A SPEECH Delivered in PARLIAMENT, By Sir D. D. KNIGHT.  
Concerning the evil Consequences, that do attend this State, by committing Places of trust, into the hands of Court-Favourites.  
whereby it doth plainly appear, to be the original of all the public grievances, and combustions of this Kingdom.  

Printed according to order.   
LONDON, Printed for joseph Doc. 1643.   

Sir DVDLEY DJGS Speech, as it was taken and reported by the Lord President of the council.  
MY LORDS,  
THere are so many things of great importance to be said in very little time this day, that I conceive it will not be unacceptable to your Lordships, if setting by all rhetorical affectations, I only in plain country language humbly pray your favour to include many excuses, necessary for my manifold infirmities, in this one word; I am commanded by the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses of the Commons House, to present unto your Lordships their most affectionate thanks, for your ready condescending to this conference; which Act of confidence in your great wisdom, and approved Iustice, for the service of His majesty, and the welfare of this realm, they desire upon this occasion: The House of Commons by a total, and universal concurrence of complaints, from all the Sea bordering Ports of this kingdom, did find a great and grievous interruption, and stop of trade and traffic, the base pirates of sally, ignominiously infesting our coasts, taking our ships, and goods, and leading away the subjects of this kingdom into barbarous Captivity, while to our shane and hindrance of Commerce, our enemies did as it were besiege our Ports and block up our best Rivers months, our Friends over-flight pretences made Imbargoes of our Merchants goods, and every nation on the least occasion was ready to continue, and slight us; So great was the apparent diminutions of the ancient honour of this Crown, and high reputations of this our Nation, wherewith the Commons were more troubled, calling to remembrance, how formerly in France, in spain, in Holy-land, and every where by Sea& Land the valour of this Kingdom had been better valued,& even in latter times, within remembrance, when we had no alliance with denmark, or in Germany, nor friends in Italy, Scotland,( to say no more) Ununited; Ireland not settled in Peace, and much less security at home, when spain as ambitious as it is under a King they call their wisest, the house of Austria as great and potent, and strengthened with a malicious league in France, of persons ill-affected, when the Low-countries had no being, yet by constant councells, and old English ways, even then that Spanish pride was abated, the greatness of the house of Austria now made so formidable to us, was well resisted, and to the united Provinces of the Low-countries, such a beginning, growth and strength was given, as gave us honour over all the Christian world.  
The Commons therefore wondering at the evils they suffered, and debating of the causes of them, found that they were many, drawn like lines to one circumference of the decay of the Trade, honour, and reputation of this Kingdom; which all as in one Center, met in one great man, the cause of all, whom I am here to name, The Duke of Buckingham.  
Here Sir D. Digs paused, as wondering to see the Duke present, yet he took the Roll,& red the Preamble here following to the charges, with the Dukes long Title.  
For the speedy redress of the great evils and Mischiefs, and of the causes of these evils and Mischiefs, which this Kingdom of England now grievously suffereth, and of late yeers hath suffered, and to the honour and safety of our sovereign Lord the King,& of his crown and dignity, to the welfare of his people the Commons of this present Parliament, by authority of our said sovereign Lord the King assembled, Do by this their Bill show and declare, against George, Duke, marquis and Earl of Buckingham, Earl of Coventry, Viscount Villers, Baron of Whaddon, great admiral of the Kingdoms of England& Ireland, and of the principality of Wales, and of the Dominion and islands of the same, and of the Town of Calice, and of the Marches of the same, and of Normandy, Gascoin, Guyene, general governor of the Seas and Ships of the said Kingdom, lieutenant general, admiral Captain general and governor of his Majesties royal Fleet and Army, lately set forth, Master of the horse of our sovereign Lord the King, Lord Warden, Chancellor and admiral of the Cinque ports, and of the members thereof, Constable of Dover-Castle of Windsor, Gentleman of his Majesties Bedchamber, one of his Majesties most honourable privy council, in his Realms both of England, Scotland& Ireland, Lord avant of the counties of Middlesex& Buckingham, and Knight of the most honourable order of the Garter, the misdemeanours, misprisions, offences, crimes, and other matters comprised in the Articles hereafter following, and him the said Duke do accuse and impeach of the said misdemeanours, misprisions, offences and crimes.  
My Lords; The lofty title of this mighty man me thinks doth raise my spirits to speak with a Paulo maiora canamus, and let it not displease your Lordships if for our foundation, I compare the beautiful structture and fair composition of this monarchy wherein we live, to the great work of God, the world itself, in which the solid body of incorporate Earth and Seas( as I conceive) in regard of our husbandry, manifactures and commerce by Land and Seas may well resemble us the Commons, and as it is encompassed with Air and Fire and spheres celestial of Planets, and a firmament of fixed stars, all which receive their heat, and life,& light, from one great glorious sun, even like the King, our sovereign; so that firmament of fixed stars, I take to be your Lordships; those planets the great officers of the kingdom, that pure element of fire, the most religious, zealous, pious Clergy, and the reverend Judges, Magistrates, and Ministers of Law and Justice; the Air, wherein we breath all, who truly labour for them all, and though they be the footstool and the lowest, yet may well be said, to be the fettled Center of the state.  
Now( my good Lords) if that glorious Sun by his powerful beams of grace and favour shall draw from the bowels of this earth an exhalation that shal take fire and burn and shine out like a star; it need not be marveled at, if the poor commons gaze and wonder at the comet, and when they feel the effects, impute all to the corruptible matter of it; But if such an imperfect M●teor appear like that in the last age in the Chair of Cassiopeia amongst the fixed stars themselves, where Aristotle and the old Philosophers conceived there is no place for such corruptions; then as the learned mathematicians were troubled to observe, the irregular motions, the prodigious magnitude, the ominous prognostics of the Meteor, so the commons when they see a blazing star, in course so exorbitant in the affairs of the Common-wealth, cannot but look up upon it, and for want of prospectives, commend the nearer examinations thereof to your Lordships, who may behold it at a better distance, such a prodigious comet the Commons apprehended the Duke of Buckingham to be, against whom, and his irregular ways, there are by learned Gentlemen, legal Articles of charge to be delivered to your Lordships, which I am generally first commanded to lay open.  
First, the Officers of this kingdom, which are the eyes, the ears, and the hands of this common-wealth, these have been engrossed, bought and sold, and many of the greatest of them holden in the Dukes own hands, which severally in former times gave sufficient content to the greatest Favourites, and were work enough for the wisest councellors; by means whereof what strange abuses, what infinite neglects have followed, the Seas have been ungarded, Trade disturbed, Marchants oppressed, their Ships, and even one of the royal Ships by cunning practise delivered over into foreign hands, and contrary to our good Kings intention, employed to the prejuduce, almost to the ruin of friends of our own Religion.  
Next, Titles and degrees of honour, those most precious Jewels of the crown, a treasure inestimable, wherewith your noble ancestors( my Lords) were well rewarded for eminent& public services in the common-wealth at home, and for brave exploits abroad: when covered all with dust and blood, they sweat in service for the honour of this Crown, what backwayes, and what by-ways have been found out by this Duke, is too well known unto your honours; whereas anciently it was the honour of England, as amongst the Romans, the way to the Temple of honour, was through the Temple of virtue; But I am commanded to press this no farther, then to let your Lordships know, one instance may perhaps be given of some one Lord compelled to purchase honour.  
Thirdly, as divers of the Dukes poor kindred have been raised to great honours, which have been, and are likely to be more chargeable and burdensome to the Crown, for the Lands and Revenues, and the Treasures of his majesty, have been intercepted, and exhausted by this Duke, and his friends; and strangely misemployed, with the confusion of the accounts, and overthrow of the well established ancient Orders of his Majesties Exchequer.  
And the last of charges which are prepared, will be an injury offered to the person of the late King of blessed memory, that is with God; of which as your Lordships may have heard heretofore, you shall anon have farther informations.  
Now upon this occasion, I am to take care of the honour of the King our sovereign that lives,( long may he live to our comfort, and the good of the Christian world) and also of his blessed Father, to the grief of the Commons& their great distaste, the Lord Duke, unworthily( they conceive) did cast some ill odour of his own foul ways, whereas ancient servants were wont to bear( as indeed they ought) their masters faults, and not cast their own on them: It is well known, the King that is with God, had the same power, and the same wisdom before he knew this Duke; yea, and the same affections too, through which, as a good and gracious master, he advanced some stars of your Lordships firmament, in whose times the exorbitance of will, this cendency of power, such placing and displacing of Officers, such irregular running into by-courses of the planets, such sole and singular managing of the great affairs of the kingdom was never heard of; And therefore to the Lord Duke and this procurement by information, the faults complained of by the commons are to be imputed; And for our gracious sovereign that lives, whose name hath been used, and now perhaps may be for this Dukes justification: The commons know well that amongst His Majesties royal virtues, His Piety to His Father, hath made him a pious nourisher of His affections, even to this Lord Duke, on whom His Majesty out of that consideration, hath wrought a kind of wonder, making favour Hereditary; But the abuse thereof must be the Dukes own; and if there have been any command, as were or may be pretended, his misinformation hath procured them, whereas the laws of England teach us, that Kings cannot command ill, or unlawful things, when ever they speak through their letters patents, or their seals; If the thing be evil, these Letters patents are void, and whatsoever ill event succeeds, the executioners of such commands must ever answer for them.  
Thus my Lords in performance of my duty, my weakness hath been troublesone to your Lordships; It is now high time humbly to entreat your pardons, and to give way to a learned Gentleman to begin a more particular charge.  
FINIS.