name, and by his authority, with the popish Irish rebels, wherin they are pardon'd for the massacre and depredation phanation of Religion, and his breach of faith with God and man, as inftantly you may fee fearfully protefted, at the receiving the Sacrament at Chrift-Church in Oxford 1643, at the hands of the archbishop of Armagh, where, immediately before his communicating (he beckoning to the archbishop for a short forbearance) ufed thefe following expreffions, viz. My Lord, I efpie bere many refolved Proteftants, who may declare to the world the refolution I do now make, I have to the utmost of my power prepared my foule to become a worthy receiver, and may I fo receive comfort by the bleffed Sacrament, as I do intend the establishment of the true reformed Religion, as it flood in its beauty in the happy dayes of Queen Elizabeth, without any connivance at Popery; I bleffè God, that in the midft of thefe publique diftractions, I have ftill liberty to communicate, and may this Sacrament be MY DAMNATION if my heart joyne not with my lips in this proteftation. The Life and Reigne of King Charles, or the Pfeudo-Martyr discovered. With a late Reply to an Invective Remonftrance against the Parliament and prefent Government: Together with fome Animadverfions on the ftrange contrariety between the late King's publick Declarations, Proteftations, Imprecations, and his Pourtracture, compared with his private Letters, and other of his Expresses not hitherto taken into common obfervation. London, 1651. in duodecimo, p. 199, 200. But the most remarkable letter of the King to him was written wholly in cypher on the 20th of July the fame year, which is inferted in Latin in the Nuncio's Memoirs, and in Italian in Vittorio Siri's Mercurio. 66 Glamorgan, I am not fo ftrictly guarded, but "that if you fend to me a prudent and fecret perfon, I can re"ceive a letter, and you may fignify to me your mind, I having "always loved your perfon and converfation, which I ardently wish "for at present more than ever, if it could be had without "judice to you, whofe fafety is as dear to me as my own. "you can raife a large fum of money by pawning my kingdoms for "that purpose, I am content you fhould do it; and if I recover "them, I will fully repay that money. And tell the Nuncio, "that if once I can come into his and your hands, which ought to "be extremely wished for by you both, as well for the fake of England pre If as Ireland, fince all the reft, as I fee, defpife me, I will do it. "And if I do not fay this from my heart, or if in any future time I "fail you in this, may God never restore me to my kingdoms in this " world, 2 depredation of the English proteftants; acknowleg'd to be dutiful and loyal fubje&s; are difcharg'd from taking the oath of supremacy, principally fram'd on the account of papifts: and, in a word, fuch freedoms and privileges were granted to thofe inhuman butchers, as were never injoy'd by their English conquerors. The fecond article impowers the Irish parlament to repeal or fufpend (as they think fit) POYNING'S act, the only fecurity of their dependence on England. They are intrufted by him with the militia; and fo indulgent was he to these his choice favorits, as ridiculously to promise them the re- ̧ pealing of thofe acts which prohibited their plowing with horfes by the tail, or burning oats in the straw, marks of their fottifh and indocil barbarity. "world, nor give me eternal happiness in the next, to which I hope "this tribulation will conduct me at laft, after I have fatis"fied my obligations to my friends, to none of whom am I fo "much obliged as to yourself, whofe merits towards me ex"ceed all expreffions, that can be ufed by Your conftant Friend, "Charles R. From Newcastle, July 20, 1646." A copy of this letter was foon after the receipt of it, fent from Ireland to the Pope, who received great comfort from the reading of it; but at the fame time fhed tears of compaffion for the King's circumftances; as the Dean of Fermo wrote four days after his arrival at Rome, viz. Nov. 8th. to the Cavalier Rinuccini, the Nuncio's brother, at Florence, to whom he inclofed a copy of that letter. Inquiry into the fhare, which King Charles I. had in the tranfactions of the Earl of Glamorgan. edit. 2. p. 244, 245, 246. Befides to fhew his refpect unto them; I know be oblitterated with his owne hands the word Irish Rebells, and put in Irish Subjects, in a manufcript difcourfe, writ by 8r. Edward Walker, and prefented unto him, which I have feen, of the Irish rebellion, &c. Lilly's Obfervations on the Life and Death of King Charles. AND AND now we com to his mafter piece, his chief and favorit work in profe, for argument the nobleft, as being the defence of a whole free nation, the people of England; for ftile and difpofition the moft eloquent and elaborat, equalling the old Romans in the purity of their own language, and their highest notions of liberty; as univerfally fpread over the learned world as any of their compofitions; and certain to endure while oratory, politics, or hiftory bear any esteem among men. It cannot be deny'd, fays that excellent critic monfieur BAILE, that MILTON's Latin ftile is easy, brisk, and elegant; nor that be defended the republican cause with a world of address and wit: agreable to which judg ment is the unanimous fuffrage of foreners, not excepting the most zealous affertors of monarchy. It was written upon this occafion. CHARLES eldeft fon to the king of the fame name living in exile, and wanting fom body to paint the death of his father in the blackest colors, either to render the authors of it odious, the better to bring about his own return; or, if that effect did not anfwer, to move the compaffion of foren potentats to procure his restoration, was told of SALMASIUS a profeffor of the university of Leyden in Holland, as the fittest perfon for his purpose. This man had got such a mighty name from his Plinian exercitations, and his critical notes on feveral Latin and Greec authors, that none was thought so knowing to equal, or fo hardy to incounter him. This man therfore CHARLES the second hir'd for a hundred Jacobusses to write that bulky volume, which in the year 49 appear'd under the title of Defenfio Regia, or a de fence fence of CHARLES the firft to CHARLES the fecond. SALMASIUS being better verft in the writings of grammarians and lexicographers (which fort of men were his chief admirers) than in those of legiflators and politicians, gave a true demonftration that mere fcholars, when they meddle with any thing that requires reafoning or thought, are but mere affes for being wholly occupy'd about frivolous etymologies, or the bare found of words, and living most of their time excluded from converfation, bury'd in duft among worms and mouldy records, they have no exact knowlege of things, and are perfect strangers to all the ufeful business of the world. Accordingly the royal defence was deftitute of eloquence or art, being nothing elfe but a huge heap of rubbish, confifting of injudicious quotations, very diforderly piec'd together, feldom making for his purpofe; and, when they feem'd to favor him, quite spoil'd again by his own impertinent comments. But what's worse than all the reft, he appear'd on this occafion fuch an abfolute ftranger and bungler in his own province, as to open a large field for MILTON to divert himself with his barbarous phrases and folecifms. Nor had he more wit likewife than to publifh his Defence of monarchy in Holland, at the fame time that he had a penfion from that free ftate, and was actually entertain'd in their fervice; for tho the Dutch were then no good friends to the English, being jealous of their growing power, yet they could not be pleas'd with any writing oppos'd to the common caufe of liberty, and accordingly they blam'd SALMASIUS, and order'd the Defence to be fuppreft. No fooner did this book appear in England, but MILTON being then present, was unanimoufly nam'd by every member of the council of ftate, to answer it; fo good an opinion they had of his capacity, neither did he fail their expectations: for within a very short time he publifh'd his Defenfio pro populo Anglicano, or the defence of the people of England; wherin, to speak no more of his admirable ftile than we have don already, nor of his handsomly expofing the ignorance or fury of SALMASIUS, he defended the procedings of the people of England from the beginning of the civil war to that time, with fuch force of arguments and authority of examples, that fince there could be no difpute about the victory he obtain'd over his adverfary, the only doubt remaining with his readers was, which should be counted fuperior, his own great reading, politeness, or judgment. The fubject is too nice for me to make any extract of it according to the method I obferv'd in fom of his other books; and befides, it deserves fo much to be confider'd at length in the original, or in the English verfion by Mr. WASHINGTON of the Temple, that I will not deprive any body of that pleasure. It's true indeed, that fom have blam'd MILTON for his rough usage of SALMASIUS, nor herein will I pretend wholly to excufe him but when I confider how bafely the whole English nation was abus'd by SALMASIUS, as fo many barbarians or enthusiasts, fiercer than their own mastifs and yet fillier than Athenian owls*, it gos a great way with me towards MILTON'S : B. Nec alia fere bellorum omnium caufa praetenditur *B. |