NEWS from DUNKIRK-HOUSE: Or, CLARENDON'S Farewell to England.  
In his seditious Address to the Right Honourable the House of Peers, Decemb. 3. 1667. Which was afterwards, according to the Sentence and Judgement of both Houses of Parliament, burnt by the hand of the Common Hangman, in the presence of the two Sheriffs, with a great and signal Applause of the People, December 12. 1667.  
To the Right Honourable, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, in Parliament Assembled: The Humble Petition and Address of Edward Earl of Clarendon. May it please your Lordships:  
I Cannot express the insupportable trouble and grief of mind I sustain under the apprehension of being misrepresented to your Lordships. And when I hear how much of your Lordship's time hath been spent upon the mention of Me, as it is attended with more publ●ck consequence, and of the difference in opinion, which hath already, or may probably arise, betwixt your Lordships and the honourable House of Commons, whereby the great and weighty affairs of the Kingdom may be obstructed, in a time of so general dissatisfaction. I am very unfortunate to find myself to suffer so much under two very disadvantageous Reflections, which are in no degree applicable to Me.  

The first, From the greatness of my Estate and Fortune, collected and made in so few years; which if it be proportionable to what is reported, may give reasonable cause for my Integrity to be suspected.  
The second, That I have been the sole Manager and chief Ministex of all the Transactions of State since the Kings Return into England, to August last; and therefore that all Miscarriages and Misfortunes ought to be imputed to me and to my Counsels.   
Concerning my Estate, your Lordships will not believe that after Malice and Envy have been so inquisitive, so sharp-sighted, I will offer any thing to your Lordships, but what is exactly true: And I do assure your Lordships in the first place, That (excepting the King's Bounty) I have never received or taken one penny, but what was generally understood to be the just and lawful perquisits of my Office, by the constant practice of the best of Times, which I do (in my own Judgement) conceive to be that of my Lord Coventry, and my Lord Ethesmere, the Practice of which I constantly observed; although the Office in both their times was lawfully worth double to what it was to me, and I do believe now i●.  
That all the Courtesies and Favours which I have been able to obtain from the King, or other Persons, in Church, State, or Westminster-Hall, have never been worth me five pounds; so that your Lordships may be confident I am as innocent from Corruption, as from any disloyal thoughts, which after near thirty years' service of the Crown, in some difficulties and distress, I did never suspect would have been objected to me in mine Age. And I do assure your Lordships, and will make it very manifest, that the several sums of Money, and some parcels of Land, which His Majesty hath bountifully bestowed upon me since His Return into England, are worth more than all I have amounts unto; so far I am from advancing my Estate by any indirect means. And though this Bounty of His Majesty hath very far exceeded my Merits, or my Expectations; yet some others have been as fortunate, at least in the same Bounty, who had as small pretences to it, and have no great reason to envy my Condition.  
Concerning the other imputation of the Credit and Power of being chief Minister, and so causing all to be done that I had a mind to do, I have no more to say than, That I had the good fortune to serve a Master of very great Judgement and Understanding, and to be always joined with persons of great Ability and Experience; without whose Advise and Concurrence, never any thing hath been done.  
Before his Majesty's coming into England, he was constantly attended by the Marquis of Ormond, the late Lord Culpepper, and Mr. Secretary Nicholas, who were equally trusted with myself, and without whose joint Advice and Concurrence, when they were all present, (as some of them always were) I never gave any Counsel.  
Assoon as it pleased God to bring his Majesty into England, he established his Privy-Councel, and shortly out of them a number of Honourable Persons of great Reputation (who for the most part are alive still) as a Committee for foreign Affairs, and consideration of such things, as the nature of them require much secrecy: And with these persons he vouchsafed to join me, and I am confident the Committee never transacted any thing of moment (his Majesty being always present) without presenting the same to the Councel-Board: And I must appeal to them concerning my carriage, and whether we were not all of one mind in all matters of Importance: For more than two years I never knew any difference in the Council, or that there were any complaints in the Kingdom: which I wholly impute to his Majesty's great Wisdom; and the entire concurrence of his Council; without the vanity of assuming any thing to myself: And therefore, I hope I shall not be singly charged with any thing that hath since fallen out Amiss.  
But from the time that Mr. Secretary Nicholas was removed from his place, there were great alterations; and whosoever knew any thing of the Court or Council, knew well how much my credit since that time hath been diminished, (though his Majesty graciously vouchsafed still to have my Advice in most of his Affairs) Nor hath there been from that time to this, above one or two persons brought into the Council, or preferred to any considerable Office in the Court; who have been of my intimate acquaintance, or suspected to have any kindness for me; but most of them known to have been very long my enemies, and of different Judgement and Principles from me, both in Church and State and who have taken all opportunities to have lessened my credit to the King; and with all other Persons by misrepresenting, and misreporting all that I said or did: and persuading men that I had done them some prejudice with his Majesty, or crossed them in some of their pretences, though his Majesty's Goodness and Justice was such, that it made little Impression upon him.  
In my humble opinion, the great misfortunes of the Kingdom have proceeded from the War, to which it was notoriously known, that I was always most averse; and may without vanity say, I did not only foresee, but I did declare the mischiefs we should run into, by entering into War before any Alliance with the Neighbour Princes: And that it may not be imputed to his Majesty's want of care, or the negligence of his Councillors, that no such Alliances were entered into; I must take the boldness to say, that his Majesty left nothing unattempted in order thereunto: And knowing very well that France resolved to begin War upon Spain assoon as his Catholic Majesty should depart this World; which being much sooner expected by them, they had in the two Winters before been at great 〈…〉 Spaniards with that apprehension, offering his friendship to that degree, as might be for the security and benefit of both Crowns: But Spain flattering itself that France would not break with them; at least that they would not give them any cause, by administering matter of Jealousy to them: never made any real approach towards Friendship with his Majesty, but both by their Ambassadors here, and to his Majesty's Ambassadors at Madrid, always insisted as Preliminaries, upon the giving up of Dunkirk, Tangier, & jamaica.  
But France had an Ambassador here, to whom a Projecto for a Treaty was offered, and the Lord Hollis his Majesty's Ambassador at Paris used all endeavours to promote and prosecute the said Treaty, yet it was quickly discerned that the principal design of France, was to draw his Majesty into such a nearer Alliance, as might advance the design, without which, they had no mind to enter into the Treaty proposed.  
And this was the state of Affairs, when the War was entered into with the Dutch; from which time, neither concerned themselves with the making of Alliance with England.  
As I did from my Soul abhor the entering into this War, so I never presumed to give any Advice or Counsel for the way of managing it, but by opposing any Propositions which seemed to the late Lord Treasurer, and myself, to be unreasonable; as the payment of the Seamen with Tickets; and many other particulars which added to the expense.  
My enemies took all occasions to inveigh against me, and making Friendship with others out of the Council of more Licentious Principles, as who knew well enough how much I disliked and complained of the Liberty they took to themselves of reviling all Counsel, and Councillors, and turning all things serious and secret into Ridicule: They took all ways imaginable to render me ungrateful to all sorts of men (whom I shall be compelled to name in my own defence) persuading those that miscarried in any of their designs, that it was the Chancellor's doing; whereof I never knew any thing.  
However they could not withdraw the King's Favour from me; who was sti●l pleased to use my service with others; nor was there ever any thing done but upon the joint advice of at least the major part of those that were concerned. And as his Majesty commanded my service in the late Treaties, so I never gave the least advice in private, nor wrote one Letter to any person in any of those Negotiations, but upon the advice of the Council; and after it was read in Council, or at least by the King himself, and some other. And if I prepared any Instructions or Memorials, it was by the King's command, and the request of the Secretaries, who desired my assistance: Nor was it any wish of mine own, that any Ambassador should give me account of the Transactions; but to the Secretaries, with whom I was always ready to advise: Nor am I conscious to myself of ever having given advice that hath proved Mischievous or Inconvenient to his Majesty: and I have been so far from being the sole Manager of Affairs, that I have not in the whole last year, been above twice with his Majesty in any Room alone; and very seldom in the two or three years preceding.  
And since the Parliament at Oxford, it hath been very visible that my credit hath been very little, and that very few things have been harkened unto; which have been proposed by me, but contradicted, eo nomine, because proposed by me.  
I most humbly beseech your Lordships to remember the Office and Trust I had for seven years; in which, in discharge of my Duty, I was obliged to stop and obstruct many men's pretences, and to refuse to set the Seal to many men's Pardons, and other Grants, which would have been profitable to them which procured them; and many whereof, upon my representation to His Majesty, were for ever stopped: Which naturally have raised many Enemies to me.  
And my frequent concurring with the late Lord Treasurer, with whom I had the honour to have a long and a fast friendship to his death, in presenting several Excesses and Exorbitances, (the yearly issue so far exceeding the Revenue) provoked many persons concerned, of great power and credit, to do me all the ill-Offices they could. And yet I may faithfully say, That I never meddled with any part of the Revenue, or the Administrations of it, but when I was desired by the late Lord Treasurer to give him my assistance and advice (having had the honour to serve the Crown as Chancellor of the Exchequer) which was for the most part in His Majesty's presence.  
Nor have I ever been in the least degree concerned in point of profit, in the letting any part of his Majesty's Revenue; nor have ever treated or debated it, but in his Majesty's presence; in which my opinion only concurred always with the major part of the Counselors who were present.  
All which, upon Examination will be made manifest to your Lordships, how much soever my Integrity is blasted by the malice of those, who I am confident, do not believe themselves. Nor have I in my Life, upon all the Treaties, or otherwise, received to the value of one shilling from all the Kings and Princes in the World, (except the Books of the Lovure Print, sent me by the Chancellor of France, by that King's direction) but from my own Master; to whose entire service, and to the good and welfare of my Country, no man's heart was ever more devoted.  
This being my present Condition, I do most humbly beseech your Lordships to retain a favourable Opinion of me, and to believe me to be innocent from those foul Aspersions, until the contrary shall be proved; which I am sure can never be, by any Men worthy to be believed. And since the distemper of the Time, and the difference between the Two Houses in the present Debate, with the Power and Malice of my Enemies, who give out, That they shall prevail with his Majesty to Prorogue or Dissolve this Parliament in Displeasure, and threaten to expose me to the Rage and Fury of the People; may make me looked upon as the Cause which obstructs the King's Service, and the Unity and Peace of the Kingdom: I must humbly beseech your Lordships, that I may not forfeit your Lordship's Favour and Protection, by withdrawing myself from so powerful a Prosecution; in hopes I may be able by such withdrawing, hereafter to appear, and make my Defence: When his May 〈…〉