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Show 6o A Charge, agttinft J. S. for Jtlf1tdali'Ling the Benev~lence. - The Charge given, by sr. Francis Bacon , his Maje~ie s Atturney General1, lfg~tin.ft Mr. l. S. for Scdnclalirz..ing, ;~11d Traducing, in the public/t Seffions, LettcrJ Jent, from the Lords of the Councell, touching the Benevolence. My Lord.r, I fhall inform you, ore temu, againfi this Gentleman, Mr.[. s. A Gentleman, (as it feems) of an ancient ffoufe, and Name; But for the prefent, I can think of him, by no other Name, then the Name of a greareffender. The Nature,and ~dl,ty, ofhis offence, in f~m~ is thi~. This Gentlemttn, h.ath,up0n advice, not fuddenly. by h1s Pen; Nor by the slip of h1s 'longue; Not privatly, or in a Corntr, but publickly; As it were, to the face of the Kings Miniflers, and }iflices; Slandered and Traduced; The King, our Sovereign; The Law of the Land; The Parliament; And infinite Particulau, of his 111ajefties worthy,and loving S1~b}eEis. Nay, the Slander is, of that Narurt-, that it may feem, to intereft, the reoplc, in Grief, and Difcontent, aga]nft the State; whence mought have enfued, Matter ofMurmur~and Sedition. So that it is not a Simple slander,but a Seditious slander; like to that, the Poet fpeaketh of; --CalamoflJ; armare Ve1uno. A Ve'nemous Dttrt, that hath both Iron, and Poyfon. Toopen, toyourLordfhips, thetrueState, ofthisoffence, I will fet before you; Firfr, the Occafion > whereupon Mr. I. s. wrought: Then the Offence, it felf, in his own words: Andlafil y, the Points, of his Charge. My Lords, ycu may remember, that there was the lafi Parliament, an ExptB:ation, to have had the King, fupplied, with Treafure, although the Event failed. Herein, it is not fit for me to give opinion ~ of an Houje of Parliamcut: But I will give tdlimony of Truth, in all places. I ferved, in the Lower HJllje, I and I obferved fomewhat. This I do affirm; That I never could perceive, but that there was, in that Hfmfe, a generall Dif pofiti· on to give; And to give, largely. The C!ocf<! in the Hou[e, perchance, might differ; Some went too fa.fr, fome went too flow: But the Difpofition to give, was generall; So that I think, I may truly fay; solo tempore lapfus Amor. This Accident,happening thus, befides expectation :It fiirred up, ahd aw~ked, in divers of his Majeflier wor~hy Scrvimts, and sub jells; of the Clergy, the·Nobility,the Court, and others here near at.hand, an ~ffection loving, and cheerfull; To prc:fent th~ Km$~ fome wtth Plate, fame with .llfoney, as a Freewill offering ; (A Thmg, that God Almighty loves; A cheerptll Giv~ r; what an Evil4 Eye doth, I know not.) And(my Lords) let me fpcak it, plainly untp _ A_ Charge, agail?ft I. S. for Jcanda!i'ZJing the Benevolence._ unto } 'OU j God forbid, any Body iliould be fo wretched as to think?that the Obligation of Love, and Duty ,from the subjea,to the Kmg, fhoul~ be Joyf!t, and not feverall :No, my Lordi it is b o t~.. The ~·ub;eC~ petitloneth, to the King, in Parliament. He Pt:tittc;meth ltkewtfe, out ofPttrbament. The King, on the other fide, gtves Gr11ce.r, to the subjecit, in Tarliament: He gives then1 likewife, and poureth them, upon his People, out of Parliament: . And fo, no doubt, the suhjeB, may give, to the King, in Parlia· mod, and out ofPrrrliament. It is true, the Parliament is IntcrcurJus A1crgmts? The gre~ t Intcrc:ou'fe, and m:-tin Cutrent: of Graces, and Donattves, from the J, ing, to the reoplej from the People, to the l(1 11g : Bu · Parliaments arc- held) but at certain times: Whereas the P afia~e~, are al waye~ op_en, for Partic~lars: Even as you fee, great Rrvers' have their Trdc.r; But paHlcnlar springs and Fount.-zins, run con tinually. ' To !noceed ~he~efore j A~ the Occaftonlwhich was the failing ofSupply,by 1 ,trlumJe1tt,)did awake the Love, and Benevolence ofthofeJ that were a t hand, to give: , o it was apprehended,and thought fit, by my Lord.r of the Co1mcell,to make a proof, whether the occafion, and ExdmpJe both, would not awake, thofe in the Country, of the bet.ter fo :t, to follow. Whereupon, their Lord-fl: ips dev 1fed, and dtrtc'ted Letters, unto the sheriffs, and Juflices, which declared what was done here above, and wifbed that the· Country might be moved, efpedally Men of value. ' Now,My Lords, I befeechyou, give me f..'lvour, and attention, to fet forth, a ~d obferve, unto you, five Points: (I will number them, becmaie other Men may note them; And I will but touch them, bccaufe they fhall not be drowned or loll: in difcourfe;) which I hold won hy , the obfervation: for the Hun011r of the State, and Confitjion of slanders : Whereby, it will appear, molt evidently; \\'hat care was taken, that that, which was then done might nQt have the effect, no nor the fhew~no nor fo much as th~ fh~do.w,. of a Tax_ : And that it was, fo f<lf-,. from breeding, or brmgmg m, any tll prefident, pr Example, As, contrary wife, it is a corre&ive, that doth correGI :~ and allay, the Harfhnefs, and Danger, of former Fxamplu. · The firfi is ; That what was done, was done~ immediately after fuch a Parliament, as made generall Profeffion to give, and was interrupted by Accident ; So as, you may truly) and ju!tly efteem it ; Tanquc'tm Pojih1tma Prole.r Parli4menti ; As an After child of the Parliament j And tn purfuit, (in fame (m<\U rneafure,) of the firm Intent, of a Parliament paft. You may ral<e it alfo, if you will, as an Advance, or Provifionall Help, untill a Futnre Parliawcnt: Or, as a Gratification fimply, without any Re btion, to a Parliament; you can, no wayes, take it amiffe. The Second is, That it wrought~ upon Example; As a Thing, not devifed; Or projected; Or required; No, nor fo much as recommended, untill many, that were never moved, nor dealt · with, |
