HIS majesties Gracious anwer TO THE DIFFERENT OPINIONS of the earls of BRISTOL and DORSET concerning Peace and War. Wherein is intimated to all His loyal Subjects the earnest desire He hath of a faire atonement betwixt himself and his High Court of Parliament.  
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C. R.  HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE dieu ET MON DROIT.  
First printed at Oxford by Leonard Lichfield, and now reprinted at London for JOHN RIVERS.   

 ornament showing crossed swords on open book ●… INA PARIT VIRTVTEM  
His MAjESTIES gracious Answer to the different opinions of the earls of bristol and DORSET concerning Peace and War.  
My Lords,  
IT is no new thing among so many wise men to have several and far different conceptions; yet none unrepugnant to reason, or dissentious from truth; as in the several parts and dimensions of the body the limbs move several ways, but all to one end: so do your affections and resolutions tends all of them according to their abilities employing themselves to the advancement of our Cause, which were it composed, and the differences between Our Parliament and ourself sodred up, we should then believe ourselves again absolute Monarch of this iceland, and think ourself as happy and fortunate as any of Our Great and royal Progenitors. It is but a while since I declared My intentions for Peace, which surely can embrace no change, they are so just and advantageous to ourself, and profitable and requisite for Our people, who surely have with too heavy a heart groaned too long under the insupportable burden of these intestine differences, which diffuse themselves like prodigies throughout every Province of Our Dominons.  
My Lord of bristol I must confess an able Gentleman, and well versed in all the affairs of foreign and domestic States; so that it is a hard matter for him to be deceived in any particle he undertakes to treat of in that nature; yet in this surely he mistakes the state of the question, as it hath been related to me: namely, that the best way for the preservation of Our honour, and to procure an universal peace through Our Dominions, is to continue the present war; the motives urging him to this, I believe is neither springing from any malice to the Parliament, or propension to the continuation of these wars,( which his wisdom knows destructive to all Nations) but out a zeal and integrity to Us, and an over cautious care he hath to Our honour and safety, more then to his own, or any of his friends in particular, though some may imagine he would have these broils remain uncomposed between Us and Our Parliament, because some of special near affinity to his blood and fortunes, are by the Parliament nominated and published Delinquents; but Wee do excuse him of that partiality, and are assured that he who is so perfectly studied in all moral philosophy, must needs know, no mans private interest or commodity must stand in competition, or be thought valuable with the public profit, which must needs consist in a sudden and faire atonement between Us and Our Parliament: for the fears which my Lord of bristol hath, that it will be a ruin to his own and other noble-mens estates and families, no man can imagine so unworthily of Us, as to believe that Wee will ever admit of a pacification that shall be the undoing of the prime of Our nobility, for their fidelity to Our person, and fulfilling Our commands. Peace, though Wee love, We will not purchase at so dear and dishonourable a rate; nor can I be persuaded, but that the Parliament having the living character of their duty imprinted in their bosoms, and the memory of our goodness and lenity towards Our people registered in their memory, will easily be persuaded or ruled by Us, to condescend to a faire and happy peace for both parts, without the severe mention of those conditions, which indeed cannot but startle the tempers of divers of the Nobility, and render them averse from all thought of pacification. But as We will not suffer the innocent to be given up to punishment undeservedly, so will We by no means patronage or protect the guilty from the justice of Our Parliament, if any be Delinquents against the known laws of the Land or the privilege thereof: nor can Wee in Our Justice or Conscience take an example from the carriage of the spaniard, whose too much severity hath been the loss of the best of the seventeen Provinces formerly, and in this age, of Catalo●… ia and Portugall: besides, the municipal and fundamental laws of that Nation engage the Subject to that strictness of obedience, with which they are very well contented, because custom and continuance hath made that yoke seem easy to them, which should it be by Us inflicted on Our Subjects of England, would be a horrid injustice, because they have always had Kings who by their Parliaments have increased and added to their Immunities and privileges, none that ever diminished or disannulled them; and should Wee go about to do it, they were blameless to all the world if they did complain of Our severity and infringement of their liberties: But We shall never give cause to any, so much as to suspect Us of that tyranny; nor that We will in any wise harken either to my Lord of bristol, or any mans counsel in that case.  
But for the earl of Dorsets opinion, concerning a sudden accommodation between ourself and Parliament, We must needs confess it the centre of our desires and intentions: how is it possible my Lords, that a King can be any ways so great and glorious, as when he is encompassed not onely with the hands, but the hearts and souls of his Subjects? Amongst the ancient patriarches in the old Testament, Fathers were most renowned for the multitude of their sons; the very emblem of Kings who can never be accounted so mighty and powerful as in the multitude of their Subjects. Blessed is the man, saith the Psalmist, speaking of fathers, who hath his quiver full of them, meaning children; the same maxim holds in Kings and Subjects, who have the same relation one to another, after a manner, that fathers have to children. Cyrus( in Zenophon) the King of Persia, had wont to say, his treasury and armoury was his people, intimating thereby, that all his strength and wealth was confined to, and couched in this good will and affections of his Subjects: So Wee would have it with Our people and Us, whose dutiful regard towards Us Wee so much sought to endear to Us, that in this present Parliament, which hath suited so ill with Us, We did not deny the confirmation of any one Bill offered to Us for the benefit and ease of Our people, witness the abrogating the Star-chamber, the High commission Court, and others of that nature, which being for the public good, are yet, and so shall ever rest inviolated and unrepealed.  
But it is in vain for Us to lament the distresses and distractions of this kingdom, without Wee endeavour some serious and speedy way to redress them, Our pity onely will be accounted verbal, and We merely in show affencted to the welfare of Our people. The onely path that can lead Us to the end of this journey, is a ●… dden Accommodation between ourself and Parliament: that is the mean by which We may rectify this h●dra-headed distraction; the onely physic can be administered to the infirm body of the kingdom: for by continuation of the warres, to believe to compose the shaken and impaired health of this Common-wealth, were just as a Physician should prescribe blood-letting to one sick of a dead Pal●ie; no, there hath been too much blood  shed already, too much English blood; heaven hereafter will, I hope, be pleased to provide that no more be  shed so profusely. For Our part, if any be, it shall be full sore against Our will or desire: For We had rather descend to treat with our Parliament on any indifferent terms( unreasonable We presume they will not offer Us) then behold the continuance of these fatal civill warres, that does so lessen and extenuate Our power in the diminution and decreasing of Our Subjects, whose peace, prosperity and plenty Wee value equal with Our own, or that of Our natural children. It cannot be so hard to compose these differences betwixt Us, because We have so near and considerable a relation one to the other, the quarrel may easily be ended, if a treaty for peace were but well begun; and if Wee and Our Parliament had but once conferred together, Our reconcilement were not to be doubted, nor the settling of God true Religion( of which Wee are and be the constant defender) to be feared.  
Our royal pleasure is therefore, my Lords, that no man shall think he does Us a service by seeking to advice Us from such an Accommodation: For such advices hereafter( but to hear mentioned) will be more ingratefull and displeasant to Us, than any counsel what ever can be acceptable: your advices will then be pleasing to Us, when they unanimously concur in the framing some way by which peace may be accomplished, without which Wee shall never see ourselves free from distractions, nor Our sou●e from troubles. And he shall be most esteemed of for his fidelity, that can give life to the means whereby these distractions may receive death, these disturbances which dwell so heavy about my heart, that till they be removed thence, it hath scarce any vigour or motion in it; this is Our resolution, and this Wee will surely put in practise in despite of all contrary counsels, which Wee presume now you know Our intentions, no man amongst you will offer directly or indirectly to impart unto Us.  
FINIS.