King James, Speech to Parliament (1603)
From UCSB English Department Knowledge Base
| Welcome to the English Department Knowledge Base at the University of California, Santa Barbara. |
|---|
Contents |
King James, Speech to Parliament (1603)
A SPEACH, AS IT WAS DELIVERED IN THE VPPER HOVSE OF THE PARLIAMENT TO THE LORDS SPIRITVALL AND TEMPORALL, AND TO THE KNIGHTS, CITIZENS AND BURGESSES THERE ASSEMBLED,
ON MVNDAY THE XIX. DAY OF MARCH 1603. BEING THE FIRST DAY OF THE FIRST PARLIAMENT.
IT did no sooner please God to lighten his hand, and relent the violence of his deuouring Angel against the poore people of this Citie, but as soone did I resolue to call this Parliament, and that for three chiefe and principall reasons: The first whereof is, (and which of it selfe, although there were no more, is not onely a sufficient, but a most full and necessary ground and reason for conuening of this Assembly) This first reason I say is, That you who are here presently assembled to represent the Body of this whole Kingdome, and of all sorts of people within the same, may with your owne eares heare, and that I out of mine owne mouth may deliuer vnto you the assurance of my due thankefulnes for your so ioyfull and generall applause to the declaring and receiuing of mee in this Seate (which GOD by my Birthright and lineall descent had in the fulnesse of time prouided for me) and that, immediatly after it pleased God to call your late Soueraigne of famous memory, full of dayes, but fuller of immortall trophes of Honour, out of this transitorie life. Not that I am able to expresse by wordes, or vtter by eloquence the viue Image of mine inward thankfulnes, but onely that out of mine owne mouth you may rest assured to expect that measure of thanke- fulnes at my hands, which is according to the infinitenes of your deserts, and to my inclination and abilitie for requital of the same. Shall I euer ? nay, can I euer be able, or rather so vnable in memorie, as to forget your vnexpected readi- nesse and alacritie, your euer memorable resolution, and your most wonderfull coniunction and harmonie of your hearts in declaring and embracing mee as your vndoubted and lawfull King and Gouernour ? Or shall it euer bee blotted out of my minde, how at my first entrie into this Kingdome, the people of all sorts rid and ran, nay rather flew to meet mee ? their eyes flaming nothing but sparkles of affection, their mouthes and tongues vttering nothing but sounds of ioy, their hands, feete, and all the rest of their members in their gestures discouering a pas- sionate longing, and earnestnesse to meete and embrace their new Soueraigne. Quid ergo retribuam ? Shall I allow in my selfe, that which I could neuer beare with in another ? No I must plainely and freely confesse here in all your au- diences, that I did euer naturally so farre mislike a tongue to smoothe, and diligent in paying their creditors with lip payment and verball thankes, as I euer sus- pected that sort of people meant not to pay their debtors in more substantiall [p. 270] sort of coyne. And therefore for expressing of my thankefulnesse, I must resort vnto the other two reasons of my conuening of this Parliament, by them in action to vtter my thankefulnesse: Both the said reasons hauing but one ground, which is the deedes, whereby all the dayes of my life, I am by Gods grace to expresse my said thankfulnesse towards you, but diuided in this, That in the first of these two, mine actions of thankes, are so inseparably conioyned with my Person, as they are in a maner become indiuidually annexed to the same: In the other reason, mine actions are such, as I may either doe them, or leaue them vndone, although by Gods grace I hope neuer to be weary of the doing of them.
As to the first: It is the blessings which God hath in my Person bestowed vpon you all, wherein I protest, I doe more glorie at the same for your weale, then for any particular respect of mine owne reputation, or aduantage therein.
1
The first then of these blessings, which God hath ioyntly with my Person sent vnto you, is outward Peace: that is, peace abroad with all forreine neighbours: for I thanke God I may iustly say, that neuer since I was a King, I either receiued wrong of any other Christian Prince or State, or did wrong to any: I haue euer, I praise God, yet kept Peace and amitie with all, which hath bene so farre tyed to my person, as at my comming here you are witnesses I found the State embar- qued in a great and tedious warre, and onely by mine arriuall here, and by the Peace in my Person, is now amitie kept, where warre was before, which is no smal blessing to a Christian Common-wealth: for by Peace abroad with their neigh- bours the Townes flourish, the Merchants become rich, the Trade doeth encrease, and the people of all sorts of the Land enioy free libertie to exercise themselues in their seuerall vocations without perill or disturbance. Not that I thinke this out- ward Peace so vnseparably tyed to my Person, as I dare assuredly promise to my selfe and to you, the certaine continuance thereof: but thus farre I can very well assure you, and in the word of a King promise vnto you, That I shall neuer giue the first occasion of the breach thereof, neither shall I euer be moued for any par- ticular or priuate passion of mind to interrupt your publique Peace, except I be forced thereunto, either for reparation of the honour of the Kingdom, or else by necessitie for the weale and preseruation of the same: In which case, a secure and honourable warre must be preferred to an vnsecure and dishonourable Peace: yet doe I hope by my experience of the by-past blessings of Peace, which God hath so long euer since my Birth bestowed vpon mee, that hee wil not be weary to continue the same, nor repent him of his grace towards me, transferring that sentence of King Dauids vpon his by-past victories of warre, to mine of Peace, That, that God who preserued me from the deuouring iawes of the Beare and of the Lion, and deliuered them into my hands, shall also now grant me victory ouer that vncircumcised Philistine.
2
But although outward Peace be a great blessing; yet is it as farre inferiour to peace within, as Ciuill warres are more cruell and vnnaturall then warres abroad. And therefore the second great blessing that GOD hath with my Person sent vnto you, is Peace within, and that in a double forme. First, by my descent lineally out of the loynes of Henry the seuenth, is reunited and confirmed in mee the Vnion of the two Princely Roses of the two Houses of LANCASTER and YORKE, whereof that King of happy memorie was the first Vniter, as he was also the first ground- layer of the other Peace. The lamentable and miserable euents by the Ciuill and bloody dissention betwixt these two Houses was so great and so late, as it need not be renewed vnto your memories: which, as it was first setled and vnited in him, so is it now reunited and confirmed in me, being iustly and lineally descended, not onely of that happie coniunction, but of both the Branches thereof many times before. But the Vnion of these two princely Houses, is nothing comparable to the Vnion of two ancient and famous Kingdomes, which is the other inward Peace annexed to my Person.
And here I must craue your patiences for a little space, to giue me leaue to dis- course more particularly of the benefits that doe arise of that Vnion which is made in my blood, being a matter that most properly belongeth to me to speake of, as the head wherein that great Body is vnited. And first, if we were to looke no higher then to naturall and Physicall reasons, we may easily be perswaded of the great benefits that by that Vnion do redound to the whole Island: for if twentie thousand men be a strong Armie, is not the double thereof, fourtie thousand, a double the stronger Armie ? If a Baron enricheth himselfe with double as many lands as hee had before, is he not double the greater ? Nature teacheth vs, that Mountaines are made of Motes, and that at the first, Kingdomes being diuided, and euery particular Towne or little Countie, as Tyrants or Vsurpers could ob- taine the possession, a Segniorie apart, many of these little Kingdomes are now in processe of time, by the ordinance of God, ioyned into great Monarchies, whereby they are become powerfull within themselues to defend themselues from all out- ward inuasions, and their head and gouernour thereby enabled to redeeme them from forreine assaults, and punish priuate transgressions within. Do we not yet remember, that this Kingdome was diuided into seuen little Kingdomes, besides Wales ? And is it not now the stronger by their vnion ? And hath not the vnion of Wales to England added a greater strength thereto ? Which though it was a great Principalitie, was nothing comparable in greatnesse and power to the ancient and famous Kingdome of Scotland. But what should we sticke vpon any naturall appearance, when it is manifest that God by his Almightie prouidence hath preordained it so to be ? Hath not God first vnited these two Kingdomes both in Language, Religion, and similitude of maners ? Yea, hath hee not made vs all in one Island, compassed with one Sea, and of it selfe by nature so indiuisible, as almost those that were borderers themselues on the late Borders, cannot distinguish, nor know, or discerne their owne limits ? These two Countries being separated neither by Sea, nor great Riuer, Mountaine, nor other strength of nature, but onely by little small brookes, or demolished little walles, so as rather they were diuided in apprehension, then in effect; And now in the end and ful- nesse of time vnited, the right and title of both in my Person, alike lineally descended of both the Crownes, whereby it is now become like a little World within it selfe, being intrenched and fortified round about with a naturall, and yet admirable strong pond or ditch, whereby all the former feares of this Nation are now quite cut off: The other part of the Island being euer before now not onely the place of landing to all strangers, that was to make inuasion here, but likewise moued by the enemies of this State by vntimely incursions, to make inforced diuersion from their Conquests, for defending themselues at home, and keeping sure their backe-doore, as then it was called, which was the greatest hinderance and let that euer my Predecessors of this Nation gat in disturbing them from their many famous and glorious conquests abroad: What God hath con- ioyned then, let no man separate. I am the Husband, and all the whole Isle is my lawfull Wife; I am the Head, and it is my Body; I am the Shepherd, and it is my flocke: I hope therefore no man will be so vnreasonable as to thinke that I that am a Christian King vnder the Gospel, should be a Polygamist and husband to two wiues; that I being the Head, should haue a diuided and monstrous Body; or that being the Shepheard to so faire a Flocke (whose fold hath no wall to hedge it but the foure Seas) should haue my Flocke parted in two. But as I am assured, that no honest Subiect of whatsoeuer degree within any whole dominions, is lesse glad of this ioyfull Vnion then I am; So may the friuolous obiection of any that would bee hinderers of this worke, which God hath in my Person already established, bee easily answered, which can be none, except such as are either blinded with Ignorance, or els transported with Malice, being vnable to liue in a well gouerned Commonwealth, and onely delighting to fish in troubled waters. For if they would stand vpon their reputation and priuiledges of any of the King- domes, I pray you was not both the Kingdomes Monarchies from the beginning, and consequently could euer the Body bee counted without the Head, which was euer vnseparably ioyned thereunto ? So that as Honour and Priuiledges of any of the Kingdomes could not be diuided from their Soueraigne; So are they now confounded & ioyned in my Person, who am equall and alike kindly Head to you both. When this Kingdome of England was diuided into so many little King- doms as I told you before; one of them behooued to eate vp another, till they were all vnited in one. And yet can Wiltshire or Deuonshire, which were of the West Saxons, although their Kingdome was of longest durance, and did by Con- quest ouercome diuers of the rest of the little Kingdomes, make claime to Prioritie of Place or Honour before Sussex, Essex, or other Shires which were conquered by them ? And haue we not the like experience in the Kingdome of France, being composed of diuers Dutchies, and one after another conquered by the sword ? For euen as little brookes lose their names by their running and fall into great Riuers, and the very name and memorie of the great Riuers swallowed vp in the Ocean: so by the coniunction of diuers little Kingdomes in one, are all these priuate differences and questions swallowed vp. And since the successe was happie of the Saxons Kingdomes being conquered by the speare of Bellona; How much greater reason haue wee to expect a happie issue of this greater Vnion, which is only fastened and bound vp by the wedding Ring of Astrea ? And as God hath made Scotland the one halfe of this Isle to enioy my Birth, and the first and most vnperfect halfe of my life, and you heere to enioy the perfect and the last halfe thereof; so can I not thinke that any would be so iniurious to me, no not in their thoughts and wishes, as to cut asunder the one halfe of me from the other. But in this matter I haue farre enough insisted, resting assured that in your hearts and mindes you all applaud this my discourse.
3
Now although these blessings before rehearsed of Inward and Outward peace, be great: yet seeing that in all good things, a great part of their goodnesse and estimation is lost, if they haue not appearance of perpetuity or long continuance; so hath it pleased Almighty God to accompany my person also with that fauour, hauing healthful and hopefull Issue of my body, whereof some are here present, for continuance and propagation of that vndoubted right which is in my Person; vnder whom I doubt not but it will please God to prosper and continue for many yeeres this Vnion, and all other blessings of Inward and outward Peace, which I haue brought with me.
