the Common-wealth since my Subjects can hardly be happy if I be miserable or enjoy their peace and liberties while I am oppressed The world may see how soon mens design like Absoloms is by enormous actions to widen differences and exasperate all sides to such distances as may make all reconciliation desperate Yet I thank God I can not only with patience bear this as other indignities but with Charity forgive them The integrity of My intentions is not jealous of any injury My expressions can do them for although the confidence of privacy may admit greater freedom in writing such Letters which may be liable to envious exceptions yet the Innocency of My chief purposes cannot be so obtained or mis-interpreted by them as not to let all men seâ— that I wish nothing more then an happy composure of differences with Justice and Honour not more to My own then My peoples content who have any sparks of Love or Loyalty left in them who by those My Letters may be convinced that I can both mind and act My own and My Kingdomes Affaires so as becomes a Prince which Mine Enemies have alwayes been very loath should be belâ—eved of me as if I were wholly confined to the Dictates and Directions of others whom they please to brand with the names of Evill Counsellours It s probable some men will now look upon me as my own Counsellour and having none else to quarrell with under that notion they will hereafter confine theâ—r anger to my self Although I know they are very unwilling I should enjoy the liberty of my own Thoughts or follow the light of my own Conscience which they labour to bring into an absolute captivity to themselves not allowing me to think their Counsels to be other then good for me which have so long maintained a War against Me. The Victory they obtained that day when my Letters became their prize had been enough to have satiated the most ambitious thirst of popular glory among the Vulgar with whom prosperity gaines the greatest esteem and applause as adversity exposeth to their greatest slighting and dis-respect As if good fortune were alwayes the shadow of Vertue and Justice and did not oftner attend vitious and injurious actions as to this world But I see no secular advantages seeme sufficient to that cause which began with Tumults and depends chiefty upon the reputation with the vulgar They think no Victories so effectuall to their designes as those that most rout and waste my Credit with my People in whose hearts they seek by all meanes to smother and extinguish all sparks of Love Respect and Loyalty to Me that they may never kindle again so as to recover Mine the Lawes and the Kingdomes Liberties which some men seek to overthrow The taking away of my Credit is but a necessary preparation to the taking away of my Life and my Kingdomes First I must seem neither fit to Live nor worthy to Reign By exquisite methods of cunning and cruelty I must be compelled first to follow the Funeralls of my Honour and then be destroyed But I know Gods un-erring and impartiall Justice can and will over-rule the most perverse wills and designes of men He is able and I hope will turn even the worst of mine Enemies thoughts and actions to my good Nor doe I think that by the surprize of my Letters I have lost any more then so many papers How much they have lost of that reputation for Civility and Humanity which ought to be pay'd to all men and most becomes such as pretend to Religion besides that of respect and Honour which they owe to their KING present and after-times will judge And I cannot think that their owne consciences are so stupid as not to inflict upon them some secret impressions of that shame and dishonour which attends all unworthy actions have they never so much of publique flattery and popular countenance I am sure they can never expect the divine approbation of such indecent actions if they doe but remember how God blest the modest respect and filiall tendernesse which Noah's Sonnes bare to their Father nor did his open infirmity justifie Chams impudency or exempt him from that curse of being Servant of Servants which curse must needs be on them who seek by dishonourable actions to please the Vulgar and confirme by ignoble acts their dependance upon the People Nor can their malitious intentions be ever either excusable or prosperous who thought by this means to expose Me to the highest reproach and contempt of My People forgetting that duty of modest concealment which they owed to the Father of their Country in case they had discovered any reall uncomelinesse which I thank God they did not who can and I believe hath made Me more respected in the hearts of many as he did David to whom they thought by publishing My private Letters to have rendred Me as a Vile Person not fit to be trusted or considered under any Notion of Majesty But thou O Lord whose wise and all-disposing providence ordereth the greatest contingences of humane affaires make me to see the constancy of thy mercies to me in the greatest advantages thou seemest to give the malice of my Enemies against me As thou didst blast the counsel of Achitophel turning it to Davids good and his owne ruine so canst thou defeat their designe who intended by publishing my private Letters nothing else but to render me more odious and contemptible to My People I must first appeale to thy Omniscience who canst witnesse with my integrity how unjust and false those scandalous misconstructions are which my enemies endeavour by those Papers of mine to represent to the world Make the evill they imagined and displeasure they intended thereby against me so to returne on their owne heads that they may be ashamed and covered with their owne confusion as with a Cloake Thou seest how mine Enemies use all meanes to cloud mine Honour to pervert my purposes and to slander the footsteps of thine Anoynted But give me an heart content to be dishonoured for thy sake and thy Churches good Fix in me a purpose to honour thee and then I know thou wilt honour me either by restoring to me the enjoyment of that Power and Majesty which thou hast suffered some men to seek to deprive me of or by bestowing on me that crowne of Christian patience which knows how to serve thee in honour or dishonour in good report or evill Thou O Lord art the fountaine of goodnesse and honour thou art clothed with excellent Majesty make me to partake of thy excellency for wisdome justice and mercy and I shall not want that degree of Honour and Majesty which becomes the Place in which thou hast set Me who art the lifter up of My head and My salvation Lord by thy Grace lead Me to thy Glory which is both true and eternall 22. Vpon His Majesties leaving Oxford and going to the Scots ALthough God hath given Mee three Kingdomes
on our purpose to amend When thou hast vindicated thy glory by thy Iudgments and hast shewed us how unsafe it is to offend thee upon presumptions afterwards to please thee Then I trust thy mercies will restore those blessings to us which we have so much abused as to force thee to deprive us of them For want of timely repentance of our sinnes Thou givest us cause to Repent of those Remedies we too late apply Yet I doe not Repent of My calling this last Parliament because ô Lord I did it with an upright intention to Thy glory and My Peoples good The miseries which have ensued upon Me and My Kingdomes are the Iust effects of thy displeasure upon us and may be yet through thy mercy preparatives of us to future blessings and better hearts to enjoy them O Lord though thou hast deprived us of many former comforts yet grant Me and My people the benefit of our afflictions and thy chastisements that thy rod as well as thy staffe may comfort us Then shall we dare to account them the strokes not of an Enemy but a Father when thou givest us those humble affections that measure of patience in repentance which becomes thy Children I shall have no cause to repent the miseries this Parliament hath occasioned when by them thou hast brought Me and My People unfeignedly to repent of the sinnes we have committed Thy Grace is infinitely better with our sufferings then our Peace could be with Our sinnes O thou soveraigne goodnesse and wisdome who Over-rulest all our Counsels over-rule also all our hearts That the worse things we suffer by thy Iustice the better we may be by thy Mercy As our sinnes have turned our Antidotes into Poyson so let thy Grace turne our Poysons into Antidotes As the sins of our Peace disposed us to this unhappy Warre so let this Warre prepare us for thy blessed Peace That although I have but troublesome Kingdoms here yet I may attaine to that Kingdome of Peace in My Heart and in thy Heaven which Christ hath purchased and thou wilt give to thy Servant though a Sinner for my Saviours sake Amen 2. Vpon the Earle of Straffords death I Looked upon my Lord of Strafford as a Gentleman whose great abilities might make a Prince rather afraid then ashamed to employ him in the greatest affaires of State For those were prone to create in him great confidence of undertakings and this was like enough to betray him to great errours and many enemies Whereof he could not but contract good store while moving in so high a spheare and with so vigorous a lustre he must needs as the Sun raise many envious exhalations which condensed by a popular odium were capable to cast a cloud upon the brightest merit and integrity Though I cannot in My Judgment approve all he did driven it may be by the necessities of times and the Temper of that People more then led by his owne disposition to any height and rigour of actions yet I could never be convinced of any such criminousnesse in him as willingly to expose his life to the stroke of Justice and malice of his enemies I never met with a more unhappy conjuncture of affaires then in the businesse of that unfortunate Earle when between My owne unsatisfiednesse in Conscience and a necessity as some told me of satisfying the importunities of some people I was perswaded by those that I think wished me well to chuse rather what was safe then what seemed just preferring the outward peace of My Kingdoms with men before that inward exactnesse of Conscience before God And indeed I am so farre from excusing or denying that complyance on My part for plenary consent it was not to his destruction whom in My Judgment I thought not by any cleare Law guilty of death That I never bare any touch of Conscience with greater regret which as a signe of My repentance I have often with sorrow confessed both to God and men as an act of so sinfull frailty that it discovered more a feare of Man than of God whose name and place on Earth no man is worthy to beare who will avoid inconveniences of State by acts of so high injustice as no publique convenience can expiate or compensate I see it a bad exchange to wound a mans owne Conscience thereby to salve State sores to calme the stormes of popular discontents by stirring up a tempest in a mans owne bosome Nor hath Gods Justice failed in the event and sad consequences to shew the world the fallacy of that Maxime Better one man perish though unjustly then the people be displeased or destroyed For In all likelyhood I could never have suffred with My People greater calamities yet with greater comfort had I vindicated Strafford's innocency at least by denying to Signe that destructive BILL according to that Justice which My Conscience suggested to Me then I have done since I gratified some mens unthankfull importunities with so cruell a favour And I have observed that those who counselled Me to signe that Bill have been so farre from receiving the rewards of such ingratiatings with the People that no men have been harassed and crushed more than they He onely hath been least vexed by them who counselled Me not to consent against the vote of My owne Conscience I hope God hath forgiven Me and them the sinfull rashnesse of that businesse To which being in My soule so fully conscious those Judgements God hath pleased to send upon Me are so much the more welcome as a meanes I hope which his mercy hath sanctified so to Me as to make Me repent of that unjuâ—t Act for so it was to Me and for the future to teach Me That the best rule of policy is to preferre the doing of Justice before all enjoyments and the peace of My Conscience before the preservation of My Kingdomes Nor hath any thing more fortified My resolutions against all those violent importunities which since have sought to gaine alike consent from Me to Acts wherein my Conscience is unsatisfied then the sharp touches I have had for what passed Me in My Lord of Strafford's Businesse Not that I resolved to have employed him in My affaires against the advise of My Parliament but I would not have had any hand in his Death of whose Guiltlesnesse I was better assured then any man living could be Nor were the Crimes objected against him so cleare as after a long and faire hearing to give convincing satisfaction to the Major part of both Houses especially that of the Lords of whom scarce a third part were present when the Bill passed that House And for the House of Commons many Gentlemen disposed enough to diminish My Lord of Straffords greatnesse and power yet unsatisfied of his guilt in Law durst not Condemne him to die who for their Integrity in their Votes were by Posting their Names exposed to the popular calumny hatred and fury which grew then so exorbitant in their clamours
though thou hast not punished us according to our sins Turne thee O Lord unto me have mercy upon me for I am desolate and afflicted The sorrowes of my heart are enlarged O bring thou me out of my troubles Hast thou forgotten to be gracious and shut up thy loving kindnesse in displeasure O remember thy compassions of old and thy loving kindnesses which have been for many generations I had utterly fainted if I had not beleeved to see thy goodnesse in the land of the living Let not the sinnes of our prosperity deprive us of the benefit of thy afflictions Let this fiery triall consume the drosse which in long peace and plenty we had contracted Though thou continuest miseries yet withdraw not thy grace what is wanting of prosperity make up in patience and repentance And if thy anger be not to be yet turned away but thy hand of justice must be stretched out still Let it I beseech thee be against me and my Fathers house as for these sheep what have they done Let my sufferings satiate the malice of mine and thy Churches Enemies But let their cruelty never exceed the measure of my charity Banish from me all thoughts of Revenge that I may not lose the reward nor thou the glory of my patience As thou givest me a heart to forgive them so I beseech thee doe thou forgive what they have done against thee and me And now ô Lord as thou hast given me an heart to pray unto thee so hear and accept this Vow which I make before thee If thou wilt in mercy remember Me and my Kingdomes In continuing the light of thy Gospell and setling thy true Religion among us In restoring to us the benefit of the Lawes and the due execution of Iustice. In suppressing the many Schismes in Church and Factions in State If thou wilt restorâ— me and mine to the Ancient rights and glory of my Predecessours If thou wilt turne the heâ—rts of my people to thy self in Piety to me in Loyalty and to one another in Charity If thou wilt quench the flames and withdraw the fewell of these Civill Warres If thou wilt blesse us with the freedome of publick Counsels and deliver the Honour of Parliaments from the insolencie of the vulgar If thou wilt keep me from the great offence of enacting any thing against my Conscience and especially from consenting to sacrilegious rapines and spoilings of thy Church If thou wilt restore me to a capacity to glorifie thee in doing good both to the Church and State Then shall my soul praise thee and magnifie thy name before my People Then shall thy glory be dearer to me then my Crownes and the advancement of true Religion both in purity and power be my chiefest care Then will I rule my People with Iustice and â—y Kingdomes with equity To thy more immediate hand shall I ever own as the rightfull succession so the mercifull restauration of My Kingdomes and the glory of them If thou wilt bring Me again with peace safety and â—onour to My chiefest City and my Parliament If thou wilt againe put the Sword of Iustice into My hand to punish and protect Then will I make all the world to see and my very Enemies to enjoy the benefit of this Vow and resolution of Christian charity which I now make unto thee O Lord. As I doe freely pardon for Christ's sake those that have offended me in any kind so my hand shall never be against any man to revenge what is past in regard of any particular injury done to me We have been mutually punished in our unnaturall divisions for thy sake O Lord and for the love of my Redeemer have I purposed this in my heart That I will use all means in the waies of amnesty and indempnity which may most fully remove all feares and bury all jealousies in forgetfulnesse Let thy mercies be toward me and mine as my resolutions of Truth and Peace are toward my People Heare my prayer O Lord which goeth not out of fayned lips Blessed be God who hath not turned away my prayer nor taken his mercy from me O my soule commit thy way to the Lord trust in him and he shall bring it to passe But if thou wilt not restore me and mine what am I that I should charge thee foolishly Thou O Lord hast given and thou hast taken Blessed be thy name May my People and thy Church be happy if not by me yet without me 26. Vpon the Armies Surprisall of the KING at Holmeby and the ensuing distractions in the two Houses the Army and the City WHat part God will have me now to act or suffer in this new and strange scene of affaires I am not much solicitous some little practise will serve that man who onely seeks to represent a part of honesty and honour This surprize of Me tells the world that a KING cannot be so low but He is consideraâ—le adding weight to that Party where he appeares This motion like others of the Times seems excentrique and irregular yet not well to be resisted or quieted Better swim down such a stream than in vain to strive against it These are but the struglings of those twins which lately one womb enclosed the younger striving to prevaile against the elder what the Presbyterians have hunted after the Independents now seek to catch for themselves So impossible is it for lines to be drawn from the center and not to divide from each other so much the wider by how much they go farther from the point of union That the Builders of Babel should from division fall to confusion is no wonder but for those that pretend to build Ierusalem to divide their tongues and hands is but an ill â—men and sounds too like the fury of those Zealots whose intestine bitternesse and divisions were the greatest occasion of the last fatall destruction of that City Well may I change my Keepers and Prison but not my captive condition onely with this hope of bettering that those who are so much professed Patrons for the Peoples Liberties cannot be utterly against the Liberty of their KING what they demand for their owne Consciences they cannot in Reason deny to Mine In this they seem more ingenuous than â—â—e Presbyterian rigour who sometimes complaining of exacting their conformity to laws are become the greatest Exactors of other mens submission to their novell injunctions before they are stamped with the Authority of Lawes which they cannot well have without My conâ—ent 'T is a great argument that the Independents think themselves manumitted from their Rivals service in that they carry on a businesse of such consequence as the assuming My Person into the Armies custody without any Commission but that of their owne will and power Such as will thus adventure on a King must not be thought over-modest or timerous to carry on any designe they have a mind to Their next motion menaces and scares both the two Houses and the City which soone
call Justice while they flatter themselves with the fancy of their owne safety by My danger and the security of their lives designes by My Death forgetting that as the greatest temptations to sinne are wrapped up in seeming prosperities so the severest vengeances of God are then most accomplished when men are suffered to compleat their wicked purposes I blesse God I pray not so much that this bitter cup of a violent death may passe from Me as that of his wrath may passe from all those whose hands by deserting Me are sprinkled or by acting and consenting to My death are embrued with My bloud The will of God hath confined and concluded Mine I shall have the pleasure of dying without any pleasure of desired vengeance This I think becomes a Christian toward his Enemies and a King toward his Subjects They cannot deprive Me of more than I am content to lose when God sees fit by their hands to take it from me whose mercy I believe will more then infinitely recompence what ever by mans injustice he is pleased to deprive me of The glory attending my death will farre surpasse all I could enjoy or conceive in life I shall not want the heavy and envied Crownes of this world when my God hath mercifully crowned and consummated his graces with glory and exchanged the shadows of my earthly Kingdomes among men for the substance of that heavenly kingdome with himself For the censures of the world I know the sharp and necessary tyranny of my Destroyers will sufficiently confute the calumnies of tyranny against me I am perswaded I am happy in the judicious love of the ablest and best of my Subjects who doe not onely pity and pray for me but would be content even to die with me or for me These know how to excuse my failings as a man and yet to retaine and pay their duty to me as their King there being no religious necessity binding any Subjects by pretending to punish infinitely to exceed the faults and errours of their Princes especially there where more then sufficient satisfaction hath been made to the publike the enjoyment of which private ambitions have hitherto frustrated Others I believe of sofâ—er tempers and lesse advantaged by my ruine doe already feel sharp convictions and some remoâ—se in their consciences where they cannot but see the proportions of their evill dealings against me in the measure of Gods retaliations upon them who cannot hope long to enjoy their owne thumbs and toes having under pretence of paring others nailes been so cruell as to cut off their chiefest strength The punishment of the more insolent and obstinate may be lâ—ke that of Korah his Complices at once mutining against both Prince Priest in such a method of divine justice as is not ordinary the earth of the lowest and meanest people opening upon them and swallowing them up in a just disdaine of their ill-gotten and worse-used Authority upon whose support and strength they chiefly depended for their building and establishing their designes against Me the Church and State My chiefest comfort in death consists in my peace which I trust is made with God before whose exact Tribunal I shall not feare to appeare as to the Cause so long disputed by the Sword between me and my causlesse Enemies where I doubt not but his righteous judgment will confute their fallacy who from worldly successe rather like Sophisters than sound Christians draw those popular conclusions for Gods approbation of their actions whose wise providence we know oft permits many events which his revealed Word the onely cleare safe and fixed rule of good actions and good consciences in no sort approves I am confident the Justice of my Cause and clearness of My Conscience before God toward my people will carry me as much above them in Gods decision as their successes have lifted them above me in the Vulgar opinion who consider not that many times those undertakings of men are lifted up to Heaven in the prosperity and applause of the world whose rise is from Hell as to the injuriousnesse and oppression of the designe The prosperous winds which oft fill the sayles of Pirats doth not justifie their piracy and rapine I look upon it with infinite more content and quiet of Soule to have been worsted in my enforced contestation for and vindication of the Laws of the Land the freedome and honour of Parliaments the rights of my Crown the just liberty of my Subjects and the true Christian Religion in its Doctrine Government and due encouragements then if I had with the greatest advantages of successe overborne them all as some men have now evidently done whatever designes they at first pretended The prayers and patience of my Friends and loving Subjects will contribute much to the sweetning of this bitter cup which I doubt not but I shall more cheerfully take and drink as from Gods hand if it must be so than they can give it to me whose hands are unjustly and barbarously lifted up agaâ—nst me And as to the last event I may seem to owe more to my Enemies than my Friends while those will put a period to the sinnes and sorrows attending this miserable life wherewith these desire I might still contend I shall be more than Conquerour through Christ enabling me for whom I have hitherto suffered as he is the Authour of Truth Order and Peace for all which I have been forced to contend against Errour Faction and confusion If I must suffer a violent death with my Saviour it is but mortality crowned with martyrdomeâ— where the debt of death which I owe for sinne to nature shall be raised as a gift of faith and patience offered to God Which I humbly beseech him mercifully to accept and although death be the wages of my owne sinne as from God and the effect of others sinnes as men both against God and me yet as I hope my own sinnes are so remitted that they shall be no ingredients to imbitter the cup of my death so I desire God to pardon their sins who are most guilty of my destruction The Trophees of my charity will be more glorious and durable over them than their ill-managed victories over me Though their sin be prosperous yet they had need to be penitent that they may be pardoned Both which I pray God they may obtain that my temporall death unjustly inflicted by them may not be revenged by Gods just inflicting eternall death upon them for I look upon the temporall destruction of the greatest King as far lesse deprecable than the eternall damnation of the meanest Subject Nor do I wish other than the safe bringing of the ship to shore when they have cast me overboard though it be very strange that Mariners can find no other means to appease the storme themselves have raised but by drowning their Pilot. I thank God my Enemies cruelty cannot prevent my preparation whose malice in this I shall defeat that they shall not have
IMMOTA TRIUMPHANS Clarior é tenebris CRESCIT SUB PONDERE VIRTUS Coeâ—i â—â—pecto Asperam at Levem Gratia Christi Tracto IN VERBO TUO SPES MEA Beatam et Eternam Gloria Splendidam at Gravem Vanitas Mundi 〈◊〉 Guilâ—â— Marshall Sculpsit Εικων Βασιλικη THE POVRTRAICTVRE OF HIS SACRED MAIESTIE IN HIS SOLITVDES AND SVFFERINGS ROM 8. More then Conquerour c. Bona agere mala pati Regium est M. DC XLVIII THE CONTENTS 1. UPon His Majesties calling this last Parliament p. 1. 2. Vpon the Earle of Strafford's death 6. 3. Vpon His Majesties going to the House of Commons 12. 4. Vpon the Insolency of the Tumults 17. 5. Vpon His Majesties passing the Bill for the Trienniall Parliaments And after setling this during the pleasure of the two Houses 26. 6. Vpon His Majesties retirement from VVestminster 34. 7. Vpon the Queens departure and absence out of England 41. 8. Vpon His Majesties repulse at Hull and the fates of the Hothams 47. 9. Vpon the Listing and raising Armies against the King 54. 10. Vpon their seizing the Kings Magazines Forts Navy and Militia 66. 11. Vpon the 19. Propositions first sent to the King and more afterwards 75. 12. Vpon the Rebellion and troubles in Ireland 89. 13. Vpon the Calling in of the Scots and their Comming 100. 14. Vpon the Covenant 110. 15. Vpon the many Iealousies raised and Scandals cast upon the King to stirre up the People against Him 122. 16. Vpon the Ordinance against the Common-Prayer-Booke 138. 17. Of the differences between the King and the 2 Houses in point of Church-government 147. 18. Vpon Vxbridge-Treaty and other Offers made by the King p. 166. 19. Vpon the various events of the War Victories and Defeats 172. 20. Vpon the Reformations of the Times 181. 21. Vpon His Majesties Letters taken and divulged 189. 22. Vpon His Majesties leaving Oxford and going to the Scots 197. 23. Vpon the Scots delivering the King to the English and His Captivity at Holmeby 201. 24. Vpon their denying His Majesty the Attendance of His Chaplaines 206. 25. Penitentiall Meditations and Vowes in the KING'S solitude at Holmeby 218. 26. Vpon the Armies Surprisall of the KING at Holmeby and the ensuing distractions in the two Houses the Army and the City 223. 27. To the Prince of VVales 232. Meditations upon Death aftâ—r the Votes of Non-Addresses and HIS MAJESTIES closer Imprisonment in Carisbrooke-Castle p. 252. ERRATA PAg. 12. l. 11. r. O make me l. 12. r. of joy p. 14. l. 9. r. attended me p. 21. l. 16. r. in any man p. 28. l. 10. r. Honour p. 33. l. 13. r. for my sins p. 34. l. 4. r. to Sea by a storme p. 37. l. 20. r. obtrusions p. 51. l. 21. r. perpetrations p. 52. l. 1. r. for as his death p. 58. l. 27. r. was the Bill p. 61. l. 24. r. knew p. 68. l. 17. r. power so p. 87. l. 19. for thy r. the. p. 112. l. 5. r. populacy p. 114. l. 24. r. crosse not their p. 131. l. 18. r. no meâ— p. 142. l. 1â— r. bâ— expected p. 186. l. 19. r. ever will p. 205. l. 27. r. Saviours p. 233. l. 27. r. le Bon. ΕΙΚΩΠΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΗ 1. Vpon His Majesties calling this last Parliament THis last Parliament I called not more by others advise and necessity of My affaires then by My owne choice and inclination who have alwaies thought the right way of Parliaments most safe for My Crowne and best pleasing to My People And although I was not forgetfull of those sparks which some mens distempers formerly studied to kindle in Parliaments which by forbearing to convene for some yeares I hoped to have extinguished yet resolving with My self to give all just satisfaction to modest and sober desires and to redresse all publique grievances in Church State I hoped by My freedome and their moderation to prevent all misunderstandings and miscarriages in this In which as I feared affaires would meet with some passion and prejudice in other men so I resolved they should find least of them in My selfe not doubting but by the weight of Reason I should counterpoize the over-ballancings of any factions I was indeed sorry to heare with what partiality and popular heat Elections were carried in many places yet hoping that the gravity and discretion of other Gentlemen would allay and fix the Commons to a due temperament guiding some mens wel-meaning zeale by such rules of moderation as are best both to preserve and restore the health of all States and Kingdomes No man was better pleased with the convening of this Parliament then My self who knowing best the largenesse of My owne Heart toward My Peoples good and just contentment pleased My self most in that good and firme understanding which would hence grow between Me and My People All Jealousies being laid aside My owne and My Childrens Interests gave me many obligations to seek and preserve the love and welfare of my Subjects The onely temporall blessing that is left to the ambition of just Monarchs as their greatest honour and safety next Gods protection I cared not to lessen My selfe in some things of My wonted Prerogative since I knew I could be no loser if I might gaine but a recompence in My Subjects affections I intended not onely to oblige My friends but Mine enemies also exceeding even the desires of those that were factiously discontented if they did but pretend to any modest and sober sense The odium and offences which some mens rigour or remissnesse in Church and State had contracted upon My Government I resolved to have expiated by such Lawes and regulations for the future as might not onely rectifâ—e what was amisse in practise but supply what was defective in the constitution No man having a greater zeale to see Religion setled and preserved in Truth Unity and Order then My selfe whom it most concernes both in piety and policy as knowing that No flames of civil dissentions are more dangerous then those which make Religious pretensions the grounds of Factions I resolved to reforme what I should by free and full advice in Parliament be convinced to be amisse and to grant whatever My Reason Conscience told Me was fit to be desired I wish I had kept My self within those bounds and not suffered My owne Judgment to have been over-borne in some things more by others Importunities than their Arguments My confidence had lesse betrayed My selfe and My Kingdomes to those advantages which some men sought for who wanted nothing but power and occasion to do mischief But our sinnes being ripe there was no preventing of Gods Justice from reaping that glory in our Calamities which we robb'd him of in our Prosperity For thou ô Lord hast made us see that Resolutions of future Reforming doe not alwaies satisfie thy Iustice nor prevent thy Vengeance for former miscarriages Our sinnes have overlaid our hopes Thou hast taught us to depend on thy mercies to forgive not
as with earnestnesse to desire advantages of doing good or evill A continuall Parliament I thought would but keep the Common-weale in tune by preserving Lawes in their due execution and vigour wherein My interest lies more than any mans since by those Lawes My Rights as a KING would be preserved no lesse than My Subjects which is all I desired More than the Law gives Me I would not have and lesse the meanest Subject should not Some as I have heard gave it out that I soon repented Me of that setling Act and many would needs perswade Me I had cause so to doe but I could not easily nor suddenly suspect such ingratitude in Men of Honors That the more I granted them the lesse I should have and enjoy with them I still counted My self undiminished by My largest concessions if by them I might gaine and confirm the love of My People Of which I doe not yet dispaire but that God will still blesse Me with increase of it when Men shall have more leisure and lesse prejudice that so with unpassionate representations they may reflect upon those as I think not more princely then friendly contributions which I granted towards the perpetuating of their happinesse who are now onely miserable in this That some mens ambition will not give them leave to enjoy what I intended for their good Nor doe I doubt but that in Gods due time the Loyal and cleared affections of My people will strive to returne such retributions of Honour and love to Me or My Posterity as may fully compensate both the acts of My confidence and My sufferings for them which God knowes have been neither few nor small nor short occasioned chiefly by a perswasion I had that I could not grant too much or distrust too little to Men that being professedly My Subjects pretented singular piety and religious strictnesse The Injury of all Injuries is That which some men will needs load Me withall as if I were a wilfull and resolved Occasioner of My owne and My Subjects miseries while as they confidently but God knows falsly divulge I repining at the establishment of this Parliament endeavoured by force and open hostility to undoe what by My Royall assent I had done Sure it had argued a very short sight of things and extreame fatuity of mind in Me so farre to bind My owne hands at their request if I had shortly meant to have used a Sword against them God knows though I had then a sense of Injuries yet not such as to think them worth vindicating by a War I was not then compelled as since to injure My self by their not using favours with the same candour wherewith they were conferâ—ed The Tumults indeed threatned to abuse all Acts of Grace and turne them into wantonnâ—sse but I thought at length their owne feares whose black arts first raised up those turbulent Spirits would force them to conjure them downe againe Nor if I had justly resented any indignities put upon Me or others was I then in any capacity to have taken just revenge in an Hostile and Warlike way upon those whom I knew so well fortified in the love of the meaner sort of the people that I could not have given My enemies greater and more desired advantages against Me then by so unprincely Inconstancy to have assaulted them with Armes thereby to scatter them whom but lately I had solemnly setled by an Act of Parliament God knowes I longed for nothing more then that My self and My Subjects might quietly enjoy the fruits of My many condescendings It had been a Course full of sinne as well as of Hazard and dishonour for Me to goe about the cutting up of that by the Sword which I had so lately planted so much as I thought to my Subjects content and Mine own too in all probability If some men had not feared where no fear was whose security consisted in scaring others I thank God I know so well the sincerity and uprightnesse of My owne heart in passing that great Bill which exceeded the very thoughts of former times That although I may seeme lesse a Polititian to men yet I need no secret distinctions or evasions before God Nor had I any reservations in My own Soule when I passed it nor repentings after till I saw that My letting some men go up to the Pinnacle of the Temple was a temptation to them to cast Me down head-long Concluding that without a miracle Monarchy it selfe together with Me could not but be dashed in pieces by such a precipitious fall as they intended Whom God in mercy forgive and make them see at length That as many Kingdomes as the Devill shewed our Saviour and the glory of them if they could be at once enjoyed by them are not worth the gaining by wayes of sinfull ingratitude and dishonour which hazards a Soule worth more Worlds then this hath Kingdomes But God hath hitherto preserved Me and made Me to see That it is no strange thing for men left to their owne passions either to doe much evill themselves or abuse the overmuch goodnesse of others whereof an ungratefull Surfet is the most desperate and incurable disease I cannot say properly that I repent of that Act since I have no reflexions upon it as a sin of my will though an error of too charitable a judgement Onely I am sorry other mens eyes should be evill because mine were good To Thee O my God doe I still appeale whose All-discerning Iustice sees through all the disguises of mens pretensions and deceitfull darknesses of their hearts Thou gavest me a heart to grant much to My Subjects and now I need a Heart fitted to suffer much from some of them Thy will be done though never so much to the crossing of ours even when we hope to doe what might be most conformable to thine and theirs too who pretended they aimed at nothing else Let thy grace teach me wisely to enjoy as well the frustratings as the fulfillings of My best hopes and most specious desires I see while I thought to allay others feares I have raised Mine owne and by setling them have unsetled My selfe Thus have they requited Me evil for good and hatred for My good will towards them O Lord be thou My Pilot in this dark and dangerous storme which neither admits My returne to the Port whence I set out nor My making any other with that safety and honour which I designed T is easie for Thee to keep Me safe in the love and confidence of My people nor is it hard for Thee to preserve Me amidst the unjust hatred and jealousies of too many which thou hast suffered so far to prevaile upon Me as to be able to pervert and abuse My acts of greatest Indulgence to them and assurance of them But no favoâ—rs from Me can make others more guilty then My Selfe may be of misusing thosâ— many and great ones which Thou O Lord hast conferred on Me. I beseech Thee give Me and
by scandalous articles and all irreverent demeanour to seeke to drive her out of My Kingdomes lest by the influence of her example eminent for love as a Wife and Loyalty as a Subject she should have converted to or retayned in their love and Loyalty all those whom they had a purpose to pervert The lesse I may be blest with her company the more I will retire to God and My owne Heart whence no malice can banish Her My enemies may envy but they can never deprive Me of the enjoyment of her vertues while I enjoy My self Thou O Lord whose Iustice at present sees fit to scatter us let thy mercâ—â— in thy due time reunite us on earth if it be thy will however bring us both at last to thy heavenly Kingdome Preserve us from the hands of our despitefull and deadly enemies and prepare us by our sufferings for thy presence Though we differ in some things as to Religion which is my greatest temporall infelicity yet Lord give and accept the sincerity of our affections which desire to seek to find to embrace every Truth of thine Let both our Hearts agree in the love of thy selfe and Christ crucified for us Teach us both what thou wouldst have us to know in order to thy glory our publique relations and our soules eternall good and make us carefull to doe what good we know Let neither Ignorance of what is necessary to be knowne nor unbelief or disobedience to what we know be our misery or our wilfull default Let not this great Scandall of those my Subjects which professe the same Religion with me be any hindrance to her love of any Truth thou wouldst have her to learne nor any hardning of her in any errour thou wouldst have cleared to her Let mine and other mens constancy be an Antidote against the poyson of their example Let the Truth of that Religion I professe be represented to her Iudgment with all the beauties of Humility Loyaltâ—â— Charity and Peaceablenesse which are the proper fruits and ornaments of it Not in the odious disguises of Levity Schisme Heresie Novelty Cruelty and Disloyalty which some mens practises have lately put upon it Let her see thy sacred and saving Truths as Thine that she may believe love and obey them as Thine cleared from all rust and drosse of humane mixtures That in the glasse of thy Truth she may see thee in those mercies which thou hast offered to us in thy Sonne Iesus Christ our onely Saviour and serve thee in all those Holy duties which most agree with his holy doctrine and most imitable example The experience we have of the vanity and uncertainty of all humane Glory and greatnesse in our scatterings and Eclypses let it make us both so much â—he more ambitious to be invested in those durable honours and perfections which are onely to be found in thy self and obtained through Iesus Christ. 8. Vpon His Majesties repulse at Hull and the fates of the Hothams MY repulse at Hull seemed at the first view an act of so rude disloyalty that My greatest enemies had scarce confidence enough to abeâ—t or owne it It was the first overt Essay to be made how patiently I could beare the Losse of My Kingdomes God knows it affected me more with shame and sorrow for others then with anger for My selfe nor did the affront done to Me trouble Me so much as their sinne which admitted no colour oâ— excuse I was resolved how to beare this and much more with patience But I foresaw they could hardly conteine themselves within the compasse of this one unworthy act who had effrontery enough to commit or countenance it This was but the hand of that cloud which was â—oone after to overspread the whole Kingdome and cast all into disorder and darknesse For t is among the wicked Maximes of bold and disloyall undertakers That bad actions must alwayes be seconded with worse and rather not be begun then not carried on for they think the retreat more dangerous then the assault and hate repentance more then perseverance in a Fault This gave Me to see clearly through all the pious disguises and soft palliations of some men whose words were sometime smoother then oyle but now I saw they would prove very Swords Against which I having as yet no defence but that of a good Conscience thought it My best policy with patience to bear what I could not remedy And in this I thank God I had the better of Hotham that no disdain or emotion of passion transported Me by the indignity of his carriage to doe or say any thing unbeseeming My self or unsutable to that temper which in greatest injuries I think best becomes a Christian as comming nearest to the great example of Christ. And indeed I desire alwaies more to remember I am a Christian then a King for what the Majesty of one might justly abhor the Charity of the other is willing to bear what the height of a King tempteth to revenge the humility of a Christian teacheth to forgive Keeping in compasse all those impotent passions whose excesse injures a man more then his greatest enemies can for these give their malice a full impression on our souls which otherwaies cannot reach very far nor doe us much hurt I cannot but observe how God not long after so pleaded and avenged My cause in the eye of the world that the most wilfully blind cannot avoid the displeasure to see it with some remorse and fear to own it as a notable stroke and prediction of divine vengeance For Sir Iohn Hotham unreproached unthreatned uncursed by any language or secret imprecation of Mine onely blasted with the conscience of his owne wickednesse and falling from one inconstancy to another not long after paies his owne and his eldest Sons heads as forfeitures of their disloyalty to those men from whom surely he might have expected another reward then thus to divide their heads from their bodies whose hearts with them were divided from their KING Nor is it strange that they who imployed them at first in so high a service and so successfull to them should not find mercy enough to forgive Him who had so much premerited of them For Apostacy unto Loyalty some men account the most unpardonable sinne Nor did a solitary vengeance serve the turne the cutting off one head in a Family is not enough to expiate the affront done to the head of the CoÌ„mon-weale The eldest Son must be involved in the punishment as he was infected with the sinne of the Father against the Father of his Country Root and branch God cuts off in one day These observations are obvious to every fancy God knows I was so farre from rejoycing in the Hotham's ruine though it were such as was able to give the greaâ—est thirst for revenge a full drought being executed by them who first employed him against Me that I so farre pitied him as I thought he at first acted more against the light
know I was like to bring the same judgement and constancy which I carryed with Me which would never fit their designes and so while they invited Me to come and grievously complained of My absence yet they could not but be pleased with it especially when they had found out that plausible and popular pretext of raising an Army to fetch in Delinquents when all that while they never punished the greatest and most intolerable Delinquencie of the Tumults and their Exciters which drave My selfe and so many of both Houses from their places by most barbarous indignities which yet in all Reason and Honour they were as loath to have deserted as those others were willing they should that so they might have occasion to persecute them with the Injuries of an Army for not suffering more tamely the Injuries of the Tumults That this is the true state and first drift and designe in raising an Army against Me is by the sequell so evident that all other pretences vanish For when they declared by Propositions or Treaties what they would have to appease them there was nothing of consequence offered to Me or demanded of Me as any originall difference in any point of Law or order of Justice But among other lesser Innovations this chiefly was urged The Abolition of Episcopall and the Establishment of Presbyterian Government All other things at any time propounded were either impertinent as to any ground of a War or easily granted by Me and onely to make up a number or else they were meerly consequentiall and accessary after the War was by them unjustly began I cannot hinder other mens thoughts whom the noise and shew of piety and heat for Reformation and Religion might easily so fill with prejudice that all equality and clearnesse of judgement might be obstructed But thi◠was and is as to my best observation the true state of affaires betweene us when they first raised an Army with this designe either to stop My mouth or to force My consent and in this truth as to My conscience who was God knowes as far from meditating a War as I was in the eye of the world from having any preparation for one I find that comfort that in the midst of all the unfortunate successes of this War on My side I doe not think My Innocencie any whit prejudiced or darkned Nor am I without that Integrity and Peace before God as with humble confidence to addresse My Prayer to Him For Thou O Lord seest clearly through all the cloudings of humane affaires Thou judgest without prejudice Thy Omniscience eternally guides thy unerrable Iudgement O my God the proud are risen against me and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soule and have not set Thee before their eyes Consider My enemies O Lord for they are many and they hate me with a deadly hatred without a cause For Thou knowest I had no passion designe or preparation to embroyle My Kingdomes in a Civill Warre whereto I had least temptation as knowing I must adventure more then any and could gaine least of any by it Thou O Lord art my witnesse how oft I have deplored and studied to divert the necessity thereof wherein I cannot well be thought so prodigally thirsty of my Subjects blood as to venture my own Life which I have been oft compelled to doe in this unhappy Warre and which were better spent to save then to destroy my People O Lord I need much of thy grace with patience to bear the many afflictions thou hast suffered some men to bring upon me but much more to bear the unjust reproaches of those who not content that I suffer most by the Warre will needs perswade the world that I have raised first or given just cause to raise it The confidence of some mens false tongues is such that they would make me almost suspect my own innocency Yea I could be content at least by my silence to take upon me so great a guilt before men If by that I might allay the malice of my Enemies and redeeme my People from this miserable Warre since thou O Lord knowest my Innocency in this thing Thou wilt finde out bloudy and deceitfull men many of whom have not lived out half their daies in which they promised themselves the enjoyment of the fruits of their violent and wicked Counsells Save O Lord thy servant as hitherto thou hast and in thy due time scatter the people that delight in Warre Arise O Lord lift up thy self because of the rage of mine Enemies which encreaseth more and more Behold them that have conceived mischief travelled with iniquity and brought forth falshood Thou knowest the chief designe of this Warre is either to destroy My Person or force My Iudgment and to make me renege my Conscience and thy Truth I am driven to crosse Davids choise and desire rather to fall into the hands of men by denying them though their mercies be cruell then into thy hands by sinning against My Conscience and in that against thee who art a consuming fire Better they destroy Me then thou shouldst damne Me. Be thou ever the defence of My soul who wilt save the upright in heart If nothing but My bloud will satisfie My Enemies or quench the flames of My Kingdomes or thy temporall Iustice I am content if it be thy will that it be shed by Mine owne Subjects hands But ô let the bloud of Me though their King yet a sinner be washed with the Bloud of My Innocent and peace-making Redeemer for in that thy Iustice will find not only a temporary expiation but an eternall plenary satisfaction both for my sins and the sins of my People whom I beseech thee still own for thine and when thy wrath is appeased by my Death O Remember thy great mercies toward them and forgive them O my Father for they know not what they doe 10. Vpon their seizing the Kings Magazines Forts Navy and Militia HOw untruly I am Charged with the first raising of an Army and beginning this Civill Warre the eyes that only pitty Me and the Loyall hearts that durst only pray for Me at first might witnesse which yet appear not so many on My side as there were men in Arms listed against Me My unpreparednesse for a War may well dis-hearten those that would help Me while it argues truly My unwillingnes to fight yet it testifies for Me that I am set on the defensive part having so little hopes or power to offend others that I have none to defend My self or to preserve what is Mine own from their proreption No man can doubt but they prevented Me in their purposes as well as their injuries who are so much before-hand in their preparations against Me and surprisalls of My strength Such as are not for Them yet dare not be for Me so over-aw'd is their Loyalty by the others numbers and terrours I believe My Innocency and unpreparednesse to assert My Rights and Honour makes Me the more
they saw no probability unlesse by miracle to preserve the remnant that had yet escaped God knowes with how much commiseration and solicitous caution I carried on that businesse by persons of Honour and Integrity that so I might neither incourage the Rebells Insolence nor discourage the Protestants Loyalty and Patience Yet when this was effected in the best sort that the necessity and difficulty of affaires would then permit I was then to suffer again in my reputation and Honour because I suffered not the Rebels utterly to devour the remaining handfuls of the Protestants there I thought that in â—ll reâ—son the gaining of that respite could not be so much to the Rebels advantages which some have highly calumniated against me as it might have been for the Protestants future as well as present safety If during the time of that Cessation some men had had the grace to have laid Irelands sad condition more to heart and laid aside those violent motions which were here carried on by those that had better skill to let bloud than to stanch it But in all the misconstructions of my actions which are prone to find more credulity in men to what is false and evill than love or charity to what is true and good as I have no Judge but God above me so I can have comfort to appeale to his omniscience who doth not therefore deny my Innocence because he is pleased so farâ—e to try my patience as he did his servant Iob's I have enough to doe to look to my owne Conscience and the faithfull discharge of my Trust as a KING I have scarce leisure to consider those swarmes of reproaches which issue out of some mens mouthes and hearts as easily as smoke or sparks doe out of a fornace Much lesse to make such prolix Apologies as might give those men satisfaction who conscious to their owne depth of wickednesse are loath to believe any man not to be as bad as themselves 'T is Kingly to doe well and heare ill If I can but act the one I shall not much regard to beare the other I thank God I can heare with patience as bad as my worst enemies can falsly say And I hope I shall still doe better than they desire or deserve I should I believe it will at last appear that they who first began to embroyle my other Kingdomes are in great part guilty if not of the first letting out yet of the not-timely stopping those horrid effusions of bloud in Ireland Which whatever my Enemies please to say or thinke I looke upon as that of my other Kingdomes exhausted out of my owne veins no man being so much weakned by it as my selfe And I hope though mens unsatiable cruelties never will yet the mercy of God will at length say to his justice It is enough and command the Sword of Civill Warres to sheath it self his mercifull justice intending I trust not our utter confusion but our cure the abatement of our sinnes not the desolating of these Nations O my God let those infinite mercies prevent us once againe which I and my Kingdomes have formerly abused and can never deserve should be restored Thou seest how much cruelty among Christians is acted under the colour of Religion as if we could not be Christians unlesse we crucifie one another Because we have not more loved thy Truth and practiced in charity thou hast suffered a Spirit of Errour and bitternesse of mutuall and mortall hatred to rise among us O Lord forgive wherein we have sinned and sanctifie what we have suffered Let our Repentance be our recovery as our great sinnes have been our ruine Let not the miseries I and my Kingdomes have hitherto suffered seeme small to thee but make our sins appeare to our consciences as they are represented in the glasse of thy judgments for thou never punishest small failings with so severe afflictions O therefore according to the multitude of thy great mercies pardon our sinnes and remove thy judgements which are very many and very heavy Yet let our sinnes be ever more grievous to us than thy judgments and make us more willing to repent than to be relieved first give us the peace of penitent consciences and then the tranquillity of united Kingdomes In the sea of our Saviours bloud drowne our sinnes and through this red sea of our own bloud bring us at last to a state of piety peace and plenty As my publique relations to all make Me share in all My Subjects suffâ—rings so give Me such a pious sense of them as becomes a Christian King and a loving Father of My People Let the scandalous and unjust reproaches cast upon Me be as a breath more to kindle my compassion Give me grace to heap charitable coles of fire upon their heads to melt them whose malice or cruell Zeale hath kindled or hindred the quenching of those flames which have so much wasted my three Kingdomes O rescâ—e and assist those poore Protestants in Ireland whom thou hast hitherto preserved And lead those in the waies of thy saving Truths whose ignorance or errours have filled them with rebelliâ—us and destrustive principles whâ—ch they act under an opinion That they doâ— thee good service Let the hand of thy justice be against those who maliciously and despitefully have raised or fomented those cruell and desperate Warres Thou that art far from destroying the Innocent with the Guilty and the Erroneous with the Malicious Thou that hadst pity on Niniveh for the many Children that were therein give not over the whole stock of that populous and seduced Nation to the wrath of those whose covetousnesse makes them cruell nor to their anger which is too fierce and therefore justly cursed Preserve if it be thy will in the midst of the fornace of thy severe justice a Posterity which may praise thee for thy mercy And deale with Me not according to mans unjust reproaches but according to the Innocency of my hands in thy sight If I have desired or delighted in the wofull day of my Kingdomes calamities if I have not earnestly studied and faithfully endeavoured the preventing and composing of these bloudy distractionsâ— then let thy hand be against me and my Fathers house O Lord thou seest I have eâ—emies enough of men as I need not so I should not dare thus to imprecate thy curse on me and mine if my Conscience did not witnesse my integrity which thou O Lord knowest right well But I trust not to my owne merit but thy merciesâ— spare us O Lord and be not angry with us for â—verâ— 13. Vpon the Calling in of the Scots and their Comming THe Scots are a Nation upon whom I have not onely common ties of Nature Soveraignty and Bounty with My Father of blessed memory but also speciall and late obligations of favours having gratified the active Spirits among them so farre that I seemed to many to prefer the desires of that Party before My owne interest and Honour But I
some mens ambitious Covetousnesse and sacrilegious Cruelty torturing with Me both Church and State in Civill distentions till I shall be forced to consent and declare that I doe approve what God knowes I utterly dislike and in My Soul abhor as many wayes highly against Reason Justice and Religion and whereto if I should shamefully and diâ—honourably give My consent yet should I not by so doing satisfie the dâ—vided Interests and Opinions of those Parties which contend with each other as well as both against Me and Epiâ—copacy Nor can My late condescending to the Scots in point of Church-government be rightly objected against Me as an inducement for Me to consent to the like in My other Kingdoms For it should be considered that Episcopacy was not so rooted and setled there as 't is here nor I in that respect so strictly bound to continue it in that Kingdom as in this for what I think in My judgment best I may not think so absolutely necessary for all places at all times If any shall impute My yeilding to them as My failing and sin I can easily acknowledge it but that is no argument to do so again or much worse I being now more convinced in that point nor indeed hath My yeilding to them been so happy and successefull as to incourage Me to grant the like to others Did I see any thing more of Christ as to Meeknesse Justice Orâ—er Charity and Loyalty in those that pretend to other modes of Government I might suspect My judgment to be biassed or foreâ—stalled with some prejudice and wontednesse of opinion but I have hitherto so much cause to suspect the contrary in the manners of many of those men that I cannot from them gain the least reputation for their new wayes of Government Nor can I find that in any Reformed Churches whose paternes are so cryed up and obtruded upon the Churches under My Dominion that eâ—ther Learning or Religion workes of Pâ—ety or Charity have so flourished beyond what they have done in My Kingdomes by Gods blessing which might make Me believe either Presbytery or Independency have a more benigne influence upon the Church and mens hearts and lives than Episcopacy in its right constitution The abuses of which deserve to be extirpated as much as the use retained for I think it farre better to hold to primitive and uniforme Antiquity than to comply with divided novelty A right Episcopacy would at once satisfie all just desires and interests of good Bishops humble Presbyters and sober People so as Church affaires should be managed neither with tyrannie parity nor popularity neither Bishops ejected nor Presbyters despised nor People oppressed And in this integrity both of My Judgment and Conscience I hope God will preserve Me. For Thou O Lord knowest my uprightnesse and tendernesse as thou hast set me to be a Defender of the Faith and a Protectour of thy Church so suffer me not by any violence to be overborne against my Conscience Arise O Lord maintaine thine owne Cause let not thy Church be deformed as to that Government which derived from thy Apostles hath been retained in purest and primitive times till the Revenues of the Church became the object of secular envy which seeks to rob it of all the incouragements of Learning and Religion Make me as the good Samaritan compassionate and helpfull to thy afflicted Church which some men have wounded and robbed others passe by without regard either to pity or relieve As my power is from thee so give me grace to use it for thee And though I am not suffered to be Master of my other Rights as a KING yet preserve me in that liberty of Reason love of Religion and thy Churches welfare which are fixed in my Conscience as a Christian. Preserve from Sacrilegious invasions those temporall blessings which thy providence hath bestowed on thy Church for thy glory Forgive their sinnes and errours who have deserved thy just permission thus to let in the wild Boare and subtill Foxes to wast and deform thy Vineyard which thy right hand hath planted and the dew of Heaven so long watered to a happy and flourishing estate O let me not beare the infamous brand to all Posterity of being the first Christian KING in this Kingdome who should consent to the oppression of thy Church and the Fathers of it whose errours I would rather with Constantine cover with silence and reforme with meeknesse than expose their persons and sacred Functions to vulgar contempt Thou O Lord seest how much I have suffered with and for thy Church make no long tarrying O my God to deliver both me and it from unreasonable men whose counsels have brought forth and continue such violent confusions by a precipitant destroying the ancient boundaries of thy Churches peace thereby letting in all manner of errours schismes and disorders O thou God of order and of truth in thy good â—ime abate the malice aswage the rage and confound all the mischievous devices of thine mine and thy Churches enemies That I and all that love thy Church may sing praises to thee and ever magnifie thâ— salvation even beâ—ore the sons of men 18. Vpon Vxbridge-Treaty and other Offers made by the KING I Look upon the way of Treaties as a retiring from fighting like Beasts to arguing like Men whose strength should be more in their understandings than in their limbs And though I could seldome get opportunities to Treat yet I never wanted either desire or disposition to it having greater confidence of My Reason than My Sword I was so wholly resolved to yeild to the first that I thought neither My selfe nor others should need to use the second if once we rightly understood each other Nor did I ever think it a diminution of Me to prevent them with Expresses of My desires and even importunities to Treat It being an office not onely of humanity rather to use Reason than Force but also of Christianity to seek peace and ensue it As I am very unwillingly compelled to defend My self with Armes so I very willingly embraced any thing tending to Peace The events of all Warre by the Sword being very dubious and of a Civill Warre uncomfortable the end hardly recompencing and late repairing the mischief of the means Nor did any successe I had ever enhaunce with Me the price of Peace as earnestly desired by Me as any man though I was like to pay dearer for it than any man All that I sought to reserve was Mine Honour and My Conscience the one I could not part with as a KING the other as a Christian. The Treaty at Uxbridge gave the fairest hopes of an happy composure had others applied themselves to it with the same moderation as I did I am confident the War had then ended I was willing to condescend as farre as Reason Honour and Conscience would gâ—ve Me leave nor were the remaining differences so essentiall to My Peoples happinesse or of such consequence as in the
to God O my God make me content to be overcome when thou wilt have it so Teach me the noblest vistory over my self and my Enemies by patience which was Christs conquest aâ—d may well become a Christian King Between both thy hands the right sometimes supporting and the left afflicting fashion us to that frame of piety thou likest best Forgive the pride that attends our prosperous and the repinings which follow our disastrous events when going forth in our owne strength thou withdrawest thine and goest not forth with our Armies Be thou all when we are something and when we are nothing that thou mayst have the glory when we are in a victorious or inglorious condition Thou O Lord knowest how hard it is for me to suffer so much evill from my Subjects to whom I intend nothing but good and I cannot but suffer in those evils which they compell me to inflict upon them punishing my selfe in their punishments Since therefore both in conquering and being conquered I am still a Sufferer I beseech thee to give me a double portion of thy Spirit and that measure of grace which onely can be sufficient for me As I am most afflicted so make me most reformed that I may be not onely happy to see an end of these civill distractions but a chiefe Instrument to restore and establish a firme and blessed Peace to my Kingdomes Stirre up all Parties pious ambitions to overcome each other with reason moderation and such self-deniall as becomes those who consider that our mutuall divisions are our common distractions and the Union of all is every good mans chiefest interest If O Lord as for the sinnes of our peace thou hast brought upon us the miseries of warre so for the sinnes of warre â—hou shouldst see fit still to deny us the blessing of peace and so to keep us in a circulation of miseries yet give me thy Servant and all Loyall though afflicted Subjects to enjoy that peace which the world can neither give to us nor take from us Impute not to me the bloud of my Subjects which with infinite unwillingnesse and griefe hath been shed by me in my just and necessary defence but wash me with that pretious bloud which hath been shed for me by my great Peace-maker Iesus Christ. Who will I trust redeem me shortly out of all my troubles for I know the triumphing of the Wicked is but short and the joy of Hypocrites is but for a moment 20. Vpon the Reformations of the Times NO Glory is more to be envied than that of due Reforming either Church or State when deformities are such that the perturbation and novelty are not like to exceed the benefit of Reforming Although God should not honour Me so farre as to make Me an Instrument of so good a worke yet I should be glad to see it done As I was well pleased with this Parliaments first intentions to reform what the Indulgence of Times and corruption of manners might have depraved so I am sorry to see after the freedome of Parliament was by factious Tumults oppressed how little regard was had to the good Laws established and the Religion setled which ought to be the first rule and standard of reforming with how much partiality and popular compliance the passions and opinions of men have been gratified to the detriment of the Publique and the infinite scandall of the Reformed Religion What dissolutions of all Order and Government in the Church what novelties of Schismes and corrupt opinions what undecencies and confusions in sacred administrations what sacrilegious invasions upon the Rights and Revenues of the Church what contempt oppressions of the Clergy what injurious diminutions and persecutings of Me have followed as showres do warm gleames the talke of Reformation all sober men are Witnesses and with My self sad Spectators hithâ—rto The great miscarriage I think is that popular clamours and fury have been allowed the reputation of Zeale and the publique sense so that the study to please some Parties hath indeed injured all Freedome moderation and impartiality are sure the best tempers of reforming Councels and endeavours wâ—â—t is acted by Factions cannot but offend more than it pleaseth I have offered to put all differences in Church affaires and Religion to the free consultation of a Synod or Convocation rightly chosen the results of whose Counsels as they would have included the Votes of all so its like they would have given most satisfaction to all The Assembly of Divines whom the two Houses have applyed â—in an unwonted way to advise of Church Affaires I dislike not further then that they are not legally convened and chosen nor Act in the name of all the Clergy of England nor with freedome and impartiality can doe any thing being limited and confined if not over-awed to do and declare what they do For I cannot think so many men cryed up for learning and piety who formerly allowed the Liturgy and Government of the Church of England as to the maine would have so suddenly agreed quite to abolish both of them the last of which they knew to be of Apostolicall institution at least as of Primitive and Universall practice if they had been left to the liberty of their own suffrages and if the influence of contrary Factions had not by secret encroachments of hopes and feares prevailed upon them to comply with so great and dangerous Innovations in the Church without any regard to their own former judgment and practice or to the common interest and honour of all the Clergy and in them of Order Learning and Religion against examples of all Ancient Churches the Lawes in force and My consent which is never to be gained agaâ—nst so pregnant light as in that point shines on My understanding For I conceive that where the Scripture is not so clear and punctuall in precepts there the constant and Universall practice of the Church in things not contrary to Reason Faith good Manners or any positive Command is the best Rule that Châ—istians can follow I was willing to grant or restore to Presbitery what with Reason or Discretion it can pretend to in a conjuncture with Episcopacy but for that wholly to invade the Power and by the Sword to arrogate and quite abrogate the Authoriâ—y of that Ancient Order I think neither just as to Episcopacy nor safe for Presbitery nor yet any way convenient for this Church or State A due reformation had easily followed moderate Counsells and such I believe as would have given more content even to the most of those Divines who have been led on with much Gravity and Formality to carry on other mens designes which no doubt many of them by this time discover though they dare not but smother their frustrations and discontents The specious and popular titles of Christs Government Throne Scepter and Kingdome which certainly is not divided nor hath two faces as their parties now have at least also the noise of a through Reformation
after acting over again that former part of tumultuary motions never questioned punished or repented must now suffer for both and see their former sinne in the glasse of the present terrours and distractions No man is â—o blind as not to see hereâ—n the hand of divine justice they that by Tumults first occaâ—ioned the raising of Armies must now be chastened by their owne Army for new Tumults â—o haâ—dly can men be content with one â—in but adde sin to sin till the latter punish the former such as were content to see Me and many Members of both Houses driven away by the first unsuppressed Tumults are now forced to flie to an Army or defend themselves against them But who can unfold the riddle of some mens justice the Members of both Houses who at first withdrew as My self was forced to doe from the rudenesse of the Tumults were counted Desertors and outed of their Places in Parliament Such as stayed then and enjoyed the benefit of the Tumults were asserted for the onely Parliament-men now the Fliers from and Forsakers of their Places carry the Parliamentary power along with them complaine highly against the Tumults and vindicate themselves by an Army such as remained and kept their stations are looked upon as Abettors of tumultuary insolencies and Betrayers of the freedome and honour of Parliament Thus is Power above all Rule Order and Law where men look more to present Advantages than their Consciences and the unchangeable rules of Justice while they are Judges of others they are forced to condemn themselves Now the plea against Tumults holds good the Authours and Abbettors of them are guilty of prodigious insolencies when as before they were counted as Friends and necessary Aâ—sistants I see Vengeance pursues and overtakes as the Mice and Rats are said to have done a Bishop in Germany them that thought to have escaped and fortified themselves most impregnably against it both by their multitude and compliance Whom the Laws cannot God will punish by their owne crimes and hands I cannot but observe this divine Justice yet with sorrow and pity for I alwaies wished so well to Parliament and City that I was sorry to see them doe or suffer any thing unworthy such great considerable bodies in this Kingdome I was glad to see them onely scared and humbled not broken by that shaking I never had so ill a thought of those Cities as to despaire of their Loyalty to Me which mistakes might eclipse but I never believed malice had quite put out I pray God the storme be yet wholly passed over them upon whom I look as Christ did sometime over Ierusalem as objects of my prayers and teares with compassionate griefe foreseeing those severer â—catterings which will certainly befall such as wantonly refuse to be gathered to their duty fatall blindnesse frequently attending and punishing wilfulnesse so that men shall not be able at last to prevent their sorrows who would not timely repent of their sins nor shall they be suffered to enjoy the comforts who securely neglect the counsels belonging to their peace They will find that Brethren in iniquity are not farre from becomming insolent enemies there being nothing harder then to keep ill men long in one mind Nor is it possible to gaine a faire period for those notions which go rather in a round and circle of fansie than in a right line of reason tending to the Law the onely center of publique consistency whither I pray God at last bring all sides Which will easily be done when we shall fully see how much more happy we are to be subject to the knowne Laws than to the various wils of any men seem they never so plausible at first Vulgar compliance with any illegall and extravagant waies like violent motions in nature soon grows weary of it self and ends in a refractory â—ullennesse Peoples rebounds are oft in their faces who first put them upon those violent strokes For the Army which is so far excusable as they act according to Souldiers principles and interests demanding Pay and Indempnity I think it necessary in order to the publike peace that they should be satisfied as far as is just no man being more prone to consider them than My self though they have fought against Me yet I cannot but so farre esteem that valour gallantry they have sometime shewed as to wish I may never want such men to maintain My selfe My Lawes and My Kingdoms in such a peace as wherein they may enjoy theâ—r share and proportion as much as any men But thou O Lord who art perfect Unity in a sacred Trinity in mercy behold those whom thy Iustice hath divided Deliver Me from the strivings of My People and make Me to see how much they need My prayers and pity who agreed to fight against Me and yet are now ready to fight against one anotherâ— to the continuance of My Kingdomes distractions Discover to all sides the waies of peace from which they have swarved which consists not in the divided wills of Parties but in the poinâ— and due observation of the Lawes Make Me willing to go whither thou wilt lead Me by thy providence and be thou ever with Me that I may see thy constancy in the worlds varâ—ety and changes Make me even such as thou wouldst have Me that I may at last enjoy that safety and tranquillity which thou alone canst give Me. Divert I pray thee O Lord thy heavy wrath justly hanging over those populous Cities whose plenty is prone to adde fewell to their luxury their wealth to make them wanton their multitudes tempting them to security their security exposing them to unexpected miseries Give them eyes to see hearts to consider wils to embrace and courage to act those things which belong to thy glory and the publique peace lest their calamity come upon them as an armed man Teach them That they cannot want enemies who abound in sinne nor shall they be long undisarmed and unâ—destroyed who with a high hand persisting to fight against thee and the cleare convictions of their owne consciences fight more against themselves than ever they did against Me. Their sinnes exposing them to thy Iustice their riches to others injuries their number to Tumults and their Tumults to confusion Though they have with much forwardnesse helped to destroy Me yet let not my fall be their ruineâ— Let Me not so much consider either what they have done or I have suffered chiefly at first by them as to forget to imitate My crucified Redeemer to plead their ignorance for their pardon and in My dying extremities to pray to thee O Father to forgive them for they knew not what they did The teares they have denied Me in My saddest condition give them grace to bestow upon themselves who the lesse they were for Me the more cause they have to weep for themselves O let not My bloud be upon them and their Children whom the fraud and faction of some not the malice
other men so that you study really to exceed in true and constant demonstrations of goodnesse piety and virtue towards the People even all those men that make the greatest noise and ostentations of Religion so You shall neither feare any detection as they doe who have but the face and maske of goodnesse nor shall You frustrate the just expectations of Your People who cannot in Reason promise themselves so much good from any Subjects novelties as from the vertuous constancy of their Kingâ— When these mountaines of congealed factions shall by the sunshine of Gods mercy and the splendor of Your virtues be thawed and dissipated and the abused Vulgar shall have learned that none are greater Oppressours of their Estates Liberties and Consciences than those men that entitle themselves The Patrones and Vindicators of them onely to usurp power over them Let then no passion betray You to any study of revenge upon those whose owne sinne and folly will sufficiently punish them in due time But as soone as the forked arrow of factious emulations is drawn out use all princely arts and clemency to heale the wounds that the smart of the cure may not equall the anguish of the hurt I have offered Acts of Indempnity and Oblivion to so great a latitude as may include all that can but suspect themselves to be any way obnoxious to the Laws and which might serve to exclude all future Jealousies and insecurities I would have You alwaies propense to the same way when ever it shall be desired and accepted let it be granted not onely as an Act of State-policy and necessity but of Christian charity and choice It is all I have now left Me a power to forgive those that have deprived Me of all and I thanke God I have a heart to doe it and joy as much in this grace which God hath given Me as in all My former enjoyments for this is a greater argument of Gods love to Me than any prosperity can be Be confident as I am that the most of all sides who have done amisse have done so not out of malice but mis-information or mis-apprehension of things None will be more loyall and faithfull to Me and You than those Subjects who sensible of their Errours and our Injuries will feel in their owne Soules most vehement motives to repentance and earnest desires to make some reparations for their former defects As Your quality sets You beyond any Duell with any Subject so the noblenesse of Your mind must raise You above the meditating any revenge or executing Your anger upon the many The more conscious You shall be to Your owne merits upon Your People the more prone You will be to expect all love and loyalty from them and to inflict no punishment upon them for former miscarriages You will have more inward complacency in pardoning one than in punishing a thousand This I write to you not despairing of Gods mercy and my Subjects affections towards You both which I hope You will study to deserve yet We cannot merit of God but by his owne mercy If God shall see fit to restore Me and You after Me to those enjoyments which the Lawes have assigned to Us and no Subjects without an high degree of guilt and sinne can devest Us of then may I have better opportunity when I shall be so happy to see You in peace to let You more fully understand the things that belong to Gods glory Your owâ— honour and the Kingdoms peace But if You never see My face againe and God will have Me buried in such a barbarous Imprisonment obscurity which the perfecting some mens designs require wherein few hearts that love me are permitted to exchange a word or a look with Me I doe require and entreat You as your Father and your KING that You never suffer Your heart to receive the least check against or disaffection from the true Religion established in the Church of England I tell You I have tried it and after much search and many disputes have concluded it to be the best in the world not onely in the Community as Christian but also in the speciall notion as Reformed keeping the middle way between the pomp of superstitious Tyranny and the meannesse of fantastique Anarchy Not but that the draught being excellent as to the maine both for Doctrine and Government in the Church of England some lines as in very good figures may happily need some sweetning or polishing which might â—ere have easily been done by a safe and gentle hand if some mens precipitancy had not â—â—olently demanded such rude alterations as wâ—â—ld have quite destroyed all the beauty and proportions of the whole The scandall of the late Troubles which some may object and urge to You against the Protestant Religion established in England is easily answered to them or Your owne thoughts in this That scarce any one who hath been a Beginner or an active Prosecutor of this late Warre against the Church the Lawes and Me either was or is a true Lover Embracer or Practiser of the Protestant Religion established in England which neither gives such rules nor ever before set such â—xamples 'T is true some heretofore had the boldnesse to present threatning Petitions to their Princes and Parliaments which others of the same Faction but of worse Spirits have now put in execution but let not counterfeit and disorderly Zeale abate Your value and esteem of true piety both of them are to be knowne by their fruits the sweetnesse of the Wine Fig-tree is not to be despised though the Brambles and Thornes should pretend to beare Figs and Grapes thereby to rule over the Trees Nor would I have You to entertain any averâ—ation or dislike of Parliaments which in their right constitution with Freedome and Honour will never injure or diminish Your greatnesse but will rather be as interchangings of love loyalty and confidence between a Prince and his People Nor would the events of this black Parliament have been other than such however much biassed by Factions in the Elections if it had been preserved from the insolencies of popular dictates and tumultuary impressions The sad effects of which will no doubt make all Parliaments after this more cautious to preserve that Freedome and Honour which belongs to such Assemblies when once they have fully shaken off this yoke of Vulgar encroachment since the publique interest consists in the mutuall and common good both of Prince and People Nothing can be more happy for all than in faire grave and Honourable waies to contribute their Counsels in Commonâ— enacting all things by publique consent without tyranny or Tumults We must not starve our selves because some men have â—urfeited of wholsome food And if neither I nor You be ever restored to Our Rights but God in his severest justice wâ—ll punish My Subjects with continuance in their sinne and suffer them to be deluded with the prosperity of their wickednesse I hope God will give Me
not the first service as I count it the best in which they have forced Me to serve My self though I must confesse I beare with more grief impatience the want of My Chaplaines than of any other My Servants and next if not beyond in some things to the being sequestred from my Wife and Children since from these indeed more of humane and temporary affections but from those more of heavenly and eternall improvements may be expected My comfort is that in the inforced not neglected want of ordinary meanes God is wont to afford extraordinary supplies of his gifts and graces If his Spirit will teach Me and help My Infirmities in prayer reading and meditation as I hope he will I shall need no other either Oratour or Instructer To Thee therefore O My God doe I direct My now solitary prayers what I want of others help supply with the more immediate assistances of thy Spirit which alone can both enlighten My darknesse and quicken My dulnesse O thou Sun of righteousnesse thou sacred Fountaine of heavenly light and heat at once cleare and warme my heart both by instructing of me and interceding for me In thee is all fulnesse From thee all-sufficiency By thee is all acceptance Thou art company enough and comfort enough Thou art my King be also my Prophet and my Priest Rule me teach me pray in me for me and be thou ever with me The single wrestlings of Jacob prevailed with thee in that sacred Duell when he had none to second him but thy selfe who didst assist him with power to overcome thee and by a welcome violence to wrest a blessing from thee O look on me thy Servant in infinite mercy whom thou didst once blesse with the joynt and sociated Devotions of others whose fervency might inflame the coldnesse of my affections towards thee when we went to or met in thy House with the voice of joy and gladnesse worshipping thee in the unity of spirits and with the bond of Peace O forgive the neglect and not improving of those happy opportunities It is now thy pleasure that I should be as a Pelican in the wildernesse as a Sparrow on the house top and as a coale scattered from all those pious glowings and devout reflections which might best kindle preserve and encrease the holy fire of thy graces on the Altar of my heart whence the sacrifice of prayers and incense of praises might be duly offered up to thee Yet O thou that breakest not the bruized Reed nor quenchest the smoaking Flax doe not despise the weaknesse of my prayers nor the smotherings of my soule in this uncomfortable lonenesse to which I am constrained by some mens uncharitable denialls of those helps which I much want and no lesse desire O let the hardnesse of their hearts occasion the softnings of mine to thee and for Them Let their hatred kindle my love let their unreasonable denials of my Religious desires the more excite my prayers to thee Let their inexorable deafnesse encline thine eare to me who art a God easie to be entreated thine eare is not heavy that it cannot nor thy heart hard that it will not heare nor thy hand shortned that it cannot help Me thy desolate Supplyant Thou permittest men to deprive me of those outward means which thou hast appointed in thy Church but they cannot debarre me from the communion of that inward grace which thou alone breathest into humble hearts O make me such and thou wilt teach me thou wilt heare me thou wilt help me The broken and contrite heart I know thou wilt not despise Thou O Lord canst at once make me thy Temple thy Priest thy Sacrifice and thine Altar while from an humble heart I alone daily offer up in holy meditations fervent prayers and unfeigned teares my self to thee who preparest me for thee dwellest in me and acceptest of me Thou O Lord didst cause by secret supplies and miraculous infusions that the handfull of meale in the vessell should not spend nor the little oyle in the cruise fayle the Widow during the time of drought and dearth O look on my soul which as a Widow is now desolate forsaken let not those saving Truths I have formerly learned now fail my memory nor the sweet effusions of thy Spirit which I have sometime felt now be wanting to my heart in this famine of ordinary and wholsome food for the refreshing of my Soule Which yet I had rather chuse than to feed from those hands who mingle my bread with ashes and my wine with gall rather tormenting than teaching me whose mouths are proner to bitter reproaches of me than to hearty prayers for me Thou knowest O Lord of truth how oft they wrest thy holy Scriptures to My destruction which are cleare for their subjection and my preservation O let it not be to their damnation Thou knowest how some men under colour of long prayers have sought to devoure the houses of their Brethren their King and their God O let not those mens balmes break my head nor their Cordialls oppresse my heart I will evermore pray against their wickednesse From the poyson under their tongues from the snares of their lips from the fire and the swords of their words ever deliver Me O Lord and all those Loyall and Religious hearts who desire and delight in the prosperity of my soul and who seek by their prayers to relieve this sadnesse and solitude of thy servant O my King and my God 25. Penitentiall Meditations and Vowes in the KING'S solitude at Holmeby GIve ear to my words ô Lord consider my Meditation and hearken to the voice of my cry my King and my God for unto thee will I pray I said in my haste I am cast out of the sight of thine eyes neverthelesse thou hearest the voice of my supplication when I cry unto thee If thou Lord shouldst be extream to mark what is done amisse who can abide it But there is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared therefore shall sinners fly unto thee I acknowledg my sins before thee which have the aggravation of my condition the eminency of my place adding weight to my offences Forgive I beseech thee my Personall and my Peoples sinnes which are so farre mine as I have not imprâ—ved the power thou gavest me to thy glory and my Subjects good Thou hast now brought me from the glory and freedome of a King to be a Prisoner to my own Subjects Iustly ô Lord as to thy over-ruling hand because in many things I have rebelled against thee Though thou hast restrained my Person yet enlarge my heart to thee and thy grace towards Me. I come far short of Davids piety yet since I may equall Davids afflictions give me also the comforts and the sure mercies of David Let the penitent sense I have of my sins be an evidence to me that thou hast pardoned them Let not the evils which I and my Kingdomes have suffered seem little unto thee