King Charles the First, no man of blood: but a martyr for his people· Or, a sad, and impartiall enquiry, whether the King or Parliament began the warre, which hath so much ruined, and undon the kingdom of England? and who was in the defensive part of it?

CHAP. V. Whether the Parliament, in their pretended Magi∣stracy, have not taken lesser oceasions to punish or provide against Insurrections, Treasons, and Rebellions, as they are pleased to call them.

ALL in the neighborhood of their Proceedings, that know but any thing of them can tell it: The Parliament have not beene wanting to their owne Preservations and purposes in the exercise of the greatest jealousie, vigilancy, terror and authority, over those they could but get within their pretended Jurisdiction: Witnesse Edward Archer, who was whipt and punished almost to death, for speaking but his ill wishes to the Earle of Essex, when he was march∣ing out of London, with their Army against the King: the imprison∣ment of their owne Members, for speaking against the Sence and Cabal of the House of Commons; men and women, old and young shut up under Decks, ready to bee stifled a ship-board, upon suspicion that they affected the King; hanging of the two Bristoll Marchants, Master Bourchier and Master Yeomans, for an endeavor to deliver up Bristoll; Putting Colonell Essex out of the government of that Towne, upon suspicion of favouring the enterprise; hang∣ing of Master Tompkins and Master Chaloner, ••or a purpose to force the delivery up of some factious men to Justice; banishing Master Waller, an eminent Member of the House of Commons for the con∣trivance of it; searching the houses of forraign Ambassadors, & in∣tercepting and opening their Letters; Beheading Sir Alexander Ca∣ry for an intention to deliver up Plymouth, and Sir John Hotham (who adventured first of all to set up their authority, and was ma∣gnified and, almost, adored for it;) for an intention only to deliver up Hull to the King; executing of his sonne, for joyning with his father in it; hanging Master Kniveton, one of the Kings Messengers, but for bringing his Majesties proclamation to London for the ad∣journing of the Tearme (being a greater misusage then Davids Mes∣sengers received from King Ammon) imprisoning, starving, and un∣doing

of any that durst but owne the King, or send, or bring any Message from him or his partie, or that did but give any aide or as∣sistance to him, to which their Oathes and Consciences and the jug∣ling Covenant (they themselves took, and forced upon them) did ob∣liege them, shooting and cannonading of the Queene when shee came but to aid her husband, and chasing and shooting after her at Sea a yeare after, when shee was going back into France from him; sequestring wives and mothers that did but relieve their husbands and childrens wants when they returned out of the Kings service, putting thousands of Orthodox ministers out of their benefices and livelyhoods for using the Common-Prayer-Booke, Preaching true Do••••••ne and obedience to the King, or Praying for him at the same time when they pretended libertie of Conscience, and preservation of Religion, voting the Prince a Traytor for wishing well or being in companie with his Father (for hee was too young to doe any thing else for him) and making, or rather supposing charges of high Treason against those that either fought for the King, or counselled him how to defend himselfe; for but obeying the knowne Lawes, they themselves made the World believe they made some parte of the Warre for, ordering all to dye without mercy, that did but harbour the King when hee fled in a disguise before their armies, condemning men by a Court martiall after the Warre was ended, and shooting them to death but for words or intentions. And if this and many things more might bee said of it, bee not enough; what meanes so many sequestrations, and the bleating and lowing of mens Sheepe, and Oxen taken away from them since the Warre was ended, but for words spoken either for the King or against them; husbands and Fathers undone for what their Wives or Children did without their privity: the Mayor of London & divers Aldermen Imprisoned but upon a suspicion of joy∣ning with the Scots; or somthing in pursnance of the Covenant they forced them to take, or else would have undone them for refusing of it; Garrisons and Armies with free quartering and Taxes kept up after the Warre was ended; and the People like sheepe de∣voured to maintaine them: so much complaining in our streets; and taking away the fift part of many men in whole Counties, as Essex, Kent, &c. for joyning with some of the Kings forces, or for being forced to send provisions to them (when they took up armes, some in pursuance of the Covenant, and others of them to deliver the King out of Prison) and causing the Soldiers not only to cut and

kill divers of the County of Surrey in the very act of Petitioning the Parliament for a Treaty of Peace with the King, and sequeste•• many of them for putting their hands to it, with disabling the Citizens of London for bearing any office in the City or Common∣wealth for but putting their hands to the Petition for the Treaty; though Cromwell himself had not long before set on som to Petition for it, and the ruine and undoing of two parts of three in the King∣dome, very many of whom did nothing actually in the Warres, but were only sacrificed to their pretended reasons & jealousies of State doe sufficiently Proclame, and remaine the wofull Registers to after generations of this lamentable assertion. If the King could have got∣ten but so much leave of his mercy and a tender-heartednesse to hi•• People, as to have used but the five hundreth part of the Parliaments jealousies, and sharpe and mercilesse authority in the mannaging of this Warre, so much of his Kingdoms and People had not beene un∣done and ruined, nor the Parliament put to so much labour to coyn faults and scandalls against him, nor to wrest the Lawes to non sence, and the Scriptures, to Blasphemy, to justifie their most horrid act of murdering him; but for seeking to preserve the Lawes and Liberties of his People, who are now cleerely cheated out of them. And here our misery tells us wee must leave them, and in the next place shall remember (for indeede it is so playne it needs no enquiry,)