The annals of King James and King Charles the First ... containing a faithful history and impartial account of the great affairs of state, and transactions of parliaments in England from the tenth of King James MDCXII to the eighteenth of King Charles MDCXLII : wherein several material passages relating to the late civil wars (omitted in former histories) are made known.

The Oath to be administred to the Church-wardens and Sworn Men.

YOu shall Swear, That you and every of you, without all Affection, Favour, Hatred, Hope of Reward and Gain, or fear of Displeasure or Ma∣lice of any Person, shall Present all and every such Person and Persons of or within your Parish, who hath committed any Offence, Fault or Crime, or omitted any part of Duty, which be enjoyned to perform: Wherein you shall deal uprightly, and ac∣cording to Truth; neither of Malice, Presenting any contrary to Truth, nor of corrupt Affection sparing to Present any, and to conceal the Truth, having in this Action God before your Eyes, with an earnest Zeal to maintain Truth, and suppress Vice. So Help you God, and the Contents of this Book.

First, As to the Articles concerning the Church, they are to enquire, Whether they have the Book of Constitutions or Canons Ecclesiastical, and a Parchment Register-Book, Book of Com∣mon-Prayer, and Book of Homilies, &c. And whether the Communion-Table be placed in such convenient sort within the said Chancel or Church, as that the Minister may be best heard in his Prayer and Administration.

As to the Articles concerning the Clergy, Whether doth the Minister read the Constituti∣ons set forth by His Majesty, once every Year?

Whether the Minister or Preacher use to pray for the King's Majesty with his whole Title, as King of Great Britain? And doth he in like manner pray for the Arch-Bishops and Bishops? And doth he observe all the Orders, Rites, and Ceremonies prescribed in the Common-Prayer, and Administring the Sacraments? And whether doth the Minister receive the Sacrament, kneeling at the same, and Administreth to none but such as do kneel; as by the 12th. Canon is direct∣ed?

Whether hath the Minister admitted to the Communion any notorious Offenders or Schis∣maticks; contrary to the 26th. and 27th. Con∣stitution) And whether Strangers of any other Parish do come often and commonly to your Church, from their own Parish-Church? contra∣ry to the 28th. Canon. And whether doth the Minister use to Sign the Children with the Sign of the Cross when they are Baptized? And whe∣ther is your Minister a Licensed Minister? if yea, then by whom? And whether doth the Mini∣ster wear the Surplice whilst he is saying the Pub∣lick Prayers, and Administring the Sacraments? Whether doth the Minister Catechize and In∣struct the Youth of Ignorant Persons of your Parish in the Ten Commandments, &c? And whether he doth Solemnize Marriage, the Banes not being three several Sundays and Holidays first Published in time of Divine Service? And whether doth your Minister in the Rogation days

use the Perambulation of the Circuit of the Pa∣rish? Whether doth the Minister every six Months Denounce in the Parish all such as do persevere in the Sentence of Excommunication, not seeking to be absolved? or hath he admitted any Excommunicated Person into the Church without Certificate of Absolution? Whether is your Minister a favourer of Recusants, whereby he may be suspected not to be sincere in Religi∣on? Whether is your Minister noted to be an incontinent Person, a Frequenter of Taverns, Ale-houses, a Common Gamester, or Player of Dice, &c? With divers other Articles of En∣quiry.

In Easter-Term, Car. 1. 9. Sir Edward Bullock was Sentenced, and Fined in the Star-Chamber 1000 l. for oppression in Suits of one Black∣hall; and for pulling down his House, he was Sentenced to pay the Plantiff 100 l. Dammage; and was besides imprisoned in the Fleet.

As also the Lord Kilmalock Justiciar. de Com. Banc. in Ireland, was complained of, for that he had caused a Sheriff of a County in the Kingdom of Ireland to send for a Grand Jury to his House, and they being brought into the Dining-Cham∣ber there, he caused all persons whatsoever to be shut forth except the Judges themselves, the Jury, the Clerk of the Crown, the Sheriff, and the Defendant Bealing the Prosecuter; and the Doors being shut, the Defendant, the Lord Sarsfield, Viscount Kilmallock, caused a Bill of Indictment to be preferr'd, and read to the Ju∣ry against Bushen, for the Murder of his Wife, and then bid the Jury go together and find the Bill, and told them they ought to find the Bill: and the Jury desiring to have some Evidence, the Defendant Kilmallock call'd the Defendant Bealing, who upon his Oath did Depose only, that he heard Bushen murdered his Wife, which was all the Evidence they had, saving that the Lord Sarsfield told some impertinent Tales and Discourses of the strange and miraculous Dis∣coveries of secret Murders, and said, That un∣less they would expect a Miracle from Heaven, they could have no better Evidence than they had. And afterward, four of the Jury refu∣sing to find the Bill, the Lord Sarsfield told them, if they would not find the Bill, they must attend him in Court; which they did: And one of them being asked, Whether he was with the Bill, or against the Bill? he answering, against the Bill, the Lord Sarsfield told him, he look'd for no better at his hands; and told another of them that was against the Bill, it was one of his London Tricks, and then Committed the Four that would not find the Bill, put them off from the Jury, and fined them 40 l. apiece; and striking his hand on his Breast, swore by his Honour, that not one penny of their Fines should be remitted; and immediately after, caused the 11 that yielded to find the Bill, and Two others to be sworn of a new Grand Jury; and they going together, found the Bill Billa Vera. And thereupon, Bushen coming to be Tryed for his Life by the Petty Jury, and Evidence being a∣bout to be given against him, he desired, in re∣spect of his Age and Deafness, and the then Noise of the Glass-Windows, by reason of a present Storm, and the Noise of the People, that he might have leave to come out of the Bar, and stand where he might hear what Evidence was given against him, that he might the better answer for himself; which the Lord Sarsfield un∣justly denied him. And Bushen being charged, that he himself put his Wife into her Winding∣sheet, desir'd, that such persons as did view her Body after her Death, and did wind her * 1.1 might be heard to discover the Truth; the Lord Sarsfield unjustly denied that also: And Bushen then desiring that the Justice of Peace, who had taken the Examination of the Business, might be heard; the Lord Sarsfield denied him that Re∣quest also. And the Petty Jury, after going together, and staying somewhat long, the Lord Sarsfield sent them word, that if they would not agree and come away, he would carry them with him the next day in a Cart; and being told, that they were all agreed but one, he sent a Message to the Jury, inciting them to pinch that Man that would not agree; to pull him by the Nose; by the Hair of the Head, and by the Beard; and by that means to compell him to agree with them; and bid the Jury make much of him that night, and that he would make much of him the next day; and sent that one Man word, that it had been better for him to agree. And soon after these threatning Messages delivered to the Jury, and they knowing the usage of the former Jury, did, upon light Evidence of Hear-says only delivered by Bealing, and others, find Bushen guilty of the Murder of his Wife, and he was Condemned and Executed for the same, when as it clearly appeared she died of a Natural Death, and Disease of the Bloody Flux. For which foul Carriage, the Lord Sarsfield Viscount Kilmallock was Committed to the Fleet, during His Majesties Pleasure; Fined 2000 l. to the King, and 1000 l. Dammage to Bushen the Relator: Bealing Knight, for his malicious pro∣secution, * 1.2 Devilish Practice and Attempt to get other Men of Power into his Wicked Prosecu∣tion, was Committed to the Fleet, Fined 500 l. and to pay 250 l. Dammage to Bushen, the Re∣lator. * 1.3

In the Month of October, His Majesty revived his Father of ever Blessed Memory King James's Declaration made An. 1618. for Tolerating Law∣ful Sports on Sundays; the occasion whereof was a Petition Presented unto King James in his Re∣turn from Scotland, by the Ministers of Lanca∣shire, complaining of the great increase of Pope∣ry in that Country, the People then of that County consisting especially of two sorts of men Papists and Puritans; that by the Rigour and Se∣verity of this later sort, not granting the least Relaxation to their Servants on Festival Days, and so straitly commanding the Observation of the Lords Day, as a Jewish Sabbath, not allowing them any honest Recreation after Divine Ser∣vice, as Walking, Dancing, Shooting in the Long Bow, &c. the Papists in the mean time, al∣lowing Recreations to their Servants and Chil∣dren on the Festival and on the Lord's Days, gave occasion to many Servants, and others of the meaner sort, to change their Religion, and turn Papists; in like manner the Feasts of the De∣dication of Churches, commonly called, in some Countreys, Wakes, in others, Church-Ales, were by some of the preciser sort complain'd of; and more particularly in Somersetshire, the Lord Chief Justice Richardson, then Justice of Assize there, did together with the Justices of the Peace of that County, make an Order for the abolishing of the same; as followeth:

Notes

• * 1.1

  Unjust & indirect Carriage in a Judge upon the Arraign∣ment and Trial of a Man for Murder, whereby an inno∣cent man was Con∣demned and Exe∣cuted.
• * 1.2

  1000 l. Dam.
• * 1.3

  250 l. D••.