PETERS. 367 was a great pretender to the saintly character, a vehement declaimer against Charles, I., and one of the foremost to encourage and justify the rebellion.. Dr. Barwick says, 44 he was known to be infamous for more kinds .ofwicked- ness than one."+ Wood denominates him " a theological and pulpit buffoon, and a diabolical Villain."t Dr. Grey says, 44 he was a juggling, scandalous, and infamous villain, and that he got the mother and daughter with child." He styles him, "the gingerbread prophet, the late pastor of a hunger-starved flock at Salem in New Eng- land, that mongrel minister, that military priest, that mo- dern Simon Magus, that disguised executioner, that bloody butcher of the king."§ These are, indeed, very heavy charges. They require good evidence for their support. On the one hand, it is easy for an historian to assert what he wishes to be true, though he cannot prove it ; and, on the other, it is often extremely difficult to disprove what is asserted, though it may in fact rest on no good evidence. Though we would by no means connive at sin, or attempt to lessen the guilt of anyman, the truth of the above charges appears extremely doubtful. Some, of these accusations are unquestionably the language of scurrility, misrepresentation, and abuse ; and they all come from known enemies, those who hated the cause in which he was engaged, and looked upon it as detestable. We do not find, that they knew of any of those things of Mr. Peters themselves ; and, therefore, what they have published must be considered only as common fame, which in those times, when malice, bigotry, and revenge ran so high, might easily have been propagated without even the shadow of proof, Mr. Peters suffering as a traitor, they were probably too forward to believe those reports ; the truth ofwhich was at best extremely uncertain. Indeed, the times in which Mr. 'Peters was on the stage, were far enough from favouring such vices in the ministe- rial character. He must be a novice in the history of those times, who knows not what a precise and demure kind of men were the preachers among the parliamentarians. They were careful, not only of their actions, but of their words, and even their looks and gestures. Drunkenness, whore dom, swearing, and such like vices, were quite out of Granger's Biog. Hist. vol. iii. p. 55, 339. Historical Account, p. 33. Wood's Athenm Oxon. vol. ii. p. 113, 739. Grey's Examination, vol. ii. p. 358. iii. 281.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=