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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43512	A briefe relation of the death and sufferings of the Most Reverend and renowned prelate, the L. Archbishop of Canterbury with a more perfect copy of his speech, and other passages on the scaffold, than hath beene hitherto imprinted.	Heylyn, Peter, 1600-1662.	1644 (1644)	Wing H1685; ESTC R212372	21,500	34

a Peere was doomed to so long imprisonment without being called unto his Answer What else hath filled so many Prisons in most parts of the Kingdome with the best and wealthiest of the Subjects but the most dangerous effects and consequences of this woful President Which as it was the leading case unto all our pressures so might those pressures have beene remedied had the Subject made his Case their owne and laboured to prevent it in convenient time But such a miserable infatuation had befallen them generally that seeing they did see but would not perceive But yet the malice of his Enemies was not so contented For though some of the more moderate or rather the lesse violent Lords who did not pierce into the depth of the designe gave out that they intended only to remove him from his Majesties eare and to deprive him of his Arch-Bishoprick which resolution notwithstanding being taken up before any charge was brought against him was as unjust though not so cruell as the others yet they shewed only by this Overture that they did reckon without their hosts and might be of the Court perchance but not of the Counsell The leading and predominant party thought of nothing lesse then that he should escape with life or goe off with liberty Onely perhaps they might conceive some wicked hopes that either the tediousnesse of his restraint or the indignities and affronts which day by day were offer'd to him would have broke his heart not formerly accustomed to the like oppressions And then like Pilate in the Gospel they had called for water and washed their hands before the multitude and said that they were innocent of the bloud of that righteous person thinking that by such wretched figge-leaves they could not only hide their wickednesse and deceive poore men but that God also might be mocked and his All-seeing eye deluded to which all hearts lye open all desires are knowne and from which no secrets can be hidden To this end not content to immure him up within the walls of the Tower they robbe him of his meniall servants restraine him to two only of his number and those not to have conference with any others but in the presence of his Warder and in conclusion make him a close Prisoner not suffering him to goe out of his lodging to refresh himselfe but in the company of his keeper And all this while they vex his soul continually with scandalous and infamous Papers and set up factious and seditious Preachers to inveigh against him in the Pulpit to his very face so to expose him to the scorne both of boyes and women who many times stood up and turned towards him to observe his countenance to see if any alteration did appear therein And to the same ungodly end did they devest him of his Archiepiscopall and Episcopall jurisdiction conferring it on his inferiour and subordinate Officers sequester his rents under pretence of maintenance for the Kings younger Children as if His Majesties Revenues which they had invaded were not sufficient for that purpose convert his House at Lambeth into a Prison and confiscate all his coals and fewell to the use of their Gaoler deprive him of his right of Patronage and take into their owne hands the disposing of all his Benefices seize upon all his goods and bookes which they found at Lambeth and in conclusion rifle him of his notes and papers not onely such as were of ordinary use and observation but such as did concerne him in the way of his just defence In which they did not any thing from the first to the last but in a proud defiance to the lawes of the land which they most impudently violated in all these particulars and more then so they had proceeded steppe by steppe to this height of tyranny a whole year almost before they had digested their generall charge into particular Accusations or ever called him to his Answer in due forme of law But God had given him such a measure both of strength and patience that these afflictions though most great and irksome did make no more impressions on him then an Arrow on a rocke of Adamant For a● his 〈◊〉 commitment he besought his God as Master Pryn observes out of his Manuall of devotions to give him full patience proportionable comfort and contentment with whatsoever he should send and he was heard in that he prayed for For notwithstanding that he had fed so long on the bread of carefulnesse and dranke the water of affliction yet as the Scripture telleth us of the foure Hebrew children his countenance appeared fairer and fatter in flesh then any of those who eat their portion of the Kings meat or dranke of his wine And he was wont to say to his private friends that he thanked God he never found more sweet contentment in his greatest liberty then in the time of that restraint And certainly it was no wonder that it should be so he being conscious to himselfe of no other crimes which drew that fatall storme upon him then a religious zeale to the honour of God the happinesse of the King and the preservation of the Church in her peace and patrimony as he professeth at his death before all the people So that despairing of successe in the way intended his enemies sell upon another but more desperate course which was to ship him for New-England and make him subject to the insolencies of Wellt and Peters two notorious Schismaticks But this being put to the question in the house of Commons was rejected by the major part not out of pity to his age or consideration of his quality nor in respect unto the lawes so often violated but to preserve him yet a while as a stale or property wherewith to cheat the Citizens of some further summes and to invite the Scots to a new invasion when their occasion so required For it was little doubted by discerning men but that the Scots who made their first invasion on a probable hope of sequestring the Lord Archbishop and the Earle of Strafford from His Majesties Counsels and sped it so well in their designe that they were recompensed already with the death of the one would easily be tempted to a second journey upon assurance to be glutted with the bloud of the other And this appeares more plaine and evident in that about the comming on of the Scots which was in the middest of Ianuary 1643. they did againe revive the businesse which had long layen dormant causing the Articles which they had framed in maintenance of their former Accusation to be put in print about that time as is apparent by the Test of Iohn Browne their Clerke dated the 17 of that moneth And as the Scots advanced or slackned in their marches Southward so did they either quicken or retard the worke till hearing of the great successes which they had in Yorkshire they gave command to Master

revilings of malicious people had no power to move him or sharpen him into any discontent or shew of passion would needes put in and try what he could do with his spunge and vinegar and stepping to him neare the block asked him with such a purpose as the Scribes and Pharisees used to propose questions to our Lord and Saviour not to learne by him but to tempt him or to expose him to some disadvantage with the standers by what was the comfortablest saying which a dying man could have in his mouth To which he meekely made this answer Cupio dissolvi esse cum Christo i. e. I desire to bee dissolv'd and to bee with Christ Being asked againe what was the fittest speech a man could use to expresse his confidence and assurance he answered with the same spirit of meeknesse that such assurance was to be found within and that no words were able to expresse it rightly Which when it would not satisfie the troublesome and impertinent man who aimed at something else then such satisfaction unlesse hee gave some word or place of Scripture whereupon such assurance might bee truely founded hee used some words to this effect that it was the Word of God concerning CHRIST and his dying for us And so without expecting any further questions for hee perceived by the manner of Sir Iohn's proceedings that there would bee no end of his interruptions if he hearkned any longer to him he turned towards his Executioner the gentler and discreeter man of the two and gave him mony saying without the least distemper or change of countenance here honest freind God forgive thee and doe thy office upon mee with mercy and having given a signe when the blow should come he kneeled down upon his knees and prayed as followeth The Lord Arch-bishops Prayer as hee kneeled by the Blocke Lord I am comming as fast as I can I know I must passe through the shadow of death before I can come to see thee But it is but umbra mortis a meere shadow of death a little darknesse upon nature but thou by thy merits and passion hast broke through the jawes of death So Lord receive my Soule and have mercy upon mee and blesse this Kingdome with Peace and Plenty and with brotherly love and charity that there may not bee this effusion of Christian blood amongst them for JESUS CHRIST'S sake if it bee thy will Then laying his head upon the Blocke and praying silently to himselfe he said aloud Lord receive my Soule which was the signall given to the Executioner who very dextrously did his office and tooke it off at a blow his soule ascending on the wings of Angels into Abrahams bosome and leaving his Body on the Scaffold to the care of men A spectacle so unpleasing unto most of those who had desired his death with much heat and passion that many who came with greedy eyes to see him suffer went backe with weeping eyes when they saw him dead their consciences perhaps bearing witnesse to them as you know whose did that they had sinned in being guilty of such innocent blood Of those whom onely curiosity and desire of novelty brought thither to behold that unusuall sight many had not the patience to attend the issue but went away assoon as the speech was ended others returned much altered in the opinion which before they had of him and bettered in their resolutions towards the King and the Church whose honour and religious purposes they saw so clearely vindicated by this glorious Martyr And for the rest the most considerable though perhaps the smallest part of that great assembly as they came thither with no other intentiō then to assist him with their prayers to imbalme his body with their teares and to lay up his dying speeches in their hearts and memories so when they had performed those offices of Christian duty they comforted themselves with this that as his life was honourable so his death was glorious the pains whereof were short and momentany to himselfe the benefit like to be perpetuall unto them and others who were resolved to live and dye in the Communion of the Church of England But to proceed for I have some few things to note it was observed that whereas other men when they come to the Blocke use to looke pale and wan and ghastly and are even dead before the blow he on the contrary seemed more fresh and cheerfull then he had done any part of the day before a cleare and gallant spirit being like the Sunne which shews greatest alwayes at the setting And as the Scripture telleth us of Saint Stephen the Proto Martyr that whilst he spake his last Oration before the chiefe Priests and Elders of the Iewes they of the Counsell looking stedfastly upon him saw his face as it had beene the face of an Angell so was it generally observed not without astonishment that all the while our Martyr prayed upon the Blocke the Sunne which had not showne it selfe all the day till then did shine directly on his face which made him looke most comfortably that I say not gloriously but presently as soone as the Blow was given withdrew behinde a cloud againe and appeared no more as we are credibly advertised by good hands from London though it be otherwise reported in their weekly Pamphlets And if the bodies of us men be capable of any happinesse in the grave he had as great a share therein as he could desire or any of his friends expect his body being accompanied to the earth with great multitudes of people whom love or curiosity or remorse of conscience had drawne together purposely to performe that office and decently interred in the Church of All hallowes Barking a Church of his owne Patronage and Jurisdiction according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England In which it may be noted as a thing remarkable that being whilst he lived the greatest Champion of the Common-Prayer-Booke here by Law established he had the honour being dead to be buried in the forme therein prescribed after it had beene long disused and reprobated in most Churches of London Nor need posterity take care to provide his Monument Hee built one for himselfe whilst he was alive it being well observed by Sir Edw. Dering one of his most malicious enemies and hee who threw the first stone at him in the beginning of this Parliament that Saint Pauls Church will be his perpetuall Monument and his owne Booke against the Iesuite his lasting Epitaph Thus dyed this most Reverend Renowned and Religiour Prelate when he had lived 71 yeares 13 weekes 4 dayes if at the least he may be properly said to dye the great example of whose vertue shall continue alwaies not only in the mindes of men but in the Annals of succeeding Ages with Renowne and Fame But how he lived what excellent parts he was composed of and how industriously he imployed those parts for the advancement of Gods