Powerful O Eternal God to whom nothing is so Great that it may resist or so Small that it is contemn'd look upon my Misery with thine Eye of Mercy and let thine Infinite Power vouchsafe to limit out some proportion of Deliverance unto me as to thee shall seem most Convenient Let not Injury O Lord Triumph ever me and let my O All seeing Light and Eternal Life of all things to whom nothing is either so Great that it may resist or so Small that it is contemn'd look upon my Misery with thine Eye of Mercy and let thine Infinite Power vouchsafe to limit out some proporrion of Deliverance unto me as to thee shall seem most Convenient Let not Injury O Lord Triumph over me and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Faults by thy hand be Corrected and make not mine unjust Enemies the Minister of thy Justice But yet my God if in thy Wisdom this be the aptest Chastisment for my unexcusable Folly if this low Bondage be fittest for my over high Desire if the Pride of my not enough humble heart be thus to be broken O Lord I yield unto thy Will and joyfully embrace what sorrow thou wilt have me suffer only thus much let me crave of thee let my craving O Lord be accepted of thee since even that proceeds from thee let me crave even by the Noblest Title which in my greatest Affliction I may give my self that I am thy Creature and by thy goodness which is thy self that thou wilt suffer some Beam of thy Majesty to shine into my mind that it may still depend confidently on thee let Calamity be the Exercise but not the overthrow of my vertue let their Power prevail but prevail not to Destruction let my Greatness be their Prey let my pain be Faults by thy Hand be Corrected and make not my unjust Enemies the Ministers of thy Iustice. But yet my God if in thy Wisdom this be the aptest Chastisment for my unexcusable Transgression if this ungrateful Bondage be fittest for my over high Desires if the Pride of my not enough humble heart be thus to be broken O Lord I yield unto thy Will and chearfully embrace what sorrow thou wilt have me suffer only thus much let me crave of thee let my craving O Lord be accepted of since it even proceeds from thee that by thy goodness which is thy self thou wilt suffer some Beam of thy Majesty so to shine in my mind that I who in my greatest Affliction acknowledge it my Noblest Title to be thy Creature may still depend confidently on thee let Calamity be the Exercise but not the overthrow of my Vertue O let not their prevailing Power be to my Destruction and if it be thy Will that they more and more vex me with Punishment yet O Lord never let their wickedness have such a hand but that I may still carry a pure mind and stedfast Resolution ever to serve thee without fear or Presumption yet with that humble confidence which may best please thee so that at last I may come to thy Eternal Kingdom through the Merits of thy Son our alone Saviour Iesus Christ. Amen the sweetness of their Revenge let them if so it seem good unto thee vex me with more and more Punishment but O Lord let never their Wickedness have such a hand but that I may carry a pure mind in a pure Body and pausing a while O most gracious Lord said she whatever becomes of me preserve the vertuous Mu idorus Having now given an Account of the design of Publishing this special Book and also what it is composed of I shall now produce divers Reasons enough I think to convince any rational Man that will not be willfully blind And first I shall give you the Noble Earl of Anglesey's Memorandum perfixt before the Book reputed to be King Charles I's called Icon Basilice and found by Edward Millington who sold the said Earl's Library all Written with the Earl's own Hand in these Words King Charles the Second and Duke of York did both in the last Session of Parliament 1675. when I shew'd Them in the Lord's House the Written Copy of this Book wherein are some Corrections and Alterations written with the late King Charles I's own Hand Assure me That this was none of the said King 's Compiling but made by Dr. Gauden Bishop of Exeter which I here incert for the undeceiving others in this Point by attesting so much under my Hand ANGLESEY This Noble Earl's Advertisement or Memorandum must have the greater Weight for that he concealed it for ought I can hear from the Publick which doubtless he would not have done if he had had any design to carry it on by making it Publick This Memorandum being true the World has the Words of two Kings that Bishop Gauden and not King Charles Composed this lying Book For further proof that Dr. Gauden writ this Book take a Summary Account of some Papers relating Eicon Basilice now or lately in the Hands of Mr. North Merchant living on Tower Hill London whereby it appears that Dr. Gauden late Bishop of Exeter and afterwards of Worcester was the Author of that Book and not King Charles I. as the World hath for above Forty Years been imposed upon to believe Mr. North is a worthy Person and a Member of the Church of England he and Mr. Charles Gauden the Bishop's Son married two Sisters and Mr. Gauden dying about Ten Years since all his Papers were left with his Widow and Mr. North having occasion to look them over for some relating to his Sister-in-laws affairs found these relating to the Eicon Basilice carefully tied up together Mr. North by reason of his Marriage had many years acquaintance with Bishop Gauden's Family and knows that the Bishop's Widow at first gave them to her Darling Son John Gauden and upon his Death they came to Mr. Charles Gauden And further that in his many years knowledge of that Family it hath constantly and without any manner of doubt been declared that the Bishop was the Author of the Book There are several Letters and Papers I shall briefly give the Contents of them for the truth of which I shall refer to the Original Papers and to those many reverend and worthy Persons who have Read or been at the Reading of them Bishop Gauden at the time of King Charles the Second's Restauration was incumbent of Bocking in Essex and from that fat Parsonage was promoted to the Lean Bishoprick of Exeter which he complain'd was not sufficient to keep up the Port of a Bishop and thought that by his Merits he might lay claim to a better and the Death of Dr. Duppa Bishop of Winchester being daily expected he apply'd himself to the King with great Importunity to be translated thither pleading his Desert which as is evident from the Papers I mention could be no other than that of having written a Book which did such great Service to the Royal Family that King Charles the 2d
by the charitable Protestants of England for their relief in Equipping Ships to be sent to the Assistance of the French King against the poor Protestants of the Isles of Rhee and Rochell 18. That without doubt had a great hand in the Notorious Irish Rebellion wherein above 150 thousand poor Protestant Souls were most Barbarously Murthered and this will more plainly appear by reading the Commission given by this King in the 17th Year of his Reign dated from Edinborough and also the Commission thereupon of Peilem Oneale and Rorie Macguire to all the Papists both English and Irish within the Kingdom of Ireland both which for the Readers better satisfaction are Printed at large in this Book and also a sheet of Paper call'd Murther will Out containing King Charles II's Letter to the Court of Claims in Ireland 1663. Requiring the then Commissioners to restore the Earl of Antrim to his Estate for that he had made it appear he had acted nothing but by Order and Commission from King Charles I. read the Letter at large Take notice this Earl of Antrim had been a very great Rebell yet restored for serving that King in murthering his Protestant Subjects neither can any impartial Men think that King Innocent of this Wicked Act if they consider how Treacherously and Basely he delt with the Protestants of England of the Palatinate of the Isles of Rhee and Rochell What Articles he made with France in favour of Popery upon his Match what a mighty Influence his Popish Queen had over him how he employed in great Places of Trust not only great Favourers of Popery but also many profest Papists and was very much Advised and Govern'd by their Counsels to the great Sorrow and Misery of his poâ—r Protestant Subjects as also that in the Summer before that dreadful October 1641. a Committee of the most Active Papists all afterwards in the head of the Rebellion were in great favour at White-Hall and admitted to many private Consultations there with the King in the Queens Presence and those Irish Priests departed not thence till within two Months before that Bloody Rebellion and Massacre It was at that time I morally believe that King Charles favoured the Irish Massacre and the Irish Papists were so well assured of it that they called themselves the Queen's Army and said they had good Warrant in Black and White for their Proceedings and cryed out against the Parliament of England as the King's Enemies He that has a desire of being satisfied how great a favourer King Charles was of Papists let him read Mr. Pinn's Book called The Royal Court Favourite He was very much advised by the then Parliament to send early Relief to the poor Protestants of Ireland but it is notoriously known how backward he was therein and that he suffered them to be Sacrificed to the cruel Mercy of the Irish Cut-Throats It is also plain that the Parliament had long and often requested the King to Declare the Irish Rebels yet was this rare Protestant Martyr so Tender of the Poor Catholicks Reputation for Acting according to his Commands that no less than three Months past before he would gratifie the House of Commons with Proclaiming them Rebels and when he had against his real inclination thus done he was resolved That but a small number should be Printed and Published and in order thereunto the following Warrant was sent to the King's Printer from his Secretary of State IT is His Majesty's Pleasure that you forthwith Print in very good Paper and send unto Me for his Majesties Service Fourty Copies of the Proclamation inclosed leaving convenient space for his Majesty to Sign above and to affix the Privy Signet underneath And His Majesties Express Command is That you Print not above the said Number of Copies and forbear to make any further Publication of them till his Pleasure be further Signified for which this shall be your Warrant White-Hall Jan. 2. 1641. Edward Nicholas See here what special care was taken that a few only should come to the knowledge of this Proclamation when at the same time it was well observed he dealt far otherwise by the Scots for they were more sharply Proclaimed and those Proclamations with great care and dilligence dispersed throughout the whole Kingdom and ordered to be read in all Churches accompanied with Publick Prayers and Execrations But his Aversion to the Proclaiming and Proceeding against the Irish Rebels is not to be much wondred at for they call themselves The Queen's Army and declared that they Rose to maintain the King's Prerogative and the Queen's Religion against the Parliament much more might be collected from divers Authors of this Tragical Story which for Brevity Sake I shall now omit 19. That to his Eternal Infamy against all Laws both Humane and Divine caused A Declaration to be Published concerning the Lawfulness of Sports Pastimes c. on the Lord's Day and gave Archbishop Laud an Order under his Hand to see that this Declaration was Printed Read the Order and Declaration Printed at large in this Book and also King Charces II's Declaration after his Restoration It is a wonderful and amazing thing that there can be found amongst us such Clergymen and Gentlemen that against all Reason and Truth shall make a Saint nay a Martyr of this as you see Pious King How these Men at the Great Day of Judgment will be able to Answer for the many abominable Lies and Blasphemies they have been Guilty of in Defending this King's Tyrannies and Oppressions and Deifying him after a most scandalous Rate is a Mystery to me The Publication of this Licentious Book was so apparently destructive to Religion and so dishonourable to God and the King That the Pious and Sober Clergy of that time absolutely refused either to Read it or to permit it the said abominable Declaration to be Read and how barbarously and unchristianly they were used for their Refusal is too well known 20 That gave Wicked Arbitrary and Tyrannical Orders Instructions and Commissions to the Earl of Strafford Lord Lieutenant of Ireland all which the said Earl took such care to Execute that the Parliament which was made up of Grave Able and discerning Persons fell so severely upon him that they caused him to be Committed to the Tower Impeached him and soon after caused him to be according to his deserts Beheaded He pleaded the King's Authority for what he had done but the Commons saw no reason to acquit him 'T was observed that tho the King and Queen would not publickly Solicite for his Relief yet several secret Instances were made by them both to save him that had obeyed their Commands c. But the just Cries of the People c. necessitated the King against his Will to sign the Warrant for his Execution And having now given a short account of the Earl of Strafford I think it proper for the satisfaction of all those good People that desire to be rightly informed for what Laud
Archbishop of Canterbury was most justly Beheaded The House of Commons having proof that he had a great Hand in all the Arbitrary Proceedings and Dealings with Rome December 18th 1640. they Voted him to be a Traytor and Mr. Hollis was sent to the Lords to Accuse him of High-Treason which he did immediately assuring the Lords that in convenient time there should be a charge put in against him to make Good the Accusation desiring that he might be sequestred from the House and Committed which was forthwith done by the Lords The Articles wherewith he was charged consist of these Heads c. 1. For that he had Treacherously endeavoured to subvert the Fundamental Laws and Government of the Kingdom of England and instead thereof to Introduce an Arbitrary and Tyrannical Government against Law 2. That he had laboured to Overthrow the Authority of Parliaments and the Force of the Laws of the Kingdom of England 3. That he had laboured to corrupt and pervert the Ministers of Justice 4. That he himself had corruptly bought and sold Justice in his Seat 5. That he had put a New Book of Cannons in Execution against Law Vide 2 Vol. 2d Part of Rushworth's Hist. Collect. Fol. 1365. sequent 6. That he had Traytorously assumed to himself a Pap̄al and Tyrannical Power both in Ecclesiastical and Temporal Matters 7. That he had laboured to subvert the Protestant Religion and instead thereof to set up Popish Superstition and Idolatry 8. That he had prefer'd notorious Papist to Places of Dignity 9. That he had chosen to himself a Chaplain Popishly affected 10. That he had kept Confederacy and Intelligence with Popish Priests and Jesuits 11. That he had cruelly persecuted Godly Ministers 12. That he had laboured to make Divisions and Discord between us and other Churches 13. That he had stir'd up War and Enmity between his Majesties two Kingdoms of England and Scotland 14. That he had Slandened and Incensed His Majesty against Parliaments 15. That he had laboured to slander Parliaments with the Nick Name of Puritans and commended the Papists for harmless and peaceable Subjects 16. That he had Traytorously indeavoured to advance the Power of the Council Table the Cannons of the Church and the King's Prerogative above the Laws and Statutes of the Realm 17. That he had Wittingly and Willingly Harboured Countenanced and Relieved divers Popish Priests and Jesuits and particularly one call'd Sancta Clara alias Damport a dangerous Person and Franciscan Fryar and did also provide Maintenance and Entertainment for one Monsieur St. Gyles a Popish Priest at Oxford knowing him to be a Popish Priest 18. That he had threatningly said there must be a Blow given to the Church such as had not been yet given before it could be brought to Conformity 19. That he punished divers Ministers in Prosecution of the last Cannons made by himself 20. That he had wickedly and malitiously Advised His Majesty to dissolve the last Parliament and presently after it was Dissolved told His Majesty That then he was absolved from all Rules of Government and left free to use all extraordinary Ways for his Supply These were the chief Heads of the Charge against that Proud Popish and Arbitrary Prelate for which he was sent Prisoner to the Tower After some close Inquiries and Examinations taken from the Informations of the late Lord Deputy of Ireland it was sufficiently known that the Archbishop was the Conduite Pipe through which the Popish Party made the pernicious Seed of Division run so smoothly that he was the Wicked Instrument they made use of to stir up the Division between the two Kingdoms of England and Scotland and between the Protestants of the Church of England and the Presbyterians These heavy charges being made good against this Bishop and he most righteously executed for these his notorious Evil Actions Why are most of our Clergy and some of our Laity so wicked as to vindicate him and without the least Reason or shaddow of Truth cry him up for a Blessed Martyr that had violated all the Laws of the Land and was so great a Cause of most of the Miseries of England That to prevent the Peoples being too Religious advised and highly promoted the Declaration of Sports on the Lord's Day a time so odious in the sight of any thing of a Christian that it ought never to be forgotten 21. That after he had compleatly acted the part of a great Tyrant and thereby had justly lost the general Love Esteem and Affection of the best Protestants of the three Kingdoms He willingly consented that Bishop Gauden Bishop Duppa c. should compose a Book and call it His Portraicture or Picture and this Book the King was to own as his that it was composed by him when God knows he had neither so much Piety nor Capacity as that Work re-required though as a Noble Peer lately said Let that Book be Written by the King on by any body else there is little in it that deserves Esteem The design of this Book was three-fold the first was By the Lies thereby to justifie the King 's Arbitrary and Illegal Actions secondly Heavily to load the People of England with Rebellion c. for standing up for the legal Liberties and Properties belonging to them though absolutely forced thereunto to prevent the Inundation of Misery and Popish Slavery that the King and his wicked Court Favourites were then bringing on the three Kingdoms thirdly The cunning drift of the Factious and Defeated Party design'd to make the same Advantage of his Book as they did before of his Regal Name and Authority and intended it not only for a Defence of the King 's former Actions but also for promoting their own future Designs As for the Book who ever is the real Author has no occasion to value himself for that Work two things being with the greatest ease to be prov'd upon him First That he is a most Notorious Lyer both as to his Assertions of the King's Innocency of those sad matters justly laid to his Charge and also of his many unjust Accusations of the People of England and secondly That he was a Thief and had so much Piety as to have recourse to the famous Sir Philip Sydney's Arcadia a Romance in the time of his Troubles and from thence to steal the Prayer of Pamelia to an Heathen Diety being under Imprisonment not finding a suitable Form in the Liturgy Psalms of David or any other places of the sacred Scripture And that the Reader may be satisfied of the Truth of this Piece of Thievery I have thought fit to Print both Prayers in Collums one against the other That of Pamelias may be found in Pembrook's Arcadia p. 248. 13 Edit Printed 1674. That of King Charles I's is call'd a Prayer in time of Captivity Printed in a Great Folio call'd the Works of King Charles and also in his Eicon Basilike The King's Prayer Pamelia ' s Prayer to the Heathen Deity O