That if the King had cut off his Head when he only cropt his Ears, he had done no more than Juftice, and done God and the Nation good Service.

The Execution of the Earl of STRAFFORD, Wednefday May 12, 1641.

Having mounted the Scaffold, he made his

Obeifances, and began to take his laft Farewel of his Friends, who appear'd much more concern'd than himself; and obferving his Brother, Sir George Wentworth, to weep exceffively: Brother (faid he) with a chearful Brisknefs, What do you fee in me to deferve thefe Tears? Doth any indecent Fear betray in me a Guilt, or my innocent Boldness any Atheifm? Think now that you are accompanying me the third time to my Marriage-Bed: Never did I throw off my Cloaths with greater Freedom and Content than in this Preparation to my Grave: That Stock [pointing to the Block] must be my Pillow, here fhall I reft from all my Labours: No Thoughts of Envy, no Dreams of Treafon, Jealoufies or Cares for the King, the State, or my felf, fhall interrupt this eafy Sleep; therefore, Brother, with me pity those who befides their Intention have made me happy, rejoice in my Happiness, rejoice in my Inno

cence.

Then kneeling down, he made this Proteftation: I hope, Gentlemen, you do think that neither the Fear of Lofs, nor Love of Reputation, will fuffer me to belie God and my own Confcience at this time. I am now in the very Door going out, and my next Step must be from Time to Eternity either of Peace or Pain: To clear my felf before you all, I do here folemnly call God to witnefs. I am not guilty, fo far as I can understand, of the great Crime laid to my Charge, nor have ever had

H 2

had the leaft Inclination or Intention to damnify or prejudice the King, the State, the Laws, or the Religion of this Kingdom; but with my best Endeavours to ferve all, and to fupport all, so may God be merciful to my Soul.

Then rifing up, he faid he defir'd to speak fomething to the People, but was afraid he fhould be heard by few, in regard of the Noife; but having first fitted himself to the Block, and rifing again, he thus addrefs'd himself to the Spectators.

M

His SPEECH.

Y Lord Primate of Ireland, and my Lords, and the reft of thefe noble Gentlemen: It is a great Comfort to me to have your Lordfhips by me this Day, because I have been known to you a long time, and I now defire to be heard a few Words. I come here, by the good Will and Pleasure of Almighty God, to pay that laft Debt I owe to Sin, which is Death; and by the Bleffing of that God, to rife again thro' the Merits of Jefus Chrift to Righteousness, and Life Eternal. [Here he was a little interrupted,]

My Lords, I am come hither to fubmit to that Judgment which hath paffed against me, I do it with a very quiet and contented Mind; I thank God I do freely forgive all the World; a Forgiveness that is not fpoken from the Teeth outward, (as they fay) but from the very Heart : I fpeak it in the Prefence of Almighty God, before whom I ftand, that there is not a difpleafing Thought arifing in me towards any Man living. I thank God I can fay it, and truly too, my Conscience bearing me witnefs, that in all my Imployments, fince I had the Honour to ferve his Majesty, I never had any thing in the Purpose of my Heart, but what tended to the joint and indivi

dual

dual Profperity of King and People, altho' it hath been my ill Fortune to be mifconftrued.

I am not the first that hath fuffer'd in this kind; it is the common Portion of us all, while we are in this Life, to err; righteous Judgment we must wait for in another Place, for here we are very fubject to be misjudged one of another; there is one thing that I defire to free my felf of, and I am very confident [fpeaking it now with much Chearfulness] that I fhall obtain your Chriftian Charity in the Belief of it. I was fo far from being against Parliaments, that I did always think the Parliaments of England were the most happy Conftitutions that any Kingdom or Nation lived under, and the beft Means under God to make the King and People happy.

For my Death I here acquit all the World,and befeech the God of Heaven heartily to forgive them that contrived it, tho' in the Intentions and Purpofes of my Heart I am not guilty of what I die for: And, my Lord Primate, it is a great Comfort for me, that his Majefty conceives me not meriting fo fevere and heavy a Punishment, as is the utmost Execution of this Sentence. I do infinitely rejoice in this Mercy of his, and I befeech God to return it into his own Bofom, that he may find Mercy when he ftands most in need of it.

I wish this Kingdom all the Profperity and Happiness in the World; I did it living, and now dying it is my Wifh. I do moft humbly recommend this to every one who hears me, and defire they would lay their Hands upon their Hearts, and confider seriously, whether the Beginning of the Happinefs and Reformation of a Kingdom fhould be written in Letters of Blood; confider this when you are at your Homes, and let me be never fo unhappy, as that the leaft Drop of my Blood fhould

H 3

fhould rife up in Judgment against any one of you; but I fear you are in a wrong Way.

My Lords, I have but one Word more, and with that I fhall end. I profefs that I die a true and obedient Son to the Church of England, wherein I was born, and in which I was bred. Peace and Profperity be ever to it.

It hath been objected (if it were an Objection worth the answering) that I have been inclined to Popery; but I fay truly from my Heart, that from the time that I was one and twenty Years of Age, to this prefent, going now upon fortynine, I never had in my Heart to doubt of this Religion of the Church of England, nor ever had any Man the Boldnefs to fuggeft any fuch thing to me, to the belt of my Remembrance. And fo being reconciled by the Merits of Jefus Chrift my Saviour, into whofe Bofom I hope I fhall fhortly be gathered, to thofe eternal Happineffes which fhall never have end; I defire heartily the Forgivenefs of every Man for any rafh or unadvised Words, or any thing done amifs. And fo, my Lords and Gentlemen, farewel; farewel all things of this World.

I defire that you would be filent, and join with me in Prayer, and I truft in God we fhall all meet and live eternally in Heaven, there to receive the Accomplishment of all Happiness; where every Tear fhall be wiped away from our Eyes, and every fad Thought from our Hearts; and fo God blefs this Kingdom, and Jefus have Mercy on my Soul.

Then turning himself about, he faluted all the Noblémen, and took a folemn Leave of all confiderable Perfons upon the Scaffold, giving them his Hand.

After

After that, he said, Gentlemen, I would fay my Prayers, and entreat you all to pray with me, and for me; then his Chaplain laid the Book of Common-Prayer upon the Chair before him as he kneeled down, on which he Prayed almost a Quarter of an Hour, and then as long, or longer, without the Book, and concluded with the Lord's→ Prayer!

Standing up, he fpies his Brother, Sir George Wentworth, and calls him to him, faying, Brother, we muft part; remember me to my Sifter, and to my Wife, and carry my Bleffing to my Son, and charge him that he fear God, and continue an obedient Son to the Church of England, and warn him that he bear no private Grudge, or Revenge, toward any Man concerning me; and bid him beware that he meddle not with Church-livings, for that will prove a Moth and Canker to him in his Eftate; and with him to content himself to be a Servant to his Country, not aiming at higher Preferments.

.

Aliter. To his Son Mr. Wentworth he commends himself, and gives him charge to serve his God, to fubmit to his King with all Faith and Allegiance in things temporal, to the Church in things fpiritual; chargeth him again and again, as he will anfwer it to him in Heaven, never to meddle with the Patrimony of the Church; for if he did, it would be a Canker to eat up the reft of his Eftate.

Carry my Bleffing alfo to my Daughters, Anne and Arabella, charge them to ferve and fear God, and he will blefs them; not forgetting my little Infant, who yet knows neither Good nor Evil, and cannot fpeak for it felf; God fpeak for it and blefs it. Now, faid he, I have nigh done; one Stroke will make my Wife husbandlefs, my dear Children fatherless, and my poor Servants masterJefs, and will separate me from my dear Brother,

H 4

and