Eikon Basilike: The Pourtracture of His Sacred Majestie, in His Solitudes and SufferingsCharles I, King of England
Religion
Eikon Basilike: The Pourtracture of His Sacred Majestie, in His Solitudes and Sufferings
Charles I, King of England
Charles I, King of England, 1600-1649 -- Early works to 1800; Great Britain -- History -- Civil War, 1642-1649
_Let not the miseries I and my Kingdoms have hitherto suffered seem
small to thee: but make our sins appear to our consciences, as
they are represented in the glass of thy Judgements; for thou never
punishest small failings, with so severe afflictions._
_O therefore, according to the multitude of thy great mercies, pardon
our sinnes, and remove thy judgments, which are very many, and very
heavy._
_Yet let our sins be ever more grievous to us, then thy judgments; and
make us more willing to repent, then to be relieved; first give us the
grace of penitent consciences, and then the tranquillitie of united
Kingdomes._
_In the Sea of our Saviours Blood drown our sins, and through this red
sea of our own Blood bring us at last to a state of Piety, Peace and
Plenty._
_As my publick relations to all, make me share in all my Subjects
suffering; so give me such a pious sense of them, as becoms a
Christian King, and a loving father of my people._
_Let the scandalous and unjust reproaches cast upon me, be as a
breath, more to kindle my compassion; Give me grace to heap charitable
coales of fire upon their heads to melt them, whose malice or cruel
zeal hath kindled, or hindred the quenching of those flames, which
hath so much wasted my three Kingdoms._
_O rescue and assist those poor Protestants in IRELAND, whom thou hast
hitherto preserved._
_And lead those in the ways of thy saving Truths, whose Ignorance or
Errors have filled them with rebellious and destructive Principles,
which they act under an opinion, That they do thee good service._
_Let the hand of thy justice be against those, who malitiously and
despightfully have raised or fomented these cruel and desperate Wars._
_Thou that art far from destroying the innocent with the guilty, & the
erroneous with the malicious; thou that hadst pitty on_ Niniveh _for
the many children that were therein, give not over the whole stock
of that populous and seduced Nation, to the wrath of those, whose
covetousness makes them cruel; nor to their anger, which is too
fierce, and therefore justly cursed._
_Preserve, if it be thy will, in the midst of the furnace of thy
severe justice, a Posterity which may praise thee for thy mercie._
_And deal with me, not according to mans unjust reproaches, but
according to the innocency of my Hands in thy sight._
_If I have desired or delighted in the wofull day of my Kingdoms
calamities, If I have not earnestly studied, and faithfully
endeavoured the preventing and composing of these bloody Distractions;
then let thy hand be against me and my Fathers House. O Lord thou
seest I have enemies enough of men; as I need not, so should I not
dare thus to imprecate thy curse on me and mine, if my Conscience did
not witnesse my integrity, which thou, O Lord, knowest right well. But
I trust not to my own merit, but thy mercies; spare us, O Lord, and be
not angry with us for ever._
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Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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