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A35255 The wars in England, Scotland and Ireland, or, An impartial account of all the battels, sieges, and other remarkable transactions, revolutions and accidents, which have happened from the beginning of the reign of King Charles I, in 1625, to His Majesties happy restauration, 1660 illustrated with pictures of some considerable matters curiously ingraven on copper plates. R. B., 1632?-1725? 1681 (1681) Wing C7357; ESTC R8819 122,635 215

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Silence commanded The Court called Seventy three Persons present The King comes in with his Guard looks with an austere countenance upon the Court and sits down The second O Yes made and silence commanded Mr. Cook Solicitor General May it please your Lordship my Lord President This is now the third time that by the great grace and favour of this High Court the Prisoner hath been brought to the Bar before any Issue joyned in the Cause My Lord I did at the first Court exhibit a Charge against him containing the highest Treason that ever was wrought upon the Theatre of England that a King of England trusted to keep the Law That had taken an Oath so to do That had Tribute paid him for that end should be guilty of a wicked design to subvert and destroy our Lawes and introduce an Arbitrary and Tyrannical Government in the defiance of the Parliament and their Authority set up his Standard for War against his Parliament and People and I did humbly pray in the behalf of the People of England that he might speedily be required to make an answer to the Charge But my Lord instead of making any Answer he did then dispute the Authority of this High Court your Lordship was pleased to give him a further day to consider and to put in his Answer which day being yesterday I did humbly move that he might be required to give a direct and positive answer either by denying or confession of it but my Lord he was then pleased for to demurre to the Jurisdiction of the Court which the Court did then overrule and command him to give a direct and positive Answer My Lord besides this great delay of Justice I shall now humbly move your Lordship for speedy Judgment against him My Lord I might presse your Lordship upon the whole That according to the known Rules of the Law of the Land That if a Prisoner shall stand as contumacious in contempt and shall not put in an issuable plea Guilty or not Guilty of the Charge given against him whereby he may come to a fair Tryal That as by an implicite confession it may be taken pro confesso as it hath been done to those who have deserved more favour than the Prisoner at the Bar has done but besides my Lord I shall humbly presse your Lordship upon the whole Fact the House of Commons the Supream Authority and Jurisdiction of the Kingdom they have declared That it is notorious That the matter of the Charge is true as it is in truth my Lord as clearas Chrystal and as the Sun that shines at noon-day which if your Lordship and the Court be not satisfied in I have notwithstanding on the people of Englands behalf several witnesses to produce And therefore I do humbly pray and yet I must confess it is not so much I as the innocent blood that hath been shed the cry whereof is very great for justice and judgment and therefore I do humbly pray that speedy Judgement be pronounced against the Prisoner at the Bar. President Sir you have heard what is moved by the Councel on the behalf of the Kingdom against you Sir you may well remember and if you do not the Court cannot forget what dilatory dealings the Court hath found at your hands you were pleased to propound some Questions you have had your Resolutions upon them You were told over and over again That the Court did affirm their own jurisdiction That it was not for you nor any other man to dispute the Jurisdiction of the Supreme and highest Authority of England from which there is no Appeal and touching which there must be no dispute yet you did persist in such carriage as you gave no manner of obedience nor did you acknowledge any Authority in them nor the High Court that constituted this Court of Justice Sir I must let you know from the Court That they are very sensible of these delays of yours and that they ought not being thus Authorized by the supreme Court of England to be thus trifled withall and that they might in justice if they pleased and according to the Rules of Justice take advantage of these delayes and proceed to pronounce judgment against you yet nevertheless they are pleased to give direction and on their behalfs I do require you that you make a positive Answer unto this Charge that is against you Sir in plain terms for Justice knows no respect of persons you are to give your positive and final Answer in plain English whether you be guilty or not guilty of these Treasons laid to your Charge The King after a little pause said When I was here yesterday I did desire to speak for the Liberties of the People of England I was interrupted I desire to know yet whether I may speak freely or not President Sir you have had the Resolution of the Court upon the like Question the last day and you were told That having such a Charge of so high a Nature against you your Work was that you ought to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the Court and to Answer to your Charge Sir if you Answer to your Charge which the Court gives you leave now to do though they might have taken the advantage of your Contempt yet if you be able to Answer to your Charge when you have once Answered you shall be heard at large make the best Defence you can But Sir I must let you know from the Court as their commands that you are not to be permitted to issue out into any other discourses till such time as you have given a positive Answer concerning the Matter that is Charged upon you King For the Charge I value it not a Rush it is the Liberty of the people of England that I stand for for me to acknowledge a new Court that I never heard of before I that am your King that should be an example to all the people of England for to uphold Justice to maintain the old Laws indeed I do not know how to do it you spoke very well the first day that I came here on Saturday of the Obligations that I had laid upon me by God to the maintenance of the Libertyes of my People The same Obligation you speak of I do acknowledge to God that I owe to Him and to my people to defend as much as in me lies the ancient Laws of the Kingdom therefore until that I may know that this is not against the Fundamental Laws of the Kingdom by your favour I can put in no particular Answer If you will give me time I will then shew you my Reasons why I cannot do it and this Here being interrupted he said By your favour you ought not to interrupt me how I came here I know not there 's no Law for it to make your King your Prisoner I was lately in a Treaty upon the publick Faith of the Kingdom that was the known the two Houses of Parliament that was the
granted to Five Bishops to Execute his Office After which the Bishop Published a Narrative of the Cause and Manner of his Suspension Five of those Gentlemen who were Imprisoned about the Loan had their Habeas Corpus granted and were brought to their Tryal before Sir Nicholas Hyde Lord Chief Justice where after arguing the Case between Council on both sides the L. Chief Justice concluded That since they were Committed by the Kings Authority the Court could not Free them so that they were remanded to Prison till the Order came out for a General Release The Irish Papists in hope of some Remission of the Penal Laws offered to Furnish the King at their own Charge with a standing Army of 5000 Foot and 500 Horse and a large Contribution for securing the Narrow Seas which was opposed in England by Sir John Savil and in Ireland by the Lord Primate of Armagh and divers others as tending to preserve the Papists Interests and sinking the Protestants upon which the L. Deputy moved the Primate to endeavour to prevail with the Protestants to supply the Kings Necessities which he attempted to do in a very learned Speech though not with the expected Success In 1627 being the Third Year of his Majesties Reign the Duke of Buckingham to clear his Reputation as to the Charge of Negligence in his Admiralship with much ado compleated his Naval Forces consisting of Six Thousand Horse and Foot in Ten Ships Royal and Ninety Merchant Men with which he set Sail from Portsmouth June 27 and published a Manifesto of the Kings Affection to the Reformed Churches in France and his displeasure against the last misimploying of his Ships against the Rochellers But by several Accidents this great Design miscarried with the Death of near Two Thousand common Souldiers Thirty Prisoners of Note and Fourty four Colours taken But notwithstanding this Expedition of the Isle of Rhe miscarried yet at Sea there was somewhat better Success a great French Ship was taken upon the Coasts of Holland Laden with great Guns Arms and Ammunition of all sorts to a very considerable value Sir John Pennington likewise took Thirty Four Rich French Merchantmen homeward bound which were all safely brought to England the poor remains of the Army which came from the Isle of Rhe most of them Irish and Scots and consequently rude and boisterous were quartered in the Countrey Villages which was very troublesome to the People At this time the Exchequer was very low and several late Enterprizes having miscarried the Rochellers being also now more distressed than ever the causes of these evils were gravely represented by Sir Robert Cotton to several Lords of the Councill whereupon it was resolved on by the Council that a Parliament should be called and Writs were presently Issued out A Commission likewise passed under the Great Seal for raising Moneys through the Kingdome in Nature of an Excise and the Lord Treasurer was ordered to pay Thirty Thousand Pound to Philip Burmelack a Dutch Merchant to be returned to Sir William Balfour and John Dalbier in the Low Countreys for raising a Thousand Horse which caused strange jealousies and suspicions among the People as if these German Horse were designed to inforce the payment of the Excise There was some discourse about Levying Ship money but it was declined at that time because of the Parliament approaching In the mean time a company of Jesuites were apprehended in an House at Clerkenwell which was designed for a Colledge of that Order where among other Papers a Letter was found discovering their secret Designs they had laid for imbroiling Church and State Upon the 17th of March 1627 the Parliament Assembled the Commons chusing Sin John Finch Speaker the King in a Speech tells the two Houses That the greatness of the danger was such as required a speedy Supply and that therefore they might rest assured it was the principal cause of their Meeting wherein he hoped they would shew themselves such true Patriots of the true Religion the Laws and Liberties of this State and the just defence of their Friends and Allies now in such hazard by Popish Enemies as not to deceive his Expectations which were very great though indeed somewhat nipt by Remembrance of the Distractions of the last Meeting The Lord Keeper likewise Inforc'd the Kings Speech and earnestly pressed them to consider of some speedy way for Supplying his Majesties Necessities Before the Parliament began any debate a Letter came to them Directed To the Members of the House of Commons called A Speech without Doors discovering the Grievances and Inconveniences of the State from one who had been a Member of the former Parliament The first thing taken into Consideration by the Commons was the Grievances of the Kingdom and the first thing Insisted on was the Case of those Gentlemen for refusing the Loan and who notwithstanding their Habeas Corpus were Remanded to Prison and after a long Debate between several Members who asserted the Illegality of the Loan and also their Imprisonment for refusing it the Lord Chief Justice Hyde and several other Judges were desired to declare themselves who justified their own proceedings alledging That if they had granted them Bail upon Habeas Corpus it would have reflected upon the King as if he had unjustly Imprisoned them But in conclusion it was resolved upon the Question in the House of Commons Nemine Contradicente 1. That no man ought to be restrained by the Command of the King or Privy Council without some Cause of the Commitment 2. That the Writ of Habeas Corpus ought to be granted upon Request to every Man that is restrained though by the Command of the King the Privy Council or any other 3. That if a Freeman be imprisoned by the Command of the King the Privy Council or any other and no Cause of such Commitment expressed and the same be returned upon an Habeas Corpus granted for the said Party then he ought to be delivered or Bailed Then the Parliament proceeded to draw up a Petition against Popish Recusants consisting of these particulars 1. That all Laws and Statutes against Jesuites and Popish Priests be put in power and Execution 2. That a strict course be taken for the Apprehending and Discovering of them 3. That all Popish Recusants be prohibited from coming to Court or within Ten Miles of London 4. That no place of Trust or Authority shall be committed to Popish Recusants with several other particulars to the same purpose which Petition was presented from the Lords and Commons to the King by the Lord Keeper who gave a full and satisfactory Answer to every Article after which Five Subsidies were granted to the King which gave so great satisfaction to his Majesty that he sent them Word He would deny them nothing of their Liberties which any of his Predecessors had granted A Petition was then presented against Quartering Souldiers in the Countries to which the King promised an Answer in convenient time
Archbishop Laud upon an Accusation of High Treason by the Commons was committed to the Tower And now Episcopacy it self was called in question and though the Lord Digby made a witty and weighty Speech in Defence of it and Archbishop Usher gave his Judgment for the Moderation and Emendation of it and the Liturgy not the Extirpation thereof yet the Wings of Episcopacy were shrewdly clipt for March 10 the Commons Voted That no Bishop should have any Vote in Parliament nor any Judicial power in the Star Chamber nor be concerned in any Temporal matters and that no Clergy-man should be a Justice of Peace Upon Monday March 26 1640. the Earl of Straffords Tryal began in Westminster-hall the King Queen and Prince being present and the Commons likewise being there as a Committee at the managing their Accusation the Earl of Arundel was Lord High Steward and the Earl of Lindsey Lord High Constable the Earl of Strafford though he had but short warning yet had gotten his Defence ready against the time The Accusation was managed by Mr. Pym consisting of Twenty eight Articles to most of which the Earl made Particular Replies But the Commons were resolved to prosecute him to the utmost and had therefore procured the Parliament of Ireland to prosecute him there also as guilty of High Treason which being unexpectedly produced extorted from the Earl this passionate Expression That there was a Conspiracy against him to take away his Life At which the Commons cryed out against him That standing Impeached of High Treason he durst accuse the Parliament of two Kingdoms of Conspiracy against him But besides all these certain notes were produced against him which were taken by Sir H. Vane in a close Committee of select Counsellors whom the King had chosen to consult about his second Expedition against the Scots out of which it was alledged against the Earl That he had given the King advice to borrow an Hundred thousand pound of the City of London To levy Ship-money rigorously and that his Majesty having tryed the Affections of his People was absolved and loosed from all Rules of Government and might do what power would admit and having an Army in Ireland might imploy it for the reducing of this Kingdom which he was sure could not hold out five months And London being full of the Nobility the Commission of Array was to be set on foot and all Opposers thereof to be severely dealt with To this the Earl replyed That he conceived it lawful for a Privy Counsellor to have freedom of Voting with others and as to the matter of the English Army he thought that the single Testimony of one man Secretary Vane was not of Validity in Law much less in Life and Death and that the Depositions of Secretary Vane was doubtful as appeared by several Examinations and that there were present at the Debate but eight Privy Counsellors whereof two were not to be produced and four others declared upon their Honours that they never heard him speak those words or any like them and lastly that if he had spoken them which he yet granted not that the word This Kingdom could not imply England the debate being concerning Scotland there being not the least intention of Landing the Irish Army in England and concluded his Defence with telling the Lords that he was accused as guilty of Treason for endeavouring to subvert the Fundamental Laws of the Land but it seemed strange to him that it should be Treason together which was not Treason in any part and lastly desired the Lords to consider how their own Priviledges and other Ministers of State would suffer by his Condemnation The Commons must now justifie their Charge by Law to which end they produced the Salvo annexed to the Stat. of 25 Ed. 3. The words were these Because all particular Treasons could not be then defined therefore what the Parliament should declare to be Treason in time to come should be punished as Treason And so this Salvo was to be the Ground work of the Bill of Attainder This being a point of Law the Earl had Council allowed him who answered on his behalf That the Statute which they cited was but a Declarative and a Penal Law awd would no way admit of such Consequential and Inferential Constructions and that this Salvo was repealed by an Act of Parliament in the Sixth of Henry the fourth And so the Court Adjourned without prefixing any time of Meeting for the Commons proceeded to dispatch their Bill of Attainder and April 19 1641 they Voted the Earl Guilty of High Treason upon the Evidence of Secretary Vane and his Notes And upon the 25th they passed the Bill and sent to the Lords for their Concurrence to whom it seemed at first so perplext a business that the Commons were forced to send Mr. Saint John the Kings Sollicitor to confer with them about it who gave them such satisfaction that thence forward they shewed greater propensity to the Earls Condemnation In the mean time the Commons petitioned the King 1. To remove all Papists from Court. 2. For disarming of them generally throughout the Kingdom 3. For disbanding the Irish Army To which the King answered 1. They all knew what Legal Trust the Crown hath in that particular therefore he shall not need to say any thing to assure them that he shall use it so as there shall be no just cause of scandal 2. As for the second he is content it shall be done by Law And for the last he had entred into Consultation about it finding many difficulties therein and doth so wish the disbanding of all Armies as he did conjure them speedily and heartily to joyn with him in disbanding those two here Scots and English The House of Commons having finished their Bill of Attainder against the Earl of Strafford and the King fearing the Conclusion and being willing to do some good Office to him His Majesty May 1 1641 calls both Houses together and in a Speech tells them That he had been present at the hearing of that great Cause and that in his Conscience positively he could not condemn him of High Treason and yet could not clear him of misdemeanours but hoped a way might be found out to satisfie Justice and their fears without oppressing his Conscience And so he dismissed them to their great discontent which was propagated so far that May 3. near a Thousand Citizens most of them armed with Swords Cudgels and Staves came thronging down to Westminster crying out for Justice against the Earl of Strafford especially applying themselves to the Earl of Montgomery Lord Chamberlain by whose perswasions and promises their fury was partly abated However they posted upon the Gate at Westminster a List of the Names of those who would have acquitted the Earl whom they stiled Staffordians The Parliament being Informed that some endeavours were used to raise a Disgust in the English Northern Army against their Proceedings they now enter into a National