OCR Text |
Show A Speecb in Parliament t~ucbing w· new,. A n d attJr a1·n, that which you write in, you write Letter b , Letter ; But that which you put out, yon put out at once: s~ we have now to deal with th~ Tables of Me!ls.Hearts, wherein it is in vain, to think yon can enter, the wtlhng Acceptance of our Lttws,and cufloms; excep~ ~ou firfr put forth, all Notes, either of Hoflility, or Forrain C~ndttzon. An~ th~fe, are to .be put out,jimulet feme!, at o!lce,. wtthout Gradauons, 'Yh.ereas the other points, are to be unpnnted, and engraven, d~!hnctly, and by degrees. · Thirdly whereas it is conceived by fome, that the Commu-nication, o'four Benefits, and priviledges,. i~ a good Hold, that we have over them, to draw thetn to fub_u~nt tht:mfelves to our Laws :It is an Argument, of fome probabth~y, ~ut yet to be ~n-, fwered many wayes. For firfr, the Intent Is mtfia~en; \Yhtch is not ' as I conceive it to draw t h em w h o 1y , to a- v~· u h J· f at on r o our L~w.r; But to dra~, both Nations, to ~ne 11niforn:ity, of Law. Again to think, that there fhould be, a km_d of Articulate, and Indented, ContraCt; That they fuould recetve our L(zws, to obtain our priviledges, it is a Matter in reaf?n ofE:fiate n?t to be expeCted; Being that, which fcarcely a pnvate Man, w11l a ~nowledge, if it come to that, whereof Seneca fpeaketh; ~enejic1um accipere, efl Libertatem 11endere : No, but C?urfes of E~ate, dod~fcribe and delineate, another way; Whtch ts, to wtn them, e1· ther by Benefit, or Cufrome. For we fee, in all Creatures,. that Mendo FeeJthemfirfr andReclaimthemafter. Andfo, 1nthe firfi Infl:itution of Kingdomes~ Kingi did firfi: win People, by many Benefits, and ProtdJions, before they prefi: any To~. And for Cu- ~ ome~ which the Poets call, Imponere Morem: Wh~ doub_ts, but rhat the Seat of the Kingdome, and the Example ot the Kmg, refiing here with us, our Manners will quickly be there, to make aH things. ready for our Laws~ . . . And lafily, the Nt~.turaliz_at~on, whtch IS n~w propounded , IS qualified, with fuch Refrnfrtons, as there wtll be eno~gh kept back to be ufed at all times, for an Adamant, of drawing them further on,to ou/ Defires. And therefore, to conclude, I hold this Motion,ofV,ion of Lawi, very worthy,and arifingfrom ve-ry good Minds~ but not proper ~o; th_is Tim~. . . To come therefore to that, whtch Is now to Q!Iefrton : It IS no mote but whither, there fhould be a D1fference made, in this priviiedge ofNaturaliz.ation, between t~e Ante-N~ti, and th~ PoftNati; Not in point ofLaw, (for that will otherw1fe be dectded,) but on ely in point ofCoJ?venience; [As ~fa Law.' '":ere now to be made;, de novo.] In whtch ~eftion, I wtll, at thts ume, o?ely anfwer twoObje{iions; And u{e two .Arguments, and fo leave It to your Judgemento . . · ·The firfr objellioa hath·heen; That 1f a D.1fference, fbould be, it ought to be in favour of the Ante-Nati; Becaufe, they ~re Perlons, ofMerit, Service, and Proof; whereas the roft-Natt are In .. fants, The Nt1t11ralirz..ation of tbe Scottijb Nation. · j __ ?_7_ fants> That, (as the Scripture faith,) k.now not the Right Hand from 1 the Left. · T t1is were good Reafon, (Mr. $pea~r, ) if the QEd1ion were of Naturalizing fome particular Perfons, by a private Bill: But i; hath no p!oportion, witl}the generall Cafe. For now, we are not to look to ref peers, that are proper to fome, but to thofe which are common to all. Now then, how can it be imagined' but that thofe, that took their firfi Breath, fince thi£ happy vn/ on, inherent in his lllaje.ftieJ Perf on, mufr be more alfured, and dletlionate to this Kin.gdome, then thofe generally can be prefumed to be, which were fometimes Strangers ? For, Nemo }ubito fingitur: The Converfions of Minds, are not fo fwift, as the Con verfions of Timu. Nay, in Effeets of Grace, which exceed far the Effects ofNafltre, we 1ee, s~int Paul, makes a difference, between thofe he calls NcophiteJ; That is, newly grafted into chri-ftianity; And thofe, that are brought up, jn the Faith. And fo, we fee, by the Lawes oft he Church; ~hat the Children of chriflians fhaJI be Baptized, in reg:ud, oft he Faith,oftheir Parents; But th~ childofan Ethltlck.._, may not receiveBaptifm, tiHhebeable, to make, an underfl:anding Profeffion, of his Faith. · 1' not her Objdlion hath been made; That we cught, to be more provident, and referved, to reflrain the Pofl-Nilti, then the Ante~ Nati: Becaufe,duringhisMajefl:iestime, beingaPrinceof[oap· proved Wifdome, and ]11dgement, we need no better Caution, then the Confidence, we may repofe in Him : But in the Fu. ttue Reig,s, offucceeding .Ages, our Caution mufi be in Re>and not in l'erflm/1. . But, (Mr. spe11/zer,) to this J an(wer; That as we cannot expect a .Prince hereafter, lefs like t'o errc, in refpefr ofhis Judgement: fo again, we cannot expeCt a Prince, fo like to excee~d,(ifJ may fo term it,) in this point of Beneficence, to that Nation, in refpeCt of the OccJfion.. For whereas all Princes, and all Men are won~ eitber bY. Merit, or Converfation!r there is no Appearance, that any of his Majefiies Defcendants, can have either of thefe Caufes, ofBotmty, towards that Nation, info ample De. gree, as his Majefty hath. And thefe be, the two objellions~ which feemed to me moft MaterialJ, why the Pofl- Nati, fhou1d be left free, and not be concluded, in the fame R.efrritlions, with the Ante· Nati, whereunto you have heard the Anfwers. . The two R f ~tfons, which I wiil ufe,on the other fide, are brief. ly thefe. The one, being a Reafon , ' of Common Senfe; The other, aReafon,ofEfrate. Wefee, (Mr.speafter,) theTimeof the Nativity, is, in mofl: Cafes, principally regarded. In Nature, the Time of planting, and fetting, is chiefly obferved. And we fee, the .A_flrofo(!,crs, pretend to judge~of the Fortutte of the Party; by the Tune of the Nativity. In Lawes, we may, not unfitly, ap_ pJy, the Cafe of Legitimtttion, to the Cafe of Naturaliz,atiou. For it 1s true, that the Common Canon La.w, doth put the Ante-Natus, and E 2 the |