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 Earl's Speech upon the Scaffold.

My Lord Primate of Ireland,

IT is my very great comfort, that I have your Lord ship by me this day, and I do thank God and your Lordship for it, in regard that I have been known to you these many years: I should be very glad to obtain so much silence as to be heard a few words, but I doubt I shall not, the noise is so great.

I come hither, by the good will and pleasure of Al∣mighty God, to pay the last Debt which I owe to sin, which is death, and by the blessing of that God to rise again through the merits of Jesus Christ to righteous∣ness and life eternal.

I come hither to submit to that Judgment which hath passed against me; I do it with a very quiet and contented mind; I do freely forgive all the world; a forgiveness that is not spoken from the teeth out∣wards (as they say,) but from the very heart. I can very well say in the presence of Almighty God, before whom I stand, that there is not a displeased thought arising in me towards any Creature. I thank God, I can say, and that truly too, and my Consci∣ence bears me witness, that in all the imployments since I had the honour to serve his Majesty, I never had a∣ny thing in the purpose of my heart, but what tended to the joint and individual prosperity of the King and People. If it hath been my fortune to be misunder∣stood, surely I am not the first that hath been so; it is the common portion of us all, whilst we are in this life, to err, but righteous judgment we must wait for in a∣nother place, for here we are very subject to be mis∣guided one of another.

There is one thing I desire to free my self of, and I am confident [speaking it now with so much chearfulness] that it cannot be but that I shall ob∣tain your Christian Charity in the belief of it: I did

always think the Parliaments of England the happi∣est Constitution that any Kingdom or Nation lived un∣der, and next under God, the best means to make the King and his People happy; so far have I been from being against Parliaments.

For my death, I here acquit all the World, and be∣seech the God of Heaven heartily to forgive them, though in the intentions and purposes of my heart I am innocent of what I die for.

And, my Lord Primate, it is a very great comfort unto me, that his Majesty conceives me not meriting so severe and heavy a punishment as is the uttermost ex∣ecution of this Sentence. I do infinitely rejoice in this mercy of his, and I beseech God to return it upon him, that he may find mercy when he stands most in need of it.

I wish this Kingdom all the prosperity and happiness in the World: I did it living, and now dying it is my wish. I do most humbly recommend it to every man that hears me, and desire that they will lay their hands upon their hearts, and consider seriously, whether the beginning of the happiness of the Reformation of a Kingdom should be written in letters of blood: Con∣sider this when ye are in your own homes, and let me be never so unhappy, as that the least drop of my blood should rise up in judgment against any one of you. I acquit you all, but I fear you are in a wrong way.

My Lord, I here profess, and with that I shall end, that I do die a true and obedient Son to the Church of England, wherein I was born, and in which I was bred; peace and prosperity be ever to it. And where∣as it is objected (if it be an Objection worth the an∣swering) that I have been inclined to Popery, I may truly say, that from the time of One and twenty to this present, going on now towards Nine and forty years, I never had in my heart to doubt of this Religion of the Church of England, nor ever had any man the boldness to suggest any such thing (to the best of my remembrance) to me. So being reconciled by the me∣rits of Christ Jesus my Savour, into whose bosom I hope I shall shortly be gathered to those eternal happi∣nesses that shall never have end.

I desire heartily the forgiveness of every man, for any rash and unadvised words, or for any thing done amiss: And so my Lords and Gentlemen, Farewell. Farewell all the things of this World.

I desire that ye would be silent, and joyn with me in prayer, and I trust in God we shall all meet and live eternally in Heaven, there to receive the accom∣plishment of all happiness, where every tear shall be wiped away from our eyes, and every sad thought from our hearts; and so God bless this Kingdom, and Jesus have mercy on my soul.

To this he added a Prayer, (not taken by any) to strengthen his Faith, confirm him in Patience and Charity, to preserve the King and his Realms in prosperity, the Church in Unity, and to have mercy on his Soul.

Rising from his knees, he delivered these Com∣mands for his Children.

To his Son William Wentworth commends him∣self, gives him charge to serve his God, to submit to his King with all Faith and Allegiance in things Tem∣poral, to the Church in things Spiritual: Gives him charge, as he will answer it to him in Heaven, never to meddle with the patrimony of the Church, for it will be the Cancer that will eat up the rest of his Estate; again, charges it as he will answer him in Heaven. And so ended.

And to shew that his Speech on the Scaffold was not sudden, but premeditate, the Paper of the Heads written with his own hand, as it was left upon the Scaffold, doth evidence, which the Primate took up.

• Come to pay the last debt we owe to sin.
• Rise to Righteousness.
• Die willingly.
• Forgive all.
• Submit to justice, but in my intentions innocent from perverting, &c.
• Wishing nothing but prosperity to the King and Peo∣ple.
• Acquit the King, constrained.
• Beseech to repentance.
• Strange way, to write (the beginning of Reforma∣tion and Settlement of a Kingdom) in blood.
• Beseech, that demand may rest there.
• Call not for blood upon themselves.
• Dye in the Faith of the Church.
• Pray for it, and desire their prayers, &c.

By the Triennial Parliament before spoken of, the power of calling Parliaments was put into the hands of Sheriffs and Constables, which without doubt was a great confidence his Majesty had in his People; but for that many conceived evil mat∣ters also of his Majesty's Privy Council, and Or∣ders issuing thence, the King called to the Board the Earls of Hertford, Essex, Bedford, and War∣wick, the Lord Viscount Say, and these were made great Officers by the resignation of others. The first was made Governour to the Prince in the room of the Earl of Newcastle; Essex Lord Cham∣berlain in the room of Pembroke; the Lord Say Master of the Court of Wards in the place of the Lord Cottington; and the Earl of Leicester Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the Earl of Strafford's room.

And moreover, that his Majesty might leave no matter of Complaint to the Commons, an Act of Parliament was now made to take away the Courts of Star-Chamber and High Commission, seve∣ral priviledges of the Forests, his Majesties sole right to make Gunpowder: Another Act also for regulating the Office of the Clerk of the Market within the verge of his Majesties Houshold, &c.

The disbanding of the two Armies was at last accomplish'd, and a Pole raised for the payment thereof, and the Scots ordered to have 100000 l. sterling at Midsummer paid them, and the 200000l. two years after, which was exactly paid. And accordingly the Earl of Holland being made Ge∣neral of the English Army for this purpose, both Armies were disbanded in August following. And for that his Majesty was by the Treaty of Pacifi∣cation to be present at a Parliament in Scotland, there to be held, for the ratifying several Acts desired by the Scots, on the Sixth of August both Houses of Parliament here in England adjourned until the Twentieth of October following, only a Committee of Fifty Members were ordered to sit during this recess: And in the mean time his Ma∣jesty goes for Scotland, where he was entertained with the greatest demonstrations of joy and affe∣ctions imaginable; and there in Parliament he confirms the Treaty between the two Nations by Act of Parliament, and all his former Concessi∣ons, and whatever had been acted by them in their general Assemblies. And the more to gra∣tifie them, Hamilton was made a Duke, and Lesly their General is made Earl of Leven, who in fense

of gratitude, said at Perth in the House of the Earl of Kinoul, upon his knees avowed, That he would never bear Arms against his most gracious Prince. How this he made good, the World very well afterwards saw. Not long had his Majesty been in Scotland, but a Plot was said to have been found out to have been against the lives of Hamilton and Argile, whereat they withdraw from Parliament, and the King is muttered to be in the Design. His Majesty hereupon orders the examination of the matter in open Parliament, where nothing of truth or design appearing against the persons, his Majesty openly told Hamilton, at the delivery of his Patent when he was made Duke,

That he had not deserved to be intrusted in that matter by him, for that he well knew when he was accused to him of High Treason by the Lord Rea in England, he yet per∣mitted him to lye in his Bedchamber.

This mat∣ter, though false, was strangely represented here in England, so that the Committee which sate during the recess of Parliament, and even the Parliament itself afterwards, when assembled, resolve and petition for a Guard for the defence of London and Westminster, and the two Houses of Parliament, during the Session of Parliament. And with these vain and false Alarms, some principal Ringleaders in the after Commotions continually entertained the Rabble.

About the end of October there broke out a most bloody Rebellion of the Papists in the Kingdom of Ireland, and this was managed with such secre∣cy, that not the least discovery was thereof made, until the evening preceeding the bloody Trage∣dy.

The innocent Protestants were upon a sudden disseized of their Estates, and the persons of above 200000 Men, Women and Children, murdered, within the space of one Month, and many of them with exquisite and unheard of Tortures. That which increas'd the wonder of most men was, the consideration that the ancient hatred which the Irish (a thing incident to conquered Nations) had born to the English, did now seem to be for∣gotten; forty years of peace had compacted those two Nations into one body, and cemented them together by all conjunctions of Alliance, by inter∣marriages and consanguinity, which was in out∣ward appearance strengthned by frequent enter∣tainments, and all kinds of friendly Neighbour∣hood.

This design was to be put in execution on the 23 of October, upon which day, not only the Castle of Dublin, the Kingdoms chief Magizine, a Store-house of 10000 Arms at that time, but all other Forts and Magazines in that Kingdom, were to be surpriz'd, and all the English and Protestants that joyned not with them to be murdered.

The seizure of Dublin Castle was prevented by timely discovery of the Plot to the two Lords Justices, by one Owen O Conally of Irish Extract, but a Protestant, which discovery was but the ve∣ry night before that fatal day, and the occasion of it very accidental, by one Hugh Mac Mahon, Grandson to the great Tyrone, a Gentleman of a plentiful Fortune, in the County of Monagan, and one that had been a Lieutenant Colonel in the King of Spains Service, who trusted this Owen with some relations concerning it at a Tavern.

Upon this discovery, Mac Mahon and the Lord Mac Guire were presently apprehended by the Lords Justices, and many Conspirators of great note escaped that night out of Dublin; so was Dublin saved, that all Ireland might not be lost in one day. But the horrid design was past prevention, as to the general; for the Conspi∣rators were up at the day fixed in all Counties round about; and poor English Protestants arri∣ved at Dublin every day, robbed and spoiled of all they had, relating how their Houses were seized, how Towns and Villages in all parts were fired, and cruel Outrages committed.

The Lords Justices, Sir William Parsons, and Sir John Burlace, taking those Arms which they found in Dublin, and arming whom they could to defend themselves, dispatched Letters to the King in Scotland, and the Earl of Leicester, then chosen Deputy, but staying in England.

It was generally said, the late Insurrection (we must not call it Rebellion) in Scotland, gave the first Incouragement to this in Ireland, and the pretences were in many of them the same, name∣ly, for Liberty of Conscience, not to have the English Bishops and Liturgy imposed upon them, and these, as those in Scotland, being mighty zea∣lous in their Religion, when once they were pos∣sessed with a possibility of compassing their De∣signs, executed whatever the impetuous dictates of Superstition or wicked Exhortation of Priests could infuse into them, in this exceeding the a∣ctions of the Scots, whose Religion founded on more pious Principles, instructed them not to such bloody ways of propagation of it.

The Lords Justices sent Sir Henry Spotswood to Scotland to the King, with intelligence of all that hapned, and thereupon he sent Sir James Stuart to the Lords of the Privy Council in Ireland, to acquaint them with his knowledge and instru∣ctions, and to carry all that Money that his present Stores could supply, He moved also the Parlia∣ment of Scotland (as being nearest) to a speedy help, but they excused their Aids, because Ireland was dependent upon the Crown of England; but they said, if the State of England would use any of their men for that Service, they would make propositions in order to it; at the same time like∣wise he sends Post to the Parliament of England, and a while after Owen O Conally, the first disco∣verer of the Plot, brought Letters to London to the Earl of Leicester, with an account of it, where∣in the Lords Justices desired some reward might be given to him: Upon the receipt of which the Parliament Voted him a gift of 500 pounds, and an Annuity of 200 l. a year, and at a Conference of both Houses they resolved to consider of the relief of Ireland, and passed several Votes to that end; but little was done for their Relief till the King returned to London, which was about the end of November.

The Irish to dishearten the English from any re∣sistance, bragg'd that the Queen was with their Army; that the King would come amongst them with Auxiliary Forces; that they did but main∣tain his Cause against the Puritans; that they had the King's Commission for what they did (shew∣ing indeed a Patent that themselves had drawn, but thereto was affixed an old Broad Seal that had been taken from an obsolete Patent out of Farn∣ham Abby by one Plunket, in the presence of ma∣ny of their Lords and Priests, as was afterwards attested by the Confession of many.) That the Scots were in Confederacy with them, to be∣get a faith of which, they abstained for some time from the lives and fortunes of those of that Nati∣on among them.

On the other side, to encourage the Natives of their own party, they produced fictitious Letters wherein they were informed from England, that the Parliament had passed an Act, that all the Irish should be compelled to the Protestant wor∣ship; and the Refusers for the first offence should forseit all their Goods, for the second their E∣states, and for the third their Lives. Besides, they presented them with the hopes of Liberty: That the English yoke should be shaken off; that they would have a King of their own Nation; and that the Goods and Estates of the English should be divided among the Natives.

With these hopes of Spoil and Liberty in the Irish, the Rebellion increased. The Rebels in Ʋlster under the Conduct of Sir Phelem Oneal, as∣sisted by Turbeck Oneal his Brother, Rory Mac-Guire Brother to the Lord Mac-Guire, Philip O Rely, Mulvere O Rely, Sir Canno Mac Gennes, cal∣led Mac Ruian, and others, had possessed them∣selves of all the strong places in Ʋlster, (London-Derry, Colrein, and the Town and Castle of Enis∣kellen excepted) many places which the English defended, and they could not either surprize by Tr••achery, or take by plain Force, they had sur∣re••dred to them upon Composition and Articles, which they afterwards most perfidiously broke, bu••chering and massacring the poor English with∣out pity or compassion to Age or Sex, though they still spared the Scottish Plantations in Ʋl∣ster, because of their numbers; and likewise for fear of the Scottish Army so easily to be transport∣ed into the North parts of Ireland, till such time as their General Sir Phelem Oneal (one of the Race of the late bloody Earl of Tyrone, of Eng∣lish Education, a Gentleman of Lincolns-Inn, and a professed Protestant till some time before) ha∣ving gathered together a numerous Rabble of the Natives, who daily flocked in to him, fell upon their Quarters; where though he exercised not that cruelty upon their persons which he did up∣on the English, yet he deprived them both of their Goods and Livings, enforcing many of them to fly away naked to the Scottish shore; from thence he marched into the English Pale, and in the be∣ginning of November he took Dundalk, and soon after he encamped at Arde within seven miles of Tredagh.

The King finding his stay in Scotland to be some∣what longer than he expected, that the business of Ireland might not suffer thereby, referr'd the whole business of Ireland to the Parliament of England, who had undertaken the Charge and Management of the War, wherewith the Earl of Leicester acquainted the Lords Justices, letting them know further, that they had declared a speedy and vigorous assistance, and had designed for their present Supply the sum of 50000 l. which would be raised with all convenient speed.

By this time the Lords of the Council of Ire∣land had armed as many as they were able, and given Commissions for raising of several Regi∣ments, which were put into the hands (for the most part) of Gallant men, as their Actions af∣terwards testified to the World; Sir Charles Co••te, an active and valiant man (who was also made Governour of Dublin) with great speed made up his Regiment out of the poor robbed and stripped English which had fled to Dublin; Sir Henry Tich∣b••urn, a worthy Commander, was dispatched away with a Regiment of Foot, to keep Tredagh from the approaching Rebels; the Lord Lambert, and Sir Thomas Lucas, Capt. Armstrong, Capt. Yarner, with others, raised many Companies of Souldiers there.

This was done about the middle of November; at which time also the Earl of Ormond with his well armed Troop of Horse came to Dublin; wherewith in few days after, he was by a Com∣mission sent from the Earl of Leicester, Lord Lieu∣tenant of Ireland (as likewise by the King's ap∣probation from Scotland signified in a Letter) made Lieutenant General of all the Forces there, who being a person of great Estate, Credit, and Re∣putation in that Kingdom, and a Protestant, did very eminent Service against the Rebels.

The Parliamont, in prosecution of their great promises, sent over Twenty thousand pounds in Money, which arrived seasonably at this time, their Treasure being much exhausted, by paying the new Companies they had raised, but with this small relief they were much incouraged, and very suc∣cessful service was performed in divers places a∣gainst the Irish, but no levies of men were made in England, till the King had disclaimed his power of pressing Souldiers, and thereby laid himself o∣pen to those Arms that were afterward raised a∣gainst him: The first Souldiers they sent was a Regiment under Sir Simon Harcourt, who arrived in Ireland on the last of December.

His Majesty about the end of November returns from Scotland, a contented King from a contented People, (so said the Scots;) And to give his Maje∣sty a demonstration hereof, they caused an Act (then in force) to be published, That it should be detestable and damnable Treason in the highest degree that could be, for any of the Scotch Nation, conjunctly or singly to levy Arms upon any pretence whatsoever, without the King's Commission. How well they performed this all men know, and we shall not now speak.

At his coming to London he is caressed and feasted by the City; and he again entertains the principal men at Hampton-Court, and bestows Knighthoods on the Aldermen and others; but these things lasted not long: For within few days afterwards he is entertained by a Remonstrance of the State of the Kingdom, presented by the Com∣mons to him at Hampton-Court, and together with it a Petition.

1. That his Majesty would concur with the People for depriving the Bishops of their Votes in Parliament.

2. That he would only employ about his person such as the Parliament might confide in.

3. That no confiscated Lands in Ireland might be alienated from the Crown, on condition the Parlia∣ment of England would undergo the charge of War.

The plain truth was, his Majesty was supposed to have gained much on his Scottish Subjects at his last being there, and some in the Parliament of England evil disposed to his Majesties Person and Government, being fearful hereof, endeavoured by all ways of private solicitations, threats, and promises, to bring about the matter of this Re∣monstrance and Petition, the debate whereof in the House of Commons lasted from ten in the Morning until three of the Clock in the next Morning, and then it was carried by but eleven voices, when many of the more aged, or persons of best Fortunes, not accustomed to such watch∣ings, were wearied out; others perhaps not daring to provoke the prevailing party, left the House; & thus this matter was carried, that it seemed rather the Verdict of a starved Jury (saith one) than the re∣sult of a Parliamentary debate. However, presented it was to the King, who promiseth a speedy Answer thereto; but in the mean time desires the Com∣moners to forbear the printing and publishing of this or such matters to the People, which notwith∣standing

(a thing never before done) was now done, and so became the first Appeal of the House of Commons from his Majesty to the People. Notwithstanding, his Majesty answered hereto so moderately, and withal so effectually, that from hence many prime Actors were much troubled to find their practices fully discovered; and therefore they had again recourse to their own old way of raising the Rabble, and a Tumult was immedi∣ately raised in the City, which came down to Westminster, and assaulted and evilly entreated some of the Peers, even at the Doors of their own Houses, crying out against Bishops, for that at that time the Bill about taking away their Votes in the House of Peers was under debate, and found but a cold reception in their House; hereupon they are tumultuously assaulted by this insolent Rab∣ble in their attendance upon the House, and after∣wards demanding of the Commons a Confe∣rence of both Houses, that they would joyn with them in a Declaration against such Tumults. Mr. Pym openly then said, God forbid that the House of Commons should proceed in any way to dishearten the People in obtaining their just desires.

The Lords finding themselves disappointed in their expectation of the House of Commons com∣plyance with them for the suppressing of these Tumults, consult the Judges, who legally advise the Peers to direct their Writs to the Sheriffs and Justices, according to sundry Laws, to raise Force and suppress these Tumults, and to hinder the con∣flux of the rude Multitude to Westminster; which Order of the Peers House being obeyed, the Ju∣stices and Constables attend accordingly to secure the Peers in their attendance, and to hinder the Rabble from gathering together about the Parlia∣ment Houses, as formerly: The Justices and Con∣stables are immediately sent for by the Commons, and shewing their Order, which was for no other matter then as before, the Commons streightway Vote this a breach of Priviledge, and without any Conference desired with the Lords hereabout, they discharge the Watch, and send the Justices of the Peace to the Tower; The like matter never heard of in England till this time.

The impunity and licence given to these Tu∣mults, gave occasion to the Lords Spiritual to frame their Protestation, and Petition to his Maje∣sty and the other Temporal Peers as followeth. They protest,

That whereas the Petitioners were called up by Writ to attend in Parliament, and have a clear and indubitable Right to Vote in Bills and other matters debated, and ought to be protected.

They protest before God, that they are most willing to do their Duties there according∣ly.

That they abominate all Actions or Opinions tending to Popery, all Propensions or Inclinati∣tions to any malignant party, or any other par∣ty, to which their Consciences shall not move them to adhere.

That they have been many times menaced, af∣fronted and assaulted by multitudes of people in their coming to do their service to the Parlia∣ment, a••d lastly chased away, in danger of their Lives without any redress of their Complaints to both Houses, &c.

They do therefore in all Duty and Humility protest before your Majesty and the Peers in Par∣liament, against all Laws, Orders, Votes, Resoluti∣ons and Determinations, as in themselves null and of none effect, which in their absence since Decemb. 27. have already passed, as likewise a∣gainst such as shall hereafter pass in that most honourable House, during the time of this their forced and violent absence, &c. and humbly be∣seech his Majesty, to command the Clerk of the House of Peers, to enter this their Petition and Protestation.

Signed John Ebor. Thomas Duresm. Robert Covent. & Lich. Jos. Norwich. John Asaphan. Gul. Ba. & Wells. Geo. Hereford. Rob. Oxon. Mat. Ely. Godfr. Glouc. Jo. Peterburgh. Mar. Landaff.

The Temporal Lords, who afterwards lived to see their own Error, and the whole House of Peers voted by the Commons House useless, dangerous, and burthensome, hereupon desire a Conference with the Commons, & this Conference produceth an Impeachment of High Treason against the Bi∣shops; and they were by the space of four Months committed to the Tower, and then the most of them let out.

We had therefore acquainted the Reader that the Peers were hindred in their attendance on the Parliament, by the rude multitude out of the City, and by whom influenced; this sort of men not con∣tent to have broken the Priviledge of the Peers House, as before we have related, they afterwards with shouting and acclamations go fo•• Whitehall, where finding no admittance, they cry out They must and will speak with his Majesty, They will have no Bishops, No Porters Lodge, but they would speakwith the King when they pleased. Hereupon Col. Lunsford by his Majesties command orders them to repair to their respective habitations, but he finds resistance, and hereupon draws, with some other Gentlemen in his company, and they dissipate themselves, but this however so exasperates them, that the next time they came down armed, and in great numbers, to the terrour and affrightment of the Members of Parliament, which caused his Majesty to command the Mayor of London for the future to prevent all riotous Assemblies of such people about his Palace of Whitehall and his City of Westminster, during the time of the Holy-days (wherein these matters fell out) and then also sends a Message to the two Houses, desiring their concurrence with him for the suppression of the Irish Rebellion, and at the same time a Proclamation was sent forth against the Irish Rebellion, in haec verba.