express how much Affection and Loyalty your Lordships did bear to his Royal Person and Government whereof we shall be ready to make a more full relation when it shall please your Lordships to require it Although we have not had as yet such satisfaction as both your Lordships and we did wish yet do we not despair since affairs are left in that condition that further progress may be made thereupon by the express which his Majesty is to send hither or by new applications to his Majesty as your Lordships shall think fitting We have had so many experiences and proofs of the good hand of our God with us unto this day that although our difficulties be many we were of all people most unthankeful if we should now faint or cast away our confidence in doing of our duty we may hope that he will yet assist and go before us and as all possible and lawful means would be still used for gaining from our Soveraign the King a gracious Answer to our Desires so should we not in the mean time become secure but imploy all warrantable means for preserving Religion and the Kingdom in safety June 14. 1649. CASSILS BRODIE GEO. WYNRAME The Commissioners first paper to the Kings Majesty desiring the removal of James Graham from his presence and Court May it please your Majesty THe Estates of Parliament of your Majesties ancient Kingdom of Scotland considering what sad effects the pernicious Counsels of wicked Instruments have produced by raising and fomenting division between your Majesties Royal Father and his faithful Subjects Have commanded us at our first Address to your Majesty humbly to crave that your Majesty would be pleased to remove from having access to your Royal Person and Court all these who have been and continue Excommunicate by the Church of that Kingdom and namely James Graham sometime Earl of Montrose and now we according to the Trust committed to us do humbly and earnestly crave the same at your Majesties hands being very hopeful that a more plentiful blessing from God shall accompany your Majesties Counsels and affairs and that the desires and endeavors of the Parliament shall prove the more effectual to work a good understanding and mutual confidence betwixt your Majesty and your people when so eminent an Author and Actor of mischief shall have no countenance from your Majesty nor influence upon your Royal Counsels who abandoning the Covenant and despising the Oath of God did invade his native Country and with most inhumane and barbarous cruelty did burn and waste divers parts thereof and who spilt so much blood of your Majesties good Subjects taking advantage of that time when the prime Commanders and Forces thereof were imployed elsewhere for which crimes he was excommunicated by the Church and fore-faulted by the Parliament of that Kingdom and still to this day continues in the highest contempt against God under that fearful sentence of Excommunication without the smallest sign of Repentance March 27. 1649. Signed by Warrant and at Command of the Commissioners of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Scotland His Majesties Answer I Desire and expect that you deliver all the Propositions or Desires you are instructed to present to me before I make an Answer to any particular one being resolved to consider of the whole before I declare my Resolution upon any part April 8. 1649. N. Stilo Signed C R. The Commissioners second Paper for removal of James Graham May it please your Majesty WE the Commissioners of the Parliament of your Majesties Kingdom of Scotland having considered your Majesties Answer of the date the 8 of April Stilo no. to our desire for removing James Graham from your Majesties Person and Court must in conscience of our duty with all humility represent unto your Majesty how sorry we are that your Majesty should delay to give satisfaction to that our first so just and necessary Desire It being previous and most conducing to an happy procedure in the other particulars which we are warranted to under to your Majesty We do humbly beseech your Majesty seriously to consider what fears and discontents it would beget in the hearts of your Majesties most affectionate Subjects and how it would blast their hopes of comfort by your Majesties Raign now in the bud if delay or difficulty were made to remove from your Majesty one who justly and deservedly is most hateful unto them and how great disadvantage it would bring to your Majesties affairs that he should have any countenance from or neerness to your Royal Person especially at this time therefore we do most humbly and earnestly renew and insist upon that our first desire assuring your Majesty that we shall in the rest endeavor according to that trust reposed on us to give your Maiesty all satisfaction March 30. 1649. Signed by Warrant and at Command of the Commissioners of the Kingdom of Scotland His Majesties Answer I Do insist upon my former Answer and do desire and expect that you do deliver all the Propositions or Desires you or any of you are enstructed to present to me before I make an Answer to any particular one being resolved to consider of the whole before I declare my Resolution upon any part April 10. n. stil 1649. Signed C R. The Commissioners third Paper containing the Propositions offered to his Majesty in name of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Scotland May it please your Majesty WE are commanded by the Estates of Parliament of your Majesties Kingdom of Scotland humbly to represent to your Majesty that as they were not wanting in giving faithful and timous counsel to your Maiesties Royal Father for preventing the dangers which were then feared and have since to their deep sorrow and unexpressible grief fallen out and as they have with all care and faithfulness contributed their utmost endeavors for preserving their late Soveraign as their Letters Instructions Declarations and their Commissioners Papers can evidence So they do resolve to continue the same loyal affection and faithfulness to your Majesty and accordingly have acknowledged and proclaimed your Majesty King of Great Britain France and Ireland with all readiness unanimity alacrity and solemnity and have protested in favours of your Majesties just Right of Succession in the Royal Government of your Kingdoms of England and Ireland against all Acts done or to be done to the contrary As also have commanded us in their name humbly to offer to your Majesty that they conceive it necessary for establishing the happy Government of that your Majesties ancient Kingdom and for restoring your Majesty to the setled and peaceable possession of your â—ust Right of Government of your other Dominions 1. That your Majesty would be pleased to assure and declare that you will by your solemn Oath under your Hand and Seal allow the National Covenant of Scotland and the Solemn League and Covenant of Scotland England and Ireland and that your Majesty will prosecute the ends thereof in your Royall 〈◊〉 2.
That your Majesty will â—…fie and approve all Acts of Parliaments enjoyning the Solemn League and Covenant and establishing Presbyterial Government the Directory of Worship the Confession of Faith and Catechism in your Majesties Kingdom of Scotland as they are already approven by the General Assembly of the Kirk and by the Parliament of that Kingdom And that your Majesty will give your Royal Assent to Acts of Parliament enjoyning the same in the rest of your Majesties Dominions And that your Majesty will observe the same in your own practise and family and never make opposition thereto or endeavor any change thereof 3. That your Majesty will consent and agree that all matters Civil be determined by the present and subsequent Parliaments of your Kingdom of Scotland and all matters Ecclesiastical by the ensuing General Assemblies of that Church as was formerly condiscended and agreed to by your Majesties Royal Father These desires are so just and necessary for the securing of Religion and the Peace of that Kingdom and for gaining not only the out ward obedience but also the inward affection of all your Majesties good people to your royal Person Authority and Government after so great distractions and troubles that the granting thereof wil so far endear your Majesty to that Nation that they will not onely receive your Majesty with all cheerfulness and most willingly render to you that subjection and dutiful obedience which can be expected from loyal Subjects to their gracious King But likewise will contribute their utmost endeavors by all necessary and lawful means according to the Covenant and the duty of faithful and loyal Subjects that your Majesty may be restored to the peaceable possession of the Government of your other Kingdoms according to your Majesties and doubted right of succession And if your Majesty shall speedly begin to move that way which will be acceptable to God and good men and really offer to settle Religion and Peace as is represented in our desires and upon these grounds shall claim the right of your Royal Government before Democracy or any new model of Government under the name of an Agreement of the people or any other name or device be setled or take root in England it will be more easie to maintain Monarchical Government as 〈…〉 in the hearts of your Majesties loyal Subjects there then 〈…〉 it after a new form of Government hath gotten leave to take root and the people have been habituated thereunto We are very confident 〈◊〉 your Majesties speedy and cordial joyning in the Government with God and your good people will open a door of hope that God will arise and shine upon your Majesties just undertakings and will plead your righteous cause against the enemies thereof His Majesties Answer J Desire to know whether the papers you have already delivered contain all particulars which you or either of you have to propone or desire and whether you have any power to recede from any particular proposed or to be proposed and whether you have any Propositions to make for the advancement of my Service and toward the recovery of my right in England and bringing of the murtherers of my Father to Justice and what assistance you will give to that purpose April 12. â—â— Signed C R. The Commissioners fourth Paper May it please your Majesty VVE have considered your Majesties paper of the 22. of this instant and do humbly conceive that it is sufficiently answered by ours of the twentieth of the same containing the just and necessary desires of the Parliament of your Majesties Kingdom of Scotland as we are ready instantly to make appear April 14. 24. Signed by the Commissioners of Parliament His Majesties Answer I Have again considered your Papers of the 20. of this instant moneth to which you refer in your Papers of the 24. and do not understand that the Questions asked by me in my Paper of the 22. were sufficiently answered by you in the other there being no mention in that Paper of the 20. whether the Papers you have already delivered contain all particulars which you or either of you have to propone or desire nor whether you have any power to recede from any particular proposed or to be proposed by you or whether you are bound to insist on them in the terms they are proposed nor are the offers in that Paper particular enough for the advancement of my Service and towards the recovery of my Right in England nor is there mention of bringing the Murtherers of my Father to Justice or what assistance you will give to that purpose To all which I expect particular Answers or that you will make it appear in writing that the former Paper or any other delivered by you to me contains sufficient Answers thereunto And upon your full Answers to these particulars you shall receive such an one from me upon the whole as shall be agreeable to Conscience Honour and Justice April 30. May 10. 1649. Signed C R. May it please your Majesty BEing unwillling to trouble your Majesty with long and tedious Papers We choosed rather by conference to make it appear that your Majesties Queries contained in the paper of April 22. were sufficiently Answered by ours of the 20. containing the desires of the Parliament of your Majesties Kingdom of Scotland But now seing your Majesty is pleased to insist in the same by another of the 30 desiring that we would make appear in writing that our former paper containeth sufficient Answers thereunto In obedience to your Majesties Desire we do by these humbly crave It may be considered that whereas your Majesty desires to know whether our papers already delivered containe all particulars which we have to propose It is Declared therein that your Majesties granting of the desires contained therein will obtain all that in reason can be required of your people of Scotland or can be expected of Loyal Subjects to their gracious King neither are we to propose any other unlesse we be commanded by the Parliament or Committee of Estates That whereas your Majesty desires to know whether we have power to recede from any particular proposed or if we are bound to insist upon them in the termes they are propsed It is declared therein that these Desires contained in it are just and necessary for the securing of Religion and the peace of that Kingdom so that we shall have no reason to recede from the matter of them though we are not to stand upon termes or words with your Majestie That whereas your Majestie Desires to know what that Kingdome will do for the advancement of your Majesties Service and affaires It is Declared therein that the granting these just and necessary desires will make your good people in Scotland do all that can be desired or expected from Loyall Subjects to their gracious King and contribute their utmost endeavours by all lawfull and necessary meanes according to the Covenant and the duty of loyal faithful Subjects that
and to have the same power authority and Jurisdiction as absolutely and fully as any Parliament formerly hath had within the Kingdom in time by gone As likewise the 17. Act of the same Parliament intituled Act Statutarie appointing Parliaments to be holden once every three years wherein the appointing of the time places is to be the last Act thereof by the authority of the which Act the Parl. 1641 wherin his Maj. was present did meet and by the Act thereof appointed the first Tuesday of January in Anno 1644. to be the day of meeting and conveening of the next Trienuial Parliament His Majestie and the Estate Declaring that the publication of that Act should be a sufficient for conveening of the whole Members of Parliament as if all sooner Solemnities were used By Authority 〈◊〉 which Parliament the several subsequent Sessions of Parliament have conveened and have often by Treaties Letters and Messages solemnly been acknowledged by your Father and yet these are the Parliaments questioned by your Majesty wherein if you should insist it would be no less then to strike at the fundamental Laws of the Kingdom nor could the subjects there be in security of any thing while they possesse Were it not to make the gap wider we should particularly shew that your Majesties answer is so far from containing satisfaction to our Desires that it drives at the subversion of them all and the dissolving of that Solemn Covenant which for the good of Religion the honour and happiness of the King and the peace and safety of his Kingdoms was sworn and subscribed before the most high God by your Majesties good Subjects of both Kingdoms from which they wil not depart nor suffer themselves to be withdrawn by any trouble or difficulty that they can meet with But we do purposely forbear â—…ther to insist upon particulars desiring rather your Majesty to take the business again unto your most serious consideration and that laying aside the occasion of such dangerous debates it may please your Majesty to give the satisfaction desired to the just and necessary Propositions of your Kingdom of Scotland concerning Religion and the Solemn League and Covenant and the determination of matters Civil by the Parliament and matters Ecclesiastical by the Assemblies of the Church of that Kingdom That thereby your Majesty may gain not only the outward obedience but also the inward affection of your good people to your Royal Person Authority and Government which is the only way to unite and strengthen their hearts and hands and so to engage that Nation intirely to perform to your Majesty all the duties of faithfulness and loyalty But if by the instigation and perswasion of pernicious Councel your Majesty thus as we wish it may never enter into your Royal hear shall refuse and reject these reasonable desires wherein there is nothing asked but your Majesties assent to these things the particulars whereof have been by Parliament enacted before your Majesties coming to the Crown and by the people universally received and obeyed as Law as it wil be very grievous to them so it wil constrain them in such an extremity to do what is incombent to them for preserving Religion and the Kingdom from ruine and we are confident that it shall appear to the world with how much humility affection and Loyalty they have carried themselves towards your Majesty since the beginning May 22. June â—… 1649. Signed by the Commissioners of Parliament May it please Your Majesty AT your Majesties desire we did forbear to insist upon that first Paper which we offered to your Majesty and the removing of James Grantham as a person excommunicate by the Church and forefaulted by the Parliament of Scotland and now having received no answer nor satisfaction from Your Majestie therâ—…nt but that be still presumes to intrude himselfe into your Majesties presence and pretending Commission from your Majestie hath given warrant to some Officers to Levie Forces which must be understood to be against the Kingdome of Scotland he having sent some of his compliers thither Therefore it is our humble desire that he may be discharged your Royal presence and Court and that your Majestie would be pleased to let us know whether any such Commis be granted to him or not at this time whilst we are expecting your Maj. answer to the desires of that Kingdom 〈…〉 Signed by the Commissioners of Parliament His Majesties Answer I Am much unsatisfied with your Papers of the first and second of this month in Answer to mine of the 29 of May finding by them thâ—… My real endeavours to give all just satisfaction to my good Subjects of Scotland are undervalued and misinterpreted and observing in them severall inferences opposing the naturall sense and true intent of what I have proposed with most intire intentions for the good of that Church and Kingdome and unseasonably stirring uselesse questions neither properly arising out of any thing contained in any of the former papers nor conducing to the Common Peace But neither these nor any discouragements shall prevstil with me to omit any thing that my tend to the Peace and Happines of all My good Subjects of Scotland To which I shal most affectionately to My utmost power upon all occasions apply My Self according to the duty which I owe to the Almighty God in the exercise of My Royal power for the good of My People in order whereunto I shall with covenient speed send you by the Expresse mentioned in My last Paper the more particular Answer I then promised I shall likewise more fully expresse My Self concerning the new matter contained in these Papers and shall particularize what I now complain of in them In the mean time I expect and require from all My Subjects of Scotland such obedience as is due to Me their King by the Laws of God of nature and of that Kingdom Signed C.R. Act of Approbation of the Commissioners their faithfulnesse and diligence in their Commission AT Edenburgh the fouretenth day of June 1649. The Estates of Parliament now presently convened in the third Session of this second Trienniall Parliament Having received from Iohn Earl of Cassils Alexander Brodie of that ilk Master George Winrame of Libberton and Alexander Jaffray Burges of Aberdeen Their Commissioners sent to the Kings Majestie The Report of all their proceedings with the King And read the papers delivered therewith to this Parliament And being fully satisfied with their Integrity Faithfullnesse and Diligence in contributing their utmost endeavours for prosecuting their instructions And for obtaining satisfaction to the desires of this Kingdome Doe therefore unanimously and heartily acknowledge their Faithfulnesse and Diligence and approve their proceedings And render to them the hearty thanks of this Kingdom for the saâ—…e Sic Subscribiter ARCH IOHNSTOUN Cler. Regist. The Report of the Commissioners of the Church of their Proceedings with his Majesty at the Hague Made in the Generall Assembly Iuly 10. 1649. AS We were
carry home to them who have sent us matter of praise to God for inclining your heart towards these their counsels which are most likely to procure to your Majesty and all your Dominions an happy deliverance from all their present distresses May 18. 28. 1649. Cassils Ro. Bailie Liberton Ia. Wood. Hereby we obtained from his Majesty May 19. 29. this answer I Have considred the severall Papers and Propositions delivered to me by you c. vide supra Our grief for this Paper was great it was much worse then any thing we expected not onely the hand of the worst of the English Counsell but of Iames Graham also and others of our evil countrey men was visible therein we resolved to give unto it this plain Reply May it please your Majesty VVEe the Commissioners of the Kirk of Scotland having considered your Majesties Paper of May 19. 29. given to us in answer of all our formet must in conscience of our duty with all humility make known to your Majesty that to our great grief we find it in many the chiefest points of our desires very unsatisfactory Vnto our first Paper for discountenancing of excommunicate persons to which a satisfactory answer in reason was promised nothing at all is said To our other desires no proper return is made unto us but we are sent to gather it here there out of your Majesties Answer to the Commissioners of Parliament wherein though we find some things returned to their desires which they had common with 〈◊〉 yet the most part thereof runneth upon matters of State wherewith our condition permits us not to meddle but rather then to go away without all further conference we are willing in obedience to your Majesties desires to consider what in that writing we conceive may have any reference to our Propositions We blesse God that your Majesty assures us you will maintain confirm and defend the Ecclesiastick Government of Scotland as it is settled by Law and particularly these Laws which concern the National Covenant Confession of Faith and Presbyteriall government of our Church their blame must be the greater who have been Authours to your Majesty to give so frequent open and familiar accesse to Iames Graham most solemnly and justly excommunicate by that Church which things cannot but be thought as it is indeed a great violation of the Ecclesiastick government To ouâ— desire in the matter of our Nationall Covenant that as your Grand Father by his own hand and your Father by the hand of His Commissioner had subscribed it so your Majesty would be pleased to subscribe the same no answer at all is given But our prime dissatisfaction is that what we petitioned concerning the Directory Confession of Faith agreed upon by the Assembly of Divines at Westminster and approven by the generall Assembly and Parliament of Scotland Catechismes and Propositions for government is clearly denyed and our greatest desire about the solemn League and Covenants fully frustrate The Covenant it self is broken in pieces some parts are avowedly laid aside the other parts are refused to be taken into consideration till they be proven first not to be comprised in the acts concerning the Nationall Covenant and Presbyteriall government of the Church of Scotland next that they are necessary to the welfare both of the Church and Kingdome and thirdly that they have no reference either to England or Ireland When all this is made to appear an Act of oblivion of all that Iames Graham and his complices or any other have done during all the time of these sad distractions must be past and a union with all these then must be fully settled before your Majesty do so much as apply your self to give satisfaction in these things Such an answer we know cannot fail to grieve the whole Church of Scotland and all their Covenanted Brethren in England and Ireland who under the pain of most solemn Perjury stand bound to God and one to another to live and die in that solemne League and Covenant as the chiefe and necessary security of their Religion and Liberties which the Popish Prelaticall and malignant Faction by their pernitious Counsells and actions now of a long time have been overturning and to this day continue diligent in promoving to their power that their destructive designe We marvell how any can object conscience or Honour against your Majesties granting to us what we desire in the Covenant for securing the Protestant Religion who have themselves been Counsellers and perswaders that your Majesty without all scruple either of conscience or honour should conclude subscribe and seal antecedently to and without any Parliament yea contrary to all the Parliaments of Engâ—and theâ—e hundred years a liberty of the Popish Religion to the bloody Rebels of Ireland Your Majesty would be pleased to consider that any relation these things we desire may have to England hindereth them not to be lawfull Acts of the Generall Assembly of Scotland legally ratified by the Parliaments of that Kingdom which when your Majestie does approve nothing is imposed upon England since their own Houses of Parliament and Assembly of Divines did not only Act the same things but in all their Treaties with the King with Scotland for divers years together did earnestly presse them Your Majesties Father in his last Message to the Commission of our Church did offer to ratifie the Solemn League and Covenant for all that had taken it or should take it in any of the 3 Kingdoms and in his last Treaty with the English Commissioners in the Isle of Wighe did as we are enformed offer to confirm the Directory Presbyteriall Government and what else was required for Religion in England and Ireland ever till he and his Parliament should agree upon a setled Order for the Church We do not conceive what in this Covenant can stumble your Majesty The abolition of Episcopacy and of the Service-Book your Majesty maintains confirms and defends in Scotland the duty done with a good conscience allowance of God in Scotland cannot be against conscience nor offend God in England no Reformed Church no Protestant Divine out of England did ever esteem Episcopacy or Liturgy necessary All Scotland the most of England the best part of Ireland doe judge the abolition of Popery of Prelacy of the Liturgy And joyning in a Covenant for that end a necessary duty Your Majesty and all the World may see to the very great grief of our soul the wrath of the Lord burning like a flame no better mean know we to quench it then for your Majesty to be humbled under his mighty hand to seek and rely on his favour to be zealous for advancing his affairs to establish the Solemn League and Covenant to provoke him no more by holding up in his House against the Hearts of all the Orthodox abroad and of the godly at home humane inventions borrowed from Rome most unhappy to Britain No mean in our judgement is comparable to
commanded by the Commission of the Church we made ready with all the speed we could for our voyage to Holland According to your prayers the good hand of our God brought us safe through the Sea On Tuesday March 27. we made our first Addresses to his Majesty wee delivered our Letters and Commission expressing in our Speech according to our Instructions the deep sense and greef of this Church for his Majesties afflictions their detestation of the principles and proceedings of the Sectaries in England their constant affection to Monarchy and most hearty desires for the blessing of God upon His Majesties person and Government All this was well taken from us and wee were courteously dimissed to return when we thought fit with our Proposions The Commissioners Letter was as followeth May it please your Majesty VVHile the Parliament of this Kingdom are making their Addresses to your Majesty by their Commissioners We thought it our duty to send some of our number also instructed with Commission from us by whom your Majesty may understand the integrity of our intentions towards Monarchicall Government and the continuance thereof in your Majesties Person and Posterity and our utter detestation of these abominable and unparaleld practises of some against the Person of your Majesties Father and their subverting the ancient and Fundamentall Lawes and Government of these Kingdoms Our humble and earnest Petition to your Majesty is That you would be pleased to grant the Desires of your loyall Subjects who sincerely seek the Establishment of your Throne in righteousnesse and as you love the glory of God the good of Religion your own Honour and Happinesse and the Peace and Welfare of these Kingdoms your would not hearken to the Counsels nor countenance or own the courses of them who have been and are usurpers upon the Priviledges and disturbers of the Peace of this Kirk and Kingdom Our Commissioners will acquaint your Majesty more fully with our minde unto whom we humbly desire your Majesty may give credit and interpret our freedom and plain dealing by 〈◊〉 as a reall Testimony of our unfained affection to your Majesties Person and Government We have hitherto laboured to approve our selves in all fidelity to our Lord and Master Iesus Christ and in all loyalty to Kingly Authority And we are resolved to walk still after the same Rule in our severall stations and vocations amidst all the difficulties and oppositions wherewith we are assaulted on either hand Praying for your Majesty that the Lord of the whol earth would multiply all sorts of mercies upon your Royall Person and graciously encline your young and tender heart unto the speedy embracing and following of the Counsels of Truth and Righteousnesse and grant unto your Majesty a long and happy Reign that we may live under you a peaceable and quiet life in all godlinesse and honesty who are Edingburgh March the first 1649. Your Majesties Loyall and Loving Subjects and humble servants in the Lord The Commissioners of the Generall Assembly Before we offered any of our desires we thought it convenient to assay the putting away of that which we feared might prove obstructive to all our intentions Before our comming that unhappy and cursed man Iames Graham had been sent for and too well entertained by those of the English Councell who least affected our Covenant and all the late proceedings of our Nation our first paper therefore on Friday March 30 was for the removall of this evill man from his Majesties presence and Court The Commissioners of Parliament had desired the same before the fiâ—st answer they got was buâ— dilatory we conceived it the more necessary for us to joyn with the same desire again our petition was in these terms May it please your Majesty ACcording to our Commission we doe represent in the name of the Kiâ—k of Scotland their earnest desire that such as lie under the censure of Excommunication may be discountenanced by your Majesty and removed from your Court especially Iames Graham late Earl of Montrosse being a man most justly if ever any cast out of the Church of God It hath been â—he câ—stâ—m of Christian Princes in all places and times to maintain so far the discipline of all Churches which themselves did protect by their Laws as according to the order of Christ to decline the familiar conversing with every one whom the highest censure of Excommunication made to Ethnicks and Publicans your Majesties walking in any other way would be contrary to the rules of Scripture to the practise of these Princes whose gracious examples will be your Majesties most whollsome Patterns and would certainly give a great stroke to all the Discipline of the Kirk of Scotland which your Majesties Royall Grandfather by many of his Laws and your Royall Father in his Parliament of Scotland 1640. hath expresly ratified and we trust your Majesty will never intend to alter least of all at this time in the hopefull beginning of your Reign for gratifying of a Person upon whose head lies more innocent bloud then for many years hath done on the head of any one the most bloody murtherer in our Nation We hope for so much mercy from our God that his gracious Spirit shall encline your Majesties heart to give us just satisfaction in all our necessary Desires that the cordiall union of your Majestie with your people so much longed for on all hands may with all speed be fully accomplished And that this cursed man whose scandalous carriage pernitious counsell and contagious company cannot fail so long as he remains in his obstinate impenitency to dishonour and pollute all companies and provoke the anger of the most high God against all places of his familiar accesse shall not pe permitted by your Majesty to stand any longer in the entry of our hopes to our great discouragement and fear lest by his guilt example and acting all the humble Desires and wholsom Counsels which we are intrusted with should be obstructed and frustrate Fryday March 30. 1649. Subscribitur Cassils Robert Bailie George Wynram Iames Wood His Majesties Return to us both was in this Paper I Do insist upon my former Answer and do desire and expect that you do deliver all the Propositions or Desires you or any of you are entrusted to present to me before I make an Answer to any particular one being resolved to consider of the whole before I declare my resolution upon any part April 10. n. still 1649. C R. We took it for no good presage that notwithstanding all we could doe by our selves or by others this man remained still in our way as an open enemy to all our designes also that his Majesties answer to us was put in oâ—e paper and was altogether the same with his Answer to the Commissioners of Parliament without any direction either to them or us expressing his acknowledgement of our capacity as Commissioners yet having obtained the Kings promise of a Satisfactory Answer in reason to that our
your Majesty may be restored to the peaceable possession of the Government of your other Kingdoms Wherefore we do in all humility renew these our former Desires earnestly beseeching that without losing of precious time your Majestie would be pleased to give a direct and satisfactory Answer thereunto April 23. May 3. 1649. Signed by the Commissioners of Parliament His Majesties Answer I Cannot thinke your Paper of the 3. of this month to contain a partain Answer to the Questions of Mine of the thirtieth of the last all your Answer to My Question whether you have any other thing to propone then that you have already proposed being that you are not to propose any other unlesse you be commanded Whereas I expected you would have answered whether you are commanded to make any other proposition or no and that you would have told Me whether you have power to recede from any particular which you have proposed which you answer no other wayes then by saying what you demand is just and reasonable but I cannot but observe that to My Question of the bringing the murtherers of My Father to justice and what assistance you would give to that purpose you make not the least answer nor not so much as mention your sense of that horrid and Vnparaleld Murther and therefore I would be glad to receive your ful answer thereunto May 7. N. S. Signed C.R. May it please your Majestie OUr deep sense of the great dangers which will unavoidably ensue to your Majesties affaires upon delaying to give satisfaction to these desires which we have proposed in name of the Parliament of your Majesties Kingdom of Scotland as the best and most effectuall means for establishing your Majesties happie government of that your ancient Kingdome and for restoring your Majestie to the possession of your just right of government of your other dominions maketh us heavily regrate that so much time hath been spent without any direct Answer from your Majestie but instead thereof of some questions have been proposed to us and that notwithstanding we have once again as we humbly conceive sufficiently answered and cleared the fame both by Word and Writ yet they are renewed and insisted upon by your Majesties paper of the seventh of this instant to which little more can be said to our judgement then what hath been expressed before For to your Majesties first question whither our papers already delivered contain all particulars which we have to purpose we could not answer more directly and clearly then that we are not to propose any other unless we be further commanded by the Parliament And to that whither we had power to recede from any particulars proposed we answered that the desires we proposed are not only just and reasonable but necessary and consequently such as from which we may not recede And to your Majesties last question we gave an Answer very full and comprehensive that your Majesties granting these just and necessary desires would move your good Subjects of Scotland to do for the advancement of your Majesties service and affairs whatsoever could be expected from loyall Subjects to their gracious King and to endeavour to the utmost of their power by all lawfull and necessary means that your Majesty may be restored to the possession of your just right of government of your other Kingdomes Neither did we conceive it necessary to multiply words in repeating our deep sense of that horrid Fact against the life of your Royall Father seeing the whole Parl. of Scotland whereof we had the honour to be Members had so solemnly declared to the world how much they did detest and abominate the very design thereof as the Protestations and Papers of their Commissioners at London can bear witnesse and we were so conscious to our selves of our sincere tender respects and affection towards our late Soveraign that we looked not to have our sense of that fact in the least wise questioned Wherefore we do again with all humility and earnestness renew our former supplication that without further loss of precious time whereof too much is lost already we wish it be not to the prejudice both of your Majesties affaires and of your lamentably distracted and bleeding Kingdoms your Majestie will be pleased to give a direct and satisfactory Answer to these our most just an necessary desires in doing whereof your Majesty will be to these afflicted Kingdoms like the rain coming down upon the mowen grasse and as showers that water the earth Aprill 29. May 9. 1649. Signed by the Commissioners of Parliament May it please your Majesty HAving for a long time waited your Majesties leisure for an Answer to the humble desires of the Parliament of your kingdom of Scotland which we have in their name tendred to your Majesty and having received no Answer or the least satisfaction to any of them in discharge of our duty to your Majesty We cannot but shew that both your affairs and your distracted Kingdoms are exposed to exceeding great prejudice by the losse of so much precious time which in our humble opinion might have been much better improved for the advantage of both And by your Majesties intended removal hence and our necessitie to return we are so straitned with time that we cannot forbear any longer to renew our humble and earnest request for a speedy favourable Answer whereby your Majesty hath a fair occasion if imbraced at once to make both your self and people happie And on the contrary the great danger and irreparable losse will inevitably ensue upon further delaying or refusing to give satisfaction to so just and reasonable desires so obvious to any impartial eie so that if now when by the power and prevalencie of Sectaries and their Army in England that Kingdom brought underfoot and almost lost and when Ireland is in very great distractions your Maj. shall not speedily heartily satisfie the desires of your Maj. Kingdom of Scotland especially for Religion and the Covenant which is the strongest band to tye Subjects to their King It will weaken the hands of all those that love Religion and Monarchicall Government in England and wholly discourage and disenable Scotland to do for your Majesty by that means also your enemies will be incouraged and strengthened to prosecute their wicked designes and your good people in England will be forced to couch under the burden and submit to the yoak dispairing of any means of relief or deliverance We intreat your Majestie to remember that opportunitie once losed cannot be regained the neglect and not taking hold whereof when so frequently offered hath been the chief cause of the troubles of your Royall Family and hath to our unspeakable grief proved sad and fatall at last We are confident that your Majesty rightly pondering and laying these things to heart will in the entry of your Reign so much cherish the hopefull expectation of your Loyall people as that they may at length look for the wished ends of the
long-continued troubles and may live a comfortable and quiet life under the shadow of your Majesties prosperous and happy Government May 17 27. 1649. Signed by the Commissioners of Parliament His Majesties Answer more expresly relating to the Propositions I Have considered the several Papers and Propositions delivered to me by you and do assure you That I desire nothing more then that I may intirely unite the hearts and affections of all my good subjects of Scotland to me and amongst themselves as well for the Honour peace and prosperity of that Kingdom as that they may jointly and unanimously assist me in the revenge of that horrid and impious murther of my Father and the recovery of my just Right in my other Dominions to which they are equally engaged by the laws of God and of that Kingdom and to the obtaining of such an Union I will consent to all that in Conscience and Honor I may without imposing on my other Kingdoms As first I will maintain confirm and defend the Government Ecclesiasticall and Civil of Scotland as is setled by Law and the Ancient known Laws of that Kingdom as likewise all such Acts of Parliament as have been actually consented unto by the King my Father being personally present in Parliament or by his Commissioners lawfully authorized by him and particularly the Laws concerning the Nationall Covenant the Confession of Faith and Presbyterial government of that Church Touching that part of the League and Covenant which concerneth My other Kingdoms of England and Ireland it is not in my power justly to take any resolution therein without the advice of my respective Parliaments of these Kingdoms by whose advice and consent only Laws are there to be made and altered Neither can I consent to any thing which shall oppose or disturb the peace lately concluded in Ireland but I am very willing to refer the full consideration of the said League and Covenant and of all the other particulars you mention as to England to a free Parliament to be convened there by My Writ as soon as the condition of that Kingdom will permit me so to doe By whose advice I am resolved to govern my self therein in the mean time as I am very ready to doe all that is in my power to the safe and quiet protection of my people in Scotland under the benefit of the Lawes of that Kingdom as likewise further to gratifie them in all that may really tend to their welfare So I shall expect that obedience and duty from them in the exercise of my Royall power as is due to me by their Allegiance To which they submitting and for the burying all bitterness and animosities which the former distractions and divisions may have produced and the better effecting the happy union beforementioned I am very willing and desirous to consent to any Act of Oblivion and Indempnity to all persons of what condition soever of that Kingdom of Scotland excepting only such persons if any such there be in or of that kingdom that shall hereafter upon sufficient and due evidence in a lawfull tryall be found actually and expresly guilty of that late unparalleld horrid Act of the murther of their late Soveraign And if it shall appear unto me that the League and Covenant containeth any thing in it not comprised in these Acts concerning the National Covenant and Presbyterial government of the Church of Scotland and necessarily to the welfare of the said Church and kingdom without reference to England or Ireland I shal upon the first setling of such an Union and the passing of such an Act of Oblivion as is before-mentioned apply my self to give ful satisfaction therein Passionatly desiring to remove all occasions of misunderstanding between my self and all my good Subjects of that my Kingdom of Scotland and what is not particularly answered at this time shall be supplyed by an express whom I will dispatch into Scotland as soon as conveniently I can May 1â— 29. 1643. Signed CHARLS REX May it please your Majesty ALthough We were much troubled that your Maj. Answer should have been so long delayed at such a time when Resolution Action were so necessitated yet have we now received it with much greater grief finding that your Majesties Counsels lead you to resolutions so contrary to the satisfaction desired by us in the name of the Parl. of your Kingdom of Scotl. and so far from ingaging them to hazard their lives and fortunes in your service which with so much affection they desired as that by this strange Answer the distance is made greater then before nay by it far less is offered for Religion the Covenant and the Laws and Liberties of that Kingdom then was by your Royall Father even at that time when the difference amongst them was greatest yea many of the most materiall Acts agreed upon by the large Treaty ratified by him are by this Answer called in Question His Majesties Concessions in the Isle of Wight did bear that he would confirm the Solemne League and COVENANT in both Kingdomes for all that had taken it or should take it and that hee would settle Presbyterial Government and the Directorie of Worship in England although these Concessions were found unsatisfactory yet your Majestie is not pleased to go so much as that same length or to offer any present and expresse satisfaction as to the Solemne League and Covenant Confession of Faith Directory for Worship and Catechisme in either of the Kingdoms And although your Majesty professes that you will confirm and defend the Civill and Ecclesiasticall Goverment of Scotland as they are setled by Law yet by restricting your Concessions to such Acts of Parliament as have been actually consented to by the King your Father Being personally present or by his Commissioner authorized for that effect at once all our Laws and Parliaments these eight years by past so often acknowledged by our late Soveraign are now by this your Majesties Answer laid afide and utterly rejected seeing it hath pleased your Majesty so directly to question the clear and undoubted Laws and constitutions of the Parliament of your Majesties Kingdom of Scotland upon that ground We most humbly crave leave to remember your Majestie that as the Parliament held in the year 1561 without the presence of the Queen or her Commissioner was ever acknowledged by her Majestie and your Royall Predecessors since as a lawfull Parliament so your Royal Father our late Soveraign was pleased in his Wisdom and Justice to acknowledge all Acts of the Parliament 1640. as Laws to be observed by all his Subjects of that Kingdom Notwithstanding that neither he nor any Commissioner from him was therein present amongst which is that Act for the constitution of Parliament in all time coming whereby it is declared and ordained that that Parliament holden by the Nobilitie Barons and Burgesses or their Commissioners as the true estates of the Kingdom is and should be accompted a compleat and perfect Parliament