per of notes, to be
communicated to Pym, this implied such a breach of oaths and of trust
as rendered him totally unworthy of all credit: that the secretary's
deposition was at first exceedingly dubious: upon two examinations, he
could not remember any such words: even the third time, his testimony
was not positive, but imported only, that Strafford had spoken such or
suchlike words; and words may be very like in sound, and differ much in
sense; nor ought the lives of men to depend upon grammatical criticisms
of any expressions, much less of those which had been delivered by the
speaker without premeditation, and committed by the hearer for any time
however short, to the uncertain record of memory: that, in the present
case, changing this kingdom into that kingdom a very slight alteration,
the earl's discourse could regard nothing but Scotland, and implies
no advice unworthy of an English counsellor: that even retaining
the expression, this kingdom, the words may fairly be understood of
Scotland, which alone was the kingdom that the debate regarded,
and which alone had thrown off allegiance, and could be reduced to
obedience: that it could be proved, as well by the evidence of all the
king's ministers, as by the known disposition of the forces, that the
intention never was to land the Irish army in England, but in Scotland:
that of six other counsellors present, Laud and Windebank could give
no evidence; Northumberland, Hamilton, Cottington, and Juxon, could
recollect no such expression; and the advice was too remarkable to be
easily forgotten: that it was nowise probable such a desperate counsel
would be openly delivered at the board, and before Northumberland, a
person of that high rank, and whose attachments to the court were
so much weaker than his connections with the country. That though
Northumberland, and he alone, had recollected some such expression
as that of "being absolved from rules of government," yet, in such
desperate extremities as those into which the king and kingdom were
then fallen, a maxim of that nature, allowing it to be delivered by
Strafford, may be defended upon principles the most favorable to law
and liberty and that nothing could be more iniquitous than to extract
an accusation of treason from an opinion simply proposed at the council
table; where all freedom of debate ought to be permitted, and where it
was not unusual for the members, in order to draw forth the sentiments
of others, to pr