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The Execution of THOMAS SCOT, the Regicide, the 17th Day of October, 1660.

THE Night before Execution, when he was in the Dungeon, he was (as he had been that Day) fomewhat fadder than at other times; and one ask'd him, if any particular Thing lay on him? He faid, No; but the Lord was pleafed to fufpend his comforting Prefence: But, faid he (with an humble Boldness I would fpeak it) The Lord fhall not put me off with any thing befides himself. After having spent fome Hours in Prayer, as at other Times, about Midnight we left him, and his Fellows, that they might get a little Reft, for the Support of their natural Spirits; and in three or four Hours his Wife, Children, and many other Friends return'd. When we came, we found them praying: As foon as Colonel Scroop had ended, Mr. Scot turned about, and opening his Arms, he imbraced his Wife, and one of his Daughters: Ah, faid he, my dear ones, God is good, he is come, he is come! I am full, I am full. O blefs the Lord for me, and with me! O my Soul, and all that is within me, magnify the Lord! By and by he went to Prayer himself; and one would have thought he had been (as it were) in Heaven, his Soul was fo enlarged in bleffing, praising and magnifying the God of his Salvation. O! faid he to his Wife, I would not change this dark Room for the best Star-Chamber under Heaven. He defir'd his Friends and Relations would not be folicitous for his Body; but let them do what they pleafed, and exercife what Cruelty they would; faying, it was meet it fhould be fo: And that the dead Bodies of the Witneffes must be unburied, that the Scriptures might be fulfill'd.

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Some Part of his Prayer was, to blefs the Lord, that (as the Pfalmift faid) tho' he came in there weeping, and fearing that he had not yet been bearing precious Seed, yet now they were returning rejoicing and triumphing, and carrying their Sheaves with them. Call us not (faid he) Marahs (as he once faid) but call us Naomies; for we came in hither (fome of us) empty, but we are going out full: The Lord hath not writ bitter things, but good of us; for this is glorious Grace, That we are counted worthy to fuffer for GOD and his CAUSE. Oh What fhall we render to the Lord? We will take the Cup of Salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord. Oh our Souls, bless the Lord and we do with our Souls blefs thee, that we have an Eternity to blefs thee in; for no lefs will fatisfy our Souls. And now, O bleffed and glorious God! fhall we be among thy Worthies? If poffible, let us attain to the firit three; but if we attain not to fo glorious a Teftimony as that, yet, O Lord! let us be among thy Worthies. We defire to glorify thy great and bleffed Name, that thou haft in any Meafure enabled us to encourage our Hearts in the Lord our God, at fuch a time as this, when eighty are (as it were) in the Flames; and the People fpeak of worse than ftoning us. When fome fpake of the Reproaches of the People, he faid, he accounted that his Honour.

Mr. Scor's Speech upon the Ladder.

Gentlemen, I ftand here a Spectacle to GOD, to Angels, and Men: To GOD and Angels, to whom I hope I am fhortly a going. And now to you I owe it; to God, and the Nation, and myfelf, to fay fomething concerning each. For myfelf, I think it may become me to tell you how,

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and why I came hither; and fomething in the general, concerning my Capacity. In the Beginning of thefe Troubles I was (as many others were) unfatisfy'd. I faw Liberties and Religion in the Nation in great Danger, to my best Apprehenfion; I faw the Approaches of Popery in a great Measure coming in upon us : I faw

Upon which the Sheriff interrupted him in these Words: If you will betake yourself to Prayer, you

may.

Mr. Scot replied, I shall not speak to reproach

any--

The Sheriff interrupted him again, saying, You have but a little Time, Mr. Scot, therefore betake that Little Time to Prayer.

Mr. Scot replied, I shall speak

The Sheriff interrupted him again, faying, I befeech you, Sir, betake yourself to Prayer.

Mr. Scot faid, it may become me to give an Account of myself, because----

The Sheriff interrupted him again, saying, It doth not become you to Speak any fuch thing here, therefore I beseech you betake yourself to Prayer; it is but a little time you have to live: You know, Mr. Scot, that is the most needful thing.

Mr. Scot replied, 'Tis fo----

The Sheriff interrupted again, faying, Sir, But when you came upon the Stage, you depriv'd yourself very much.

Then faid Mr. Scot, I thought to tell you how I came hither

Here the Sheriff interrupted again, (or else fome one befide the Sheriff) and fpake to this Effect. Every Body knows, that---

Mr. Scot faid, Sir, 'Tis hard that an Englishman hath not Liberty to Speak--

The Sheriff interrupted again, faying, I cannot Suffer you to Speak any fuch thing.

Mr. Scot

Mr. Scot faid, I shall fay no more but this, That it is a very mean and bad Caufe that will not bear the Words of a dying Man; it is not ordinarily denied to - People in this Condition----

The Sheriff interrupted again, faying, Sir, You had a fair Tryal, and you were found guilty.

Mr. Scot replied, 'Tis according to my Mind to Speak what may be Jaid----

Here the Under-Sheriff interrupted, faying, It hath been denied unto your Predeceffors, and will be denied unto you.

Then he pray'd; wherein he has this Expreffion, I say again, to the Praife of the free Grace of God, I blefs his Name, he hath engaged me in a Caufe not to be repented of. I fay, in a Caufe not to be repented of.

His Prayer being ended, he was turn'd off.

HUGH PETERS's Execution, the 17th of O&ober, 1660, as related by a Friend of his.

MR.

R. Peters, as is well known, was exercised under a great Conflict in his own Spirit, during the time of his Imprisonment, fearing (as he would often fay) that he fhould not go thro' his Sufferings with Courage and Comfort, and faid to Friends, that he was fomewhat unprepar'd for Death, and therefore unwilling to die; fomething he said he had committed, and other things omitted, which troubled him; but tho' it was a cloudy and dark Day with him for a Seafon; yet the Light of God's Grace and Favour would break forth at last.

And furely the Favour of God did at the laft appear, for a little before he went forth to Execution (as many can teftify) he was well compofed in his Spirit, and chearfully faid, I thank God

now I can die, I can look Death in the Face and not be afraid.

As for that flanderous Report which was took, much receiv'd by good People as well as bad, to wit, that he was guilty of Uncleannefs; a Friend coming to him in Prifon, put that Queftion ferioufly and foberly to his Soul. To which he reply'd, That he bleffed the Lord he was wholly clear in that Matter, and that he never knew any Woman but his own Wife.

A Night or two before he fuffer'd, two of the Epifcopal Clergy, who, as fome report, were the King's Chaplains, came to give him a Vifit; they endeavour'd to make Advantage of the Temptations wherewith he was then affaulted, and to perfuade him to a Repentance and Recantation of his former Activity in the Parliament Caufe, which they endeavour'd to enforce upon him by a Promife of Pardon from the King, in cafe he would herein hearken to them. But tho' he was then much afflicted in his Spirit, yet the Lord did help him to bear up with much Courage against the Infinuations of that fort of Men, and told them he had no Caufe in the leaft to repent of his adhering to that Intereft; but rather, that he had in the Profecution thereof done no more for God and his People in thefe Nations; and with Civility difmiffing thofe Vifitants, he ap plied himself to fome other Minifters then prefent, whom he judged more able to fpeak a Word in Seafon to him under thefe great Trials, where with the Lord was then pleas'd to exercise him.

Being carried upon the Sledge to Execution, and made to fit therein within the Rails at Cha ring-cross, to behold the Execution of Mr. Cooke, one came to him, and upbraided him with the Death of the King, bidding him (with opprobrious Language) to repent: He reply'd, Friend,

you

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