to find fome Advantage against his Perfon, to make him lefs refolute in his Caufe, were compell'd to give him a juft Testimony. And the Judgment that was given against him infinitely more advanc'd him, than the Service for which it was given. When the long Parliament begun (being return'd Knight of the Shire for the County where he liv'd) the Eyes of all Men were fix'd upon him, as their Patria Pater, and the Pilot that muft fteer the Veffel through the Tempests and Rocks which threatned it. And I am perfuaded, his Power and Interest at that time was greater to do Good, or Hurt, than any Man's in the Kingdom, or than any Man of his Rank hath had in any time: For his Reputation of Honefty was univerfal, and his Affections feem'd fo publickly guided, that no corrupt or private Ends could byafs them.

He was of that rare Affability and Temper in Debate, and of that feeming Humility and Submiffion of Judgment, as if he brought no Opinion of his own with him, but a Defire of Information and Inftruction; yet he had fo fubtle a Way of Interrogating, and, under the Notion of Doubts, infinuating his Objections, that he infufed his own Opinions into thofe from whom he pretended to learn and receive them; and even with them who were able to preferve themselves from his Infufions, and difcern'd thofe Opinions to be fix'd in him, with which they could not comply, he always left the Character of an ingenious and confcientious Perfon. He was indeed a very wife Man, and of great Parts, and poffefs'd with the most abfolute Spirit of Popularity, and the moft abfolute Faculties to govern the People, of any Man I ever knew. For the first Year of the Parliament, he feem'd rather to moderate and foften the violent and diftemper'd Humours, than to in

flame

flame them. But wife and difpaffion'd Men plainly difcern'd that that Moderation proceeded from Prudence, and Obfervation that the Seafon was not ripe, rather than that he approv'd of the Moderation; and that he begot many Opinions and Motions, the Education whereof he committed to other Men, fo far difguifing his own Defigns, that he seem'd feldom to wifh more than was concluded; and in many grofs Conclufions, which would hereafter contribute to Defigns not yet fet on foot, when he found them fufficiently back'd by Majority of Voices, he would withdraw himfelf before the Queftion, that he might seem not to confent to fo much vifible Unreafonableness; which produc'd as great a Doubt in fome, as it did Approbation in others of his Integrity. What Combination foever had been originally with the Scots for the Invafion of England, and what further was enter'd into afterwards in favour of them, and to advance any Alteration of the Government in Parliament, no Man doubts was at leaft with the Privity of this Gentleman.

After he was among thofe Members accus'd by the King of High Treafon, he was much alter'd; his Nature and Carriage feeming much fiercer than it did before. And, without Question, when he first drew his Sword, he threw away the Scabbard, for he paffionately oppos'd the Overture< made by the King for a Treaty from Nottingham, and as eminently all Expedients that might have produc'd any Accommodations in this that was at Oxford; and was principally relied on to prevent any Infufions which might be made into the Earl of Effex towards Peace, or to render them inef fectual if they were made; and was indeed much more relied on by that Party, than the General himself. In the first Entrance into the Troubles, he undertook the Command of a Regiment of

I 2

Foot,

Foot, and perform'd the Duty of a Colonel upon all Occafions moft punctually. He was very temperate in Diet, and a fupreme Governor over all his Paffions and Affections, and had thereby a great Power over other Mens. He was of an Induftry and Vigilance not to be tired out, or wearied by the moft laborious, and of Parts not to be impos'd upon by the moft fubtle or fharp, and of a perfonal Courage equal to his beft Parts; fo that he was an Enemy not to be wifh'd, whereever he might have been made a Friend; and as much to be apprehended where he was fo, as any Man could deferve to be, and therefore his Death was no lefs pleafing to the one Party, than it was condol'd in the other: In a Word, what was faid of Cinna might well be applied to him. He had a Head to contrive, and a Tongue to perfuade, and a Hand to execute any Mifchief. His Death therefore feem'd to be a great Deliverance to the Nation.

J

The Execution of Archbishop LAUD, the 10th of January, 1644.

IS Grace being brought to the Scaffold

H' erected on Tower-hill, made the following

Speech:

Good People,

This is an uncomfortable time to preach, yet I fhall begin with a Text of Scripture, Heb. 12. 2. Let us run with Patience the Race that is fet before us, looking unto Jefus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith; who, for the Foy that was fet before him, endur'd the Cross, defpifing the Shame, and is fet dowa at the right Hand of the Throne of God.

I have been long in my Race, and how I have looked unto Jefus, the Author and Finisher of my Faith, he best knows: I am now come to the End of my Race, and here I find the Crofs; a Death of Shame: But the Shame must be defpis'd, or no coming to the right Hand of God: Jefus defpifed the Shame for me, and God forbid but I fhould despise the Shame for him. I am going apace (as you fee) towards the Red Sea, and my Feet are now upon the very Brink of it; an Argument, I hope, that God is bringing me into the Land of Promife, for that was the Way thro which he led his People; but before they came to it, he inftituted a Paffover for them, a Lamb it was, but must be eaten with four Herbs. I fhall obey, and labour to digeft the four Herbs as well as the Lamb; and I fhall remember it is the Lord's Paffover: I fhall not think of the Herbs, nor be angry with the Hand that gathereth them, but look up only unto him who inftituted that, and governs these. For Men can have no more Power over me than what is given from above. I am not in love with this Paffage thro' the Red Sea, for I have the Weaknefs and Infirmity of Flesh and Blood plentifully in me, and I have pray'd with my Saviour, ut tranfiret Calix ifte, that this Cup of red Wine might pafs from me; but if not, God's Will, not mine, be done: And I fhall most willingly drink of this Cup as deep as he pleafes, and enter into this Sea, yea, and pafs thro' it in the Way that he fhall lead me; but I would have it remember'd, good People, that when God's Servants were in this boisterous Sea, and Aaron amongst them, the Egyptians who perfecuted them, and did in a manner drive them into the Sea, were drown'd in the fame Waters, while they were in purfuit of them. And as for this People, they are at this Day miferably mified; God of his I 3

Mercy

Mercy open their Eyes, that they may see the right Way; for at this Day the Blind lead the Blind, and if they go on, both will certainly fall into the Ditch, Tho' the Weight of my Sentence be heavy upon me, I am as quiet within as ever I was in my Life. And tho' I am not only the first Archbishop, but the firft Man that ever died by an Ordinance in Parliament, yet fome of my Predeceffors have gone this Way, tho' not by this Means. Here is a great Clamour that I would have brought in Popery: I fhall anfwer that more fully by and by. In the mean time, you know what the Pharifees faid against Christ himself, If we let him alone, all Men will believe in him, &venient Romani, and the Romans will come and take away our Place and Nation. Here was a caufelefs Cry against Christ, that the Romans would come: And fee how juft the Judgment was; They crucified Chrift for fear the Romans should come, and his Death was it that brought in the Romans upon them: God punishing them with that which they moft feared. And I pray God this Clamour of venient Romani, for which I have given no Caufe, help not to bring them in: For the Pope never had fuch an Harvest in England fince the Reformation, as he hath now upon the Se&s and Divifions that are among us, This I fhall

be bold to fpeak of the King, our Gracious Sovereign: He hath been much traduced alfo for bringing in Popery, but in my Confcience (of which I fhall give God a very prefent Account) I know him to be as free from the Charge as any Man living, and I hold him to be as found a Proteftant (according to the Religion by Law eftablish'd) as any Man in this Kingdom, and that: he will venture his Life as far, and as freely, for it. And I think I do, or fhould, know both his Affection to Religion, and his Grounds for it, as fully