A Book of English Prose | Page 4

keep you from out of servitude, and from slavery
under our enemies, and cruel tyranny, and vile oppression intended
against us; for the better withstanding whereof, we take very acceptable
your intended helps, and chiefly in that it manifesteth your loves and
largeness of hearts to your sovereign. Of myself I must say this, I never
was any greedy scraping grasper, nor a strict fasting-holding prince, nor
yet a waster; my heart was never set upon any worldly goods, but only
for my subjects' good. What you do bestow on me I will not hoard up,
but receive it to bestow on you again; yea, mine own properties I
account yours to be expended for your good, and your eyes shall see
the bestowing of it for your welfare.
Mr Speaker, I would wish you and the rest to stand up, for I fear I shall
yet trouble you with longer speech.
Mr Speaker, you give me thanks, but I am more to thank you, and I
charge you thank them of the Lower House from me; for had I not
received knowledge from you, I might a' fallen into the lapse of an
error, only for want of true information. Since I was queen, yet did I
never put my pen to any grant but upon pretext and semblance made
me that it was for the good and avail of my subjects generally, though a
private profit to some of my ancient servants, who have deserved well;
but that my grants shall be made grievances to my people, and
oppressions to be privileged under colour of our patents, our princely

dignity shall not suffer it.
When I heard it, I could give no rest unto my {6} thoughts until I had
reformed it, and those varlets, lewd persons, abusers of my bounty,
shall know I will not suffer it. And, Mr Speaker, tell the House from
me, I take it exceeding grateful that the knowledge of these things is
come unto me from them. And though amongst them the principal
members are such as are not touched in private, and therefore need not
speak from any feeling of the grief, yet we have heard that other
gentlemen also of the House, who stand as free, have spoken freely in it;
which gives us to know that no respects or interests have moved them,
other than the minds they bear to suffer no diminution of our honour
and our subjects' love unto us. The zeal of which affection tending to
ease my people and knit their hearts unto us, I embrace with a princely
care far above all earthly treasures. I esteem my people's love, more
than which I desire not to merit: and God, that gave me here to sit, and
placed me over you, knows that I never respected myself, but as your
good was conserved in me; yet what dangers, what practices, what
perils I have passed, some, if not all of you, know; but none of these
things do move me, or ever made me fear, but it's God that hath
delivered me.
And in my governing this land, I have ever set the last judgment day
before mine eyes, and so to rule as I shall be judged and answer before
a higher Judge, to whose judgment seat I do appeal; in that thought was
never cherished in my heart that tended not to my people's good.
And if my princely bounty have been abused, and my grants turned to
the hurt of my people contrary to {7} my will and meaning, or if any in
authority under me have neglected, or have converted what I have
committed unto them, I hope God will not lay their culps to my charge.
To be a king, and wear a crown, is a thing more glorious to them that
see it than it's pleasant to them that bear it: for myself, I never was so
much enticed with the glorious name of a king, or the royal authority of
a queen, as delighted that God hath made me his instrument to maintain
his truth and glory, and to defend this kingdom from dishonour,
damage, tyranny, and oppression. But should I ascribe any of these

things to myself or my sexly weakness, I were not worthy to live, and
of all most unworthy of the mercies I have received at God's hands, but
to God only and wholly all is given and ascribed.
The cares and troubles of a crown I cannot more fitly resemble than to
the drugs of a learned physician, perfumed with some aromatical
savour, or to bitter pills gilded over, by which they are made more
acceptable or less offensive, which indeed are bitter and unpleasant to
take; and for my own part, were it not