Mr. Grimston's SPEECH, IN THE HIGH Court of PARLIAMENT.  
LONDON, Printed for Thomas Walkely and are to be sold at his shop at the flying Horse near York House. 1641.   

Mr. GRIMSTONS. SPEECH, In the High Court of PARLIAMENT.  
Mr. SPEAKER.  
THese Petitions which have been now read, they are all Remonstrances of the general and universal grievances and distempers that are now in the State and Government of the Church and commonwealth, and they are not them alone: But his majesty's gracious Expressions the first day of Parliament, that calls me up to speak at this present, contrary to my own Intentions.  
Mr. Speaker, his Majesty, who is the head of the body politic, and the Father of the commonwealth, hath complained first, declaring his sensibleness of our sufferings, and amongst other things, hath put us in mind of our grievances, and hath freely left it to ourselves (for our redress and repair therein) to begin and end, as we shall think fit. And this draws me on with much cheerfulness and zeal to contribute my poor endeavours to so great a work.  
And Mr. Speaker, I conceive it will not be altogether impertinent for your direction and guidance in that great place, which by the favour of his Majesty, and this House you now possess, a little to recollect ourselves in the remembrance of what was done the last Parliament, and where we ended.  
It will likewise be very considerable what hath been done since that Parliament, and who they are that have been the Authors and Causers of all our miseries and distractions, both before and sithence.  
Mr. Speaker, the last Parliament, as soon as the House was settled, a Subsidiary aid and supply was propounded, and many Arguments used to give the precedency before all other matters and Considerations whatsoever.  
On the other side, a multitude of Complaints and Grievances of all sorts; as well concerning our eternal as our temporal estates were presented and put in the other balance: The wisdom of that great council weighing both indifferently, and looking not only upon the dangers than threatened from SCOTLAND (which are now upon us) but likewise taking into their consideration the Condition and Constitution of the present government here at home, concluded that they were in no capacity to give, unless their grievances were first redressed and removed.  
For Mr. Speaker, it than was, and still is, most manifest and apparent, that by some judgements lately obtained in Court of Justice, and by some new ways of Government lately started up amongst us; the Law of property is so much shaken, that no man can say he is master of any thing: But all that we have, we hold as Tenants by courtesy, and at will, and may be stripped of it at pleasure.  
Yet Mr. Speaker, desirous to give his Majesty all possible satisfaction and contentment, as well in the manner of supply for expedition, as in the substance and matter of it, we confined and limited ourselves but to three particulars only, and to such matters as properly and naturally should have reference and relation to those 3. heads.  

1. The first was the privileges of Parliament.  
2. The second mattees of Religion.  
3. The third, the propriety of our goods and Estates.   
And we began with the first, as the great ark, in which the other two, Religion and property are included and preserved.  
Mr. Speaker, the violations complained of the last Parliament, touching our privileges, were of two sorts; either such as had been done out of Parliament.  
Concerning the violations of the first sort, it was resolved by vote, that the Speaker refusing to put a question, being thereunto required by the House.  
Or to adjourn the house upon any command whatsoever, without the consent and approbation of the House itself; were breaches and violations that highly impeached our privileges.  
And having passed the vote, i conceive it were fit we should now proceed a little further, and consider of a way how to be repaired against them that have been the violators: For Execution does animare Legem. The putting of an old Law in Execution, you know Mr. Speaker, does oftentimes do more good than the making of a new one.  
As concerning the violations of the other sort, done out of Parliament in Courts of Justice, and at the counsel board, where neither our persons nor our proceeding aught to have been controlled or meddled withal; And as concerning matters of Religion, and the property of our goods and estates, there were divers things then likewise agreed upon by vote, whereupon a conference was desired to have been had with the Lords: But what interjections and rubs we met withal by the way, and how the Lords countervote the precedency of our grievances. And how our Speaker was taken away from amongst us, and what an unhappy conclusion we had at the last. The remembrance of it were a subject too sad to begin another Parliament withal.  
Therefore Mr. Speaker, I shall pass from what was done the last Parliament and come to what hath been done since that Parliament ended.  
Mr Speaker, there are some worthy Gentlemen now of this house that were members of the last Parliament, that carried themselves in the matters and businesses then and there agitated and debated, with great wisdom and unexampled moderation. But what had they at last for all their pains in attending the public strince of the commonwealth, As soon as ever the Parliament was ended, their studies and pockets were searched as if they had been Fellones and traitors, and they committed to several goals with an intention i am confident of their utter ruin and destruction, had they not foreseen a danger approaching; For Mr. Speaker, if i be truly informed an information was drawn, or at least, directions given for the drawing of it, against them in the star-chamber.  
Mr. Speaker, there hath been since the last Parliament a Synod, and in that Synod a new Oath hath been made and framed, and enjoined to be taken.  
Mr. Speaker, they might as well have made a new Law, and enjoined the execution of that, as enjoined and urged the taking of the other, not being established by Act of Parliament and in point of mischief, the safety of the commonwealth, and the freedom and liberties of the Subject are more concerned in the doing of the one then if they had done the other.  
The next exception i shall take to it, is to the matter contained in the oath itself.  
Mr. Speaker, they would have us at the very first dash swear in a damnable heresy, that matters necessary to salvation are contained in the Discipline of our Church.  
Whereas Mr. Speaker, it hath ever been the tenet of our Church, that all things necessary to salvation are comprehended and contained in the Doctrine of our Church only; And that hath always been used as an Argument until this very present, against Antidisciplinarians, to stop their mouths withal; And therefore that for that reason they might with the less regret and offence conform and submit themselves to the Discipline of our Church.  
And Mr. Speaker, for prevention in case the wisdom of the state in this great counsel, should at any time think fit to alter any thing in the government of our Church, they would anticipate and forestall our judgements, by making us swear beforehand, that we would never give our consent to any alteration.  
Nay Mr. Speaker, they go a little further, for they would have us swear that the government of the Church by Archbishops, Bishops, Deans, Archdeacons, &c. is Iure divino, Their words are, as of right it ought to stand; Whereas Mr. Speaker, we meet not with the name of an Archbishop, or a Dean, or an Archdeacon in all the new Testament; And whatsoever may be said of the Function of Bishops it is one thing: But for their Jurisdiction it is merely Humana institutione, and they must thank the King for it.  
As for their gross, absurd, &c. wherein they would have men swear they know neither what, nor how many fathom deep: There is neither Divinity nor charity in it, and yet they would put that upon us.  
Mr. Speaker, what they meant and intended by this new Oath, and their book of Canons, and their book of Articles, which they would have our churchwardens sworn unto, to inquire of, and to present thereupon, i must confess I know not, unless they had a purpose therein to blow up the Protestant Religion and all the faithful professors of it, and to advance their hierarchy a step higher which I suppose we all fear is high enough already.  
Mr. Speaker, they have likewise in this Synod granted a benevolence, but the nature of the things agrees not with the name, for in plain English it is six Subsidies to be paid by the clergy in six years: And the penalty they have imposed upon the refusers, for non payment, is to be deprived of their Functions, to be stripped of their freehold, and to be excommunicated, and this Act of their Synod is not published amongst their Canons, for which they might have some colourable seeming authority: But it comes out, in a book alone by itself in the Latin tongue, supposing as I conceive that laymen are as ignorant as they would have them; And thus they think they dance in a Net  
And as in this, so in most of their new Canons if they be throughly considered, any Judicious man may easily discern and perceive, that they do therein like watermen that look one way and row another, they pretend one thing but intend nothing less; And certainly Mr. Speaker in this they have flown a high pitch; For a Synod called together upon pretence of reconciling and settling Controversies and matters in Religion to take upon them the boldness thus out of Parliament to grant Subsidies and to meddle with men's freeholds, I dare say the like was never heard of before, and they that durst do this will do worse if the current of their raging Tyranny be not stopped in time.  
Who are they (Mr. Speaker) that have countenanced and cherished Popery and Arminianism to that growth and height it is now come to, in this kingdom?  
Who are they (Mr. Speaker) that have given encouragement to those that have boldly preached those damnable Heresies in our Pulpits.  
Who are they (Mr. Speaker) that have given authority and licence to them that have published those Heresies in print?  
Who are they (Mr. Speaker,) that of late days have been advanced to any dignity or preferment in the Church, but such as have been notoriously suspicious, in their Disciplines, corrupt in their Doctrines, and for the most part, vicious in their lives?  
And who are they (Mr. Speaker) that have overthrown our two great Charters Magna Charta, and Charta de Forresta?  
What imposition hath been laid down or what monopoly hath been damned in any Court of Justice since the last Parliament.  
Hath not ship-money, coal and conduct money, and money for other military charges, been collected and levied, with as great violence as ever they were, in violation of our liberties, confirmed unto us in our Petition of Right; notwithstanding all our supplications and complaints the last Parliament.  
And who are they Mr. Speaker, that have caused all those dangerous Convulsions, and all the desperate unnatural bloody distempers, that are now in our body politic?  
Mr. Speaker, i will tell you a passage: i heard from a Judge in the Kings-Bench. There was a poor man committed by the Lords, for refusing to submit unto a project, and having attended a long time at the Kings-Bench bar, upon his Habeas Corpus; and at last pressing very earnestly to be bailed. The Judge said to the rest of his brethren, come Brothers (said he) let us bail him, for they begin to say in the town, that the Judges have overthrown the Law, and the Bishops the gospel.  
Mr. Speaker, I would not be misunderstood in what i have said; for there are some of both, functions and professions, that i highly honour & reverence in my heart, for their wisdoms and integrities. But Mr. Speaker, i may say it; for I am sure we have all felt it, that there are some of both functions and professions, that have been the Authors and causers of all the Miseries, ruins, and Calamities that are now upon us.  
Mr. Speaker, This is the Age; This is the Age (Mr. Speaker) that hath produced and brought forth Achitophels, Hammans Wolsey's, Empsons', and Dudleys, Tricilians, and Belknapps Vipers and Monsters of all sorts. And i doubt not, but when his Majesty shall be truly informed of such matters, as we are able to charge them withal; we shall have the same Justice against these, which heretofore hath been against their predecessors, in whose wicked steps they have trodden.  
And therefore Mr. Speaker, to put ourselves into a way for our redress and relief, i conceive it were fit that a Committee might be named to take these Petitions, that have now been read, and all others of the like nature into their considerations, to the end, that the parties grieved, may have just repair for their grievances; and that out of them, laws may be contrived, and framed for the preventing of the like mischiefs, for the future.  
FJNJS.