James I: April 1614

James I: April 1614

811. Petition of Samuel Smyth and Thomas Peyton to the Attorney General. [April 2.] Carte Papers, vol. 62, No. 170.

Desiring him to draw forth a fiant containing two several licensed compounders for Francis and Robert Rise, of Askeaton, co. Limerick, according to a warrant issued to the Attorney General from the Lord Deputy. The indenture made between the deputies and F. and R. Rise being dated April 2, in the 12th year of James I., 1614.

812. The King to Lord Chichester. [April 16.] Philad. P., vol. 2, p. 206.

He is to give direction to the Lords Justices to send over by, some trusty messenger all the bills transmitted thither under the Great Seal of England, to be propounded in the next session of Parliament there, in order to a review of them by the Council.—Westminster, 16 April, in the 11th year of the reign.

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813. Speech of King James I. in the Council Chamber at Whitehall, on Thursday before Easter, being the 20th of April 1614, touching the miscarriage of the Recusant Lords and Gentlemen of Ireland in the Parliament begun in that realm, 18th of May 1613. (fn. 1) [April 20.] Carew Papers, vol. 600, p. 122.

Appeals to them whether he has not performed his promise of showing them justice with favour, as appears by the patient hearing he has given them, and his curious search into their complaints. Though he doubted not the honour and justice of the Lord Deputy's government, yet he dealt with him not as his servant nor as one of the most irreproachable governors of that kingdom (as some of themselves have acknowledged him to be to himself the King), but as with a party. The commissioners sent to inquire into their grievances have returned their certificate to this effect, and these gentlemen were such as no exception could be taken against. Some were never there before; some so long since as rerum facies was mutata in that kingdom.

Will first address himself to answer the recusant half body, which are called parliament recusants. Had heard of church recusants, but never before of parliament recusants. They offered to renounce his favour in all if they failed to prove any one point of their complaint; yet they scarcely proved a word true, but on the other side almost every point has been proved contrary. Of 14 returns complained of, but two have been proved false, and in his judgment nothing has been proved faulty unless they would have the kingdom of Ireland like the kingdom of Heaven.

Will divide his speech into two parts touching the offences done by them, and their complaint against the State and Government.

First, as an unusual favour, the Lord Deputy sent for them and desired them to consider what laws were fit to be propounded, and offered to consult with them. Instead of thanking him for this favour they made answer by two agents in the name of the rest that they should first be made acquainted with such bills as the Deputy and Council had resolved to transmit; that nothing should be pursued in Parliament, but they should be acquainted with it, and threatening him with rebellion in strange fashion.

There were in the Lower House two bodies, and but one head—a greater monster than two heads upon one body. They, the recusant party (being the fewer), when the greater number went out to be numbered, shut the door and thrust into the Chair a speaker manuforti. After this they, the recusants of both Houses, departed from the Parliament. Then came petitions to the Deputy of a body without a head, a headless body; one would be afraid to meet such a body in the streets—a very bugbear. "You would have a visible body head of the church over all the earth and acknowledge a temporal head under Christ. Ye may likewise acknowledge my viceroy as Deputy in Ireland." Rates the Lords for making common cause with the Commons on account of breach of privileges of the Lower House.

The Lords in England and the Lower are as great strangers in those matters as the Parliament Houses of Spain and France. After this they came hither and their complaints have been heard ad nauseam.

Then he sent commissioners to examine as well into the bye as the main business.

For their complaints of Parliament matter, finds no more amiss in that Parliament than in the best parliament of the world. The faults complained of, if proved, were no cause to stay the Parliament. In such a difference the Lower House in England, which stands upon their privileges as much as any council in Christendom, would have gone on with his service notwithstanding, and not have broken up their assembly.

"But you complain of the new boroughs . . . what is it to you if I made many or few boroughs? What if I had made 40 noblemen and 400 boroughs? The more the merrier, the fewer the better cheer. In contending to have a committee before you agreed on a speaker, you did put the plough before the horse, so it went on untowardly, like your Irish ploughs." The new boroughs, except one or two, he finds to be as good as the old, and likely to grow better daily. They that seek the good of that kingdom should be glad of it.

He had caused London to erect boroughs there which would be for the security of that part of the kingdom. The petitioners had complained that the persons returned for some of the new boroughs had no residences there. If they had said that they had no interest in the kingdom it had been something. "You that are of a contrary religion (continued the King) must not look to be the only law makers. You that are but half subjects should have but half privileges; you that have an eye to the one way, and to the Pope another way. The Pope is your father in spiritualibus, and I in temporalibus only, and so have your bodies turn one way and your souls drawn another way. You that send your children to the seminaries of treason strive henceforth to become full subjects, that you may have cor unum et via una, and then I shall respect you all alike. But your priests teach you such grounds of doctrine that you cannot follow them with a safe conscience, but you must cast off your loyalty to your King."

Here His Majesty made mention of an Irish Priest's letter lately intercepted.

The complaints concerning purveyance and the extortions by the soldiery are acts of inferior ministers; and had been reformed if complaint had been made to the Lord Deputy. The King will make orders that shall prevent these things in the future. He has a double reason for care of the people of Ireland; first, as King of England, and next as King of Scotland, for the ancient kings of Scotland are descended upon the kings of Ireland; therefore they need not doubt of being relieved if they complain.

Has been more careful of the bills to be passed in the Parliament of Ireland than in that of England, and has perused them all but one that he saw not till of late, and that is now out of date. Finds their complaints against the Deputy and State causeless expostulations. He concludes, "My sentence is that in the matter of Parliament you have carried yourselves tumultuously, and that your proceedings have been rude, disorderly, inexcusable, and worthy of severe punishment, which by reason of your submission I forbear, but do not remit till I see your carriage in this Parliament, where by your obedience and future good behaviour you may redeem your past miscarriage and deserve not only pardon but favour and cherishing."

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