His Majesties SPEECH SPOKEN TO The Mayor, Aldermen, and commonalty of the city of OXFORD, and to the High Sheriffes of the Counties of OXFORD and BERKS, with divers Justices of Peace in the said Counties, at a general SUMMONS.  
Requesting their assistance by contribution of money, plate, and horses, towards the supportment of his present wars.  
 arms of Charles I 
C R  〈…〉  
Printed at Oxford by Leonard Lichfield, Printer to the university. 1643.   

His Majesties Speech to the Maior, Aldermen, and Commonalty of the city of Oxford.  
Mr. MAIOR,  
IT being in this City, whereof you are under Us, the immediate governor, We should think it fit to deliver Our intentions to you in the first place, but that the affairs for which We caused both you and these worthy Gentlemen to be summoned, tends to one purpose and effect, and therefore in common Wee shall give notice to you of Our desires, which surely( so good a confidence have We of your loyalty to Us and Our Cause) We shall not be readier to propound to you then you to will be prompt to accomplish. But would heaven had been pleased to have so disposed of the business of this Our kingdom, that We had never had any cause to make these Propositions to you; Wee should rather then have endeavoured to have augmented your estates by Our bounty, then have any ways diminished them by Our necessity. But there is no resisting the Divine pleasure, whose judgements are inscrutable, and who for Our offences, and the sins of Our people, hath been pleased to inflict on this Our late happy Land, all the miseries which can arise from a civill war, then which no greater can be contingent to mankind▪ for to behold brothers killing brothers, fathers their children, and children their fathers; to se● the honest and well gotten goods of divers substantial men of Our kingdom taken violently from them, and by their fellow-subjects, acquain●●●●● and friends; to view houses and townships fired and plundered, certainly are spectacles of as much horror and pity as can be presented, to dazzle, and, as it were, make men sicken at the eyes by reviewing such lamentable objects, and all these in this Our kingdom are daily conspicuous, which is now so much more wretched and unfortunate, by how much it hath been in times past, happy and flourishing, war and tumult being the more dreadful and oppressive to Our Subjects, because they have been rarely, and not these many yeeres seen among them, peace having so long been the Genius of this iceland, whereas in the Low-countries and Germany, where the people are enured and habituated to military troubles, they endure them with even a natural patience; as birds, who from the nest taken and put into Cages, sing there as cheerfully as if they were at liberty; those oppressions by custom being made tolerable to them, which to Our Subjects appear insufferable.  
And We may justly protest to you, Gentlemen, We are more afflicted at the sufferings of Our people, then forty for Our particular grievances, though surely but few Kings of th●● or any Christian kingdom whatsoever hath undergone the like disgraces and afflictions that Our Se●●e hath ●one: First affronted at Our own Palace, and driven away from thence, and consequently from Our Parliament which o given life to all these ruins) by a multitude even of the ●●●●est sort or Our own Subjects, since which time We have 〈◇〉 Our Magazines seized on and employed against Our self, Our navy detained from Us; nay, We ourself denied entrance into Our own towns, unless Wee would contract Our train to the appointment of Our Subjects; witness Sir John Hothams usage to Us at Hall; and besides, Wee have undergone many wants of the due appertainments to Majesty, both in Our house-keeping and other ways, being reduced to more exigents then divers private men; many of Our menial servants refusing to give their attendance on Us, and We, in a mockery of fortune, forced to go from place to place to beg assistance and relief from Our own Subjects. But God in his good time will give an end to these troubles: in the interim, We must as well as We can, provide for Our defence, and the safety of those who depend upon Us: Our Parliament and Wee cannot yet be reconciled, though for Our part We should beg no other happiness of heaven, no greater benefit in this life, then to have all differences atoned betwixt Us; for whilst we are at this variance, whosoever are gainers( which certainly are but ●ew) We are sure to be loser: Wee lose Our Royalty in losing those additaments and supportments which should sustain it, being debarred the benefit of Our Exchequer revenues and custom; Wee lose Our strength in the loss of our Subjects( the strength of Kings) and Wee lose that which is more precious to Us then all things else, Our peace and quiet of mind, never free from cogitations of Our peoples injuries and Our own sufferings; so that We are even grown old in the vigour of Our yeeres by this continual perplexity of care and troubles, which when they will arrive to a happy conclusion puts Our augury to Judge, though no endeavour of Ours shall in any wise be wanting that may speedily terminate the misery of these distractions: But in the mean time Our Parliament hath of Us infinite advantages; they abound in money to pay their army with, whilst Ours are 〈…〉 to maintain themselves( as it were in charity to Our service) at their own cost and expense; the Parliament having daily brought into Guildhall for their use( as Wee are surely informed) plate, money; and other considerable aids of horses subscribed for, not onely from all parts of the populous and wealthy City of London, but also from divers of the adjoining Counties, as Hertford, Essex, and such like; so that they cheerfully may undertake these wars, having so long a stock of coin to support them.  
A sad and unhappy accident it is for Us, that Our own Subjects should with such willingness part with their estates, nay, lives against their sovereign: And surely, should these fatal wars( which heaven avert) continue long, the very money which is in the power and at the dispose of the Parliament would sustain them against Us, and be a main blow to Our Cause, We having already made what shifts We can possible with Our honour for the advancement of moneys for these our wars,& yet are We neither so well furnished as Our occasions require, nor can they last long without some new supplies. The cause then why We sent for you, Mr. Mayor and your Brethren,& for you Gentlemed, the High Sheriffes and Justices of this and the neighbouring county, was to let you have a true understanding of Our urgent necessities, that by the knowledge of them you might be excited as much as in you lies, to endeavour Our relief, which Wee conjecture you may effect to some proportionable quantity of money, if you Mr. Mayor and your Brethren, will summon together all the able men and heads of your city, and to them plainly infer the wants of Us their sovereign, and induce as much as in you lies( according to the example of the Citizens of London, for the use of the Parliament) to contribute every man what money, plate, or horses, his ability can spare to furnish Our occasions with, yet Wee would not have you mistake Us in this matter, nor lay this as an injunction upon your Citizens, which We only intended to entreat from them as the testimony of their loves; for that were to invert and alter the state of Our meaning quiter, and it would give a large cause to them, who without any reason at all, forge occasions to scandalise Our proceedings, to exclaim that where the King could not borrow money by faire means, there He took it by force, as divers have already untruly reported of Us; for never will We of a King, the protector and Defender, turn the robber and destroyer of our good Subjects: No, let every man, as the Israelites in the wilderness to the building the Ark of the Testament, off●r with a willing mind what he pleases; neither directly or indirectly, by force or threatening language, fright mens contribution out of them: not that Wee did ever intend to receive as a gift, what Wee intend only as a loan, and will with all integrity, on our royal word, see honestly repaid to the uttermost farthing, and We hope our good Subjects here will as soon take our royal word for their security, as they at London have done, the public faith for those vast and almost incredible sums, which have been raised for the maintenance of the Parliaments Forces: We are confident We shall pay as honestly as they shall ever bee paid there, though Wee are not altogether so wealthy. God in his good time will restore Us to our own, and then Wee shall have means sufficient to pay all our debts.  
This is all, Mr. Mayor, Wee have at this present to say to yourself and Brethren: And what is spoken to the Gentlemen, Wee would have you conceive is uttered to you; Wee would desire you our two Sheriffes of our Counties of Oxford and Berks, and you the Justices of Peace of our said Counties, to intimate our said request to all the Gentlemen of ability, and Yeomen of our said Counties, our wants are perspicuous and obvious to your understandings. Nor can there be a more noble addition to the honour of your loyalties, than that posterity shall report of you, that you relieved your King in his necessity. And for our after resentment and remembrance of your fidelity and courtesy to U●… Leave that to Us, to think and determine of.  
And last of all, Wee request both you Master Mayor, an●… you Gentlemen, to be as speedy as you can in the pursuit o●… this business; and so return Us your answer. It will bee the last time We shall trouble you in this nature. Wee verily believe; for Wee hope a speedy reconciliation betwixt Us and our High Court of Parliament will give an ●nd to these woeful distractions, in an happy peace; and then Wee shall take care to repay these moneys, and provide for all our peoples welfare.  
FINIS.