The History of Persecution, from the Patriarchal Age, to the Reign of George IIChandler, Samuel
History
The History of Persecution, from the Patriarchal Age, to the Reign of George II
Chandler, Samuel
Persecution -- Great Britain; Persecution -- History
“And therefore, he humbly and heartily entreateth, that you would be
graciously pleased to take this his petition into your serious thoughts,
and to command deliverance, that he may plead his own cause, or rather
Christ’s, and the state’s. As also to afford such cost and damages as he
has suffered in body, estate, and family; having been prisoner (and that
many times) in the most nasty prisons, eleven years, not suffered to
breathe in the open air: to which, give him leave to add his great
sufferings in all those particulars, some sixteen years ago, for
publishing a book, called, ‘The Looking-Glass of Holy War.’
“Farther, as the cause is Christ’s and the states, so your petitioner
conceiveth (under correction) that the subject of the book will be the
prime and main matter of your agitation, to whose wisdom he hopeth the
book shall approve itself.
“Also your petitioner’s wearing age, going now in seventy-two years,
together with the sicknesses and weakness of his long distressed wife,
require a speedy deliverance.
“Lastly, the sons of death, the jesuits and jesuited, have so long
insulted in their own licentious liberty, and over the miseries of your
servant, and others; who, forbearing more motives, craves pardon for his
prolixity, being necessitated thereto from the depth and length of his
miseries. In all which he ceaseth not to pray, &c. and,
“Kisseth your hands.”
PROV. xxiv. 11.
“Wilt thou not deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that
are ready to be slain?”
When this merciless sentence on Leighton was pronouncing, Laud stood up
in public court, and “pulled off his cap, and gave God thanks for it;”
and in his diary he makes this remark on the execution, without one word
to discover that his bowels yearned, or his heart relented. “Friday,
Nov. 16. He (Leighton) was severely whipped; and being set in the
pillory, he had one of his ears cut off, one side of his nose slit, and
branded on one cheek with a red-hot iron. And on that day sevennight his
sores upon his back, ear, nose and face, not being cured, he was whipped
again at the pillory in Cheapside, and there had the remainder of his
sentence executed upon him, by cutting off the other ear, slitting the
other side of his nose, and branding the other cheek.”
These, and the like instances are specimens of this most reverend
prelate’s humanity, compassion, and christian moderation. I shall only
consider him in one view more, viz. his constant regard to the laws and
liberties of his country.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account