To the exception of this rule! How

Vast is thy sense! how wise is thy Govern

O great and wise emperor born to

[ment !

Prosperous fates! Thee what praise can be
Given to, thee all the angels shall deem
Wisest and best of the Roman emperors
That had ever lived in the tide of

Times but alas! what changes awaited
Thy death? in the Court where justice reigned
The foul subornation has become

Prevailing! O nation once blessed and

Happy! How shalt thou now mourn thy evil
Days at the departure of Augustus ?
Happy for thee, had he lived forever

Or had there been no absolute monarchy !
Look upon Greece, my lords, and you will see
Its inhabitants lived in other

Climes and on other soils at its

Independent state! where can you now find Such a man in Greece, like Solon the wise, The great Lycurgus and th' self devoted Codrus? O generous and noble king

To devote thy life for the good of thy

Country! thus I am come to the conclusion

That the bill may be passed and enacted

Into a law for the abolition

[ courts

Of th' High Commission and star-chamber

Are

you agreed sirs?

All Members. Yes we are.

Scene 3d London.

A room in the palace.

Enter King and Archbishop Laud.

King. Ah my dear lord ! these days are grown so Rough, that even the toe of a peasant Comes near the heel of the courtier:

You see! my lord our royal dignity

Now stands on the very verge of its confine
Our greatness of concessions had but

Increased the demands of the commons,

And we can no longer suppress our
Resentment! Ah, had I but spent time
In devotion and the creator's praise

Or had I been born a hermit and liv'd

In an humble cottage, I should have been
More happy than in this majestical

Building adorned with all the costly
Perfumes and lighted up on all sides

With all golden lamps ! sorrow and grief. have Vanquish'd all my powers and intellects! Laud. My lord there are several members of Parliament who are not all faithful

[brow

To your majesty. Haseloig's sparkling
Eyes do blab the malice of his heart
Hampden's hate is evident from his cloudy
Hollis, Pym, and Strode are all faithless trai-

And all are your enemies and all are
Liable to be arraigned for treason

tors

For if I can rightly judge their whole views
Are to overthrow the regular form of
Government, to blunt the sword of justice
That guards your royal person

To pluck down true judgment from your
Bench, to shew contempt to the majesty
And power of the laws of England.

King. Halbert

Enter Halbert the attorney general.

Halbert.

Sir

King. Enter an accusation of high treason

awful

In the house of peers against lord Kimbolton

Sir Arthur Hasdoig, Hollis, Hampden

Pym, and Strode, who are dangerous to us.

Exeuent King, Laud and
Halbert the attorny general.

Enter King Charles and the serjeant in arms. King. Well serjeant, have you apprehended the Acoused members lately arraigned

Serj. My lord they answered me roundly that
They would not obey your Majesty.

King. What! say you so ? they would not obey us?
Cannot you apprehend them? does it become
Thee as serjeant in arms to express thy
Inability in this manner?

Serj. Humbly do I entreat your Highness' pardon
The offenders are too powerful to be
Apprehended by a serjeant. Bold is
The task my lord to cause the apprehension
Of the criminals invested with power
Supreme and are therefore required
To be checked by your Majesty.
King. We shall ourself apprehend them.

Serj. I humbly take my leave of you my lord. King. Go serjeant but fail not to bear us company Whenever we shall require your presence.

Exeuent serjeant and
the King.

Scene. 4th

A room in the house of commons.

Enter sir John Hotham, sir Arthur Haseloig, Hollis, Hampden, Pym and Strode, and the speaker of the house.

Speaker. Speak sirs why we are met in council?

Pym. My lord speaker the chief cause concerns his
Majesty's unjust arraignment of high
Treason against us, in the House of Peers
We wonder at the precipitancy

And impotence of the proceedings of

His majesty and are rightly sorry

For his giving orders to the serjeant

At arms to apprehend us.

John Hotham. We cannot in the Lethe of our

Soul, drown the sad remembrance of the

[wrongs

Which the King has done to us, rather we
Ought to seek redress of our grievances
By ev'ry means that may lie in our power.