would have a little better digefted this I have faid, and therefore I hope you will excufe me; I have deliver'd my Confcience, I pray God you take those Courses that are the beft for the Good of the Kingdom and your own Salvation...

Bishop. Tho' your Majesty's Affections may be very well known as to Religion; yet it may be expected that you fhould fay fomething thereof for the World's Satisfaction.

King. I thank you heartily, my Lord, for that I had almoft forgotten it. In Troth, Sirs, my Confcience in Religion, I think, is very well known to all the World; and therefore I declare before you all, that I die a Chriftian, according to the Profeffion of the Church of England, as found it left me by my Father; and this honeft Man, I think, will witnefs it.

Then turning to the Officers, he faid, Sirs, excufe me for this fame I have a good Cause, and I have a gracious God, I will fay no more.

Then to Colonel Hacker he faid, Take Care that they do not put me to Pain: And, Sir, this, and it pleafe you --** od "{}

But a Gentleman coming near the Ax, the King faid, Take heed of the Ax, pray take heed of the Ax. - Milingsh

Then fpeaking to the Executioner, he said, I fhall fay but very fhort Prayers, and when I thruft out my Hands -----

Then he called to the Bishop for his NightCap, and having put it on, he faid to the Executioner, Does my Hair trouble you? who defir'd him to put it all under his Cap, which the King did accordingly, by the Help of the Executioner and the Bishop. Then turning to Dr. Juxon, he faid, I have a good Caufe and a gracious God on my Side.

Bishop. There is but one Stage more, this Stage is turbulent and troublesome, it is a fhort one; but you may confider it will foon carry you a very great way, it will carry you from Earth to Heaven; and there you will find a great deal of cordial Joy and Comfort.

King. I go from a corruptible to an incorruptible Crown, where no Difturbance can be, no Disturbance in the World.

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Bishop. You are exchanged from a Temporary to an Eternal Crown, a good Exchange.

Then the King faid to the Executioner, Is my Hair well? And took off his Cloak and his George, giving his George to the Bishop, faying, Remember. Then he put off his Doublet, and being in his Waftecoat, he put on his Cloak again; then looking upon the Block, he said to the Executioner, You must fet it faft.

Executioner. It is fast, Sir.

King. When I put out my Hands this way (ftretching them out) then

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After that, having faid two or three Words to himself, as he ftood with his Hands and Eyes lift up, immediately stooping down, he laid his Neck upon the Block: And then the Executioner again putting his Hair under his Cap, the King thinking he had been going to ftrike, faid, Stay for the Sign.

Executioner. Yes, I will, an't please your Majefty. After a little Paufe, the King stretching forth his Hands, the Executioner, at one Blow, fever'd his Head from his Body, and held it up and fhew'd it to the People, faying, Behold the Head of a Traitor; after which the Corps was put into a Coffin, and the Bishop and Mr. Herbert went with it to the Back-Stairs to have it embalmed; after embalming, his Head was fewed on, and the Corps was wrapt in Lead, and the Coffin cover'd with a Velvet Pall, and then removed to

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St,

St. James's. Mr. Herbert then made Application to fuch as were in Power, that it might be inter'd in Henry VII's Chappel; but 'twas deny'd, for that his burying there would attract infinite Numbers of all Sorts thither; which, as the Times then were, was judged unsafe and inconvenient. Mr. Herbert acquainting the Bishop with this, they then refolv'd to bury the King's Body in the royal Chappel of St. George, within the Caftle of Windfor, both in regard that his Majefty was Sovereign of the most Noble Order of the Garter, and that feveral Kings had been there inter'd; namely, King Henry VI, Edward IV, and Henry VIII, upon which Confideration the Committee of Parliament was addrefs'd to the fecond time, who, after fome Deliberation, gave Orders, bearing Date February 6, 1648, authorizing Mr. Herbert, and Mr. Anthony Mildmay to bury the King's Body there. Accordingly the Corps was carried thither from St. James's, Feb. in a Hearse cover'd with black Velvet, drawn by fix Horfes cover'd with black Cloth, and attended by about a dozen Gentlemen.

7.

His CHARACTER.

He was of the most inoffenfive Difpofition, the moft exemplary Piety, the greatest Sobriety, Chastity and Mercy that any Prince has been endow'd with; and who might have said that which Pericles was proud of upon his Death-Bed, concerning his Citizens: That no English Man had ever worn a mourning Gown through his Occafion. Clar. Vol. I. p. 76.

He was always the most punctual Obferver of all Decency in his Devotion, and the strictest Promoter of the Ceremonies of the Church, as believing in his Soul the Church of England to be

instituted the nearest to the Practices of the Apoftles, and the beft for the Propagation and Advancement of Chriftian Religion of any Church in the World; and, on the other fide, tho' no Man was more averfe from the Romi Church than he was, nor better understood the Motives of their Separation from us, and Animofity against us; he had the highest Dislike and Prejudice to that Part of his own Subjects who were against the Government establish'd, and did always look upon them as a very dangerous and feditious People, who would, under pretence of Confcience, which kept them from fubmitting to the fpiritual Jurifdiction, take the first Opportunity they could find or make to withdraw from their temporal Subjection. Pag. 81.

To fpeak firft of his private Qualifications as a Man, before the mention of his princely and royal Virtues. He was, if ever any, the moft worthy of the Title of an honeft Man; fo great a Lover of Justice, that no Temptation could difpofe him to a wrongful Action, except it was fo difguis'd to him that he believ'd it to be juft. He had a Tenderness and Compaffion of Nature, which reftrain'd him from ever doing a hard hearted thing; and therefore he was fo apt to grant Pardon to Malefactors, that the Judges of the Land represented to him the Damage and Infecurity to the Publick that flow'd from fuch his Indulgence. And then he restrain'd himself from pardoning either Murders or Highway Robberies, and quickly difcern'd the Fruits of his Severity, by a wonderful Reformation of those Enormities. He was very punctual and regular in his Devotions: He was never known to enter upon his Recreations or Sports, tho' never fo early in the Morning, before he had been at publick Prayers; fo that on Hunting Days his Chapt

lains were bound to a very early Attendance. He was likewife very strict in obferving the Hours of his private Cabinet Devotion; and was so fevere an Exactor of Gravity and Reverence in all mention of Religion, that he could never endure any light or prophane Word, with what fharpness of Wit foever it was cover'd; And tho' he was well pleas'd and delighted with reading Verfes made upon any Occafion, no Man durft bring before him any thing that was prophane or unclean, that kind of Wit had never any countenance there. He was fo great an Example of conjugal Affection, that they who did not imitate him in that Particular, durft not brag of their Liberty; and he did not only permit, but direct his Bishops to profecute thofe fcandalous Vices in the Ecclefiaftical Courts, against Perfons of Eminence, and near Relation to his Service. Vol. 3. 256.

His Kingly Virtues had fome Mixture and Allay that hinder'd them from fhining in full Luftre, and from producing those Fruits they fhould have been attended with: He was not in his Nature very bountiful, tho' he gave very much. This appear'd more after the Duke of Buckingham's Death, after which thofe Showers fell very rarely, and he paused too long in giving, which made thofe to whom he gave lefs fenfible of the Benefit. He kept State to the full, which made his Court very orderly, no Man prefuming to be feen in a Place where he had no Pretence to be. He faw and obferv'd Men long before he receiv'd them about his Perfon, and did not love Strangers, nor very confident Men. He was a patient Hearer of Caufes, which he frequently accuftom'd himself to at the Council Board, and judg'd very well, and was dexterous in the me diating Part; fo that he often put an End to

Çaufes