Page images
PDF
EPUB

1660.

Regicides

case.

as to Crom

well.

political disturbances have been punished; but unfortunately for their reputation the government did not stop here. The Statute 12 Car. II. c. 301 attainted a number of the regicides who were dead at the restoration; this is one of the very few cases in which government has declined to admit the principle that "in the grave all enmity is buried." Both Houses of Parlia-Resolution ment passed a resolution “That the carcases of Oliver Cromwell, Henry Ireton, John Bradshaw, and Thomas Pride, whether buried in Westminster Abbey or elsewhere, be with all expedition taken up and drawn upon a hurdle to Tyburn, and there hanged up in their coffins for some time, and after that buried under the said gallows; and that John Norfolk, Serjeant-at-arms, do take care that these orders be put in effectual execution by the common executioner for the county of Middlesex, and all such others to whom it shall respectively appertain, who are required in their several places to conform to and observe the orders with effect, and the Sheriff of Middlesex is to give his assistance herein as there shall be occasion; and the Dean of Westminster is desired to give directions to his officers of the Abbey to be assistants in the execution of the order."

On the 30th January, 1661, the 12th anniversary of Charles' execution, this order was executed. The coffins of Cromwell, Ireton and Bradshaw were taken out of their graves at Westminster and drawn upon hurdles to Tyburn; where they were opened, the bodies pulled out and hung at the three angles of the gallows till sunset, then taken down, beheaded, cast into a deep pit under the gallows, and the heads set upon poles on Westminster Hall.

Vengeance did not rest here; an order was given by the King to the Dean and Chapter of Westminster to take up the bodies of such persons who had been unwarrantably buried in the chapel of Henry VII. and in other places and chapels in the collegiate church of Westminster since 1641, and to bury them in the churchyard adjacent. Some twenty persons were disinterred under this warrant, some among them, such as Elizabeth Cromwell, the protector's mother; Elizabeth Claypole, his favourite daughter, might not have been entitled to a place in the Abbey; but others, such as Blake, the great naval hero of the age; Pym, the leader of the Long Parliament, clearly were. All the bodies were however taken out of their graves, thrown indiscriminately into a pit in St Margaret's churchyard, and the purity and sanctity of the Abbey vindicated.

1 Ante, p. 44.

Proceedings

as to West

minster Abbey.

1660. Regicides

case.

Fifth
Monarchy
Rebellion.

It is difficult to express any opinion on such conductconduct unworthy not only of an English King, but of an English gentleman. Whatever view we may take of the great rebellion, whether we regard it as a great crime or as a great popular movement the forerunner of all the movements that have since convulsed Europe-all will agree that thus to outrage these graves was a blunder, and something even worse.

Fifth Monarchy Rebellion.

Before the regicides were cold in their graves, Charles' government found that even in the midst of the exuberant loyalty with which the King had been received considerable discontent existed. The first alarm arose from the Fifth Monarchy men, fanatical republicans who held that there was no King but King Jesus, and that it was their duty to take up arms for him against all the powers of the earth, the King, General Monk, and the Duke of York, to fight against the carnal, to "bind the Kings in chains and the nobles in links of iron." They rebelled against Charles; they had previously rebelled against Cromwell, and intended to rebel against all rulers except those who were divine. They were ready to dare anything to carry out their ideas, believing their acts divinely inspired. Fortunately these fanatics were a very inconsiderable number, under one hundred, otherwise this rebellion would have been serious. Animated by the design of subverting all government, they met on Sunday, January 6th, 1661 (the anniversary of the day on which the ordinance for the trial of Charles I. passed the Commons). The King was at Portsmouth, these fanatics inflamed by a sermon in which they were told that they had been praying and preaching but not acting for God, determined at once to strike a blow. They set out from their Meeting-House in Coleman Street, marched at dusk to St Paul's Churchyard, drew up their party, placed sentinels. A person going down the street on being challenged by one of the sentinels, stated he was for God and King Charles, the sentry forthwith killed him. This caused an alarm. The Lord Mayor with some of the trained bands attacked the rebels, but was repulsed; they marched to Bishopsgate, went out of the City; re-entered it at Cripplegate, marched to Aldgate, where overpowering opposition of the constables and the watch they proclaimed King Jesus. Marching on through Brick Lane they were opposed by a constable and some assistants, they killed the constable and beat off his assistants. They went on to Caen Wood, where they halted for the night. Next day Monday

1660.

Fifth

Monk sent some troops to arrest them, a sharp skirmish took place; the rebels were defeated, driven out of the wood, some thirty taken prisoners, brought before Monk, and sent Monarchy to the Gate-house. On the Wednesday the 9th (the anniver- Rebellion. sary of the proclamation of the High-Court of Justice) Venner, one of the leaders, succeeded in rallying the rebels, and made another attack on London. He encouraged his followers by telling them that no weapon formed against them should prosper, therefore they might look upon the example of Gideon, as it was the same thing to God whether he wrought by a few or many.

Entering the City, they marched down Threadneedle Street, defeated a party of the trained bands who tried to stop them, pressing forward met more of the trained bands and had to retreat into Bishopsgate Street; a sharp encounter took place there, the rebels again retreated to College Hill and Maiden Lane, intending to kill the Lord Mayor, they crossed Cheapside into Wood Street, where they were met by a large force of the trained bands and the Life Guards; a sharp encounter took place, Venner was severely wounded, and two of the other leaders, Tuffrey and Craggs killed. They retreated into Cripplegate and took possession of a public house, the “Blue Anchor," which they defended with great obstinacy, it was only when the house was surrounded, the tiles stripped off, the door beaten in, and they were exposed to a fire on all sides that they surrendered. The obstinacy with which they fought is shewn by their numbers; only 50 took part in the outbreak; 20 were killed and 20 taken prisoners; these were Venner, a wine cooper, the captain, Hodgkins a butter seller, Leonard Gowler, Jonas Allen, John Pym, William Ossingham, William Ashton, Giles Pritchard, Stephen Fall, John Smith, William Corbett, John Dod, John Eliston, Thomas Harris, John Gardiner, Robert Bradley, Richard Marten, John Patshall, Robert Hopkins, and John Wells. They were stern enthusiasts, opposed to all earthly government, several of them had been formerly engaged in a plot against Cromwell. So clear were they that they were right, that when arrested they stated that if they had been deceived or misled it was God himself that had deceived them. On the 17th January they were all arraigned at the Old Bailey on charges of treason and murder. Being called upon to plead, Venner at first denied the competency of any earthly jurisdiction to try him, but afterwards pleaded not guilty. The others did the same, some declaring they would only be tried by the Lord of Hosts. On the jury being called the prisoners were told that they might

S. T. II.

20

1660.

Fifth
Monarchy

Rebellion.

challenge 35 peremptorily, and more if they shewed cause; they however declined to challenge any. It was proved by witnesses in court that all the prisoners had taken part in the riot, that they had been arrested resisting the trained bands with arms in their hands.

:

On being asked what defence they had to offer, Venner declared that he did not lead the rebels, for Jesus was their leader he admitted all the facts, but alleged in law he was not guilty of treason as the King was not crowned. The Court however told him that it was a maxim of law that the King never dies.

Most of the others admitted that they were with the rebels and armed. Brierley, Hopkins and Wells said that they were with the rebels, but not armed.

Chief Justice Foster directed the jury that appearing in arms without the King's leave and commission and making war, was making war against the King and treason; but that to convict for treason two witnesses were necessary, unless the parties confessed.

The jury found all the prisoners guilty except Marten, Patshall, Hopkins and Wells, and all those convicted were shortly afterwards executed.

This plot seems to have thoroughly alarmed the government; if some 50 men could hold their own against the King's forces, and carry on a street fight in London for some hours with a fair chance of success, what had they not to fear if the disbanded soldiery throughout the country should rise? Charles had no troops-only the trained bands-to rely upon; what a frail support the trained bands were was seen from the struggle with Venner and his adherents. No wonder that Charles and Clarendon were desirous of having some available force to put down any insurrection, and it is hard to say that the desire was not justifiable.

Thoroughly alarmed, the government at once resorted to coercion. The House of Commons sent a message to the House of Lords :

"That the House of Commons have intelligence that divers malcontents, fanatics, cashiered and disbanded officers, soldiers and others, have some design amongst them tending to the breach of the peace of the kingdom, and therefore they desire their Lordships would join with them to move his Majesty that he would please to issue out a proclamation that all suspicious and loose persons may be forthwith sent out of these towns of London and Westminster and the liberties thereof for some time."

Fifth

James'

case.

The government had arrested John James as a Fifth 1660. Monarchy man: James used to preach in a Meeting-House in Bulstake Alley, Whitechapel, and while preaching on a Sunday Monarchy afternoon from the text, "Ye are bought with a price, there- Rebellion. fore glorify God in your bodies, and in your spirit which are God's1," Alderman Chard, a justice of the peace, and Wood, a constable, entered the Meeting-House, ordered James to be silent, alleging he had spoken treason; James refused to stop, so he and all the persons in the Meeting-House were arrested, the Oath of Allegiance was tendered to them; those that refused it were at once sent to Newgate. James was given into the custody of the Lieutenant of the Tower, who interrogated him as to his doctrine, sermons, and whether he was not one of Venner's men. James was sent to Newgate, charged with having spoken treasonable words. He was shortly afterwards brought to trial at Westminster at the King's Bench Bar on a charge of treason, before Chief Justice Foster, Justices Mallet, Twisden and Windham. The Indictment. indictment charged him with compassing the King's death, endeavouring to levy war against the King and bring about a change of government, declaring that the King was a bloody tyrant, a blood-sucker and a blood-thirsty man, and his nobles the same; that the King and his nobles had shed the blood of the saints at Charing-Cross and the blood of the Covenanters in Scotland; that the King was brought in to fill up the measure of his iniquity, and that the King's cup of iniquity had filled more this last year than for many years before; that the said James did bemoan that they had not improved the opportunity when they had the power in their hands, and said it would not be long before they had power again, that then they would improve it better; that he bewailed the apostacy of the people of God and said they had not fought the Lord's battles thoroughly; but when the Lord should give power to them again, and give his work into their hands they would do it better. That the death and destruction of the King drew very near.

On being asked to plead, James asked for a copy of the charge, and time to consider it.

Foster told him that no copy of the charge was allowed in treason, and that he must plead at once. James cited Lord Coke and Lilburn's case. He was told if he did not plead he would be treated as mute; he thereupon pleaded not guilty. It was however some time before he would agree to answer the question, "How he would be tried?" in the proper form,

1 1 Cor. vi. 20.

« PreviousContinue »