small Summe of money from the Londoners by threats and violence And then turning to the Nobility he asked a Subsidy of them in vain and he found his Church-men as backward with whom he could do little or nothing Then enterprizing an Expedition to the holy Land to free the King of France he called an Assembly of his Bishops and Peers from whom when he could not obtain one mite of money being like a mad man he drove them all out of the Chamber The Bishop of Ely for that injury was excepted against by him At last some help was afforded him whereupon he was forced to confirm solemnly Magna Charta but that money which he had appointed for the holy Warre was quickly wasted partly by gifts partly by banquetting and other frauds invented for his own destruction Also he had upon a vain hope redeemed the Kingdomes of Sicily for his son Edmund paying a great summe of money to the Pope In the interim the Welsh vexed with great injuries fall away from the Prince and to suppresse these and reduce them to obedience he stood in need of a new supply of money which at last by neat devices and inventions he wrung from them In the mean while Richard Earl of Cornwall the Kings brother at the suit of the Princes of Germany is chosen King of the Romans but shortly when he grew insolent with importunate oppressions and revenges he was put out of the place and returned for England a poor Emperour who went out a rich Earl But Henry that he might make up that money which the Pope had wiped him of by a vain boast of the Kingdom of Sicily he asks once more a Subsidy from his Nobles who refusing stifly and the King pressing for it they fall to odds afterwards calling a new Parliament which the Lords had procured for the safety of the Kingdom he was compelled by Oath and his Son also to confirm it At which time it was Enacted that the Kings Brother with the men of Poictiers that remained in England should presently depart the Kingdom But a contagious pestilence arising either naturally or by some venom these strangers scattered when they departed Many of the Nobility died whereupon many were put to death out of bare suspicion some are cast into prison and some are banished Nor did less evils for this afflict the English for they that had the charge of correcting the errors of others did with all cruelty weed up the miserable English that now so many Lords as there were so many Tyrants there were and the servants were grown like their Masters And that they might stirre up the envy of the subjects against the King they cast all the fault upon him which he endeavoured to free himself from by his publick Writ but all in vain when he was compelled in a solemn Parliament to give that power he had given to twenty four chosen men before to the Earls Montfort and of Glocester and to Spencer taking an Oath to confirm it unto them In the mean while Richard King of the Romans being landed in England Henry growing bolder by the return of his Brother though he were poor first demands a discharge of his Oath from the Pope then he opposed himself against the insolency of the Nobility He flies to help from the French King who is chosen Umpire between Henry and his Nobles to end the controversie but when he did nothing they break forth on all sides into open Warre The Count of Leicester drives forth the Earl of Glocester and storms his Castle and laid a great fine upon the Citizens Then he took the Fort at Worcester and afterwards the Isle of Ely and the Castle of Windsor But the King fearing least he should come so farre as London thought it concerned him to make peace with him They agreed at last on these conditions That all the Castles should be delivered up to the Lords and all strangers at a day appointed should forthwith depart the Kingdom only those excepted who had a Licence given them to stay But the King calling a new Parliament he drew some of the Nobility especially his own sonnes to his party to whom John Comminus Bayly Robert Bruse and others from Scotland joyn'd themselves with these being not a little confirmed he denounceth Warre against the Earls of Leicester and Glocester who did not at all excuse themselves who seeing the King daily increase in Forces levying a sudden but farre less Army oppose the King and here fraud supplied the parts of vertue for setting their Banners behinde without Souldiers they made a shew of a greater Army than they had And fortune helped a good cause for the Kings Forces being dispersed the greatest part of them was oppressed and slain the rest saved themselves by flight But the King the Prince and Earl of Cornwall and his Sonne Henry and all the Scotch Nobility fell into the enemies hands There had been an end of the King and his fortune least a contention arising between the Earls of Leicester and Glocester had given cause to a hot contest and afterwards to a sharp Warre where Leicester being too weak yet fell valiantly with wonderfull glory By the same fortune Simon and Guide Montforts the Sonnes of the Earl of Leicester were banished one into Italy the other into France where afterwards they gave their name to most illustrious families Also their Mother a gallant woman being gone a little before into France ended her life in a Nunnery A new contention being risen amongst the Nobles they sound the Trumpet to Battell again also the Welsh who had helped Earl Monifort are remanded to be slain But peace being confirmed on all sides this trouble abated without blood Rest now obtained at home Edward Prince of Wales at the request of the French King goes forth toward the Warre in Palestina but Richard once King of the Romans died in the mean time whom Henry himself followed shortly after whilst he studied to repair the losses he sustained by Warre EDWARD the first King of England Anno 1272. WHen Henry died Edward staied in Palestina being intent about the holy Warre where he underwent a grievous danger having received three wounds from his adversary with a poisoned weapon But he was cured by the wonderfull piety of his wife who with her mouth in time sucked out the venom from the wounds In his way being made more certain of his Fathers death he came at last over-land into his Country and was inaugurated King At the beginning of his Reign he used the Nobility well but he to abate the insolence of the Clergy commanded their wealth to be brought into his Exchequer and he afflicted them by other means and so drew upon him their envy The Welsh whose custom it was on all occasions to make new Commotions now afresh under their Leader Lionel rise up against Edward and rage with wonderfull pride but this tempest soon vanished for Eleoner the Daughter of Simon Monifort
of the Spring truce being made with the French for three years the King took Margaret the Dukes sister to Wife for Leoner died in the former expedition against the Scot and the Daughter of Philip being betrothed to King Edwards Son he retreated for England Lastly making his incursion into Scotland when he held his Winter Quarters at Carlile where being taken with a dysentery in the way and the disease increasing he died at Burgh upon sands when he had reigned thirty four years He was taller then all the rest of a sorrowfull countenance for chastity like to his Father but in fortitude farre before him he was excellent for Judgement and Continence EDWARD the second King of England Anno 1308. EDward sirnamed Carnarvan by succession came to the Throne when his Father was dead But he at the very beginning shewed what his future Tyranny would be especially in turning upside down what his Father had left in command by his Will and calling Gavestone from banishment a young man of a most base life who for his insolency was exiled by his Fathers order and in his last words forbad him not to recall him who afterwards gave cause of great dissentions for when the King bestowed immoderate gifts upon him he made the Nobility envious against him and himself poor But his Father being yet not interred he endeavoured to conclude the Matrimony with King Philip's Daughter that was contracted when King Edward lived which is performed with great preparation of the Nobles and especially of Gavestone four Kings being present and three Queens except the Bride The Dowry was the Dukedom of Aquitan which the French King had possessed himself of But he being returned into England the Nobles were offended by reason of the too great power of Gavestone they deny the solemnity of the Coronation unless he would banish this insolent odious man from his Court and Kingdom The King seemed to hearken to it and so is inaugurated with his Queen in the Kingdom by the consent of all But whenas he should banish Gavestone he highly promoted him the Nobility not a little murmuring at it In the mean while the chief power was in Gavestone the Nobles had no authority and that he might precede the rest in glory a Tilting was appointed where he obtained the greatest praise His valour was worthy of reward but that the insolent man turned all to the contempt of the Nobility In the mean while a Parliament was called wherein amongst the rest it was Enacted That the Decrees of Magna Charta should be observed Strangers should be put out of their Offices and that all things should be done in a solemn sitting of the Senate nor should the King go out of the Land the Parliament being ignorant of it or against it nor should make Warre against any and that Gavestone should be banished Whereupon he is sent away for Ireland not as a banished man but as President of the Island where also behaving himself well he had deserved commendation and reward But the King by preposterous counsell a contract being made for him with the sister of the Earl of Glocister being impatient of his absence called him back from his banishment and presently settled him in his former grace and favour But he to give the King thanks by cunning flattery sucked the King of all he had that he left him scarce sufficient for his necessity The Nobles in the mean while hating his insolency threaten a generall revolt from the King unless he would send away his proud subject But Gaveston when he had wandred some time in France and Flanders returns privately into England being generally hated being the more confident by reason of the Kings and his Father in Law the Earl of Glecesters favour The King received him most friendly and that his arrivall might be concealed from the Nobles the King takes a journey with him toward York The Nobility that had knowledge of it enter a Conspiracy to which all subscribed but the Earl of Glocester And they make Thomas Earl of Lancaster the head of the faction and so they laid a necessity on the King either to deliver up Gaveston into the hands of the Lords or else to send him out of the Land But Edward being blinde with foolish favour would not hearken to the Lords but shut him up in a strong Castle that so he might escape the envy of the Nobility But they being sworn together besiege the place and compell him to surrender miserably and having taken him they cut off his head Three things were left in charge to Edward by his dying Father and were commanded in his Will namely That he should carry his Fathers bones along with him till he had conquered Scotland That he should expend 30000lb upon the holy Warre And that he should not recall Gaveston He obeyed not the two later for that money decreed for the Holy Warre he bestowed on Gaveston when he was come back for the third we shall see what he did The King of Scots Brusius who had long since intelligence of King Edwards slothfulness would not pass over such an opportunity of well managing his business levying an Army presently reduced all Scotland into his power And not therewith content he enters the borders of England and destroys all by fire and sword Edward to repulse force by force raised an Army of an hundred thousand Souldiers better fitted with furniture than valour which was easily vanquished by the Scotch that were scarce 30000 joyning craft and valour together The chief of the Nobility in this fight were either slain or taken Captives The Earl of Glocester himself when he had given sufficient tokens of his fortitude fighting valiantly in the head of the Army was killed the rest saved themselves by flight This made the hearts of the English to fail and a great part of the Nobles and Commons revolted to the Conquerours by a fearfull example of perjury punished Bruse following his Victories enters upon Ireland with an Army a great part of it he over-runne and depopulated it very farre Also he was saluted King of the same Island the inhabitants falling to him abundantly And he ruled three years untill the Primate of Armath and Berningam the chief Judge in Ireland raising a great Army set upon the Conquerour and take him with a great slaughter of his men and cut off his Head The Scots almost mad with the death of their King waste the Borders of England so farre as York with sword and fire To moderate their Insolence a great Army was raised of the English who marched toward York But discord growing between the Commanders before they saw the Enemy they either slipt away or returned home Then Barwick by the Treason of Peter Spalding was delivered up to the Enemies hands which Edward presently laid siege to But the Earl of Lancaster falling away with his men by reason of a quarrel the Scotch in the mean time making havock of all and
commanded the Garrison refusing to let him in though many Souldiers ran away yet by a fresh supply of the Scots he was disappointed Because this succeeded not he turns about to make conditions for Peace and he offered the Houses to come presently to them and to punish severely the Authors of disagreement so they would leave London that seditious City and chose some other place as Oxford Winchester Cambridge York Bristol Nottingham for to assmble at But the Houses would name no other place least the City of London should be displeased at it for they had more need of the Londoners than of any others The King when that would not take proclaims all men guilty of Treason who should assist the Houses with Money or any other supplies and he threatens the Londoners that if they did it they should lose all their priviledges as they have very great ones The Houses on the other side set as good a gloss upon their Cause as they were able to do Mens mindes and inclinations were distracted by these means The people who are easily led by blinde errour and outward appearances stuck fast to the Parliaments cause Others who were of a higher rank by reason of their Families paid Tribute freely least the Houses should send men to strain on their Shops under a colour of necessity All the Nobles almost held with the King The King in the mean while fortifies Newcastle and Barwick with Garrisons of English wherein doubtless he hurt himself and alienated the hearts of the Scots from him For it was agreed upon before to have them kept by the Scotch souldiers and not by the English But when help came from other parts and the Scots were undervalued they studied to advantage themselves only and though by holding forth Peace he had won many mens hearts yet being driven by despair he attempts by force to gain Hull which he could not do by Policy First he possessed himself of their Fals of Waters and then of their publick Waies that the Towns men might want necessaries but by their Courage and Valour he lost his labour The Houses now Proclaimed openly Warres and they made the Earl of Essex Generall of the Foot Bedford of the Horse The King makes the Earl of Cumberland a very Noble man and faithfull to his Soveraign Generall of his Horse and in the mean time set forth his Declarations to the world and requiring Hull to be delivered up to him that he might punish the insolence of the Governour but nothing prevailed But that Warre Proclaimed might not want its solemnities the King set up his Standard first at Nottingham But when he saw a smaller concourse of men than he believed would have been he again turns about to make conditions He sent Messengers to the Houses to excuse the fact and to desire Articles of Peace But the Houses who knew that this proceeded more from his necessity than love made use of all advantages causing the Kings Commissioners to be brought as Delinquents before the Parliament overthrowing by this means the Law of Nations Then they send to the King that unless he came speedily to London and sent away those Nobles to the Parliament that were fled from them that they might be tried for their Lives and their Estates might be confiscate to maintain their Army they would never lay down their Arms. A very hard condition and no waies to be answered but by the sword Some there were that counselled the King to yield to this but he had yet courage remaining After so many great preambles at length Warre is denounced But we shall pull in our sails unfolding the causes of these dissentions briefly and succinctly as we resolved at first and so hasten to a conclusion least entring afresh into a large field we should tire both our selves and the Reader Pardon therefore this long digression and I shall proceed It was now come to open Warre and the Victory was doubtfull sometimes falling on this side sometimes on that with no small loss of blood on both sides All the particulars are set down at large in Books written to this purpose whither I remit the Reader that desires further knowledge of it Essex was Generall of the Parliament Forces Fairfax he succeeded in his place Divers Battels were fought here and there many Towns vanquished For the greatest part the King had the worst of it who was afterwards also besieged at Oxford by Fairfax and was constrained to fly away in a disguised habit and he came to the Scots that were at Newarke hoping to be received with great humanity by such good subjects as they boasted themselves to be But when both Fortune and Fidelity failed and there was no care taken for him in his affliction They when they could not be good would not be bad and to keep their hands clear they delivered the King to the English under those conditions as they say that no violence should be offered to his Majesty The English being now Masters of their desires carry the King to Holnbey Castle from thence to Hampton Court whither he had fled before for Refuge now a Prison Which place seeming not safe enough for him he went away to the Isle of Wight to be guarded by the Waters and Colonel Hammon using a crafty excuse for a certain Letter was left on the Table whereby the King was advertised that there were some that laid wait for his life whereby he was frighted and fled to a safe place in the Isle of Wight The people though before they were enraged against the King now pitying his case and seeing their errors resolved to plead his Cause They offer their humble Petitions to the Houses that they would not refuse to condescend to make peace with the King and they prevailed so farre that at last the business came to a Treaty with a great deal of seeming satisfaction on both sides with great applause both of the King the Houses and the People but afterward there was an humble Petition exhibited to the Parliament wherein they desired that the King might be tried by the Laws and Justice and all further Treaties with him to be laid aside to which they denied to give an Answer The Army and some of the Parliament not being satisfied they march partly toward Newport to the King who now was a Prisoner at large and conveyed him into Hurst Castle Then marching toward London again they possessed themselves of the City and cast some of the Houses into Prison whilst the rest who foresaw this Tempest saved themselves by flight Here we may see an example of Gods judgement for they that before had ill treated their Master are now compelled to suffer All that consented to the non-addresses are restored to their Honours and Places Then the King in the year 1648. was taken as a Prisoner of Warre and carried to Windsor The remainder of the Parliament with others erect a new and unheard of Tribunal to take cognizance of the Kings case Judges were chosen whose Names are generally known This was done in the year 1649. in January The King was brought before the High-Court of Justice and was accused of these Crimes That he gave the cause of the cruell bloodshed in England and Ireland That he had born Armes against the Parliament That he had given Commissions to his Sonne and others to wage Warre that he might exalt his own Authority with the high detriment of the Commonwealth whence they concluded that he was guilty of Treason and so he was a Traitor a Tyrant and an Enemy to the Common-wealth The King smiled at all these things and gave no answer being further urged he refused to give any answer Whereupon they proceed to Sentence That he was fallen from all his Dignities was guilty of High-Treason and therefore was to lose his Head for being a Tyrant a Robber and an Enemy to the Commonwealth Some making a great shout The Sentence given they proceed to execution though the Holland Embassadours Adrian Paw and Albertus Joachimus with the Scots did their best to hinder the proceedings He obtained leave for Dr Juxton Bishop of London and two of his Children to be with him these for his bodies him for the comfort of his soul At length he sent away his Children with Gifts and Tears only he kept the Minister by him to the last moment of his life The Prince Palatine and the Duke of Richmond came to bid the King their last farewell but the King refused it least they should interrupt the present joys of his soul with new lamenting At last the 30 day of January was appointed for his execution And the King ascended the Scaffold erected before his Banqueting-house from whence he made his last Speech to the People there present and when as now he had sufficiently professed his Innocency he then prepared himself for death and laying his neck on the Block his Head was cut off by a disguised Executioner and he changed a troublesome life for a quiet death In the Year 1649. FINIS