they know that the crime objected is indeed no crime by the Law of the Land They who give commission under the pretended Seal of England for trying such offenders by nominated Commission ers yet know that very Commission to be illegal and unwarrantable and yet intended as an Engine to remove some out of the way that are before marked for destruction they lastly who prosecute the Prisoners at the Barre of such a Court The Judge also who sits in Judgement upon and pronounceth sentence against them though both Judge Attorney and Sollicitor know the Prisoners not to deserve so much as bonds by the known fundamental Laws of the Land and the Power by which they pretend to Act to be usurped and illegal nay contrary to Law which they in formality are sworn to maintain and execute Justice accordingly all these doubtlesly are a pack of Conspirators against the Innocent bloud which is thus shed by them and most cruel unpardonable murtherers this for less publick butcheries committed upon the score of pretended High Courts of Justice 59. Two private cases remains yet as namely that of Lucas and Lisle and the other of Penruddok and Grove The former were shot to death in cool bloud by sentence of a Court Mattial the latter condemned by that great Prevaricator Glyn who caused them to be indicted for taking up Arms against Cromwell upon that Law which makes it Treason to levy War against the King no Law being then hatched to secure that Usurper and although the Prisoners pleading to the endictment defended themselves unanswerably and made it appear by that very Law that Oliver was the Traytor in making War upon them who proclaimed and fought for that King whom he opposed yet this most unrighteous Judge made the Law violently to speak against it self by his interpretation and so condemned the most innocent Prisoners whom afterwards with others upon the same score he caused to be executed for which if ever Judge in England deserved exemplary death certainly he fell as much if not more 60. Thus most honourable Lords and Gentlemen having spoken concerning the persons who they are give me leave to adde some considerations which speak them uncapable of Indemnity unless we intend such vengeance to follow their Pardon which God if it be his will prevent and by the way I shall obviate what objections may be brought against this impartial Justice or arguments to the contrary 61. Consider I beseech you First the crimes and the men whether or no they be fit objects of Mercy Pardon and Indemnity Secondly if they be whether it is convenient and expedient to let them find so great a measure of it and taste it so largely and I doubt not but upon enquiry your wisdoms will with me conclude in the negative notwithstanding what ever may be indiscreetly argued in favour of them 62. In order then to proceed First presents it self their Fact and next their manner of acting Lastly their behaviour after it in all which it is too manifest that as they are beyond and above Pardon so they are below pity 63. Their crime my Lords and Gentlemen is Murther of it self unpardonable but in them aggravated by Perjury Malice inhumane Cruelty justifying thereof under pretence of Religion and the better to secure themselves from Justice they spared no manner of Villany which a dextrous pernicious wit could prompt or a seared conscience commit Their murther hath this astonishing addition or rather Complement of guilt in that its object was their King to whom they were most sacredly and religiously obliged by reiterated Oaths not only impoled but by themselves voluntarily made and solemnly entred into this is the crime of many nay most of them besides other private murthers which on their part have the aggravations of malice and inhumane cruelty on the sufferers that they were persons of Piety Esteem Honour and Faithfulness to their King and Countrey of whom several excelled in true worth all their Martherers together 64. My Lords and Gentlemen if to murther a private man of no esteem little worth perhaps vicious debauched and a burthen to those with whom he lives deserve death unpardonably and our Law justly condemns and executes in such a case the murtherers though perhaps many and otherwise each far surpassing the party slain shall our King worth ten thousand Subjects our eminent Lords Gentry our godly Divines and Citizens be murthered by the worst of the Nation for real worth and among so many murtherers so few be pick'd out of whom many fled to be made examples when they can be catcht when the whole number if taken amounts not to the fourth part of those who by them have been formally butchered besides the numberless multitude of those who have been otherwise slain starved ruined and destroyed by means of that first Heaven-daring butchery Shall Henry Martin that infamous Lecher who having among Strumpets consumed his Patrimony hath long lain in Gaole to the defrauding his Creditors be accounted when he is taken a competent Sacrifice in lieu of his Sacred Majesty Lord Capel Hamilton and Holland so Cornelius Holland the Linke-boy who hath nothing of Estate but what is the price of bloud and reward of his villanies be given up to Justice when he is catcht also in revenge of Hewits Slingsby's Yeomans and Butchers bloud Thomas Scot that Saint who besides his other villanies most ungraciously paid his wife Grace in the same coin which he in exchange of greater pieces received from his girls at a vaulting School but peppered her so the wrong way that she stank the sooner and lies buried in Westminster be made exemplary when he likewise comes to hand in lieu of Mr. Love Gibbons Bushel Col. Gerard and Vowel and so the rest Or must all these be made the price of Royal bloud only Certainly Gentlemen this will be to value his sacred Person less than the Scots did who sold him in life for two hundred thousand pounds not because they esteem'd him worth no more but because that was all they could get for him Had his murtherers been twise as many his worth and value was so inestimable that all had made too mean a sacrifice for his bloud 65. That murther of his Sacred Majesty brought upon them all the bloud which had been shed in England and was the cause of all the rest which was shed in Ireland and Scotland The King in wisdom foresaw the end of the War levied against him and therefore defended himself So many of the Parliament as were sincere abhorred as by their declarations appeared those very thoughts for which end they framed a vow and protestation and after joyned with the Scots in their League and Covenant not suspecting this Viper hidden under the green hearbs raised therefore as Commissionated all their forces for the Kings defence whereas his murther at last verified the Prediction of his Majesty gave the lye to all the Parliaments pretences and made it appear that this
This miraculous language of Gods actions speaking as his power and wisdom so his great love to us gives me hopes and in a manner assurance that you by whom these unlikely changes were brought about so much to Gods glory and the Kingdomes hope of happiness will not look upon with scorne or reject with contempt any humble advice which is sincerely offered and tendred to your honours wisdom and most judicious consideration by one who most cordially and unfeignedly honours you as well for your actions as worth however inconsiderable or unworthy to suggest any thing by way of Counsell he may justly appear unto you 9. God who hath made choice of your Honours out of so great a Kingdom wherein are found so many and eminent men able both for parts and piety to appoint you the messengers of such happy tidings or Angells of peace unto these Nations having laid aside before so many and often both persons of remarke and who zealously endeavoured the effecting had God seen it good of what is now prosperously brought to pass in your hand whereby in his providence he spake plainly that neither was that the season nor those the persons by whom he intended deliverance to this his people therefore they either failed or were unsuccessfully ruined in their pious undertakings The same thing God then saw good to deny them he hath made easy to you levelling as it were mountaines before you so that you worthy Patriots are become our Zorobabels to redeem and restore our captivity to repair our breaches to settle again upon its true and antient Basis these three great however sadly broken Kingdomes 10. Remember I beseech you that God who both names and appoints honours and makes prosperous his Instruments who called his anoynted Cyrus and made gates of brass fly open before him and who knowes but perhaps the same God who hath raysed you beyond what either you could expect or find meanes of your selves to compass who hath made you serviceable to both King and Country so far as to deserve all the honour possible for this age to invent thereby to celebrate your name and worth to posterity hath likewise by his providence stirred me up to speak a word to your wisdomes in season my disposition and propensity being I dare assure your honours to have kept private and assisted you to my power only with my most sincere wellwishes and prayers to God put up in your behalf 11. Howbeit considering the season I am in a manner compelled to come forth as I do thus publickly to offer my most serious thoughts and reflections of spirit upon the late miraculous transactions wrought by the divine providence among us to your most grave and judicious thoughts with humble submission to your most discreet censure 12. A season wherein Gods mercies are plentifully poured out upon us notwithstanding our great unworthiness wherein he is most signally propitious affording opportunity to make up all our breaches to repair what hath been thrown down and defaced happy therefore may he be accounted who shall any way assist towards a firm lasting establishment and well grounded settlement 13. A season wherein many broken bones need binding up many dislocated joynts setling in place many ulcers searching and cleansing and trust me most honourable Lords and worthy Gentlemen many rotten pieces of flâ—sh cutting off many desperate humours lancing much dead and proud flesh to be taken away by corrosives if ever a sound cure be expected or hoped for in this body politick 14. What your proceedings have been in order hereunto we have seen and have all cause both to bless God and honour you for so much as already we have found effected what your further intentions are severall of your late votes gives us both grounds to guess and hope Give leave therefore right honourable and most deserving Patriots to tender modestly to your mature deliberation some observations which I have made comparing your determinations and resolves with the apparent occurrences and to my apprehension very plain language and lowd expressions of these late Divine providences 15. God whose judgments are unfathomable and wayes unsearchable saw good to bring upon there Nations for many yeares past such flouds of calamities as were scarce known or heard of before in this or any neighbouring Nation extant Histories as well as humane memory being at a non-plus to produce the like instances 16. Nor were these our miseries more deplorable our perplexities grievous and insufferable than the wayes and meanes whereby we became involved in them abominable horrible ex ecrable detestable and damnable 17. The Quintessence of Rebellion and Treachery was aggravated by most palpable amazing perjury falshood and deceitfull dealing was exercised on all occasions toward all relations by our inslaving taskmasters whose breach of oaths and renouncing their Loyall Allegiance to the King served but for a Prologue to a large following Tragedy wherein O! the perfidious practises acted by them against the Parliament which they at pleasure dismembred cashiering one house and garbled secluding out of the other house all such who scorned or hated to be like themselves and having thus transformed two houses of Englands Parliament into a Mock junto called afterwards in derision the Rump which was the by-word at last of every idle Ballad-maker even this creature of their own was by them made a Mock Pageant used for a stalking horse sometimes otherwhiles thrown aside at pleasure notwi hstanding many most facred vowes to the contrary not more solemnely made than broken and almost as soon One while they set up an Usurping Protector who would not be so dallied withall however his Sonne to whom they were likewise bound by voluntary protestations engagements and addresses quickly had experience of their Inconstancy and Treacherous perjury In a word England hath been ever since her rebellion against and Apostacy from lawfull Authority all along made a Scene of most gross perjury and shamefull Trechery 18. Nor was this all but as if Satan had taken possession of the Nation and held it as his own private murthers which were frequent and merciless were swallowed up in that abomination of desolation the Murther of his Sacred Royall Majesty Athiesticall profaness sacriledg and seditious heresy went hand in hand with the almost extirpation of all our fundamentall Lawes So that civill liberty and true Christianity were in hazard almost quite lost together insteed of which were brought in Arbitrary tyranny and ruling by will and lust in the state scandalous in piety irreligious Sects and blasphemous heresyes in the Church these with an Impudent brow defied I may say heaven it self In a word if superlative villany in practise exemplary malice in contrivance or resolute impenitency in perseverance if hellish designes implacable resolutions and incorrigible obstinacy may be an aggravation of their crimes who in these yeares past of the Kingdomes calamities have been publick offendors and caused promoted or helpt to perpetuate them had they been
ungodliness hath ensnared us and a restoration made because we can no longer hinder it nineteen of twenty shall have peremptory pardon the rest law fly if they can but if unavoidable they be catcht they shall have fair tryall themselves who never allowed others any come my Masters find but you consciences and here are all the incouragements to monstrous villany that are possible 73. My Lords and Gentlemen as to the heynousness of this fact I humbly intreat you to consider it is that which you would have your Kings by agreement disabled to pardon and justly because God is positive therein whoever shedds mans bloud by man shall his bloud be shed Will you restrain your King yet your selves do it shall not a private man be murther'd but his bloud requir'd and shall your King If so woe to thee England What will be thy doom London Would God you had the Art to confine divine Judgments within your own walls if needs you will pluck them down with such Cartâ—ropes 74. You are my Lords and Gentlemen every one of you put in a publick capacity do not I humbly entreat you offer your selves now as bayle to Gods Justice for such impardonable offenders The doom of Ahab is not to be neglected Because thou hast let go a man whom I appointed to destruction thy life shall go for his A discreet man would hardly ingage life for life for an infamous thief or high-way man Better be bayle for ten such than for one of these high Court of Justice men those especially who are guilty of Royall bloud where God himself keeps the recognisance strickly and will not fail to require it severely 75. Your wisdoms are I doubt not advised that forfeiture of estate if it could be totall is no adequate satisfaction nor competent recompense either to the Law or Gods Justice where both life and state are due and confiscate the one legally given to the King for his loss of a Subject the other indispensably due to that vengeance which will take no triffe in recompence but only life for life and bloud for bloud 76. To conclude this head concerning the nature of their offence it is to be minded universally that punishment is a glass in which we contemplate and discover either the true nature of the crime or the unanswerable sense of the judg perhaps the joy of restoration hath obliterated the remembrance of our deliverance nor will suffer us to reflect upon our former slavery and misery with their causes if so God who when he was leading his people unto Canaan reminded them of the house of Bondage with thunder lightning and Earthquakes may also rub up our memories both with a witness and vengeance 77. From the crime I beseech your wisdomes to cast your eye upon the persons and see how well they appear deserving mercy How have they heapt villanies one upon another as the Giants in their Warre against Heaven heapt Pelion upon Ossa or as waves in a storm follow one upon the neck of another Believe it Gentlemen they are not men of David's spirit whose heart smote him for cutting off Sauls skirt but when it was motioned to go over to him and slay him sleeping he rejected the offer with detestation from Monstrous impieties they came to that amazing Butchery committed on the King not after found they any stroke at heart but only of grief that they had not all the Royall branches in their power to chop down in one day 78. Prodigious Malefactors they are who took their first rise of Monstrous villany at the rending up the two howses of Parliament by the Root not considering the first pretended ground of the Warre was because the King demanded to tryall secured not nor secluded five Commoners and one Peer no bones at last were made of either protestations or pretences nothing accounted by them sordid they pretended a fear and fled to the Army from petitioning unarmed apprentises spirits oft before by themselves conjured up and laid again without dread while they came and requested bloud warre and confusion but now they are dreadfull when they petition for settlement a thing hatefull to those who had been and expected to be such gainers by trouble and distraction 'T was that in Church and state they aimed at in such waters they longed to fish and rather then Cromwell Heslerigge Vane Lenthall Scot c. would lose their longing they resolved with their father Pluto as he is brought in thus speaking by Claudian Patefacta ciebo Tartara Saturni veteres laxabo catenas Obducam tenebris lucem compage solutâ Fulgidus umbroso mâ—scebitur axis averno 79. My Lords and Gentlemen consider what a coal you are scraping to give your names to posterity an indelible smut or mark and what unfeigned repentance is requisite from you as soon as this act is concluded in reference to the warres past If it be most certain Bonus Civis initia belli Civilis invitus susscipit extrema non libentèr persequitur there is need of all the heart-breaking possible on their side who rose in Arms hazarded so many lives spent so much treasure and blood to restrain his Majesty of Sacred Memory from vexing the people with those Flea bites in comparison of the devouring extortions which these villains afterwards oppressed yea almost destroyed them with To prohibit his infringing the Parliamentary priviledges impeaching five Members while these impeach eleven at once and compell them beyond Sea without prosecution or Tryall after secure above forty force away two hundred discard the House of Peers cashiere their priviledges murther the King root up the Law set up Arbitrary Taxes impositions Excises c. Commission monstrous unheard of Courts and in them hunt to death as many and for what they please where no Law of the Land speakes them so much as Criminall yet for all these Treasons and murthers scarce ten of the most infamous Commoners in England are thought fit to die when for the life of one man Parsons by Name Lievetenant Collonel to the Drayman Pride and of as obscure originall as his Collonel slain by accident on the High way not a man concerned in that Robbery escaped the Gallows and when for one House-Robbery it is frequent to hang nine or ten sometimes sixteen or twenty yet all of them infinitely short of these Villains in crimes 80. How for future dare a Judge sit on the Benth and condemn a poor petty Thief a Coyner of money one in a passion guilty of stabbing or a poor Wenth for a Child thrown into a Jakes which none knows if or no it were born alive nay any murther when such unparallel'd Theeves Traytors beyond president Murtherers to amazement and ashonishment are either judged not fit to die or at least not convenient his Majesty should loose so many Subjects 81. Blesse us good God! Subjects of which no King need beproud or desirous A way to make a happy Prince when he shall scarce go
any where but considering their number he may meet with one or other of them and point at them There goes one who murther'd my Royall Father banished me alienated my revenues reduced to extream straits my Mother and Brothers with all my true friends and Relations butchered my Subjects and illegally extorted from them a thousand times moâ—e thâ—n they would suffer their Leige and King to levy though with advice of his Judges but made warre upon him and took his life upon this pretence These good Subjects are left me through the piety and wisdome of my two Houses of Parliament as sutable objects of my Royall Mercy and Pardon 82. Divinely Gracious Prince these are not objects of Mercy God will not have it so having expressed his will in hardning their hearts to the last When God hardned the Egyptians so as to follow the Israelites into the very bowels of the deep Sea his providence spake plainly that his intention was to drown them Prudent Generalls use to give no quarter to resolute Gatrisons which refusing all offers of mercy stand out to the last against whom neverthelesse they have no quarrel but open Hostility and plain interest of warr How much less are these Villaines who had forfeited their lives unpardonably for any one of their inferiour murthers to expect pardon after so great guilt so long continued in impenitently and perservered unto the very last 83. Who can imagine that they repent any thing but the putting a period thus to their Usurpation and Tyranny who had heard Hasterigge threatning to fight all over again protesting he had rather been buryed in his grave than seen the secluded Members restored that had observed the Rumpers abjuring his Sacred Majesty and whole Royall stock with all Kingly power sending the Generall into the City to pluck up their Posts take away their Chains Demolish their Gates imprison their Members with a further charge as is reported to break down their Wall Hang up their Aldermen c. That had seen Hewson a little before marching into the City and with armed men killing poore unarmed Apprentices barely for assaying to deliver a Petition to their Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen to consider their distresses and indeavour a remedy That had observed the stickling Rulers of the Rost upon the last sitting of the Mock Iunto to frame a Petition and labour others colourably to deliver it to their pious consideration to have the Oath of Abjuration imposed upon all Ministers Schoolmasters and those in places of trust upon penalty of being ejected in case of refusall That had observed John Lenthal busie in London to disswade from the thoughts of receiving his Sacred Majesty reviling him calling him Bastard Sonn of a Tyrant Jesuited Papist with other horrble amazing reproaches If these be the signes of penitent traitors murderers in Gods name let them be pardoned at once let all villains past and to come be with one Act of Grace forgiven in England for ever 84. What hopes of their amendment who have outvyedGunpowder-Traitors and Jesuites most dangerous tenents they have out-acted and defended who can expect any good nature yet to lodge in those breasts who have proved themselves Monsters in Nature desperately seared Consciences to whom Rebellion and treason is become habituall Hypocrites in grain who crave a Blessing commonly before their murthers Fast and pray to seek Gods assistance on them and give solemn thanks after them No expectation of good from such who have turn'd the most abhominable impieties into a set Form of Religion and have us'd of late years no other service of God than this 85. It 's some good sign when men are asham'd of a bad action study to conceal it and excuse it but to declare wickedness openly argues one past all grace A whore that ownes her self one and is proud to be accounted so gives small hopes of amendment but she who pleads for it as a lawfull trade may be given over as desperate 86. Besides the guilt of not only blood but frequent horrible amazing Murtherers compleated with King-killing and perjury hath an irresistable power of hardning their hearts who are guilty and if these be spared God may in Judgement suffer their principles to be penally insnaring it is a fatall courtesie which brings a certain curse on a mans self and intailes it to his posterity 87. Consider Gentlemen how they dealt with others as Souldiers with all the Irâ—sh in our English Warrs who were constantly excluded the benefit of eitster quarter or Articles of surrender in detestation of the bloody tradegy acted by them on the Protestants in Tredigh Wexford and other places in Ireland Kallendar-House in Scotland c. can witnesse for them that having to do with Christians they made no scruple of putting thousands to the Sword who would not surrender up Caftles and Garrisons to their imperious demand And as Judges it is well known that none of the Irish were suffered to scape with life who could be convicted of the Murther of an English Protestant Can any Law be more just than their own Our King Nobles Knights Gentry Divines and Citizens were of no lesse esteem than those murdered Protestants in Ireland the first valuable with ten thousand Nor were the Murtherers less barbarous then the Irish Rebells 88. But above all consider their imperious pride peremtory saucinefs and monstrous cruelty in the tryall sentencing and condemning the King breaking his Seal Royall and making another to render the murder fesible under a colour of Mock Justice refusing his demurrs not admitting him to speak for himfelf unlesse he would own them a Court of Judicature having power over him and take a Tryall from them so to betray England liberties at once their appointing the place at his own Gate to go out of the Window of his former Princely pleasure and Royal Magnificence unto the Stage of his finall bloody Tradgedy where pullies were prepared with Ropes perforce to compell him to bow his Royall Head and lay his neck on the block had he refused to submit willingly the ghastly Executioners with ugly Visors representing truly what they were indeed within who durst act such a deed The flourishing of Weapons in triumph upon giving that Execrable blow cutting and wounding any whose eyes betrayd a relenting heart at so damnable a sight yea decapitating his harmlesse Statue upon the Royall Exchange with an Exit Tyrannus writ over his place of standing in design to murther his Name and Memory as well as his Body What stony heart can think of this and not melt yet shall Waller not only one of his fatal Judges but the detestable contriver of that place and time of his death which added cruelty to the height of his other Villany only be plundred of that part of his estate which he hath not already made away or cannot conceal Okey another of that cursed Committee shall he find the like favour I hope not 89. Had any pity or