THE SPEECH OF DENZELL HOLLES Esquire. Delivered at the Lord's bar, Wednesday the 15th. of June. upon the Impeachment of the Earls of North-hampton, Devon-shire, Monmouth, and Dover, and of the Lords Rich, Andever, Gray of Ruthen Coventry and Capell, for their contempt in departing from the PARLIAMENT, and not returning upon Summons.  
Ordered that this speech shall be forthwith printed, and that none shall print it, but who M. Holles shall appoint. H. Elsing Cler. Parl D. Com.  
I appoint that none shall print this but Thomas underhill. Denzell Holles.  
LONDON, Printed for Thomas underhill at the sign of the Bible in Wood-street, 164●.   

THE SPEECH OF DENZELL Holles Esquire, Delivered at the Lord's bar, Wednesday the 15th, of June. Upon the Impeachment, &c.  
My Lords,  
BY the Command of the Knights, Citizens and Burgesses of the House of Commons, I come hither unto your Lord●p● in the behalf of the Parliament, or rather in the behalf of the whole kingdom, labouring with much distraction, many fears, great apprehensions of evil and mischief intended against it, and now hatching and preparing by that Malignant party, which thirsts after the destruction of Religion, Laws and Liberty, all which are folded up, cherished, and preserved in the careful bosom of the Parliament.  
My Lords, The Parliament is the Foundation and Basis of Government, and consequently of the Peace and happiness of the kingdom. As it creates the Law by which we are ruled and governed in Peace and quietness, so it preserves the Law in Power and Authority: It watches over our Religion, that it be not supplanted and changed by superstitious Innovations; the truth and substance of it eaten up with Formality, vain pomp, and unnecessary Ceremonies; the gross Errors of Popery and Arminianism imposed upon us, as the Doctrine of our Church; A way opened to all licentiousness; And occasion hereby taken to oppress and persecute all religious and conscientious men that shall oppose these Proceedings (as hath been used of late.) It is the Conservative of the Rights and Liberties of the Subject, and the Corrective of Injustice and Oppression; whereby equal Right is distributed to all, and every Man hath that benefit and protection of Justice, which is due unto him. It is that, by which alone, common Necessities can be provided for, and public fears prevented: So that I may say, not only the Peace, and happiness, and well-being, but the very Being of this kingdom, can have no other bottom to stand upon, but the Parliament, it being the foundation upon which the whole Frame of the commonwealth is built.  
Therefore those who would destroy the Building, apply themselves to undermine the Foundation, If they can take away Parliaments, or but weaken the Power and Authority of Parliament, which is all one (For if it once have no Power, it will soon have no being) they know then all will be at their mercy, nothing will stand in their way to oppose them, but a flood of violence will run over, and cover the whole Surface of the kingdom; and carry away all, both present Enjoyment, and future Hope of Religion, Liberty, and whatsoever else is precious and dear unto us.  
And accordingly, it hath ever been the policy of evil Counsellors (who are the greatest Enemies we have in the World, or can have) to strike at Parliaments, keep off Parliaments, break Parliaments, or divide Parliaments, by making Factions, casting in Diversions, and Obstructions, to hinder and interrupt Proceedings of Parliament: All against the Parliament.  
Your Lordpps have had experience of this Truth this Parliament; A Succession of designs upon it: First to awe it, and take away the freedom of it by the terror of an Army; Then to bring Force against it, actually to assault it, and with the Sword cut in sunder this only Band, which ties and knits up King and People, the People among themselves, and the whole Frame of this Government in one firm, and I hope indissoluble Knot of Peace and unity.  
God diverted those designs, did blow upon them; presently another is set upon, which was, to obstruct and hinder our Proceedings, That in the mean time the flame of Rebellion might consume the kingdom of Ireland, and Distempers, Distractions, and Jealousies be fomented here at home, to tear out the Bowels of this kingdom, the Parliament being disabled from helping it, by occasion of so many Diversions, so much business cut out unto it, many Obstructions and Difficulties, especially that great one, from which all the rest receive Countenance and Support, his majesty's absenting himself, not concurring with us, and so withdrawing both his Presence and Influence, by which means such Remedies could not be applied, as were necessary, and what was done, was done with infinite trouble to the Parliament, and excessive charge to the Subject, double, treble, what otherwise would have served the turn: So the Subject is grieved and oppressed with charge, and the blame of all is laid upon the Parliament, and the Parliament unjustly said to be the cause of all those evils, which the Authors of them had made so great, and so confirmed and secured by the frequent interruptions of the Parliament, that they could not suddenly, nor easily be suppressed or removed.  
Well, but by God's infinite blessing the Parliament was in a fair possibility to wade through this likewise; And though the Night had been black and stormy, some day began to appear: Miraculously our arms have prospered in Ireland, and God be praised, the malevolent practices of these Vipers at home, as they appeared, were in some sort mastered; And the Parliament began to act and operate towards the settling of the great affairs both of Church and State, and providing for the Defence and Safety of this kingdom, against either foreign Invasion, or any stirring of the disaffected Party among themselves.  
Then three ways are together assayed for the weakening and invalidating the Proceeding and Power of the Parliament, and making way for the utter subversion of it.  
One, Force is gathered together at York, under pretence of a Guard for his majesty's Person, to make an opposition against the Parliament, and by a strong hand to support and protect Delinquents, so as no Order of Parliament can be obeyed, but on the other side is slighted and scorned, to make the Parliament of no reputation, to be but Imago Parliamenti, a mere shadow, without substance, without efficacy.  
An other, To send out in his majesty's Name, and as Declarations and Messages from Him, bitter Invectives against the Parliament, to perplex it, and engage it in the expense of time to answer them: And besides, cunningly to insinuate and infuse into the People by false colours and Glosses, a disopinion and dislike of the Parliament, and if it be possible, to stir up their spirits to rise against it, though to the ruin of themselves, their Wives and Children.  
The third Plot is, The Members are drawn away, and persuaded to forsake their duty and attendance here, and go down to York; thereby to blemish the Actions of both Houses, as done by a few, and an inconsiderable number, and rather a Party, than a Parliament, and perhaps, to raise and set up an Anti-Parliament there.  
My Lords, This is now the great design, whereby they hope by little and little, the Parliament shall even bleed to death and moulder to nothing, the Members dropping away, one after another. A desperate and dangerous practice, and as your Lordships well observed (when you were pleased to communicate this business to us) an effect of the evil counsels now prevailing, and tending to the dissolution of the Parliament, of this Parliament, which under God must be the Preserver of three Kingdoms, and keep them firm and loyal to their King, subject to his Crown, save them from being turned into a Chaos of disorder and confusion, and made a spectacle of misery and desolation.  
This Parliament, which is the last hope of the long oppressed, and in other Countries even almost wholly destroyed Protestant Religion: This Parliament which is the only means to continue us to be a Nation of freemen and not slaves, to be owners of any thing: that we may call our wives, children, our estates, nay our bodies our own: In a word, which must stand in the gap to prevent an in let, an inundation of all misery and confusion.  
My LORDS, This Parliament they desire to destroy, but I hope it will destroy the destroyers, and be a wall of fire to consume them, as it is a wall of brass to us, to defend King and Kingdom, us, and all we have.  
Your Lordships wisely foresaw this mischief, and as wisely have endeavoured to prevent it, by making your Orders, to keep your Members here, as that of the 9th. of April, and several other Orders enjoining them all to attend; thereby restraining them from repairing to York, where the Clouds were observed to gather so fast, and threaten a storm, and such preparations to be made against the Parliament, that it necessitated both House to pass a Vote: That the King seduced by wicked council, intended to make war against the Parliament, and all who shall serve or assist in such wars are declared to be Traitors, which Vote pa●● the 20th. of May: so setting a mark upon that place, and their opinion concerning th●se who should at this time resort thither.  
Yet now, in such a coniuncture of time, when the kingdom had never more need of a Parliament, and the Parliament never more need of all the help and assistance of the best endeavour and advise of every Member, the safety and even being of three kingdoms depending upon it; after such Orders and Commands of your lordship's House to the contrary; such a Vote of both Houses: and expressly against their Duty, being called th●ther by Writ under the great seal, which is the Kings greatest and highest Command, and not controulable nor to be dispersed with by any other Command from him whatsoever; and called, to treat and consult de arduis Regni, the great urging and pressing a fairs of the kingdom, never more urgent, never more pressing; notwithstanding all this, these Lords, the Earls of Northampton, Devonshire, Dover, Mounmouth, and the Lords Rich, Andever, Gray, Coventry and Capell have left their stations, withdrawn themselves and are gone to York, and being summoned to appear by an Order of the 30●●. of May, instead of obedience, return a refusal, by a slighting and scornful Letter, which hath been so adjudged, both by your Lordships and the House of Commons.  
MY LORDS, The House of Commons hath likewise upon the consideration and debate of this business, finding it so much to concern the safety of the kingdom, and the very being of the Parliament, passed this Vote,  
That the departing of these nine Lords from the Parliament, without leave, after such time as both Houses had declared, That the King seduced by wicked counsel intended to make war against the Parliament, and their still continuing at York, notwithstanding their Summons and Command, is a high affront and contempt of both Houses, And that the said Lords therein, did as much as in them lay, that the Service of Parliament might be deserted, and are justly suspected to promote a war against the Parliament.  
And the House in further prosecution of their Duty in this particular, and in pursuance of their Protestation, which obliges them to endeavour to bring to condign punishment all such high Offenders against, not only the privileges, but the very essence of Parliament, have sent me up to impeach these Lords, and desire that speedy and exemplary Justice may be done upon them.  
And accordingly, I do here in the Name of the Knights, Citizens and Burgesses of the Commons House assembled in Parliament, and in the Name of all the Commons of England, Impeach SPENCER Earl of Northampton, WILLIAM Earl of Devonshire, HENRY Earl of Dover, HENRY Earl of Mounmouth, CHARLES Lord Howard of Charlton, ROBERT Lord RICH, CHARLES Lord GREY of Ruthen, THOMAS Lord COVENTRY, and ARTHUR Lord CAPELL, for these high Crimes and Misdemeanours following, viz.  
For that, contrary to their duty, they being peers of the realm, and summoned by Writ to attend the Parliament, and contrary to an Order of the House of peers of the 9th. of April last, and several other Orders requiring the Attendance of the Members of that House, and after a Vote past in both Houses the●0th. of May last, That the King seduced by wicked council, intended to make war against the Parliament, and that whosoever served or assisted him in that war, was adjudged a Traitor, did notwithstanding afterwards in the same month of May, contemptuously, having notice of the said Votes and Orders, with draw themselves from the said House of peers, and repair to the City of York where the Preparations of the said war were, and yet are▪ in contrivance and agitation, they knowing of such Preparations: And being by an Order of the 30th. of May duly summoned by the House of peers, to make their appearance before that House upon the 8. day of June last past, they refused to appear, and returned a scornful. Answer by a Letter under their hands, directed to the Speaker of the Lord's House and remaining there upon record.  
For which Crimes and misdemeanours to the interruption of the proceedings of Parliament, and great affairs of the kingdom, and tending to the dissolution of the Parliament, and disturbance of the Peace of the kingdom, I am commanded in the Name of the said Commons, to demand of your Lordships, That the said Lords may be forthwith put to their Answer, and receive speedy and exemplary punishment, according to their demerits.  
The Commons saving to themselves liberty at all times hereafter, exhibit any other or further Impeachment or Accusation against the said Lords or any of them.  
FINIS.