153

THE

CHARACTER

OF

King CHARLES I.

By Mr. BUTLER.

Hat he was a Prince of income

parable Vertnes his very Ene

mies cannot deny, (only they were not for their purpose) and those jo unblemiffi'd with any personal Vice, that they were fain to abuse the Security of his innocence, both to accuse and ruin bim. His Moderation which he

preserved equal in the Extremity of both Fortunes) they made a common Difguise for their contrary Impalations, as they had occafion to miscall it, cither an Ealiness to be inflicted by others, or Obstinacy to rule by. bis oron Will.

This Temper of his was fo admirable, that neither the highest of Temptations, Adoration and Flattery, nor the lowest of Mifery, Injuries, the Insolency of Fools, could move him. His Conftancy to his own Vertnes, was no mean Canje of his Undoing for if he had not stated the Principles of Government upon unalterable Right, but could have lifted bis Sails to catch the popular Air when it grew high (@s his Enemies did) they had never undone bim with empty Pretendings to what he really meant. His Wifdom and Knowledge were of fo noble a Capacity, that notwing lay so much out of bis Reach, as the profound Wickednefs of his Enemies, which his own Goodnefs would never give him leave to suspect, nor his experienc'd Power. to discover for they managed the whole Course of bis Ruin, as they did the laft Act of it, in Disgrife ; else so great a Wit as his had never been circumvented by the Treachery and Cheat, rather than Poli. cy of ignorant Persons. All he wanted of a King was, he knew not how to dife Jemble, unless concealing his own Perfections were so ; in which he only deceived his people, who know not his great Abilities, till their Sins were pute

nimed with the Loss of him. In his Death, he not only out-did the high Resolution of the ancient Romans, but the bumble Patience of the Primitive Martyrs ; so far from the manner of Tyrants, who use to wish all the World their Funeral Pile, that he employed the Care of his laft Thoughts about the Safety of his very Enemies, and died not only confulting, but praying for the Preservation of thole whom be knero resolved to have none, but what was built upon their own Destruction.

All this, and much more, the Justice of Pofterity (when Faction and Concernment are removed) will acknowledge to be more true of him, than any of those Slanders you (or the mad Wickedness of this Age) have thrown upon his Memory, which shall_then, like Dung cast at the Roots of Trees, but make his Name more flourifhing and glorious; when all those Monuments of Infamy you have raised, (hall become the Trophies of his Vertue, and your own Shame. In the mean time, as your own Conscience,

or the Expectation of Divine Vengeance, shall call upon you, you will

see what you have done, and find there
is no Murther, so horrid, as that which
is committed with the Sword of Ju-
ftice.; nor any Injustice fo notorious,
as that which takes Advantage both of
the first Silence of the Living, and
that of the Dead : In this laft, you have
been very finful , and, in accusing the
Dead, have not behaved yourself fo
like a Saint at the Day of Judgment, as
the Devil, whose Office is to be Solici-
tor-General in such cases. I will not
judge you, left I should do worse, imi-
tate you. But certainly you will find
it the worst Kind of Witchcraft, to
Faise the Devil by facrificing to your
own Malice especially to so bad a pur-
pose as you have done, that you might
invade the Judgment-Seat of Christ,
and usurp his Jurisdiction before his
Coming, which you have presumed to
do with more Rudeness than Hacket
used, and lefs Formality in not fend-
ing your Fore-runner to proclaim (in
a Tarnep.Cart)lyour Coming to Judg-
ment. But the worst of all is, you
feem to glory in your Sins, and affert
the Martyrdom of your Wickedness,
for having supposed a Possibility you
may fall by the Hands of Violence :

Yон

You arm yourself with a forc'd Resolution, which you may be confident you will never have need of; for you have no reason to think any Man can believe you have deserved a violent Death ; no, you have deserved rather to live long ; so long, till you see yourself become the Controversie of wild Beasts, and be fain to prove our Scare-crow. Unless you shall think it juft, that as you have been condemned out of your own Mouth, so you should fall by your own Hand. Indeed there was not a Hangman bad enough for Judas, but himself, and when you all think fit to do your Telf so much Right, you shall be your own Sooth-layer, and fall by the Hand of a Raviliac, to whom with more Likeness compare your self, than to Henry IV. for you are no King. What Ravitiac was is very well known; what you are, I leave to your own Conscience.