g will it prove to persuade our neighbors to a
self-denying bill.

'Tis quite otherwise with us, my lord; we are an obscure poor
people, though formerly of better account, removed to a remote
corner of the world, without name, and without alliances, our posts
mean and precarious, so that I profess I don't think any one post of
the kingdom worth the briguing after, save that of being
commissioner to a long session of a factious Scotch Parliament, with
an antedated commission, and that yet renders the rest of the
ministers more miserable. What hinders us then, my lord, to lay
aside our divisions, to unite cordially and heartily together in our
present circumstances, when our all is at stake? Hannibal, my lord,
is at our gates; Hannibal is come within our gates Hannibal is come
the length of this table; he is at the foot of this throne; he will
demolish this throne; if we take not notice, he'll seize upon these
regalia, he'll take them as our _spolia_ _opima_, and whip us out of
this house, never to return again.

For the love of God then, my lord, for the safety and welfare of our
ancient kingdom, whose sad circumstances, I hope, we shall yet
convert into prosperity and happiness, we want no means, if we
unite. God blessed the peacemakers; we want neither men, nor
sufficiency of all manner of things necessary, to make a nation
happy; all depends upon management, _Concordia_ _res_ _parvae_
_crescunt_. I fear not these articles, though they were ten times
worse than they are, if we once cordially forgive one another, and
that, according to our proverb, bygones be bygones, and fair play
for time to come. For my part, in the sight of God, and in the
presence of this honorable house, I heartily forgive every man, and
beg that they may do the same to me; and I do most humbly propose
that his grace, my lord commissioner, may appoint an Agape, may
order a love feast for this honorable house, that we may lay aside
all self-designs, and after our fasts and humiliations may have a
day of rejoicing and thankfulness, may eat our meat with gladness,
and our bread with a merry heart; then shall we sit each man under
his own fig-tree, and the voice of the turtle shall be heard in our
land, a bird famous for constancy and fidelity.

My lord, I shall make a pause here, and stop going on further in my
discourse, till I see further, if his grace, my lord commissioner,
receive any humble proposals for removing misunderstandings among