"mons during the civil wars, without confequence and without weight, he said, Oh, when "the nobleft and highest element courts the noise " of the waves (the trueft emblem of the madnefs of the people,) and when the highest re"gion stoops unto the lower, and the lowest gets into the highest feat, what can be expected but "a chaos of confufion and diffolution of the uni"verfe? 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 outlive their honours." "Whilst he was under the cuftody of the Black Rod, for his loyalty to his Sovereign, and the "refiftance that he made to the forces of the Parliament, he said to a friend of his one day, "Lord blefs us, what a fearful thing was this "Black Rod when I heard of it at firft! It did "fo run in my mind, that it made an affliction "out of mine own imaginations; but when I spoke "with the man, I found him a very civil gentle<< man, but I faw no black rod. So, if we would "not let these troubles and apprehenfions of ours "be made worfe by our own apprehenfions, no "rods would be black." ་་ "When he was told upon his death-bed that "leave was given by the Parliament that he might "be buried in Windfor Caftle, where (as the "Editor of the Apophthegms fays) there is a peculiar " "peculiar vault for the family within the great Chapel, and wherein divers of his ancestors lie buried, he cried out with great fprightlinefs of "manner, Why God bless us all! why then I fhall "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 Converfation "between the late Charles the Firft and the Mar quis of Worcester, concerning the Catholics "and Proteftants, that took place when the King "was at Raglon Caftle in 1646." The Marquis being a Catholic of courfe exalted the decifions of the Church above the conclufions of reafon; and in one part of the Conference the dialogue proceeded thus: Marquifs.-Your Majefty has forgotten the "monies which came unto you from unknown hands, and were brought unto you by unknown faces, when you promifed you would never for "fake your unknown friends. You have forgotten the miraculous bleffings of the Almighty upon these beginnings; and how you discoun"tenanced, diftrufted, and difregarded, 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 Nafcby, God "fhewed figns of his difpleafure? When in the "first, first, your enemies were even at your mercy, "confufion fell upon you, and you loft the day; "like a man that should fo wound his enemies "that he could fcarce ftand, and afterwards his "own sword should fly out of the hilt, and leave "the strong and skilfull to the mercy of his falling "enemies; and in the fecond, (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 fo, your fword 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 "C no inclination of my own to be so: and give "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 worfe, from thence " to nothing." "" King Charles.-My Lord, I cannot so much "blame as pity your zeal. The foundneffe of Religion is not to be tryed by dint of fword, "nor muft we judge of her truths by her profperity; for then, of all men Chriftians would be "the most miserable. We are not to be thought "no followers of Chrift, by observations drawn "from what is croffe or otherwife, but by taking "up our croffe and following Chrift. Neither "do " ' 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 bleft us "the worse for having fo many Papists in our "army." Marquifs.-The difference is not great; I "pray God forgive you, who have moft reafon to "afk it." "King. I think not fo, my Lord." Marquifs.-Who fhall judge?" "King.-I pray, my Lord, let us fit down, and let Reafon take her feat.” Marquifs.-Reafon is no judge." King. But fhe may take her place, Marquifs, 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 Caftle. This Sir Thomas being << a complete Gentleman, delighted much in fine gardens and orchards, where, by the benefit of art, the earth was made fo grateful to him at <<< the "the fame time that the King (Charles the Firft) happened to be at his brother's houfe, 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 Wales (the refuse and the outcast of the "fair garden of England) had fairer and riper "fruit than England's bowels had on all her beds. This prefent given to the Marquis he "would not fuffer to be prefented to the King by any hand but his own. In comes, then, "the Marquis at the end of the fupper, led by the arm, with a flow pace, expreffing much Spanish gravity, with a filver dish in each hand, "filled with rarities, and a little basket on his "arm as a reserve, where, making his obeysance, "he thus fpeaks: May it please your Majesty, if "the four Elements could have been robbed to "have entertained your Majesty, I think I had "but done my duty; but I must do as I may. "If I had fent to Bristol for fome good things "to entertain your Majefty, that would have "been no wonder at all. If I had procured "from London fome goodness that might have been acceptable to your Majefty, that would have been no wonder. But here I present you, Sir, (placing his dishes upon the table,) " |