TWO WORTHY SPEECHES Spoken in the Honourable House OF COMMONS, By Sir Benjamin Rudyard, At several times.   printer's or publisher's device 
London, Printed for Antony Vincent, and are to be sold in the old Bailie. 1643.   

Two Speeches spoken by Sir Benjamin Rudyard, in the High Court of Parliament.  
Mr. SPEAKER,  
I Do verily believe, that the Vote we have already passed for the Disbanding the Armies the first and tenth of March, will find us no further on our way, then where we now are, besides the ill Accidents that may happen, and so much precious time spent, as till then.  
Sir, The Main Business is, whether we shall have a present Treaty or no? and this concerns us in all that we Have and Are, since we Refused a Treaty at Nottingham, I do not find that we have gotten much ground, although our Army then was fresh, full, and full paid: the people erect, bountiful, and forward to the war. Now the Disposition of the Kingdom, for the greatest part, stands bend toward a Peace: so that wheresoever the Refusal or Delay of the way to it shall be fixed, the Disadvantage will fall on that side. How clear soever the intentions of the House are, yet abroad it will be taken but as a show without Reality, and so it will be returned upon us.  
For the Propositions, I have not known nor heard, that all the Propositions in any Treaty of Importance, were ever swallowed whole. If some be harsh and rough, they may be wrought and suppled by wise Treaters, made fit for an acceptable agreement. If other be unpassable, they may be totally rejected. Those that are our unquestionable Rights may be so claimed and held.  
Mr. Speaker, We have already tasted the bitter bloody fruits of war, we are grown exceedingly behindhand with ourselves since we began it: if we persist, there will such a confluence of Mischiefs break in upon us, as I am afraid will ruin the King, the Kingdom, the Nation; unless God be merciful to us, and do step in with a great Miracle, for a little one will not serve our turn.  
I have long and thoughtfully expected, that the cup of trembling which hath gone round about us to other Nations, would at length come in amongst us. It is now come at last, and we may drink the Dregs of it, the worst; Which God divert.  
There is yet some comfort left, that our Miseries are not likely to last long. For we cannot fight here as they do in Germany, in that great, large, vast continent: where although there be war in some parts of it, yet there are many other remote quiet places, for trade and tillage to support it. We must fight as in a Cockpit, we are surrounded with the Sea. We have no stronger Holds than our own Sculls and our own Ribs, to keep out our enemies; so that the whole Kingdom will suddenly be but one flame.  
It hath been said in this House, that we are bound in conscience to punish the shedding of innocent blood: but Sir, who shall be answerable for all the innocent blood which shall be spilt hereafter, if we do not endeavour a Peace, by a speedy Treaty? Certainly, God is as much to be trusted in a Treaty as in a war: it is He that gives wisdom to treat, as well as courage to fight, and success to both, as it pleaseth Him. Blood is a crying sin, it pollutes a Land: why should we defile this Land any longer?  
Wherefore Mr. Speaker, Let us stint Blood assoon as we can. Let us agree with our Adversaries in the way, by a present, short, wary Treaty. God direct us.   

A Speech spoken in the Honourable House of Commons by Sir Benjamin Rudyard.  
Mr. Speaker,  
IN the way we are, we have gone as fare as words can carry us: We have voted our own Rights and the King's Duty: No doubt there is a Relative Duty between a King and Sbujects; Obedience from a Subject to a King, protection from a King to His. The present unhappy distance between people His Majesty and the Parliament, makes the whole Kingdom stand amazed, in a fearful expectation of dismal Calamities to fall upon it: It deeply and conscionably concerns this house to compose and settle these threatening, ruining distractions. Mr. Speaker, I am touched, I am pierced with an apprehension of the Honour of the House, and success of this Parliament. The best way to give a stop to these desperate imminent mischiefs is, to make a fair way for the Kings return hither; It will likewise give best satisfaction to the People, and will be our best Justification. Mr. Speaker, that we may the better consider the condition we are now in, let us set ourselves three years back: If any man than could have credibly told us that within three Years the Queen shall be gone out of England into the Low-Countries, for any cause whatsoever, The King shall remove from his Parliament, from London to York, declaring himself not to be safe here, That there shall be a total Rebellion in Ireland, Such discords and distempers both in Church and State here, as now we find; certainly, we should have trembled at the thought of it: Wherefore it is fit we should be sensible now we are in it.  
On the other side, If any man than could have credibly told us, That within three years ye shall have a Parliament, it would have been good news; That ship-money shall be taken away by an act of Parliament, the Reasons and grounds of it so rooted out, as that neither it nor any thing like, it can ever grow up again; That Monopolies, that the high-Commission Court, the Star Chamber, the Bishop's Votes shall be taken away, the Council-table regulated and restrained, The Forests bounded and limited, that ye shall have a triennial Parliament; and more than that, A Perpetual Parliament, which none shall have power to dissolve without yourselves, we should have thought this a dream of happiness; yet now we are in the real possession of it, we do not enjoy it, although his Majesty hath promised and published he will make all this good to us we stand chief upon further security; whereas the very having of these things, is a convenient fair security, mutually securing one another: there is more security offered, even in this last answer of the Kings, by removing the personal Votes of popish Lords, the better education of Papists children, by supplying the defects of Law against Recusants, besides what else may be enlarged and improved by a select Committee of both Houses named for that purpose. Therefore Sir, let us beware we do not contend for such a hazardous unsafe security, as may endanger the loss of what we have already; let us not think we have nothing, because we have not all we desire; and though we had, yet we cannot make a Mathematical security; All humane Caution is Susceptible of corruption and failing; God's providence will not be bound, success must be his: he that observes the wind and rain, shall neither sow nor reap; if he do nothing till he can secure the weather, he will have but an ill harvest.  
Mr. Speaker, it now behoves us to call up all the wisdom we have about us, for we are at the very brink of combustion and confusion: If blood once begin to touch blood, we shall presently fall into a certain misery, and must attend an uncertain success, God knows when, and God knows what. Every man here is bound in conscience to employ his uttermost endeavours to prevent the effusion of blood; blood is a crying sin, it pollutes a Land; let us save our Liberties, and our Estates, as we may save our souls too. Now I have clearly delivered mine own conscience, I leave every man freely to his.  
FINIS.