Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	duke_n	great_a	king_n	15,506	5	4.0453	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70520	The last speech & behaviour of William, late Lord Russel, upon the scaffold in Lincolns-Inne-Fields, a little before his execution, on Saturday, July 21, 1683 being condemned for high-treason in conspiring the death of the King, and the subversion of the government &c. : together with the paper delivered by him to the sheriffs, and signed with his own hand : also the last speeches, behaviour, and prayers of Capt. Thomas Walcot, John Rouse Gent., & William Hone, joyner, a little before their execution at Tyburn, on Friday the 20th of July, 1683, being condemned for hihg-treason in conspiring &c.	Russell, William, Lord, 1639-1683.; Walcot, Thomas, d. 1683.; Rouse, John, d. 1683.; Hone, William, d. 1683.	1683 (1683)	Wing L504; ESTC R9946	28,404	20

I made it a scruple of Conscience to have a hand in killing the King or to embrue my hands in his blood but was so generous as to undertake the Charging his Guards whilst others did it and to the end another might do it Truly I will appeal to all that know me whether they believe me so much an Idiot that I should not understand it was the same thing to engage the Kings Guards whilst another Killed him as to Kill him with my own hands But however by their Swearing against me they have secured their own Lives and Estates and made my Blood the price of theirs I confess I was so unfortunate and unhappy as to be invited by Colonel Rumsey one of the Witnesses against me to some meetings where some things were discoursed of in order to the asserting our Liberties and Properties which we looked upon to be violated and invaded But it was he and Mr. West and some Gentlemen that are fled who were the great promoters of those Meetings I was near a quarter of a year ill of the Gout and during that time Mr. West often visited me and still his discourse would be concerning Lopping the Swo Sparks That was the word he used meaning the King and the Duke and proposed it might be done at a Play This was his frequent discourse for he said Then they would dye in their Calling it was his very Expression He bought Arms to do it with without any direction of mine I never saw the Arms nor I never saw the men that were to do it though they said they had fifty imployed to that end I told several of them That the Killing the King would carry such a blemish and slain with it as would descend to posterity that I had Eight Children that I was loath should be blemished with it and withal I was confident the Duke of Monmouth would revenge his Fathers Blood if it were but to vindicate himself from having any hand in it Mr. West presently told me that the Duke of Monmouth did not refuse to give an Engagement that he would not punish those that should kill the King And now I desire to forgive all the World from the very bottom of my heart and I pray God of his mercy from my heart to forgive them even Mr. Shepherd who delivered me up who promised to carry me into Holland but instead of that he brought me into the condition wherein I now am I do desire with all my heart to forgive the Witnesses and withall do earnestly beg that they may be observed that some remarks may be set upon them whether their End be Peace and that they die the common Death of all men Certainly though it be the Law of the Land I ought to die and the King may justly and reasonably put me to death for being in those Meetings where a War was debated yet I think these men are guilty of my Bloud that were as deep in as I and have betrayed me and taken in away Then in the next place I beg leave Mr. Sheriff to speak one short word of Advice to my Friends that hath been often given to me though I was not so fortunate and so happy as to take it and that is That they would neither hear any man speak nor speak themselves that which they would not have repeated for there is no such thing as Faith in man to man whatever there is in man to God either the Tears of a Wife or a Family of little helpless Children something or other will tempt and provoke men to betray one another When God hath a Work to do he will not want Instruments for he can make them nor will he want a way to do it for he can contrive it and bring it to pass And I do most heartily desire and my earnest Prayer to the Almighty is That this may be the last Bloud spilt upon this account I know Acts of Indulgence and Mercy in the King would make him much easier in his Government and would make his People sit much easier under it and that the Lord may encline his heart to Mercy ought to be the Prayer of every good man What hath happened and what hath been the present occasion of our Calamity I suppose every man knows what Provocations have been on the one hand Fears and Necessities Jealousies and Sufferings of the other I will not intermeddle with resolving to use my utmost endeavour to make that Peace and reconciliation with my God which is impossible for me to make with men and to make it my hearty Prayer to the Great God before whom I am in little time to appear That he would stench this Issue of Bloud and find out some other way to preserve these Kingdoms in Unity and Peace to the Honour and Glory of his Great Name and the eternal Comfort of his People One word Mr. Sheriff I desire leave to speak as to Ireland because the King prest it hard upon me and several people have been with me about Ireland how far Ireland was concerned in this matter I do aver here as in the presence of God before whom I am now going to appear That I do not know an English-man nor Protestant in Ireland engaged in it What I did know was onely of one Scotish Gentleman in the North and the King knows it but he says he does not believe it For they that were concerned I was never in any of their Councils I never saw any of those Lords but the Duke of Monmouth and that was I believe above six months ago I never saw nor spoke with one Lord onely my Lord Howard I heard my Lord Howard say That they did not value Ireland for it must follow England I have not more to say Mr. Sheriff but truly you will do an act of a great deal of Charity if you will prevail with the King for an Act of Indulgence and Liberty to his People I think so and so the Lord have mercy upon me Dr. Cartwright You blame them for that which is their Vertue and not their Crime That they have been Witnesses for the King Walcot I was not for contriving the Death of the King if you 'll believe me Dr. Cartwright You blame them for betraying of you in Contriving the War upon which the death of the King must have followed if your Treason had gone forward for else you could not have defended your self from that Justice to which he hath brought you and therefore you to lay that as a Crime upon your Witnesses is indeed very strange Walcot Sir I think it was but reasonable that I should suffer that is due from Justice and reasonable by the Law but these men they did not come in against me till they did it to save themselves Dr. Cartwright Better late than never a man had better save his Soul and Body too than die as now you do for Crimes that ought to make every good mans heart relent and therefore

through his Grace that the World may understand that I do not dye as Capt. Walcot saies an Atheist I do here declare in the presence of God and this vast number of people what Faith I dye in In that very Faith which was once delivered and in the Belief of that Doctrine which the Church of England makes Profession of and is agreeable to the word of God being founded upon the Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles whereof Jesus Christ is the Corner Stone There have been very various opinions concerning me upon the account of the various imployments that I have been exercised in both here and beyond Sea It has been my lot to fall under such circumstances and to fall under such misrepresentations and Censures upon the account of some publick Imployments that I have been in for the K. and after I returned from Flanders upon the account of Disbanding it was almost morally impossible for such a one in my capacity to stand right in the affections and opinions of all people When I was imployed in Flanders in the payment of that Army I was then between 2 Rocks I will leave it to the Judgment of all sorts of people you know the Country I need not particularise nor reflect upon opinions and the like But I having been bred up in England and had that education it pleased God to give me I was not fond of nor carried off with that debauchery in those times and sometimes more than once or twice it was my lot that I was like to have been murthered for pleading for and justifying the actions of the King of England Since my return and being imployed under Sir Tho. Player and some others about disbanding there it came to my Lot because I could not humour some Gentlemen who neither feared God nor honoured the King I will not say so of all for I know some were very worthy Gentlemen that scorn'd any of those actions which some would attempt There is one worthy Gent. I can speak very honourably of that so they might have their pockets full of money did not value how the Accounts were stated and at the very same time I was under many temptations of handfuls of Guineas in my hand to do so and so to cheat the K. and because I would not do that I was looked upon as a Jesuit I did wave all these things under those circumstances It hath been my lot likewise being imployed by Sir T. P. and the rest of the Commissioners to fall into those Companies and places where my Lord Shaftsbury and others have been and have had some kind of Discourse which was not Treason but rather a thing that I ever abhorred and declared a detestation of since these hurly burlys concerning Parliaments going off and coming on did discontent the people upon one account or another I confess I have been a hearer and have understood too much of some kind of meetings which I pray God forgive them for and especially those that call themselves Protestants being 10000 times worse than any others That there have been such kind of Designs and Meetings and Clubbs I have not been ignorant of God forgive me that I have not been as careful and as diligent and as ready and forward to discover it a great while since That I ever had a hand in it or the least thought or resolution or intention to appear in it but rather on the contrary have declared my opinion against it both in the sight of God and man as a breach of the Laws of God and the Laws of the Land and contrary to our Duty who are bound to pray for the King and all that are in Authority I do declare in the presence of God I am a perfect stranger and I thank God my Conscience is clear I have acquainted his Majesty in Council and I have had the Honour to be admitted into his Majesties presence in private almost half an hour on Saturday was seven-night where I was as clear and above board and as faithful to his Majesty as I could be in an humble manner according to my duty where I offered to have some time and place allotted that I might give him a whole Scheme of the business For there were a great many Gentlemen that had a respect forme It was their opinions that I had a general Knowledge of all the Clubbs and all the Designs that ever were since the King came in but they were under a mistake I gave his Majesty an account to the best of my knowledge and when I had done his Majesty seemed to be pleased and to thank me for it but before I had power to put it in writing and wait upon his Majesty the Providence of God did so order it the Council thought it fit that I should be committed to Prison where I was some days I have had more kindness among Heathens and Indians I pray God to forgive them for it I had not liberty to send to my Wife big with Child in two days where I was Sir I shall not hold you in suspence and multiply words but what is most proper to this occasion What I have given to his Majesty in Council and what I have spoken to his Majesty in private is nothing but the naked truth to clear my own Conscience that I may not go out of the world with any thing upon me I wish those that call themselves Protestants would discharge their duty better to God and the King than either I or the best Subject ever did I have lookt upon 't as an obligation ever since I knew what it was to be a man to carry my self obedient to those that God has set over me especially the King and those that are in Authority and I have made it my practice to pray for the King as for my own soul. That it has been my lot to be acquainted with those vanities of Clubbs and persons no rational man will wonder considering the Circumstances and places I was called to There is one particular Gentleman Mr. Sheriff I must desire the favour to clear my self by something that I took occasion to speak of yesterday I did acquaint you Mr. Sheriff with what I had spoken to the King how I was interrupted in the further discovery of what I had a mind to say What was further said yesterday it was nothing but the naked truth In the first place as to what was afterwards discourst of as to some particular persons namely and particularly Sir Thomas Player I must do justice to all the world That he hath been acquainted with the Lord Shaftsbury none here will wonder but that he hath been very shy of his Company since he came out of the Tower for he told me many times he never was in his company but once for he did not like some things and saw some designs that he was afraid were going on and thereupon Sir Thomas Player was so ingenuous and honest to the King