CHARGE AGAINST WILLIAM TALBOT. 453 



and punished, the state of Christian kings will be no 

 other than the ancient torment described by the 

 poets in the hell of the heathen ; a man sitting 

 richly robed, solemnly attended, delicious fare, &c. 

 with a sword hanging over his head, hanging by a 

 small thread, ready every moment to be cut down 

 by an accursing and accursed hand. Surely I had 

 thought they had been the prerogatives of God 

 alone, and of his secret judgments : &quot; Solvam cin- 

 gularegum,&quot; I will loosen the girdles of Kings; 

 or again, &quot; He poureth contempt upon princes ;&quot; or, 

 if I will give a king in my wrath, and take him away 

 again in my displeasure ;&quot; and the like : but if these 

 be the claims of a mortal man, certainly they are but 

 the mysteries of that person which &quot; exalts himself 

 above all that is called God, supra omne quod 

 dicitur Deus.&quot; Note it well, not above God, 

 though that in a sense be true, but above all 

 that is called God ; that is, lawful kings and magis 

 trates. 



But, my lords, in this duel I find this Talbot, 

 that is now before you, but a coward ; for he hath 

 given ground, he hath gone backward and forward ; 

 but in such a fashion, and with such interchange of 

 repenting and relapsing, as I cannot tell whether it 

 doth extenuate or aggravate his offence. If he shall 

 more publicly in the face of the court fall and settle 

 upon a right mind, I shall be glad of it ; and he that 

 would be against the king s mercy, I would he 

 might need the king s mercy : but nevertheless the 

 court will proceed by rules of justice. 



