the Dutch lefs Infolent, tho' I know no Advantage they have had, but the continuance of the Contagion: God Almighty, I hope, will fhortly deprive them of that Encourage

ment.

A Speech in the Houfe of Peers, by the Tate Lord Lucas, Feb. 12. 1670. Upon occafion of a Bill for His Majesty's present Supply sent up from the Com

mons.

My Lords,

WH

Hen by the Providence of God Almigh ty, this Nation recall'd His Majesty to the exercise of his Regal Power, it was the Hope of all good Men that we should not only be restor❜d to His Majefty's Royal Prefence and to our Laws, but also that we fhould be free from thofe heavy Burthens under which he had lain fo long oppreft. We did believe that from thenceforth every Man fhould fit under his own Vine, enjoy the Fruits of Peace and Plenty, and Aftrea herself, long fince, for the Sins of Men, fled up to Heaven, fhould have been invited by His Majefty's most gracious and happy Reign, to return hither and dwell with us, and converfe with Mortals aCc 2

gain.

gain. But alas! we are fallen very short of our Expectations; and our Burthens are fo far from being made lighter to us, that they are heavier than ever they were: and as our Burthens are not eas'd, fo our Strength alfo is diminish'd, and we are lefs able to fupport them. For in the time of the late Ufurping Powers, tho' great Taxes were exacted from us, yet we had the Means to pay them; we could Let our Lands, and Sell our Corn and Cattel, and there was plenty of Money through the Nation: Now there is nothing of this, Brick is required of us, and no Straw allow'd to make it. That our Lands are thrown into our hands, and Corn and Cattel of little value, is notorious to all the World; and 'tis evident there is a fcarcity of Money, for all the Parliament's Money, call'd Breeches, (a fit Stamp for the Coin of the Rump) is wholly vanifh'd, the King's Proclamation and the Dutch have fwept it away: And of His Majefty's new Money there appears but very little; fo that, in effect, we have none left for common Ufe, but a Little old lean Coin, of the late three former Princes: And what Supply is preparing for it, My Lords, I hear of none, unlefs it be of Copper Farthings. This is the Metal that is to vindicate, according to the Infcription of it, the Dominion of the Four Seas: And yet, if amidst the present Scarcity, the vaft Sums given were all employ'd for the advantage of the King and

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Kingdom, it wou'd not much trouble us : But we cannot, without infinite regret of Heart, fee fo great part of it hoarded up in the Purfes of Private Men, and behold them flourish with our Eftates. How many, at the time of His Majefty's moft Happy Reftauration were worth very little or nothing, and now the fame Men purchase Lands, keep their Coaches and Six Horfes, their Pages and Lacqueys, and live in all Affluence and Plenty; while, in the mean time, those that have ferv'd the King, are in Penury and Want, and have fcarce fufficient to buy them Bread: And is this, My Lords, the Reward of our Services? Have we for this born the Heat of the Day, been Imprifon'd, Sequeftred, Ventured our Lives, our Families, our Estates, and our Fortunes; and must we, after all this, facrifice fo much of our poor Remainder, to the Will of a few particular Men, and to the Maintainance of their Vanities? But fuppofe all the Money given were employ'd for the Ufe of His Majefty, and His Majefty were not cheated, as without doubt he is, is there no Bound or Moderation in Giving? Will you fay yet, If we shall not plentifully fupply His Majefty, he will not be able to defend us, or to maintain the Triple League, and we fhall thereby run the hazard of being conquered? 'Tis true, My Lords, that this perhaps may be a Reafon for giving fomething, but it is fo far from being an Argument for giving fo much, that it may be Gc 3 clearly

clearly made out to your Lordships, that it is the direct and ready way to be conquered by a Foreigner; and it may be a Policy of the French King, by thofe often Alarms of Armies and Fleets, to induce us to confume our Treafures in vain Preparations against him, and after he hath by this means made us poor and weak enough, the true Alarm may come; he may then thunder upon us and deftroy us. It is not, My Lords, the giving of a great deal, but the well-managing of the Money given, that must keep us fafe from our Enemies. Your Lordships may be pleas'd to call to mind the Story of Sampfon, who while he preferv'd his Hair, wherein his Strength lay, was ftill Victor over his Enemies: But when by the Inticement of his Dalilah his Hair was once cut off, the Philistines came upon him and. overcame him. And fo, My Lords, if we fhall preserve and husband well our Treasures, wherein our Strength and the Sinews of War lie, and apply it to the right use, we shall be ftill redoubled by, and fuperiour to all our Enemies; but if we shall vainly and prodigally mifpend it, we fhall become an eafy prey to them. Befides, My Lords, what is this but Ne moriare mori, and for fear of being conquer'd, to put ourselves into a condition almost as bad as if we were fo? My Lords, pardon me if I fay, in some respects, a great deal worfe; for when we are under the power of the Victor, we know we can fall no lower,

and

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and the certainty of our Mifery is some kind of diminution of it; but in this wild way we have no certainty at all; for if you give thus much to day, you may give as much to Morrow, and fo you may never leave giving, until you have given all that we have away. Now this anxiety of Mind, which arifeth from this our doubtful eftate, is a high addi tion to our Afflictions. All that we beg, My Lords, is that we may be able to make fome estimate of our Selves. Would His Majefty! be pleas'd to have a quarter of our Eftates, for my part he fhall have it: Would His Majefty have half, for my part, upon good occa fion, he fhall have it: But I beseech your Lordships then, that we may have fome Affurance of the quiet enjoyment of the remainder, and know what we have to truft to. My Lords, the Commons have here fent us up a Bill for giving His Majefty the twentieth of our Estates for a Year, at the full extended Value; and I hear there are other Bills for Money alfo preparing, which together, according to the best Compute, will amount to little lefs than Three Millions of Money: A prodigious Sum, and fuch that if your Lordfhips fhall not afford relief, we muft of neceffity fink under the weight of fo great a Pref fure. My Lords, the Scripture tells us, that God Almighty fets Bounds to the Ocean, and fays unto it, Hitherto fhall thy proud Waves come, and no farther; and so I hope your. Cc 4 Lord

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