Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A90440
|
The true speeches of Collonel John Penruddock, and Hugh Grove delivered on the scaffold at Exeter Castle, May the 17th, 1655.
|
Penruddock, John, 1619-1655.
|
1655
(1655)
|
Wing P1431A; ESTC R42603
|
3,943
|
8
|
The true Speeches of COLLONEL JOHN PENRUDDUCK AND HUGH GROVE Delivered on the Scaffold at Exeter Castle May the 17.th 1655. VVRetched Man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of Death Gentlemen it hath been the custome of all Prisoners when they come to Dye to discharge themselves in order to the satisfaction of the World whether they are guilty of the Fact they stand charged of or no The crime for which I am to Dye it is high Treason as they say J must confesse I was at South-molton in this County But whether my being there or my actions there doe amount to so high a crime as high Treason I leave to the world to judge If I were guilty to my Self of any base end I had in these my Undertakings J would not be so injurious to my owne soule or so dis-ingenious to you as not to make a publike acknowledgment thereof I beleeve divers persons as they are byass'd by their severall Interests and relations will give their opinions to the world concerning me As it is therefore as impossible to expresse my self in these particulars as not to expose both my judgement and reputation to others without a breach of charity concerning my self or my Actions I thought fit to decline all discourses which may give them a capacity either to injure my Self or my cause My tryall was Publike Honourable and eminent My severall Examinations I beleeve will be produc'd when J am in the Grave I will referre you therefore to my first Tryall which I am sure some of you in good time may see Had Captain Crooke done himselfe and us that right which a Gentleman and a Souldier ought to have done I had now injoyed my owne and not been heere this Day I forgive the man with all my heart But truly He did us an injury by inforcing those Articles upon us when his owne Conscience told him he had no intention to performe them And indeed his protesting against those Articles which He himselfe with so many Protestations had forced upon us hath drawne so much dishonour and blood upon his head that J leare some heavie judgement will pursue him ' cause He hath been so false to Us I pray God I prove not a true Prophet to him yet I am glad that some of our Party have injoyed the benefit of his Articles though I my selfe were deprived of them Yet I drew them with my owne hand This I 'le say for the honour of my Souldiers that they have been so farre from breaking any Articles given to others that they have rather bettered them then otherwise But I will not load the Protector with this dishonour For I have heard He would have made our Conditions good if Crooke that gave them had not abjured them But this is not a time for me to inlarge my Self upon any subject when I my selfe am become the subject of Death But whereas I said I drew them with my owne hand I thought I was obliged to a particuler vindication of them I could tell you of some of Crookes Souldiers that were turn'd out of his Troope for defending those Conditions of ours but let that passe But howsoever hence-forward in stead of Life Liberty and Estate which wee should have had by our Articles let Hanging Drawing and Quartering be the denomination of Captaine Crookes Articles However I thanke the Protector that hee hath indulged me so farre as to let me have the Honour as to have my Head severed from my Body J should now Gentlemen give you an accompt of my Faith But this Nation is rent into so many severall Opinions that it is impossible for me to give you mine owne without displeasing some or others of you yet if any be so criticall as to inquire of what Faith I dyed It is the same of the Apostles and Athanasius Creed without which no man can bee saved I have subscribed and doe owne the 39. Articles of the Church of England If this will not satisfie them I referre them to the reverend Dr. Short to whom I have unbosom'd my selfe as to the particulers of my Religion And now Gentlemen having given you accompt of my Selfe I hold my self oblig'd to give you some accompt too of my Friends I meane as to some persons of Honour who upon my Examination I was charg'd to have correspondency with concerning this business The Lord Marquis of Hartford the Marquis of Winchester the Lord of Pembroke These were the Persons denominated to me whom I did then acquit and doe now second it with this Protestation that I had never any correspondence with either of them in relation to this particuler Businesse or any other that concernes the Protector or his Government As for the Marquis of Winton I saw him Twelve yeares agoe and not since and if I should see him heere presently J should not know him As for the Lord of Pembroke he was not a man likely to whom I should discover my thoughts because I never knew how hee stood affected I was likewise Examined concerning my Cousin Freake my Cousin Hastings and my Cousin Dallington they are men of great Estates I confesse which may make them lyable to this Inquisition and endeavour to be brought into my condition but J doe so farre acquit them that I give the world this further Protestation of them that as farre as I know I am confident They are as innocent as any Child here I have no more to say but that I am in Charity with all men and I thanke God I can forgive my greatest Persecuters and can goe upon my bare knees to my greatest Enemies to forgive them and I forgive all those that had any hand in my Death I have offered the Protector as good Security for my future demeanor as I suppose hee could have expected if hee had thought fit to have given me my Life certainly I should not have been so ungratefull as to have imployed it against him But I submit to Gods pleasure knowing that the issues of Life and Death are in the hands of God My blood is but a small Sacrifice if it had been saved I am so much a Gentleman as to have given him thankes that had preserved it and I am so much a Christian as to forgive him that takes it away But since God by his providence hath called me to lay down my Life I doe heartily submit to his will Death is a debt a due Debt owing by all it is terrible to Nature but I looke on it without terrour It hath pleased God to make me a good husband to pay this Debt before my due Gentlemen I am not ashamed of the Cause for which I dye and I hope none of my alliance or Friends will ever be ashamed of it J doe not looke upon it as a pulling downe of my Family but as the raising of it a story higher yet J was not so prodigall as to throw away my Life for I used all yet