County also there being so many Centlemen then met together from every Lath and Hundred a more fitting opportunity could never have been fancied Then on the backside of every Petition was Endorsed this Post-script It is desired that all Copies and Subscriptions be brought into Rochester on Munday the 29. of this Instant May 1648. And that all who intend to accompany this Petition doe meet at Black-heath the day following by nine of the Clock in the morning By this meanes the whole County might unanimously go not only in their Subscriptions but in the presentation of it to the Parliament But there were at the same time some of the Grandees in the City who by no means could swallow it lest it should have choaked their Reputation with the House and indeed being stung with too guilty a Conscience found this pill too harsh a Corrasive to them Amongst the rest Sir Henry Heyman and Sir Michaell Lnsey who posted immediately away to the Parliament to give them a timely notice for prevention of a design so Honourable Conscientious and Religious but absolutely destructive to their Interest and Proceedings or at least that they might by being praemoniti be also praemuniti which two are seldome other then Correlatives the one drawing a usuall consequence from the other as indeed it proved by them as will afterwards appear by their Votes and Stratagems against it But ere they went out of the tender affection his rebellious Bowels yearn'd with towards his true Bretheren in Iniquity went to the Prison where White the Barber lay for his horrid Villany the man not being yet recovered and brought him out with hat in hand giving him thanks for his so good service and extraordinary zeal to the Cause and thus set him at liberty without ever being questioned for his Fact Upon Sunday following Letters were sent from the Speaker of the Lower House to all the Deputy Lieftenants in the County and what Justices of Peace the House thought good that they understood of an intended Petition to be preferred to the House from that County willing them to use their utmost indeavours for the speedy preventing it and suppressing the people in it Never disputing the Justice of it nor injustice of themselves in denying the proceeding of it which was as horrid as might be for any man that knowes how to judge between right and wrong almost in any thing knowes that the intentions of a Kings calling a Parliament are for the speedy redressing the agrievances of his Kingdome and the admitting by him and the choosing by the People the Commons into Parliament never for any other reason then to present the Agrievances of the Commons in generall for what part of the Kingdome they served as Representatives by way of Petition from them to the King and Lords for redresse But they have now so altered the Constitution of Parliament by their new-found Kirk-lawes of Reformation that no man no not the best of Polititians is Physitian good enough to feel its pulse though in a most horrid distraction too of ill humours and our blessed Reformers have so long faught for the Priviledge of Parliament as that they have both lost that and the Liberty and true Rights of the Subject with the Prerogative of the King to Boot and Metamorposed the Lawes of the Kingdome into the shapelesse monster of an Arbitrary Government and Tyrannous power of the Sword But these Letters also they were ordered and authoriz'd to Seize and Surprize all persons they should find or suspect to to be active in the prosecution of it to secure all Castles Towns and strong holds in the County and by their greatest care to prevent all publick Meetings at any places whatsoever within the County except their own Then began the Committee to thunder abroad their loud menaces with high threats to all such as should dare to prosecute so bold a Villany and tumultuous Seditions as they tearmed it and issued forth a Libellous Order against it and all such as should signe it or any way prosecute the progresse of it amongst the people by any publique or sinister means The Order was as followes By the Deputy Lieutenants of the County of KENT the City and County of Canterbuy at their Generall Meeting at Maidstone the 16. of May 1648. WHereas we understand that diverse persons have given out that they intend to assemble themselves towards the latter end of this Moneth or the beginning of the next at severall dayes and places upon pretence of carrying a Petition to the Parliament which doth concern matter against the Authority of both Houses and tendeth to the raising of Seditions and Tumults within this County We having lately received a speciall Command from the House to use our best endeavours for the preserving the peace of that County doe hereby in order thereunto advise all whom it may concerne to forbear all occasions of publick disturbance by any such pretence whatsoever And if any well-affected persons have beene abused and misled so as to Signe or procure hands to any such seditious Paper under the name of a Petition and upon false-giving out that the Deputy Lieutenants of this County doe approve thereof to the end that such well-meaning persons may be undeceived we having seen a Copie of the said pretended Petition doe hereby signifie our utter detestation of such Seditious practices and doe advise all well-wishers to their Countries peace to take heed thereof and to Counsell and perswade their Neighbours accordingly And if any pretended Copies of such pretended Petition come unto or be in their hands to deliver up the same unto the next Deputy Lieutenant And we doe hereby require the Ministers of severall Parishes publickly to read this signification in their Parish Churches upon the next Lords Day after the receit hereof immediately before they begin their Morning Sermon And the Church Wardens of the severall Parishes are hereby required the next day after the time appointed for the said Publication to certifie what hath beene done therein under their hands unto the next Deputy Lieutenants who is hereby directed forthwith to transmit the said Certificate to the standing Committee at Maidstone that so notice may be taken what Ministers and Church Wardens or other Persons doe their Duty therein And such as shall be found wilfully faulty may be proceeded against accordingly Ant Wilding John Rivers Richard Lee. Thomas Lewis James Oxenden Richard Beale Thomas Syliard Lam Godfrey Will James John Bix Will Keniorash To the Mayor of Gravesend who is hereby required to cause Proclamation hereof to be read in open Market next day after the receit hereof in the height of the Market by the common Cryer and afterwards to deliver it to the Minister of the said Parish to read it in the Church But this violent course of theirs in indeavouring to obstruct added rather a more vigorous life to it and made it fly through the County with a far greater velocity and the more
hopes The Committee thereupon began to be a little enclinable unto his discourse and gave as much credit to it having his Friend and Couzen P to sweare for him and thereupon resolved upon some Instuctions to be given him as concerning indemnity upon a disbanding and submission again to the Yoak and the like Which being rereported to the House were resolved on and he on the thursday morning dispatcht away with them Who immediately posts home and with his greatest power endeavours the disbanding of the Commonalty beginning first with the discouraging the Gentry who being once down the other must necessarily fall and indeed proceeded so farre in it that caused diverse Gentlemen as well as Commoners to desert the businesse but the generality being constant and their Consciences linck'd to the service by the golden chain of Religion and Loyalty were not to be disheartned insomuch that I think those stratagems as the other endeavoured for suppression gave a more couragious life to their actions and converted that pestiferous obstruction to a cordiall advancement The Gentlemen and Commoners being not onely sensible of this his basenesse but also insens'd at it gave the noble Earl this satisfaction to that designe of his or rather treachery as it were a pill for to purge his Apostatisme better physick I confesse might have been administred and more proper remitted him up to the Committee with this Letter To the Right Honourable the Committee of Lords and Commons at Darby House My Lo WE have seene the Instructions from your Lordships to the Right Hourable the Earl of Thanet upon consideration whereof we have thought fit to return this answer to Your Lordships That we have cause to believe there are many persons about your Lordships who endeavour to infuse into you very sinister opinions of our proceedings in relation to the safety of this County at this time who when we shall be admitted to a fair and equall hearing will appear to be the greatest disturbers thereof themselves And that our intentions are free from all other ends than naturall defence We humbly beseech your Lordships to understand that we are in firme resolution to observe the Declaration of the Houses and for the manner of presenting our Petitions and Complaints will follow the directions in the said Declaration But saving to our selves alwayes the liberty of preserving the most Ancient and inviolate Freedomes of this County we must desire your Lordships to put a faire interpretation upon our purposes of continuing within the safeguard of our Armes till we have assurance from your Lordships that the Clamours of those above against us have had no successe in their enraged designes of engaging against this County in bloud and ruine when they finde never so small a diminution of their Arbitrary Power so long exercised over us endeavoured to be taken from them not doubting but upon the presentation and faire reception of our Petition and just Complaints the Houses will give such seasonable relief therein as will abundantly discover the inclination of this County to Peace and Amity My Lords this is the account we can give you of this County by the hands of the noble Lord the Earl of Thanet whom also we have desired to informe your Lordships further That our present posture tends not to offer violence to the Parliament nor suffer acts willingly unbeseeming our faire intentions but doe and shall take strict care to represse wheresoever ever we finde it the incensed spirit we see in the people Which how it hath been raised we shall in due time be able to make appear And so we rest My Lords Your Lordships most humble Servants Tho Peyton John Darell Tho Palmer James Hales Tho Hardres Tho Godfrey Geo Newman Ja Newman Tho Courtop Edw Whitton Will Hugesson Rich Lee Jun. James Darell R Wilkinson Edw Roberts Phillip Ward Mayor of Rochester Thus did this Jewish Apostat Lord fall short of his intended Treachery to his Lord and Master the KING and disloyally to his Country And his supposed Glorious designe extinguish'd in a stink so great I fear as will remain fresh in the nostrils of Fame and render him odious to his Country to all Posterity how he savoured in the apprehensions of the Committee I know not Yet he hath obtained thus much reward he hath gotten a fame by it which he may if he please boast of that in it he shall live after death But it is no better then that of Erostratus who wilfully set fire to the Temple that he might get to himselfe a fame when he was dead Which will be as due a recompence as so unhandsome and unnaturall Apostatisme can deserve But now on the contrary our Resolute Engagers resolving to regard no obstructions what ever any further then to kick it out of the way and the time drawing neer to the limitation of the Postscript those from Canterbury hasted their march on the munday morning towards Rochester both Horse and Foot But the march was too tedious and the men not able to perform it that day being the time of meeting and to march away again the next morning towards Black-heath Wherefore the Foot marched no farther then Sittingborne where they quartered that night intending to march on the next morning But the Commissioners and the rest of the Gentlemen with Col. Hattons Horse marched on that night to Rochester ordering their march to a very military conformity At Rochester they met with the Gentry of the County from all Quarters in a very great number as at a generall Rendevouze But the maine body of those men they had drawn together or rather who had drawn themselves together for they came in with a voluntary cheerfulnesse and as cheerfull a resolution lay in and about Daertford as being an advance twenty miles forwards of their next dayes march to the appointed Rendevouze That night came one or two Gentlemen out of Essex To treat with the Commissioners at Rochester being then generally met from all parts of the County about the association of both Counties in that generall Engagement assuring that the whole County of Essex would unanimously rise to joyne with them and desired a meeting of a resected party of the Kentish Gentlemen to joyne in a parley some where over the Water with some that should be selected in Essex for that purpose but we being then so neer the period of that time wherein by our generall Engagement we had bound the whole Country to meet and to march towards London could not Joyne in any such thing but took the promise of those Gentlemen as an assurance that the County of Essex would unanimonsly Concurre to rise at the same time to joyne with us in the maine Interest Others came also from Surrey to treat on the same termes promising as great a readinesse of that County to joyne in that association which was received with a great deale of alacrity But about midnight the same night they being to march onwards the
plundred every thing they could lay their hands on And now began the last sceene of this Tragedy The Lords and Gentlemen according to the Articles met at the Kings head the rest of the Army at their appointed places and all things ordered according to conditions about two of the clock in the Afternoon the Lord Fairfax entered the Town and rid it round to view our Line and shew himselfe in triumph to the inferior Souldiers but camenot near the Lords where he found a just cause for his admiration how it was possible we could maintaine it so long against him whose very name was as he thought enough to conquer Then he went to his quarters in the Town where a Councell of War immediately met according to his appointment to luxuriate their unsaciable mallice in a collation of Loyall blood and raise their trophees in ruine of Incomparable virtue And after they had insulted upon our conditions 〈◊〉 sported away some Votes of contempt upon us then lying at their unmercifull mercy they concluded their 〈◊〉 and decreed a barbarous sacrifice of innocent virtue and of some prey Then they sent Colonel 〈◊〉 to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to visit as we thought the Lords and Gentlemen but he brought a sentence of death in his heart though not 〈◊〉 in his mouth which easily discovered it selfe in his death-like 〈◊〉 Comming up into the Chamber first 〈◊〉 the Lords and afterwards came to Sir Charls Lucas and with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 told him That the Generall 〈◊〉 to speake with him at the 〈◊〉 of War with Sir George Lisle Sir 〈◊〉 Gasquoine and Colonell 〈◊〉 if he were there but he was not there so Sir Charls 〈◊〉 as presaging what indeed did afterwards follow took his 〈◊〉 leave of the Lords and the rest of his fellow prisoners that were neer him and calling Sir George Lisle who was in discourse and heard not what was spoke and Sir Bernard 〈◊〉 went 〈◊〉 with him leaving the rest of the 〈◊〉 with sympathizing Souls sighing prayers for them for well they might imagin what evill was intended 〈◊〉 them though they knew them guiltlesse of any thing that might justly bring their lives in question though 〈◊〉 the mercy of the Enemy it being a generall rule that the greatest expression of noble valour appears in the highest civility to an Enemy subjected to 〈◊〉 and was alwaies the practice of the most gallant Enemies in the World So 〈◊〉 Caesar having 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the field his most implacable Enemy pursued him into 〈◊〉 where when he came his head was presented to him treacherously taken off by Theodotus who thought 〈◊〉 that means to ingratiate himselfe into 〈◊〉 extraordinary favour with 〈◊〉 but he no sooner beheld it but 〈◊〉 of rejoycing at the 〈◊〉 of such an Enemy turned away his head and wept and understanding the actors of that 〈◊〉 to be 〈◊〉 an 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 immediately 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be put to 〈◊〉 and had given the 〈◊〉 reward to the other had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Army and opposed him Many examples in 〈◊〉 kind 〈◊〉 I 〈◊〉 with but never any for men to murder with mercy But what should we expect in a Kingdom so heathenishly reformed but loyall obedience by pretended Law to be made Rebellion and horrid T placed Iudg of the Court whilst innocent Allegiance receives its deadly doome at the Bar. The Lords and Gentlemen sitting thus expostulating with their discontents and still revolving in their distracted minds what would be the event about an hower after came a Messenger from Sir Charls 〈◊〉 to desire a Chaplaine to be immediately sent to him which strook a dead sorrow in to the hearts of all Whereat the Lords desiring that no man might be a particular sufferer in so generall a cause called up one Captain 〈◊〉 an Officer of the Enemies and Intreated him to hasten to the Councell of 〈◊〉 and desire them in the behalfe of the Prisoners that they would not make those Gentlemen they had taken from them any greater sufferers then they intended to all who being all 〈◊〉 concerned in condition desire also to be so in suffering But all this could take no effect in them having past their doom without ever calling the convicted to the Court or Bar. A new unheard of way of condemning men in our Nation The Condemned though not Convicted Knights were immediately conducted to the Castle which was nothing now but a Dungeon and the County Goale Then Col. 〈◊〉 comming to them said they must prepare themselves for death Then Sir 〈◊〉 Lucas asked him by what Law they were to dye or whether by an Ordinance of Parliament by the Councell of Warre or by command of the Generall To which Ireton made this answer That it was by the Vote of the Councell of War according to an Order of Parliament by which Order all that were found in Arms were to be 〈◊〉 against as Traytirs Then Sir Charls Lucas replyed alas You deceive your selves me you cannot but we are conquered and must be what you please to make us with a countenance cheerfull as one going to a banquet rather than death not shewing the least symptome of feare but as it were scorning Death as much as he did the Instruments that gave it Only he desired time till the next morning as to settle some things in this World so especially to prepare and fit his Soul for another but that could not be granted then he went on again Sir Doe 〈◊〉 think I make this request 〈◊〉 of any desir I have to live or escape the death you have doom'd me to for I scorn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 life at your 〈◊〉 but that I might have time to make 〈◊〉 addresses to God above and settle some things below that I might not be thrown 〈◊〉 of this world with all my sins 〈◊〉 me But since it will not be by 〈◊〉 charity I must submit to the mercy of 〈◊〉 whose holy will be done Do your worst I shall soon be readyfor 〈◊〉 Sir George 〈◊〉 said very little only in the like manner desired a little respite that he might have time to write to his Father and Mother but was also denyed True Servants of their old Master and good practitioners in his doctrine thought it not enough to destroy the body but as much as in them lay to kill the Soule also But Colonel 〈◊〉 having taken his leave of them they took an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that poyson and went immediately to prayers Sir Charls Lucas first praying and breathing forth such zealous expressions and heavenly ejaculations that 〈◊〉 seemed translated already into another World while he was yet alive they afterwards prayed with the Chaplain and received the blessed Sacrament This religious devotion being finished they were hastned forth into the Castle-yard to be executed But Sir 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whom they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ere they understood what Conntry-man he was and after they had again considered of him was reprieved out of the consideration that he was a stranger to the Kingdome