“My second humble offer, disposable by your Lordships, is at my own cost and charges, but under your Lordships’ name and approbation, and out of the accruing profits of my Water-commanding Engine, to cause to be erected a competent ordinary, affording as well wine as meat, for one meal a day, for forty indigent officers, such as the calamity of the late times has brought to so pressing necessities, as none of your Lordships, I am confident, but is very sensible thereof, especially of such persons who (had not their zeal to their King and country transported them) might have lived plentifully of their own; yet if your Lordships’ commiserating eyes look not speedily upon them, may follow the destiny of some others of quality, yea colonels, and never were under my command; yet I never made distinction when his Majesty’s honour or service was interested, or his well-deserving subjects suffered, and were within my power of relief, for whose burials it hath been my good fortune to pay; they not leaving behind them to the value of an angel; and I humbly conceive this act of charity, worthy your Lordships’ owning, since your Lordships’ cheerfully passing the act of my Water-commanding Engine enableth me thereunto; and I most humbly offer this little testimony of gratitude, to be under your name thus employed. And I intend there shall be so good order given therein, within 6 months, as that there shall be a stipend given to a person to read unto them during their meals, either of military affairs or history, the better to avoid frivolous discourse tending to quarrels and quaffing.
“Thirdly, in favour and benefit of the commonalty as well as your Lordships, and for the general good and honour of this most famous City of London, I most humbly offer, under your Lordships’ name and protection, to cause a fair causeway to be made, upon which, without disturbance, two carts may pass one by the other for 2 miles together, at 4 of the greatest avenues to the City, as the Lord Mayor and Aldermen shall best advise; and at the end of each of the four causeways, an Hospital and House of Correction to be erected and endowed, with a perpetuity of £500 a year to each house; and this pious work to begin within two years, and to be finished within seven.
“Fourthly—and, indeed, I should have begun with it, according to the true rule—a Jove principium—I do humbly offer, in honour of this House, to cause £1000 a year, for ten years, from Michaelmas come twelve-month, to be allotted towards the building of Paul’s, according as his Grace the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Bishop of London, and now Bishop of Winchester, together with the Dean and Chapter of Paul’s shall set forth, and may continue:—a memorable gift from the House of Lords. And thus, I humbly conceive, to have offered an acknowledgment of thankfulness both to his Majesty, and to your Lordships, Spiritual and Temporal, and for the Honourable House of Commons, for passing the Act of my Water-commanding Engine; and to improve this my humble thankfulness, shall be my daily exercise and study, no ways meaning that what here I suffer shall set a period thereunto, so as your Lordships will be pleased to set your helping hands to remove some misconstructions and personal inconveniences, which, if not diverted from my mind, and from a too generally received opinion, though upon false grounds, and not appearing otherwise than false; I beseech your Lordships to be so tender of a member of yours, as to contribute to the vindicating of me therein, whereof no ways doubting but that your Lordships will remove such an absolute remora to all my intended services; and, therefore, I will presume to lay my case openly and cheerfully before you, not doubting but that at your Lordships’ intercessions, his most gracious Majesty (having given way that I should speak thus before your Lordships) will vouchsafe a concurrence, and suffer himself to be disabused, and such false and malicious opinions to be eradicated out of his princely mind, as have been endeavoured, by either envy, malice, or ignorance, to be rooted therein, and so certainly have obstructed the natural influence of grace and favour, which could not otherwise but have been the effects of so great a Sun as shines within a throne of so much goodness and majesty. Now, whether my merits have been considerable, I beg leave here to set down not as a trumpet to proclaim them, but narrative-wise, modestly, yet truly, for your Lordships’ better information, accusing myself in some things with the same candour and freedom as to vindicate myself, in others, desiring to stand or fall by your Lordships’ just judgment, and his Majesty’s gracious proceeding thereon; no further relying even upon his Majesty’s most gracious act of general pardon, than in compliance with others, his Majesty’s subjects, have taken it out, yet with so great a reluctance, through the clearness of my heart, not to have deserved for it, that the Lord upon the Woolsack was forced to chide me to it, through his tenderness of my good, and, as I humbly conceive, a further apprehension than I could have of a necessity thereof; for which his tender care I acknowledge thankfulness, yet, at the same time, I must humbly ask leave to stand upon my justification, humbly praying to be rightly understood, for I do it not out of pride or vain glory, but purely—Me defendendo,—and if any body—Se defendendo,—kills another, the law quits him, much more will your Lordships pronounce me not guilty of arrogance, though I should arrogate to myself a praiseworthy desert, and not, through too much modesty, be mealy-mouthed, and not discover what of right appertains to the blessed memory of my dead father, and even my own commendations, crying with Virgil,—Sic vos non vobis nidificatis aves; sic vos non vobis vellera fertis oves; sic vos non vobis fertis aratra boves; sic vos non vobis mellificatis apes. Know, then, my noble Lords, that herein I speak not to derogate from the merit of the Roman Catholics from their duty and love to their Sovereign, we having all of us, with an unanimous resolution, nemine contradicente, that is to say, no one gentleman of quality throughout the whole nation, but has stuck to the cause, adventuring his life, and lost his whole fortune therein; yet give me leave to aver it, boldly, that all the Catholics of England assisted not my father, or me, to the value of £5, without real security for it, and such, indeed, as at this time lieth heaviest upon me; and this I aver as in the presence of Almighty God and your Lordships. In the second place, my Lords, how came the then Marquis of Hertford, after his defeat in the west, with recruits to his Majesty at Oxford, but by my father’s means and mine. The forces that I sent with him had cost me £8000; and £2000 my father lent him, ready money. How came Sir John Byron’s regiment of horse to be first raised, but by £5000 in gold, given him by my father? How came the Forest of Dean to be reduced; Goodrich strong castle to be taken; Monmouth itself, with its garrison, to be surprised; Chepstow, Newport, and Cardiff to be taken, and secured for his Majesty, but by my forces and my father’s money? How came Raglan Castle to be first fortified and last rendered, but by £50,000 disbursed therein by my father?
“How came his Majesty’s army to be considerable before Edge-hill fight, but by the men I brought, and how was his Majesty recruited at Gloucester side, even after the defeat given by Waller to my men? God forgive those of the King’s party, who were the occasion that 1500 were surprised, and I not despatched from Oxford until the day after; yet, my Lords, at 14 days warning I brought 4000 foot and 800 horse to the siege of Gloucester, paying them £6000 down upon the nail at Gloucester, besides my troop of Life-guard, consisting of 6 score noblemen and gentlemen, whose estates amounted to above 3 score thousand pounds a-year, most of whom I furnished with horse and arms, which of a sudden they could not do themselves; for I was then master of 34 horses in my stable, for the worst of which I have refused £100, and above 40 others lonely worth £50 a horse. I kept a table for the said troop, not only at Gloucester side, but all the way to the west, without so much as making use of free quarter, but all upon the penny; for General Raven complained of me to the King, who graciously and smilingly reprehending me publicly, I desired to know my accuser, and called my Lord-General Raven, afterwards made Earl of Bradford, before his Majesty, who, objecting that it was of ill example and made them to be thought the more burdensome; my humble reply was, that I yielded to his Excellency to be the better soldier, but still to be a soldier of fortune, here to-day and God knows where to-morrow, and therefore he needed not care for the love of the people; but though I were killed myself I should leave my posterity behind me, towards whom I would not leave a grudge in the people, but whilst I could serve his Majesty upon my own purse and credit I would really do it, and afterwards leave it to such as his Lordship.
“I confess I raised this troop without my father’s consent first asked; his Majesty’s peremptory commands and the shortness of time requiring, and I confess his Lordship checked me for it, and said I had undone myself thereby, and [I] replied that 5 or £6,000 would not undo me; the horses being all my own already, and the arms, by accident coming to Bristol afforded a sudden and cheaper means for it. My father answered, that he did allow that 6 nor £16,000 would not undo me, but the consequence would be that the love and power I had in my country would be perspicuous; although I should have thanks from the King, yet others, though his Majesty’s well-wishers, yet, through envy, they would hate me for it: which I confess I have found too true, and my services have been more retarded by those who called themselves the King’s friends than obstructed by his enemies.
“Pardon me, my Lords, if I detain you a little longer, descending to some particulars as near as I can call to mind; and beginning first to tell your Lordships that I was not privy nor present with his Majesty at Greenwich, when he first took his resolution for the North, and removed without the Queen to Theobalds, from which he was pleased to write me a lamentable letter by the hands of Sir John Byron, averring that he had but £600, and £300 of which was given to defray his horses, which the Marquis of Hamilton, then Master of the Horse, refused to do, fearing to displease the Parliament; but upon such a lamentable complaint, and pressing necessities of my dear master (yet no ways advising him unto the journey), I sent him to Theobalds.
£3,000
| “To Huntingdon, after his departing from Theobalds | 3,000 | ||
| “To Nottingham | 4,000 | ||
| “To York | 8,000 | ||
| “And took order for a table, to be kept for severalexperienced officers, who by this means were kept fromtaking arms for the Parliament, and were ready for theKing’s service, and the defraying of their debts here,their journey into York, and their table there, which noneof them but 2 knew it came from other hand than the King’sprivy purse, yet stood me in | 1,500 | ||
| “And these sums, with as great privacy as may be, keepinggood correspondence with the Parliament, and myselfpresent at London, to avoid suspicion, being then trustedboth by King and Parliament. For victualling the Towerof London, by his Majesty’s command I sent to the thenLieutenant, Sir John Byron, in old plate, under pretenceof coining it | 2,500 | ||
| “By a feigned pretence getting leave of the Parliament(the circumstance being too tedious to relate to yourLordships, but yet notable in itself), I went with theirpass to York, and carried to his Majesty in ready money | 15,000 | ||
| “In bills and assurances. | 80,500 | ||
| “For both which sums I had his Majesty’s note, yet extant,for ninety-five thousand 5 hundred pounds. Which done,in two days, his Majesty’s further commands received, Ireturned to the Parliament, with a plausible answer to amessage sent from them by me, and I agreed with Parliamentto remove the magazine of powder and [ammunition] for[from?] Monmouth, which was a town of my own, to Carlyon,a town of the Earl of Pembroke, a professed adherent untothem, which they took kindly at my hands, though done bydesign by me, who could not have pretension to take itfrom the town of Monmouth had it been still there. | |||
| “For the raising of Sir John Byron’s regiment of horse,being the first completed | 5,000 | ||
| “Things being thus set in order between his Majesty andme, I fairly took leave of the Parliament to go downto my father; where I no sooner arrived but there camedirected unto me from his Majesty a Commission of Array;whereof I presently, by a servant of my own, sent wordto the Parliament, with a letter to the House of Lords,which I directed to my Lord of Holland, and to the Houseof Commons, to Mr. Pym; in both of which I offered tointercede to his Majesty, and conceived I should prevailto suspend the Commission of Array, if they should makean Act that their militia should not come into my country;but they, with civil compliments and thanks, replied,that his Majesty’s [proceeding?] was so illegal, andtheirs for the kingdom so just and necessary, that by nomeans would they waive the one for the other. At whichI declared myself irritated to see that they durst tellme that anything commanded by my master was illegal, andprofessed I would obey his Majesty’s commands, and letthem send at their perils. So, immediately, and in 8 days’time, I raised 6 regiments, fortified Monmouth, Chepstow,and Raglan; fetching away the magazine from the Earl ofPembroke’s town, Carlyon, and placed it in Raglan Castle,leaving a garrison in lieu thereof. Garrisoned likewiseCardiff, Brecknock, Hereford, Goodrich Castle and theForest of Dean, after I had taken them from the enemy. | |||
| “To the then Lord Marquis of Hereford, in Wales, as manyforces as cost me the raising and arming[H] | [8000?] | ||
| “Lent him to prosecute that expedition, in raising offorces in Wales, first and last, [to the?] number oftwelve thousand men, and [maintaining] them, whilst thecountry was tottering, [also providing?] them weekly forfifteen months: . . [plainly?] speaking, and it shall bemade good.[I] } | [2000?] | ||
| [130,500?] | |||
| “Brought to Oxford and delivered [with my?] own hands[I] | |||
“My journey to Ireland with levies and incident[alexpenses?], there as well at sea as at land.[J] | **** | ||
| “The furnishing of troops of 6 score [gentlemen with?]arms, and most of them with horses, some of them of anhundred pounds price, and many of £50; for though thegentlemen betwixt them made above £60,000 per annum landof inheritance, yet being unexpectedly raised in 8 days,and could not furnish themselves, which I did accordingto their quality, together with their servants to thenumber of 200, keeping a constant table for them the wholejourney, all along from Gloucester into the West; whereatthey never wanted wine, that being carried along with us,but oftentimes beer; together with £6,000 in ready money,paid my foot soldiers at the raising of the siege ofGloucester: which, all modestly rated, came unto above | 25,000 | ||
| “The keeping of the garrison of Raglan, towards which,till the very last cast, there was never a pennycontribution raised or exacted, amounted to, at the least | 40,000 | ||
| The total | £318,000 | ||
| “Besides the garrison of Monmouth, both town and castle,Chepstow, Goodrich with Hinan, and the Forest of Dean,recovered from the enemy, all at my charge till SirWilliam Vavasour came, who hath had of me 500 twentyshilling pieces at a time, to encourage him to go on atGloucester; besides, likewise, the charge of reducingof Abergavenny, Carlyon, and Newport to his Majesty’sobedience. | |||
| “Furthermore, for seven years, both in England andIreland, I allowed twenty pounds each meal, to whichall officers and gentlemen were welcome; and I believethe charges in these particulars, not to be inserted orcharged on this account, amounts to one-half as much asthe former sums. I never received a farthing towards it asGeneral or [otherwise], nor a penny out of my estate in 20years. These times came unto upwards of sumebus viis etmodis, which alone amounted unto | 600,000 | ||
| “These sums added together balance the accounts and makegood that I have spent, lent, [and lost?] for my King andcountry, revera | £918,000 | ||
“My Lords, being conscious of this, and many things forgotten by me to set down, I was become proof against anything the King’s enemies could do against me, since by their principles I knew I deserved it; but, since his Majesty’s return and happy restoration it hath almost stupified me to have been so laid by as not to have had any promise made good to me, for which I had his Majesty’s royal word, hand, or even the Great Seal of England; but, of the contrary, I humbly beseech your Lordship’s leave to set down what, with all submission to his Majesty’s will and pleasure, flesh and blood cannot but resent, yet so far only as shall stand with the duty of a loyal subject and the unquenchable zeal of my real heart towards my King and country, and a most humble submission to your Lordships’ better judgment, casting myself wholly at your disposal and favourable construction of what I shall set down, according to the old saying, that—losers may have leave to speak.”
In this proposed address to the House of Peers, the Marquis of Worcester offers some introductory remarks bearing on his parentage, education, and travels; but the burden of his speech is a detailed account of the severe losses himself and his family sustained, consequent on the Civil War, combined with his father’s and his own liberality to Charles the First personally. His proposed plan of laying his case before the House is prefaced with a singular offer on his own part, under four different heads:—