THE CHARGE AND IMPEACHMENT EXHIBITED Against the Bloody JUDGES of our late Royal-Martyred KING CHARLES.

WITH

  • His Majesties Proclamation, touching the horrid Murtherers of His Royal Father of blessed memory; and the most horrid and Execrable Treason committed upon the Roy­all Diadem, Crown, Scepter, and Dignity, contrary to the known Laws of the Land, and the Peoples Liberty.
  • With the Resolves of Parliament, touching Hugh Peters, and Cornet Joyce, and the rest of the Wicked Actors that committed the most Barbarous and horrid Murther in cutting off the precious Head of our late Gracious Lord and Soveraign King CHARLES.

London, Printed for G. Horton, living near the Three Crowns in Barbican, 1660.

The Royal Summons.

THe positive judicial Law of God, is; That who­soever sheddeth mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed. Gen. 9.6. And the reason is there ren­dred, because such destroy Gods Image where­in man is made: And the cry of blood (if not punished by man) is so great. Gen. 4.10. That the Lord comes down from heaven to call the murtherer to account, and by some visible, and remarkable judgements or other, to stigmatize this sin, as these following examples will more fully manifest, viz. Murtherers ought to be punished with death. Gen. 9.6. Exod. 21.12. Prov. 28.17. Rev. 13.10. No recompence is to be taken for it, Num. 35.32, &c. For it defiles the Land. Hos. 4.2 3. Its diligently to be sought out. Deut. 21.1, &c. God punisheth it head. Psal. 55.23. It excludes from heaven. Gal. 5.1. Rev. 21.8. Sundry other Scriptural Examples might we here instance; As in the case of Pharaob, Abimelech, Absalom, Manasseh, A­hab, and Jezabel, Zimri, Herod, Shallum, Manahem, Baa­nah, Rechab, and Cain, the latter being cursed by God for murthering his Brother, Gen. 4. The other two preceding, [Page 4]were slain by the command of David, for killing their Lord Ishbosheth.

And shall not such who are guilty of Innocent Blood, nay Royal Blood, be called to an account? yes, otherwise God forbid. In order whereunto, the Lords and Commons As­sembled in Parliament, taking into their serious and Chri­stian consideration, the most horrid and execrable Treason and Murther committed upon the Person and against the Life of our late Lord and Soveraign King Charles the First, of Blessed Memory, Declared their absolute detestation against so abhorred an Act; And having made a large progress upon the Act for a General Pardon and Oblivion, It was the Result of both Houses; That Colonel Harrison, Collonel Barkstead, Thomas Scot, Cornelius Holland, John Lisle, William Say, and John Jones, be exempted from the benefit of the Act for a General Pardon, and Oblivion, for murdering of His Royal Majesty, of blessed memory.

As also, that Andrew Broughton, one of the Clerks to the pretended High Court of Justice, and Edward Dendy, Sergeant at Arms to the said pretended High Court, be likewise excepted from the benefit of the Act for a Ge­neral Pardon; and the other persons also who were con­cerned in the cutting off the head of His late Majesty of ever glorious memory, to be also excepted: Hereupon the Honourable Houses of Parliament Ordered, That George Joyce (that son of Perdition) commonly known by the name of Cornet Joyce, and Hugh Peters (one of Baals Butcherly Priests) be taken into Custody, and that the Ser­jeant at Arms attending the Parliament, do take the said George Joyce, and Hugh Peters, in safe custody, which was accordingly performed.

And whereas there are divers other persons who sate, gave judgement, and assisted in that horrid and detestable [Page 5]Murder of our late Lord and Soveraign King Charles, of never dying memory, being deeply guilty thereof, and of that most horrid and bloody Treason, have out of the sense of their own guilt, lately fled and obscured themselves, whereby they cannot be apprehended and brought to a per­sonal and legel Trial for their said Treasons according to Law: His Majesty therefore by the Advice of the Lords and Commons Assembled in Parliament, hath comman­ded a Proclamation to be published, summoning all such persons therein specified, to appear and render themselves within fourteen dayes, under pain of being exempted from Pardon.

These are those, that Ambitiously aspired to that excess of Dominion, as if themselves should never be brought to Judgement; whereas, indeed, the Dignity of the Throne, and the Soveraignty of the Scepter, is no Boon of Fortune, or thing of chance; for Promotion cometh neither from the East, nor from the West, nor from the South; neither by con­federacy of Designs, nor fortuitousness of Events: But, Government is Gods Ordinance, and Governours are all ac­countable to Him as Supream; the highest Empire, it is sub Jove Emperium, God is the Judge, he pulleth down one, and setteth up another; And when he does it by Divine Ordinati­on, it is a Regular Providence, putting a period to the Royal Line of one Family, and by transferring the right of Power to another. And whom GOD sets up by a Divine Ordina­tion let them look to't, who resist his lawfull Dominion: For, in the hand of the Lord there is a Cup, a Cup of Wrath, whose Wine is red and full of mixture; That is, whose Judge­ments are grievous and full of horrour. And where He finds a Disobedience to just Authority, there he powrs forth of his Cup of Fury; The top whereof, the simple and se­duced [Page 6]shall drink to their Chastisement and Correction, but the maliciously wicked shall drink up all, nay, suck out the dregs thereof to their temporal ruine and eternal destruction. But, as for the Execution of this Wrath, we must leave it un­to God; for our most Gracious Soveraign Charles the Second, by Inheritance and Divine Providence, King of Great Brittain, &c. is full of Clemencie and Meekness, and may truly be stiled The Mirrour of Princes; as appears by his late graci­ous Pardon: But many being deeply guilty of that most detestable and bloody Treason, in passing Judgement and Sentence of Death upon our late Martyred King Charles the First of happy memory; and endeavouring to escape the hand of Justice by flight; His most Sacred and inimitable Majesty Charles the Second, by the advice of His Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament, commanded the en­suing Proclamation to be forthwith published, viz.

By the King.
A Proclamation to summon the Persons therein named, who sate, gave Judgement, and assisted in that horrid and detestable murther of his Majesties Royal Father of bles­sed memory, to appear and render themselves within Fourteen dayes, under pain of being exempted from Pardon.

CHARLES R.
CHARLES, by the grace of God, King of England, Scot­land, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c.
To all Our loving Subjects of England, Scotland, and Ireland, Grée­ting.

We taking notice by the information of Dar Lords and Commons now Assembled in Parliament, of the most horrid and execrable Treason and Marder committed upon the Person, and against the Life, Crown and Dignity of Our late Royal Father Charles the first of blessed Memory: And that John Lisle, Willi­am Say, Esquires, Sir Hardress Waller, Valentine Wauton, Ed­ward Whalley, Esquires, Sir John Bourchier Knight, William Heveningham Esquire, Isaac Pennington Alderman of London, Henry Martin, John Barkstead, Gilbert Millington, Edmund Ludlow, John Hutchinson Esquires, Sir Michael Livesay Bare­net, Robert Tichborne, Owen Roe, Robert Lilburn, Adrian Scroope, John Okey, John Hewson, William Goffe, Cornelius Holland, John Carew, Miles Corbet, Henry Smith, Thomas Wogam, Edmund Harvey, Thomas Scot, William Cawley, John Downs, Nicholas Love, Vincent Potter, Augustine Garland, John Dixwel, George Fleetwood, Simon Meyne, Jame; Temple, Pe­ter Temple, Daniel Blagrave and Thomas Weight Esquires, be­ing deeply Guilty of that most detestable and Bloody Treason, in sitting upon, and giving Judgement against the Life of Our Royal Father; And also John Cooke, who was imployed there­in as Sollicitor, Andrew Broughton and John Phelps, who were imployed under the said persons as Clerks, and Edward Denby [Page 8]who attended them as Serjeant at Armes, have out of the sence of their own Guilt lately sted and obscured themselves, whereby they cannot be apprehended and brought to a personal and legal Trial for their said Treasons according to Law. We do there­fore by the Advice of Our said Lords and Commons, Command, Publish, and Declare by this Our Proclamation, That all and every the persons before named shall within Fourteen dayes next after the publishing of this Our Royal Proclamation, personally appear and render themselves to the Speaker or Speakers of Our House of Péers or Comnions, or unto Our Lord Mayor of Our City of London, or to the Sheriffs of Our respective Counties of England and Wales, under pain of being excepted from any Par­don or Indempnity both for their respectivs Lives and Estates: And that no person or persons shall presume to harbour or conceal any of the persons aforesaid, under pain of Misprision of High Treason.

Given at Our Court at White-Hall the 6th. day of June 1660. in the Twelfth year of Our Reign.
FINIS.

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