22.1. Queene Maries oration in Guild|hall in a solemne assemblie.

Queene Maries oration in Guild|hall in a solemne assemblie.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Quéene Ma|ries oration to the L [...]ndo|ners_I Am (quoth shee) come vnto you in mine owne person, to tell you that which al|readie you doo sée and know, that is, how traitorouslie & seditiouslie a number of Kentish rebels haue assembled themselues togither against both vs and you. Their pretense (as they said at the first) was onelie to resist a mariage de|termined betwéene vs and the prince of Spaine. To the which pretended quarrell, and to all the rest of their euill contriued articles ye haue béene made priuie. Since which time, we haue caused diuerse of our priuie councell to resort eftsoones to the said rebels, and to demand of them the cause of their con|tinuance in their seditious enterprise. By whose an|swers made againe to our said councell, it appeared that the mariage is found to be the least of their quarrell. For they now swaruing from their for|mer articles, haue bewraied the inward treason of their hearts,Demands are pretended to be sent from M. Wiat and his companie to quéene Marie. as most arrogantlie demanding the possession of our person, the kéeping of our tower, and not onelie the placing & displacing of our coun|cellors; but also to vse them & vs at their pleasures.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Now louing subiects, what I am, you right well know. I am your quéene, to whome at my corona|tion when I was wedded to the realme, and to the lawes of the same (the spousall ring whereof I haue on my finger, which neuer hitherto was, nor here|after shall be left off) ye promised your allegiance and obedience vnto me. And that I am the right and true inheritor to the crowne of this realme of Eng|land; I not onelie take all christendoome to witnesse, but also your acts of parlement confirming the same. My father (as ye all know) possessed the regall estate by right of inheritance, which now by the same right descended vnto me. And to him alwaies ye shewed your selues most faithfull and louing sub|iects, and him obeied and serued as your liege lord & king: and therefore I doubt not but you will shew your selues likewise to me his daughter. Which if you doo, then maie you not suffer anie rebell to v|surpe the gouernance of our person, or to occupie our estate, especiallie being so presumptuous a trai|tor as this Wiat hath shewed himselfe to be; who must certeinlie, as he hath abused my ignorant sub|iects to be adherents to his traitorous quarrell: so dooth he intend by colour of the same, to subdue the lawes to his will, and to giue scope to the rascall and forlorne persons, to make generall hauocke and spoile of your goods.How he pre|tended the spoile of their goods it ap|peareth in that he com|ming to Southworke, did hurt nei|ther man, wo|man, nor child, neither in bo|die nor in a pennie of their goods. And this further I say vnto you in the word of a prince, I cannot tell how natural|lie a mother loueth hir children, for I was neuer the mother of anie; but certeinlie a prince and gouer|nor may as naturallie and as earnestlie loue sub|iects, as the mother dooth hir child. Then assure your selues, that I being your souereigne ladie & quéene, doo as earnestlie and as tenderlie loue and fauour you. And I thus louing you, cannot but thinke that ye as hartilie and faithfullie loue me againe: and so louing togither in this knot of loue and concord, I doubt not, but we togither shall be able to giue these rebels a short and speedie ouerthrow.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 And as concerning the case of my intended marriage, against which they pretend their quarrell, ye shall vnderstand that I entred not into the trea|tie thereof without aduise of all our priuie councell; yea, and by assent of those to whome the king my fa|ther committed his trust, who so considered & weigh|ed the great commodities that might insue thereof, that they not onlie thought it very honorable, but ex|pedient, both for the wealth of our realme, and also of all our louing subiects.Quéene Ma|rie excuseth hir mariage. And as touching my selfe (I assure you) I am not so desirous of wedding, nei|ther so precise or wedded to my will, that either for mine owne pleasure I will choose where I lust, or else so amorous as néeds I must haue one. For God I thanke him (to whome be the praise thereof) I haue hitherto liued a virgine, and doubting nothing but with Gods grace shall as well be able so to liue still. But if as my progenitors haue done before, it might please God that I might leaue some fruit of my bo|die behind me to be your gouernour, I trust you EEBO page image 1097 would not onelie reioise thereat, but also I know it would be to your great comfort. And certeinlie if I either did know or thinke, that this marriage should either turn [...] to the danger or losse of anie of you my louing subiects, or to the detriment or im|pairing of anie part or parcell of the roiall estate of this realme of England, I would neuer consent therevnto, neither would I euer marrie while I li|ued. And in the word of a quéene I promise and as|sure you,The promise of quéene Marie tou|ching hir ma|riage. that if it shall not probablie appéere before the nobilitie and commons in the high court of par|lement, that this marriage shall be for the singular benefit and commoditie of all the whole realme; that then I will absteine, not onelie from this marriage, but also from anie other, whereof perill maie insue to this most noble realme. Wherefore now as good & faithfull subiects plucke vp your harts, and like tru [...] men stand fast with your lawfull prince against these rebelles, both our enimies and yours, and feare them not: for assure you that I feare them nothing at all, & I will leaue with you my lord Howard, and my lord treasuror to be your assistants, with my lord maior, for the defense and safegard of this citie from spoile and saccage, which is onelie the scope of this rebellious companie.