Mr. SPEAKERS LETTER To the Kings most Excellent majesty, Febr. 16. 1641.  
Concerning the great affairs, and State of the kingdom.  
HONI SOIT x MAL L Y PENSE  
CR   royal blazon or coat of arms 
London, Printed for John Thomas, 1641.   

The Speakers Letter of the House of Commons to the Kings most Excellent majesty, February the 12. 1641.  
SIR,  
BEsides my sorrows (which pressed me very sore, and remaineth still upon me) the troubles and grief that fell upon me for the lamentable breaches in Church and State, and for your Sacred Majesty & hopeful offspring, filled up my sorrows, and in my thoughts i was grieved that those fears and Desolations fell out in your days, I confess, charity suspects not, and the best minds thinks the least hurt, and the freer a man is, from vice in himself, the more charitable he is of others, and this is that which hath proved (formerly prejudicial to your Majesty, but had your Majesty been the first, or the best, that had been instead, misinformed, or ill rewarded it would be an hard thing to command patience, but grief is assuaged either by presiden●s, or examples. It is true of late days your Majesty being misinformed against some of your best subjects, your Majesty thought to have dealt with them, as Joseph thought to have dealt with Marie, and so put them away far from you, but with Marie they travailing as it were with child, and that that which they travailed withal might not appear an illegitimate the only wise God, sent as it were an angel unto you, to let you see, that like Marie they being contracted unto you in love, they have not as yet defiled their Marriage Bed, but remain like Marie faithful to their Head and sovereign, and your Majesty having been formerly seduced by false opinions from others against them, i hope you will now be reduced unto them (and by them) by true persuasions, and that you may be so the only wise God that gave your Majesty your being, and so knew you better than yourself, hath dealt with your Majesty, as he did with Adam in Paradise, and so hath provided you a meet helper, when with Adam you thought no need of it, now desired it, and your Majesty yielding as Adam did, (in sparing a superfluous Rib for to make him a meet helper) will become a great gainer, for your Majesty shall not only lose those who may very well be spared, but you will gain to yourself and your posterity a meet helper, that will endeavour by all means that may be lawful to ease you of many burdens that otherwise might have lain heavy upon you, and this helper is many members of that body, whereof your Majesty is become the head▪ and considering their pains and labour in Love, you should do them injustice if you should suffer any for to accuse them, i hope there is none (or will be none) near you (if near you, yet dares not) so engross your favours any more to their own advantage whereby your good Subject● may be bereaved of those Benefits that ought to be common to all, as for your Commons, they go not about to steal your favours, but to purchase them them legally, and are become unto you as Abraham's Servant was to his Master, who would not either eat, or drink, until he had done his Master's business, and I dare say if your Commons (as your late Monopolists, and others) had or did seek themselves, or their own advantages, (more than the good of King and kingdom) they would have been wearied after so much labour before now, but methinks i hear your Commons say as Adam said, let us be but one, and that it may be so, they are willing, not only for a time to be separated from their domestic employments, but to forsake all, and run many hazards, to cleave only to your majesty in a solemn Contract, wherefore to make up the contract, you must with Isaac part with something that was formerly near unto you, and who would no● spare a part, to save the rest, being done it will prove to your majesty as comfortable and welcome, as Rebecca was into Isaac's Tent.  
This happy match being made, it would not only refresh your people, but make glad your heart in time of fears & dangers, it is true, there is many that have brought your Majesty into troubles, and feared dangers (and the more too blame they, for leaving your Majesty, having brought you into them) it is true, there are many with Orpha, seeing your troubles, have left you, but your Commons like Ruth are resolved to stick close unto you, and will endeavour to help you, if with David you will be advised by them (who blessed God for the seasonable council of a woman, when he was upon a desperate design) judge then of their loves & affections to your Majesty, by yours to them; and than tell me, whether they do not love you▪ doubtless, yes; accounting their lives not dear unto them, so that they may but finish their work with ●oy▪ and accomplish their good ends concerning you, and I doubt not, but that i speak it in the name of many & in truth by your late yielding and free expression; you have stolen me from myself, yea, and am now wounded within me, and like Moses, who was wounded within himself, and could hardly endure to look upon God 〈◊〉 he descended in mercy. It is true, there is nothing engageth a soul to God, or a Subject to a King, as the appearance of love, this made Moses to say: How dreadful is thy place O God, and this is that which hath stolen me from myself, so that i am no more mine own, but yours; yea, by this return of yours to your people, you will win them to obedience with kindness, and by doing so; you will make good that which you were sent for, whose ears ought to be employed for the good of your Subjects; knowing that their love is your greatest safety, and their prosperity your greatest honour and ●elicity; & this is that which will make your bed easy; when you shall possess the just Title to the crown with the love of your people, and the continuance of it with the willing applause of the Subject, is the ●ighest way to a blessing, and the hopes of this is that which hath brought me to renew and confirm the Covenant that your Majesty made with me from your first entrance to the crown, and because you could not swear by no greater, swore by the eternal God, that you would defend me, and at the first of our contract we made but one, your power and all that you had was mine to defend me, & to do me good, but there have been some of late, that have set your Majesty against me. (I speak it in the name of many) and have persuaded you to beat me, and to force me to obedience, though of myself willing to obey, being of a nature sooner won, then compelled, and this is that which hath sore troubled me, yet this is not all, but when an Oath, (with an et Coetera) was put upon me, it wounded me▪ for by the Oath that I had taken already▪ I was bound fast enough, but the truth is when these things befell me, i was afraid that some evil minded men like to Potiphar's wife, seeing mine innocency, and more faithful to you▪ my Husband, than themselves, had complained against me without cause, and this I could hardly bear, for by this means our great adversaries, the devil and Pope, laboured to sow contentions, and jealousies between us and this is that which will be a means to undo us both when your Majesty (which is become my head, and husband) speaks kindly unto me, and is ruled by those that love us both my heart is inflamed, with a love unto you, but when your Ministers abuse yo●●●ajesties kindness, and become tyrants to their fellow Ser●●nts, yea when they shall go about to justify themselves, and lay all their villainy upon your majesty, this i can hardly bear, for by this means i am deprived of my marriage bed, and of my wonted society, and am troubled within myself, when I see your Majesty (which is become my head and husband) strange unto me, but I hope every former breach will unite love the stronger wher●fore being now reconciled to your Commons, Feast, Live Love, and die together, and be more firm in your near union, than ever divided in your hearty unkindness, so shall you meet in the end and never Part, but be like Rachel and Leah, which two▪ built up the house of Israel, you are now in the way, and it is said▪ Genesis 24, 27. That whilst the Servant of Abraham was in the way, God blessed him, the same God bless you, and for your comfort, and encouragement▪ know, by so much shall you grow to perfection, by how much you draw near to unity, I confess had the Balaacs' and Baalam's of our times been so evil as they would have been, the world had been overrun with evil, but such is the wisdom of God, that ofttimes he hides from evil men those times and seasons, that might prove prejudicial to his people, so when Saul sought for David, it is true the good God might have destroyed the Baalam's and wicked Saul's of our times, but many times he will not, for God hath something more for them to do, and it is not so much glory to God to take away wicked men, as to use their evil to his own holy purposes, and gaineth many times more glory by working good by evil Instruments, then by destroying of them presently in their wicked purposes, for it is a true maxim, that it sufficeth a good man▪ that here resisteth the evil actions of the wicked, whilst they love their persons. I confess, our Balaam's and our Saul's, had gone very far, but in some things God permits in indignation, not for that he gives leave to the Act, but that he gives a man over to the sin in the Act, and yet this sufferance employs not favour but judgement, and God is contented the devil should win himself credit (sometimes) where he means to judge, I confess our Saul's and our Baalam's like Cisera, trusted in their strength, but like Cisera many of them run away, yet in spite of them all, the Lord hath made a seasonable and hopeful provision for his people. It is too true by the means of our Saul's, your Majesty became to your people and Commons, as the angel was unto Gydeon, and so made them afraid, but like the angel that made Gydeon afraid, your Majesty hath returned to their comfort, and as God he useth, where he loves▪ he employs, and like Christ himself you are now willing to enjoy them b● a willing contract, and not by 〈◊〉, and by this means you appear now unto your people like Moses, who had more glory by his Vale, then by his face, and I do no● doubt but when all things shall be made manifest, but that one faithful DAVID will be in more 〈◊〉 with your Majesty; then either the Saul's or Baalam's 〈…〉 is true, by the means of our Saul's the crown 〈◊〉 become full of cares, and your Majesty 〈◊〉 almost been wearied by them, would fain now take some rest, and that your Majesty may rest, i will with Jacob give God no rest until he have blessed you, wherefore being now reconciled unto your Commons, you will become as sweet and pleasant to the Church, and the three kingdoms, as the Tree that God showed to Moses, which when he cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet (which formerly were bitter) i know that thankfulness and love, can do more with good men, than merit or necessity, and me thinks I see you like our Saviour who thirsted after the salvation of Mankind, and i believe it was not so much out of dryness as out of love, go you and do so likewise, knowing that modest beginnings, and hopeful proceedings makes happy endings, and for your comfort know, that God whose battles you fight, will provide a due reward, and so i commend the saying of Solomon unto you, Eccles. 9.10. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, for there is no work nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest.  
FINIS.