Service of the French Commanding Pennington to use all Force even to sinking in case of Refusal Hereupon Pennington put his Ship into the Absolute Power of the French King and Commanded the rest to do so But the honest Sea-men refused to be slaves to the French and fight against the Protestant Religion till forced by Shots But Sir Ferdinando Gerges to his Eternal Honour brought away the Neptune with Detestation of the Action All the English Men and Boys except one Gunner who was slain in Charging a piece of Ordnance according to his defect declined the Service and quitted the Ships refusing to serve against the Rochellers In September following these seven Ships were actually imployed against the Rochellers almost to their utter ruin The French boasted that the Vantguard mow'd the Hereticks down like Grass by these wicked means were these good People wholly lost They held the Town till the Year 1628. but were reduced to incredible Misery having lived long upon Horse Flesh Hides Leather Doggs and Cats c. There were but Four Thousand left of Fifteen Thousand Souls many dyed with Famine and they usually carried their Coffins into the Church-yard and there laid themselves and Dyed A Sad Story that ought never to be forgotten in the History of Our Blessed Martyr's Reign as wickedly call'd 7. That in Civil Matters took his Peoples Goods from them against their Wills and their Liberties against the Laws that pluck'd up the Root of all Property that acted almost like the Turks who send their Janizaries and place their Halbards at the Door and then are Masters of all for in the very beginning of his Reign he levied twelve thousand Soldiers contrary to Law and then required the Country to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 8. That appointed Commissioners to Try Condemn and Execute those he unjustly call'd Delinquents by Martial Law directly against the Laws of the Land and some were Executed thereby 9. That struct directly at the Property of the Subject's Goods by issuing out Commissions contrary to many Laws for Raising Money by way of Loan and the Commissioners were ordered to certify to the Council Board the Names of all Refractery Persons particularly he Demanded One Hundred Thousand Pounds of the City of London and upon their Refusal he threatned them saying He would frame his Councils as appartained to a King 10. That against all Law required the Londoners to set forth Twenty Ships Manned and Victualed for three Months against which the Mayor Aldermen and Common Council Petition but to no purpose Being answered That Petitions and Pleadings were not to be received and that the Precedents of formers Times were Obedience not Direction The Deputy Lieutenants and Justices of the Peace of Dorsetshire being Commanded to set forth Ships insisted That the Case was without President for which they were severely checked and told that State Occasions were not to be guided by Ordinary Presidents Those Persons of Quality that refused to subscribe to the Loan were turned out of the Commission of the Peace and Lieutenancy Sir Peter Hayman upon his refusal of the Loan was commanded against his Will to go upon the King's Service beyond the Seas others of meaner Rank were either bound to appear before the Leiutenancy of the Tower to be Enrold for Soldiers for Denmark or were impressed to serve in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sir Randolph Crew the then Learned Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench for Declaring against the Loan and not giving Judgment that the King might Imprison during Pleasure was turned out and Sir Nicholas Hide put in his Room who presently complyed with the King Sir Thomas Darnell Sir John Corbet Sir Walter Earl Sir John Hevingham Sir Edward Hamden five of the Gentlemen Imprisoned for Refusing the Loan brought their Habeas Corpus in Michaelmas Term in the third year of his Reign The Warden of the Fleet made his Return that they were detained in his Custody by the special command of King and Sir Robert Heath then Attorney Generral justified this sort of Imprisonment though no special Cause was assign'd and the Lord Chief Justice Hide who was made on purpose for it did singly give Judgment for remanding the Gentlemen to perpetual Imprisonment 11. That Billotted Soldiers many of which were Papists upon whom he pleased for Punishments these Soldiers committed so many Disorders mastered the People and disturbed the Peace that there was a General Out-cry against them many being undone by them Yet this was not redressed 12. That in the year 1627. Issued a Commission under the Great Seal to several Temporal Lords with Neal ' and Laud Bishops of Winchester and Bath and Wells and others to Raise Money by way of Excise and to enforce the Payment and which is very probable to awe the Parliament which was to Assemble the 17th of March He 13. Upon the 13th day of January 1627. sent a private Seal to the Lord Treasurer to this Effect We command you forthwith to pay to Philip Burlemark Merchant Thirty Thousand Pounds to be paid by him over by Bill of Exchange into the Low Countrys and Germany unto Sir William Balfoure and John Dolbier Esq who was a Papist for Levying and Providing certain Numbers of Horse with Arms for Horse and Foot to be brought over into this Kingdom for our Service c. Burlemark being afterwards call'd into the House of Commons and examin'd about this matter Declared That he received the Thirty Phousand Pounds That one Thousand Horse were levied and these Horses and their Riders were to come over and Arms were to be provided for them in Holland but heard a Countermand was gone to stay them 14. That caused Mr. Chambers a Merchant to be fined two thousand Pounds to be committed to the Fleet until he made his Submission for saying That the Merchants in no part of the World are scrued and wrung as in England and that in Turkey they have more Encouragement 15. That Oppressed and Imprison'd all Rank or Order of Men viz. The Earl of Bristol was two Years confined without being charged with any Accusation or brought to Tryal or permitted to Answer for himself for offering to accuse the Duke of Buckingham He Committed the Earl of Arrundel to the Tower in time of Parliament without expressing any cause of his Commitment which was a manifest violation of the Privileges of the House of Peers and though the Lords presented a Remonstrance yet this Lord was long detained Prisoner 16. That sent a threatning Message to the House of Commons That if he had not a timely Supply he would betake himself to New Councils Which could only mean the putting an End to the use of Parliaments That at another time said to the Lords and Commons Remember that Parliaments are altogether in my Power therefore as I find the fruits of them Good or Evil they are to continue or not to be 17. His shameful betraying the poor Protestants in the Palatinate and using the Money given
Powerful O Eternal God to whom nothing is so Great that it may resist or so Small that it is contemn'd look upon my Misery with thine Eye of Mercy and let thine Infinite Power vouchsafe to limit out some proportion of Deliverance unto me as to thee shall seem most Convenient Let not Injury O Lord Triumph ever me and let my O All seeing Light and Eternal Life of all things to whom nothing is either so Great that it may resist or so Small that it is contemn'd look upon my Misery with thine Eye of Mercy and let thine Infinite Power vouchsafe to limit out some proporrion of Deliverance unto me as to thee shall seem most Convenient Let not Injury O Lord Triumph over me and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Faults by thy hand be Corrected and make not mine unjust Enemies the Minister of thy Justice But yet my God if in thy Wisdom this be the aptest Chastisment for my unexcusable Folly if this low Bondage be fittest for my over high Desire if the Pride of my not enough humble heart be thus to be broken O Lord I yield unto thy Will and joyfully embrace what sorrow thou wilt have me suffer only thus much let me crave of thee let my craving O Lord be accepted of thee since even that proceeds from thee let me crave even by the Noblest Title which in my greatest Affliction I may give my self that I am thy Creature and by thy goodness which is thy self that thou wilt suffer some Beam of thy Majesty to shine into my mind that it may still depend confidently on thee let Calamity be the Exercise but not the overthrow of my vertue let their Power prevail but prevail not to Destruction let my Greatness be their Prey let my pain be Faults by thy Hand be Corrected and make not my unjust Enemies the Ministers of thy Iustice. But yet my God if in thy Wisdom this be the aptest Chastisment for my unexcusable Transgression if this ungrateful Bondage be fittest for my over high Desires if the Pride of my not enough humble heart be thus to be broken O Lord I yield unto thy Will and chearfully embrace what sorrow thou wilt have me suffer only thus much let me crave of thee let my craving O Lord be accepted of since it even proceeds from thee that by thy goodness which is thy self thou wilt suffer some Beam of thy Majesty so to shine in my mind that I who in my greatest Affliction acknowledge it my Noblest Title to be thy Creature may still depend confidently on thee let Calamity be the Exercise but not the overthrow of my Vertue O let not their prevailing Power be to my Destruction and if it be thy Will that they more and more vex me with Punishment yet O Lord never let their wickedness have such a hand but that I may still carry a pure mind and stedfast Resolution ever to serve thee without fear or Presumption yet with that humble confidence which may best please thee so that at last I may come to thy Eternal Kingdom through the Merits of thy Son our alone Saviour Iesus Christ. Amen the sweetness of their Revenge let them if so it seem good unto thee vex me with more and more Punishment but O Lord let never their Wickedness have such a hand but that I may carry a pure mind in a pure Body and pausing a while O most gracious Lord said she whatever becomes of me preserve the vertuous Mu idorus Having now given an Account of the design of Publishing this special Book and also what it is composed of I shall now produce divers Reasons enough I think to convince any rational Man that will not be willfully blind And first I shall give you the Noble Earl of Anglesey's Memorandum perfixt before the Book reputed to be King Charles I's called Icon Basilice and found by Edward Millington who sold the said Earl's Library all Written with the Earl's own Hand in these Words King Charles the Second and Duke of York did both in the last Session of Parliament 1675. when I shew'd Them in the Lord's House the Written Copy of this Book wherein are some Corrections and Alterations written with the late King Charles I's own Hand Assure me That this was none of the said King 's Compiling but made by Dr. Gauden Bishop of Exeter which I here incert for the undeceiving others in this Point by attesting so much under my Hand ANGLESEY This Noble Earl's Advertisement or Memorandum must have the greater Weight for that he concealed it for ought I can hear from the Publick which doubtless he would not have done if he had had any design to carry it on by making it Publick This Memorandum being true the World has the Words of two Kings that Bishop Gauden and not King Charles Composed this lying Book For further proof that Dr. Gauden writ this Book take a Summary Account of some Papers relating Eicon Basilice now or lately in the Hands of Mr. North Merchant living on Tower Hill London whereby it appears that Dr. Gauden late Bishop of Exeter and afterwards of Worcester was the Author of that Book and not King Charles I. as the World hath for above Forty Years been imposed upon to believe Mr. North is a worthy Person and a Member of the Church of England he and Mr. Charles Gauden the Bishop's Son married two Sisters and Mr. Gauden dying about Ten Years since all his Papers were left with his Widow and Mr. North having occasion to look them over for some relating to his Sister-in-laws affairs found these relating to the Eicon Basilice carefully tied up together Mr. North by reason of his Marriage had many years acquaintance with Bishop Gauden's Family and knows that the Bishop's Widow at first gave them to her Darling Son John Gauden and upon his Death they came to Mr. Charles Gauden And further that in his many years knowledge of that Family it hath constantly and without any manner of doubt been declared that the Bishop was the Author of the Book There are several Letters and Papers I shall briefly give the Contents of them for the truth of which I shall refer to the Original Papers and to those many reverend and worthy Persons who have Read or been at the Reading of them Bishop Gauden at the time of King Charles the Second's Restauration was incumbent of Bocking in Essex and from that fat Parsonage was promoted to the Lean Bishoprick of Exeter which he complain'd was not sufficient to keep up the Port of a Bishop and thought that by his Merits he might lay claim to a better and the Death of Dr. Duppa Bishop of Winchester being daily expected he apply'd himself to the King with great Importunity to be translated thither pleading his Desert which as is evident from the Papers I mention could be no other than that of having written a Book which did such great Service to the Royal Family that King Charles the 2d
prosecute his Petition in that Parliament he could neither Go See nor Hear This Dismal Story will be an Eternal Blot not only on Laud who was the chief Instrument in that sad Oppression but also upon the pretended Martyr King Charles for permitting such Barbarous and inhumane Cruelties to be exercised on his Subjects I shall shew you something more of this Bloody Villains Barbarity viz. That upon the first of February 1632. Laud procured Mr. Prin to be sent close Prisoner to the Tower there he lay till the 21st of June 1633. when an Information without mentioning any particular Passages in his Book was exhibited against him in the Star Chamber Court for Publishing a Book concerning Interludes intitled Histriomastix which was Licensed by a Chaplain of Dr. Abbatts Archbishop of Canterbury Upon the 17th of February 1633. notwithstanding his Book was Licensed yet he had this heavy Sentence passed upon him viz. To be Imprisoned for Life pay Five Thousand Pounds Fine be Expelled Lincolns-Inn Disabled to Exercise the Profession of a Barrister Degraded by the University of Oxford of his Degrees there taken and that done to be set in the Pillory at Westminster and have one of his Ears there cut off and at another time to be set in the Pillory in Cheap-side and there to have his other Ear cut off Though many of the Lords never dreamt of the Execution of this Horrid Judgment nay though Queen Henrietta Maria which deserves an Honourable Mention and she shall have it for She was the present King 's Royal Grandmother earnestly interceded with the Biggotted Cruel and Merciless King who was an abominable T to remit its Execution yet on the 7th and 10th of May it was fully Executed with great Rigour and Mr. Prin remain'd Sundry Years in the Tower upon this censure Mr. Burton and Dr. Bastwrick were also without the least just cause violently prosecuted after the same manner it will be too tedious to relate theirs and others unchristian uses when Tyranny and Arbitrary Power were Rampant 23. That against the Law of Nature against the Rules of Iustice falsely charged those Innocent Men the Noble Lord Mandeville Mr. Hollis Mr. Strode and others with Treason for which in the Face of the Highest Iudicature in the Kingdom they were most unjustly Imprisoned the King denying them the Names of their Accusers and which was an Act of Tyranny beyond Parrallel He accused them and yet would produce no Witness he confessed them clear in his own Iudgment yet they must not profess their own Innocency for fear of wounding his Honour 24. That was not satisfied with Imprisoning and Oppressing some of the Parliament Men but tempted and incouraged his English Army with no less than the Spoil of the City of London to come up and destroy the Parliament He in an Hostile and inexcusable manner made a most high Invasion upon the Priviledges of both Houses Hereupon many Citizens unarm'd resorted to Westminster to present their Petitions and express their stedfastness to the Parliament whose Lives and Safety by more than slight Rumours they doubted to be in Danger the King having fortified White-Hall and entertained Armed Men not a few planted them at the Gate of his Palace 'T is remarkable the first Blood that was drawn in this Cause was in that very place where the King 's own Blood was afterwards shed 1 K. 21. 19. where they Reviled Menaced and with drawn Swords actually Wounded many of the Citizens as they passed by in a peaceable manner whereof some dyed Nay they went farther and were come to that height of Boldness as to give out Insolent and Menacing Speeches against the Parliament it self and to imbrue their hands in the Blood of the King's Subjects in Westminster-Hall and at the Doors of the Parliament as well as at his own Gate And when the Parliament and People complain'd and demanded Justice for those Assaults the King justified and abetted his own Crew in what they did Nor can the passing by of a multitude of the King's Subjects armed with no other Weapons then Petitions be justly call'd Tumults neither could the Parliament have forbid them without the Breach of the Peoples Freedom Unarmed Petitioners surely could not le formidable to any and it must not be forgotten that a very short time before His Majesty pretended to dread these Tumultuary Citizens the City Entertained Feasted and Conducted him to White-Hall with as pompous Sollemnity and costly Expressions of Love and Duty as ever had been known Nay after he had highly exasperated the People by his Irruption with the House of Commons he went in his Coach unguarded into the City He received not the lest Affront much less Violence in any of the Streets but rather humble Demeanours and Supplications He knew the People so full of Awe and Reverence to his Person as to commit himself single amongst the thickest of them at a time when had mostâ— provoked them This shews beyond doubt That all his fear of Tumults was but a meer pretence and occasions taken for his resolved Absence from the Parliament that he might turn his slashing at the Court Gate to slaughtering in the Field In order thereunto the King retires first to Hampton Court commanding his Servants who were then Members of Parliament to leave their service there and to give their Attendance upon his Person Soon after his Popish Queen passes into Holland carrying with her all or the the greatest part of the Crown Jewels which she immediately Pawn'd and with the Money bought Arms and Ammunition for the War which was not yet begun Upon the 1st of March 1641. Both Houses called upon His Majesty by their Petition presented at Theobalds That for the Dispatch of the great Affairs of the Kingdoâ— the safety of his Person the Protection and Comfort of his Subjects he would be pleased to continue his abode near the Parliament and not to with-draw himself to any of the remoter Parts which if he should do must needs be a cause of great danger and distraction and they pray'd him to accept this humble Counsel as the Effect of that Duty and Allegiance which they ow'd unto him and which would not suffer them to admit of any thoughts intentions or endeavours but such as were necessary and advantagious for His Majesties Greatness and Honour and the Safety and Prosperity of the Kingdom These are Expressions surely that did not in the least favour of that Sedition and Rebellion with which our wicked Clergymen charge the Memory of this Great and Noble Parliament The King willingly giving himself up to the Conduct of Evil Counsellors was deaf to the importunate supplication of the Lords and Commons for his Return they therefore called again upon him more earnestly and sent after him a Declaration to New-Market by the Earls of Pembrook and Holland and a Committee of the Commons wherein they laid before him the Causes of their own Fears and Jealousies in these particulars 1.