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The Lord FINCH's Speech in the House of Commons, the 21st of December 1641, he being then Lord Keeper.

Mr. Speaker,

I

Do first prefent my most humble Thanks to this Honourable Affemby, for this Favour vouchfafed me, in granting me Admittance to their Prefence; and do humbly beseech them to believe, it is no defire to preserve my self, or my Fortune, but to deferve the good Opinion of thofe that have drawn me hither. I do profefs, in the Prefence of him that knoweth all Hearts, I had rather go from Door to Door, and crave Da obolum Bellizario, with the Good Will of this Affembly, then enjoy all the Honours and Fortunes I am capable of.

I do not come hither with an Intention to juftifie my Words, my Actions or Opinions, but to make a plain and clear Narration of my felf, and then humbly to fubmit to the Wisdom and Justice of this House, my self, and all that concerns me.

But this Houfe will not take Words, but with clear and ingenuous Dealing.

And therefore I fhall befeech them to think, that I come not hither with a fet or ftudied Speech; I come to fpeak my Heart, and to fpeak

fpeak it clearly and plainly, and then to leave it to your Clemency and Juftice: And, I hope, if any thing fhall flip from me (to work contrary to my Meaning and Intention, diforderly or ill placed) you will be pleafed to make a favourable Conftruction, and leave me the Liberty of Explanation, (if there fhall be any) but I hope there fhall be no Caufe for it.

I hope, for my Affection in Religion, no Man doubteth me: What my Education was, and under whom I lived for many Years, is well known, I lived near Thirty Years in the Society of Grays-Inn; and if one (that was a Reverend Preacher there in my Time, Doctor Sibbs) were now living, he were able to give Teftimony to this House, That when a Party ill affected in Religion fought to tire and weary him out, he had his chiefeft Encouragement and Help from me. I have, Mr. Speaker, been now Fifteen Years of the King's Council; from the First Hour to this Minute, no Man is able to fay, that ever I was the Author, Deviler, or Confenter to any Project.

It pleafed the King, my Gracious Mafter, after I had ferved him divers Years, to prefer me to Two Places; firft to be Chief Justice of the Common-Pleas, and then Lord Keeper of his Great Seal: I fay it in the Prefence of God, I was fo far from the Thought of the one, and the Ambition of the other, that if

my

my Mafter, the King, his Grace and Goodnefs had not been, I had never enjoyed those Honours.

In all that Time, I may fpeak it with Conscience, thefe Hands never touched Bribe or Reward, thefe Eyes were never blinded with Guilt, I took heed to these Affections: common to Man, which are apteft to mislead a Judge, Friendship and Hatred, neither in the one nor the other have I adhered to.

Those that know me, know me far from a vindicative Nature.

I cannot know, Mr. Speaker, what Particulars there are by which you have an ill Opinion of me, and therefore I fhall come very weakly armed; Yet to thefe, that ei ther in my own Knowledge, or fuch Knowledge as is given me, and not from any of this House, I fhall fpeak fomewhat, that, I hope, being Truth, and accompanied with Clearnefs and Ingenuity, will at the laft pro duce fome Allay in that ill Opinion which may, perhaps, be conceived of me.

Mr. Speaker, I had once the Honour to fit in that Place; from the first time I came hither, to the unfortunate Hour I went out, I do appeal to all that were then, ifI ferved not you with Candor.

Ill Office I never did to either of the Houses, but did ever with the Good of both.

For that laft unhappy Day, I had my Share of Grief in it; and I hope there are fome

fome do remember, no Man within the Walls of this House did exprefs more Simptoms of Sorrow than I did.

After an Adjournment for two or three Days, it pleafed his Majefty to fend for me, to let me know, he could not fo refolve of Things as he defired, and therefore was defirous there might be an Adjournment for fome few Days more.

I proteft, I did not then difcern in his Majefty, and I believe it was not in his Thoughts, to think of the diffolving of the Parliament; but was pleafed to command me to deliver his Pleasure to the House for an Adjournment for fome few Days, and forthwith, upon the Delivery of the Meffage, to come and wait upon him.

He likewife commanded me, if Questions were offered to be put, upon my Allegiance I fhould not dare to do it.

How much then did I in all humbleness reafon with his Majefty, is not for me here to speak: Only thus much let me say:

I was no Author of any Councel in it, I was only the Perfon in receiving Commif fion.

I fpeak not this, as any thing I now produce, or do invent, or take up for mine own Excufe, but what is known to divers, and fome Honourable Perfons in this House, to be moft true.

All

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All that I will fay for that, is humbly to befeech you all to confider, that if it had been any Man's Caufe, as it was mine, between the Displeasure of a Gracious King, and the ill Opinion of an Honourable AT fembly:

I beseech you lay all together; lay my first Actions and Behaviour with the laft, I fhall fubmit with your Honourable and Favourable Conftructions.

For the Shipping Business, my Opinion in that Caufe hath lain heavy upon me, and I fhall clearly and truly prefent unto you what every Thing is, with this Proteftation (that if, in reckoning up my own Opinion what I was of, or what I delivered, any thing of it be difpleafing, or contrary to the Opinion of this House) that I am far from juftifying of it, but fubmit that, and all other my Acti ons, to your Wisdom and Goodness: Mr. Speaker, the firft Writs that were fent out about Shipping Bufinefs, I had no more Knowledge of, and was as ignorant as any one Member of this Houfe, or any Man in the Kingdom; I was never the Author or Devifer of it, and will boldly fay, from the firft Hour I did never advife or councel the fetting forth of any Ship-Writs in my Life.

.

Mr. Speaker, it is true that I was made Chief Juftice of the Common-Pleas fome four Days before the Ship-Writs went out to the Ports and Maritime Places, (as I do re

member