A SPEECH Spoken in the HOUSE of COMMONS, BY The Reverend Father in God, ROBERT, L. Bishop of COVENTRY and LICHFIELD.  
Being brought to the Bar to answer for himself.   printer's or publisher's device 
LONDON, Printed by R. B. for Richard Lownds, and are to be sold at his Shop without Ludgate. 1641.   

Master SPEAKER,  
AS it hath been ever my fashion (and in truth, it is my disposition) to endeavour, at the least, to give satisfaction to every man, even to the meanest, that hath had any sinister conceptions of me, be it scandalum datum, or acceptum, so hath it been my ambition, and I have sought it with affection, (as to all men) so much more to this honourable Assembly, especially concerning the late Petition and Protestation exhibited unto his sacred Majesty, and the Lords and Peers in Parliament, But in the first place Master Speaker, I am, as it becomes me, to give most hearty and condign thanks to the noble Knights, Citizens, and Burgeses, of this honourable House of Commons, for that they have been pleased by a general vote, and I hope, unanimous, to give me leave to speak for myself, and to lay open the truth of my cause, concerning the said Petition and Protestation before them.  
And now M. Speaker, to address myself to the business, whereof I shall not speak as a Lawyer, for I have no head for Law, neither shall I need to touch upon any point thereof, nor as a flourishing Orator, as desirous to hear himself speak, I have long since laid aside my books of Rhetoric: my desire is, Master Speaker, to tread in the steps of an old Divine, of whom Sozomen writes in his Ecclesiastical History, who groaning under the like heavy burden and accusation as I do, chose rather to vent his own sense, and express the truth of his cause in plain language, than to colour or cloak falsehood, and to extenuate his offence, by forced, trapped, and new varnished eloquence: And to that purpose my conceptions and narration shall stand only upon two feet, Negation, and Affirmation. There are some things that I must deny, and yet justly, somewhat I must affirm, and that I shall do ingenuously and fully. First for the Negative, I never framed, made, nor contrived, compiled, or preferred any such Petition or Protestation, I never was at any meeting, consultation, or conference, about any such business; nay, I never heard of any intention, much less execution of any such thing, until it was the Wednesday in Christmas, being the 29. of December, at which time it was brought unto my house in Covengarden, being betwixt 6. or 7. at night (subscribed by eleven of my Brethren) with a request, that I would subscribe suddenly also. And for the affirmation, presuming that so many learned, grave, and wise men, well versed in matters of that nature, would not have attempted any such thing, without good counsel to the endangering of themselves, and their Brethren, and to the distaste of the Lords, and that all the rest of the Bishops in or about the City of London, Westminster, should subscribe thereunto, and that it should not be preferred, without the approbation, and mature deliberation of good counsel, and of us all: I made the twelfth and set to my hand, which I do now acknowledge▪ and never denied; nay, the first time that I came to the Bar in the Lord's House, I acknowledged that my hand was to it, and divers of this honourable Presence heard it so read unto them, out of the jornall of the Lords house:  
Now Master Speaker, if these my deceived and deceiving thoughts (to use S. Bernard's phrase) have led me into an error, the error is either Ex ignorantia juris, an unskilfulness in the Law, or Debilitate judicii, a weakness of my apprehension, or else, Ex nimia credulitate, out of the to much confidence in others, not of any prepensed malice, or out of a spirit of contradiction, as the Lord knoweth. The Schoolmen tell me, that Duo sunt in omni peccato, there is actio, & malitia actionis, I own the action, the subscription is mine; but, that there was any malice in the action (to cross any Vote, at which I was not present, nor never heard of) I utterly disavow.  
And therefore, Master Speaker, I shall become an humble Suitor, that I may recommend three most humble Requests, or motions to this Honourable House.  
The first Motion is, That you would be pleased to tread in the steps of Constantine the Christian Emperor, who had ever this resolution, that if he should see Sacerdotem peccantem, an offending Divine, he would rather cast his purple garment upon him, than to reveal the offence, for the Gospel's sake of Christ.  
My second Motion is, That if my subscription shall make me a delinquent, and worthy of any censure, that then the censure may not exceed (but at the highest) be proportionable to the offence.  
The third and last motion is, That, that of Plautus (after my fifty eight years painful, constant, and successful preaching of the Gospel of Christ, in the kingdom of England, and in foreign parts, may not be verrified of me, Si quid bene feceris levior pluma gratia est; si quid mali feceris plumbeas iras gerunt. And now (Master Speaker) I might here tender divers motions to the consideration of this honourable House, for favourable construction of my rash subscription, I may say commiseration, but all without ostentation, that is fare from me, but rather for the consolation of my perplexed soul, for the great affliction, restraint and disgrace, which I have long sustained (which is fare greater than ever I endured before, and transcends the dangers and jeopardies of the seas,, and the miseries of the wars, whereof I have had my share) and partly for the vindication of my former reputation, calling, and profession, which is now so clouded, eclipsed, and blacked in the eyes of the world, and scandalised in the mouths of the vulgar multitude, that without reparation, and restauration to my former esteem, I shall never have heart to show my face in Pulpit any more, wherein I have wished to end my days. But I wave them all, because I will not detain you from other occasions of greater importance, and desire my ways may be made known unto you, rather by inquisition, than my own Relation, only I shall appeal to the Noble Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses of the Diocese where I now live, and of the other wherein formerly I did live, as namely the honourable City of Bristol, which I can never name without that title, not only in respect of their piety, unity, and conformity, but also in respect of their love, kindness, and extraordinary bounty unto me, I appeal to them for their testimonies, and knowledge of my courses amongst them, nay I appeal to the records of the honourable house, where I am confident after sixteen months sitting, there is nothing found that can trench upon me, neither I hope will, or may be.  
And therefore my humble suit is for expedition (if you intent accusation, or rather for your meditation, that I may speedily return to my own home and Cure, to redeem the time because the days are evil, as the Apostle speaks, and to regain the esteem and reputation which I was long in getting, and long enjoyed, but lost in a moment, for if I should outlive (I say not my Bishopric,) but my credit, my grey hairs, and many years, would soon be brought with sorrow to the grave.  
I have done Master Speaker, and there remains nothing now but that I become a petitioner unto almighty God, that he will be pleased to bestow upon you all the Patriarches blessing, even the dew of Heaven, and fatness of the earth: and I end with that of S. jude, Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied unto you; I say again with a religious and affectionate heart, Mercy, peace, and love, be multiplied unto you.  
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FINIS.