force are kept from the due proceedings, and legall triall in Parliament.

It is alleaged in this Answer, That my Lord Maior, and those other persons named, are countenancers of Brownists, and Anabaptists, and all manner of Sectaries.] To this I am commanded to say, That hereof there is no proof; It doth not appear that they give any such countenance to Sectaries of any kinde whatsoever; and if it did, His Ma∣jesty hath little reason to object it, while notwithstanding

the profession he hath often made, that he will maintain the Protestant reformed Religion, he doth in the mean time raise an Army of Papists, who by the principles of their Religion are bound, (if power be put into their hands) to destroy and utterly to root out the Protestants together with the truth which they professe.

It is affirmed, That mens persons have been imprisoned, and their houses plunder'd, because they will not rebell against His Majesty.] To this I am commanded to declare, that no mens houses have been plunder'd by any direction of the Parliament, but that they have been very carefull to re∣strain all such violent courses, so far as they were able; and that they have never committed any man, but such men as by due information they conceived to be seditious persons, and like to trouble the peace of the State.

It is objected further; That the Property of the Subject is destroyed by taking away the twentieth part by an Arbitra∣ry power.] To this they say, That that Ordinance it doth not require a twentieth part, but doth limit the Assessors, that they shall not go beyond a twentieth part; and that this is done by a power derived from both houses of Par∣liament; the Lords who have an hereditarie interest in making Laws in this Kingdom, and the Commons who are elected and chosen to represent the whole body of the Comminalty, and trusted for the good of the people, when ever they see cause to charge the Kingdom: And they say further, that the same Law that did enable the two Houses of Parliament to raise forces to maintain and defend the safety of Religion, and of the Kingdom, doth likewise enable them to require contributions, whereby those forces may be maintained, or else it were a vaine power to raise forces, if they had not a power likewise to maintain them in that service for which they were raised.

And to this point I am commanded to adde this fur∣ther answer, that there was little reason for this to be objected on his Majesties behalf, when it is well known that from the subjects (which are within the power of his army) His Majesty doth take the full yeerly value of their Lands, and in some cases more that not only particu∣lar houses, but whole Towns have been plunder'd by command and design; and that by Proclamations men are declared to forfeit all their estates, because they will not obey Arbitrary Commands, and this is commonly practised by His Majesty, and on his part, and therefore there was little reason to charge the Parliament with so necessary and moderate a contribution as the twentieth part.

It is declared, That the King expects to be kept from Tu∣mults and Affronts.] Upon which, I am commanded to observe, that His Majesties expressions in His Answer tend to the making of a division in this City, and to the raising of a party, which may make some disturbance in that orderly government which is now established, both which will certainly prove equally destructive to him and both Houses of Parliament; and more prejudiciall to his quiet abode here, then any thing that hath ever beene acted by the Houses of Parliament, or the present Go∣vernors of the City.

They observe further that in this Answer, His Majesty doth professe that He will seize upon the estates of those that shall contribute any thing towards the maintenance of the Par∣liaments Army, and will put them out of His protection, and by His Ministers in forraign States, will take such course, that they may be proceeded against as enemies; that is, destroyed and spoiled.] To which the LORDS and COMMONS do Declare, That this is an excesse of rigour and inju∣stice

beyond all example, that particular men should lose their private estates here without law or judiciall procee∣ding: And that our Prince who owes protection to the Kingdom, aswell as to particular persons, should suffer the wealth thereof to be robbed and spoiled by forraign States; upon due consideration whereof, they hope His Majesty will be induced by better Councell to forbeare the execution, then that by which he hath been perswa∣ded to publish such a Resolution.

Besides these Observations out of the Answer, I am to observe one out of a narrative that was received from the Common Councell, that the King did Declare that he would send some messengers here to observe your car∣riage in the City, and what was done amongst you, the Parliament have just cause to doubt, that these will be messengers of sedition and trouble, and therefore desire you to observe them and find them out, and that they may know who they are.

I am for a conclusion to commend to your conside∣rations, that you see by the proceedings to which the King is drawn by the ill councell now about Him, that Religion, the whole Kingdom, this glorious City, and the Parliament, are all in great danger, and that this danger cannot be kept off in all likelyhood, but by the Army that is now a foot, and that the Lords and Commons are so farre from being frighted by any thing that is in this Answer, that they have for themselves and the Members of both Houses declared a further con∣tribution towards the maintenance of this Army, and can∣not but hope and desire, that you that have shew'd so much good affection in the former necessities of the State will be sensible of your own, and of the condition of the whole Kingdom, and adde (to that which you have alrea∣die

done) some further contribution, whereby this Army may be maintain'd for all your safeties.

At the end of every period of this Speech, the applause was so great, that he was fain to rest till silence was again made; and at last (the Company ready to be dissolved) after some pause and consultation with the Committee of Lords and Commons then present, and by their direction (silence being made) he closed all with the words following:

Worthy Citizens, you have understood the sense of both Houses of Parliament, concerning my Lord Major here, and those worthy Members of your City, that are demanded; you have heard the Parliament declare, that they will protect them in that which they have done by direction of both Houses; and they expect that you should expresse it your selves likewise, that if any violence be of∣fer'd to them, you will secure and defend them with your uttermost force; and you shall alwaies finde, that this pro∣tection of the Parliament shall not onely extend to these, but to all others that have done any thing by their command.

Which words were no sooner uttered, but the Citizens with one joynt harmony of mindes and voices, gave such an accla∣mation as would have drown'd all the former, if they had been then breathing, which after a long continuance resolv'd it self into this more articulate and distinct voice,

We will live and dye with them, We will live and dye with them,

and the like.

So that in the managing of this dayes work, God was so plea∣sed to manifest himself, that the well-affected went away not strengthened onely, but rejoycing; and the Malignants (as they

have been called) some convinced, others silenced, many asham'd; it fully appearing how little power they had to answer their de∣sires of doing mischief: whilest in stead of dividing the City, they were exceedingly united; in stead of a dissipation, thousands were unexpectedly brought (as it were) into an unthought of Asso∣ciation, to live and dye in the defence of these zealous and honorable Assertors of their peace and liberties: All which we may summe up in that triumph of the man of God: In the thing wherein they dealt proudly, God was above them.