him but what was for the good of his soul: he told him, that he heard
that the Army intended to make him King; but it was a thing not for
him to take upon him, if he regarded the welfare of his soul; for
he had two Brothers before him: and therefore commanded him upon His
blessing, never to accept of it, unless it redowned lawfully upon him:
And commanded him to fear the Lord, and he would provide for him.
_Copia vera._
* * * * *
_An_ Epitaph _upon King_ CHARLS.
So falls that stately Cedar: while it stood
That was the onely glory of the Wood:
Great _Charles_, thou earthly God, celestial _M_an,
Whose life, like others, though it were a span:
Yet in that span, was comprehended more
Then Earth hath waters or the Ocean shore;
Thy heavenly vertues, Angels shou'd rehearse,
It is a theam too high for humane Verse:
He that would know thee right, then let him look
Upon Thy rare incomparable Book,
And read it or'e and o're; which if he do,
Hee'l find thee _king_, _and Priest_, _and Prophet too_:
And sadly see our losse, and though in vain,
With fruitlesse wishes, call thee back again.
Nor shall oblivion sit upon thy Herse,
Though there were neither Monument, nor Verse.
Thy Suff'rings & thy Death let no man name;
It was thy Glorie, but the Kingdoms Shame.
_J. H._
* * * * *
[Illustration]
_His Majesties Reasons against the pretended Jurisdiction of
the High Court of Justice, which he intended to deliver in
writing on Munday_ January 22, 1648.
Faithfully transcribed out of the originall Copie under the Kings own
hand.
Having already made my protestations not only against the illegality
of this pretended Court, but also that no earthly power can justly
call me (who am your King) in question as a Delinquent, _I_ would not
any more open my mouth upon this occasion, more then to refer my selfe
to what I have spoken, were I alone in this case concerned. But
the duty I owe to God in the preservation of the true Liberty of my
People, will not suffer me at this time to be silent: For, how can any
free-born Subject of England call life or any thing he possesseth
his own, if power without right daily make new, and abrogate the old
fundamentall Law of the Land, which I now take to be the present
case. Wherefore when I came hither, I expected that you would have
indeavoured to have satisfied me concerning these grounds, which
hinder me to Answer to your pretended Impeachment, but since I see
that nothing I can say will move you to it (though Negatives are not
so naturally proved as Affirmatives) yet I will shew you the Reason
why I am confident you cannot judge me, nor indeed the meanest man in
England; for I will not (like you) without shewing a reason, seek to
impose a belief upon My Subjects.
[Sidenote: _Hereabout I was stopt, and not suffered to speake any more
concerning Reasons._]
There is no proceeding just against any man, but what is warranted
either by Gods Laws, or the municipall Lawes of the Country where he
lives. Now I am most confident, that this daies proceeding cannot be
warranted by Gods Law, for on the contrary the authority of obedience
unto Kings is cleerly warranted and strictly commanded both in the Old
and New Testament; which if denied, I am ready to prove: and for the
question now in hand, there it is said, That _where the word of a
King is, there is Power, and who may say unto him, what doest thou_?
_Eccles._ 8. 4. Then for the Lawes of this land, I am no lesse
confident, that no learned Lawyer will affirme that an impeachment
can lie against the King, they all going in his name; and one of their
Maximes is, _that the King can do no wrong_. Besides, the law upon
which you ground your proceedings, must either be old or new; if old
shew it; if new, tell what authority warranted by the fundamentall
Laws of the land hath made it, and when. But how the House of Commons
can erect a Court of Judicature, which was never one it self (as is
well known to all Lawyers) I leave to God and the World to judge; And
it were full as strange that they should pretend to make Laws without
King or Lords-House, to any that have heard speak of the Lawes of
England.
And admitting, but not granting, that the people of Englands
Commission could grant your pretended Power, I see nothing you can
shew for that; for certainly you never asked the question of the tenth
man of the Kingdom, and in this way you manifestly wrong even the
poorest Plough-man, if you demand not his free consent; nor can you
pretend any colour for this your pretended Commission without the
consent at least of the major part of every man in England, of
whatsoever quality or condition, which I am sure, you never went about
to seek; so far are you from having it. Thus you see that I speak
not for my own right alone, as I am your King, but also for the true
Liberty of all my Subjects, which consists not in sharing the power
of Government, but in living under such Laws, such a Government as
may give themselves the best assurance of their lives and propriety of
their goods. Nor in this must or do I forget the priviledges of both
Houses of Parliament, which this dayes proceedings doth not only
violate, but likewise occasion the greatest breach of their Publike
Faith that (I beleeve) ever was heard of, with which I am far from
charging the two houses: for all the pretended crimes laid against me,
bear date long before this late Treaty at Newport, in which I having
concluded as much as in me lay, and hopefully expecting the two Houses
agreement thereunto, I was suddenly surprized, and hurried from thence
as a Prisoner, upon which accompt I am against my will brought hither,
where since I am come, I cannot but to my power defend the ancient
Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom, together with my own just Right;
then for any thing I can see the higher house is totally excluded.
And for the House of Commons, it is too well known that the major
part of them are detained or deterr'd from sitting, so as if I had no
other, this were sufficient for me to protest against the lawfulnesse
of your pretended Court. Besides all this, the peace of the Kingdom is
not the least in my thoughts; and what hopes of settlement is there so
long as power raignes without rule of Law, changing the whole frame
of that government under which this Kingdom hath flourished for
many hundred years, (nor will I say what will fall out in case this
lawlesse unjust proceeding against me do go on) & beleeve it the
Commons of England will not thanke you for this change, for they will
remember how happy they have been of late years under the raign of Q.
_Elizabeth_, the King my Father and my self, untill the beginning of
these unhappy troubles, and wil have cause to doubt that they shall
never be so happy under any new. And by this time it will be too
sensibly evident, that the Armes I took up were only to defend the
fundamentall Laws of this Kingdom, against those who have supposed my
power hath totally changed the ancient Government.
Thus having shewed you briefly the Reasons, why I cannot submit to
your pretended authority without violating the trust which I have
from God, for the welfare and liberty of my people; I expect from you
either clear Reasons to convince my Judgment, shewing me that I am
in an error (and then truly I will readily answer) or that you will
withdraw your proceedings.
_This I intended to speake in Westminster-Hall on Monday 22. January,
but against reason was hindered to shew my Reasons._
* * * * *
FINIS.
* * * * *
Transcriber's note.
Inconsistencies in spelling, grammar, capitalisation and punctuation
have generally been retained, unless the inconsistency is obviously an
error.
e.g. Iustice and Justice (etc.) are both used; wickednss (page 53)
may be a printer's error, or the author's contraction. There are a few
instances of 'wickednesse', and only one of 'wickedness'; there are
a few instances of 'yeild', and 'yeeld', but none of 'yield'; 'then'
is used throughout the book as modern writers would use 'than'; and
apostrophes are notable by their absence.
The prefix 'un' is used where a modern writer would use 'in'. Many
other words have more than one spelling. Phonetic spellings have been
retained.
'proreption' (p. 66) means 'slow advance' (Google Books).
The long 's', prevalent at the time, has been updated to
the modern 's', which even in 1649 was used at the ends of words.
There are some instances of what seem to be genuine errata:--
Sundry missing, damaged or extraneous punctuation has been repaired.
Explanation of the Emblem: 'deprrss'd' corrected to 'depress'd':
"_Palm_-like _depress'd_, I higher rise"
p. 15: 'agaist' corrected to 'against': "have purposed any violence
or oppression against the Innocent"
p. 24: 'assawge' corrected to 'asswage': "and after did'st asswage the
floud which drowned the world,"
p. 42: 'kinkled' corrected to 'kindled': "the brands of that fire
being ill quenched, have kindled the like flames here."
p. 51: 'noreable' corrected to 'noteable'*: "he is now become a
noteable monument of unprosperous disloialtie,"
p. 59: 'and' corrected to 'an': "I must now be urged with an Armie,"
p. 63: 'one' corrected to 'on': "unfortunate Successes of this War, on
my side, I do not think my"
p. 73: 'no' corrected to 'to': "if not to conquer, yet at least to
suffer."
p. 74: 'eclisp' corrected to 'eclipse': "strip me of my strength, and
eclipse my glory."
p. 77: 'Popositions' corrected to 'Propositions': "propound, (for such
is one of their Propositions)"
p. 82: removed extraneous 'in': "to the Laws in force,"
p. 87: 'suppplication' corrected to 'supplication': "To thee I make my
supplication,"
p. 98: 'with' corrected to 'which': "destroying the innocent with the
guilty, & the erroneous with the malicious;"
p. 106: 'ont' corrected to 'out': "they lay out upon their opinions"
p. 107: 'contemus' corrected to 'contemns': "that the other rejects
and contemns;"
p. 120: 'clomencie' corrected to 'clemencie': "and thy clemencie hath
accepted from us,"
p. 121: 'theia' corrected to 'their': "the Charity of most men is
grown so cold, and their Religion so illiberall."
p. 121: 'net' corrected to 'not': "Let not holy things be given to
Swine"
p. 137: 'migh' corrected to 'might': "he might seem to justifie his
disdainfull reproaches,"
p. 141: 'too' corrected to 'to': "where not the words, but mens hearts
are to blame."
p. 144: 'nse' corrected to 'use': "That further, they should use such
severity as"
p. 154: 'Goverment' corrected to 'Government': "such a frame or
Government which is paternall,"
p. 158: 'Hospitaliy' corrected to 'Hospitality': "also enablements to
works of Charitie and Hospitality,"
p. 161: 'judement' corrected to 'judgement': "to my judgement, I am
solemnly obliged to"
p. 172: 'bnt' corrected to 'but': "not to trust in the arm of Flesh,
but in the living God."
p. 179: 'afficting' corrected to 'afflicting': "Between both thy
hands, the right sometimes supporting, and the left afflicting,
fashion us"
p. 180: 'punishmenes' corrected to 'punishments': "punishing my self
in their punishments."
p. 184: 'abrogae' corrected to 'abrogate': "by the Sword to arrogate,
and quite abrogate the Authority of"
p. 186: 'moudls' corrected to 'moulds': "would not run into their new
moulds, till they had first melted"
p. 187: 'Christans' corrected to 'Christians': "appear good
Christians, that approve not them selves good Subjects."
p. 192: 'thrist' corrected to 'thirst': "the most ambitious thirst of
popular glory among the Vulgar"
p. 196: 'pnrpose' corrected to 'purpose': "Fix in me a purpose to
honour thee, and then"
p. 201: 'wordls' corrected to 'worlds': "the worlds vanity and
inconstancie."
p. 205: 'estabish' corrected to 'establish': "because thou Lord, hast
holpen and comforted me; establish me with thy free Spirit,"
p. 207: 'christias' corrected to 'christians': "then is ever used by
christians to the meanest prisoners,"
p. 215: 'Honse' corrected to 'House': "when wee went to meet in thy
House with the voice of joy and gladnesse,"
p. 221: 'Sate' corrected to 'State': "In suppressing the many schismes
in Church, and Factions in State."
p. 223: removed extraneous 'if': "May my people and thy Church be
happie if not by me, yet without me."
p. 230: 'abonnd' corrected to 'abound': "they cannot want Enemies who
abound in sin; nor shall they be"
p. 251: 'you' corrected to 'your': "Soul in true Religion, and your
honour in the love of God and"
p. 251: 'you' corrected to 'your': "let my Memory ever, with my Name,
live in you; as of your Father,"
p. 254: 'lttle' corrected to 'little': "Indeed, they have left me but
little of life,"
p. 254: 'magnaminity' corrected to 'magnanimity': "yet to suffer with
such Christian patience and magnanimity, in"
p. 255: 'afflicton' corrected to 'affliction': "The assaults of
affliction may be terrible,"
p. 255: 'Freinds' corrected to 'Friends': "my Friends and loving
Subjects being helpless Spectators"
p. 257: 'guitly' corrected to 'guilty': "the cheifest hand, and are
most guilty of contriving"
p. 265: 'acceesse' corrected to 'accesse': "any way obstructed my
accesse to the Throne of Heaven,"
p. 273: 'acknowlede' corrected to 'acknowledge': "who in my greatest
Afflictions acknowledge it"
* The spelling, 'noteable', is also used in the title of a book
published 1635:
"A direction for the English traviller by which he shal be inabled
to coast about all England and Wales. And also to know how farre
any market or noteable towne in any shire lyeth one from an other
... As also the distance betweene London and any other shire or
great towne."
... J. van Langeren sculp.
End of Project Gutenberg's Eikon Basilike, by King Charles I (Stuart)