Selected quad for the lemma: war_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
war_n	death_n	king_n	treason_n	2,761	5	9.5559	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A37137	The dying speeches of several excellent persons, who suffered for their zeal against popery, and arbitrary government viz. I. Mr. Stephen Colledg, at Oxford, August 31, 1681, II. The Lord Russel in Lincolns-Inn-fields, July 21, 1683, III. Col. Sidney, on Tower-Hill, December 7, 1683, IV. Col. Rumbald,	Colledge, Stephen, 1635?-1681.; Russell, William, Lord, 1639-1683.; Sidney, Algernon, 1622-1683.; Rumbold, Richard, 1622?-1685.; Lisle, Alice, 1614?-1685.; Cornish, Henry, d. 1685.; Walcot, Thomas, d. 1683.	1689 (1689)	Wing D2957; ESTC R3148	29,338	40

would call me which he did And when I came into the Room I saw Mr. Rumsey by the Chimney though he swears he came in after and there were things said by some with much more Heat than Judgment which I did sufficiently disapprove and yet for these things I stand condemned But I thank God my part was sincere and well meant It is I know inferred from hence and was pressed to me that I was acquainted with these Heats and ill Designs and did not discover them But this is but Misprision of Treason at most So I die innocent of the Crime I stand condemn'd for and I hope no body will imagine that so mean a Thought could enter into me as to go about to save my self by accusing others The part that some have acted lately of that kind has not been such as to invite me to love Life at such a rate As for the Sentence of Death passed upon me I cannot but think it a very hard one For nothing was sworn against me whether true or false I will not now examine but some Discourses about making some Stirs And this is not levying War against the King which is Treason by the Statute of Edward the Third and not the Consulting and Discoursing about it which was all that was witnessed against me But by a a strange Fetch the Design of Seizing the Guards was construed a Design of Killing the King and so I was in that cast And now I have truly and sincerely told what my part was in that which cannot be more than a bare Misprison and yet I am condemned as guilty of a Design of killing the King. I pray God lay not this to the charge neither of the King's Counsel nor Judges nor Sheriffs nor Jury And for the Witnesses I pity them and with them well I shall not reckon up the Particulars wherein they did me wrong I had rather their own Consciences should do that to which and the Mercies of God I leave them Only I still averr That what I said of my not hearing Col. Rumsey deliver any Message from my Lord Shaftsbury was true for I always detested Lying though never so much to my advantage And I hope none will be so unjust and uncharitable as to think I would venture on it in these my last Words for which I am so soon to give an Account to the Great God the Searcher of Hearts and Judge of all Things From the time of chusing Sheriffs I concluded the Heat in that Matter would produce something of this kind and I am not much surprized to find it fall upon me And I wish what is done to me may put a stop and satiate some Peoples Revenge and that no more innocent Blood be shed for I must and do still look upon mine as such since I know I was guilty of no Treason and therefore I would not betray my Innocence by Flight of which I do not I thank God yet repent though much pressed to it how fatal soever it may have seem'd to have proved to me for I look upon my Death in this manner I thank God with other eyes than the World does I know I said but little at the Trial and I suppose it looks more like Innocence than Guilt I was also advis'd not to confess Matter of Fact plainly since that must certainly have brought me within the guilt of Misprision And being thus restrained from dealing franky and openly I chose rather to say little than to depart from that Ingenuity that by the Grace of God I had carried along with me in the former part of my Life and so could easier be silent and leave the whole Matter to the Conscience of the Jury than to make the last and solemnest part of my Life so different from the Course of it as the using little Tricks and Evasions must have been Nor did I ever pretend to a great readiness in Speaking I wish those Gentlemen of the Law who have it would make more Conscience in the use of it and not run Men down and by Strains and Fetches impose on easie and willing Juries to the ruine of innocent Men For to kill by Forms and Subtilties of Law is the worst sort of Murther But I wish the Rage of hot Men and the Partialities of Juries may be stopp'd with my Blood which I would offer up with so much the more Joy if I thought I should be the last were to suffer in such a way Since my Sentence I have had but few Thoughts but Preparatory ones for Death Yet the Importunity of my Friends and particularly of the Best and Dearest Wife in the World prevailed with me to Sign Petitions and make an Address for my Life To which I was very averse For I thank God though in all respects I have lived one of the happiest and contented'st Men of the World for now very near fourteen years yet I am so willing to leave all that it was not without Difficulty that I did any thing for the saving of my Life that was Begging But I was willing to let my Friends see what Power they had over me and that I was not Obstinate nor Sullen but would do any thing that an honest Man could do for their Satisfaction Which was the only Motive that sway'd or had any weight with me And now to sum up all As I never had any Design against the King's Life or the Life of any Man whatsoever so I never was in any Contrivance of altering the Government What the Heats Wickedness Passions and Vanities of other Men have occasioned I ought not to be answerable for nor could I repress them though I now suffer for them But the Will of the Lord be done into whose Hands I commend my Spirit and trust that thou O most Merciful Father hast forgiven me all my Transgressions the Sins of my Youth and all the Errors of my Life and that Thou wilt not lay my secret Sins and Ignorances to my Charges but wilt graciously support me during that small part of my Time now before me and assist me in my last Moments and not leave me then to be disorder'd by Fear or any other Temptation but make the Light of thy Countenance to shine upon me for Thou art my Sun and my Shield And as Thou supportest me by thy Grace so I hope thou wilt hereafter Crown me with Glory and receive me into the Fellowship of Angels and Saints in that blessed Inheritance purchased for me by my most merciful Redeemer who is I trust at thy Right-hand preparing a place for me and is ready to receive me into whose Hands I commend my Spirit The very Copy of a Paper delivered to the Sheriffs upon the Scaffold on Tower-Hill on Friday December 7. 1683. By Algernon Sidney Esq before his Execution there Men Brethren and Fathers Friends Countrymen and Strangers IT may be expected that I should now say some Great Matters unto you but the Rigour of the Season

him as to Kill him with my own hands But however by their Swearing against me they have secured their own Lives and Estares and made my Blood the price of theirs I confess I was so unfortunate and unhappy as to be invited by Collonel 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. W. 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. W. often visited me and still his discourse would be concerning Lopping the Two 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 die 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 stain with it as would descend to Posterity that I had Eight Children that I was loth 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 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 withal 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 Blood that were as deep in as I and have betrayed me and taken it 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 Blood 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 Man and to make it my hearty Prayer to the Great God before whom I am in a little time to appear That he would stench this Issue of Blood 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 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 Englishman nor Protestant in Ireland engaged in it What I did know was only 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 only my Lord Howard 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 Captain Walcot's Prayer O Lord our God Thou art a God of present help in time of Trouble a God that hast promised to be with thy People in the Fire and in the Water O Lord we pray Thee that Thou wilt afford thy Presence to thy poor suffering Servants at this time that Thou wilt enable us to pray with Faith to trust in Thee to be in expectation and hope of Mercy from Thee O Lord thy Servant that speaketh doth confess that the Iniquities at his Heels have justly overtaken him that Just and Righteous art thou in all thy Judgments that he hath reason to bear thy Indignation because he hath sinned O Lord we beg even for thy Son Christ Jesus's sake that our Sins may not be brought to our remembrance in order to our despondency or discouragement or our despairing in thy Mercy but rather O Lord in order to an assurance that our great God hath pardoned and forgiven them in the Blood of his Son. O do thou bathe each of our Souls in that Fountain set open for Sin and for Uncleanness Give us O Lord inward spiritual strength from thy Self and give us cause to bless thy Name for inward supporting Graces for inward assistances O let us find an increase of spiritual strength let us be assured that our Sins are done away and let us also be assured that our Names are written in the Book of Life and let it be such an assurance as may be matter of joy and rejoycing to our Souls O do thou enable every one of us from the inward evidence of thy Spirit to say with thy Servant Job That we know and are assured that our Redeemer lives O