1648. licenfed to fit, proceeded to conftitute a Court for the Tryal of the King, giving it the fpecious Name of The High Court of Justice; which faid Court they impowered to convene, hear, judge, and exeCute Charles Stuart King of England. Thefe Proceedings the Houfe of Lords detefted, fo did the Parliament of Scotland; the Judges of the Land affirmed it to be contrary to the known Laws and Customs of England, for the King to be brought to Tryal; and the Presbyterian Minifters did both publickly and privately diffuade them from this horrid action, tho' all in vain: And the more to animate the King's Judges in their illegal Proceedings, the Pulpit Jefter Hugh Peters, preached before them on that Text. Pfal. cxlix. 8. To bind their Kings in Chains, &c. Such Honours have all his Saints; when he affured them, that they were the Saints there meant, often in his Sermons calling them the Saints Judges; and profeffed, that he had for certain found, upon a ftrict Scrutiny, that there were in the Army 5000 Saints, no lefs holy than those that now converfed in Heaven with God Almighty. Afterwards kneeling in his Pulpit, weeping and lifting up his Hands, he earneftly begged them, in the Name of the People of England, that they would execute Juftice upon that Wretch Charles, and would not let Benhadad efcape in Safety, &c. January the 20th, his Majefty was brought before the High Court of fuftice, in Westminster-Hall, where he boldly and chearfully took the Seat prepared for him; and the Charge was read against him with all thofe reproachful Terms of TyFant, Traitor, and Murtherer, and impleaded in the Name of all the People of England. But General Fairfax's Lady, from a Scaffold adjoining, cried with a loud Voice, That not half the People of Eng land were guilty of that Crime, but that 'twas by means of that Traitor Cromwell that this Wickednefs was done. The King alledged to the Court, that he could not make his Defence, unless they firft produced their Authority for the Tryal of him their King, which they not being able to do (except that of the Sword) remanded him to the Place of his Captivity. January the 22d, the High Court of Justice met again, when the King being brought to the Bar, Solicitor Cook required that he might be put upon it, either to give in his pofitive Anfwer, or elfe that the Charge against him, upon his Refufal to plead, might be taken for confeffed. The Subitance of which Charge was, That the faid Charles Stuart, King of England, had beca the Occafion, Author and Contri ver of the Wars, and therein was guilty of all the Treafons, Mur thers, Rapines, Burnings, Spoils, Defolations, Damage, and Mischief to this Nation, acted or committed in the Wars, or occafioned thereby. To the Charge, Prefident Bradshaw required the King's Anfwer; but his Majefty firmly per fifting in the difowning of their Authority and offering to give Reafons why he could not own their Court, the Court was adjourned to the next Day. January the 23d, the King w again brought before his fictitio Judges, when he was again prefs to give in his Reasons why he could not own their Authority. To which he anfwered, That to own this new Court was against the Privileges of the People, and the Fundamen tal Laws of the Kingdom. Where upon the Prefident commanded the Cler Clerk to record the Default, and the Guard to take back the Prifoner, which was accordingly done. January 27th, his Majefty was again brought to the Bar, where he ftill refused to own their illegal Court, but faid he had fome Matters conducing to the Good of the People, which he defired to have the Liberty to fpeak before the Members of both Houfes; which the Court would by no Means yield unto, but commanded the Clerk to read the Sentence against him, which was, That whereas the Commons of England, in Parliament affembled, bave appointed them a High Court of Juftice for the trying of Charles Stuart King of England, before whom be bad been three times convened, and at the first time a Charge of High-Treafon, and other Crimes and Mifdemeanors was read in Behalf of England, &c. To which Charge the faid Charles Stuart refused several times to anfwer, &c. for all which Treafons and Crimes mentioned in the Charge, this Court doth adjudge the faid Charles Stuart as a Tyrant, Traitor, Murtherer, and publick Enemy, to be put to Death by fevering his Head from his Body. This Sentence being read, the Members of the Court approved it by holding up their Hands. His Majefty offered to speak after the Sentence, which Bradshaw would not fuffer him to do, but commanded him to be taken away; when in his paffing along, the Soldiers reviled him with many irreverent Taunts, blew their ftinking Tobacco into his Face, which they knew to be very diftafteful to him, and one or two, more barbarous than the reft, fpit in his Face, the good King wiping it off again, and faying, My Saviour Juffered far are than this for me. And when the rude Soldiers, inftructed by their Commanders, cried out, Juftice, Ju flice, Execution, Execution, this 1648. pious King pitied their Blindness, faying, Poor Souls, for a Piece of Money they would do as much for their Commanders. Such as pulled off their Hats, or bowed to him, as he was carrying back to his Imprifonment, the Soldiers beat with their Fifts and Weapons, and knocked one down dead, but for faying, God be merciful unto him. January 28, the right Chriftian King was guarded from Whitehall to St. James's, where Dr. Juxon Bishop of London, preached before him on thefe Words, In the Day when God fhall judge the Secrets of all Men by Jefus Chrift, according to my Gospel, Rom. ii. 16. January 29, the Lady Elizabeth and Duke of Gloucefter being admitted to take the laft Farewell of their condemned Father, his Majefty, after he had given his Bleffing to the Princess Elizabeth, bad her tell her Brother James, whenever fhe fhould fee him, that 'twas his Father's laft Defire, That he should no more look upon Charles as his eldeft Brother only, but be obedient to him as his Sovereign, and that they should love one the other, and forgive their Father's Enemies. He also bad her to read Bishop Andrew's Sermons, Hooker's Ecclefiaftical Policy, and Bifbop Laud against Fisher, which would ground her against Popery; wished her not to grieve for him, for he fhould die a glorious Death, it being for the Laws and Liberties of the Land, and for maintaining the Proteftant Religion: Bad her tell her Mother, that his Thoughts had never frayed from her, and that his Love fhould be the fame unto the laft. Then gave her bis Bleffing, bidding ber to fend his Blef fing to the rest of her Brothers and Sifters, and Commendations to all his Friends. To the Duke of Gloucefter he faid, He heard the Army intended 1648. to make him King, but that he told Thursday January 30, in the Morning the Bishop of London read Divine Service in his Majefty's Prefence, when the 27th Chapter of St. Matthew's Gofpel, the Hiftory of our Saviour's Crucifixion fell out to be the Second Leffon. After Morning Prayer, the King received the Sacrament, and performed private Devotions in Preparation to his Paffion; which being ended, about Ten of the Clock this moft Chriftian King was brought from St. James's to Whiteball by a Regiment of Foot, and a private Guard of Partizans, the Bishop on one Hand of him, and Colonel Thomlinson (who had the Charge of him) on the other, both bareheaded. His Majefty walked very faft, and bad them go fafter; thus faying, That he now went before them to frive for a beavenly Crown, with lefs Solicitude than he had often encouraged his Soldiers to fight for an Earthly Diadem. Being come into the Cabinet Chamber in Whitehall, where he used to lodge, he there paffed the time for near two Hours in his Devotion, about Twelve he eat a Bit of Bread, and drank a Glafs of Claret; and towards One, Colonel Hacker, with other Officers. and Soldiers, brought him through the Banqueting Houfe, and through a Window of that upon a Scaffold which was hung with Black. Divers Companies of Foot, and Troops of Horfe, were placed on each Side of the Street, which hindred the Approach of the very numerous Spectators; therefore the King directed his Speech chiefly to Colonel Ebomlinson. Shall be very little heard of any Body here, I shall therefore fpeak a Word unto you. Indeed I could hold my Peace very well, if I did not think that holding my Peace would make some think that I fubmit to the Guilt as well as to the Punishment; but I think it is my Daty, to God first, and to my Country, for to clear myself, both as an honeft Man, a good King, and a good Chriftian. Ifball begin firft with my Innocency. In truth, I think it not very needful for me to infift long upon this, for all the World knows that I never did begin a War firft with the two Houses of Parliament, and I call God to witness, ts whom I must shortly make an Account, that I never did intend for to increach upon their Privileges: They began upen me; it is the Militia they began upon, they confefs'd that the Militia was mine, but they thought it fit for to have it from me. And to be fort, if any body will look to the Dates of Com miffions, of their Commiffions and mine, and likewife to the Declarations, they will fee clearly that they be gan these unhappy Troubles, not I. Sø that as to the Guilt of these enormen. Crimes that are laid against me, I hope in God, that God will clear me of it. I will not (I am in Charity) Ged forbid, that I should lay it on the tw Houses of Parliament, there is no Neceffity of either, I hope they are frit of this Guilt. For I do believe that il Inftruments between them and me have been the chief Caufe of all thi Bloodshed. So that by way of speaking, as I find my felf clear of this, I hope, and I pray God that they may too. It for all this, God forbid that bould be fo ill a Chriftian as to say, that God i Judgments are not juft upon me; man times he doth pay Juftice upon an ut juft Sentence, that is ordinary. I will only fay this, that an, unjuft Sentent that I fuffer'd to take effect is punijöid now by an unjust Sentence upon me. That is So far I have faid, to fhew you that I am an Innocent Man. Now for to fhew you that I am a good Chriftian, I hope there is a good Man (pointing to the Bishop) that will bear me witness that I have forgiven all the World, and even those in particular that have been the chief Caules of my Death; who they are God knows, I do not defire to know, I pray God forgive them. But this is not all, my Charity must go further, I wish that they may repent, for they bave indeed committed a great Sin in that Particular: I pray God, with St. Stephen, that this be not laid to their Charge. Nay, not only fo, but that they may take the right Way to the Peace of the Kingdom; for my Charity commands me not only to forgive particular Men, but my Charity commands me to endeavour, to the last Gafp, the Peace of the Kingdom. So, Sirs, I do wish with all my Soul, and I do hope here is fome here will carry it further (turning to fome Gentle men that wrote) that they may endeavour the Peace of the Kingdom. Now Sirs, 1 muft fhew you both bow you are out of the way and will put you in the way. way, believe it, you will never do 1648. You must give God his Due, by re- For the King indeed I will not, -( then turning to a Gentleman that touched the Axe, he faid, Hurt not the Axe that may hurt me) For the King, the Laws of the Land will clearly inftruct you for that, therefore because it concerns my own Particu lar, I only give you a Touch of it. For the People. And truly I defire their Liberty and Freedom as much as any Body whomsoever; but I must sell you, that their Liberty and Freedom confifts in having of Government, those Laws by which their Life and their Goods may be moft their own. It is not for baving Share in Government, Sirs, that is nothing pertaining to them; a Subject and a Sovereign are clear different Things. And therefore until they do that, I mean that you do put the People in that Liberty as I fay, certainly they will never enjoy themfelves. Sirs, It was for this that now I am come here. If I would have given way to an arbitrary Way, for to have all Larus changed according to the Power of the Sword, needed not to have come here; and therefore I tell you (and I pray God it may not be laid to your Charge) that I am the Martyr of the People. First, You are out of the way. For certainly all the Way you have ever had set, as I could find by any thing, is in the way of Conqueft. Certainly this is an ill Way: For Conqueft, Sirs, in my Opinion, is never juft, except there be a good just Cause, either for Matter of Wrong, or just Title; and then if you go beyond it, the firft Quarrel you have to it, that makes it unjuft at the End, that was juft at firft. But if it be only matter of Conqueft, then it is a great Robbery, as a Pirate faid to Ålexander, that he was the great Robber, he was but a petty Robber. And fo, Sirs, do think the Way that you are.. in is In troth, Sirs, I shall not hold you much out of the way. much longer, for I will only fay this Now, Sirs, for to put you in the to you, That in Truth I could have 1648. defired fome little time longer, because that I would have put this that I have faid in a little more Order, and a little better digefted than I have done, and therefore I hope you will excuse me. I have delivered my Confcience. I pray God that you take thofe Courfes that are beft for the Good of the Kingdom and your own Salvation. Then the Bifhop faid, Though it be very well known what your Majefty's Affections are to the Proteftant Religion, yet it may be expected that you fhould fay fomewhat for the World's Satisfaction in that particular. Whereupon the King replied, I thank you very heartily, my Lord, for that I had almost forgotten it. In troth, Sirs, my Confcience in ReLigian, I think, is very well known to all the World, and therefore I declare before you all, That I die a Chriftian, according to the Profeffion of the Church of England, as I found it left by my Father; and this honeft Man (pointing to the Bishop) I think will witness it. Then turning to the Officer, he faid, Sirs, Excufe this fame. I have a good Caufe, and I have a gracious God, I will fay no more. Then to Colonel Hacker he faid, Take care that they do not put me to Pain. And, Sirs, this, and it please you But a Gentleman coming near the Axe, the King said, Take heed of the Axe, pray take heed of the Axe. And to the Executioner he said, Ifhall fay but very foort Prayers, and when I thrust out my Hands Then he called to the Bishop for his Cap, which as he was doing, and having put it on, he asked the Executioner, Does my Hair trouble you? Who defired him to put it all under his Cap; which as he was doing by the Help of the Bishop and Executioner, he turned to the Bishop, and faid, I have a good Cause, and a gracious God on my Side. The Bishop faid, There is but one Stage more, (alluding to the Pofts and Stages in a Race) which though turbulent and troublesome, yet is a very short one. You may confider it will foon carry you a very great Way; it will carry you from Earth to Heaven, and there you fhall find, to your great Joy, the Prize you haften to, a Crown of Glory. The King adjoyns, I go from a corruptible to an incorruptible Crown, where no Difiatbance can be, no Disturbance in the World. Bishop. You are exchanged from a temporal to an eternal Crown. A good Exchange! Then the King asked the Execu tioner, Is my Hair well? And taking off his Cloak and George, he delivered his George to the Bishop, faying, Remember, ('twas faid) to find it the Prince. Then putting off his Doublet, and being in his Waftecoat, he pat on his Cloak again, and looking upon the Block, faid to the Execu tioner, You must fet it faft. Execut. It is faft, Sir, King. It might have been a little bigher. Execut. It can be no higher, Sir. King. When I put out my Hands this Way, then Then having faid a few Words to himfelf, as he flood, with Hands and Eyes lift up, immediately ftooping down, he laid his Neck upon the Block, and the Executi oner |