State Trials, Political and Social. Volume 1 (of 2)
History
State Trials, Political and Social. Volume 1 (of 2)
Trials -- Great Britain
I do remember well it was in the evening; they were lighting of
candles, they were somewhat private. This gentleman was there, I
saw him; for through the kindness of Mr. Phelps, who was then
Clerk to that Committee, I was admitted, pretending first to
speak with the said Mr. Phelps, and that I had some business
with him; and so (as I said before) I was admitted into the
Committee Chamber. Being there I did observe some passages fall
from the prisoner at the bar; the words were to this purpose; he
was making a narrative of some discourse that passed between his
late majesty and himself in coming between Windsor and London,
or Hurst Castle, I know not well which. My Lord, that passage
that I observed to fall from him in that discourse was this; he
said that the King as he sat in the coach with him was
importunate to know what they intended to do with him. The King
asked, What do they intend to do with me; Whether to murder me
or no? 'and I said to him, There was no such intent on as to
kill him, we have no such thoughts.' But (said he) the Lord has
reserved you for a public example of justice. There is one word
more, my Lords, and that is this, which I heard from the
prisoner at the bar. The reason and end of their meeting
together at that Committee was concerning the charge. So much I
observed. It was concerning the contracting of the impeachment.
I observed that some found fault with the length of that as it
was drawn. They were offering some reasons to contract it, and I
heard this prisoner at the bar vent this expression; 'Gentlemen,
it will be good for us to blacken him what we can; pray let us
blacken him,' or words to that purpose. I am sure 'blacken' was
his word.
_Lord Newburgh_,[37] when he was living at Bagshot, saw Harrison
conducting the King in custody from Hurst Castle to London. The two
warrants, one for the trial, the other for the execution of the King,
were produced, and Harrison's signatures to them were proved to be in
his handwriting. The Court pointed out that they were not produced as
records, but as evidence of overt acts of constituting a compassing of
the King's death on his part.
HARRISON--I do not come to be denying anything that in my own
judgment and conscience I have done or committed, but rather to
be bringing it forth to the light.
COURT--Sir, you must understand this by the way, this you must
take along with you, that these are read not as anything of
authority in themselves, or as used to any other purpose, but as
evidence of the fact against you; take that along with you.
This concluded the evidence; and Windham summed up the case very
shortly, concluding, 'I think a clearer evidence of a fact can never be
given than is for these things,' [Here the spectators hummed.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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