fill You full with his joy and kindness O my dear Lord the Lord of Heaven and Earth be with You and the Lord of Heaven and Earth bring You to that Safety Holland I shall make as much haste as I can to come to that glory and the Lord of Heaven and Earth take my soul I look upon my self entirely in Him and hope to find mercy through Him I expect it and through that Fountain that is opened for Sin and for Uncleanness my soul must receive it for did I rest in any thing else I have nothing but sin and corruption in me I have nothing but that which in stead of being carried up into the Arms of God and of Glory I have nothing but may throw me down into Hell Bolton But my Lord when you are cloathed with the righteousnesse of another you will appear glorious though now sinfull in your self The Apostle saith I desire not to be found in my own righteousness and when you are cloathed with another the Lord will own you and I shall say but thus much Doubt not that ever God will deny salvation to sinners that come to him when the end of all his death and sufferings was the salvation of sinners when as I say the whole end and the whole design and the great work that God had to do in the world by the death of Christ wherein he laid out all his councells and infinite wisdom and mercy and goodness beyond which there was a Non ultra in Gods thoughts what this was the great design and great end the salvation of sinners that poor souls should come over to him and live certainly when sinners come he will not reject he will not refuse And my Lord do but think of this the greatest work that ever was done in the world was the bloud of Christ that was shed never any thing like it and this blood of Christ that was shed never any thing like it And this blood of Christ that was shed was shed for them that come if not for them for none it was in vain else you see the Devills they are out of capacity of good by it the Angels they have no need of it wicked men will not come and there are but a few that come over but a few that come over and should he deny them there were no end nor fruit of the bloud and sufferings of the Lord Jesus and had your Lordship been with Christ in that bloudy agony when he was in that bloudy sweat sweating drops of bloud if you had asked him Lord what art thou now a doing art thou not now reconciling an angry God and me together art thou not pacifying the wrath of God art thou not interposing thy self between the justice of God and my soul Would he not have said yea and surely then he will not deny it now My Lord His passions are over his compassions still remain and the larger and greater because he is gone up into a higher place that he may throw down more abundance of his mercy and grace upon you and my Lord think of that infinite love that abundance of riches in Christ I am lost I am empty I have nothing I am poor I am sinfull be it so as bad as God will make me and as vile as I possibly can conceive my self I am willing to be but when I have said all the more I advance that riches and honour that grace of God And why should I doubt when by this he puts me into a capacity into a disposition for him to shew we mercy that by this I may the better advance the riches of his grace and say grace grace to the Lord to all eternity that God should own such a Creature that deserves nothing and the lesse I deserve the more conspicuous is his grace and this is certain the riches of his grace he throweth amongst men that the glory of his grace might be given to himself if we can give him but the glory of his grace we shall never doubt to partake of the riches of it and that fulnesse My Lord that fulness be your comfort that fulnesse of mercy that fulnesse of love that fulnesse of righteousness and power be now your riches and your onely stay and the Lord interpose himself between God and you as your Faith hath indeavoured to interpose him between God and your soul so I doubt not but there he stands my Lord to plead for you and when you are not able to do any thing your self yet lie down at the feet of him that is a mercifull Saviour and knowes what you would desire and wait upon him while you live trust in him when you die there is riches enough and mercy enough if he open not yet die at his doore say there I 'le die there is mercy enough Holland And here is the place where I lie down before him from whence I hope he will raise me to an eternall Glory through my Saviour upon whom I rely from whom only I can expect mercy into his armes I commend my spirit into his bleeding armes that when I leave this bleeding body that must lie upon this place he will receive that soul that ariseth out of it and receive it into his eternall mercy through the merits through the worthiness through the mediation of Christ that hath purchased it with his own most pretious bloud Bolton My Lord Though you conclude here I hope you begin above and though you put an end here I hope there will never be an end of the mercy and goodness of God and if this be the morning of Eternity if this be the rise of Glory if God pleaseth to throw you down here to raise you up for ever say Welcome Lord welcome that death that shall make way for life and welcome any condition that shall throw me down here to bring me into the possession of Jesus Christ Hodges My Lord if you have made a Deed of Gift of your self to Jesus Christ to be found onely in him I am confident you shall stand at the day of Christ my dear Lord we shall meet in happiness Holland Christ Jesus receive my soul my soul hungers and thirsts after him clouds are gathering and I trust in God through all my heavinesse and I hope through all impediments he will settle my interest in him and throw off all the claime that Satan can make unto it and that he will carry my soul in despight of all the calumnies and all that the Devil and Satan can invent will carry it into eternal mercy there to receive the blessednesse of his presence to all Eternity Hodges My Lords it was his own by Creation it is his own now by Redemption and purchase and it is likewise his own by resignation O my Lord look therefore up to the Lamb of God that sits at the right hand of God to take away the sinnes of the World O that Lamb of God! Holland That Lamb of God
any man could be and God Almighty I hope has forgiven me my sins and I desire you all to pray to God for me that I may be forgiven I hope God Almighty will forgive the Parliament and the Court Martial and all men that have had any thing to do with my death And Gentlemen I thank this Noble Gentleman for putting me in mind of it and I pray God bring more things to my memory and Gentlemen look to it all as I I have received many mercies I have been ingrateful to God Almighty and God Almighty hath let me see that though for this offence whereof I am accused he hath not done it yet he hath brought this affliction upon me to save my soul by Christ Jesus merits for alas this affliction is nothing to all my sins God Almighty kept me from my Trial at St. Albans and other places to bring me to this that I hope I shal glorifie God in And his blessed name be ever glorified Then Mr. Peters added THis is that I have now to say It hath been my Lot to spend much time with Sir John Hotham Gentlemen this is that he would have me to declare unto you that you may see in him the vanity of all things here below he hath lived in abundance of plenty and his estate hath been very large he hath been a man of 3000l a year and he had much money by him in the beginning of his daies he was a Souldier in the Low-Countries at the battel at Prague he does profess that in the places he lived in in the North part of England there was much ignorance through want of faithfull Preachers And I do wonder at it since the Reprieve came I have found the mercy of God revealed to him more every day then other especially by means of the Ministers whose bosomes God hath opened towards him Pray be pleased to take notice of his desire that you should see by him the vanity of wit parts prowesse strength or honour or any thing that comes by men After this he said Sir John Hotham desired him to let him know that upon his first going out a Souldier his Father seeing him on Horse-back spake to him thus Son when the Crown of England lies at stake then you will have fighting enough without going out of the land The Speech or Sermon of the most Reverend Father in God William Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Immediately before his Execution on the Scaffold on Tower-Hill January 10. 1644. Upon HEB. 12.1 2. Let us run with patience that race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the Crosse despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the Throne of God Good People YOu 'l pardon my old Memory and upon so sad occasions as I am come to this place to make use of my papers I dare not trust my self otherwise Good People This is a very uncomfortable time to preach in and yet I shall begin with a Text of Scripture in the twelfth of the Hebrewes Let us run with patience that race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the Crosse despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the Throne of God I have been long in my race and how I have looked unto Jesus the Author and finisher of my faith is best known to him I am now come to the end of my race and here I find the Crosse a death of shame but the shame must be despised or there is no coming to the right hand of God Jesus despis'd the shame for me and God forbid but I should despise the shame for him I am going apace as you see towards the Red-sea and my feet are upon the very brinks of it an argument I hope that that God is bringing me to the Land of Promise for that was the way by which of old he led his people But before they came to the Sea he instituted a passe-over for them a Lamb it was but it was to be eaten with very sowre Herbs as in the Twelfth of Exodus I shall obey and labour to digest the sowre Herbs as well as the Lamb and I shall remember that it is the Lords Passeover I shall not think of the Herbs nor be angry with the hands that gathered them but look up onely to him who instituted the one and governeth the other For men can have no more power over me then that which is given them from above I am not in love with this passage through the red-Sea for I have the weaknesse and infirmity of flesh and bloud in me and I have prayed as my Saviour taught me and exampled me Ut transiret calix iste That this Cup of red Wine might passe away from me but since it is not that my will may his will be done and I shall most willingly drink of this Cup as deep as he pleases and enter into this Sea and passe through it in the way that he will be pleased to lead me And yet Good People it would be remembred That when the Servants of God old Israel were in this boisterous Sea and Aaron with them the Egyptians which persecuted them and did in a manner drive them into that Sea were drowned in the same waters while they were in pursuit of them I know my God whom I serve is as able to deliver me from this Sea of Bloud as he was to deliver three Children from the furnace as Daniel 3. And I most humbly thank my Saviour for it my Resolution is now as theirs was then their Resolution was They would not worship the Image the KING had set up nor shall I the Imaginations which the PEOPLE are setting up nor will I forsake the Temple and the truth of GOD to follow the Bleating of Jeroboams Calves in Dan and in Bethel And I pray God blesse all this People and open their eyes that they may see the right way for if it fall out that the blind lead the blind doubtlesse they will both into the ditch For my self I am and I acknowledged it in all humility a most grievous sinner many waies by thought word and deed and therefore I cannot doubt but that GOD hath mercy in store for me a poor penitent as well as for other sinners I have upon this sad occasion ransack'd every corner of my heart and yet I thank God I have not found any of my sins that are there any sins now deserving death by any known Law of this Kingdom and yet thereby I charge nothing upon my Judges I humbly beseech you I may rightly be understood I charge nothing in the least degree upon my Judges for they are to proceed by proof by valuable Witnesses and in that way I or any Innocent in the world may justly be
empty Scaffold that I might have had room to die I beseech you let me have an end of this misery for I have endured it long When room was made he spake thus I le pull off my Doublet and Gods will be done I am willing to goe out of the world no man can be more willing to send me out then I am willing to be gone Sir John Clothworthy What speciall Text of Scripture now is comfortable to a man in his departure Cant. Cupio dissolvi esse cum Christo. Sir John Clothworthy That is a good desire but there must be a foundation for that desire as assurance Cant. No man can expresse it it is to be found within Sir John Clothworthy It is founded upon a word though and that word would be known Cant. That word is the knowledge of Jesus Christ and that alone And turning to the Executioner he gave him money saying here honest friend God forgive thee and doe thy office upon me in mercy The Executioner desired him to give some signe when he should strike he answered Yes I will but let me fit my self first Then kneeling down on his knees he prayed thus The Arch-Bishops last prayer on the Scaffold LOrd I am coming as fast as I can I know I must passe through the shadow of death before I can come to see thee but it is but umbra mortis a meer shadow of death a little darknesse upon nature but thou by thy merits and passion hast broke through the jawes of death so Lord receive my soul and have mercy upon me and blesse this Kingdome with peace and with plenty and with brotherly love and charity that there may not be this effusion of Christian blood amongst them for Jesus Christ sake if it be thy will And when he said Lord receive my soul which was his signe the Eecutioner did his office The severall Speeches of Duke Hamilton Earl of Cambridge the Earl of Holland and the Lord Capell immediately before their execution upon the Scaffold in the Palace yard Westminster on Friday March 9. 1649. Duke Hamilton Earl of Cambridg his Speech on the Scaffold March 9. 1649. UPon Friday the ninth of this instant being the day appointed for the Execution of the sentence of Death upon the Earl of Cambridge the Earl of Holland and the Lord Capel about ten of Clock that morning L. Col. Beecher came with his Order to the several Prisoners at St. James's requiring them to come away According to which Order they were carried in Sedans with a Guard to Sir Thomas Cottons house at Westminster where they continued about the space of two hours passing away most of that time in religious and seasonable conferences with the Ministers there present with them After which being called away to the Scaffold it was desired that before they went they might have the opportunity of commending their Souls to God by prayer which being readily granted and the room voided Mr. Bolton was desired by the Lord of Holland to take that pains with them which was accordingly done with great appearance of solemn Affections among them Prayer being concluded and hearty thanks returned by them all to the Ministers who performed as also to the rest who were their Assistants in this sad time of trouble the Earl of Cambridge prepared first to go towards the place of Execution and after mutual embraces and some short ejaculatory expressions to and for his fellow-sufferers he took his leave of them all and went along with the Officers attended upon by Dr. Sibbald whom he had chosen for his Comforter in this his sad condition The Scaffold being erected in the new Palace-yard at Westminster over against the great Hal-Gate in the sight of the place where the High-Court of Justice formerly sate the Hal-doors being open there was his Excellencies Regiment of Horse commanded by Capt. Disher and several Companies of Col. Hewsons and Col. Prides Regiments of Foot drawn up in the place When the Earl came from Westminster Hall neer the Scaffold he was met by the Undersheriff of Middlesex and a Guard of his men who took the charge of him from Lieut. Col. Beecher and the Partizans that were his Guard The Sheriff of London being also according to command from the High Court of Justice present to see the Execution performed The Earl of Cambridge being come upon the Scaffold and two of his own servants waiting upon him he first spake to the Doctor as followeth E. of Camb. Whether shall I pray first Dr. Sibbald As your Lordship pleases E. of Camb. My Lord of Denbigh has sent to speak with me I know not the faction I may ask you Sir Doe those Gentlemen expect I should say any thing to them or no they cannot hear Dr. Sibbald There will be a greater silence by and by It will not be amiss if your Lordship defer your speaking till you hear from his Lordship Camb. There is something in it He was with the House Dr. Sibbald I suppose he would give no interruption to your Lordship at this time were there not something of concernment in it Camb. He is my Brother and has been a very faithful servant to the State and he was in great esteem and reputation with them He is in the Hall and sent to speak with a servant of mine to send something to me Sibbald It will not lengthen the time much if you stay while you have a return from him My Lord you should do well to bestow your time now in meditating upon and imploring of the free mercy of God in Christ for your eternal Salvation and look upon that ever-streaming Fountain of his precious Bloud that purgeth us from all our sins even the sins of the deepest dye the Bloud of Jesus Christ washes away all our sins and that Bloud of Christ is powred forth upon all such as by a lively Faith lay hold upon him God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son to the end that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life that is now my Lord the Rock upon which you must chiefly rest and labour to fix your self in the free mercy of God through Christ Jesus whose mercies are from everlasting to everlasting unto all such as with the eye of Faith behold him behold Jesus the Author and Finisher of your Salvation who hath satisfied the Justice of God by that All-sufficiency of his Sacrifice which once for all he offered upon the Cross for the sins of the whole world so that the sting of death is taken away from all Believers and he hath sanctified it as a passage to everlasting blessedness It is true the waters of Jordan run somewhat rough and surly betwixt the Wilderness and our passage into Canaan but let us rest upon the Ark my Lord the Ark Christ Jesus that will carry us through and above all those waves to that Rock of ages which no flood nor waves can reach unto
Peace of the Kingdome That made me think it no improper time being prest out by Accidents and Circumstances to seek the Peace of the Kingdome which I thought was proper since there was something then in Agitation but nothing agreed on for sending Propositions to the King that was the furthest aym that I had and truly beyond that I had no intention none at all And God be praised although my blood comes to be shed here there was I think scarce a drop of blood shed in that Action that I was engaged in For the present Affairs as they are I cannot tell how to judge of them and truly they are in such a condition as I conceive nobody can make a judgment of them and therefore I must make use of Prayers rather then of my Opinion which are That God would bless this Kingdome this Nation this State that he would settle it in a way agreeable to what this Kingdome hath been happily governed under by a King by the Lords by the Commons a Government that I conceive it hath flourished much under and I pray God the change of it bring not rather a prejudice a disorder and a confusion then the contrary I look upon the Posterity of the King and truly my Conscience directs me to it to desire that if God be pleased that these People may look upon them with that Affection that they owe that they may be called in again and they may be not through blood nor through disorder admitted again into that power and to that glory that God in their Birth intended to them I shall pray with all my soul for the happiness of this State of this Nation that the blood which is here spilt may even be the last that may fall among us and truly I should lay down my life with as much cheerfulnesse as ever person did if I conceived that there would be no more blood follow us for a State or Affairs that are built upon blood is a foundation for the most part that doth not prosper After the blessing that I give to the Nation to the Kingdome and truly to the Parliament I do wish with all my heart happiness and a blessing to all those that have been Authors in this business and truly that have been Authors in this very work that bringeth us hither I do not only forgive them but I pray heartily and really for them as God will forgive my sins so I desire God may forgive them I have a particular relation as I am Chancellour of Cambridge and truly I must here since it is the last of my prayers pray to God that that University may go on in that happy way which it is in that God may make it a Nursery to plant those persons that may be distributed to the Kingdom that the souls of the people may receive a great benefit and a great advantage by them and I hope God will reward them for their kindness and their affections that I have found from them I have said what Religion I have been bred in what Religion I have been born in what Religion I have practised I began with it and I must end with it I told you that my actions and my life have not been agreeable to my Breeding I have told you likewise that the Family where I was bred hath been an exemplary Family I may say so I hope without vanity of much affection to Religion and of much faithfulness to this Kingdom and to this State I have indeavoured to do those actions that became an honest man and a good English-man and which became a good Christian I have been willing to oblige those that have been in trouble those that have been in persecution and truly I find a great reward of it for I have found their prayers and their kindnesse now in this distresse and in this condition and I think it a great reward I pray God reward them for it I am a great sinner and I hope God will be pleased to hear my prayers to give me faith to trust in him that as he hath called me to death at this place he will make it but a passage to an eternal life through Jesus Christ which I trust to which I rely upon and which I expect by the mercy of God And so I pray God bless you all and send that you may see this to be the last execution and the last blood that is likely to be spilt among you And then turning to the side rayl he prayed for a good space of time after which M. Bolton said My Lord Now look upon him whom you have trusted My Lord I hope that here is your last prayer there will no more prayers remain but praises And I hope that after this day is over there will a day begin that shall never have end And I look upon this my Lord the morning of it the morning of that day My Lord You know where your fulness lies where your riches lie where is your only rock to anchor on You know there is fulness in Christ If the Lord comes not in with fulness of Comfort to You yet resolve to wait upon him while You live and to trust in him when You die and then say I will die here I will perish at thy feet I will be found dead at the feet of Jesus Christ Certainly he that came to seek and save lost sinners will not reject lost sinners when they come to seek him He that entreateth us to come will not slight us when we come to entreat him My Lord there is enough there and fix your heart there and fix Your Eies there that Eye of Faith and that Eye of Hope Exercise these Graces now there will be no exercise hereafter As Your Lordship said Here take an end of Faith and take an end of Hope and take a Farewel of Repentance and all these and welcome God and welcome Christ and welcome Glory and welcome Happiness to all Eternity and so it will be a happy passage then if it be a passage here from misery to happiness And though it be but a sad way yet if it will bring You into the presence of joy although it be a valley of tears although it be a shadow of death yet if God will please to bring You and make it a passage to that happiness welcome Lord. And I doubt not but God will give You a heart to tast some sweetness and love in this bitter Potion and to see something of Mercy and Goodness to You and shew You some signe and token of good so that Your soul may see that which we have had already experience of blessed be God for it many Experiences many Expressions not onely in words but tears God hath not left us without much comfort nor evidence and I hope my Lord You that have given so many Evidences to us I hope You want none Your self but that the Lord will be pleased to support You and bear
of these Inviters 'T is no time to dissemble How willingly I was to have served this Nation in any thing that was in my power is known to very many honest pious and religious men and how ready I would have been to have done what I could to have served them if it had pleased them to have preserved my life in whose hands there was a power They have not thought it fit and so I am become unuseful in that which willingly I would have done As I said at first Sir so I say now concerning that point I wish the Kingdoms happiness I wish it peace and truly Sir I wish that this bloud of mine may be the last that is drawn and howsoever I may perhaps have some reluctancy with my self as to the matter of my fact for my suffering for my fact yet I freely forgive all Sir I carry no rancour along with me to my grave His Will be done that has created both Heaven and Earth and me a poor miserable sinful creature now speaking before him For me to speak Sir to you State-business and the Government of the Kingdom or my opinion in that or for any thing in that nature truly it is to no end it contributes nothing My own inclination hath been to peace from the beginning and it is known to many that I never was an ill instrument betwixt the King and his people I never acted to the prejudice of the Parliament I bore no Arms I medled not with it I was not wanting by my prayers to God Almighty for the happiness of the King and truly I shall pray still that God may so direct him as that may be done which shall tend to his glory the peace happiness of the Kingdom I have not much more to say that I remember of I think I have spoken of my Religion D. Sibbald Your Lordship has not so fully said it Camb. Truly I do believe I did say something D. Sibbald I know you did 't is pleasing to hear it from your Lordship again Camb. Truly Sir for the profession of my Religion that which I said was the established Religion and that which I have practised in my own Kingdom where I was born and bred my Tenents they need not to be exprest they are known to all and I am not of a rigid opinion many godly men there is that may have scruples which do not concern me at all at no time they may differ in Opinion and now more then at any time differing in Opinion does not move me not any mans my own is clear Sir The Lord forgive me my sins and I forgive freely all those that even I might as a worldly man have the greatest animosity against We are bidden to forgive Sir 'T is a command laid upon us and there mentioned Forgive us our Trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us D. Sibb 'T is our Saviours rule Love your Enemies Bless them that Curse you pray for them that persecute you do good to them that despightfully use you Camb. Sir it is high time for me to make an end of this and truly I remember no more that I have to say but to pray to God Almighty a few words and then I have done Then kneeling down with D. Sibbald he prayed thus MOst Blessed Lord I thy poor and most unworthy servant come unto thee presuming in thy infinite Mercy and the Merits of Jesus Christ who sits upon the Throne I come flying from that of Justice to that of Mercy and Tenderness for his Sake which shed his blood for sinners that he would take Compassion upon me that he will look upon we as one that graciously hears me that he would look upon me as one that hath Redeemed me that he would look upon me as one that hath shed his blood for me that he would look upon me as one who now calls and hopes to be saved by his All-sufficient merits For his sake Glorious God have Compassion upon me in the Freeness of thy infinite Mercy that when this sinful soul of mine shall depart out of this frail Carcass of Clay I may be carried into thy Everlasting Glory O Lord by thy Free Grace and out of thy infinite mercy hear me and look down and have Compassion upon me and thou Lord Jesus thou my Lord and thou my God and thou my Redeemer hear me take pity upon me take pity upon me gracious God and so deal with my soul that by thy precious merits I may attain to thy joy and bliss O Lord remember me so miserable and sinful a creature now thou O Lord thou O Lord that dyed for me receive me and receive me into thy own bound of mercy O Lord I trust in thee suffer me not now to be confounded Satan has had too long possession of this soul O let him not now prevail against it but let me O Lord from henceforth dwell with thee for evermore Now Lord it is thy time to hear me hear me gracious Jesus even for thy own Goodness Mercy and Truth O Glorious God O Blessed Father O Holy Redeemer O Gracious Comforted O Holy and Blessed Trinity I do render up my soul into thy hands and commit it with the Mediation of my Redeemer Praising thee for all thy Dispensations that it has pleased thee to confer upon me and even for this Praise and Honour and Thanks from this time forth for evermore D. Sibbald My Lord I trust you now behold with the Eye of Faith the Son of Righteousness shining upon your soul and will cheerfully submit unto him who hath Redeemed us through his Blood even the Blood of Jesus Christ that you may appear at the Tribunal of God clothed with the White Robe of his Unspotted Righteousness the Lord grant that with the Eye of Faith you may now see the Heavens opened and Jesus Christ standing at the Right Hand of God ready to receive you into his Arms of Mercy Camb. Then the Earl turning to the Executioner said Shall I put on another Cap Must this Hair be turn'd up from my Neck There are three of my servants to give satisfaction D. Sibbald My Lord I hope you are able to give all that are about you satisfaction you are assured that God is reconciled unto you through the Blood of Christ Jesus and the Spirit of the Lord witnesseth to you that Christ is become now a Jesus unto you My Lord fasten the Eyes of your Faith upon Jesus the Author and Finisher of your Salvation who himself was brought to a violent death for the Redemption of Mankind he chearfully submitted to his Fathers good pleasure in it and for us Blessed and holy is he that hath part my Lord in the first resurrection that is in the first Riser Jesus Christ who is both the Resurrection and the Life over him the second death shall have no power 'T is the unspeakable joy of a Believer that at the hour of death his soul
their Hats off And then coming to the front of the Scaffold he said I shall hardly be understood here I think and then began his speech as followeth Capel The conclusion that I made with those that sent me hither and are the cause of this violent death of mine shall be the beginning of what I shall say to you When I made an address to them which was the last I told them with much sincerity that I would pray to the God of all mercies that they might be partakers of his inestimable and boundless mercies in Jesus Christ and truly I still pray that prayer and I beseech the God of Heaven forgive any injury they have done to me from my soul I wish it And truly this I tell you as a Christian to let you see I am a Christian But it is necessary I should tell you somewhat more that I am a Protestant And truly I am a Protestant and very much in love with the profession of it after the manner as it was established in England by the thirty nine Articles a blessed way of profession and such an one as truly I never knew none so good I am so far from being a Papist which some body have truly very unworthily at some time charged me withall that truly I profess to you that though I love good works and commend good works yet I hold they have nothing at all to doe in the matter of salvation my Anchor-hold is this That Christ loved me and gave himself for me that is that that I rest upon And truly something I shall say to you as a Citizen of the whole world and in that consideration I am here condemned to die truly contrary to the Law that governs all the world that is the Law of the Sword I had the protection of that for my life and the honor of it but truly I will not trouble you much with that because in another place I have spoken very largely and liberally about it I believe you will hear by other means what Arguments I used in that case But truly that that is stranger you that are Englishmen behold here an Englishman here before you and acknowledged a Peer not condemned to die by any Law of England not by any Law of England nay shall I tell you more which is strangest of all contrary to all the Lawes of England that I know of And truly I will tell you in the matter of the civil part of my death and the cause that I have maintained I die I take it for maintaining the fifth Commandement injoyned by God himself which injoyns reverence and obedience to Parents All Divines on all hands though they contradict one another in many severall Opinions yet all Divines on all hands doe acknowledge that here is intended Magistracy and Order and certainly I have obeyed that Magistracy and that Order under which I have lived which I was bound to obey and truly I do say very confidently that I do die here for keeping for obeying that fifth Commandement given by God himself and written with his own finger And now Gentlemen I will take this opportunity to tell you That I cannot imitate a better nor a greater ingenuity then his that said of himself For suffering an unjust judgment upon another himself was brought to suffer by an unjust judgment Truly Gentlemen that God may be glorified that all men that are concerned in it may take the occasion of it of humble repentance to God Almighty for it I doe here profess to you that I did give my Vote to that Bill against the Earl of Strafford I doubt not but God almighty hath washed that away with a more precious bloud the blood of his own Son and my dear Saviour Jesus Christ and I hope he will wash it away from all those that are guilty of it truly this I may say I had not the least part nor degree of malice in doing of it but I must confess again to Gods glory and the accusation of mine own frailty and the frailty of my Nature that truly it was unworthy Cowardize not to resist so great a torrent as carried that businesse at that time And truly this I think I am most guilty of of not courage enough it it but malice I had none but what soever it was God I am sure hath pardoned it hath given me the assurance of it that Christ Jesus his bloud hath washed it away and truly I do from my soul wish that all men that have any stain by it may seriously repent and receive a remission and pardon from God for it And now Gentlemen we have had an occasion by this intimation to remember his Majesty our King that last was and I cannot speak of him nor think of it but truly I must needs say that in my opinion that have had time to consider all the Images of all the greatest and vertuousest Princes in the world and truly in my opinion there was not a more vertuous and more sufficient Prince known in the world then our gracious King Charls that died last God almighty preserve our King that now is his Son God send him moâ—e fortunate and longer daies God Almighty so assist him that he may exceed both the vertues and sufficiencies of his Father For certainly I that have been a Counsellor to him and have lived long with him and in a time when discovery is easily enough made for he was young he was about thirteen fourteen fifteen or sixteen years of age those years I was with him truly I never saw greater hopes of vertue in any young person then in him great judgement great understanding great apprehension much honour in his nature and truly a very perfect Englishmen in his inclination and I pray God restore him to this Kingdom and unite the Kingdoms one unto another and send a great happinesse both to you and to him that he may long live and reign among you and that that Family may reign till thy Kingdome come that is while all temporall power is consummated I beseech God of his mercy give much happinesse to this your King and to you that in it shall be his Subjects by the grace of Jesus Christ Truly I like my beginning so well that I will make my conclusion with it that is That God Almighty would confer of his infinite and inestimable grace and mercy to those that are the causers of my coming hither I pray God give them as much mercy as their hearts can wish and truly for my part I will not accuse any one of them of malice truly I will not nay I will not think there was any malice in them what other ends there is I know not nor will I examine but let it be what it will from my very soul I forgive them every one And so the Lord of heaven bless you all God almighty be infinite in goodness and mercy to you and direct you in those ways of obedience to
hath forgiven and too readily drunk in by others whom I pray God to forgive As for my crime as some are pleased to term it which was objected against me by the Council of war for Bootle's death was never mentioned against me there that being onely secretly used to raise a prejudice against me in the judgments of such as did not know me my crime I say though I hope it deserves a farre better name was that I came into my own Country with my own lawfull King I came in obedience to his Majesties call whom both by the laws of God and the laws of this land I conceived my self obliged to obey and according to the protestation I took in Parliament in the time of that blessed Prince his Father so if it be my crime I here confesse it again before God Angels and men that I love Monarchy as the best government and I die with Love and Honour and for the Love and Honour I bear to my Master that now is CHARLES the second of that name whom I my self in this Countrey proclaimed King the Lord blesse and preserve him and incline the hearts of those that have power in this Nation to accept him to his Fathers Throne with Honour and Peace for certainly as I believe this Nation will never be well contented never throughly happy without a King so I believe also that King CHARLES the second our now lawfull King were he a stranger to this Crown were the most fit and most accomplisht Prince that this day lives to take the government of this people his admirable piety vertue justice great valour and discretion far above so few years doth now make him in all places he comes highly beloved and will hereafter make him honourable among all Nations and I wish the people of this Nation so much happinesse when my eyes are closed that he may peaceably be received to the injoyment of his just right and then they shall never want their just rights which till then they will always want As for my being in armes in the beginning of this war I professe here in the presence of my God before whom within a few minutes I must make an account for this profession I onely fought for peace and setling the late King my Master in his just rights and the maintenance of the laws of this land and that I had no other designe intent or purpose for my then taking up armes and for this last ingagement I professe here again in the presence of the same God that I did it for the restoring of my lawfull Soveraign into that Throne out of which his Father was most unchristianly and barbarously taken by the most unjust sentence of a pretended Court of Justice and himself against law and all Justice kept out and dispossest of and this was all my reason For as for estate or quality I wanted not a sufficient competency neither was I ever ambitious to enlarge either for by the favour of my King's Predecessors my family was raised to a condition well known in this Country and now it is as well known that by his enemies I am adjudged to die and that by new and monstrous laws as making me an enemy to my Country for fighting for my Country as a Traitor to the laws for endeavouring to preserve the laws But Oh! God give me grace to consider him who suffered such contradictions of sinners and O my God assert the King to his Fathers Throne assert the laws to their former honour and restore thy own religion in its purity that all these shadows and false pretences of religion may vanish away and our childrens posterities may serve thee in spirit and in truth Good friends I die for the King the laws of the land the Protestant Religion maintained in the Church of England all as which I was ready to maintain with my life so I cheerfully suffer for them in this welcome death I am sentenced to death by a Council of Warre after quarter for life and assurance of honourable and safe usage by Captain Edge I had reason to have expected the Council would have justified my Plea which hath been Ancient Honourable Sacred and Unviolable untill this time that I am made the first suffering President for I dare affirm it that never Gentleman before in any Christian Nation was adjudged to death by a Council of war after quarter given I am the first and I pray God I may be the last president in this case I must die and I thank God I am ready for it Death would now be my choice had I the whole World in competition with it I leave nothing behind me which I much care for but my King my Wife Children and Friends whom I trust the never-failing mercies of my God will provide for I beseech God shew mercy to those who neither had mercy nor justice for me my blessed Saviour taught me by his example and command both to pray for my enemies and to so give my enemies I forgive them freely even those that contrived my ruine and pursued me to death I thank God I never personally offended them to my knowledge in my life and let me not offend against them at my death I forgive them freely and pray God for Christs sake to forgive them also Of my Faith and Religion I shall not I hope need to say much herein I hope my enemies if now I have any will speak for me I professe my faith to be in God only from whom I look for my salvation through the precious merits and sufferings of my blessed Saviour Jesus Christ which merits and sufferrings are applyed to my soul by the blessed Spirit of comfort the Spirit of God by whom I am assured in my own Soul that my God is reconciled unto me in Jesus Christ my blessed Redeemer I die a Dutiful Son to the Church of England as it was established in that blessed Prince my late Masters Reign which all men of Learning and Temperance will acknowledge to be the most pure and agreeable to the word of God and Primitive government of any Church within 12. or 1300. years since Christ and which to my great comfort I left established in the Isle of man God preserve it there and restore it to this Nation And O blessed God I magnifie thy name that thou gavest me the happinesse and mercy to be born in a Christian Nation and in a Nation where thy truth was professed in purity with honour to thy name and comfort to thy people I ascribe the comforts of thy Holy Spirit which I feel in my bosome to the Ministery of thy Word and Sacraments conveyed unto me in thy Church and made effectual by the operation of the same blessed Spirit In this faith good people I have lived and in this I die pray for me I beseech you and the God of mercies hear your prayers and my prayers for mine and your salvation Presently after the tumult was
Gospel it bloweth where it listeth So now Treason is what they please and lighteth upon whom they will Indeed no man except he will be a Traitour can avoid this Censure of Treason I know not to what end it may come but I pray God my own and my Brothers bloud that is now to die with me may be the last upon this score Now Gentlemen you may see what a condition you are in without a King you have no Law to protect you no rule to walk by when you perform your duty to God your King and Country you displease the Arbitrary power now set up I cannot call it government I shall leave you peruse my Tryal and there you shall see what a condition this poor Nation is brought into and no question will be utterly destroyed if not restored by Loyal Subjects to its old and glorious Government I pray God he lay not his Judgements upon England for their sluggishnesse in doing their duty and readinesse to put their hands in their bosoms or rather taking part with the Enemy of Truth The Lord open their eyes that they may be no longer lead or drawn into such snares else the Child unborn will curse the day of their Parents birth God Almighty preserve my Lawful King Charles the second from the hands of his Enemies and break down that wall of Pride and Rebellion which so long hath kept him from his just Rights God preserve his Royal Mother and all his Majesties Royal Brethren and incline their hearts to seek after him God incline the hearts of all true English men to stand up as one Man to bring in the King and Redeem themselves and this poor Kingdom out of its more then Egyptian slavery As I have now put off these garments of cloth so I hope I have put off my garments of sin and have put on the Robes of Christs Righteousness here which will bring me to the enjoyment of his glorious Robes anon Then he kneeled down and kissed the block and said thus I commit my soul to God my Creator and Redeemer Look on me O Lord at my last gasping Hear my prayer and the prayers of all good people I thank thee O God for all thy dispensations to wards me Then kneeling down he prayed most devoutly as followeth O Eternall Almighty and most mercifull God the Righteous Judge of all the world look down in mercy on me a miserable sinner O blessed Jesus Redeemer of Mankind which takest away the sinnes of the world let thy perfect manner of obedience be presented to thy Heavenly Father for me Let thy precious death and bloud be the ransome and satisfaction of my many and haynous transgressions Thou that sittest at the right hand of God make intercession for me O holy and blessed Spirit which are the comforter fill my heart with thy consolations O holy blessed and glorious Trinity be mercifull to me confirm my faith in the promises of the Gospel revive and quicken my hope and expectation of joyes prepared for true and faithful servants Let the infinite Love of God my Saviour make my love to him stedfast sincere and constant O Lord consider my condition accept my tears asswage my grief give comfort and confidence in thee impute not unto me my former sinnes but most mercifull Father receive me into thy favour for the merits of Christ Jesus Many and grievous are my sins for I have sinned many times against the light of knowledg against remorse of conscience against the motions and opportunities of grace But accept I beseech thee the sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart in and for the perfect sacrifice oblation and satisfaction of thy Son Jesus Christ O Lord receive my soul after it is delivered from the burthen of the flesh into perfect-joy in the sight and fruition of thee And at the generall resurrection grant that my body may be endowed with immortality and received with my soul into glory I praise thee O God I acknowledge thee to be the Lord. O Lamb of God that takest away the sinnes of the world have mercy on me Thou that sittest at the right hand of God hear my prayer O Lord Jesus Christ God and Man Mediatour betwixt God and Man I have sinned as a Man be thou mercifull to me as a God O holy and blessed Spirit help my infirmities with those sighs and groans which I cannot expresse Then he desired to see the Axe and kissed it saying I am like to have a sharp passage of it but my Saviour hath sweetned it unto me Then he said if I would have been so unworthy as others have been I suppose I might by a lie have saved my life which I scorn to purchase at such a rate I defie such temptations and them that gave them me Glory be to God on high On Earth peace Good will towards Men. And the Lord have mercy upon my poor soul Amen So laying his Neck upon the block after some private Ejaculations he gave the Heads-man a sign with his hand who at one blow severed his head from his body The Speech of that piously resolved Hugh Grove of Chisenbury in the parish of Enford and County of Wilts Esquire beheaded the 16. day of May 1655. in the Castle at Exon. Good people I Never was guilty of much Rhetorick nor ever loved long Speeches in all my life and therefore you cannot expect either of them from me now at my death All that I shall desire of you besides your hearty prayers for my soul is That you would bear me witnesse I die a true son of the Church of England as it was established by King Edward the sixth Queen Elizabeth King James and King Charles the first of ever blessed memory That I die a Loyall subject to King Charles the second my undoubted Soveraign and a lover of the good old Laws of the Land the just priviledges of Parliaments and Rights and Liberties of the People for the re-establishing of all which I doe undertake this ingagement and for which I am ready to lay down my life God forgive the bloudy-minded Jury and those that procured them God forgive Captain Crook for denying his Articles so unworthily God forgive Mr. Dove and all other persons swearing so malitiously and falsely against me God forgive all my enemies I heartily forgive them God blesse the King and all that love him turn the hearts of all that hate him God blesse you all and be mercifull to you and to my Soul Amen And so meekly laying his neck to the block and giving a signe his head at one blow and a draw of the axe was severed from his body The manner of the Execution of Sir Henry Slingsby on Tuesday the 8. of June 1658. With the substance of his speech before his Death ABout Eleven of the clock Sir Henry Slingsby was brought from the Tower to the Scaffold on Tower-Hill whither being come he fell upon his knees and for a short space prayed