Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

66

"There were then divers new made Lords who "fhrunk out of the room; which the King obferving, told the Marquifs, My Lord at this 66 rate you will drive away all my Nobility. The "Marquifs replyed, I proteft unto your Majefty, "I am as new a made Lord as any of them all; "but I was never called knave and rogue fo "much in all my life as I have been fince I re"ceived this laft honour, and why should not "they bear their fhares ?"

"Speaking of the antient House of Peers, "that were nearly melted with the House of. "Commons during the civil wars, without con

66

fequence and without weight, he said, Oh, "when the nobleft and higheft element courts "the noise of the waves, (the truest emblem of "the madnefs of the people,) and when the

66

highest region stoops unto the lower, and the "loweft gets into the highest feat, what can be

expected but a chaos of confufion and diffo"lution of the univerfe? I do believe that they "are fo near unto their end, that as weak as I "am, there is phyfic to be had, if a man could "find it, to prolong my days, that I might out"live their honours."

"Whilft he was under the custody of the "Black Rod, for his loyalty to his Sovereign, " and the refiftance that he made to the forces of

the Parliament, he faid to a friend of his one "day, Lord blefs us, what a fearfull thing was "this Black Rod when I heard of it at first! It "did fo run in my mind, that it made an afflic ❝tion out of mine own imaginations; but "when I spoke with the man, I found him a 62 very civil gentleman, but I faw no black rod. "So, if we would not let these troubles and ap"prehenfions of ours be made worse by our own apprehenfions, no rods would be black."

[ocr errors]

"When he was told upon his death-bed that leave was given by the Parliament that he "might be buried in Windsor Castle, where (as "the Editor of the Apophthegms fays) there "is a peculiar vault for the family within the

great Chapel, and wherein divers of his an"cestors lie buried, he cried out with great fprightliness of manner, Why God bless us

66

"all! why then I shall have a better caftle when "I am dead, than they took from me whilft I "was alive."

Dr. Baylie, Dean of Wells, published in 1649 "The Conference; or, Heads of a Conversation "between the late Charles the Firft and the "Marquis of Worcester, concerning the Ca"tholics and Proteftants, that took place when "the King was at Raglon Castle in 1646." The Marquis being a Catholic of course exalted the

[blocks in formation]

decifions of the Church above the conclufions of reafon; and in one part of the Conference the dialogue proceeded thus:

"Marquifs. Your Majesty has forgotten the "monies which came unto you from unknown "hands, and were brought unto you by un"known faces, when you promised you would

' never forfake your unknown friends. You "have forgotten the miraculous bleffings of the "Almighty upon thofe beginnings; and how <6 you discountenanced, diftrufted, and difre"garded, aye and difgraced the Catholiques all "along, and at laft vowed an extirpation of ❝ them. Doth not your Majefty fee clearly "how that in the two great battailles, the North "and Nafeby, God fhewed figns of his dif"pleasure? When in the first, your enemies cc were even at your mercy, confufion fell upon

[ocr errors]

you, and you loft the day; like a man that "fhould fo wound his enemies that he could "fcarce ftand, and afterwards his own fword "fhould fly out of the hilt, and leave the strong "and skillfull to the mercy of his falling ene"mies and in the second, (and I fear me the "laft battaile that e'er you'll fight,) whilft your "men were crying Victory! and I hear they "had reason to do so, your sword broke in the "aire, which made you a fugitive to your flying "enemies. Sir, pray pardon my boldneffe, for

"it is God's cause that makes me fo bold, and "no inclination of my own to be fo: and give

[ocr errors]

me leave to tell you, that God is angry with

you, and will never be pleafed untill you have "taken new refolutions concerning your reli "gion, which I pray God to direct you, or else you'll fall from naught to worse, from thence "to nothing."

st

66

66

66

King Charles.-My Lord, I cannot fo much "blame as pity your zeal. The foundneffe of Religion is not to be tryed by dint of fword, nor must we judge of her truths by her pro"fperity; for then, of all men Christians would be "the most miferable. We are not to be thought "no followers of Chrift, by obfervations drawn "from what is croffe or otherwife, but by taking

[ocr errors]

up our croffe and following Christ. Neither " do I remember, my Lord, that I made any "fuch vow before the battaile of Nafeby con"cerning Catholiques; but fome fatisfaction I "did give my Proteftant fubjects, who, on the "other fide, were perfuaded that God blest us "the worse for having fo many Papists in our army."

[ocr errors]

1

"Marquifs.-The difference is not great; I pray God forgive you, who have most reason "to afk it." ask

66

King. I think not fo, my Lord."

EE 4

Marquifs.

1

"Marquifs.-Who fhall judge?"

[ocr errors]

King. I pray, my Lord, let us fit down,

"and let Reason take her feat."

66

Marquifs.-Reason is no judge.”

"King. But he may take her place, Mar"quifs, not above our faith."

"Marquifs.-Not above our faith."

·

SIR THOMAS SOMERSET,

"brother to the Marquis of Worcester, had

a house which was called Troy, five miles. " from Ragland Castle. This Sir Thomas being "a complete Gentleman, delighted much in fine

[ocr errors]

cr

gardens and orchards, where, by the benefit of

art, the earth was made fo grateful to him at "the fame time that the King (Charles the First)

tr

happened to be at his brother's house, that it « yielded him wherewithal to fend his brother "Worcester a prefent, and fuch an one as (the "times and the feafons confidered) was able to "make the King believe that the Sovereign of "the Planets had new changed the Poles, and

"that

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »