own Cause rescue the Light of thy Truth from all those Clouds of Errors and Heresies which do so much obscure it and let the Light thereof in a free Proffession break forth and shine again among us and that continually even as long as the Sun and Moon endures To this end O Lord bless us all and bless him the Posterity which in Authority ought to rule over and be above us Bless him in his Soul and in his Body in his Friends and in his Servants and all his Relations Guide him by thy Council prosper him in all Undertakings granting him a long prosperous and honourable Life here upon Earth and that he may attain to a Blessed Life hereafter And gracious God look mercifully upon all our Relations and do thou bring them to the Light of thy Truth that are wandering and ready to fall Confirm them in thy Truth that already stand show some good Token for good unto them that they may rejoyce O let thy good Hand of Providence be over them in all their Ways And to all Orders and Degrees of Men that be amongst us give Religious Hearts to them that now rule in Authority over us Loyal Hearts in the Subjects towards their Supream and loving Hearts in all Men to their Friends and charitable Hearts one towards another And for the Continuance of thy Gospel among us restore in thy good Time to their several Places and Callings and give Grace O Heavenly Father to all Bishops Pastors and Curates that they may both by their Life and Doctrine set forth thy true and lively Word and rightly and duly administer thy Holy Sacraments And Lord bless thy Church still with Pastors after thine own Heart with a continual Succession of faithful and able Men that they may both by Life and Doctrine declare thy Truth and never for fear or favour backslide or depart from the same and give them the Assistance of thy Spirit that may enable them so to preach thy Word that may keep the People upright in the midst of a corrupted and corrupt Generation And good Lord bless thy People every where with hearing Ears understanding Hearts conscientious Souls and obedient Lives especially those over whom I have had either lately or formerly a charge that with meek Heart and due reverence they may hear and receive thy Holy Word truly serving thee in Righteousness and Holiness all the Days of their Lives And we beseech the of thy Goodness and Mercy to comfort and succour all those that in this transitory Life be in Trouble Sorrow Need Sickness or any other Adversity Lord help the Helpless and comfort the Comfortless vifit the Sick relieve the Oppressed help them to right that suffer wrong set them at Liberty that are in Prison restore the Banished and of thy great Mercy and in thy good Time deliver all thy People out of their Necessities Lord do thou of thy great Mercy fit us all for our latter end for the Hour of Death and the Day of Judgment and do thou in the Hour of Death and at the Day of Judgment from thy Wrath and everlasting Damnation good Lord deliver us through the Cross and Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ In the mean Time O Lord teach us so to number our Days and me my Minutes that we may apply our Hearts to true Wisdom that we may be Wise unto Salvation that we may live soberly Godly and Righteously in this present World denying all Ungodliness and worldly Lusts Lords teach us so to live that we may not be afraid to dye and that we may so live that we may be always prepared to dye that when Death shall seize upon us it may not surprize us but that we may lift up our Heads with Joy knowing that our Redemption draws nigh and that we shall be for ever happy being assured that we shall come to the Felicity of the Chosen and rejoice with the Gladness of the People and give us such a fullness of thy Holy Spirit that may make us stedfast in this Faith and confirm us in this Hope indue us with Patience under thy afflicting Hand and withal a chearful Resolution of our selves to thy divine disposing that so passing the Pilgrimage of this World we may come to the Land of Promise the Heavenly Canaan that we may reign with thee in the World to come through Jesus Christ our Lord in whose blessed Name and Words we farther call upon thee saying Our Father c. Let thy mighty Hand and out-stretched Arm O Lord be the Defence of me and all other thy servants thy mercy and loving kindness in Jesus Christ our salvation thy true and holy word our instruction thy grace and holy Spirit our comfort and consolation to the end and in the end through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen His Speech and Prayer ended with much Meekness and spiritual Consolation He submitted his Neck to the stroak of the Ax to as great a Loss of the Church of Christ and of all good Men as hath happened in our Times I have the more enlarged my self that my Reader might not without a kind of a Consternation or Possession of strange Amazement pass by the Concernments of this blessed Heroe The same Day of Doctor Hewets Tryal was also tryed John Mordant of Clement Danes Esquire with whom he was a Fellow-Prisoner the Charge against him was for combining with Henry Bishop of Parham in Sussex Gent. Hartgil Baron and Francis Mansil with divers others for raising War against Oliver Lord Protector in the behalf of Charles Stuart and confering with J. Stapely Esq Henry Mallory and others how to effect the same and delivering Commissions to several Persons in the Name of and as from the said Charles Stuart c. He stood long upon it as did â—â—e Doctor before to have Council assigneâ— him and that he might be tryed by a Jury but finding it would not be granted he at last pleaded not Guilty many Witnesses deposited against him yet he by his Ingenuity so cleared himself that notwithstanding many Endeavours to the contrary he was discharged July the 17. following Colonel Ashton and John Betley were executed the one in Tower-street the other in Cheap-side Colonel Ashton was the first being drawn on a Sledge that Worthy Divine Doctor Warmestry submitting for the good of a poor Christians Soul to lie along with him upon the Sledge that he might lose no Time for his spiritual Converse They were drawn from Newgate to Tower-street over against Mark-lane end where a Gibbet was erected As he ascended the Ladder Doctor Warmestry said Almighty God who is a strong Tower be with thee and make thee know and feel that there is no other Name under Heaven whereby to attain everlasting Life but by the Name of Jesus The Blessing of God the Father the Son and Holy Ghost be with you henceforth and for ever Amen He being upon the Ladder exprest a great deal of Confidence he had in the
this Land look upon them O Lord withan Eye of Pity not with â—n Eye of Fury and Indignation O look not upon all those great and grievous Sins that have provoked thee most justly to Wrath and Displeasure against us Gracious God who can stand in thy Sight when thou art angry When thou with rebuke dost correct Man for Sin thou makest his Beauty to consume away like as it were a Moth fretting a Garment O Lord thy Indignation and Wrath lies heavy upon us and thou hast vexed us with thy Scourges thou hast made us a Reproach and a by Word amongst our Neighbours and the very Heathens laugh us to scorn O that thou wouldst turn us again O Lord God of Hosts that thou wouldst shew us the Light of thy Countenance that we may behold it that thou wouldst humble us for all those Sins and grievous Transgressions that are amongst us for those Atheisms for those Infidelities horrid Blasphemies and Prophaneness for those Sacriledges for those Heresies for those Schisms Errors and all those Blindnesses of Heart Pride vain Glory and Hypocrisie for that Envy Hatred and Malice and all Uncharitableness that hath set us one against another that we are so dashed one against another even to destroy each other Ephraim against Manasseh and Manasseh against Ephraim and both against Judah O Lord we are like those Moabites and Ammonites c. This thou hast done to us O Lord because we have rebelled against thee O how greatly and grievously have we sinned against thee yet for all this thou hast not requited us according to our ill deservings for thou mightest have brought us to Desolation and Destruction Fire might have come down from Heaven and destroyed us our Foreign Enemies and the Enemies of thee and thy Christ our Saviour might have swallowed us up What have we not deserved yet O the long Suffering and Patience and Goodness of our God! O Lord our God we pray thee that thy Patience and long Suffering might lead to Repentance that thou wouldst be pleased thou who delightest not in the Death of a Sinner but rather that he should turn from his Sins and live that thou wouldst turn us unto thee O Lord and we shall be turned draw us and we shall run after thee draw us with the Cords of Love and by the Bands of loving kindness by the powerful working of thy Holy Spirit in our Souls working Contrition in our Hearts and a Godly Sorrow for all our Sins even a Sorrow to Repentance and a Repentance to Salvation never to be repented of Lord break those stnoy Hearts of ours by the Hammer of thy Word mollify them by the Oil of thy Grace smite these rocky Hearts of ours by the Rod of thy most gracious Power that we may shed forth Rivers of Tears for all the Sins we have committed O that thou wouldst make us grieve because we cannot grieve and to weep because we cannot weep enough that thou wouldst humble us more and more in the true Sight and Sense of all our Provocation against thee and that thou wouldst be pleased in the Blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from all our Sins Lord let his Blood that speaks better Things than that of Abel cry louder in thine Ears for Mercy then all those Mischiefs and Wickednesses that have been done amongst us for Vengeance O besprinkle our polluted but Penitent Souls in the Blood of Jesus Christ that we may be clean in thy Sight and that the Light of thy Countenance may shine upon us Lord be pleased to Seal unto our Souls the free Pardon and Forgiveness of all our Sins say to each of our Souls and say that we may hear it that thou art well pleased with us and appeased towards us Lord do thou by the Spirit assure our Spirits that we are thy Children and that thou art reconciled to us in the Blood of Jesus Christ To this end O Lord create in us new Hearts and renew right Spirits within us Cast us not away from thy Presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from us but give us the Comfort of thy Help and establish us with thy free Spirit Help us to live as thy redeemed ones and Lord let us not any longer by our wicked Lives deny that most Holy Faith whereof our Lips have for so long Time made Profession but let us that call on the Name of the Lord Jesus depart from Iniquity and hate every evil Way Help us to cast away all our Transgressions whereby we have transgressed and make us new Hearts Carry us along through the Pilgrimage of this World supplying us with all Things needful for us thy Grace alone is sufficient for us Lord let thy Grace be assistant to us to strengthen us against all the Temptations of Satan especially against those Sins whereunto we are most prone either by Custom or Constitution or most easily provoked O Lord with what Affliction soever thou shalt punish us do not punish us with spiritual Judgments and Desertions Give us not over to our own Hearts Lusts to our vile lewd and corrupt Affections give us not over to Hardness and Impenitency of Heart but make us sensible of the least Sin and give us thy Grace to think no Sin little committed against thee our God but that we may be humbled for it and repent of it and reform it in our Dives and Conversations and Lord keep us from Presumptuous Sins O let not them get the Dominion over us but keep us Innocent from the great Offence O Lord our Strength and our Redeemer And Lord sanctify unto us all thy Methods and Proceedings with us fitting us for all further Tribulations and Tryals whatsoever thou in thy divine Pleasure shalt be pleased to impose upon us Lord give us Patience Constancy Resolution and Fortitude to undergo them that though we walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death we may fear none ill knowing that thou O Lord art mercifully with us and that with thy Rod as well as with thy Staff thou wilt support and comfort us and that nothing shall be able to seperate us from thy Love which is in Jesus Christ our Lord. And gracious God we beseech thee be thou pleased to look mercifully and compassionately on thy Holy Catholick Church and grant that all they that do confess thy Holy Name may agree together in the Truth of thy Holy Word and live in Unity and godly Love Thou hast promised O Lord the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against thy Church perform we beseech thee thy most gracious promises both to thy whole Church and to that Part of it which thou hast planted and now afflicted in these sinful Lands and Nations wherein we live arise O Lord and have Mercy upon our Sion for it is time that thou have Mercy upon her yea the Time is come for thy Servants think upon her Stones and it pittieth them to see her in the Dust Lord maintain thine
Country ruin'd be Without the guilt of either Rock or Sea What they would spare our fiercer Art destroys Excelling storms in terror and in noise Once love from Hyda did both Hosts survey And when he pleas'd to thunder part the Fray Here Heaven in vain that kind retreat should sound The louder Cannon had the Thunder drown'd Some we made Prize while others burnt and rent With their rich Lading to the bottom went Down sinks at once so fortunate with us sports The Pay of Armies and the Pride of Courts Vain Man whose rage buries as low that store As Avarice had digg'd for it before What Earth in her dark Bowels could not keep From greedy hands lles safer in the deep Where Thetis kindly doth from Mortals hide Those seeds of Luxury Debate and Pride And now into her lap the richest Prize Fell with the noblest of our Enemies The Marquess glad to see the Fire destroy Wealth that prevailing Fees were to enjoy Out from his flaming Ship his Children sent To perish in a milder Element Then laid him by his burning Ladies side And since he could not save her with her dy'd Spices and Gums about them melting fry And Phenix-like in that rich nest they die Death bitter is for what we leave behind But taking with us all we love is kind What could he more then hold for term of Life His Indian Treasure and his more priz'd Wife Alive in Flames of equal love they burn'd And now together are to Ashes turn'd Ashes more worth then all their Funerals cost Then the huge Treasure which was with them lost These dying Lovers and their floating Sons Suspend the Fight and silence all our Guns Beauty and Youth about to perish finds Such noble pity in brave English minds That the rich Spoil neglecting and the Prize All labour now to save their Enemies How frail our passion's how soon changed are Our wrath and Fury to a friendly care They that but know to gain the Spanish Plate Made the Sea blush with Blood forget their hate And their young Foes while sinking they retrive With greater danger then they fought they dive With these returns Victorious Mountague With Lawrel in his Hands and half Perue Let the brave General divide that Bough Our great Protector hath such Wreaths enough His conquering head hath no more room for bays Then let it be as the whole Nation prays Let the rich Oar forthwith be melted down And the State fixt by making him a Crown With Ermins clad and Purple let him hold A Royal Scepter made of Spanish Gold About this time the blasphemies of many Sectaries in England were horrible particularly of one James Nailor who under a seeming Sanctity and pretended illuminations vented most horrible blasphemies for which he was cast into Excester Goal yet had this wretched Impostor so bewitched his followers to the committing of strange absurdities that they ascribed to him Divine Honours and gave him in Scripture phrase the same titles which are applicable to none but Christ himself In a Letter of one Richard Fairman to him are these horrid expressions I am fil'd with joy and rejoycing when I behold thee in the eternal Unity O my Soul is melting within me when I behold thy Beauty and Innocency dear and precious Son of Zion whose Mother is a Virgin and whose Birth is immortal One of his she Converts writes of him thus All the Wise Men shall seek for him and when they have found him they shall open their Ears and shall give unto him of their Gold Frankincense and Myrrh The same Woman in another Letter to him proceeds thus O thou fairest of ten thousand thou only begotten Son of God how my Heart panteth after thee O stay me with Flaggons and comfort me with Wine my well-beloved thou art like a Roe or young Hart upon the Mountains of Spices Then by way of Postscript her Husband Thomas Stranger adds this Thy Name is no more to be called James but Jesus Also a Maid named Dorcas Erbury being examined declared James Nailor to be the holy one of Israel the only Son of God and that she pulled off his Stockings and put her Cloaths under his Feet because he is the Holy Lord of Israel and that she knew no other Saviour but him affirming moreover that the Spirit of the Lord within her commanded her to call him Lord and Master and to serve him That in Excester Goal he had raised her from the Dead after she had been dead two Days and that he should sit at the Right Hand of the Father and judge the World Having seduced these silly Souls into such damnable opinions and gotten releasment out of Excester Goal he began immedintely to play his Pranks at divers Places in the West particularly at Wells and Glastenbury thorow which Towns he rode on Horseback a Man going bare before him some walking a foot on each side of his Stirrup and others strewing their Garments in the Way from thence he took his Journey towards Bristol and coming to a Village called Bedminster about a Mile from Bristol rid through it in the same presumptuous blasphemous manner as he did before at Wells and Glastenbury There accompanied him two Men with each a Woman behind on Horseback which alighted when they came to the Suburbs of Bristol and footed it along on each side of Nailor's Horse the Man still bare-headed leading the Horse and all the Way they went they sung Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Israel and then the Women led the Horse with the Reins in their Hands up to the high Cross of Bristol and from thence to the Whitehart-Inn in Broad-street by this time the Magistrates hearing of their doings sent for Nailor and his Companions who came singing all the Way Hosanna and Holy Holy Holy c. The Magistrates of Bristol having examined him sent him up to the Parliament together with the narrative of his Action committed in those parts to receive his Sentence which was as followeth That James Nailor be set with his Head in the Pillory in the new Palace at Westminster during the space of two Hours on Thursday next and shall be whipped by the Hangman through the Streets from Westminster to the Old Exchange London and there likewise be set in the Pillory for the space of two Hours between the Hours of eleven and one on Saturday next in each of the said Places wearing a Paper containing an Inscription of his Crimes and at the Old Exchange his Tongue shall be bored through with a hot Iron and that he be there also stigmatized in the Forehead with the Letter B. and that he be afterwards sent to Bristol and conveyed into and thro' the said City on a Horse bare ridg'd with his Face backward and there also publickly whip'd the next Market-day after he comes thither That from thence he be commited to prison in Bridewell London and there restrained from the Society of all People and kept to hard
Merits and Mercies of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ not doubting but that through the red Sea of his Blood he should arrive at the Heavenly Canaan and in little space behold his Saviour whom his Soul so much longed after Then fixing his Eyes upon the Multitude he spake to this effect I am brought here to a shameful Death I am an English Man born and as many know a Gentleman born I was drawn into this Business by several Persons and am now brought here for my former Sins God hath delivered me several Times from several Judgments he hath visited me at this Time because I slighted and did not pursue that Repentance that I promised Therefore I desire all good People to leave off their Sins for Christ his sake and beagme new Men for it is that that brings all Men to ruin I beseech God of Mercy have Mercy upon my Soul Lord God I come to thee Lord the Father of Heaven have Mercy upon me O God the Son Redeemer of the World have Mercy upon me O God the Holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Son have Merâ—y upon me Remember not my Offences but spare me good Lord God I beseech thee spare thy Servant whom thou hast vedeamed for thy dear Sons sake I have no more to say but desire the Prayers of all good People Having ended his Speech he committed his Spirit into the Hands of God and having said Lord have Morcy upon my Soul he was turned off the Ladder and instantly cut down his Belly ripped up and his Bowels burnt in a Fire ready prepared for that purpose he being not yet Dead then was his Head cut off and his Body divided into four Quarters put into a Basket and conveyed back to Newgate Next they proceeded and fetcht John Betley for there was a great deal of Business done by the Executioner that Day into Cheapside where formerly the Cross stood where was likewise a Gibbet set up being come to the Place with a Minister the Minister read and the People sung with him a Psalm beginning thus O Lord consider my Distress c. Then he went up the Ladder and said as followeth LOrd receive my Soul and be merciful to me I commit my Soul into Almighty Gods Hands for he is my Protector and Redeemer I am not ashamed to live nor afraid to die for my Conversation hath been such in Christ Jesus I hope I shall find Mercy As concerning them that are my Enemies I pray God forgive them their Sins I freely forgive them all that have done me wrong As for the late Plot I was never but once in Company with them concerned therein I did know of such a Thing but deny that I acted therein Shall I damn my Soul at this Instant I will speak the Truth One Brandon that was one of them drew me into the Business and his Man I carrying Work to him could not refrain his House he so often enticed me thereto and would not let me alone till he had got me into a House where we drank together I have no more to say as to the Plot but desire Mercy from God Having this said the Executioner turned him off and the rest of the Sentence was executed upon him as before upon Colonel Ashton and his Head and Quarters were conveyed also to Newgate Some two Days after one Edmund Stacy also about the same Conspiracy was executed in Cornhil over against the Exchange as also a Youth in Smithfield having the Rope about his Neck the horror of Death being worse then Death it self but for his Souls Health was Reprieved the Torrent of Blood being for a while stayed Whilst these Tradgedies were acting on the Land a strange Accident no less prodigious happened on the Water a Whale of a monstrous bigness at least sixty Foot and of a proportionable Breadth was cast up on the River of Thames near London which by the common People was accounted a Prognostication of the Protectors Death which ensued not long after But to return to Flanders where we formerly left the Sea whereof like a sharp Humour did always nourish the Wounds of incurable Evils nor was the French their letting of her Blood sufficient she wanted an English Physician to treat her Our Armies whose Valours made not a stand at Mardike but with a gallant Resolution besieged Dunkirk which being a Place of great Importance the Spaniard intended to relieve and with an Army of sixteen thousand came within an English Mile and a half of the French Quarters whereupon the Engeish and French uniting their Forces leaving some part of them before Dunkirk to make good the Approaches and guard the Trenches with fifteen thousand Men and ten Pieces of Cannon set upon the Spaniard whom after a long and sharp Fight they put to a total Rout and Confusion with the Loss of three thousand five hundred Men which Victory was in a manner wholy attributed to the Valour of the English The Loss of this Day lost the Spaniard Dunkirk who quickly after surrendered up the Town upon these following Conditions 1. That the Town shall be yielded up with all their great Guns their stores of Victuals Magazines of Arms and Ammunition without any embezlement 2. That all Officers and Soldiers shall have Liberty to marth out with their Arms Drums beating Golours flying two Pieces of Oridinance and their Baggage 3. That they shall have the Liberty to march with a Convoy so conduct them to Saint Omers 4. That the Inhabitants should remain indempnified in their Persons and Goods and enjoying their former Customs and Priviledges for two Years and not be molested touching the Exercise of their Religion The Articles signed the Spaniards marched out being about one Thousand Horse and Foot and seven hundred more that were wounded the French according as it was articled before put the English in Possession thereof which ever since they have maintained I have heard of an expression of the Governours of Ostend A little before the Massacre there a Person of Quality being sent thither about the exchange of Prisoners after he was civilly treated the Glasses of Wine going freely about the Governour being in a safe Place began to throw forth Words to this effect Sir is this the Mode of your Mushroom Protector hath he no other Way to pay my Master the King of Spain for his Bullion but with Bullets Soon after the taking of Dunkirk deceased the Lady Cleypoll second Daughter to the Protector a Lady whom Posterity will mention with an honourable Character who often interposed and became an humble Supplicant to her Father for many Persons design'd to dye her last request as it was thought for some eminent Persons being deny'd was a means of hastening her Death which much sadned her Father's Spirits nor did he long survive her her Death causing more Wounds in his Heart than all he received in the Wars But as his Severity was great to his Enemies so did he excell in