5 1 oner again putting his Hair under Yes, I will, and it please After a very fhort Paufe, his Majefty ftretching forth his Hands, the vizarded Executioner at one Blow fevered his Royal Head from his Body. Whofe Blood was taken up by feveral Perfons for different Ends; by fome as Trophies of their Villany, by others as Relicts of a Martyr, His Corpfe, embalmed and wrapped in Lead, was conveyed to Windfor by fome of his Servants. And Feb. 9, 1648, was there interred in the Chapel Royal, by the Duke of Richmond, Marquifs of Hartford, Earls of Southampton and Lindsey, and the Bishop of London. A Prince he was very temperate, chafte, humble, affectionate to his People, eloquent, notwithstanding fome fmall Hefitation in his Utterance; exceeding in Fortitude and Patience; most devout in, and conftant to his Religion. His Wife was Henrietta Maria, the Daughter of Henry the Fourth King of France, by whom he had Iffue Charles James, born at Greenwich, May 13, 1628, but died near foon as born. Charles, afterwards King of England, born at Saint James's, May 29, 1630. James, Duke of York, and afterwards King, born alfo at St. James's, October 14, 1633. Henry, Duke of Gloucefter, born in the fame place, July 8, 1639. Mary, born Nov. 4, 1631, married to William, Count of Naffau, Prince of Orange, by whom he had the as late Prince of Orange, who was 1648. Catharine, who died al- In the laft Year of King James the Firft, and first of King Charles the First, (viz. 1625,) the Plague began in White-Chapel in London, in the fame Houfe, on the fame Day of the Month, with the fame Number that died 22 Years before, when Queen Elizabeth departed this Life. Of this Plague there died in all within the Bills of Mortality, 41,313, befides of other Diseases 8,848. A. D. 1632, and February the 11th, happened a great Fire on London-Bridge. A. D. 1635, Thomas Parre died, being aged 152 Years, and was buried in the Abby-Church in Weftminster. CHARLES 220 1648. CHARLES II. Anuary the 30th, Charles II. was then in Holland when his Father King Charles I. was murthered; and that Tail of a Parliament fitting at Weftminfier, were refolved, instead of admitting him the lawful Heir unto the Government of England, to affume it to themselves. To which End, they first fet forth a Proclamation, That no Perfon whatsoever fhould prefume to proclaim, or any Way to promote Charles Stuart, Son of Charles Stuart, late King of EngLand, or any other Perfon, to be King or Chief Magiftrate of thefe Kingdoms; but he that should at tempt any fuch thing, fhould be adjudged a Traytor. After this, they voted the House of Lords to be ufe lefs and dangerous, and kingly Government to be unneceffary and burthenfome, and therefore they abolished both. However, the Mar quifs of Ormond caufed his Majefty to be publickly proclaimed King of Ireland, and the Scotch Parliament did the like in Scotland. But the Members of Westminster having a victorious Army on their Side, pro ceeded to establish their Projects; caufed all publick Writings to be ifued out in the Name of the Keepers of the Liberties of England by Authority of Parliament; ordering a new Great Seal to be made, with the Cross and Harp on one Side, and this Infcription, The Great Seal of England; on the other Side, the Picture of the Houfe of Commons, with this Infcription, In the firft Year of Freedom by God's Blef fing restored, 1648. And afterward they appointed, that all Monies to be coined, fhould be ftamped with the Crofs and Harp on one Side, and the Crofs on the other, with this Motto, The Commonwealth of England, God with us. And intead of the Oaths of Supremacy and Allegiance, they impofed an Engagement upon the People, To be true and faithful to the Com mon-wealth, as it was then citablished without King or House of Lords. A Council of State they conftituted by the Name of the Keepers of the Liberties of England, confifting of forty Perfons, who were to have the executive Part of the Government. Thus was England's ancient Government foon changed by about fifty Perfons, who ftyled themselves a Parliament, and the Reprefentative Body of Eng land. The Maxim upon which they grounded these their Alterations,and all other their illegal Proceedings, was this, That all Power and Authority is originally in the People; and that they were the People's Reprefentative. When this Junto had made fuch a Model of Government, they erected another High Court of Injustice for the Trial of Duke Hamilion, as Earl of Cambridge, of the Earls of Holland and Norwich, the Lord Capel, and Sir John Owen, all which were condemned to die for engaging in their Sovereign's Caufe; but the Earl of Norwich and Sir John Owen were reprieved; the other three were beheaded in the Palace Yard at Westminster, March March the 9th. The ever Loyal Lord Capel, in his Speech on the Scaffold, declared, That he died against the Juftice of the known Laws of the Land, and for no other Caufe than his affecting the Fifth Commandment; prayed heartily for the King, for his Reftoration, long Life and Profperity; fhutting up his Speech with a Profeffion of his chearfulness in forgiving his Enemies. Other good Subjects they put to Death in other Places of the Nation, as Lieutenant Colonel Morris, Mr. Beaumont a Minifter, Major Monday, and Cornet Blackburn. And many were the Loyal Perfons that were now profcribed, and had their Eftates confifcated, as the Marquis of Newcastle, Earl of Bristol, the Lords Cottington, Widdrington, Culpepper, Byron, Sir Edward Hide, Sir Phillp Mulgrave, Sir Marmaduke Langdale, Sir Richard Greenvill, and others. And all that had been in actual Arms for the King, or other Service, were forced to compound for their Eftates, if they had any, to the great impoverishing of the Royal Party. wild Humours, and yet all their 1649. About this Time Dr. Doriflaus, May the 30th, in the City of London, England was proclaimed a Free State. And June the 13th, the House ordered that no Ceremony fhould be ufed to the King's Children, the Duke of Gloucester, and Lady Elizabeth, then in the Junto's Cuftody. In Ireland, the King's Lieutenant, the Marquis of Ormond, in order to promote the King's Cause there, concluded a Peace with the Irish, and June the 22d he befieged the City of Dublin; but Auguft the 2d, Colonel Michael Jones, with his whole Strength, being between 8 and 9,000, fallied out upon the Befiegers, who were 19,000 Horse and Foot, and routed them totally, flew of them about 3000, took Prifoners 2517, took all the Marquis's Train of Artilery and Ammunition, and a very rich Booty in the Camp. Auguft the 16th, Oliver Cromwell landed with his Forces at Dublin, and after a fhort Stay there, marched with great Expedition againit Tredagh, or Drogheda, where Sir Arthur Ashton was Governor ; May the 15th, divers Troops the Defendants of the Town did of the Army for mutiny ing were bravely behave themselves, however furprized by Fairfax at Burford, Oliver gained it by Storm, giving where fome few of the Ringleaders ftrict Orders to his Soldiers, that were fhot to Death, and the reft they fhould afford Quarter neither disbanded. There were of that Par- to Man, Woman, nor Child, but ty a People called Levellers, who in fhould kill all. He vowed to one thofe Times of Distraction would of his Commanders, That he would have all Things in the Common- facrifice their Bodies to the Souls wealth ordered according to their of the Englishmen they had for A. D. 1649, April the 7th, the Members at Weftminfier, for the better Supply of their Army, and taking away Free-Quarter, paffed an Act for levying of 90,000. a Month upon England for Six Months. Then took into Confideration the Sale of Dean and Chapters Lands. merly 1650. merly murthered. Next Oliver be heged Wexford, which, through the Treachery of one Strafford, was yielded: And shortly after this many engarrifoned Towns were reduced by Oliver's Forces. The Plantation of Virginia, that had refufed Subjection to the new Republick of England, was forced to a Conformity by Sir George Ayscough's Fleet. October 23, Mr. John Lilbourn, the Leader of the Levelling Party, one that had Wit enough, but of a thwarting turbulent Spirit, was try'd at Guildhall in London, for writing against the Members at Westminster, and their Council of State; but he fo well pleaded his Caufe, and had fo lucky a Jury, that he was quit in defpight of his Judges. Now, or near this Time, fprung up a beaftly Generation, call'd Ranters, who gloried in and practifed all manner of Lafciviousness. About this Time Prince Rupert, the King's Admiral, was diftreffed and put to his Shifts by the Junto's Fleet, lofing moft of his Ships, with his Brother Prince Maurice, who was then caft away. A. D. 1650, in the Beginning of this Year, the truly loyal and magnanimous Marquifs of Montrofe was defeated in Scotland by Major General Straughan; the Marquifs himself, by quitting his Horfe, and fhifting into an ordinary Highlander's Habit, found Means to escape for the prefent, but his Standard was taken, in which was pourtray'd the Head of K. Charles I. lying a bleeding, and fevered from the Body, with this Motto, Judge and revenge my Caufe, O Lord. The Marquifs, after fome Days wandring about in by-places, came to the Laird of Afton's Houle, a Person whom the Marquifs had done feveral Kindneffes for; but this falfe Scot, whether for Fear or Lucre, betrayed this diftreffed Peer into the Hands of his Enemy David Lefley, who fent him to the City of Edinburgh, where the common Hangman met him at the Town's End, and first pulled off his Hat, then forced him into a Cart, which had a high Chair placed in it, in which the Marquis was feated, that thereby he might be the more obnoxious to the Scorn of the Vulgar. But his noble Soul was not at all difmayed, for God, he faid, did all the while most comfortably manifeft his Prefence to him, and furnished him with Cou rage to overlook the Reproaches of Men, and to behold him for whole Cause he suffered. After the Sentence of Parliament was paffed for the bereaving him of his Life, he expreffed to them how much he was beholden to them for the Honour they had conferred on him; For, faid he, I account it a greater Honour to have my Head fland on the Prifon Gate for my Loyalty to my King, than to have my Ριάπι placed in his Bed-chamber: And I ifb I had Flesh enough, not only to be fet up in four Cities, but to have a Piece of it fent to every City in Chriftendom, for a Teftimony of my Loyalty to my King and Coun try. May the 31ft, he was brought to the Place of Execution, where being mounted on a Scaffold, he told the People, That God doth fometimes fuffer a juft Man to perifh in his Righteoufnefs, and a wicked Man to profper in his Wickedness; praying God to forgive his Enemies, for he did; declared, That what he had done in that Kingdom was in Obedience to the moft juft Commands of his Sove 1 reign. That he esteemed the late King lived a Saint, and died a Martyr; prayed God he might fo end as he had done: That he be lieved never People could be more happy, than they might in his prefent Majefty: Gave God Thanks that he went to Heaven's Throne with Joy, though Death looked upon him in its moft ugly Shape. Then defired their Charity and Prayers, concluding thus: I leave my Soul to God, my Service to my Prince, my Good-will to my Friends, and my Name and Charity to you all. Then having prayed a while, he received from the Executioner a Cord, whereat hung a Declaration of his Fact, to hang about his Neck, which accordingly he hung. there, faying, That he thought himfelf not more honoured by the Gar ter, than by that Cord and Paper; 1650. adding, That if they had any more Difhonour to put upon him, he was ready to accept it. And then, with a chearful Countenance, he submitted himself to the Execution of the Sentence, to be hang'd on a Gallows thirty Foot high, for three Hours. Which being done, he was taken down, and had his Head cut off which was fixed on Edinburgh Talbooth; his Quarters were fent to be fet up in feveral Places, and the reft of his mortal Parts to be buried under the Gallows. This may ferve for a Tafte of the Rebellious and Diabolical Spirit of that malicious Confiftory. When this noble Lord first heard of the Murther of King Charles I. 'tis faid, that with the Point of his Sword he wrote, Great, Good, and Juft, could I but rate But thy loud-tongu'd Blood demands Supplies I'd therefore fing thy Obfequies with Trumpet Sounds, Shortly after the Death of this Peer, an Agreement was concluded betwixt the King and the Scots at Breda, from whence the King went to the Hague, and took Shipping for Scotland and at the Spoy in the North of that Country, he fafely arrived; hereupon the Members at Westminster fearing left the Scots fhould invade them, refolv'd to invade Scotland, and to make that the Seat of War in order to which, they fent for their Idol Cromwell out of Ireland, whom at his comming to London they made their Captain-General, for Thomas Lord Fairfaix laid down his Commiffi |