122 The HISTORY of the PuRIT ANS•. VoL. II~ K.-Charlesl." to introduce an arbitrary government again11: law and the liberties of the 16 44· " fubjeet. ~ T hirdly, "That he hJd traiterouily endeavoured, and practifed, to " alter and fubvert God's true religion by law e11:abliihed in t his realm, " and infl:ead thereof to fet up popifh fuperfl:irion and idolutry, and to. " reconcile us to the church of Rome." Serjeartt The trial began March 12. 1643--4- when Mr. Serjeant Wild, one of Wdd opem the managers of the houfe of commons, opened the impeachment with :::,,;:npet~ch- a [mart fpeech, in whi.ch he fiated and aggrav~ted the fe~eral crimescharged upon the archb1lhop, and concluded With companng him to Naaman the Syrian, who was a great man but a leper. T he archbiThe archbifhop in his reply, endeavours to wipe off the afpedions that Jbop's fteech. were call: upon him, in a laboured fpeech which he held in his hand. ~~arifn's He fays, " It was no lefs than a torment to him to appear in that place,, Laud's trou-" and plead for himfelf on that occalion, becaufe he was not only a hies, p. 223. " chriflian but a clergyman, and by God's grace advanced to the greatell: March 13. 1643'4· " place this church affords. He bleifed God that he was neither a– << fhamed to live, nor afraid to die; that he bad been as fl:riet an obferver " of the laws of his country, both in public and private, as any man " wbarfoever; and as for religion, that he had been a Heady member of " the church of England as efl:abli.fhed by law, which he had endea– " voured to reduce to decency, uniformity, and beauty, in the outward· '' face of it; but he bad been as far from attempting any alterations in " favour of popery, as when his mother fir11: bore him into the world; " and let nothing be fpoken but truth (fays he) and I do here challenge " whatfoever is between heaven and hell, that can be [aid againfl: me in " point of my religion, in which I have ever hated diilimulation ;" he then concludes with a lifl: of twenty-one perfons whom he had converted from popery to the protefl:ant religion. It was obferved by fame, that if the pailionate expreilions in this fpeech had been a little qualified, they would have obtained more credit with his grace's judges; but as they were pronounced, were thought hardly fit for the mouth of one who lay under the weight of fo many accufations from the reprefentative body of the nation. The uext day the managers for the commons, began to make good the firfl branch of their charge, (viz.) F.rjl branch "That the archbifhop had traiteroufly attempted to fubvert the rights of' the charge" of parliament, and to exalt the king's power above the laws." {~;[':~~,';,1';jg In fupport of which they produced, (I) a paffage out of his own diary, parhament. Dec. 5· 1639• "A rifolution was voted at tbe board to qfjift the king m " extra-
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