‘ 
‘1991 ANNUAL REGISTER}1795. 
who eight years since viewed the 
face of the parliament’s.actions, and 
judged of their integrity, their pro- 
testations and declarations, enter- 
tained a very charitable and honour- 
able opinion both of them and their 
cause, and therein thought not too 
much to hazard both their lives and 
estates with them, who are long 
since sat down in the chair of re- 
pentance, having by sad experience 
found their large pretences to prove 
but the shadows of weak perfor- 
mances, and their greatest labours 
to produce no other effects than to 
burden this distracted nation with 
unheard-of tyranny and miserable 
oppression. But they that beheld 
their actions, even in their primi- 
tive and best times, with a con- 
siderate and judicious eye, did 
easily perceive them to pursue their 
own ambitious ends more than the 
welfare of this miserable Jand ; that 
they were men whose thoughts were 
filled with blood, and judged them 
through pretence of zeal to be 
wolves in sheep’s clothing; and 
what better could be expected from 
the illegal proceedings of those men 
who presumed from servants to be- 
come masters, but that they should 
endeavour to bring in democracy, 
and abolish monarchy; their actions 
being altogether such as must needs 
produce strange effects, and set 
open the flood-gates of ruin to over- 
flow this kingdom. 
For my own part, I have with 
my utmost power and skill taken 
most perfect and exact notice of all 
their. proceedings, from their first 
beginning of entrance into action 
unto this day ; and therein can find 
nothing but a large comment upon 
that text of Samuel, ‘‘ rebellion is as 
the sin of witchcraft.”’ I satin their 
house of peers more than a full 
year, till finding their courses to be 
so strangely unparliamentary, I was 
constrained, with divers others of 
the loyal nobility, to forsake the 
house, and repair into my country, 
being truly ashamed to bear any 
part in their rebellious enterprizes, 
wherein they. have proceeded with 
such impudent violence, that they 
have plundered and ruined all the 
ancient nobility and gentry of this 
kingdom ; fought many desperate 
and bloody battles against their 
sovereign, his children, and sub- 
jects; imprisoned his sacred person ; 
-and not only so, but, that: they 
might out go all their predecessors 
in rebellion, and become unprece- 
dented therein, they clouded the 
very rays of sacred majesty, in bring- 
ing the royal owner of the throne to - 
their bar of injustice; and beyond 
all that, upon a scaffold, at high 
noon-day, in the face of the world, 
as a malefactor, before his own 
court-gate, in his usual place of re- 
creation, after-a most shameful 
manner, by the hands of the com- 
mon hangman, inhumanly murder- 
ed their sovereign, unheaded the 
Lord’s anointed ; and not contented 
with his blood, in prosecution of 
their most deadly and implacable 
malice, have since, to the utmost of 
their power, endeavoured to stain 
the candour of his royal name, in 
fixing thereon the ignominious 
brands of tyrant, traitor, and murs 
derer; styling him, in all their 
prints, the grand and capital enemy 
of the kingdom, and laying their 
guilt of all the blood that hath been 
shed upon his isnocent shoulders: 
and beyond all this, have quite dis- 
carded, banished, and cashiered, 
all the royal issue, and solemnly 
proclaimed our present dread sove- 
reign lord, king Charles the second, 
and 
