ng_, _and Priest_, _and Prophet too_:
And sadly see our losse, and though in vain,
With fruitlesse wishes, call thee back again.
Nor shall oblivion sit upon thy Herse,
Though there were neither Monument, nor Verse.
Thy Suff'rings & thy Death let no man name;
It was thy Glorie, but the Kingdoms Shame.

_J. H._

* * * * *

[Illustration]

_His Majesties Reasons against the pretended Jurisdiction of
the High Court of Justice, which he intended to deliver in
writing on Munday_ January 22, 1648.

Faithfully transcribed out of the originall Copie under the Kings own
hand.

Having already made my protestations not only against the illegality
of this pretended Court, but also that no earthly power can justly
call me (who am your King) in question as a Delinquent, _I_ would not
any more open my mouth upon this occasion, more then to refer my selfe
to what I have spoken, were I alone in this case concerned. But
the duty I owe to God in the preservation of the true Liberty of my
People, will not suffer me at this time to be silent: For, how can any
free-born Subject of England call life or any thing he possesseth
his own, if power without right daily make new, and abrogate the old
fundamentall Law of the Land, which I now take to be the present
case. Wherefore when I came hither, I expected that you would have
indeavoured to have satisfied me concerning these grounds, which
hinder me to Answer to your pretended Impeachment, but since I see
that nothing I can say will move you to it (though Negatives are not
so naturally proved as Affirmatives) yet I will shew you the Reason
why I am confident you cannot judge me, nor indeed the meanest man in
England; for I will not (like you) without shewing a reason, seek to
impose a belief upon My Subjects.

[Sidenote: _Hereabout I was stopt, and not suffered to speake any more
concerning Reasons._]

There is no proceeding just against any man, but what is warranted
either by Gods Laws, or the municipall Lawes of the Country where he
lives. Now I am most confident, that this daies proceeding cannot be
warranted by Gods Law, for on the contrary the authority of obedience
unto Kings is cleerly warranted and strictly commanded both in the Old
and New Testament; which if denied, I am ready to prove: and for the
question now in hand, there it is said, That _where the word of a
King is, there is Power, and who may say unto