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to the power of the sword, I needed not to have come here; and therefore I tell you (and I pray God it be not laid to your charge) that I am the martyr of the people.

In troth, Sirs, I shall not hold you much longer, for I will only say this to you, that in truth I could have desired some little time longer, because I would have put this that I have said in a little more order, and a little better digested than I have done, and therefore I hope you will excuse me.

I have delivered my conscience, I pray God that you do take those courses that are best for the good of the kingdom, and your own salvations.'

Dr. Juxon. Will your Majesty (though it may be very well known, your Majesty's affections to religion, yet it may be expected that you should) say somewhat for the world's satisfaction?

King. I thank you heartily, my Lord, for that; I had almost forgotten it. In troth, Sirs, my conscience in religion, I think, is very well known to all the world, and therefore I declare before you all, that I die a Christian according to the profession of the church of England, as I found it left me by my father; and this honest man— [Pointing to Dr. Juxon]-I think will witness it. Then turning to the officers, said, Sirs, excuse me for this same, I have a good cause, and I have a gracious God, I will say no more. Then turning to Colonel Hacker, he said, Take care they do not put me to pain, and, Sir, this and it please you. But then a gentleman coming near the ax, the King said, Take heed of the ax, take heed of the ax. Then the King speaking to the executioner, said, I shall say but very short prayers, and when I thrust out my hands

Then the King called to Doctor Juxon for his nightcap, and having put it on, he said to the executioner, Does my hair trouble you? who desired him to put it all under his cap, which the King did accordingly, by the help of the executioner and the Bishop. Then the King turning to Dr. Juxon, said, I have a good cause, and a gracious God on my side.

Dr. Juxon. There is but one stage more, this stage is turbulent and troublesome, it is a short one: but you may consider, it will soon carry you a very great way: it will carry you from earth to Heaven; and there you shall find a great deal of cordial joy and comfort.

King. I go from a corruptible to an incorruptible crown; where no disturbance can be, no disturbance in the world.

Dr. Juxon. You are exchanged from a temporal to an eternal crown, a good exchange.

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The King then said to the executioner, is my hair well? Then the King took off his cloak and his George, giving his George to Doctor Juxon, saying, Remember.-[It is thought for to give it to the Prince. Then the King put off his doublet, and being in his waistcoat, put his cloak on again, then looking upon the block, said to the executioner, You must set it fast.

Executioner. It is fast, Sir.

King. When I put my hands out this way, stretching them out, then

After that, having said two or three words (as he stood) to himself, with hands and eyes lifted up; immediately stooping down, laid his neck upon the block: and then the executioner again putting his hair under his cap, the King said (thinking he had been going to strike), Stay for the sign.

Executioner. Yes, I will, and it please your Majesty.

And after a very little pause, the King stretching forth his hands, the executioner at one blow severed his head from his body. The head being off, the executioner held it up, and shewed it to the people; which done, it was with the body put in a coffin covered with black velvet for that purpose, and conveyed into his lodgings there: and from thence it was carried to his house at Saint James's, where his body was embalmed and put in a coffin of lead, laid there a fortnight to be seen by the people; and on the Wednesday seven-night after, his corps embalmed and coffined in lead, was delivered chiefly to the care of four of his servants, viz. Mr. Herbert, Captain Anthony Mildmay, his sewers, Captain Preston, and John Joyner, formerly cook to his Majesty; they attended with others clothed in mourning suits and cloaks, accompanied the hearse that night to Windsor, placed it in that which was formerly the King's bed-chamber; next day it was removed into the Dean's Hall, which room was hanged with black, and made dark; lights burning round the hearse, in which it remained till three in the afternoon, about which time came the Duke of Lenox, the Marquis of Hertford, the Marquis of Dorchester, the Earl of Lindsey, having obtained an order from the Parliament for the decent interment of the King, their royal master, provided the expence thereof exceeded not five hundred pounds. At their coming into the Castle, they shewed their order of Parliament to Colonel Wichcot, Governor of the Castle, desiring the interment might be in St. George's chapel, and by the form in the Common Prayer Book of the church of England; this request was by the Governor denied, saying, It was improbable that the Parliament should permit the use of what they had so solemnly abo

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lished, and therein destroy their own act. To which the Lords replied, There is a difference betwixt destroying their own act, and dis pensing with it, and that no power so binds its own hands, as to disable itself in some cases. All could not prevail, the Governor persisting in the negative, the Lords betook themselves to the search of a convenient place for the burial of the corps; the which after some pains taken therein, they discover a vault in the middle of the choir, wherein, as is problably conjectured, lieth the body of King Henry the Eighth, and his beloved wife, the Lady Jane Seymour, both in coffins of lead; in this vault there being room for one more, they resolve to inter the body of the King; the which was accordingly, brought to the place, borne by the officers of the garrison, the four corners of the velvet pall borne up by the aforesaid four Lords, the pious Bishop of London followed next, and other persons of quality; the body was committed to the earth with sighs and tears, especially of the Reverend Bishop, to be denied to do the last duty and service to his dear and royal master; the velvet pall being cast into the vault, was laid over the body; upon the coffin was these words set,

KING CHARLES, 1648.

His Majesty intended to have delivered in writing the following Reasons against the pretended Jurisdiction of the High Court of Justice, Monday, January 22, 1648, but was not permitted:

Having already made my protestations, not only against the illegality of this pretended Court, but also that no earthly power can justly call me (who am your King) in question as a delinquent; I would not any more open my mouth upon this occasion, more than to refer myself to what I have spoken, were I in this case alone concerned. But the duty I owe to God in the preservation of the true liberty of my people, will not suffer me at this time to be silent. For, how can any free-born subject of England, call life, or any thing he possesseth, his own; if power without right daily make new, and abrogate the old fundamental laws of the land? which I now take to be the present case. Wherefore, when I came hither, I expected that you would have endeavoured to have satisfied me, concerning these grounds which hinder me to answer to your pretended impeachment; but since I see that nothing I can say will move you to it (though negatives are not so naturally proved as affirmatives), yet I will shew you the reason why 1 am confident you cannot judge me, nor indeed the meanest man in

England; for, I will not (like you) without shewing a reason, seek to impose a belief upon my subjects.

There is no proceeding just against any man, but what is warranted [Hereabout the King was stopped, and not suffered to speak any more concerning reason.] either by God's laws or the municipal laws of the country where he lives. Now I am most confident, this day's proceeding cannot be warranted by God's law, for on the contrary, the authority of obedience unto Kings is clearly warranted, and strictly commanded both in the Old and New Testament; which if denied, I am ready instantly to prove and for the question now in hand there it is said, That where the word of a King is, there is power, and who may say unto him, what doest thou? Eccl. viii. 4. Then for the law of this land, I am no less confident that no learned lawyer will affirm that an impeachment can lie against the King, they all going in his name and one of their maxims is, That the King can do no wrong. Besides, the law upon which you ground your proceedings, must either be old or new: if old, shew it; if new, tell what authority warranted by the fundamental laws of the land hath made it, and when. But how the House of Commons can erect a court of judicature, which was never one itself (as is well known to all lawyers), I leave to God and the world to judge. And it were full as strange that they should pretend to make laws without King or Lords' House, to any that have heard speak of the laws of England.

And admitting, but not granting, that the people of England's commission could grant you pretended power, I see nothing you can shew for that; for certainly you never asked the question of the tenth man in the kingdom; and in this way you manifestly wrong even the poorest ploughman, if you demand not his free consent; nor can you pretend any colour for this your pretended commission without the consent, at least of the major part of every man in England, of whatsoever quality or condition, which I am sure you never went about to seek; so far are you from having it. Thus you see that I speak not for my own right alone, as I am your King, but also for the true liberty of all my subjects, which consists not in the power of government, but in living under such laws, such a government, as may give themselves the best assurance of their lives, and propriety of their goods. Nor in this must or do I forget the privileges of both Houses of Parliament, which this day's proceedings do not only violate, but likewise occasion the greatest breach of their public faith, that (I believe) ever was heard of; with which I am far from changing the two Houses for all the

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pretended erimes laid against me, bear date long before this late treaty at Newport, in which I having concluded, as much as in me lay, and hopefully expecting the Houses agreement thereunto, I was suddenly surprised, and hurried from thence as a prisoner, upon which account I am against my will brought hither; where since I am come, I cannot but to my power defend the ancient laws and liberties of this kingdom, together with my own just right. Then for any thing I can see, the higher House is totally excluded. And for the House of Commons, it is too well known that the major part of them are detained or deterred from sitting, so as if I had no other, this were sufficient for me to protest against the lawfulness of your pretended Court. Besides all this, the peace of the kingdom is not the least in my thoughts; and what hope of settlement is there, so long as power reigns without rule or law, changing the whole frame of that government, under which this kingdom hath flourished for many hundred years? nor will I say what will fall out, in case this lawless unjust proceeding against me do go on) and believe it, the Commons of England will not thank you for this change, for they will remember how happy they have been of late years, under the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the King my father, and myself, until the beginning of these unhappy troubles, and will have cause to doubt that they shall never be so happy under any new. by this time it will be too sensibly evident, that the arms I took up, were only to defend the fundamental laws of this kingdom, against those who have supposed my power hath totally changed the ancient government.

And

Thus having shewed you briefly the reasons why I cannot submit to your pretended authority, without violating the trust which I have had from God, for the welfare and liberty of my people; I expect from you either clear reasons to convince my judgment, shewing me that I am in an error (and then truly I will answer), or that you would withdraw your proceedings.'

This I intended to speak in Westminster Hall, on Monday, January, 22, but against reason was hindered.

After the regicides had committed this horrid and nefarious act, the prevailing power, consisting of a packed number of the House of Commons, and the chief officers of the army, combined together, and see ing how successful and unopposed they had effected this so unparalleled a deed, to which they knew the generality of the nation were utterly averse, and as far as they durst, shewed their absolute dislike; they in the next place fall upon the alteration of the government, thinking to make sure work by subverting the ancient monarchy of this

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