A compleat history of the most remarkable providences both of judgment and mercy, which have hapned in this present age extracted from the best writers, the author's own observations, and the numerous relations sent him from divers parts of the three kingdoms : to which is added, whatever is curious in the works of nature and art / the whole digested into one volume, under proper heads, being a work set on foot thirty years ago, by the Reverend Mr. Pool, author of the Synopsis criticorum ; and since undertaken and finish'd, by William Turner...

9. JAMES Duke of MONMOƲTH.

THE last Person with whom we shall conclude this Mournful Tragedy, and the greatest in it, is the late James Duke of Monmouth; one indeed, who, if he had been a little less, might have been at this time one of the greatest Men both in England and the World. By reason of some Passages in his Life, not so defensible, 'twas thought, at first, better to draw a Veil before that unfortunate Prince, and say nothing at all of him. But what Allowances are made for Custom and Education, God only knows. I remember a shrewd Answer given to an Objection of this Nature, Where, said one, should he learn any better? But however, where there has been any time to think soberly of past Actions, or none of that Nature reiterated, Charity is obliged to judge favourably. And besides, the good West-Country-men would be very angry if they should not find their Master that they loved so well, and suffered so much for, among the rest of these Noble Hero's. None can deny but he was a great General, a Man of Courage and Conduct, and great Personal Valour, having signaliz'd himself both at Mons and Maestricht; so as to gain an high and just Reputation. He was all along true and firm to the Protestant Interest in and out of Parliament, tho' abhorring any base way of promoting it, as well as his Friend my Lord Russel. This is intended as a Character rather, or very short Compendium, than any History of his Life. He was all along the Peoples Darling, whose hearts were entirely his by his Courtesie and Affability, as other Persons lost them by their sourness and haughty Pride. After Russel's Death he went into Flanders, whence had he prosecuted his Design, and gone, as 'tis said he intended, into the Emperor's Service, how many Lawrels might he have won, and how many more would now have been growing for him? But his Fate was otherwise— He came over into England. After the defeat of his Army at Sedgemoor, he fled with the Lord Gray, who was first taken, and he himself a little after brought up to London, and on his Attainder in Par∣liament, beheaded on Tower-Hill. 'Tis said, a certain brave Old Officer, who then came over with him, and since with the Prince, offered with a small Party of Horse, to have ventured through all the Guards, and took him off the Scaffold. But they could not be got together; his time was come. Providence had designed other things, that our Deliverance should be more Just, and Peaceable, and Wonderful; and that the Glory thereof should be reserved for His Sacred Majesty King William, Whom God grant long to Reign.

The Last Speech and Carriage of the Duke of Monmouth upon the Scaffold.

THE late Duke of Monmouth came from the Tower to the Scaffold, attended by the Bishop of Ely, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, Dr. Tenison, and Dr. Hooper; which four the King sent him, as his Assistants, to prepare him for Death: The Duke himself entreated all four of them to accompany him to the Place of Execution, and to continue with him to the last. The two Bishops going in the Lieutenant's Coach with him to the Bars, made Seasonable and Devout Applications to him all the way; and one of them desired him not to be surprized, if they to the very last upon the Scaffold, renewed those Exhortations to a particular Repentance, which they had so often repeated before.

At his first coming upon the Scaffold, he looked for the Executioner; and seeing him, said, Is this the Man to do the Business? Do the Work well.

Then the Duke of Monmouth began to speak, some one or other of the Assistants during the whole time, applying themselves to him.

Monmouth. I shall say but very little; I come to die; I die a Protestant of the Church of England. Assistants. My Lord, if you be of the Church of England, you must acknowledge the Doctrine of Non-resistance to be true.

Mon. If I acknowledge the Doctrine of the Church of England in general, that includes all.

Assist. Sir, it is fit to own that Doctrine particularly, which respects your Case: Here he was much urged about that Doctrine of Non-resistance; but he repeated in effect his first An∣swer. Then he began as if he was about to make a premeditated Speech, in this manner.

Mon. I have had a Scandal raised upon me about a Woman, a Lady of Vertue and Honour. I will name her; the Lady Henrietta Wentworth. I declare, That she is a very Vertuous and

Godly Woman. I have committed no sin with her; and that which hath passed betwixt us, was very Honest and Innocent in the sight of God.

Assist. In your Opinion, perhaps, Sir, as you have been often told; (i. e. in the Tower) but this is not fit Discourse in this Place.

Mr. Sheriff Gostlin. Sir, were you ever married to her? Mon. This is not a time to Answer that Question. Sher. Gostlin. Sir, I hoped to have heard of your Repentance for the Treason and Bloodshed which hath been committed. Mon. I die very Penitent.

Assist. My Lord, it is fit to be particular; and considering the Publick Evil you have done; you ought to do as much Good now, as possibly you can, by a Publick Acknowledgment.

Mon. What I have thought fit to say of Publick Affairs, is in a Paper which I have signed, I referr to my Paper. Assist. My Lord, there is nothing in that Paper about Resistance; and you ought to be particular in your Repentance, and to have it well grounded. God give you True Repentance. Mon. I die very Penitent, and die with great Chearfulness, for I know I shall go to God. Assist. My Lord, you must go to God in his own way. Sir, be sure you be truly Penitent, and ask Forgiveness of God, for the many you have wronged.

Mon. I am sorry for every one I have wronged, I forgive every Body; I have had many Enemies, I forgive them all. Assist. Sir, your Acknowledgment ought to be particular.

Mon. I am to die; pray, my Lord— I referr to my Paper. Assist. They are but a few words that we desire: We only desire an Answer to this Point.

Mon. I can bless God, that he hath given me so much Grace, that for these two Years last past, I have led a Life unlike to my former course, and in which I have been happy.

Assist. Sir, was there no Ill in these two Years? In these Years, these great Evils have happened; and the giving Publick Satisfaction is a necessary part of Repentance; be pleased to own a De∣testation of your REBELLION. Mon. I beg your Lordship that you would stick to my Paper. Assist. My Lord, as I said before, there is nothing in your Paper about the Doctrine of Non-resistance. Mon. I Repent of all things that a true Christian ought to Repent of. I am to die; pray, my Lord— Assist. Then, my Lord, we can only recommend you to the Mercy of God; but we cannot Pray with that Chearfulness and Encouragement, as we should if you had made a particular Acknowledgment.

Mon. God be praised, I have Encouragement enough in my self; I die with a clear Conscience, I have wronged no Man. Assist. How, sir, no Man! Have you not been Guilty of Invasion, and of much Blood, which hath been shed, and it may be, of the loss of many Souls that fol∣lowed you? You must needs have wronged a great many. Mon. I do, Sir, own that, and am sorry for it. Assist. Give it the true Name, Sir, and call it Rebellion.

Mon. What Name you please, Sir; I am sorry for Invading the Kingdom, and for the Blood that has been shed, and for the Souls which may have been lost by my means; I am sorry it ever happened. Mr. Sher. Vandeput. He says, he is sorry for Invading the Kingdom.

Assist. We have nothing to add, but to renew the frequent Exhortations we have made to you, to give some Satisfaction for the Publick Injuries to the Kingdom. There have been a great many Lives lost by this Resistance of your Lawful Prince.

Mon. What I have done, has been very ill; and I wish with all my heart it had never been: I never was a Man that delighted in Blood; I was very far from it; I was as cautious in that as any Man was; the Almighty God knows how I now die, with all the Joyfulness in the World. Assist. God grant you may, Sir; God give you True Repentance. Mon. If I had not True Repentance, I should not so easily have been without the fear of Dying: I shall die like a Lamb. Assist. Much may come from Natural Courage. Mon. I do not attribute it to my own Nature, for I am fearful as other Men are; but I have now no fear, as you may see by my Face; but there is something within me that does it, for I am sure I shall go to God.

Assist. My Lord, be sure upon good grounds; do you Repent you of all your sins, known, or unknown; confessed, or not confessed; of all the sins which might proceed from Error in Judgment?

Mon. In general for all, I do with all my Soul. Assist. God Almighty of his Infinite Me•••• for∣give you. Here are great Numbers of Spectators, here are the Sheriffs, they repres•••••• the Great City, and in speaking to them, you speak to the Great City; make some Satisfaction by owning your Crime before them.— He was exhorted to Pray for the King; and was asked, whether he did not desire to send some Dutiful Message to His Majesty, and to recommend his Wife and Children to His Majesty's Favour.

M. What harm have they done? Do it if you please: I pray for him, and for all Men.

Ass. (At his undressing) My Lord, you have been bred a Soldier; you will do a generous Christian thing, if you please to speak to the Soldiers, and say, That here you stand a sad Exam∣ple of Rebellion, and entreat them and the People to be Loyal and Obedient to the King.

M. I have said, I will make no Speeches; I will make no Speeches; I am come to die.

Ass. My Lord, Ten Words will be enough. M. (Then calling his Servant, and giving him something like a Tooth-pick Case) Here, said he, give this to the Person to whom you are to deliver the other things. (To the Executioner:) Here are Six Guinea's for you; pray do your Business well: Don't serve me as you did my Lord Russel. I have heard, you struck him three or four times. Here (to his Servant) take these remaining Guinea's, and give them to him if he does his Work well.

Execut. I hope I shall.

M. If you strike me twice, I cannot promise you, not to stir.

During his undressing, and standing towards the Block, were used divers Ejaculations, and much of the 51st. Psalm, and particularly, Deliver me from Blood guiltiness, O God, Thou God, &c. Then he lay down; and soon after he raised himself upon his Elbow, and said to the Execu∣tioner,

Prithee let me feel the Ax. He felt the Edge, and said, I fear it is not sharp enough.

Execut. It is sharp enough, and heavy enough.

Then he lay down again. During this space, many pious Ejaculations were used by those that assisted him, with great fervency. God accept your Repentance, God accept your Repentance, God accept your imperfect Repentance; My Lord, God accept your general Repentance; God Almighty shew his Omnipotent Mercy upon you: Father, into thy Hands we commend his Spirit, &c. Lord Jesus receive his Soul.

Thus ended the Life of the late Duke of Monmouth, on Wednesday the 15th. of July, 1685. on Tower-hill.

A Brief Abstract of the Paper left behind him.

I Repent in general of all my Sins, and am more particularly concerned for what Blood hath been spilt on my Account, and the rather, seeing the Issue is such as I fear will prove of Fatal Consequence to the Reformed Protestant Religion.

Instead of being counted Factious and Rebellious, the very opposing of Popery and Arbi∣trary Power, now arising and appearing plain enough, would sufficiently have protected my Cause; besides, several other most heinous and notorious Crimes (such as the unhappy Fate of the Earl of Essex, and my Father of ever blessed Memory, and others now covered over with Jesuitical Policy) should have been detected and avenged.

I have lived, and shall now die in the Faith of this, That God will work a Deliverance for his People; and then will be discovered the great, and horrid, and scarcely to be parallell'd Vil∣lainies our Enemies have been guilty of; but now you see my case is desperate, yet know, that I die a Martyr for the People, and shall rather pity the State, that their false and covetous Minds have brought themselves and me to, than discover who are the Persons concerned in my Overthrow; and I heartily forgive all that have wronged me, even those that have been Instru∣mental in my Fall, earnestly praying for their Souls.

And I hope King James will shew himself to be of his Brother's Blood, and extend his Mercy to my Children, even as he was wont to his greatest Enemies, they being not capable to Act, and therefore not conscious of any Offence against the Government.

Argile and the Duke of Monmouth being now both safe in their Graves, King James was so puff'd up with a petty Victory over a few Clubmen, and so wrapt up with a Conceit, that he had now conquer'd the whole Nation (so that now believing himself impregnable) he resolves to be revenged upon the Western People, for siding with his Capital Enemy, Monmouth; and to that purpose, sends down his Executioner in Ordinary, Jefferies, not to decimate according to the Heathen way of Mercy, but with the Besom of his Cruelties, to sweep the Country before him; and Young and Old were hang'd by Clusters, as if the Lord Chief Justice had designed to raise the Price of Halters. After Ages will read with Astonishment the Barbarous Usage of those poor People; of which, among many Instances, this one may seem sufficient, whereby to take the Dimensions of all the rest: That when the Sister of the two Hewlings hung upon the Chief Justice's Coach, imploring Mercy on the behalf of her Brothers, the merciless Judge, to make her let go, caused his Coachman to cut her hands and fingers with the Lash of his Whip. Nor would he allow the Respite of the Execution but for two days, tho' the Sister with Tears in her Eyes offered a Hundred Pounds for so small a Favour. And whoever shelter'd any of those forlorn Creatures, were hurried to the Slaughter-House with the same inexecrable Outrage, without any consideration either of Age or Sex; witness the Execution of the Lady Lisle at Win∣chester. As for Argile and the Duke, tho' they might die pitied, yet in regard they had declared open Hostility, it was no more than they were to expect upon ill Success.