q.a the LIFE of the LIB. I. z. And that the Authority and Perfonofthe Kingwere inviolable, out of the reach of jult Accufation, Judgment, or Execution by Law ; as havingno Superiout, and fonoJudge. 3. I favoured the Parliaments Caufe, as they prole fed r. To bring Delinquents to a Legal Trial : 2. And to prefervethePerfonand Government of the King , by a Conjun&ion with his Parliament. But Mattersthat Watrsand Blood are any way concerned in are fo great and ten- der!), to be handled, that I profefs to the World that I darenot, I wfa not juffifie any thing that others or I my fel£ have done of any fach confequence. But though I never hurt the Perfonof any Man, yet I refolve to pray daily and earneffly to God, that he will reveal to me whatever I have done amifs, and . not fuffer me through Ignorance to be impenitent, and would forgive me both my known and unknown Sins, and cleanfe this Land from the Guilt of Blood. § 5'6. Having inferred this much of the Cafe of Hiffory of.thole Times , I now proceed to the Relation of the Paifages of my ownLife, beginning where I left. When I was at Kidderminfier the Parliament made an'Order for all the People tö take a Protefation to defend the King's Perfon, Honour and Authority, the Pow- er and Priviledges ofParliaments,the LibertiesoftheSubje&,and the ProteftantReli= gion,againit the commonEnemyimeaning'the Papiffs; the/rife Maffacre and Threat- nings occalioning this Proteftation. I obeyed them in joyning with the Magiftrate in offering the People this Proteltation ; which caufed fome to be offended with me. About that time the Parliament tent down an Order; for the demolifhing ofall Statues and Images of any of the three Perfons in the blef ed Trinity, or of.the Virgin Mary, which lhould he found in Churches, or on the Croffes in Church- yards. MyJudgment was for the obeying of this Order, thinking it came from Tuff Authority; but I medlednot in it, but left the Churchwarden to do what he thought.good. The Churchwarden (an honelk, fober, quiet Man) teeing a Cru- cifix upon theCroe in the Church-yard, fet up a Ladder to have reacht it, but it proved too Ihorr : whiff' he was gone to feek another, a Crew of the drunken rio- tousParty of the Town (poor Journey-men and Se,vanes) took the Allarm , and run altogether with Weapons to defend the Crucifix, and the Church Images (of which there weredivers left fence -the time of Popery ) : The Report was among them, that I was theA&or, and it was me they fought but I was walking almoft a mile out of Town, or elfe I fuppofe I had there endedmy days : when theymiff me and the Churchwarden both, they went raving about the Streets to Peek us. Two Neighbours that dwelt in other Parifhes, hearing that they fought my Life, ran in amongthem to fee whether I were there,and they knockt them both down in the Streets, and both ofthem are finte dead, and I think never perfectly reco- vered that hurt. When they had foamedabout half an hour, and met with none of us, and were newly hoofed, I came in from my walk, and hearing the People Curling at me in their Doors, I wondred what the matter was, but quickly found how fairly I had fcaped. The next Lord's Day I dealt plainly with them, and laid open to them the quality of that A&ion, and.told them , Seeing they fo requited me as toPeek my Blood, I was willing to leave them, and rave them from that Guilt. But the poor So:s were fo amazedand ashamed, that they took on forrily, and were loth to part withme. § 57. About this time the King'sDeclarations were read in our Market - place, and the Reader (a violent Country Gentleman ) feeing me pals theStreets, ffopt and faid, There goetb a Traitor, without ever giving a fyllable of Reafon for it. And the Commiflon of Array was fer afoot ( for the Parliament medled not with the Militia of that County,the LordHoward their Lieutenant not appearing). Then the rage of the Rioters grew greater than before! And in preparation to the War, they had got the word among them [ Down with the Roundbeady;)Infomuch that if a Stranger pallin many places that had fhort Hair and a Civil Habit, the Rabble prefently cried, [Down with the Round-bead,) ; and fome they knock: down in the open Streets. In this Fury of the RabbleI was adviled ro withdraw a while from home; where- upon I went to Glocefler r As 1 pall but through a corner of the Suburbs of Wor- refler, they that knewme not, cried, Downwith the Round-bead,, and I' was glad to
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