7 2, 'Ihe HIS T 0 R Y of the PuRITANs. VoL. n. K. Charles I. Way to Jalvation, into the grave fay ing, " Get thee gone, thou cur fed .~ " book, which hafl: feduced fo many precious fouls; earth to earth, dufl: l b. p. 3 62. " to dufl:; get thee into the place of rotten nefs, that thou may fl: rot " with thy author, and fee corruption." A mofl: unchrifl:ian and un– charitable imprecation ! Character of . Among the coniiderable fl:ates-men who died this year, may be jufl:ly ~~~: Hamp- . reckon~d John Hampden, Efq; of Bucki;tghamfhi:e, a gentleman of good extratbon, .and one of the greatefl: patnots of hrs age, as appears by his ihnding trial wi<h the king in the cafe of jhip-money, which raifed his reputation to a very great height throughou t this kingdom. He was not a man of many words, but a very weighty fpeaker; his reputation for integrity univerfal, and his affections fo publickly guided, that no corrupt or private ends could biafs them. He was indeed a very wife man, of great parts and modefl:y, and pofi'eifed of the mofl: abfolute fpi rit of popularity (fays lord Clarendon) I ever knew. He was one of the impeached members of the houfe of commons, and in the begin– ning of the war took the command of a regiment, and performed the duty of a colonel on all occa!ions punCl:ually, being a man of great per– fona l courage, not to be ti red out by the mof1: laborious, and of parts not to be impofed upon by the mof1: Jubtle, but becaufe he fought againfl: the court, lord Clarendon fays (if this be not an interpolation of the editors) Hif!.Stuarts, that he had a head to contrive, a tongue to peifwade, and a hand to exe. P· 227. cute any mifchiif. A mofl: unaccountable charaCl:er of one whom his lord01ip had commended as a perfon not only of chearfulnefs and affa– bility, but of extraordinary fobriety and ftriCl:nefs of life. Mr. Hamp– dm was certainly in all refpects one of the greatefl: and beft men of his age, and the parliament fufl:ain ed an irreparable lofs in his death, wbic~ happened ."fune 24. about a week after his {houlder bone had been broken by a muiket ball, in a !Jcirmilb with prince Rupert's forces in Chazgrave:field. ·Charafler of J oh,z Pym, Efq; member for Taviflock in all the parliaments of king .Mr. Pym. Charles I. was a man of the greateft .experience in parliamentary affairs of any man of his time. He was an admirable fpeaker, and by the grav ity of his cou ntenance and graceful behaviour, could turn the houfe which way he pleafed; he was a man of bufine(s and for moderate meafures, according to lord Clarendon, till the king impeached him of high treafon. In his private life he was eminent for true piety and exaCl:nefs of man– ·ners; and though inclined to the puritan party, not averfe to the hierar– chy with fome emendations. He was one of the lay- members of t.he affem– bly of divine~_, and at the head of all public bu!inefs, the fa tigue of which wore out his con flitution , and put an end to his life, December 8.• r643· in
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