you may to discourt us, yet we do take knowledge of ourselves to be such a Court as can administer justice to you, and we are bound, Sir, in duty to do it. Sir, all I shall say before the reading of your sentence, it is but this; the Court does heartily desire, that you will se riously think of those evils that you stand guilty of. Sir, you said well to us the other day, you wished us to have God before our eyes: truly, Sir, I hope all of us have so, that God that we know is a King of Kings, and Lord of Lords; that God with whom there is no respect of persons; that God that is the avenger of innocent blood, we have that God before us; that God that does bestow a curse upon them that withhold their hands from shedding of blood, which is the case of guilty malefactors, and that to deserve death: that God we have before our eyes, that were it not that the conscience of our duty hath called us unto this place, and this employment, Sir, you should have had no appearance of a Court here: but, Sir, we must prefer the discharge of our duty unto God, and unto the kingdom, before any other respect whatsoever and although at this time many of us, if not all of us, are severely threatened by some of your party, what they intend to do; Sir, we do here declare, that we shall not decline, or forbear the doing of our duty in the administration of justice even to you, according to the merit of your offence, although God should permit those men to effect all that bloody design in hand against us. Sir, we will say, and we will declare it, as those children in the fiery furnace, that would not worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzer had set up, That their God was able to deliver them from that danger that they were near unto; but yet if he would not do it yet, notwithstanding that, they would not fall down and worship the image: we shall thus apply it: That though we should not be delivered from those bloody hands and hearts that conspire the overthrow of the kingdom in general, of us in particular, for acting in this great work of justice, though we should perish in the work, yet by God's grace, and by God's strength, we will go on with it: and this is all our resolutions. Sir, I say for yourself, we do heartily wish and desire, that God would be pleased to give you a sense of your sins, that you would see wherein you have done amiss, that you may cry unto him, that God would deliver you from blood-guiltiness. A good King was once guilty of that particular thing, and was clear otherwise, saving in the matter of Uriah. Truly, Sir, the story tells us, that he was a repentant King, and it signifiies enough that he had died for it, but that God was pleased to accept of him, and to give him his pardon: Thou shalt not

die, but the child shall die, thou hast given cause to the enemies of God to blaspheme.

King. I would desire only one word before you give sentence, and that is, that you would hear me concerning those great imputations that you have laid to my charge.'

: President. Sir, you must give me leave to go on, for I am not far from your sentence, and your time is now past.

King. But I shall desire you will hear me a few words to you, for truly whatever sentence you will put upon me, in respect of those heavy imputations I see by your speech you have put upon me, that 1, Sir, it is very true that

President. Sir, I must put you in mind, truly, Sir, 1 would not willingly at this time, especially, interrupt you in any thing you have to say, that is proper for us to admit of; but, Sir, you have not owned us a Court, and you look upon us as a sort of people met together, and we know what language we receive from your party.

King. I know nothing of that.'

President. You disavow us as a Court, and therefore for you to address yourself to us, not to acknowledge us as a Court to judge of what you say, it is not to be permitted; and the truth is all along from the first time, you were pleased to disavow and disown us, the Court needed not to have heard you one word; for unless they be acknowledged a Court and engaged, it is not proper for you to speak. Sir, we have given you too much liberty already, and admitted of too much delay, and we may not admit of any further; were it proper for us to do, we should hear you freely, and we should not have declined to have heard you at large, what you could have said or proved on your behalf, whether for totally excusing or for in part excusing those great and heinous charges that in whole or in part are laid upon you. But, Sir, I shall trouble you no longer, your sins are of so large a dimension, that if you do but seriously think of them, they will drive you to a sad consideration, they may improve in you a sad and serious repentance. And that the Court doth heartily wish, that you may be so penitent for what you have done amiss, that God may have mercy at leastwise upon your better part. Truly, Sir, for the other, it is our parts and duties to do that that the law prescribes, we are not here Jus dare, and Jus dicere; we cannot be unmindful of what the scriptures tell, For to acquit the guilty is of equal abomination as to condemn the innocent; we may not acquit the guilty; what sentence the law affords to a traitor, tyrant, a murderer, and a public enemy to the country,

that sentence you are now to hear read unto you, and that is the sentence of the Court.

The Lord President commands the sentence to be read. Make an O Yes, and command silence while the sentence is read.

O yes made, silence commanded.

The Clerk read the sentence, which was drawn up in parchment. "Whereas the Commons of England in Parliament have appointed them an High Court of Justice for the trying of Charles Stuart, King of England, before whom he had been three times convented, and at first time a charge of high treason, and other crimes and misdemeanors was read in the behalf of the kingdom of England,' &c.

Here the Clerk read the charge.

Which charge being read unto him as aforesaid, he the said Charles Stuart, was required to give his answer, but he refused so to do, and so expressed the several passages at his trial in refusing to answer.

For all which treasons and crimes, this Court doth adjudge, that the said Charles Stuart, as a tyrant, traitor, murderer, and a public enemy, shall be put to death, by the severing his head from his body. After the sentence read, the Lord President said,

This sentence now read and published, it is the act, sentence, judgment, and resolution of the whole Court.

Here the Court stood up, as assenting to what the President said.
King. Will you hear me a word, Sir?'

President. Sir, you are not to be heard after the sentence.

King. No, Sir?'

President. No, Sir, by your favour, Sir. Guard, withdraw your prisoner.

King. I may speak after the sentence.

By your favour, Sir, I may speak after the sentence ever.'

By your favour (hold) the sentence, Sir,

I say, Sir, I do

"I am not suffered for to speak, expect what justice other people will have.'

0 yes, all manner of persons that have any thing else to do, are to depart at this time, and to give their attendance in the Painted Chamber, to which place this Court doth forthwith adjourn itself.

Then the Court rose, and the King went with his guard to Sir Robert Cotton's, and from thence to Whitehall.

X

The Names of those Persons that were present at the sentencing of the

King to Death.

Ordered, that Sir Hardresse Waller, Colonel Harrison, Colonel General Ireton, Colonel Dean, and Colonel Okey, are appointed a

committee to consider of the time and place for the execution of the King, according to his sentence given by the High Court of

Justice."

Painted Chamber, Lunæ, January 29, 1648,

Upon report made from the committee for considering of the time and place of the executing of the judgment against the King: that the said committee have resolved that the open street before Whitehall, is a fit place; and that the said committee conceive it fit, that the King be there executed the morrow, the King having already notice thereof; the Court approved thereof, and ordered a warrant to be drawn for that purpose, which warrant was accordingly drawn and agreed unto; and ordered to be engrossed, which was done, and signed and sealed ac cordingly, as followeth :

At the High Court of Justice for the trying and judging of Charles Stuart, King of England, January 29, 1648.

Whereas Charles Stuart, King of England, is, and standeth convicted, attainted, and condemned of high treason, and other high crimes, and sentence upon Saturday last was pronounced against him by this Court, to be put to death by the severing of his head from his body; of which sentence, execution yet remains to be done. These are therefore to will and require you to see the said sentence executed in the open street, before Whitehall, upon the morrow, being the 30th day of this instant month of January, between the hours of ten in the morning, and five in the afternoon of the same day, with full effect; and for so doing, this shall be your sufficient warrant. And these are to require all officers and soldiers, and other the good people of this nation of England, to be assisting unto you in this service.

Given under our hands and seals.

To Colonel Francis Hacker, Colonel Hunks, and Lieutenant-Colonel Phray, and to every of them.

Sealed and subscribed by,

J. Bradshaw, O. Cromwell, Hen. Ireton, Har. Waller, Jo. Lisle, Val. Walton, Tho. Gray, Ed. Whaley, Mich. Livesey, Jo. Okey, Jo. Danvers, Tho. Maleverer, Will. Goffe, Tho. Pride, Tho. Harrison, Jo. Hewson, Ri. Dean, Robert Tichborn, Owen Roe, Jo. Barkstead, G. Fleetwood, Gil. Millington, Tho. Horton, W. Say, W. Constable, Miles Corbet, Jo. Ven, Hen. Martin, &c.