A PERTINENT SPEECH Made by an Honourable MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, TENDING To the Establishment of Kingly Government, as the only way to the settling of these three distracted Nations in their due Rights, Privileges and Immunities.  
LONDON, Printed in the Year, 1660.   

THE SPEECH Of a Worthy Member of Parliament, Upon the present Debates of settling a Government and Qualifications of Members, to be elected in the next Parliament.  
Mr. Speaker,  
AS ▪ we who were forcibly excluded by the Ambition of General cronwell, and his Rebellious Army, from sitting in the House, or performing those Trusts imposed on us by the People as their Representatatives in Parliament, Ought to aclowledge our Re-investing, as a high providence of God, and look upon it as a gracious dispensation of his mercy to us and these three Nations; So, I think it our Duty and Obligation in answer to such a mercy, to endeavour to the utmost of our power, the re-establishing of these Nations in Peace and quietness, and the settlement of such a Government as may best quadrate with the Spirits and Temper of the people.  
That Vicissitudes and Changes of Government( such as hath lately been imposed upon us by a parcel of the most fanatique, mad-brain'd Spirits of the Nation) do clearly tend to the ruin of any Kingdom, Common-wealth, or Society of men whatsoever, we have lately seen by too sad Experience. Such Changes being only the Scourges wherewith God chastises Rebellious Kingdoms, and such Spirits only sent into the World to be ruin and distraction of those Nations they live in.  
I need not at all insist upon our forcible exclusion, those things we resolved on before it; The Solemn League and Covenant we took( to establish and defend the King, his Successors in their Estate,) The many Fallacyes and cheats since put upon the Nation, by those, who under a pretence of Right to establish a Government over them, have only endeavoured to maintain their own, or introduce others to execute an unjust, illegal, and arbitrary Power over these Kingdoms.  
But Mr. Speaker, let me say a little to the present sense of the Nation, let us take the generality of the People, even to the very Ploughman( who is not possessed with a fanatic Spirit) and we shall find, that they were now so highly sensible of the Oppressions and burdens laid upon them; that like desperate men they are ready to catch at what they before disavowed, and gape after the Government by a King, which they formerly so resolutely declamed and fought against; by so sad experience have they learned the difference between the Government by a Prince and by Peasauts: and though they might( if those who then pretended themselves a Parliament, and the Supreme Authority of the Nation had struck whilst the Iron was hot) have accepted of a Government by a Commonwealth, which was then so highly pretended to be established; Yet having now found out the frandulent designs of those men who under such pretences endeavoured only to perpetuate themselves in the Government, to enslave the People, entrench upon their Liberties, and engross their Estates, they are wholly revived from that fanatic Slumber, so far, that had God continued still his Scourge upon this Nation, the name of a Parliament would ere 1660. had been past have grown as odious to the People,( who were sufficiently gulled with Mock-Representatives) as that of a King was in 1648. And sufficiently odious indeed alteady grown, the whole Nation groauing under their Exorbitances, having turned the Scale, and made the Name of a King grown sweet again in their Mouths, they finding by experience, that the Government of a King, though Tyrannical is far better, than the usurping Tyranny of many Plebeians.  
Nor Sir, do the Common people only understand their own particular interest, but begin to prie into a National; the lawful Heir, who was formerly cried up for the Common enemy of Englands peace, is now( with as much applause, as before with disgrace) sainted, and now looked upon as the only Person, whose readmission to the Crown, can make these Nations happy, and restore them to their due Rights, Liberties, and Privileges, there being many who are now listened to as Oracles, living to recount the Halcyon daies they enjoyedunder his Father.  
'Tis( Sir) an old Proverb, and has proved as true as old Vox Populi, Vox Dei. The general voice of the people is the Oracle by which God declares his mind, They are his Prophet by whom he speaks: What have we then to do? 'tis the voice of God, 'tis the hearty desires of the people, 'tis the Interest of the Nation, 'tis according to our own Oath in the Solemn League and Covenant, and shall we when prest by all these still resist the re-admittance of the lawful Heir to the Crown? Shall we still resist our own Interest? Shall we still deny the cry of the people for Right? Or shall we further provoke the vengeance of God upon us for those crying sins of his Fathers Murder and his Expulsion.  
But Mr. speaks, there are many people( say some) whose Interests are so opposite to that of the lawful Heir, that they cannot subsist together, these men have bought his, the Bishops, Deans, and Chapters Lands, have ventured their lives and fortunes against him; Nay it may be objected, that the whole Nation hath been engaged against him to regain their Liberties, and free themselves from the pretended Tyrannies of his Father. But Sir, Did the Parliament when it was free and full ever deem, or vote the late King a Tyrant or traitor? Was his Imprisonment, much less his Death, ever voted in the House when so? Was not the first taking up of Arms under Declaration to maintain the Parliaments Privileges, without infringing the Kings Prerogative? Did we not all unanimously swear to maintain the King in his due Rights, to bring him back to his Parliament, to settle him in his Throne with glory? How comes it then to pass, that we who when we were excluded the House, left a King alive, left a House of Lords, the second Estates of the Kingdom,( and which onely can complete a free Parliament) sitting without a House of Commons full and chosen by the free Votes of the people? Now at our admission find our King murdered, Our House of Peers excluded, the House of Commons reduced to the fifth part of their due number, and their numerous fellow-Members impeded sitting for eleven years. I think Mr. Speaker, it would not be amiss to examine by what Authority these things have been done. Is it thus, that the whole Nation was engaged to regain their Liberties? A fair hazard! But what power had those who continued sitting, to execute this Arbitrary Authority? which of the Fundamental Laws of the Land did invest them with Authority to cut off their Kings head, to degrade the Bishops, to disinherit his posterity, to abolish Kingly Government, under which this Nation had so long and happily flourished, and to sell the Kings, Queens, Princes, Bishops, Deans and Chapters Lands, or rather to enslave themselves in them, and to act at their will and pleasure, though to the ruin of the Nation?  
The Law affords any man to take his own goods where he finds them, though bought by the then possessor, Why should not then these men who have bought those Lands which were in effect stolen( the others having no power to sell them) be enforced to restore them, and( if there could be any, their Woods and Rents having already more than made good the Purchases) sit down with the loss for their surreptitious bargains?  
But Sir, 'tis objected, that the violent Restauration of these Lands, will( together with that bugbear Liberty of Conscience) breed a new Civil War; That the Land hath been sufficiently watered with its Native blood, That a new disturbance will be the ruin of the whole, and that we have found by experience, that it's better to sit still and content ourselves, under the oppression, than seek help by Civil Disturbance, whose Remedy proves often worse than the disease, so that these Lands not being restored the readmission admission of the lawful Heir may be judged impossible, there being no Estate found to maintain a Kingly Court and Charge.  
Could we Mr. Speaker find ways to maintain our aspiring General cromwell, and to keep his Court in more splendour than ever did King of England? and cannot we as well find means to maintain the true and lawful Heir, the Charge likewise likely to be abated by the pay of the Army being clearly taken off, which by his re admitment will be found superfluons?  
I need not at all enlarge myself in reasons, there's none so dull but must necessary yield to his re-admitment, except their Interest infatuates their understandings. Let us then Mr. Speaker, who are yet looked upon by the people to have our hands dipped in some measure in the Nations miseries, by beginning that deplorable War, lay a plaster to the wounds and balsam to the sores of these distressed Nations, by Restoring them their Kings as at the first, and their Princes as at the beginning.  
No● let us be ashamed after having so long gone out of the way, after all this obstinacy of Spirit, after the expense of so much blood and Treasure, to return again unto those paths of truth from which we have so grossly deviated, but rather repent for the wrongs we have done our Prince, for the wrongs we have done our country, and for the wrongs we have done ourselves, and recall our true and rightful Prince, who will without doubt be so gracious to pardon all offences.  
But if Sir, there be some particular crimes of so high a nature that they admit not pardon, shall the Nation still remain miserable for the offences of those particular men? Shall England still be unhappy for want of an ax or an halter to be bestowed on some who have so justly deserved it? it must not, cannot be.  
Pardon Sir, this passion and prolixity, and give me leave to answer one more objection ( i.e. e) that the people would be better satisfied if this Parliament would wholly omit the settling of any Government, and leave it to a free Parliament; though this be disputable, yet we will grant it, but then what a Parliament shall they have, we have been long debating about their qualificatione. Shall the people have a free Parliement, or shall they not? if they shall have a free Parliament, then must they have free liberty to choose whom they please, if not, we do but follow former steps, and still endeavour to enslave them.  
To conclude, Mr. Speaker, we may in reason judge, that the first thing done by a free Parliament, will be to invite the lawful Heir to possession, there being no likelihood that any other Government can be settled, and therefore I think we had as good do it now upon such Terms and Conditions, as may secure the peace and quiet of this Nations, and be safe to them who have engaged against him.  
FINIS.