SOM, who otherwife honor the memory of king CHARLES the firft, are angry to hear him, in Mr. BLACKHALL's language, call'd the best of Kings, and the best of Men; when they confider especially, is, that this faft was inftituted by way of court and compliment to king Charles II, upon the restoration. All were defirous of making their court to him; of ingratiating themselves; and of making him forget what had been done in oppofition to his fether, fo as not to revenge it. To effect this, they ran into the moft extravagant profeffions of aff. &tion and loyalty to him, infomuch that he himself faid, that it was a mad and hairbrained loyalty which they profeffed. And amongst other strange things, which his firft parliament did, they ordered the thirtieth of fanuary (the day on which his father was beheaded) to be kept as a day of folemn humiliation, to deprecate the judgments of heaven for the rebellion, which the nation had been guilty of, in that which was no national thing; and which was not rebellion in them that did it.-Thus they foothed and flattered their new king, at the expence of their liberties : --- And were ready to yield up freely to Charles II. all that enormous power, which they had juftly refifted Charles I. for ufurping to himself. "A Difcourfe concerning unlimited fubmiffion, and nonrefittance to the Higher powers: With fome reflections on the Refiftance made to King Charles I. and on the anniverfary of his death; in which the mysterious doctrine of that prince's faintship and martyrdom is unriddled. By Jonathan Mayhew, A. M. Paftor of the Weft Church in Botton. Firit printed at Bolton in New England 1750. Reprinted London 1752 in a work called "The Pillars of prieftcraft and orthodoxy fhaken." Wood had feverely animadverted on the Earl of Anglefey's fitting in judgment on the Regicides: The Biographia Britannica extols it as an act of the greateft loyalty and honour: But under favour it not only appears a fervile complaifance, but glaring injuftice. The Earl had gone moft lengths with those men; in thort, had acted with them in open rebellion to his Sovereign. The putting to death that Sovereign could by no means be the guilty part of their oppofition. If a King deferves to be opposed by force of arms, he deferves death: If he reduces his fubjects to that extremity, the blood spilt in that quarrel lies on him.-The executing bim afterwards is a meer formality. Walpole's catal. of R. & N. Authors, edit. 2. v. 2. p. 69. that * that the apoftles were men, and that feveral perfons among the Greek and Roman Heathens, did infinitly excel him in all moral and heroic virtues. As for princes, if good manners could not make Mr. BLACKHALL except the prefent king, juftice at leaft might well oblige him to do it. King WILLIAM has never difpens'd with exprefs laws in favor of popish recufants. He never protected any of his chaplains against the parliament for preaching up arbitrary power. He never requir'd foldiers to be try'd by martial law in time of peace; nor levy'd loans or ship mony contrary to law, much lefs imprison'd, fin'd or banish'd fuch as refus'd to pay thofe illegal taxes. He does not countenance any SIBTHORPS, MANWARINGS, or MOUNTAGUES to teach his fubjects non-refiftance, or to compliment himself with arbitrary power. He is fo far from fending for foren troops to enslave the nation, that he readily fent those away which he kept here by law, as foon as he understood the kingdom had no further need of their service. He does not use to imprison members of the house of commons for ufing that freedom of debate which is effential to their conftitution. He never threaten'd to betake • The Grecian Commonwealths, while they maintained their liberty, were the most heroic confederacy that ever exifted. They were the braveft, the wifeft, the politest of men. In the fhort fpace of little more than a century, they became fuch statesmen, warriors, orators, hiftorians, phyficians, poets, critics, painters, fculptors, architects, and last of all philofophers, that one can hardly help confidering that golden period, as a providential event in honor of human nature, to fhew to what perfection the species might afcend. Harris, the ingenuous James, in his "Hermes, or a philo "fophical Inquiry concerning language and univerfal 86 grammar." London printed 1751, in octavo. himself himself to other councils than his parliament (as CHARLES the first did) faying that Parliaments were in bis Power, and that he might grow out of Love with them. Nor is it known that he went into the house of commons to demand any of their members; no more than he has feiz'd the customs without any act to impower him. He never promis'd (as king CHARLES did in a letter to his queen) that he would take away all the penal laws against Roman catholicks as foon as he should be able, nor any thing else of this nature: For these are only a few inftances, not to blacken that prince, but to fhew how little fom fort of people feem to value his prefent majefty for generously reftoring the conftitution, and for fo willingly paffing many excellent laws for enlarging or fecuring the liberty of his fubjects; as well as for always paying fuch a deference to parliaments, which he not only affemblies willingly, but likewife, according to ancient cuftom, annually. In fhort, if king CHARLES the first was the best of kings, the late king JAMES is not half fo bad as I think him: Nor is there any doubt, if a second restoration (which God and all freemen forbid) fhould ever happen, but that the abdication-day would be appointed as a perpetual faft. What Mr. BLACKHALL thinks of difpenfing with the laws and acting without, or contrary to them, we may guess, when hedays, That King CHARLES'S greatest enemies could not charge him with any vice* or. immorality; * The three following extracts are copied from the Sidney kate. "papers printed London 1746, in 2 vol. folio.-Dorothy Countess of Leicester to the Earl her Husband. My dearest hart, Since my comeing to this towne, I have beene twife at the Court, becaufe immorality; as if only whoring, drinking, or fwearing were immoral practices. SINCE "because I did not fee the King the first time, but from the "Queene I receaved then expretions of her favor to you; the "elector alfo maied me fome complements concerning you, "much hanfomlier then I expected from him. In his Majeftie "I found an inclination to fhow me fome kindnes, but he could "not finde the waie; at last he told me, that he perfeaved I was "to kind to my Husband, when he was with me, wich kept me "leane, for He thought me much fatter than I ufe to be. This fhort fpeeche was worfe to me than an absolute filence, for 1 blushed, " and was fo extreamlie out of countenance, that all the Company laughed at me." &c. &c. &c. Leycefter Houfe, March 14, 1636.-Robert Lord Spencer to his Lady, Dorothy, daughter of Robert Earl of Leicester, decyphered. 66 46 66 I never faw the King look better. He is very chearfull, and by the baudy difcourfe, I thought I had beene in the drawing room.' &c. &c. &c.-Without place or date; but by a paffage in the letter it appears to have been written O&. 13, 1642.-Algernon Earl of Northumberland to Robert Earl of Leicester. "but 66 bycaufe 135 [Northumberland] was defirous to difcover how 102 [King] ftood inclined towards 110 [Leycefter] he took an "occation to fpeake unto him of 121 [Windebanke's] place. "He answered that 110 [Leycefter] was to greate for that place, "and that he intended not to have any of that qualitie; but "when 135 [Northumberland, Admiral] came to debate that point with him, he could give no other reason, but that it was "a rule he had fet to himfelfe which he refolved not to allter. "135 replyed, that he did not fixe upon that place only for 110 [Leycefter] but that it was probable some others would shortly "be voide, which 102 [King] might think more futeable to his "Qualitie and Merite; that he would then be pleased, rather to preferre a well deserving fervant, who hath taken paines, and spent fome years in his imployments, then one that is a meere "ftrainger to him. To this my thought 102 [King] made a "very colde returne, but affure your felfe 135 [Admiral] will "not give it over, though it happens a little unluckely; for at "this time, I doubt 102 is not very well fatisfied with 135, bycaufe PER I VRE 66 46 66 " he will not 40 97 19 84 65 85 53 21 68 39 58 96 "HIMSELF EFOR "89 76 80 22 14 8 13 45 70 82 94 115 [Lord Lieutenant Strafford] &c. &c. &c." Dated London, Dec. 10, 1640.— . Extract SINCE this king (who truly was not the worst) muft needs be counted the best of men, I do not much wonder that Mr. LONG of Exeter was for having fom portions of his pretended book read in E the 66 Extract of a letter from King Charles I. to his Queen, dated Oxford, Jan. 2, 1645. "As for my calling those at "London a Parliament, I fhall refer thee to Digby for particu"lar fatisfaction, this in generall; If there had been but two (befides my felf) of my opinion, I had not done it, and the Argument that prevailed with me was, that the calling did no wayes acknowledge them to be a Parliament, upon which condition "and conftruction I did it, and no other wayes, and accordingly it is "regiftred in the Councell books, with the Councels unanimous appro"bation." 86 66 The King's cabinet opened: or certain packetts of fecret letters and papers, written with the King's own hand, and taken in his Cabinet at Nafby field, June 14, 1645, &c. &c. &c. published by speciall order of Parliament. London printed 1645, in quarto. He did not greatly court the Ladyes, nor had he a lavish affection unto many; he was manly and well fitted for venerîous fpoarts; yet rarely frequented illicite beds; I do not heare of above one or two naturall Children he had, or left behind him. He had exquifite judgment by the eye and Phyfiognomy, to discover the vertuous from the wanton; he honored the vertuous, and was very fhye and choice in wandring thofe wayes, and when he did it, it was with much cautioufneffe and fecrecy; nor did he prostitute his affection, but unto thofe of exquifite persons or parts; and this the Queene well knew; nor did he winke at it. Hee had much of felfends in all he did, and a most difficult thing it was to hold him close to his own promife or word; he was apt to recede, unlesse something therein appeared compliable either unto his own will, profit or judg ment; fo that fome foraigne Princes bestowed on him the character of a moft falfe Prince, and one that never kept his word, unlesse for his owne advantage. Lilly's Obfervations on the Life and Death of King Charles: And if faying that he died a Martyr made him fuch, then the Duke of Monmouth also was the fame, for he died with the fame words in his mouth, which his Grandfather King Charles had used before. King Charles the second seems to have had no S fuch |