❧ A Meſſage from both Houſes of Parliament unto His Majeſtie, concerning the Prince, his Son.

THe Lords and Com­mons in Parliament humbly deſire His Ma­jeſtie, That the Prince may not be removed from Hampton-Court; And that for theſe enſuing Reaſons.

1. They conceive His Majeſtie had Reſolved that the Prince ſhould ſtay at Hampton Court untill His Maje­ſties Return.

2. That the Lord Marqueſſe Hert­ford, appointed by His Majeſtie to be2 Governour of the Prince, and appro­ved of, and commanded by the Par­liament to give his perſonall atten­dance on the Prince, Is now ſo in­diſpoſed in his health, that he is not able to attend the Prince to any other place.

3. That the Prince his Removall at this time from Hampton-Court may be a cauſe to promote Iealou­ſies and Fears in the hearts of His Majeſties good Subjects, which they conceive very neceſſary to avoid.

¶ His Majeſties Anſwer to the Reaſons He Received by way of Meſſage from both Houſes concerning the Prince, his SON.

THat His Majeſtie in­tended at His remove from Hampton-Court with His Royall Con­ſort the Queen, to­wards Dover, That the Prince His Son ſhould ſtay at Hampton-Court, till His Majeſtie returned to ſome of His Houſes, and thereupon, as ſoon as His Majeſtie reſolved upon a certain day to be at Greenwich, He commanded that His Son ſhould attend Him there, which was no way contrary to His former Inten­tion.

2. That His Majeſtie was very ſorry to hear of the Indiſpoſition of the Marqueſſe Hertford, being the Perſon upon whom He principally4 relies for the Care of His deareſt Son; But if that Indiſpoſition ſhould have laſted, His Majeſtie could no wayes think fit, that his want of health ſhould have hindred the Prince from waiting upon His Majeſtie, according to His Com­mand, and therefore would have been much offended if the Prince had failed of meeting His Majeſtie, according to His appointment.

3. To the Fears and Iealouſies, His Majeſtie knows not what An­ſwer to give, not being able to ima­gine from what grounds they pro­ceed. But if any Information have been given to that purpoſe, His Ma­jeſtie much deſires that the ſame may be examined to the botome, and then He hopes that their Fears and Iealouſies will be hereaſter continued onely with Reference to His Majeſties Rights and Ho­nour.

His Majeſties Anſwer to both Houſes concerning the MILITIA.

HIs Majeſty having with His beſt care and underſtanding peruſed and conſi­dered that which was ſent Him from both Houſes for the ordering of the Militia, preſented unto Him to be made an Ordinance of Parliament, by the giving of His Royall aſſent; as He can by no means do it, for the reaſons hereaf­ter mentioned, ſo He doth not con­ceive Himſelf oblieged by any pro­miſe made in His Anſwer of the ſe­cond of this moneth, to the Petiti­on6 of both Houſes to yeeld to the ſame.

His Majeſtie finds great cauſe to except againſt the Preface or Intro­duction to that Order, which con­feſſeth a moſt dangerous and deſpe­rate Deſigne upon the Houſe of Commons, of late, ſuppoſed to be an effect of the bloody Counſels of Papiſts, and other ill-affected per­ſons; by which many may under­ſtand (looking upon other printed Papers to that purpoſe) His coming in Perſon to the Houſe of Com­mons, on the fourth day of Ianu­ary, which begot ſo unhappy a miſ­underſtanding between Him and His people: And for that, though He beleeves it, upon, the Informa­tion ſince given Him, to be an ap­parant breach of their Priviledge, and hath offered, and is ready to re­pair the ſame for the future, by any Act ſhall be deſired of His Ma­jeſtie; Yet He muſt declare and re­quire7 to be beleeved, That He had no other Deſigne upon that Houſe, or any Member of it, then to require (as He did) the perſons of thoſe five Gentlemen His Majeſty had the day before ac­cuſed of high Treaſon, And to de­clare that He meant to proceed againſt them legally, and ſpeedily; upon which He beleeved that Houſe would have delivered them up; And His Majeſtie calls the Almightie God to witneſſe, that He was ſo far from any intention or thought of force or violence, although that Houſe had not delivered them ac­cording to His Demand, or in any Caſe whatſoever, That he gave thoſe His ſervants and others (who then waited on His Majeſty) expreſſe Charge and Command, that they ſhould give no offence to any man; Nay if they received any provocati­on or injury, that they ſhould bear it without Return. And His Majeſty8 neither ſaw or knew that any perſon of His Train had any other wea­pons, but His Penſioners & Guard, thoſe with which they uſually attend His Perſon to Parliament, and the other Gentlemen Swords. And therefore His Majeſtie doubts not, but His Parliament wil be ſoregard­full of His Honor herin, that He ſhall not undergo any imputation by the raſh or indiſcreet expreſſions of any young men then in His Train, or by any deſperate words uttered by others, who might mingle with them without His Conſent or appro­bation.

For the perſons nominated to be Lieutenants of the ſeverall Coun­ties of England and Wales, His Maje­ſtie is contented to allow that Re­commendation, onely concerning the Citie of London and ſuch other Corporations as by ancient Char­ters have granted unto them the power of the Militia, His Majeſtie9 doth not conceive that it can ſtand with Iuſtice or Policie to alter their Government in that particular; And His Majeſtie is willing forthwith to grant every of them (that of London and thoſe other Corporations except­ed) ſuch Commiſſions as He hath done this Parliament to ſome Lord Lieutenants by your advice. But if that power be not thought enough, but that more ſhall be thought fit to he granted to theſe perſons named, then by the Law is in the Crown it ſelf, His Majeſtie holds it reaſonable, that the〈◊〉be by ſome Law firſt veſted in Him, with power to transfer it to theſe perſons, which He will willingly do; And what ever that power ſhall be, to avoid all〈◊〉doubts and queſtions, His Majeſtie deſires it may be digeſted into an Act of Par­liament rather then an Ordinance, ſo that an His loving Subjects may thereby particularly know,10 both what they are to do and what they are to ſuffer for their neglect, that there be the leaſt Latitude for His good Subjects to ſuffer under any arbitrary power whatſoever.

As to the time deſired for the con­tinuance of the powers to be grant­ed, His Majeſtie giveth this Anſwer, That He cannot conſent to deveſt Himſelf of the juſt power which God and the Laws of this Kingdom have placed in Him for the defence of His people, and to put it into the hands of others for any inde­finite time. And ſince the ground of this Requeſt from His Parli­ment was to ſecure their preſent fears and jealouſies, that they might with ſafety apply them­ſelves to the matter of His Meſſage of the 20. of Ianuary, His Majeſtie hopeth that His Grace to them ſince that time in yeelding to ſo many of their deſires, and in agreeing to the Perſons now recommended to Him11 by His Parliament, and the power before expreſſed to be placed in them, will wholly diſpell thoſe Fears and Iealouſies, and aſſureth them that as His Majeſtie hath now applied this unuſuall remedy to their doubts, ſo (if there ſhall be cauſe) He will continue the ſame to ſuch time as ſhall be agreeable to the ſame care He now expreſſeth towards them.

And in this Anſwer, His Majeſtie is ſo far from receding from any thing He promiſed, or intended to grant in His Anſwer to the former Petition, that His Majeſtie hath hereby conſented to all was then aſked of Him by that Petition con­cerning the Militia of the King­dom (except that of London, and thoſe other Corporations) which was to put the ſame into the hands of ſuch perſons as ſhould be recom­mended unto Him by both Houſes of Parliament: And His Majeſtie12 doubts not, but the Parliament, upon well weighing the particu­lars of this His Anſwer, will finde the〈◊〉more ſatisfactory to their ends, and the peace and wel­fare of all His good Subjects, then the way propoſed by this intend­ed Ordinance, to which, for theſe Reaſons, His Majeſtie cannot con­ſent.

And whereas His Majeſtie ob­ſerves by the Petition of both Hou­ſes, preſented unto Him by the Earl of Portland, Sir Thomas Healt, & Sir William S••ile, That in ſome peaces, ſome perſons begin already to inter­meddle of themſelves with the Mi­litia, His Majeſtie expecteth that His Parliament ſhould examine the particulars thereof, it being a mat­ter of high〈◊〉, and very great conſeq•••ce.

And His Majeſtie requireth, that if it ſhall appear to His Parliament,13 that any perſons whatſoever have preſumed to command the Militia without lawfull Authoritie, they may be proceeded againſt according to Law.