THE CHARGE OF THE COMMONS OF ENGLAND, Against Charles Stuart, King of England, Of High Treason, and other High Crimes, exhibited to the High Court of Justice, By John Cook Esquire, Solicitor General, appointed by the said Court, for, and on the behalf of the People of England.  
As it was read to Him by the Clerk in the said Court, as soon as Mr. Solicitor General for the Kingdom had Impeached Him, in the name of the Commons of England, at His first Arraignment, Saturday, jan. 20. 1648.  

Examined by the Original Copy. Imprimatur,  
Gilbert Mabbot.   
London, Printed for Rapha Harford, at the Gilt Bible in Queens-Head-Alley in Pater-noster-Row. 1648.   

THE Charge of the Commons of England, against CHARLES STUART, King of England, Of High Treason, and other High Crimes, exhibited to the High Court of Justice, Saturday, january 20. 1648.  
The Court being sat, and the Prisoner at the Bar, Mr. Cook, Solicitor General, spoke thus; My Lord, In behalf of the Commons of England, and of all the people thereof, I do accuse Charles Stuart, here present, of High Treason, and High Misdemeanours: And I do, in the name of the Commons of England, desire the Charge may be read unto Him, which the Clerk then read, as followeth;  
THat the said CHARLES STUART, being admitted King of England, and therein trusted with a limited Power, to Govern by, and according to the Laws of the Land, and not otherwise; And by his Trust, Oath, and Office, being obliged to use the power committed to him, For the good and benefit of the People, and for the preservation of their Rights and Liberties; Yet nevertheless, out of a wicked Design, to erect and uphold in himself an unlimited and Tyrannical power, to rule according to his Will, and to overthrow the Rights and Liberties of the People; Yea, to take away, and make void the foundations thereof, and of all redress and remedy of misgovernment, which by the fundamental Constitutions of this Kingdom, were reserved on the People's behalf, in the Right and Power of frequent and successive Parliaments, or Nationall meetings in Council; He, the said Charles Stuart, for accomplishment of such his Designs, and for the protecting of himself and his adherents, in His and Their wicked Practices to the same Ends, hath Traitorously and maliciously levied War against the present Parliament, & the People therein Represented.  
Particularly, upon or about the thirtieth day of june, in the year of our Lord, One thousand six hundred forty and two, At Beverly, in the County of York; And upon, or about the thirtieth day of july, in the year aforesaid, in the County of the City of York; And upon, or about the twenty fourth day of August, in the same year, at the County of the Town of Nottingham (when, and where He set up His Standard of War;) And also on, or about the twenty third day of October, in the same year, at Edg-Hill, and Keinton field, in the County of Warwick; And upon, or about the thirtieth day of November, in the same year, at Brainchford, in the County of Middlesex: And upon, or about the thirtieth day of August, in the year of our Lord, One thousand six hundred forty and three, at Cavesham-bridg, near Reding, in the County of Berks; And upon, or about the thirtieth day of October, in the year last mentioned, at, or near the City of Gloucester; And upon, or about the thirtieth day of November, in the year last mentioned, at Newberry, in the County of Berks; And upon, or about the one and thirtieth day of july, in the year of our Lord, One thousand six hundred forty and four, at Cropredy-bridg, in the County of Oxon; And upon, or about the thirtieth day of September, in the year last mentioned, at Bodmin, and other places near adjacent, in the County of Cornwall; And upon, or about the thirtieth day of November, in the year last mentioned, at Newberry aforesaid; And upon, or about the eighth day of june, in the year of our Lord, one thousand six hundred forty and five, at the Town of Leicester; And also, upon the fourteenth day of the same month, in the same year, at Naseby-field, in the County of Northampton. At which several times and places, or most of them, and at many other places in this Land, at several other times, within the years aforementioned: And in the year of our Lord, One thousand six hundred forty and six, He the said Charles Stuart, hath caused and procured many thousands of the free-people of the Nation to be slain; and by Divisions, Parties, and Insurrections, within this Land, by invasions from foreign parts, endeavoured and procured by Him, and by many other evil ways and means. He the said Charles Stuart, hath not only maintained and carried on the said War, both by Land and Sea, during the years before mentioned; but also hath renewed, or caused to be renewed, the said War against the Parliament, and good people of this Nation, in this present year, One thousand six hundred forty and eight, in the Counties of Kent, Essex, Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex, and many other Counties and places in England and Wales, and also by Sea; And particularly, He the said Charles Stuart, hath for that purpose, Given Commissions to his Son, the Prince, and others, whereby, Besides multitudes of other persons, many such, as were by the Parliament entrusted and employed, for the safety of the Nation; being by Him or His Agents, corrupted; to the betraying of their Trust, and revolting from the Parliament, have had entertainment and commission, for the continuing and renewing of War and Hostility, against the said Parliament and People, as aforesaid. By which cruel and unnatural Wars by Him, the said Charles Stuart, levied, continued, and renewed, as aforesaid, much Innocent blood of the Free-people of this Nation hath been spilt; many Families have been undone, the Public Treasury wasted and exhausted, Trade obstructed, and miserably decayed; vast expense and damage to the Nation incurred, and many parts of the Land spoilt, some of them even to desolation.  
And for further prosecution of His said evil Designs, He, the said Charles Stuart, doth still continue his Commissions to the said Prince, and other Rebels and Revolters, both English and Foreigners; and to the Earl of Ormond, and to the Irish Rebels and Revolters, associated with him; from whom further Invasions upon this Land are threatened, upon the procurement, and on the behalf of the said Charles Stuart.  
All which wicked Designs, Wars, and evil practices of Him, the said Charles Stuart, have been, and are carried on, for the advancing and upholding of the Personal Interest of Will and Power, and pretended Prerogative to Himself and his Family, against the public Interest, Common Right, Liberty, Justice, and Peace Of the People of this Nation, by, and for whom he was entrusted, as aforesaid.  
By all which it appeareth, that He, the said Charles Stuart hath been, and is the Occasioner, Author, and Contriver of the said Unnatural, Cruel, and bloody Wars, and therein guilty of all the Treasons, Murders, Rapines, Burn, Spoils, Desolations, Damage and Mischief to this Nation, acted or committed in the said Wars, or occasioned thereby.  
And the said john Cook, by Protestation (saving on the behalf of the People of England, the liberty of Exhibiting at any time hereafter, any other Charge against the said Charles Stuart; and also of replying to the Answers which the said Charles Stuart shall make to the Premises, or any of them, or any other Charge that shall be so Exhibited) doth, for the said Treasons and Crimes, on the behalf of the said People of England, Impeach the said Charles Stuart, as a Tyrant, Traitor, Murderer, and a public, and Implacable Enemy to the Commonwealth of England: And pray, That the said Charles Stuart, King of England, may be put to answer All and Every the premises, That such Proceed, Examinations, ●ryals, Sentence, and judgement may be thereupon had, or shall be agreeable to Justice.  
FINIS.