s bloody dart.
The persecuting work began; Presbyterian ministers were driven from
their charges, and killed or banished. He got himself advanced head of
the church, and then commanded these covenants he had more than once
sworn, to be burnt by the hand of the hangman, and then the laws against
covenanters were written in blood and executed by dragoons. It were
almost endless to relate all the cruelties exercised upon the poor
wanderers during his reign, before, at, and after Pentland, by the
Highland host.--At and after Bothwel, boots, thumbkins and cutting off
of ears came in fashion. Some put to death on scaffolds; some in the
fields, and some made a sacrifice to the manes of Sharp; some drowned on
ship-board, some women hanged and drowned in the sea mark, some kept
waking for nine nights together; some had their breasts ript up, and
their hearts plucked out, and cast into the fire, others not suffered to
speak to the people in their own vindication for the beating of drums,
&c. Nor were things in England much better: two thousand ministers
were thrust out by the Bartholomew act, and laid under a train of cruel
hardships, even such as were a shame to any Protestant nation. Many of
the English patriots were murdered; Essex, Russel and Sidney came to the
razor and the block. And for his practice, he was now drunken in all
manner of uncleanness and filthiness. For all the numbers of strumpets
and harlots he had, his own sister the duchess of Orleans could not be
exempted. But drawing near his end, the popish faction of York his
brother grew stronger, on suspicion that he intended to curb them. To
cut the matter short, he was seized with an apoplectic fit, or rather
had got a dose of poison: he formerly professed to caress the church of
England, now in views of death father Huddleston was brought to
administer the popish sacraments of the host and extreme unction,
absolution and the eucharist. The host sticking in his throat, water was
brought instead of wine to wash it down. Afterward bishop Ken came and
pronounced another absolution upon him; and here observe, that he who
was justly excommunicated by a lawful minister of the church of Scotland
for his gross perjury, contempt of God and religion, lechery, treachery,
covenant breaking, bloodshed, &c. was now absolved, first by a popish
priest, and then a prelate of the church of England, and all without any
the least signs of repentance, else he would never in his last wor