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Queen Elizabeth I seated in Parliament surrounded by members of the House. Each group is identified by a letter, which is explained in the caption. The words “The Chancellors Seat” appear in italics on a seat in the upper center.

Queen Elizabeth in Parliament

  • A. L. Chancellor.
  • B. Marquises, Earles &c..
  • C. Barons.
  • D. Bishops.
  • E. Judges.
  • F. Masters of Chancery.
  • G. Clerks.
  • H. Speaker of Commons

  • I. Black Rod.
  • K. Sergeant at Armes.
  • L. Members of the Commons house.
  • M. S.rSir Francis Walsingham Secretary of State.

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A Compleat
Journal
of the

Votes, Speeches and Debates,
both of the
House of Lords
and
House of Commons


Throughout the whole Reign of
Queen Elizabeth,
Of Glorious Memory.

Collected by that Eminent Member of Parliament;
Sir Simonds D’Ewes, Baronet.

Published
By Paul Bowes, of the Middle-Temple Esq;

London,
Printed for Jonathan Robinson in St. Pauls Church-yard, Jacob Tonson in
Chancery-lane, A. & J. Churchil in Pater-noster-Row, and John Wyat in
St. Pauls Church-yard, 1693MDCXCIII. 4 charactersomitted

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1 wordomittedThe2 wordsomitted
Journals
of all the
Parliaments

During the Reign of
Queen Elizabeth,

both of the
House of Lords
and
House of Commons.

Collected By
Sir Simonds D’Ewes of Stow-Hall in the County
of Suffolk, Knight and Baronet.

Revised and Published
By Paul Bowes, of the Middle-Temple
London, Esq;

London,
Printed for John Starkey at the Mitre in Fleetstreet near
Temple-Bar. 16821682.

excerptπ3v,A-F4,G1r,G1v,G2r,G2v; pp. vi-xvi,1-44 G3r 45 excerpt12 lines

On 1558-02-06Monday the 6th day of Feb. the Bill for
the Subsidy granted by the Temporalty, was read
the second time, and thereupon Ordered to be
Ingrossed.

The Bill for the restitution of Tenths, and FirstFruits,
was brought from the Lords by Mr Attorney
and Mr Sollicitor, the manner of whose
delivery thereof, being not found in the Original
Journal-Book of the House of Commons, I
have caused to be supplied, according to the
usual course thereof.

The said Mr Attorney and Sollicitor, being admitted
into the said House, came up close to the
Table, where the Clerk sate, and made three
Congies, and then acquainted Sir Thomas Gargrave
the Speaker, that the Lords had sent unto
the House such a Bill; of which one of them
read the Title, and so again departed the House,
having made three other Congies.

It was Ordered by the House, that Mr Speaker
with all the Privy-Council, and thirty other
Members of the same, should attend upon the
Queen this Afternoon, to petition her Majesty,
touching her Marriage, in such manner and Form,
as had been on 1558-02-04Saturday last agreed upon; but
whether they were admitted to her Majesties
presence, doth not appear, nor can possibly be
gathered out of the Original Journal-Book of
the House of Commons; neither in what manner
their Petition was framed, although it is
plain by her Majesties Answer, inserted at large,
on 1558-02-10Friday the 10th day of this instant February
ensuing, that it was only general, to perswade
her Majesty, for the welfare of her State and
Kingdom, to be pleased to marry, without limiting
the time, Person or place. And howsoever,
whether this aforesaid Petition were delivered
this Afternoon or no, most likely it is,
that her Majesty deferred, and took time to give
an Answer in so weighty a business, until the said
1558-02-1010th day of February aforesaid, which I do the
rather gather, not only from the above-mentioned
Original Journal-Book it self, in which there
is no report or mention of her Majesties Speech,
made unto the House by the Speaker, until in
the Forenoon of the said day; but also from an
antient written Copy of her Majesties said Answer,
which I had by me, in which it is referred
unto the said 1558-02-1010th day of February, as then uttered
by her, which will also more fully appear
in the passages of the said day, where it is at
large set down.


excerpt64 lines day G3v 46 excerpt1 line

1558-02-10Friday 10 Feb. the Bill for one Subsidy, and
two Fifteens and Tenths, was read the third time
and past.

Mr Speaker declared the Queens Majesties Answer
to the Message, which was read to the
House by Mr Mason, to the great honour of the
Queen, and the contentation of this House;
which is all that is contained in the Original
Journal-Book of the House of Commons, touching
this great business of their Petition, preferred
to her Majesty, to induce her to marry; and
therefore it shall not be amiss to leave some larger
memorial thereof; for this business, having
been first propounded and resolved on in the
said House, on 1558-02-04Saturday the 4th day of this instant
February foregoing
, and preferred to her
Majesty (as it should seem) on the 1558-02-06Monday following
in the Afternoon, was not answered by
her Majesty until this Morning, and was then
also read in the said House; as appeareth by the
foregoing imperfect mentioning thereof. And I
am the rather induced to conceive, that her Majesty
gave not her Answer until this Morning, to
the said Petition of the Commons, from a Copy
of the said Answer, which I have by me, written
by Alexander Evesham, which said Answer out of
the said Copy (in which it is referred to 1558-02-10this instant
10th day of February
) with the title and
subscription thereof, do now in the next place
follow, verbatim.

1558-02-10Friday 10th of Feb. 1558. &c.

The Answer of the Queens Highness, to the Petition
propounded unto her, by the Lower House, concerning
her Marriage.

“As I have good cause, so do I give you all
my hearty thanks, for the good Zeal and
loving Care you seem to have, as well towards
me, as to the whole Estate of your Country.
Your Petition I perceive consisteth of three parts,
and my Answer to the same shall depend of
two.
And to the first part, I may say unto you, that
from my Years of Understanding, sith I first had
consideration of my self to be born a Servant of
Almighty God, I happily chose this kind of life,
in the which I yet live: which, I assure you, for
mine own part, hath hitherto best contented my
self, and I trust hath been most acceptable unto
God: from the which, if either Ambition of
high Estate, offered to me in Marriage, by the
pleasure and appointment of my Prince (whereof
I have some Record in this presence (as you our
Treasurer well know) or if eschewing the danger
of mine Enemies, or the avoiding of the
peril of Death, whose Messenger, or rather a continual
Watchman, the Princes indignation, was
no little time daily before mine Eyes (by whose
means (although I know, or justly may suspect)
yet I will not now utter, or if the whole cause
were in my Sister her self, I will not now burthen
her therewith, because I will not charge the Dead)

if any of these, I say, could have drawn, or
disswaded me from this kind of life, I had not
now remained in this Estate, wherein you see
me. But so constant have I always continued in
this determination, although my Youth and
words may seem to some hardly to agree together,
yet is it most true, that at this day I stand
free from any other meaning, that either I have
had in times past, or have at this present; with
which Trade of Life I am so throughly acquainted,
that I trust, God, who hath hitherto therein
preserved and led me by the hand, will not of
his goodness suffer me to go alone.

For the other part, the manner of your Petition
I do well like, and take it in good part, because
it is simple, and containeth no limitation
of place or person; if it had been otherwise, I
must needs have misliked it very much, and
thought it in you a very great presumption, being
unfitting and altogether unmeet for you to
require them, that may command; or those to
appoint whose parts are to desire, or such to bind
and limit, whose Duties are to obey, or to take
upon you to draw my Love to your liking, or
to frame my will to your fantasie: For a Guerdon
constrained, and gift freely given, can
never agree together. Nevertheless, if any of
you be in suspect, whensoever it may please God
to incline my heart to another kind of Life, you
may very well assure your selves, my meaning is
not to determine any thing, wherewith the Realm
may or shall have just cause to be discontented.
And therefore put that clean out of your heads.
For I assure you (what Credit my assurance may
have with you, I cannot tell, but what Credit
it shall deserve to have, the sequel shall declare)
I will never in that matter conclude any thing
that shall be prejudicial to the Realm. For the
well, good and safety whereof, I will never shun
to spend my Life, and whomsoever my chance
shall be to light upon, I trust he shall be such,
as shall be as careful for the Realm, as you; I
will not say as my self, because I cannot so certainly
determine of any other, but by my desire
he shall be such as shall be as careful for the preservation
of the Realm, and you, as my self.
And albeit it might please Almighty God to
continue me still in this mind, to live out of the
State of Marriage, yet is it not to be feared but
he will so work in my Heart, and in your Wisdom,
as good Provision by his help may be made,
whereby the Realm shall not remain destitute of
an Heir that may be a fit Governour, and peradventure
more beneficial to the Realm than such
Off-spring as may come of me. For though I be
never so careful of your well doing, and mind
ever so to be, yet may my Issue grow out of
kind, and become perhaps ungracious, and in the
end, this shall be for me sufficient, that a marble
stone shall declare, that a Queen having
Reigned such a time, lived and died a Virgin.
And here I end, and take your coming to me in
good part, and give unto you all my hearty
thanks, more yet for your Zeal and good meaning,ing, G4r 47
than for your Petition.”
And under her Majesties
Answer aforesaid, was subscribed in the
same hand, as followeth;

This was Copied out of a Printed Copy, garnisht
with gilt Letters, given to the Honourable
the Lady Stafford, of her Majesties PrivyChamber,
and written out by Alex.Alexander Evesham,
15901590. By which subscription the authentickness
of this Copy doth sufficiently appear.

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