THE PARLIAMENT'S ANSWER, TO HIS MAJESTIES GRACIOUS LETTER Of the fourth of June, 1663.  
 royal blazon or coat of arms 
C R  HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE dieu ET MON DROIT  
EDINBURGH, Printed by Evan tiler, Printer to the King's most Excellent Majesty, and re-printed at London. August 1663.   

THE PARLIAMENT'S ANSWER, TO HIS MAJESTIES GRACIOUS LETTER Of the fourth of July, 1663.  
Most Sacred sovereign,  
THE desire we have had to return to Your Majesty a satisfactory account of what, by Your most gracious Letter the fourth of June, was entrusted to us, for trying of the contrivance and carrying on that design of Billeting,( with which Your Majesty with so much reason declared yourself most unsatisfied) hath occasioned, that we have not sooner made these humble and thankful acknowledgements, which the gracious expressions in the former part of Your Letter call for; Being desirous, that the account of our dutiful and hearty obedience to these Your Majesties most just Commands, might accompany our due acknowledgements of Your Majesties Grace and Goodness, and that our return might not divide, what Your Majesty hath by Your Royal Letter joined.  
We do, with all humble duty and thankfulness, aclowledge the great blessings which this Your ancient Kingdom doth now enjoy under Your Royal Authority, The Church being restored to it's right Government, the Kingdom to its former Peace, the Laws to their free Course, and the Subjects to their just Liberties; And all these flowing to us as the happy fruits and effects of Your Majesties blessed Restitution, we conceive ourselves obliged in a due resentment thereof, and of the often and renewed expressions of Your Majesties Royal care and tenderness of this Kingdom, to return the humble offer of our lives and fortunes, and all that is dearest to us, for the advancement of Your Majesties Honour, Authority and Greatness: And that it shall be our care, that the expressions of our obedience to Your Majesties Commands, shall be suitable to those unparalleled Acts of Grace and Favour Your Majesty hath vouchsafed upon us.  
By Your Majesties Letter it appears, That by a Gentleman employed last year with a Letter of Credit from the Earl of Middleton, it was represented to Your Majesty, that it was the desire of Your Parliament here, that the Act of indemnity should carry an exception of incapacitating from public Trust: and that he earnestly prest, in name of Your Parliament, Your Majesties consent to the incapacitating some few of the most guilty, not exceeding twelve. And your Majesty desiring to know the truth thereof from us; In obedience to your Majesties Commands, this being taken into the consideration of Your Parliament, and every Member of Parliament particularly asked thereupon, we find by the unanimous opinions and votes of the House, That the Parliament gave no warrant, to desire of Your Majesty, that the Act of indemnity should carry an exception of incapacitating from public Trust, and that the Parliament gave no warrant at all, to desire in their names, Your Majesties consent to the incapacitating of a few; Yet we have seen the enclosed double of an Instruction, given by the Earl of Middleton in the contrary, to Sir George Mackenzie, signed and owned by him in presence of your Parliament to be a just double, bearing, that it was much desired by Your Parliament, that some should be excepted from public Trust.  
We also find no other ground in the Act of Parliament concerning billeting, neither do we remember of any other ground made use of before the Articles, or in the Parliament, for incapacitating, but that it was Your Majesties pleasure to have it so, and that this was the rise of bringing in the Act of billeting, as the most expedient way of voting the Act for incapacity.  
And in obedience to Your Majesties Commands for the further trial of the manner of contrivance and carrying on this design of billeting, and Your Majesties suspicion that Your Name was abused therein; some Commissioners authorised by Your Parliament, having taken the depositions of divers Members of Parliament, and two Knights, thereupon, and having delivered the principal depositions to Your Majesties Commissioner, to be by his Grace communicated to Your Majesty, Have offered to us this particular account thereof under their hand-writings, which we( without presuming at all to give any judgement thereupon) offer hereby to Your Majesties Royal consideration; And when Your Majesty shall be pleased to make Your further pleasure therein known to us, we shall give such obedience thereto, and to the other particulars in Your Royal Letter, as shall witness to the world, that Your Majesties Royal judgement is the rule of our actions, and that your Majesties Commands shall always receive that obedience from us, which suits with the duty of good Subjects, and the relation we now serve Your Majesty in, as Your Majesties most loyal and faithful Parliament; In whose Name, and by whose Command, these are signed by,  
Your Majesties most humble, most dutiful, and most obedient Subject and Servant, Glencairn Cancellarius, J. P. D. Par. Edinburgh 28 July, 1663.   

EDINBURGH, Printed by Evan tiler, Printer to the King's most Excellent Majesty, 1663.