"wound the judgment and cares of "us your petitioners and others, by "whofe choice they were prefented to the House. "Your Petitioners therefore most "humbly pray, that Mr. Hampden, and the rest that lye under "the burden of that accufation, "may enjoy the just privileges of "Parliament. "And your Petitioners will ever pray." AT THE COURT AT WINDSOR, 13th OF JAN. 1641. "His Majefty being gracioufly pleased to let "all his fubjects understand his care not (know 66 ingly) to violate in the least degree any of the "privileges of Parliament, has therefore lately, by a meffage fent by the Lord Keeper, figni"fied that he is pleafed (becaufe of the doubt "that hath been raised of the manner) to wave "his former proceedings against the said Mr. "Hampden and the reft mentioned in this Peti"tion, concerning whom his Majesty faith it "will appear that he had fo fufficient grounds "to question them, as he might not in justice to "the kingdom, and honour to himself, have "forborn; and yet his Majefty had much " rather " rather that the faid perfons fhould prove in. "nocent than be found guilty; howsoever he "cannot conceive that their crimes can in any "fort reflect upon thofe his good fubjects, who "elected them to ferve in Parliament." As every fragment relating to this diftin. guished Englishman must be interesting to his grateful countrymen, the following Infcription, written by him, and inscribed on his Wife's Monument in Hampden Church, Bucks, is fub, joined: "To the eternal Memory Vertuous and pious ELIZABETH HAMPDEN, wife of John In her Pilgrimage The state and comfort of her neighbours, The joy and glory of a well-ordered family; The delight and happiness of tender Parents, But a crowne of bleffings to a Husband. In a wife, to all an eternal paterne of godeness and caufe of joye, whilft fhe was, In her Diffolution a lofs a lofs invaluable to each, yet herself So little is known refpecting this illustrious character, that even the manner of his death has never been ascertained; fome persons suppofing that he was wounded in the fhoulder by a fhot of the enemy; and others fuppofing that he was killed by the bursting of one of his own piftols, with which his fon-in-law had presented him. Of the perfon of this honour to our country, there is, I believe, no representation of which we can be certain. The print of him in Houbraken's Heads of the Illuftrious Perfons of England, is fuppofititious. An account of one defect in his face Sir Philip Warwick has preferved *. The * "Mr. Hampden received a hurt in his fhoulder, whereof he died in three or four days after; for his "blood The last male defcendant of his family always declared, that the ivory buft of him was not an actual reprefentation of his features, but compofed by the memory and tradition of them. The arms under it have this infcription, but too well fuited in general to those who have the miffortune to be engaged in civil wars: Veftigia nulla retrorfum: There is no poffibility of returning. The following account of the death of Mr. Hampden was found on a loose paper in a book bought out of Lord Oxford's collection, and was kindly communicated to the COMPILER by H. J. PYE, Efq. the prefent Poet-Laureat, a li neal defcendant in the female line from that great Affertor of the Liberties of his Country: .. 66 "Two of the Harleys, and one of the Foleys, being at fupper with Sir Robert Pye, at Far ringdon House, Berks, in their way to Here"fordshire, Sir Robert Pye related the account "of Hampden's death as follows: That at the "action of Chalgrave Field his pistol burst, and "fhattered his hand in a terrible manner. He "however rode off, and got to his quarters; "but finding the wound mortal, he fent for Sir "blood in his temper was acrimonious, as the fcurfe commonly on his face fhewed." 7 Sir PHILIP WARWICK's Memoirs, "Robert "Robert Pye, then a Colonel in the Parlia"ment army, and who had married his [eldest] "daughter, and told him, that he looked on "him as in fome degree acceffary to his death, as the piftols were a prefent from him. Sir "Robert affured him that he bought them in "Paris of an eminent maker, and had proved "them himfelf. It appeared, on examining the "other piftol, that it was loaded to the muzzle "with feveral fupernumerary charges, owing to "the careleffness of a fervant who was ordered "to fee the piftols were loaded every morning, "which he did without drawing the former 66 charge." The King, on hearing of Mr. Hampden's being wounded at Oxford, defired Dr. Giles * who was a friend of Mr. Hampden, to fend to inquire after him, as from himself; and, adds Sir Philip Warwick, "I found the King would "have fent him over any furgeon of his, if any "had been wanting; for he looked upon his "intereft, if he could gain his affection, as a powerful means of begetting a right under 66 standing between him and the two Houses." * Dr. Giles, according to Sir Philip Warwick, was a near neighbour of Mr. Hampden's in Buckinghamshire, and being an opulent man had built himself a good parfonage-house, in which ftructure Mr. Hampden had ufed his fkill. Osborn, |