Earl of P---'s speech to the House of Peers; when the lords were accused of high-treason

, HIT''i i
rwgmmm**'"
THE
m
Earl of ^P-
--—s
Whenthe Jbordswtrt accufed of High-Tr eafon.
Gopia Verd. Mich. Oldfwofth, 1647.
MyTLtrds, js .; p .. X*■ .
*0 t ftiddtri Mafe Speeches
lords ) Every thing would fain live j and now
'I tnuft either find a Totigire, or lofe my Head.
■If'am accuftd here when yoor tordihips fjbd
f,Co the. Army: Alas, my lords, I am -an €Hd Slafl', ,3L
tfitdl fitj you may ride or run any whitner, but I am
san0id Man. You • voted them, Traitom<who Isft the
iffoufeiaad went to TRW'fcthey tc^d us they; were
^Mrc'dawaybyTumfidts: 00 notyoufayib too ? Were
ihey!ifV^cprs for going, and am’ I a Traitor forv^y..
|dg lleath; my loTfe^hat^ouid
neifoer gortor ftay. I feare forradym
"feltin'Years j what ha^youg^Yen mej iinie&parf of
a Thankighrin^ Dinner, for ’whidl you made me fcft
once a Month ?: I was foa -a Prince at the Kin^s
tSpft, twice every day, foflig h&fora fame pi you were !
■horn ; atid this King feontintTd, nay, outbid
m heaping Tavours. upon mey-y^ ffor your iakes) if
Renounc’d my Mafea^hen he had mofl need of foSj
‘ Voted againfr him. Swore againft him,, •hired Mm.to
fi|ht ^gaifift hrm j I confhfs I my .felf never ^ftruckj'at
'ifom, trOr hiiii,Hhht: I prayU for ^ofe shat did :
If gave my Tenants their - leafes Fihfelfiee, 4f they
^ifomd life add refift the King y* and yet^ my lords, a&
"mf all tMsmuftlhe'i Traitor ? HavenotJ I for
^you over and overagain^You1 J^nt trier oh, your Tr-,
* f-atids' to • Oxfotiy td 'H&nftfgjfj tA Nsretm^ie^ bo EtoU.
^dw^^ yotf-humed me npanddOwn as i:foj,dheen
a Icfog ;>y otr ma^ eme carry a\,ytprid oTP-r^ofitidas j-
Y broii^stthem aftu fotmd y-whdtf yowbldiine.
: ^y, I Xpaketcr. a fillable * *ttd! had ithe J^rtg aask^d liie {
■ ho w did I war, without yoBr CommiflSen lihouid aot
Jhavet^ld him 5 and yet, my Lords, I am an Old Man..
Remember how i ftuck to you againft: Strafford and (
C&iittrbwy^ fotne of you fhrpnk at Strafford's Tryal,
fo that your Names were like to be polled for MaJig-
irants ; and for Canterbury, many of you would have
‘ Had him live.- My Lord of Nonbuniberltnd and others
would have r.o hand inhii Blood; but I gave you the
ceding Tact that ferft him packinginto another World,
•and yet ROW would you lend me after him ? Have I
ftot fat with you early and late? When the ParliaifteMt
tumbl'd and tofs’d, and roll’d it fell on ^hisj fide and
; on chat fide, ftitl I was for the Parliaftieat s Tho’ I
liav-d -.lieie.-.^iih Presbiteriad I^ords, yetwhen
turned i was^ firm to you. AH the other Lords left
you in the Houf®, when Sir ilbo. Chaplin gave Thanks
for your Return: but’I ftay’d and pray’d with you,
and am (for ought L know) as great an Independent
as my ot jpou alk I Rejoyc’d with you, Fafted, Sung
Pfalms, Pray’d with you, and hereafter will , run M
way with yout Nay, I had done it mow ; hut who
ImewYhllt blinds you meantlfhould follow ;yo.&f
why did you not wink upon Uie j tibirik you. I houl®.
run away by Inftinft^My Lords, you know I foyo
Dogs, and (tho* l, fay it) I thank 6od I have as good
Dogs as any Manin EM^wd. Now^ my Lords, if&
Dog follow ipe when I do riot dall;lma, Jt Wd him be
cailhinu and'j^.pMfifoifo^'^wyi
hutif I heat him for nc&poaaing, when I never.calFa,
'you;^ /$;•>&%•-jjay Xmds, h$s
* poet Dog if/not wmbm WhiffUng. J%i'
v • But perhaps my Fault is not meer ftaying here, hut
ana Collar of S S I brouglit up Mr. Pelbami die Com-,
mons new. Speaker, /r W^y, what if I dia ? Is. jaotw;’
telbani my .owu>Co^n|<^ould yom Ifordihips ■ hiye
•ripe uncivU t<r• my Rindred ? Why might-UQt | enter-,
tsim the new Speaker, ai well ;as Sir Robert Harleys
’ tm$t. m to^adtmthim ? Mr. Peibam is, none of Sir. Ri-
- Qoii&Hr?%nd yet Sir .an, OadriMsy^ -;
•. i h heaf,sfome laythat I Was forwatd to begin ^ new
War; Thatimy^Hand is to; all the Warrantsfor.lin¬
ing Mem and Horlc, and in order- thereunto I Viot^i
Hu? M&jefty Ujould yome to. London. -’Tis true^ /my
Lords) idid give nay .Y<ote for; the < King’s coming Ei¬
ther j hut wherefore was it •I'was only to. chooie a
•new Weaker. What, :wouli ye: have us duuibv end
fit here i^e Rerrets-j 4ny I,ards, , I iove - to hear -Meii.
i'fpeab j akd elithe ikwy^s tola me. Ho no,Sfep*
j^T.feaneithertheQomnfonsmuftxiame.their.Spea-
ker^ and me/ King approve -him ; or '.the* King name
him, andithe .Commons • approve him. No J&ngy po
a^liirt Jiitd fo j was for; the, King^ thati% ior foe
(SpeakEr. j naJ
lilThen (my Lords )k pblerye the tmumer of.Jhl^
ii%f The King was to come according to foe CowJ
narit-, mark ye that. I was ftill for my Oaths: Let
him come when he will, ifthe Covenant fetch him, hd
had as good ftay away.- And yet Men cry fhame on
the Covenant^ Thofe. tlmt..took it, caftit. up..ngainf
and thofe that refufe it, have given a world of Argu¬
ments that it is unreaionable; which Reafons out
AHembly (like a Company of Ral'cals) never yet an-
"fwferVL" 1 knpWi my Lords, niany of our Friends ne-
ver took this OathY hut they refus’d it out of meer
ConfoSnc^Sball Maliga^ be as tender
as ours? Vfoy, what do they foiak our Cfontciepoes
are made ot? But, my Lord, fuppofe this Oafo be
unreafonable / Can we do nothing, but we muft give
Reefoa foi-’t? This is as bad as foe Hottfe of Com