The Earle of Straffords speech on the scaffold before he was beheaded on Tower-hill, the 12 of May, 1641 Strafford, Thomas Wentworth, Earl of, 1593-1641. This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription A61720 of text R8900 in the English Short Title Catalog (Wing S5794). Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 6 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 3 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2017 A61720 Wing S5794 ESTC R8900 11806474 ocm 11806474 49454 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A61720) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 49454) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 550:14) The Earle of Straffords speech on the scaffold before he was beheaded on Tower-hill, the 12 of May, 1641 Strafford, Thomas Wentworth, Earl of, 1593-1641. [2], 5-7 p. Printed for Peter Cole ..., London : 1641. Reproduction of original in Bodleian Library. eng Strafford, Thomas Wentworth, -- Earl of, 1593-1641. Great Britain -- History -- Charles I, 1625-1649 -- Sources. A61720 R8900 (Wing S5794). civilwar no The Earle of Straffords speech on the scaffold before he was beheaded on Tower-hill, the 12 of May, 1641. Strafford, Thomas Wentworth, Earl of 1641 984 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 A This text has no known defects that were recorded as gap elements at the time of transcription. 2002-03 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2002-03 Apex CoVantage Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2002-04 TCP Staff (Oxford) Sampled and proofread 2002-04 Emma (Leeson) Huber Text and markup reviewed and edited 2002-05 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion THE EARLE OF STRAFFORDS SPEECH ON THE SCAFFOLD before he was beheaded on Tower-hill , the 12 of May , 1641. LONDON , Printed for PETER COLE . at the Glove in Cornhill , neare the Royall Exchange , 1641. THE EARLE OF STRAFFORDS SPEECH On the Scaffold . MY Lord Primate of Ireland , ( and my Lords , and the rest of these Gentlemen ) it is a very great comfort to me , to have your Lordship by me this day in regard I have beene knowne to you a long time , I should bee very glad to obtaine so much silence , as to bee heard a few wordes , but I doubt I shall not , my Lord I come hither by the good will and pleasure of almighty God , to pay that last debt I owe to sin , which is death , and by the blessing of that God to rise againe through the merits of Christ Jesus to eternall glory ; I wish I had beene private , that I might have beene heard , my Lord , if I might be so much beholding to you that I might use a few wordes , I should take it for a very great Curtesie , my Lord I come hither to submit to that judgement which hath past against mee , I doe it with a very quiet and contented minde , I doe freely forgive all the world , a forgivenesse that is not spoken from the teeth outward ( as they say ) but from the heart ; I speake it in the presence of Almighty God , before whom I stand , that there is not so much as a displeasing thought in me arising to any Creature , I thanke God I may say truely , and my Conscience beares me witnesse , that in all my services since I have had the Honeur to serve his Majesty in any Employment , I never had any thing in my heart , but the joynt and individuall prosperity of King and People ; if it have beene my hap to bee misconster'd , it is the common portion of us all while we are in this life , the righteous judgement is hereafter , here wee are subject to errour , and apt to bee misjudged one of another ; there is one thing I desire to cleere my selfe off ; and I am very confident , I speake it with so much clearenesse , that I hope I shall have your Christian Charity in the beliefe of it , I did alwayes ever thinke the Parliaments of England , were the happiest Constitutions that any Kingdome , or any Nation lived under , and under God the meanes of making King and people happie , so farre have I beene from being against Parliaments ; for my death J here acquit all the world , and pray God heartilie to forgive them ; and in particular , my Lord Primate I am verie glad that his Majestie is pleased to conceive mee , not meriting so severe , and heavie a punishment as the utmost execution of this sentence ; I am very glad and infinitely rejoice in this mercy of his , and Beseech God to turne it to him , that he may find mercy when hee hath most need of it ; I wish this Kingdome all the prosperitie and happinesse in the world : I did it living , and now dying it is my wish , I doe now professe it from my heart , and doe most humbly recommend it unto every man here , and wish every man to lay his hand upon his heart , and consider seriously whither the beginnig of the happinesse of a people should be written in Letters of bloud , I feare you are in a wrong way , & I desire almightie God that no one drop of my bloud may rise up in judgment against you . ( My Lord , ) I professe my selfe a true and obedient Son to the Church of England , to that Church wherein I was borne , and wherein I was bred ; prosperitie and happinesse , be ever to it : and whereas it hath been said that I have enclin'd to Popery , if it be an Objection worth answering , let me say truely , that from the time since I was one and twenty yeares of age , till this houre , now going upon nine and forty , I never had thought in my heart , to doubt of the truth of my Religion in England : and never any had the boldnesse to suggest to me the contrary , to the best of my remembrance ; and so being reconciled to the mercies of Christ Jesus my Saviour , into whose bosome I hope shortly to be gather'd to enjoy those eternall happinesses that shall never have end . I desire heartily the forgivenesse of every man , both for any rash or unadvised word , or deed , and desire your Prayers : And so my Lords farewell , farewell all the things of this world , LORD strengthen my faith , give me confidence and assurance in the merits of Christ Iesus . I desire you that you would be silent and joyne in Praires with me ; and I trust in GOD that we shall all meet and live eternally in Heaven , there to receive the accomplishment of all happinesse , where every teare shal be wiped from our eyes , and every sad thought from our hearts : And so GOD blesse this Kingdome , and Iesus have mercy upon my Soule . FINIS .