This paper passing among them from the jury to the justices, they
presented it to the Judge; so that when we were called before the
Judge, he bade the clerk give me that paper, and then asked me
whether that seditious paper was mine. I said to him, "If they will
read it out in open court, that I may hear it, if it is mine I will
own it, and stand by it." He would have had me take it and look
upon it in my own hand; but I again desired that it might be read,
that all the country might hear it, and judge whether there was any
sedition in it or not; for if there were, I was willing to suffer for
it.
At last the clerk of the assize read it, with an audible voice, that
all the people might hear it. When he had done I told them it was
my paper; that I would own it, and so might they too, unless they
would deny the Scripture: for was not this Scripture language, and
the words and commands of Christ, and the Apostle, which all true
Christians ought to obey?
Then they let fall that subject; and the Judge fell upon us about our
hats again, bidding the jailer take them off; which he did, and gave
them to us; and we put them on again. Then we asked the Judge and
the justices, for what cause we had lain in prison these nine weeks,
seeing they now objected to nothing but our hats. And as for putting
off our hats, I told them that that was the honour which God would
lay in the dust, though they made so much ado about it; the honour
which is of men, and which men seek one of another, and is a mark of
unbelievers. For "How can ye believe," saith Christ, "who receive
honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God
only?" Christ saith, "I receive not honour from men"; and all true
Christians should be of His mind.
Then the Judge began to make a pompous speech, how he represented the
Lord Protector's person, who made him Lord Chief-Justice of England,
and sent him to come that circuit, etc. We desired him, then, that
he would do us justice for our false imprisonment which we had
suffered nine weeks wrongfully. But instead of that, they brought
an indictment framed against us; so full of lies that I thought it
had been against some of the thieves,--"that we came by force and
arms, and in a hostile manner, into the court"; who were brought
as aforesaid. I told them it was all false; and still we cried for
justice for our false imprisonment, being taken up in our journey
without cause by Major Ceely.
Then Peter Ceely said to the Judge, "May it please you, my lord, this
man (pointing to me) went aside with me, and told me how serviceable
I might be for his design; that he could raise forty thousand men at
an hour's warning, involve the nation in blood, and so bring in King
Charles. I would have aided him out of the country, but he would not
go. If it please you, my lord, I have a witness to swear it."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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