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The behavior of the regicides at their execution was bold and resolute: Colonel Harrison declared at the gibbet, that he was fully persuaded that what he had done was the cause and work of God, which he was confident God would own and raise up again, how much soever it suffered at that time. He went through all the indignities and severities of his sufferings, with a calmness or rather cheerfulness, that astonished the spectators; he was turned off, and cut down alive; for after his body was opened, he raised himself up, and gave the executioner a box on the ear.* When Mr. solicitor Cook and Hugh Peters went into the sledge, the head of major-general Harrison was put upon it, with the face bare towards them; but notwithstanding this, Mr. Cooke went out of the world with surprising resolution, blessing God that he had a clear conscience. Hugh Peters was more timid; but after he had seen the execution and quartering of Mr. Cooke, he resumed his courage at length (which some said was artificial) and said to the sheriff, Sir, you have here slain one of the servants of the Lord, and made me behold it, on purpose to terrify and discourage me; but God has made it an ordinance for my strengthening and encouragement.|| Mr. Scot was not allowed to speak to the people, but said in his prayer, that he had been engaged in a cause not to be repented of; I say in a cause not to be repented of.Carew appeared very cheerful as he went to the gibbet, but said little of the cause for which he suffered. Clements also said nothing. Colonel Jones justified the king and court in their proceedings; but added, that they did not satisfy him in so great and deep a point. Colonel Scroop was drawn in the same sledge, whose grave and venerable countenance, accompanied with courage and cheerfulness, raised great compassion in some of the spectators, though the insults and rudeness of others, was cruel and barbarous: He said he was born and bred a gen* State Trials, p. 404.

"It appears from this instance, and many others," observes Mr. Granger, "that the presumption of an enthusiast is much greater than that of a saint. The one is always humble, and works out his own salvation with fear and trembling; the other is arrogant and assuming, and seems to demand it as his right." History of England, vol. iii. p. 339. Ed.

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tleman; and appealed to those who had known him for his behavior; he forgave the instruments of his sufferings, and died for that which he judged to be the cause of Christ. Colonel Axtel and Hacker suffered last; the former behaved with great resolution, and holding the bible in his hand said, "The very cause in which I was engaged is contained in this book of God; and having been fully convinced in my conscience of the justness of the war, Ifreely engaged in the parliament's service, which as I do believe was the cause of the Lord, I ventured my life freely for it, and now die for it." Hacker read a paper to the same purpose; and after having expressed his charity towards his judges, jury, and witnesses, he said, I have nothing lies upon my conscience as guilt whereof I am now condemned, and do not doubt but to have the sentence reversed.

Few, if any of these criminals, were friends of the protector CROMWELL, but gave him all possible disturbance in favor of a commonwealth. Mr. H. Cromwell, in one of his letters from Ireland, 1657-8, says, "It is a sad case, when men, knowing the difficulties we labor under, seek occasions to quarrel and unsettle every thing again ; I hear Harrison, Carew, and Okey, have done new feats. I hope God will infatuate them in their endeavors to disturb the peace of the nation; their folly shews them to be no better than abusers of religion, and such whose hypocrisy the Lord will avenge in due time."

The regicides certainly confounded the cause of the liament, or the necessity of entering into a war to bring pardelinquents to justice, with the king's execution; whereas they fall under a very distinct consideration; the former might be necessary, when the latter had neither law nor equity to support it ;|| for admitting (with them) that the

A distinguished writer, who now ranks a peer, delivers a different opinion from our author. "If a king deserves" says he, "to be opposed by force of arms, he deserves death: if he reduces his subjects to that extremity, the blood spilt in the quarrel lies on him :-the executing him afterwards is a mere formality." Walpole's Royal and Noble Authors, vol. ii. p. 69, as quoted by Dr Harris, Life of Charles II. vol. i. p. 362. A sentiment of this last writer, which carries truth and force in it, may be properly brought forward in this connection. The depriving of the people of their rights and liberties, or.the arguing for the expediency and justice of so doing, is a crime of a higher

king is accountable to his parliament; the house of commons alone is not the parliament; and if it was, it could not be so, after it was under restraint, and one half of the members forcibly kept from their places by the military power. They had no precedent for their conduct, nor any measure of law to try and condemn their sovereign: Though the scripture says, He that sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; yet this is not a rule of duty for private persons, when there is a government subsisting. If the king had fallen in battle it had been a different case; but how criminal soever his majesty might be in their apprehensions, they had no warrant to sit as his judges, and therefore could have no right by their verdict or sentence to put him to death.

There was another act passed this sessions, for a perpetual anniversary thanksgiving on the 29th of May, for his majesty's happy restoration; upon which occasion the bishops were commanded to draw up a suitable form of prayer; and Mr. Robinson, in the preface to his Review of the Case of Liturgies, says, that in their first form, which is since altered, there are these unwarrantable expressions, which I mention only to shew the spirit of the times.-" We beseech thee to give us grace, to remember, and provide for our latter end, by a careful and studious imitation of this thy blessed saint and martyr, and all other thy saints and martyrs that have gone before us; that we may be made worthy to receive the benefit by their prayers, which they, in communion with thy church catholic, offer up unto thee for that part of it here militant, and yet in fight with, and danger from the flesh."+

The books of the great Milton, and Mr. John Goodwin, published in defence of the sentence of death, passed upon his late majesty, were called in by proclamation. And upon

nature, than the murthering or magnifying the murther of the wisest and best prince under heaven. The loss of a good prince is greatly to be lamented; but it is a loss which may be repaired : whereas the loss of a people's liberties is seldom or ever to be recovered: consequently the foe to the latter is much more detestable than the foe to the former. Historical and Critical account of Hugh Peters, p. 49, 50. Ed.

† Dr. Grey asks, "What is there blameable in all this? Here is no praying to saints; and nothing but what was thought warrantable by the fathers long before popery had a being? Ed.

the 27th of August, Milton's Defensio pro Populo Angli. cano contra Salamasium; and his answer to a book entitled, The Portraiture of his sacred Majesty in his Solitude and sufferings, were burnt by the hands of the common hangman; together with Mr. John Goodwin's book, entitled, The Obstructors of Justice; but the authors absconded till the storm was over. It was a surprize to all, that they escaped persecution. None but Goodwin and Peters had magnified the king's execution in their sermons; but Goodwin's being a strenuous arminian procured him friends. Milton had appeared so boldly, though with much wit, and so great purity and elegance of stile, upon the argument of the king's death, that it was thought a strange omission not to except him out of the act of indemnity; but he lived many years after though blind, to acquire immortal renown by his celebrated poem of Paradise Lost.

The tide of joy which overflowed the nation at the king's restoration, brought with it the return of popery, which had been at a very low ebb during the late commotions: Great numbers of that religion came over with his majesty, and crouded about the court, magnifying their sufferings for the late king. A list of the lords, gentlemen, and other officers, who were killed in his service, was printed in red letters, by which it appeared that several noblemen, ten knights and baronets, fourteen colonels, seven lieutenantcolonels, fourteen majors, sixty-six captains, eighteen lieutenants and cornets, and thirty-eight gentlemen, lost their lives in the civil war, besides great numbers who were wounded, and whose estates were sequestered. The queen-mother came from France, and resided at SomersetHouse with her catholic attendants both religious and sec

Burnet, vol. i. p. 236, 37, 12mo. edi.

"And so indeed it was," says Dr. Grey, "he being the most pestilent writer, that appeared at that time in defence of the regicides, Pey. ton and John Goodwin excepted." Milton's safety, it is said, was ow. ing to the powerful intercession and interest of secretary Morrice, sir Thomas Clarges, and Andrew Marvel: but principally to the influence and gratitude of sir William Davenant, whose release Milton had proeured, when he was taken prisoner in 1650. Nor was Charles II, says Toland, such an enemy to the muses as to require his destruction. British Biography, vol. v. p. 313, 14, and Dr. Grey's Examination, vol. iii. p. 298. Ed.

ular. Several Romish priests who had been confined in Newgate, Lancaster, and other gaols, were by order of council set at liberty. Many popish priests were sent over from Douay into England, as missionaries for propagating that religion; and their clergy appeared openly in defiance of the laws; they were busy about the court and city in dispersing popish books of devotion; and the king gave open countenance and protection to such as had been serviceable to him abroad, and came over with him, or soon followed him, which (bishop Kennet says) his majesty could not avoid. Upon the whole, more Roman catholics appeared openly this year, than in all the twelve years of the interregnum.

In Ireland the papists took possession of their estates, which had been forfeited by the rebellion and massacre, and turned out the purchasers; which occasioned such commotions in that kingdom, that the king was obliged to issue out a proclamation, commanding them to wait the determinations of the ensuing parliament. The body of their clergy, by an instrument, bearing date Jan. 1, 1660, O. S. signed and sealed by the chief prelates and officials of their religion, ventured to depute a person of their own communion, to congratulate his majesty's restoration, and to present their humble supplications for the free exercise of their religion, pursuant to the articles of 1648, whom the king received very favorably, and encouraged to hope for an accomplishment of their requests in due time. Such amazing changes happened within nine months after the king's arrival at Whitehall.

The only persons who, under pretence of religion, attempted any thing against the government, were a small number of enthusiasts, who said they were for king Jesus: Their leader was Thomas Venner, a wine-cooper, who, in his little conventicle in Coleman-street, warmed his admirers with passionate expectations of a fifth universal monarchy, under the personal reign of king Jesus upon earth, and that the saints were to take the kingdom themselves. To introduce this imaginary kingdom, they marched out of their meeting-house towards St. Paul's Church-yard, ou Sunday Jan. 6, to the number of about fifty men well arm. ed, and with a resolution to subvert the present govern

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