Chap. X. The HIS T 0 R Y of the PuRITANS. 475 " contrived this murder. Nay the good king himfelf was informed, that K. Charles!. " the jefuits in France, at a general meeting, refolved to bring him to juf- ~ " tice, and to take off his head by the power of their friends in the army." Bifhop Rramhall in a letter to archbifhop Ujher, dated July 20. 1654· Ib. p. r68, adds, " Thus much to my knowledge have 1 feen and heard, fince my I6g. " Jeavino- your lordQlip, which I myfelf could hardly have credited had " not mlne eyes feen fure evidence of the fame (viz.) that when the " 'romi/h orders which were in difguife in the parliament army, writ to " their feveral convents, and efpecially to the Sorbonifts, about the law- " fulnefs of taking away the king's life, it was returned by the Sorbonifts, " that it was lawful for any roman catholic to work a change in 'govern- " ments for the mother church's advancement, and chiefly in an heretical " kingdom, and fo, lawful to make away with the king." Mr. Prynne Necelr: adds, '' that Mr. Henry Spoifwood faw the queen's confelfor on horft:back Vincl. p. 45· "among the crowd in the habit of a trooper, with his drawn [word " flourifhing it over his head in triumph, as others did, when the king's '' head was ju!t cut off; and being aiked how he could be. prefent at fo ~< fad a fpeB:ale, anfwered, there were above forty more priefls and jefuita " there be fides himfelf, and when the f<~tal blow was given he flourifhed " his fword and faid, now the greatefl enemy we have in the world is " dead." But this :fbry does not feem to me very probable, nor is it Fox and eafy to believe that the papi11s fhould triumph in the death of a king, Firebrand, who was their friend and proteB::or in profperity, and whofe fulferings ~6rt I!. P· are in a great mcafure chargeable upon his too great attachment to their · interefls. But the fi:rongeil: and mofl: unexceptionable tefl:imony, is the aCJ of at- Sentiments if tainder of th~ king's judges pajfid upon the refloration of king Charles II.t~e conv·~·the preamble to which fets forth, '' that the execrable murder of his royal tzon parlza– " father was committed by a party of wretched men defperately wicked, ';':n~ar. II. . '' and hardened in their impiety, who having firfl: plotted and contrived chap. 30. " the ruin of this excellent monarchy, and with it of the true protefi:ant " religion, which had long flourifhed under it, found it nece!fary, in or- •' der to carry on their pernicious and traiterous deiigns, to throw down all " the bulwarks and fences of law, and to fubvert the very being and con- " fi:itution of parliament-- And for the more eafy effeCting their at- " tempts on the perfon of the king himfelf, they fi!fl JeducedJome part of '' the then army into a comp!ianu, and then kept the refl in JubjeCJion partly "for hopes of preferment, and chiifly for fiar of !oqjing their employment;. . " and arrears, till by thefe, and other more odious arts and devices, they -'' had fully fi:rengthened themfelves in power and faB::ion ; which being " done, they declared againfl: all manner of t~eaties with the perfon of " the
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