insolent proposition, made by a Polonian Ambassadour vnto her, That is, Legatum expectabamus, Heraldum accepimus. For We had great reason to expect that the first Meßage from your House should haue beene a Message of thankesgiuing for Our continued gracious behauior towards Our people since your last Recesse, not onely by Our Proclamation of grace, wherein were conteined sixe or seuen and thirty Articles, all of seuerall points of grace to the people; but also by the labour We tooke for the satisfaction of both Houses in those three Articles recommended vnto Vs in both their names by the right Reuerend Father in God, the Archbishop of Canterbury, And likewise for the good gouernement of Ireland We are now in hand with at your request. But not onely haue Wee heard no newes of all this, but contrary great complaints of the danger of Religion within this Kingdome tacitely implying Our ill gouernment in this point. And We leaue to you to iudge, whether it be your duties that are the Representatiue body of Our people, so to distast them with Our gouernment, whereas by the contrary it is your duty with all your endeauours to kindle more and more a dutifull and thankefull loue in the peoples hearts towards Vs for Our iust and gracious gouernment. Now, whereas in the very beginning of this your Apologie, you taxe Vs in faire termes of trusting vncertaine reports, and partiall informations concerning your proceedings, We wish you to remember, that We are an old and experienced King, needing no such leßons, being in Our conscience freest of any King aliue from hearing or trusting idle reports, which so many of your House as are neerest Vs can beare witnesse vnto you, if you would giue as good eare to them, as you doe to some Tribunitiall Orators amongst you. And for proofe in this particular, Wee haue made your owne Meßengers conferre your other Petition, sent by you with the copie thereof, which was sent Vs before, betweene which there is no difference at all, but that since Our receiuing the first Copy you added a conclusion vnto it, which could not come to Our hands till it was done by you, and your Meßengers sent, which was all at one time. And if that We had had no Copie of it before hand, We must haue receiued your first Petition to Our great dishonour, before Wee had knowen what it conteined, which would haue enforced Vs to haue returned you a farre worse answer then now We doe. For then your Meßengers had returned with nothing; but that Wee haue iudged your petition vnlawfull and vnworthy of an Answere. For as to your Conclusion thereof, it is nothing, but Protestatio contraria facto. For in the body of your petition you vsurpe vpon Our Prerogatiue Royall, and meddle with things farre aboue your reach: And then in the conclusion you protest the contrary, as if a Robber would take a mans purse, and then protest he meant not to rob him. For first, you presume to giue Vs your aduice concerning the match of Our dearest Son with some Protestant, We cannot say Princeße (for Wee know none of these fit for him,) and disswade Vs from his match with Spaine, vrging Vs to a present warre with that King: And yet in the conclusion, forsooth, ye protest ye intend not to preße vpon Our most vndoubted and regall Prerogatiue as if the Petitioning of Vs in matters that your selues confeße yee ought not to meddle with, were not a medling with them. And whereas yee pretend, that you were inuited to this course by the speeches of three Honourable Lords; Yet by so much as your selues repeat of their speeches, nothing can bee concluded, but that Wee were resolued by warre to regaine the Palatinate, if otherwise VVee could not attaine vnto it; and you were inuited to aduise forthwith vpon a supplie for keeping the forces in the Palatinate from disbanding, and to foresee the meanes for the raysing and maintaining of the body of an Armie for that warre against the Spring. Now what inference can be made vpon this, That therefore VVe must presently denounce warre against the King of Spaine, breake Our dearest Sonnes match, and match him to one of Our Religion, let the world iudge. The difference is no greater, then as if We would tell a Merchant, that Wee had great neede to borrow money from him for raysing an Armie, that thereupon it should follow, that VVe were bound to follow his aduice in the directions of the warre, and all things depending thereupon. But yet not contenting your selues with this excuse of yours, which indeed cannot hold water, ye come after to a direct contradiction to the conclusion of your former Petition, saying, That the Honour and safety of Vs and Our Posterity, and the Patrimony of Our Children, inuaded and poßessed by their enemies, the welfare of Religion, and State of Our Kingdome are matter at any time not vnfit for your deepest considerations in Parliament. To this generality We answere with the Logicians, That where all things are contained, nothing is omitted. So as this plenipotencie of yours inuests you in all power vpon Earth, lacking nothing but the Popes to haue the keyes also both of Heauen and Purgatory. And to this vast generality of yours, VVe can giue no other answer, for it will trouble all the best Lawyers in the House to make a good Commentary vpon it: For so did the Puritan Ministers in Scotland bring all kinde of causes within the compasse of their iurisdiction, saying, That it was the Churches office to iudge of slander, and there could no kinde of crime or fault bee committed, but there was a slander in it, either against God, the King, or their Neighbour. And by this meanes they hooked in to themselues the cognisance of all causes, or like Bellarmines distinction of the Popes power ouer all Kings, in ordine ad Spiritualia, whereby he giues him all temporall iurisdiction ouer them. But to giue you a direct Answer to the matter of warre, for which you are so earnest, VVe confeße VVee rather expected that you should haue giuen Vs great and hartie thanks for the so long maintaining a setled peace in all Our Dominions, when as all Our Neighbours about are in a miserable combustion of warre; but Dulce bellum inexpertis; and We indeed find by experience, that a number of Our Subiects are so pampered with peace, as they are desirous of change, though they know not what. It is true that We haue euer professed, and in that minde, with Gods grace, Wee meane to liue and die, That We will labour by all meanes poßible, either by treaty, or by force to restore Our Children to their ancient Dignities and Inheritances; and whatsoeuer Christian Princes or Potentates will set themselues against it, Wee will not spare any lawfull meanes to bring Our so iust and Honourable purpose to a good end; neither shall the Match of Our Sonne, or any other worldly respect be preferred to this Our Resolution: For by Our credit, and interuention with the King of Spaine, and the Arch-dutcheße, and her Husband now with God, Wee preserued the lower Palatinat one whole yeere from any further conquering in it, which within any eight dayes space in that time might haue easily been swallowed vp by Spinolaes Armie, without any resistance; and in no better case was it now, at Our Ambassadour, the Lord Digbies comming through Heydleberg, if he had not extraordinarily succoured it. But because Wee perceiue that ye couple this warre of the Palatinate with the cause of Religion, We must a