confessed himself to the Bishop of London that attended him, one action
shocked him very much; for while he was leaning in the court upon his
staff, which had a head of gold, the head broke off on a sudden. He took
it up, but seemed unconcerned, yet told the Bishop it really made a
great impression upon him." It was the symbol of the treacherous hopes
upon which he had rested--golden dreams that vanished in this solemn
hour.

Again and again contending against the authority of the court, the King
was removed, and the sitting was adjourned to the 22d. On that day the
same scene was renewed; and again on the 23d. A growing sympathy for the
monarch became apparent. The cries of "Justice, justice!" which were
heard at first were now mingled with "God save the King!" He had refused
to plead; but the court nevertheless employed the 24th and 25th of
January in collecting evidence to prove the charge of his levying war
against the Parliament. Coke, the solicitor-general, then demanded
whether the court would proceed to pronouncing sentence; and the members
adjourned to the Painted Chamber.

On the 27th the public sitting was resumed. When the name of Fairfax was
called, a voice was heard from the gallery, "He has too much wit to be
here." The King was brought in; and, when the president addressed the
commissioners, and said that the prisoner was before the court to answer
a charge of high treason and other crimes brought against him in the
name of the people of England, the voice from the gallery was again
heard, "It's a lie--not one-half of them." The voice came from Lady
Fairfax. The court, Bradshaw then stated, had agreed upon the sentence.

Ludlow records that the King "desired to make one proposition before
they proceeded to sentence; which he earnestly pressing, as that which
he thought would lead to the reconciling of all parties, and to the
peace of the three kingdoms, they permitted him to offer it: the effect
of which was that he might meet the two Houses in the Painted Chamber,
to whom he doubted not to offer that which should satisfy and secure all
interests." Ludlow goes on to say, "Designing, as I have been since
informed, to propose his own resignation, and the admission of his son
to the throne upon such terms as should have been agreed upon."

The commissioners retired to deliberate, "and being satisfied, upon
debate, that nothing but loss of time would be the consequence of it,
they returned into the court