ENGLAND. 
gan to return, and each accufed himfelf of fliameful dif- 
Joyalty to his king, or a paflive compliance with the ma¬ 
lice of his deftroyers. The very pulpits, that before re¬ 
founded with infolence and fedition, were now bedewed 
with tears of repentance; and all united in their delega¬ 
tion of thofe diabolical hypocrites, who,' to gratify their 
ambition and malevolence, had involved the parliament 
in the guilt of treafon. 
As the fpirit of party ran fo high during this reign, it 
is difficult to arrive at a precife knowledge of all the oc¬ 
currences which led to fo important a cataftrophe as the 
overthrow and execution of the fovereign ; alntoft every 
narrative receives a colour from the prejudices of the 
writer; and the judicious reader mull: be careful not to 
give implicit credit either to the ftudied and delufive 
panegyric of Hume, or to the violent reprefentations of 
Macauley. In whatever point of view we contemplate 
the fate of Charles, his delinquency was far from being 
of that magnitude which could juftify the feverity exer- 
cifed againft him ; and, if he had been guilty of the moll 
nefarious afts of oppreffion and cruelty, no authority lefs 
than the fupreme will of the nation, lignified by a free 
and full convention, could juftly have proceeded to his 
trial. That rule, however, was not adopted in the pro¬ 
ceedings againft this injured prince; and, if his fate had 
been committed to the decifion of fuch a council, lie 
would have been reftored to the throne on certain limita¬ 
tions, not have been brought to the block. Even of 
that imperfeft parliamentary affembly which, after his 
adherents had been driven from the legiflature, profe- 
cuted the war againft him with fuch acrimony, a majority 
voted his conceffions to be fufficient grounds for a recon¬ 
ciliation with him : how great, then, would have been 
the appearance in favour of his reftoraiion, had the two 
houfes remained on a conftitutional bafts! But the lead¬ 
ers of the independents, finding it impracticable to obtain 
the national concurrence in their bloody fchemes, refolved 
to content themfelves with the fanftion of their own par- 
tifans, and of a mercenary army, a fmall and contempti¬ 
ble part of the nation. They therefore reduced the 
lower houfe, by the terrors of the fword, to a very dimi¬ 
nutive proportion; treated the peers as mere ciphers, 
who had no right to interfere in the government; and 
thus, by the moft iniquitous ufurpation, alfumed the 
w hole power of the ftate. A court of judicature, erefted 
by thofe who had no (badow of right by which they 
could juftify their proceedings, would have afted in de¬ 
fiance of all law and juftice, by prefuming to arraign and 
condemn thetneaneft individual; and Inch unwarrantable 
judgment- cannot fairly he deemed, even by the moft 
zealous enemies of the monarchy, lefs criminal, when 
applied to a fovereign. Hence it muft be allowed, even 
by fuch as are of opinion that Charles deferved exem¬ 
plary pui'iflment, that his death was, in faff, a murder ; 
being decreed and enforced by thofe who had no autho¬ 
rity for the aft, and who, in the whole proceeding, 
grofsly (hocked the public feelings, and teftified a con¬ 
temptuous difregard of the general fentiments of the 
people, in each of thofe three kingdoms which had an 
equal intereft in the fate of this opprdfed monarch. His 
death, therefore, was not, as fonte have termed it, a na¬ 
tional crime ; for the turpitude and difgrace of it reft 
only on the memories of thofe ambitious traitors and 
crafty incendiaries, who compofed the majority of the 
independent faftion. On a temperate view of all the 
moft prominent tranfaftions leading to this fatal event, 
the preceding conclulions appear to be founded in truth 
and reafon : and we flatter ourfelves that every pene¬ 
trating and candid reader will be difpofed to chufe the 
middle courfe, avoiding, on either hand, the fhoals of 
exceffive partiality, and of panygeric, the common in- 
ftrmiiy of our nature. 
Charles was executed, January 30, 1649, in the forty- 
ninth year of his age, and the twenty-fourth of his reign ; 
and his remains were interred at Windfor. He was of 
i 
679 
middling ftature, robuft, and- well-proportioned. His vi- 
fage was pleafing, but inclined to melancholy ; and it is 
probable that the unceafing troubles in which he was in¬ 
volved, might have given that turn to his countenance. 
The accomplifltments. which this monarch polTelFed were 
numerous and refpeftable. He had a competent ac¬ 
quaintance with the belles lettres ; was eonverfant in 
many of the fciences ; was a good judge of the polite 
arts; was far front being deficient in the knowledge of 
the principal mechanic arts; excelled in argument and 
deputation; had a talent for literary compolition ; and, 
in fhort, was qualified, by his abilities and attainments, 
to adorn and ennoble fociety. His tafte for poetry lias 
been noticed by fome of His biographers ; and if the 
Icon Bafilike was his own produftion, his talent for profe- 
writing was far beyond mediocrity. His private virtues, 
1 ikevviie, were eminently confpicuous. He was chafte, 
temperate, economical, devout, mild, friendly, modeft, 
and humane. With refpeft to his fincerity and honour, 
ftrong doubts have arifen. His enemies have reprefented 
him as one in whofe moft folemn engagements no confi¬ 
dence could be placed : but this cenfure is palpably 
overcharged, though we have fufficient grounds for af¬ 
firming that he did not always fcrupuloufly adhere to the 
dictates of good faith. Had he moved in a private 
fpltere, he would probably, from his general regularity 
and ftriftnefs of deportment, have been diftinguiftied by 
an adherence to his promifes and declarations ; but his 
monarchial prejudices lometintes perverted the integrity 
of his nature ; and he feemed to think that the rules of 
policy, and the oppofition which he met with from his 
parliamentary fnbjefts, furnifhed fome excttfe for his 
occalional violation of his profeffions and agreements. 
Thele, however, are not the fentiments of a man of un- 
blemiffied honour; and, as his repeated infractions of the 
petition of right, which lie had fo folemnly confirmed, 
are fufficient proofs of the afiertion, without the mention 
of other cafes which might be adduced, an eafy refuta¬ 
tion may be given to a remark of one of the panegyrifts 
of Charles, importing, that,” for reproaching this prince 
with a difregard of good faith, “ the moft malignant 
ferutiny of his conduft affords not any reafonable foun¬ 
dation.” * 
His political maxims were too favourable to the ideas 
of thofe romantic and fuperftitioua notions of the royal 
prerogative, which his father was fo fond of inculcating, 
and which were not only abfurd in themfelves, but were 
particularly difgufting to that bold and liberal fpirit 
which animated a great part of the nation at the time of 
his acceffion. Finding that the principles of liberty were 
fo ftrongly prevalent, he would, if his fagacity and pru¬ 
dence had been unallayed by prejudice, have ftudioufly 
avoided all encroachments on the privileges of his fub- 
jefts ; and, by thus entrenching himfelf within the 
boundaries of lawful prerogative, iie would have had a 
better opportunity of reprefiing the licentioufnefs of the 
advocates of freedom, than by indulging himfelf in thofe 
exertions of power which inflamed the indignation of the 
public, and ftimulatea the demagogues to a wider range 
of defign,and a greater boldnefs of enterprize. But, being 
confirmed in his high monarchial notions, by tIte infinu- 
ations of ambitious ftatefmen and ecclefiaftic adulators, 
and, perhaps, by the fuggeftions of a catholic queen, to 
whofe counfels lie was’too obfequious, he neglefted the 
rules of diferetion ; and, by incautious meafures, opened 
the way to thofe popular commotions which produced an 
inteftine war, and terminated in the deftruftion of his 
own perfon, and the fubverfion of the monarchy. In the 
adoption of political meafures, he was, fometimes, timid 
and indecifive ; at other times, by the prevalence of im¬ 
portunate advice, he was eager and precipitate. When 
lie had given way to a rafti ftep, he was quickly defirous 
of retracting it; and, even where lie had not deviated 
into a hafty imprudence, but had refolved on meafures in 
which fpirit was requifitej he had not a fufficient degree 
