of the priests. It is fit all should be acquainted

law, fays Heylin, being generally looked on by the ⚫ court as a self-conviction. Whereupon they received fentence to this effect.-Prynne to be fined to the king 5000l. to lose the remainder of his ears in the pillory, < to be branded on both cheeks with the letters S. L. for a fchifmatical libeller, and to be perpetually imprifoned ' in Carnarvan-castle. Baftwick and Burton to be con⚫ demned in the like fine of 5000l. to be pilloried, and lose their ears: the first to be imprisoned in the caftle of Launceston in Cornwall, and the fecond in the caftle • of Lancaster. This fentence was accordingly executed, to the great difcontent of many moderate and well-meaning men, and the prifoners were conveyed to their several places of confinement; from whence afterwards they were removed, out of the way of their friends, to the islands of Jersey, Guernsey, and Scilly (h).' (b) Heylin's When this fentence was pronounced, Laud gave thanks Laud, P. to the lords, for their juft and honourable cenfure upon 334. these men, and for their unanimous diflike of them and • defence of the church (i).'

life of

(i) Rush

ii. p. 384.

Mr. Hume, fpeaking of these sentences, obferves, that worth, vol. the feverity of the Star-chamber was, perhaps, in itself fomewhat blameable; but will naturally, to us, appear enormous, who enjoy to the full that liberty of the prefs, which is fo neceffary in every monarchy, confined by legal limitations. But as thefe limitations were not legally fixed during the age of Charles, nor at any time before, fo was the freedom of fpeech totally unknown, and was generally efteemed, as well as religious toleration, incompatible with all good government. No age nor nation, among the moderns, had ever fet an example of fuch indulgencies: and it feems unreasonable to judge of the meatures embraced during one period, by the maxims which prevail in another (k). But 'tis to be (4) Hume, hoped the measures of this as well as every other reign, P. 213. are to be judged by the maxims of equity: if they are inconfiftent with thefe, they deserve condemnation, tho' of ever fo long a practice; otherwife thofe of Muley

Q3

Ifhmael

(1) Hume, P. 187.

quainted with thefe matters, in order the better

Ifhmael may efcape cenfure. Mr. Hume had forgot, when he writ the above, that he himself had told us before, that a toleration was continued to the HugueC nots; the only avowed and open toleration, which at that time was granted in any European kingdom (1).' I will add fome particulars concerning thefe unhappy men, from Strafforde's letters and difpatches, which will ferve as a fupplement to our common hiftorians. Mr. Garrard, in a letter to the lord deputy Wentworth, dated London, March 23, 1636, writes, One Dr. Baftwick, a phyfician (who writes an excellent Latin ftile, formerly cenfured in the high commiffion), Burton and Prynne, for their libellous books lately printed, are ⚫ called into the Star-chamber. Burton's parishioners in London fent a petition to the king, underwritten by fixty with their names, to intreat for his pardon and liberty two of them brought it, who were committed (m) Straffor their pains (m).' The fame gentleman, in another forde, vol. ii. letter, has the following paragraphs. One St. John of • Lincoln's-Inn, upon fome information to the lords, that he fhould have fome hand in drawing Burton's answer, fo lawyer-like it is done, had his study searched, and all his papers feized on by fir William Becher, and carried away; which made much noife in the town, be'cause he was of council with my lord Say, about that great argument of the writ of gathering the shipmoney, which is hereafter to be handled. But fir William Becher fairly fuffered him to feal up thofe papers, which were fent him within two days after, having found no ground for that information (n).'— Some few days after the end of the term, in the palaceyard, two pillories were erected, and there the sentence of Star-chamber againft Burton, Baftwick, and Prynne, was executed. They stood two hours in the pillory; Burton by himself, being degraded in the high commiffion court three days before: the place was full of people, who cried and howled terribly, especially when Burton was cropt. Dr. Bafwick was very

P. 57.

(n) Id. p.

85.

I

merry;

better to form a judgment of times which

have

merry; his wife, Dr. Poe's daughter, got a stool, kiffed ‹ him: his ears being cut off, the called for them, and put them in a clean handkerchief, and carried them away with her. Baftwick told the people, the lords had collar-days at court; but this was his collar-day, rejoicing much at it.' The liberty given to the prifoners to speak in the pillory was highly difpleafing to Laud, who thus writes to Wentworth, in a letter dated Croydon, Aug. 28, 1637.- What fay you to it, that

Prynne and his fellows fhould be fuffered to talk what ⚫ they pleased while they stood in the pillory, and win ⚫ acclamations from the people, and have notes taken of 'what they spake, and thofe notes spread in written copies about the city; and that when they went out of < town to their several imprisonments, there were thou

fands fuffered to be upon the way to take their leave, ❝ and God knows what elfe (o)?' In the fame letter af- (0) Strafterwards this prelate writes: Once again you return to forde, vol. Prynne and his fellows, and obferve moft rightly, that ii. p. 99.

these men do but begin with the church, that they

might after have the freer accefs to the ftate; and I would to God, other men were of your lordship's opinion; or if they be fo already, I would they had fome of your zeal too for timely prevention; but for that < we are all too fecure, and will not believe there's any ' foul weather towards us, till the storm break upon us. For in what fort these men were fuffered in the pillory, and how they were attended out of the city, I have already written; and fince I hear Prynne was very much welcomed, both at Coventry and Weft-Chefter, as he paffed towards Carnarvon.' Nature feemed to have defigned Laud for the office of an inquifitor. He was fierce and unrelenting in difpofition, void of mercy and compaffion, and grudged thofe whom his rage had reduced to very great extremities, even the pity and affiftance of ftanders-by. What worfe character can exift? Who can be more juftly odious to every good man, than a vain mortal armed with power, and ufing it to wreak

have been and are fo much celebrated.

.

If

to

his vengeance on his foes? Ought not the memory of such wretches to be treated with a proper indignation?—————— Laud, in the above letter, fpeaks of the attendants the prifoners had going out of the city: Mr. Garrard will explain this more fully. Mr. Ingram, fub- warden of the Fleet, told the king, that there was not less than one hundred thousand people gathered together to see Burton pafs by, betwixt Smithfield and Brown's-well, which is two miles beyond Highgate: his wife went along in a coach, having much money thrown to her as the paffed along.-Complaint hath been made to the lords of the council of a theriff of Weft-Chefter, who when Prynne paffed that way through Cheffer to Car• narvon-castle, he with others met him, brought him into town, feafted and defrayed him: befides, this • fheriff gave him a fuit of coarse hangings to furnish his chamber at Carnarvon-caftle: other prefents were offered him, money and other things; but he refused them. This fheriff is fent up for by a pursuivant (p).' In fhort, all that affronted Laud fuffered; nor were there any that tranfgreffed againft him left unpunished. One Boyer, who abufed him to the face, and accufed him of no less than high treafon, was brought into the Starchamber, and cenfured; nor could he permit even a crack-brained lady to prophecy against him, without giving her the difcipline of the high commiffion court (q). Heylin, p. Twould be endless to reckon up the feverities inflicted in this reign on those who oppofed the governing ecclefiaftics. Perfecution in every fhape, but that of death, appeared, and continually increafed. Men's fears were alarmed, their_pity excited, and they knew not well what to do. Their perfecutors they looked on with horror, and could hardly view them under the character of Chriftians.-Nor were their thoughts of them, perhaps, too hard. It being obferved by a very ingenious writer, that 'tis not the believers of religion, but infidels and ' atheists, who, in every country, have always been the feverest perfecutors, and cruelest oppreffors of all civil

(p) Strafforde's letters, vol. ii. P. 114.

(7) See

266.

< as

to what has been faid, we add a brief account of the restraints on the prefs, and the fufferings of fuch as attempted to break through them (YY), we fhall enable the

reader

< as well as religious liberty. For as this life is their all, they are the more jealous in guarding it; the more fevere in fuppreffing every innovation in practice or 'opinion, which might tend poffibly to disturb their repose: this is the constant obfervation of all who are verfed in hiftcry, especially in that of the Jews, where the Pharifees, however ftrict in the obfervance of their religion, were always mild and gentle in the feat of judgment; whereas the Sadducees, though little concerned for religion, were moft implacable and rigorous animadverters on every flight tranfgreffion of the

6

1

cellaneous

• law (r).'—'Tis remarkable that Laud, even when in () Middlethe Tower, expreffed no remorfe for his treatment of ton's mifthese men, who then were brought home, and used with tracts, p. great refpect by the people. I fhall crave leave, fays 170, 4to. he, to fay of thefe men, as St. Auguftine once faid of Lond. 1752. two great donatifts in his time, who (it seems) had re⚫ceived fame sentence, and afterwards a return, not altogether unlike these men [they were Felicianus and Pretextatus]. Of those, thus St. Auguftine: If these C men were innocent, why were they fo condemned? And if they were guilty, why were they with fuch < honour returned and received? This applies itfelf (s).' (s) Laud's I fhall only obferve, that the feverity made ufe of to up- troubles, p. hold the church, as it was at this time pretended, was one very great reason of its after-fall. For perfecution, unless it be extreme and conftant, has always been hurtful to thofe who used it.

(YY) I will add a brief account of the reftraints on the prefs, and the fufferings of fuch as attempted to break thro' them.] The liberty of the prefs is moft invaluable: it protects all other liberties, difpels ignorance and fuperftition, prieftcraft and tyranny, and caufes truth of all kinds to be known, beloved, and embraced. Wife and

255.

good