His Majesties last DECLARATION, AND final Resolution, CONCERNING A speedy accommodation with His High Court of PARLIAMENT; As it was lately delivered by himself to the Lords of His Privy council in OXFORD at a Conference there for that purpose.  


Ordered to be printed.    
 crowned blazon or coat of arms of the British royal family 
dieu ET MON DROIT  
C. R.  
HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE   
First printed at Oxford by Leonard Lichfield, and now reprinted at London for ADAM BELL.   

His MAjESTIES last Declaration and final Resolution concerning a speedy Accommodation with His High Court of PARLIAMENT.  
THis matter my Lords hath been so often inagitation, which we are to treat of at this instant, that to some perhaps this present conference may appear unnecessary, because the former to the same purpose have produced such fruitless and inconsiderable effects: But in affairs of so supreme consequence as this, no labour should be esteemed vain, no endeavour useless, that in the least seruple can be subservient to apt and compose our intentions, which you can all bear us witness( though some perverse and seditious spirits believe, at least report otherwise) have perpetually been employed for the good of Our People, the advancement of true Religion, and( since these fatal distractions in our Kingdoms) have industriously aimed to reconcile and rectify the distempers broken out like sudden lightning betwixt ourself and the High Court of Parliament, since that distemper hath begot those millions of distempers, those horrors of war and bloodshed, which hath lately so preposterously overspread the most flourishing Pro●●●●●● of this our Kingdoms, and engaged all the brave Noblemen and Gentry thereof in a mutual and mortal enmity. To give a period to which combustious and homebred contentions, is the business we have so long treated of, and intend now with Gods leave to declare Our royal determination therein. We have received divers propositions for peace from Our High Court of Parliament, but could never have the occasion to embrace any of them. Now is engaged the glory of Our kingdom in a civill war, which for many reasons, and powerful motives we are resolved( if possible) to bring to a sudden and hopeful conclusion. To wave Our own particular.  
The first reason inducing us to it derives itself à communi bono, from the common good and utility, of which every just and righteous King must principally be sensible: The common good so dilacerated and torn to pieces, that shortly we shall lose the memory that there is such a thing in nature, if these wars continue, which however they succeed must needs be destructive to both parts. The Husbandmen and able Yeomanry of this kingdom, and indeed one of the main pillars of it's strength, are by these dissensions deprived of tilling the Earth in safety, or reaping the plenteous fruits thereof in security: they are hindered from following that laborious exercise which feeds the people of our Land, and drawn to exchange their scythes and sickles for swords and other instruments of fatality and destruction, even to guard themselves. And yet are they enforced to behold their houses plundered, those well gotten goods, which with the sweat of their brows they have gathered together, ravished from them by the violence of the souldiers, who notwithstanding all good laws and Ordinances made to the contrary by an accustomend military licence, cannot or will not be restrained from spoil and rapine. And without question it must be a mighty conrsive to our conscience, that any of Our subjects, but yesterday rich and wealthy, should this day be betrayed to all the miseries of nakedness and beggary, and by their countrymen and fellow subjects. The Merchants that had wont to traffic into foreign Countries, even as far as the remotest Indies, exporting the commodities of this kingdom into those parts, and bringing home plentiful fraights into our kingdom, are constrained to let their Ships lie and even rot in the harbours, rather then dare or will expose them to any venture abroad in these dangerous, uncertain and calamitous times; out of which defect of trade will arise unspeakable detriments and discommodities to this Common-wealth in general, and to ourself in particular: First, having no way whereby to vend abroad our English commodities, all Trades, especially manufactures, must needs be reduced to ruin, especially that gainful and wealthy trade of Clothing: For to what end shall the Clothier at his infinite expense maintain a number of poor people at work in that craft, when the Merchants cannot take his cloth off from him at any rate, because he knows not how to export it; so that the golden sleece of this kingdom, our English wool, must serve onely to cloath ourselves, which hath heretofore clothed almost all the neighbouring Nations.  
Next, it will work the absolute ruin of navigation, which hath been constantly the strength and wall of this iceland: to what purpose should any endeavour to attain the perfection of a mariner, when there are no ships for him to use his art in? And for our own particular, the frowre of our English revenues hath alway sprung out of the largeness and income of our customs, which if trade decay,( as if these wars continue it must do) We must absolutely lose, and so be deprived of the best benefit appertaining to Our treasury. But Our own particular Wee value at no rate, compared with the public utility.  
Next, for the Gentry and Nobility of England, whose substances and subsistences arise out of their rents, they must suffer under as egregious a loss as either the Merchant or Husbandman; they are impossibilitated of receiving their revenues, because their tenants can no way procure money to pay them. mark then how various will be the miseries of this kingdom, when from the highest to the lowest all are certain of nothing, but loss and misery. And for Our own part, if you Our Subjects speed so ill, surely fortune can be no less malicious to Us, nay, in a higher measure of affliction: For, first We behold ourselves by these tumults at home deprived in a manner of one of Our kingdoms abroad, Ireland, which even by almost a general defection is fallen and revolted from Our obedience, being overwhelmed with all the mischiefs and tortures that can derive themselves from famine, fire and sword, nay, from the cruelties of a race of barbarous and inhuman rebells; yet are We, being involved with these domestic differences, utterly unable to yield them any relief, or by any force enforce those bloody rebellious Irish to relinquish their oppressions inflicted on Our loyal Protestants. And which is more material and persuasive to induce Us to endeavour and embrace any honest and reasonable terms of peace, is, that by the continuation of these distractions the true and sincere worship of God is impiously neglected, schisms and heresies( like loathsome Wens) sticking to the beauteous face of Religion and Verity: the Orthodox learning established in the Church of England, which hath made the glory of all the reformed Churches of the world, contemned and set at nought, and so the wrath of heaven pulled down by force on this wretched and half perishing Nation; such a licentious freedom( in spite of Ours and Our Parliaments endeavours) do some contumacious persons assume to themselves, as cannot be by any means suppressed. We are also to look with a relenting and pitiful eye upon the bloods of Our Subjects, diffused like water on the earth, almost in every Province; and surely, though some Kings to satisfy their humors on every slight occasion do expose their Subjects to dangers of warfare and death, Wee always held it as the most excellent attribute belonging to Our royalty, to defend and preserve the lives of the meanest of Our people. Besides, in whomsoever the fault lies that these waes continue, divers, and no mean number of our Subjects believe Wee onely are guilty of it, and so We shall diminish much Our power, by depriving ourself of their affections, who having elected the most eminent persons, both for wisdom, integrity and fortune, in their Counties, Cities and Corporations, to be the Factors& Feoffees of the Common wealth, to secure them by Our royal assent their ancient freedoms and immunities, and to procure them new ones from Us, must needs be much discontented and afflicted, that Wee should not onely withdraw ourselves from all conversation and conference with these men of their trust, these husbands of their liberties, but withdraw ourself so, as no reconciliation can be hoped for or expected betwixt Us; and not onely that, but a deadly and destroying war; which, if it should continue and oppress this Land, with all the aforementioned and numberless other miseries, the center and point on which the basis of this kingdom must at last fix, must be peace, or inevitable and apparent ruin: Besides, how will it be possible for Us to defray the charge of the present war, if it continue long, passeth Our apprehension, those of Our Subjects that would furnish Us with supplies, having already by former disbursement unfurnished themselves; nor can We expect any support from Our Exchequer or revenues; so that for all these considerations, to avoid more effusion of Christian blood, to take away all these distractions and disturbances from our good Subjects, to reduce Our kingdom of Ireland to its wonted obedience, and punish the inhumanity of those rebells, to restore the true worship of God throughout Our Dominions, Wee have fixed on this determination, to entertain all faire treaties of Accommodation from Our High Court of Parliament, nay, to propose such terms to them for peace, as Wee are confident, they in duty will not refuse, but assist Us in a sudden composure of these differences. Which Go a in his Mercy according to our desires and endeavours give a faire and sudden period to.  
FINIS.