[1661/1/158]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
The estates of parliament, considering that the peace and happines of this kingdome and of his majesties' good subjects therin doth depend upon the safety of his majesties' persone, and the mantenance of his royall authority, power and greatnesse, and that all the miseries, confusions and disorders which this kingdome hath groaned under these tuentie-three yeers have issued from, and been the necessary and naturall products of these neglects, contempts and invasions which, in and from the begining of these troubles, wer upon the specious (but false) pretexts of reformation (the common cloak of all rebellions) offered unto the sacred persone and royall authority of the king's majestie, and his royall father of blessed memorie; and notwithstanding that by the sacred right inherent to the imperiall croun (which his majestie holds immediatly from God Almighty alone) and by the antient constitution and fundamentall lawes of the kingdome, the power of convocateing and keeping assemblies of the subjects; the power of calling, holding, proroguing and dissolveing of parliaments and makeing of lawes; the power of entering into bonds, covenants, leagues and treaties [and] the power of raiseing armies, keeping of strenths and forts are essentiall parts and inseperable priveledges of the royall authority and prerogative of the kings of this kingdome, yet such hath been the madnes and delusion of these tymes that even religion it selff, which holds the right of kings to be sacred and inviolable, hath been pretended unto, for warrand of all these injurious violations and incroachments, so publictly done and owned, upon and against his majesties' just power, authority and government, by makeing and keeping of unlawfull meitings and convocations of the people; by entering into covenants, treaties and leagues; by seizing upon and possessing themselffs of his majesties' castles, forts and strenths of the kingdome, and by holding of pretendit parliaments, makeing of lawes, and raiseing of armies for the mantaining of the same, and that not only without warrand, but contrary to his majesties' expresse commands. And although the late king's majestie, out of his meer grace and respects to this his native kingdome and the peace and quyet of his people, and for preventing the consequences which such a bad example and practise might occasion to the disturbance of the peace of his other kingdomes, was pleased in the yeer 1641 to come into this cuntrie and by his oune presence, at thair pretendit parliaments and otherwayes, to comply with and give way to many things neerly concerneing the undoubted interest and prerogative of the croun, expecting that such unparallelled condiscentions should have made his subjects ashamed of their former miscariages, and the verie thoughts thairof to be hatefull to them and their posterity for ever; yet, such was the prevalency of the spirite of rebellion that raged in many for the tyme that not content of that peace and happines, which even above their desires wes secured unto them, nor of those many grants of honor and proffieit by which his majestie endeavoured to endear the most desperate of them to their duety and obedience, they then, when his majestie had not left unto them any pretence or shadow of any new desire to be proposed, either concerning themselffs or the kingdome, did most unworthily engadge to subvert his majesties' government, and the publict peace of the kingdome of England, for which purpose, haveing joyned in a league with some ther they, for the better prosecution of the same, did assume unto themselffs the royall power, keept and held parliaments at thair pleasure, by the pretendit authoritie of which, they layd new exactions upon the people (which in one moneth did far exceid what ever by the king's authority had been raised in a whole yeer) leveyed armies, sent out edicts, requireing obedience unto their unlawfull demands and with all maner of violence pursed such as, out of duety to his majesties' authority, opposed them, by fyns, confynments, imprissonment, banishment, death and forfeiture of thair posterity; and with thair army thus raised, invaded his majesties' kingdome of England, and joyned with such as wer in armes against his majestie ther; and thus mantaineing thair usurped power and violently executeing the same against all law, conscience, honour and humanity, have made themselffs instruments of much losse, shame and dishonour to their native cuntrey, and have justly forfalted any favour they might have pretendit to from his majesties' former concessions. And forasmuch as now it hath pleased Almighty God, by the power of his oune right hand, so miracoulously to restore the king's majestie to the government of his kingdomes and to the exercise of his royall power and soveranity over the same, the estates of parliament doe conceave themselffs obleidged, in dischairge of their duetie and conscience to God and the king's majestie, to imploy all their power and interest for vindicateing his majesties' authority from all these violent invasions that have been made upon it and, so far as is possible, to remove out of the way every thing that may retaine any remembrance of these things which have been so enjurious to his majestie and his authority, so prejudiciall and dishonourable to the kingdome and distructive to all just and true interests within the same. And considering that besides the unlawfullnes of the publict actings dureing these troubles, most of the acts in all and every of the meitings of these pretendit parliaments doe heighly encroach upon and are destructive of that soverane power, authority, prerogative and right of government, which by the law of God and the antient lawes and constitutions of this kingdome, doth reside in and belong to the king's majestie, and doe reflect much upon the honour, loyaltie and reputation of this kingdome, or are expired and serve only as testimonies of disloyalty and reproach upon the kingdome and are unfit to be any longer upon record; thairfor, the king's majestie and estates of parliament doe heirby rescind and annull the pretendit parliaments keept in the yeers 1640, 1641, 1644, 1645, 1646, 1647 and 1648, and all acts and deids past and done in them, and declare the same to be henceforth voyd and null. And his majestie, being unwilling to take any advantage of the failings of his subjects dureing those unhappie tymes, is resolved not to retaine any remembrance thairof, but that the same shall be held in everlasting oblivion, and that all difference and animosities being forgotten his good subjects may in a happie union under his royall government enjoy that happines and peace which his majestie intends, and really wisheth unto them as unto himselff, doth therfor, by advice and consent of his estates of parliament, grant his full assureance and indemnity to all persones that acted in, or by vertew of the said pretendit parliaments and other meitings flowing from the same, to be unquestioned in their lives or fortunes for any deid or deids done by them in thair said usurpation, or be vertew of any pretendit authority deryved therfrom, excepting alwayes such as shall be excepted in a generall act of indemnity to be past be his majestie in this parliament,† and it is heirby declared that all acts, rights and securityes past in any of the pretendit meitings abovewritten, or by vertew thairof in favours of any particular persons for their civill and private interests, shall stand good and valeid unto them untill the same be taken into further consideration, and be determined in this or the next session of parliament.
[1661/1/159]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Our soverane lord, being truely sensible of the mercies of Almighty God towards him in his preservation, in the times of greatest trouble and danger, and in his miraculous restitution to his just right and government of his kingdomes; and being desireous to improve these mercyes to the glorie of God and honour of his great name doth, with advice and consent of his estates of parliament, declare that it is his full and firme resolution to mantaine the true reformed Protestant religion in its purity of doctrine and worship, as it wes established within this kingdome, dureing the reigne of his royall father and grandfather, of blessed memorie, and that his majestie will be carefull to promote the power of godlinesse, to encourage the exercises of religion, both publict and private, and to suppresse all prophanesse and disorderlie walking; and for that end will give all due countenance and protection to the ministers of the Gospell, they containing themselffs within the bounds and limites of their ministeriall calling and behaveing themselffs with that submission and obedience to his majesties' authority and commands that is suteable to the alledgeance and duety of good subjects. And as to the government of the church, his majestie will make it his care to satle and secure the same in such a frame as shall be most agreeable to the word of God, most suteable to monarchicall government and most complying with the publict peace and quyet of the kingdome, and in the mean tyme his majestie, with advice and consent forsaid, doth allow the present administration by sessions, presbetries and synods (they keeping within bounds and behaveing themselffs, as said is) and that notwithstanding of the preceiding act rescissorie of all pretendit parliaments since the yeer 1638.†
The lord commissioner continewis the parliament till the morrow at tuo afternoone, and all summons ut supra.