MY LORD OF PEMBROKE'S SPEECH TO HIS MAJESTY, CONCERNING THE TREATY: Upon the Commissioners arrival at Newport, in the Isle of Wight, Saturday Sept. 16. An. Dom. 1648. taken verbatim by Michael Oldsworth.  
Printed in the Year, 1648.   

My Lord of Pembroke's Speech to His Majesty, etc.  
May it please your Majesty:  
WE are once more sent by the Parliament of England to Treat with you, concerning the settlement of a safe and well grounded peace; but as God shall judge me, I fear to as little purpose it will prove, as that at Uxbridge, or Hampton-Court; yet because of the clamours of the people, we are resolved once more to Treat with you; yet for all we Treat, we would have you think that we scorn to entreat, we are in a better condition than so.  
Damn me, were the rest in my mind, there should not want much Treating; every man hath not the gift of Treating, no more have I, and by-God I think the Propositions are able enough to Treat for themselves; and therefore your Majesty may save the labour of Treating, and sign them, which if you will, so, if not so again; we must return from the place from whence we came, and you again to Carisbroke Castle: Your Majesty cannot say but you are in Freedom, Safety, and Honour, and have your servants about you, and therefore we suddenly expect your Answer: Damn me, the Kingdom must not be remed for a King; we may have more Kings, but we can have no more such Kingdoms; and if your Majesty will still be an Enemy to the Kingdom, the Kingdom must be an Enemy to You, and may, and will depose You, or dispose of You (whom they have made their Steward) at their pleasure, and then elect another.  
You cannot expect the Kingdom to be so tame and cowardly, as to let you strike them, and they not turn again; nor ourselves so simple and foolish (but upon very good conditions) to assist and bring in the Kingdom's Steward, or Viceroy, to fight with, strike and conquer itself: Damn me, I cannot imagine that the Viceroy should be above the Roy, nor that Rex should have any other sense, then to Rule, not Reign: Is a People for a King, or a King for a People?  
What a Pox, are we blind that we cannot understand this? My Lords pray resolve me, whether is the means, or the end King?  
Is not the people Supreme, do they not make a King, and have they not power to mar a King? Whether is Physic or health King? I say REX is Ruler, not King, and so by REX we all are Kings, or none are Kings: If Rulers be unruly, pray who must Rule them? must not the most powerful? and pray who is more powerful than the People, that have so many hands? Therefore in my judgement a King in a Kingdom, is no other than a Lord Mayor of a City; the Mayor is by REX King of the City, in respect of all subordinate's, these are only Titles and no more. Dam, I know I speak against myself, for I writ PHILIP Earl of PEMBROKE, and if I take up Arms and fight against PEMBROKE, and rob and kill them of PEMBROKE, may not the People of PEMBROKE resist me? and am not I a Rebel and Traitor to them▪  
The Lord Mayor is by REX, King of the City; but if my Lord Mayor take up Arms against the City, or rob them by Sea or Land, or Rebel and Traitor them, burn their houses, etc. Is not the Mayor a Traitor, a Rebel, for so doing? I pray you my Liege resolve me.  
But you may object, the Parliament hath wronged you; pray right yourself if you can, without wronging the Kingdom, and then we will say something to you.  
Have not I been wronged, nay wronged by the Parliament, wronged by the City, wronged, laughed, and jeered at by the University of OXFORD; because I acted vigorously according to the Orders of Parliament, fling out Antichrist from his Seat, and set Lambs for innocence, and Doves for wisdom, in their places; but must I wrong the Parliament, the City, the University, for that again, and strike the next man I meet withal? much less my Lord and King the Kingdom.  
My Liege, I pray do not take me for a Traitor, and a Rebel: ●…ds death, I had rather suffer a thousand Deaths, then endanger the death of my Lord and Sovereign the Kingdom; Your Majety must pardon me in that; I will not say to Your Majesty ●s Your own Country men the Scots, that You are the first, and Original Cause of all the bloodshed in the three Kingdoms; But ●●mit you were the first Cause, than those assisting you are the second cause, and so the Scots themselves are the third Cause, who have lately betrayed their Lives, Liberties, and Estates into our hands, and are now our Slaves and Vassals; therefore, etc.  
But for our parts (my Lord) we hope we are more wise, then by such means to foment our own miseries, or by ou● own treachery to forfeit our Lives or Estates, to any but the State itself, and for the State itself: and for my own part am resolved, and so I think are the rest, to fight against any that shall fight against our Sovereign King the Kingdom, who is Your King, my King, and every man's King else.  
Yet notwithstanding all this, the Parliament have so low condescended beneath themselves, unto Your Majesty, that they have made us their COMMISSIONERS to Treat with You; they have recalled their own Votes of making no more Addresses unto You; they have ordered ten thousand pounds for defraying the charge of the Treaty, whereof six thousand pound Your Majesty is to have for the use of yourself, and those assisting about You; and we Commissioners but three thousand pounds: therefore who think you will be gainers? They have sent unto You Dr. REEVE and Dr. DUCK, and I think the Devil and all; 'Zblood, are they not Parties, and must they treat in their own Cause, or must we treat with Parties? My Lords you may do as you will, but I'll do as I list.  
If Your Majesty do suddenly recall all the Declarations, Protestations, and the like, that have proclaimed us Traitors, Rebels, etc. You may; if You will not, You may choose, for I am resolved; for Religion, for all I am Chancellor of OXFORD, it shall never trouble me; I thank GOD I have Religion enough to say my prayers, and for more I care not, but will return it to my Chaplain, or Your Majesty, to do therein as You please: For the MILITIA, and IRELAND, my Lord of SALISBURY, and my Lord of MIDDLESEX can tell you more than myself, and so can my Lord SAY, and SEAL too: I think I have said enough, and if any one can SAY more let them; I say, and say again, That if Your Majesty will sign to the PROPOSITIONS, it will save a great deal of SAYING more; words are but wind, and my windpipe grows hoarse with speaking this; I had rather see Deeds, than Words: Saying is one thing, and Doing is another. The Scripture (I heard my Chaplain say) saith in one place, Do this and live; and so I may say by the PROPOSITIONS, Sign these and live: Do so, and then expect to be Great and Glorious, for so I heard the Parliament say; but if not, we shall refer you to the ARMY to be ordered as they shall think fit; yet let me tell you, a Coach and Horses are coming to your Majesty, and good Sack, and accordingly (as you behave yourself) you shall have other Provisions necessary. If your Majesty will stand still in your own light, do? Then you must expect what will light on you after: for my own part, I have discharged my conscience, and never used to be tedious in my expressions. I know we come to Treat, and Treat we will, before we go hence, and I hope it will be for the good of the Kingdom, the Parliament, and Army; I have a long time known Your Majesty, and You have known me, 'tis my desire that we may still be friends, and lovers, nothing but ruin comes by dissensions; and though the supreme authority be in the people, yet if they shall intrust it still in you, I shall not be against it, nor the rest that are to Treat with you, that you may have Your negative voice in Parliament as well as myself, or the rest of the Lords.  
May it please Your Majesty, I am no Independent, yet so fare an Independent, that I would have a dependency on Your Majesty and the rest; I never loved War; for I always would rather pocket up wroungs, than incense, or foment Wars, as it was known to Your Royal Father, and cannot be unknown to Yourself; Damn me, I desire Peace, no man more, and if we have not Peace, than we must expect war; and if we have war than we shall have no Peace. Now I have done, and deliver up what is said to the Judgement of Your Majesty, and all ingenious, and honest men.  
If any one can speak better, I pray hear them, for my own part I shall give way, and stand for a cipher amongst the rest.  
Yours, Pembroke, and Montgomery.   
FINIS.  

Vera Copia.