HIS MAJESTY'S MESSAGE Concerning Licences granted to persons going into IRELAND.  
And the ANSWER of the House of COMMONS.  
With His Majesty's Reply to the House of COMMONS Answer.  
LONDON: Printed by ROBERT BARKER, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majesty: And by the Assigns of JOHN BILL. 1641.   


C R  HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE DIEV ET MON DROIT  royal blazon or coat of arms  
❧ His Majesty's Message sent to the House of Commons, concerning Licences granted by His Majesty to several persons to pass into Ireland.  
HIs Majesty taking notice of a Speech, pretending in the Title, to have been delivered by Mr Pym in a Conference, and printed by Order of the House of Commons, in which it is affirmed, That since the stop upon the Ports against all Irish Papists by both Houses, many of the chief Commanders, now in the head of the Rebels, have been suffered to pass by His Majesty's immediate Warrant; And being very certain of having used extreme Caution in the granting of Passports into Ireland; So that He conceives, either this Paper not to have been so delivered and printed as it pretends, or this House to have received some misinformation;  
His Majesty would be resolved, whether this Speech were so delivered and Printed; and if it were, would have this House to review upon what Informations that particular was grounded, that either that may be found upon re-examination to have been false, and both this House and His Majesty injured by it, or that His Majesty may know by what means, and by whose fault, His Authority hath been so highly abused, as to be made to conduce to the assistance of that Rebellion, which He so much detests and abhors, and that He may see Himself fully vindicated from all reflections of the least suspicion of that kind.   

¶ The Answer of the House of Commons.  
YOur Majesty's most loyal and faithful Subjects, the Commons now assembled in Parliament, have taken into their serious Consideration the Message received from your Majesty the seventh of this instant February, and do acknowledge that the Speech therein mentioned to be delivered by Master Pym in a Conference, was Printed by their Order, and that what was therein delivered, was agreeable to the sense of the House. And touching that passage wherein it is affirmed, That since the stop upon the Ports against all Irish Papists by both Houses, many of the chief Commanders now in the head of the Rebels, have been suffered to pass by your Majesty's immediate warrant, They present your Majesty with this their humble Answer,  
That they have received divers advertisements, concerning the several persons, Irish Papists and others, which have obtained your Majesty's immediate Warrants for their passing into Ireland since the Order of Restraint of both Houses; some of which (as they have been informed) since their coming into Ireland, have joined with the Rebels and been Commanders amongst them, and some others have been stayed, and are yet in safe custody, particularly the Lord Delvin, and four other persons in his company, whereof one is thought to be a Priest: One Colonel Butler brother to the Lord Minyart now in Rebellion, and Sir George Hamilton, all which are Papists: and one other (as is reported) being son of the Lord Nettersfield, whose father and brother are both in Rebellion. The particular names of others we have not yet received, but doubt not but upon Examination they may be discovered.  
And your Majesty's most Faithful Subjects are very sorry, That the extreme Caution which your Majesty hath used, hath been so ill seconded, with the diligence and faithfulness of your Ministers, and that your Royal Authority should be so highly abused; Although, as it was expressed in that Speech by Master Pym, we believe it was by the procurement of some evil Instruments too near your Royal Person, without your Majesty's Knowledge and Intention. And we beseech your Majesty to take such course, That not only your Honour may be vindicated for the time passed, but your Kingdom may be secured from the like mischief for the time to come.   

His Majesty's Reply to the House of Commons Answer, Concerning Licences granted by the King to persons to go into Ireland.  
AS His Majesty hath expressed a great desire to give His House of Commons all possible satisfaction to all their just Requests, and a readiness to rectify or retract any thing done by Himself, which might seem to trench upon their Privileges by any mistake of His, so He doubts not they will be ready upon all occasions to manifest an equal tenderness and regard of His Majesty's Honour and Reputation with His good Subjects▪ and therefore His Majesty expects they should review His Message of the seventh of this Month, concerning a passage in Master Pyms Speech, and their Answer sent to His Majesty by some of their Members on the tenth of the same, with which His Majesty can by no means rest satisfied.  
His Majesty's Exception in that Message was, that it was affirmed in that Speech, That since the stop upon the Ports against all Irish Papists, by both Houses, many of the chief Commanders now in the head of the Rebels, have been suffered to pass by His Majesty's immediate Warrant.   

To this the Answer is:  
THat the Speech mentioned in that Message to be delivered by Master Pym, was Printed by their Order, and that what was therein delivered was agreeable to the sense of the House: that they have received divers Advertisements concerning several persons, Irish Papists and others, who have obtained His Majesty's immediate Warrant for their passing into Ireland, since the Order of Restraint of both Houses, some of which, they have been informed, since their coming into Ireland, have joined with the Rebels, and been Commanders amongst them.  
His Majesty is most assured, no such person hath passed by His Warrant or Privity, and then he desires His House of Commons to consider, whether such a general Information and Advertisement (in which there is not so much as the name of any particular person mentioned) be ground enough for such a direct and positive Affirmation, as is made in that Speech, which in respect of the place and Person, and being now acknowledged to be agreeable to the sense of the House, is of that authority that His Majesty may suffer in the Affections of many of His good Subjects, and fall under a possible construction (considering many scandalous pamphlets to such a purpose) of not being sensible enough of that Rebellion, so horrid and odious to all Christians, by which, in this distraction, such a danger might possibly ensue to His Majesty's Person and Estate, as he is well assured His House of Commons will use their utmost endeavours to prevent. And therefore His Majesty thinks it very necessary, and expects that they name those persons, who by His Majesty's Licence have passed into Ireland, and are now there in the head of the Rebels; Or that if upon their re-examination they do not find particular Evidence to prove that Assertion (as His Majesty is confident they never can) as this Affirmation which may reflect upon His Majesty, is very public, so they will publish such a Declaration whereby that mistake may be discovered, His Majesty being the more tender in that particular, which hath Reference to Ireland, as being most assured that He hath been, and is, from His Soul, resolved to discharge His Duty (which God will require at His hands) for the belief of His poor Protestant Subjects there, and the utter rooting out that Rebellion; So that Service hath not suffered any, but necessary delays by any act of His Majesties, for the want of any thing proposed to His Majesty, or within His Majesty's power to do.  
For the persons named in the Answer, His Majesty saith that Colonel Butler, and the son of the Lord Nettersfield, obtained His Warrants for their passage into Ireland, at His Majesty's being in Scotland, which was long (as His Majesty thinks) before the Order of both Houses: His Majesty knowing the former of them to be one who hath always made Professions to His Service, and to be Uncle to the Earl of Ormond, of whose affection to the Protestant Religion, and His Majesty's Service, His Majesty hath great cause to be assured? And the latter being a person of whom, at that time, there was no suspicion to His Majesty's knowledge. For the other, it may be they have obtained Warrants from His Majesty since the said Order; but His Majesty assures the Parliament that He had no intimation of such an Order, till after stay made of Sir George Hamilton, who was the last that had any Licence from His Majesty to pass for Ireland  
And His Majesty having since this Answer from the House of Commons used all possible incans, by the examining His own Memory, and the Notes of His Secretaries, to find what Warrants have been granted by Him, and to what persons, doth not find, That He hath granted any to any Irish, but those who are named by the House of Commons, and in December last to the Earl of Saint Alban, and to two of his servants, and to one Walter Terrell a poor man, they being such as His Majesty is assured are not with the Rebels, and much less chief Commanders over them. And though it may be, the Persons named by the House of Commons are Papists, yet His Majesty at that time thought it not fit, in respect of their Alliance in that Kingdom, to such Persons of great power, of whom His Majesty hoped well, to discover any suspicion of them, the Lords justices having declared by their Letters (which Letters were not disapproved of by the Parliament here) that they were so far from owning a public jealousy of all Papists there, that they had thought fit to put Arms into the hands of divers Noble men of the Pale of that Religion, who made Professions to His Majesty's Service, and desired the same. And since so great a trust reposed in some of the Lords of that Religion was not disapproved by the Parliament here, His Majesty could not imagine it unsafe or unfit for Him to give Licences to some few to pass into that Kingdom, who, though Papists, professed due Allegiance and Loyalty to His Majesty.  
And therefore unless the first Affirmation of the House of Commons can be made good by some particulars, His Majesty doth not know that His Ministers have failed in their diligence and faithfulness to His Majesty in this point, or that His honour hath suffered so much by any Act of His own, as that it needs be vindicated for the time passed by any other way then such a Declaration which He expects from this House, as in Duty and justice due to His Majesty.   
FINIS.