Eikon Basilike Part 25

_A true Relation of the_ KINGS _Speech to the Lady_ ELISABETH, _and the Duke of_ GLOCESTER, _the day before His Death._

His children being come to meet him, he first gave his blessing to the Lady _Elisabeth_; and bad her remember to tell her Brother _James_, when ever she should see him, That it was his Fathers last desire, that he should no more look upon _Charles_ as his eldest Brother only, but be obedient unto him, as his Soveraign; and that they should love one another, and forgive their Fathers Enemies. Then said the King to her, Sweet-heart you'l forget this: No (said she) _I_ shall never forget it while I live: And pouring forth abundance of Tears, promised him to write down the Paticulars.

Then the King taking the Duke of _Glocester_ upon his knee, said, Sweet-heart, now they will cut off thy Fathers head; (upon which words the child looked very stedfastly on him.) Mark child, what I say, they will cut of my head, and perhaps make thee a King: But mark what I say, you must not be a King so long as your Brother _Charles_ and _James_ do live; For they will cut off your Brothers heads, (when they can catch them) and cut off thy head too at the last: and therefore, _I_ charge you, do not be made a King by them. At which the child, sighing, said, I will be torn in pieces first. Which falling so unexpectedly from one so young, it made the King rejoyce exceedingly.

_Another Relation from the Lady_ ELISABETHS _own Hand._

What the king said to me the nine and twentieth of _January_ 1648.

being the last time I had the happiness to see him; he told me, he was glad I was come, and although he had not time to say much, yet somewhat he had to say to me, which he had not to another, or leave in writing, because he feared their cruelty was such, as that they would not have permitted him to write to me, he wished me not to grieve and torment my self for him; for that would be a glorious death that he should dye; it being for the Laws and Liberties of this Land, and for maintaining the true Protestant Religion. He bad me read Bishop _Andrews_ Sermons, _Hookers Ecclesiasticall Politie_, and Bishop _Lauds_ Book against _Fisher_, which would ground me against Popery.

He told me, he had forgiven all his Enemies, and hoped G.o.d would forgive them also; and commanded us, and all the rest of my Brothers and Sisters to forgive them: he bid me tell my Mother, That his thoughts never had strayed from her, and that his love should be the same to the last. Withall he commanded me and my Brother to be obedient to her. And bid me send his blessing to the rest of my Brothers and Sisters, with Commendation to all His Friends: So after he had given me his blessing, I took my leave.

Further, he commanded us all to forgive those people, but never to trust them; for they had been most false to him, and to those that gave them power, and he feared also to their own souls; And desired me not to grieve for him, for he should die a Martyr, and that he doubted not but the Lord would settle his Throne upon his Son, and that we should be all happier, then we could have expected to have been, if he had lived: With many other things, which at present I cannot remember.

ELISABETH.

_Another Relation from the Lady_ Elisabeth.

The King said to the Duke of _Glocester_, that he would say nothing to him but what was for the good of his soul: he told him, that he heard that the Army intended to make him King; but it was a thing not for him to take upon him, if he regarded the welfare of his soul; for he had two Brothers before him: and therefore commanded him upon His blessing, never to accept of it, unless it redowned lawfully upon him: And commanded him to fear the Lord, and he would provide for him.

_Copia vera._

_An_ Epitaph _upon King_ CHARLS.

So falls that stately Cedar: while it stood That was the onely glory of the Wood: Great _Charles_, thou earthly G.o.d, celestial _M_an, Whose life, like others, though it were a span: Yet in that span, was comprehended more Then Earth hath waters or the Ocean sh.o.r.e; Thy heavenly vertues, Angels shou'd rehea.r.s.e, It is a theam too high for humane Verse: He that would know thee right, then let him look Upon Thy rare incomparable Book, And read it or'e and o're; which if he do, Hee'l find thee _king_, _and Priest_, _and Prophet too_: And sadly see our losse, and though in vain, With fruitlesse wishes, call thee back again.

Nor shall oblivion sit upon thy Herse, Though there were neither Monument, nor Verse.

Thy Suff'rings & thy Death let no man name; It was thy Glorie, but the Kingdoms Shame.

_J. H._

[Ill.u.s.tration]

_His Majesties Reasons against the pretended Jurisdiction of the High Court of Justice, which he intended to deliver in writing on Munday_ January 22, 1648.

Faithfully transcribed out of the originall Copie under the Kings own hand.

Having already made my protestations not only against the illegality of this pretended Court, but also that no earthly power can justly call me (who am your King) in question as a Delinquent, _I_ would not any more open my mouth upon this occasion, more then to refer my selfe to what I have spoken, were I alone in this case concerned. But the duty I owe to G.o.d in the preservation of the true Liberty of my People, will not suffer me at this time to be silent: For, how can any free-born Subject of England call life or any thing he possesseth his own, if power without right daily make new, and abrogate the old fundamentall Law of the Land, which I now take to be the present case. Wherefore when I came hither, I expected that you would have indeavoured to have satisfied me concerning these grounds, which hinder me to Answer to your pretended Impeachment, but since I see that nothing I can say will move you to it (though Negatives are not so naturally proved as Affirmatives) yet I will shew you the Reason why I am confident you cannot judge me, nor indeed the meanest man in England; for I will not (like you) without shewing a reason, seek to impose a belief upon My Subjects.

[Sidenote: _Hereabout I was stopt, and not suffered to speake any more concerning Reasons._]

There is no proceeding just against any man, but what is warranted either by G.o.ds Laws, or the munic.i.p.all Lawes of the Country where he lives. Now I am most confident, that this daies proceeding cannot be warranted by G.o.ds Law, for on the contrary the authority of obedience unto Kings is cleerly warranted and strictly commanded both in the Old and New Testament; which if denied, I am ready to prove: and for the question now in hand, there it is said, That _where the word of a King is, there is Power, and who may say unto him, what doest thou_?

_Eccles._ 8. 4. Then for the Lawes of this land, I am no lesse confident, that no learned Lawyer will affirme that an impeachment can lie against the King, they all going in his name; and one of their Maximes is, _that the King can do no wrong_. Besides, the law upon which you ground your proceedings, must either be old or new; if old shew it; if new, tell what authority warranted by the fundamentall Laws of the land hath made it, and when. But how the House of Commons can erect a Court of Judicature, which was never one it self (as is well known to all Lawyers) I leave to G.o.d and the World to judge; And it were full as strange that they should pretend to make Laws without King or Lords-House, to any that have heard speak of the Lawes of England.

And admitting, but not granting, that the people of Englands Commission could grant your pretended Power, I see nothing you can shew for that; for certainly you never asked the question of the tenth man of the Kingdom, and in this way you manifestly wrong even the poorest Plough-man, if you demand not his free consent; nor can you pretend any colour for this your pretended Commission without the consent at least of the major part of every man in England, of whatsoever quality or condition, which I am sure, you never went about to seek; so far are you from having it. Thus you see that I speak not for my own right alone, as I am your King, but also for the true Liberty of all my Subjects, which consists not in sharing the power of Government, but in living under such Laws, such a Government as may give themselves the best a.s.surance of their lives and propriety of their goods. Nor in this must or do I forget the priviledges of both Houses of Parliament, which this dayes proceedings doth not only violate, but likewise occasion the greatest breach of their Publike Faith that (I beleeve) ever was heard of, with which I am far from charging the two houses: for all the pretended crimes laid against me, bear date long before this late Treaty at Newport, in which I having concluded as much as in me lay, and hopefully expecting the two Houses agreement thereunto, I was suddenly surprized, and hurried from thence as a Prisoner, upon which accompt I am against my will brought hither, where since I am come, I cannot but to my power defend the ancient Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom, together with my own just Right; then for any thing I can see the higher house is totally excluded.

And for the House of Commons, it is too well known that the major part of them are detained or deterr'd from sitting, so as if I had no other, this were sufficient for me to protest against the lawfulnesse of your pretended Court. Besides all this, the peace of the Kingdom is not the least in my thoughts; and what hopes of settlement is there so long as power raignes without rule of Law, changing the whole frame of that government under which this Kingdom hath flourished for many hundred years, (nor will I say what will fall out in case this lawlesse unjust proceeding against me do go on) & beleeve it the Commons of England will not thanke you for this change, for they will remember how happy they have been of late years under the raign of Q.

_Elizabeth_, the King my Father and my self, untill the beginning of these unhappy troubles, and wil have cause to doubt that they shall never be so happy under any new. And by this time it will be too sensibly evident, that the Armes I took up were only to defend the fundamentall Laws of this Kingdom, against those who have supposed my power hath totally changed the ancient Government.

Thus having shewed you briefly the Reasons, why I cannot submit to your pretended authority without violating the trust which I have from G.o.d, for the welfare and liberty of my people; I expect from you either clear Reasons to convince my Judgment, shewing me that I am in an error (and then truly I will readily answer) or that you will withdraw your proceedings.

_This I intended to speake in Westminster-Hall on Monday 22. January, but against reason was hindered to shew my Reasons._

FINIS.