Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 6.djvu/548

 452

NOTES AND QUERIES. en s. vi. DEC. 7, 1912.

CHARLES I.'s EXECUTIONEB (US. vi. 390) In reply to MB. MCNATJGHT I had better refer those curious on this subject to my article in Chambers' s Journal for September 1909, where the whole of the evidence is gone into at some length.

I may, however, add that the two most important documents on the subject are ( 1 ) The report of the trials of the Regicide. Axtel and Hulet (one of the two maskec "executioners") in October, 1660. Here it is conclusively proved that " Walker ' (Christian name not stated) struck the fata, blow. Hulet was reprieved. (2) The Rev. Alfred Gatty's edition of Joseph Hunter's ' Hallamshire ' (1869). On pp. 424-5 the editor, discussing the constant tradition on the subject at Darnal, Sheffield, suggests that William Walker of Darnal, falsely accused, was really Henry Walker.

William Walker was Lambert's secretary. He was also in correspondence with Adam Baynes, M.P. for Leeds, and on 27 Jan., 1657, Henry Walker wrote a letter on Wil- liam's behalf to Baynes, from which it appears that the two Walkers were brothers. It will easily be seen that the confusion between William and Henry has been helped on by the oblivion which attended the latter most important person until I identi- fied him as " Luke Harruney," journalist.

In the ten volumes of the Baynes Corre- spondence, now in the British Museum, there are a large number of letters from the Walker family, particularly William ; but, newsletters excepted, the letter referred to is, apart from his petitions among the MSS. of the House of Lords, one of the few docu- ments in existence signed, by Henry Walker, the actual murderer of King Charles I. : [Leedes, 27 th January, 1656/7. HONORED SIR, The 3 d hujus my Bro. calling mee to him upon his sick bed (at wch. time I supposing him capable) he commanded mee to impart some lynes to you, wch. now praised be God that he is pritty well recovered he disownes. Sr., being at that time in a high distemper he desires you would be pleased to passe that favour- able construction of them as that they may be buried in obliuion being the fruites of an acute fever and a desperate cold. Sr. your Transcend- ent affaires p'mitting he desires you would not be unmindful of him in Sr. Richard Muliuerer's busienesse, and I hope he will be able in short lime to give you an ace* of what Transactions are remarkable in this Towne. Intrim pray accept of these lynes from

Your humble servant,

HENRY WALKER.

There was some discussion on this subject in The Gentleman's Magazine for 1767 and 1768, and in vol. xxxviii. p. 10 a

correspondent, fixing the crime upon William Walker, says :

" I am informed the warrant for apprehending him was sent to William Spencer, Esq., at that time a justice of the peace at Attercliffe, near Darnal, and that Walker concealed himself at Hansworth Woodhouse, during the search made after him. It, indeed, appears a little surprizing he should not fly further out of the way, this place being near Darnal."

Of course, this writer was ignorant of Henry Walker, and it would seem, therefore, that, though the warrant he mentions may have been addressed to William, it was probably only to examine him about his brother's whereabouts. William probably concealed Henry.

It well illustrates the way in which William has been confused with Henry that a copy of Hubert Languet's ' Vindiciae contra Tyrannos,' published in 1689, contains the following MS. note :

" This translation [into English] was the work of Mr. William Walker of Darnal, near Sheffield, the person who cut off King Charles's head."

On the strength of this the British Museum Catalogues attribute all the English trans- lations of Languet's work to William Walker. The translation w T as first published in 1648.

Now let us see what the Thomason Tracts have to say about this translation and its authors.

According to Thomason, the book ap- peared on 1 March, 1648. It was printed by or for Mathew Simmons (with whom Henry Walker had issued all the " papers of the Army ") and Robert Ibbitson, the pub- lisher of Henry Walker's newsbook Perfect Occurrences. Just at this time there were no advertisements in the Perfect Occurrences, but, nevertheless, Henry Walker has some- thing to say about this book. In the Perfect Occurrences for 18-25 Feb., 1647/8, p. 422, he states :

" There is a translation of Junius Brutus (called ' Vindiciae contra Tyrannos ' ) in the presse, almost ready for publication, a peece sutable to the times."

Again, in the next number, for 25 Feb.- 3 March, p. 501, in alluding to a polemic of Mr. Justice Jenkins, he remarks :

" But there is a book translated into English ailed ' Vindicise contra Tyrannos,' which fully lears all such disputes."

On 3 April, 1649, there was published the following (Presbyterian) tract :

" A Modest and Clear Vindication of th Serious Representation ' and late ' Vindication,' of the Ministers of London ; from the Scandalous Aspersions of John Price, in a Pamphlet of his entituled ' Clerico-Classicum ; or, the Clergies Alarum to a Third War,' " &c.