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The Speech of George Earl of Briftol to the House of Commons, 1663.

Mr. Speaker,

WEre I to be wrought upon by the Arts

and Menaces of my Enemies, or by the Alarms of my Friends in my behalf, I, contrary to the firmness and affurance which a clear Heart and a good Conscience does always uphold in a Man of Honour, I fhould have appear'd in this place with such fear and trembling, as could not chufe but dif order any Man's Reason and Elocution: The nicenefs of the Subject upon which I am brought hither, were enough to discompose one; but over and above that, I am not ignorant what perfonal prejudices I am under, and how industrioufly they have been improv'd among you. But when I look round this Illuftrious Affembly, and fee three parts of it compofed of Men who wear, as I do, a Sword by their fides, and who have drawn it fo often for the King's Service, Gentlemen of Birth, Integrity, Fortune, all apprehenfi

ons

ons vanish from a Man, who hath ferv'd and fuffer'd for the King as I have done. Mr. Speaker, I know the time of this Houfe, upon whofe prudent Deliberations the Happiness of the King and Kingdom depends, is too precious to have any part of it fpent in vindication of me: But fince not only the Reputation and Innocence of one of your Members depends upon what I fhall fay, but even His Majefty's Honour may in fome fort be concern'd in the right apprehenfion of it, I hope it will be thought no prefumption in me to beg of you, as I do, in all humility, one quarter of an Hour's Patience and Attention.

Mr. Speaker, I am here exposed as the bearer of a Meffage to His Majefty from Sir Richard Temple, which he hath thought worthy to be complained of to this Houfe, and which Sir Richard Temple affirms he never fent. Lay your Hands upon your Hearts, Gentlemen, and fay truly, does not your innate Candour pity my Condition, brought into a ftreight, in all appearance fo inextricable? For, on the one fide, if I avow to have carried from Sir Rich. Temple the Meffage, which His Majefty has been pleas'd to make fo high and fo unusual an expreflion of his being offended at, and which Sir Richard Temple denies to have fent, how can Men of Honour forgive me fo ungentlemanly a proceeding towards a Perfon who hath trufted me, as a Friend, to do him (as he thought) a good Office with His MaBb 3

jesty?

jefty? On the other fide, Mr. Speaker, fhould Í difavow the having deliver'd the Meffage from Sir Richard Temple, which His Majefty hath thought fit to affirm, that he receiv'd from him and by me, what Subject can be ftrong enough not to fink for ever under the weight of fuch a Contradiction to his Sovereign? I ask you again, Gentlemen, does not the Condition you fee me brought into, by the Arts of my Enemies, move you at the fame time to Pity and Indignation? Mr. Speaker, when David was put to his choice of one of the three Calamities, he made election of the Plague. And why? that he might fall into the hands of God, and not of Men. In like manner, Mr. Speaker, if one of the two Extreams, with which I am threatned, be, as it appears, unavoidable, let me fall into the hands of God's Vicegerent the King: The World will never pardon me an unworthy Action, his Goodness, I am fure, would in time pardon a generous Fault. But when you have heard me out, Gentlemen, I am confident you will find, that I fhall need neither the World's Pardon nor the King's, but only yours. In the first place, Mr. Speaker, I am bound to clear Sir Richard Temple, which I here do upon my Honour, that he never fent by me a Meffage to the King, that had in it the leaft tincture of an undertaking of his, which I conceive could be the only part, that could give offence to His Majefty, or be a ground

for

for the Complaint made against him,----In the next place, if the King, who, the Law fays, can do no wrong, hath thought fit to affirm, that I brought him that undertaking Meffage from Sir Richard Temple, it must needs be true, and I do with all Submiffion avow whatever His Majefty is pleased to affirm of me, but having discharg'd that Duty towards my Sovereign, I hope I may be allowed to lay the Fault home upon myself, and to tell you, that my Tongue, I know not by what Diftemper, delivered that which, I protest to God, was never in my Thoughts; I was fo far from thinking to deliver fuch a Meffage from Sir Richard Temple, that I did not think myself charged with any thing by way of Meffage. It is true, Mr. Speaker, that being full of Indignation at ill Offices done him, I made a warm Addrefs to His Majefty in Sir Richard Temple's behalf, wherein I expreffed his Grief, that His Majefty should be offended with him, and having join'd thereunto fome Reasonings of his to justify his Conduct, in relation to His Majesty's Service, very agreeable to my own Sentiments, I purfu'd his Expreffions with fuch of my own, as (all Circumstances confidered) the moft unattentive Perfon, and the most biafs'd with Paflion against Sir Richard Temple, might have eafily understood it to be no undertaking of his, but only a warm Difcourfe, and confident undertaking of my Sir Richard Temple being thus Bb 4

clear'd,

clear'd, without the leaft contradiction to His Majefty, if to undertake for you, Gentlemen, be a Guilt, it is only I that ftand guilty before you; But you are too Noble, I am fure, and too juft, to condemn me in your Judgments, before you have heard the Nature and Circumftances of my Undertaking; which, with your leave, I fhall declare to the full, taking the Matter (as I muft needs, to be rightly understood) from an higher Original, Mr. Speaker,having had the Honour heretofore of difcharging with Approbation, a Place of fo high Truft, as that of Secretary of State to His Majefty's Father of Bleffed Memory, and to himself: And fince my quitting that Place, being admitted fo frequently to the happiness of his Princely Converfation, you cannot imagine, but that fometimes he vouchfafed to fpeak to me of Business, efpecially of Parliaments, where I have the Honour at prefent to be a Peer, and have heretofore been as much verfed, as fome of my Cotemporaries, in the Proceedings of the Honourable Houfe of Commons. I confefs, that before this laft Affembling, he did it more than once, and the Opinion I most constantly delivered con- · cerning this House was, that never King was fo happy in a Houfe of Commons, as he was in you; a House compofed of fo many Gentlemen of Birth and Fortune, eininent in their Faithfulness to him, and fuch as could never be fufpected of any finifter Designs, or of any

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