ese great
offences of your's. Sir, the Charge hath called you Tyrant, a
Traitor, a Murderer, and a Public Enemy to the Commonwealth of
England. Sir, it had been well if that any of all these terms
might rightly and justly have been spared, if any one of them at
all.
KING--Ha!
LORD PRESIDENT--Truly, Sir, We have been told '_Rex est dum bene
regit, Tyrannus qui populum opprimit_': And if so be that be the
definition of a Tyrant, then see how you come short of it in
your actions, whether the highest Tyrant, by that way of
arbitrary government, and that you have sought for to introduce,
and that you have sought to put, you were putting upon the
people? Whether that was not as high an Act of Tyranny as any of
your predecessors were guilty of, nay, many degrees beyond it?
Sir, the term Traitor cannot be spared. We shall easily agree it
must denote and suppose a Breach of Trust; and it must suppose
it to be done to a superior. And therefore, Sir, as the people
of England might have incurred that respecting you, if they had
been truly guilty of it, as to the definition of law; so on the
other side, when you did break your trust to the kingdom, you
did break your trust to your superior; For the kingdom is that
for which you were trusted. And therefore, sir, for this breach
of Trust when you are called to account, you are called to
account by your superiors. '_Minimus ad majorem in judicium
vocat._' And, Sir, the People of England cannot be so far
wanting to themselves, God having dealt so miraculously and
gloriously for them: but that having power in their hands, and
their great enemy, they must proceed to do justice to themselves
and to you: For, Sir, the Court could heartily desire, that you
would lay your hand upon your heart, and consider what you have
done amiss, that you would endeavour to make your peace with
God. Truly, Sir, these are your High-Crimes, Tyranny and
Treason.
There is a third thing too, if those had not been, and that is
Murder, which is laid to your charge. All the bloody Murders,
which have been committed since this time that the division was
betwixt you and your people, must be laid to your charge, which
have been acted or committed in these late wars. Sir, it is an
heinous and crying sin: And truly, Sir, if any man will ask us
what Pun
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