Page images
PDF
EPUB

258

THE King continued as Refolv'd as ever, Not to g His confent. The fame Oratory then attended him at W Hall, which had prevail'd at Westminster; and a Rabble many thousand people belieged that place, crying out, Stice, Fuftice; that they would have fuftice; not without gr and infolent Threats and Expreflions, what they would do, if it were not speedily granted. The Privy-Council was call'd together, to advife what courfe was to be taken to Suppress these Traiterous Riots. Inftead of confidering how to Rescue their Master's Honour and his Confcience from the Infamous Violence and Constraint, they prefs the King to pafs the Bill of Attainder, faying, "There was no other way The Privya to preferve Himself and his Pofterity than by fo doing; Council and "and therefore that he ought to be more tender of the fafety Some of the "of the Kingdom, than of any One Perfon how Innocent vife the Bishops ad"foever: not one Councellor interpofing his opinion to fup- King to pafs port his Master's Magnanimity and Innocence: They who the Bill." were of that mind, either fuppreffing their thoughts through fear, upon the new Doctrine establifh'd than by the new Counsellors, "That no man ought to prefume to advise any "thing in that place contrary to the fenfe of both Houses; others fadly believing, the Force and Violence offer'd to the King, would be, before God and Man, a juft excufe for whatfoever he should do.

His Majesty told them, "That what had been proposed to him to do, was directly contrary to his Confcience, and "that being fo, he was fure they would not perfwade him to "it, though themselves were never fo well fatisfied. To that point, they defired him "To confer with his Bishops, who, they made no question, would better inform his Confcience. The Arch-Bishop of York was at hand; who, to his Argument of Conscience, told him, "That there was a Private "and a Publick Confcience; that his publick Conscience as "a King, might not only difpenfe with, but oblige him to "do that which was against his private Confcience as a Man: "and that the Queftion was not, Whether he fhould Save "the Earl of Strafford, but, whether he should perifh with "him: That the Confcience of a King to preferve his King "dom, the Confcience of a Husband to preferve his Wife, "the Confcience of a Father to preferve his Children (all "which were now in danger) weigh'd down abundantly all "the confiderations the Confcience of a Master or a Friend "could fuggeft to him, for the prefervation of a Friend, or "Servant. And by fuch Unprelatical, Ignominious Arguments, in plain terms advised him, "Even for Confcience "fake, to pass that act.

THOUGH this Bishop acted His part with more prodi-
Vol. I. Part 1.

R

gious

gious Boldness and Impiety, Others of the fame Function (for whofe Learning and Sincerity the King and the World had greater reverence) did not what might have been expected from their Calling or their Truft; but at leaft forbore to fortify and confirm a Confcience, upon the courage and piety of which, the fecurity of their Perfons and their Order, did abfolutely, under God, depend.

DURING thefe perplexities, the Earl of Strafford, taking notice of the straits the King was in, the Rage of the People ftill increafing (from whence he might expect a certain Outrage and Ruin, how conftant foever the King continued to him, and it may be, knowing of an Undertaking (for such an Undertaking there was) by a great Perfon, who had then a Command in the Tower, "That if the King refused to pass "the Bill, to free the Kingdom from the hazard it feem'd to "be in, He would caufe his Head to be ftricken off in the The Earl of "Tower) writ a moft pathetical Letter to the King, full of Strafford acknowledgment of his Favours; but lively reprefenting himself "The Dangers, which threatned Himfelf and his Pofterity, Dorites to his "by the King's perfevering in thofe Favours; and therefore by many Arguments conjuring him "No longer to defer his "Affent to the Bill, that fo his Death might free the King"dom from the many troubles it apprehended.

Majefty to

pass it.

THE delivery of this Letter being quickly known, new Arguments were applied; "That this free confent of his own, "clearly abfolv'd the King from any fcruple that could re"main with him, and fo in the end they extorted from him, The King to fign a Commiffion to fome Lords to pafs the Bill: which figns a Com- was as valid as if he had pafs'd it himself, though they commiffion for forted him even with that circumstance, "That His own hand the paffing "was not in it.

at.

IT may easily be faid, that the Freedom of the Parliament, and his own Negative voice, being thus barbaroully invaded, if his Majefty had, inftead of paffing that Act, come to the House and Diffolv'd the Parliament; or if he had withdrawn himself from that Seditious City, and put himself in the head of his own Army; much of the mischief, which hath fince happen'd, would have been prevented. But whoever truly confiders the ftate of Affairs at that time; the Prevalency of that Faction in both Houses; the Rage and Fury of the People; the Ufe that was made by the Schifmatical Preachers (by whom the Orthodox were generally filenced) of the late Proteftation, in the Pulpits; the Fears and Jealoufies they had infufed into the minds of many fober men, upon the difcourfe of the late Plot; the Constitution of the Council-Table, that there was scarfe an honeft man durst fpeak his Confcience to the King, for fear of his Ruin: and

that

that Those whom he thought moft True to him, Betray'd him every hour, infomuch as his whispers in his Bed Chamber were inftantly convey'd to Thofe against whom those Whispers were; fo that he had very few men to whom he could breath his Confcience and Complaints, that were not Suborn'd against him, or Averfe to his Opinions: That on the other fide, if fome Expedient were not speedily found out, to Allay that Frantick Rage and Combination in the People, there was reafon enough to believe, their Impious hands would be lifted up against his own Perfon, and (which he much more apprehended) against the Perfon of his Royal Confort and laffly, that (befides the difficulty of getting thither) he had no ground to be very confident of his Own Army: I fay, Whoever fadly Contemplates this, will find caufe to confefs, the Part which the King had to act, was not only harder than any Prince, but than any private Gentleman had been expofed to; and that it is much eafier, upon the Accidents and Occurrences, which have Since happen'd, to determine what was not to have been done, than at that time to have forefeen, by what means to have freed himself from the Labyrinth in which he was involv'd.

the 12th

1641.

ALL things being thus tranfacted, to conclude the Fate The Earl be of this great Perfon, He was on the Twelfth day of May headed, May brought from the Tower of London (where he had been a Prisoner near fix Months) to the Scaffold on Tower-Hill; where, with a compofed, undaunted Courage, he told the People, "He was come thither to fatisfy them with his Head; "but that he much fear'd, the Reformation which was be"gun in Blood, would not prove fo fortunate to the Kingdom, as They expected, and he wifh'd: and after great expreffions "Of his Devotions to the Church of England, and "the Proteftant Religion eftablifh'd by Law, and profefs'd "in that Church; of his Loyalty to the King, and Affection "to the peace and welfare of the Kingdom; with marvellous tranquillity of mind, he deliver'd his Head to the Block, where it was fever'd from his Body at a Blow. Many of the Standers by, who had not been over charitable to him in his Life, being much affected with the Courage and Christianity of his Death.

THUS Fell the greatest Subject in power, and little inferior to any in Fortune, that was at that time in any of the three Kingdoms; Who could well remember the time, when he led thofe People, who then purfued him to his Grave. He was a man of great Parts, and extraordinary Endowments of Nature; not unadorn'd with fome addition of Art and Learning, though that again was more improved and illu ftrated by the other; for he had a readiness of Conception,

R 2

and

At the fame

and sharpness of Expreflion, which made his Learning thought more than in truth it was. His first inclinations and addreffes to the Court, were only to establish his Greatness in the Country; where he apprehended fome acts of Power from the Lord Savile, who had been his Rival always there, and of late had strengthen'd himself by being made a Privy-Counfellor, and Officer at Court: but his first attempts were fo profperous, that he contented not himself with being secure from that Lord's Power in the Country, but refted not, till he had bereav'd his adversary of all power and place in Court; and fo fent him down, a moft Abject, Difconfolate old man, to his Country, where he was to have the Superintendency over him too, by getting himself at that time made Lord Prefident of the North. Thefe Succeffes, applied to a nature too Elate and Haughty of it self, and a quicker progress into the greatest Employments and Truft, made him more transported with Difdain of other men, and more Contemning the Forms of business, than haply he would have been, if he had met with fome Interruptions in the beginning, and had pafs'd in a more leisurely gradation to the Office of a States-man.

HE was, no doubt, of great obfervation, and a piercing judgment, both in Things, and Perfons; but his too good skill in Perfons, made him judge the worse of Things: for it was his Misfortune, to be in a time wherein very few wife men were equally employ'd with him; and scarce any (but the Lord Coventry, whofe Truft was more confined) whose Faculties and Abilities were equal to his: So that upon the matter he rely'd wholely upon himself; and difcerning many Defects in moft men, he too much neglected what they faid or did. Of all his Paffions, his Pride was most predominant : which a moderate exercise of ill Fortune might have corrected and reform'd; and which was by the hand of Heaven ftrangely Punifh'd, by bringing his Destruction upon him by Two things that he most defpifed, the People and St Harry Vane. In a word, the Epitaph which Plutarch records that Sylla wrote for himself, may not be unfitly applied to him, "That no man did ever exceed him, either in doing good to "his Friends, or in doing Mischief to his Enemies; for his acts of both kinds were moft notorious.

TOGETHER with that of Attainder of the Earl of Straftime with ford, another Bill was pafs'd by the King, of almost as Fatal the Bill of a Confequence both to the King and Kingdom, as that was pafs'd the to the Earl, "The Act for the perpetual Parliament; as it is Act for the fince call'd.

Attainder,

continuing THE vaft Charge of the two Armies, was no other way this Parlia fupplied (for I have told you before the reason why they

ment.

were

obtain'd.

were fo flow in granting of Subfidies) than by borrowing The Arts by great Sums of Money from the City or Citizens of London, which that upon the Credit of particular Perfons. The Emiffaries in that Act was Negotiation, about the time the Act of Attainder pass'd the Commons, return'd, "That there was no more hope of bor"rowing in the City; that Men had before cheerfully lent "their Eftates, upon their confidence in the Honour and "Justice of the two Houses; but they had now confider'd "how defperate that Security muft prove, if the two Houses "fhould be Diffolv'd. Which confideration, begun to have an univerfal Influence upon all Those who were Perfonally Bound for Moneys already borrow'd; "For that their Per"fons and Fortunes must answer thofe Sums which had been "paid for the Publick benefit, if the Parliament fhould be Dif"folv'd before any Act pafs for their Security. That their "Fears and Apprehenfions that this might happen, were "much advanced by the late Discovery of the Plot against "the Parliament; for though the particulars thereof were "not yet publifh'd, they difcern'd there was not that good "meaning to the Parliament, as it deferv'd. This was no fooner offer'd, than the Reasonableness of the Objection was enforced; and the Neceffity of finding fome Expedient «To "fatisfy the People of the gracious Intention and Refolution "of the King; which were moft unquestionable (for in all thofe Articles of time, when they were to demand fome unreasonable thing from him, they fpared no dutiful mention of the Piety and Goodnels of his own Princely Nature; or large Promises what demonftrations of Duty they would shorty make to him) No way could be thought of fo fure, as an Act of Parliament, "That this Parliament fhould not be "Adjourn'd, Prorogu'd, or Diffolv'd but by Act of Parlia"ment; which, upon this occafion, his Majefty would never "deny to País.

te

IT is not credible, what an univerfal reception and concurrence this Motion met with (which was to remove the Landmarks, and to destroy the Foundation of the Kingdom) infomuch, as a Committee was immediately appointed to withdraw, and to prepare a fhort Bill to that purpofe; which was within a fhort time (lefs than an Hour) brought into the House, and immediately twice Read, and Committed; an expedition scarce ever heard of before in Parliament; and the next day, with as little agitation, and the contradiction of very few Voices, Ingrofs'd and carried up to the Lords: with them it had fome Debate, and Amendments, which were deliver'd at a Conference, the principal whereof was, "That the time fhould be limited and not left indefinite, and "that it fhould not be Diffolv'd within two Years, except by ❝ confent

R 3

« PreviousContinue »