Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 7.djvu/94

 86 NOTES AND QUERIES. [11 s. VII. Fu. 1, 1913. then clssping his hands before his ezies and leaving his noddle on the cushion, he y in a brown study for half a guarter of an houre. Then, starting up on a su den, ‘ Now# says he, ‘ I--'ll tell you, and I 'll tell you no more than what has been revealed to me. There is no way for' us to get out of Egypt, but by rooting up of monarchy, and this, I say, not only here bu in France and in other kingdoms round about us, the ;Lord having a great work to finish through- out Christendom, and the Army are they t t must do it. This Army is that stone spoken of, cut out of the mountains, which must dash the powers of the earth to pieces. But some object that the way we walk in is without precedent. Alas, we must act without and beyond prece- dents. Are not manv things in Scripture without Prepeaent ? what think ye or the irgin Mary P ' . . . . By this you may judge of the rest of the Nonsense, Treason and BLasphem§that went to make up the mock solemmty. et Pembroke gave him a thanksgiving for his fast sermon. ‘° Sundaz, Decem. 23. Vhich kind salutation gave Hug Peters an occasion to go this day and salute his lordship at his own house, where, being come about dinner time, he said to him, ‘ My lord, I am come to visit you and I intend to dine with you, and because you should not want good company I have brought one of the seven deadl'{ sins along with me, Colonel Pride, and have rought the Devil too, Colonel Dragon, two such pure saints, that when my soule departs this world, I desire it may have the happiness to it between these two, and, truly, I am so great a lover of you that I wish your ordship may be there too o the company] Both has lordship and the coloaels took this knamsh abuse very kindly.” That Cromwellian Puritan, Pembroke, was a man of a vicious life, and notorious for swearing and foul language. To their honour be it said, there was gardly a rrilinister in London that did not enounce t e proposed proceedjn against the King, not only in sermons, but?x printed manifestoes. In his next number Pragmaticue (for 26 Dec.-9_ Jan.) notices Peters’s attempts to stop this :-- ~“ Cromwell, Ireton and Peters made it their bminess this week again to compass the city and visit the ministers with threats. But Peters played a rare prank, carried a flle of musketeers to the house of one minister named Mr. Cawley, where he found him conversing with some divines, and summoned him pretendedly before the general on (purpose to fright him. But, whilst Peters enters the lists to wrangle with the Rabbis, downstairs slipped Mr. Cawley and hastened to the general to know his pleasure. Vhereu on the general said Peters was a knave and had no command from him, and when Hugh returned he was checked, but defended by Crom- well and Ireton that set him on to work to abuse his Excellency, whom they made a mere stalking horse- to their designs and in effect but deputy general upon courtesie to carry on their present proceedings.” Somethingseems to have been done to Cawley, for his name is not ahixed to the “ Serious » and faithfull representation of ministers of the gospel within the province of London ” to Fairfax, ‘presented .on 18 Jan., rotesting against e proceedings of the .Ex-my and the violence oiered to the King, though no fewer than forty-seven London church ministers signed this. At Peters s trial Mr. Bednor testified :- “ I heard him say at St. Margaretfs, West- minster, ‘ I have been in the City, which may very well be compared to Hierusalem in this eonjuncture of time, and I profess those foolish citizens for a little trading and profit they will have Christ (pointing to the redcoats on the pul&it stairs) crucitle and that great Barabbas at indsor released! ” Mr. Chase gave evidence that Peters reached on 21 Jan. before Cromwell and gradshaw from the text “ Bind your kings with chains, and your nobles in fetters of iron,” and that he said :- ` “ ‘ This is the dai that I and many saints of God besides, have een praying for for years! . . . .I observed that Oliver Cromwell did laugh at the time when Peters was preaching.” ` This text is corroborated by the news-books of the time. Thos. Tongue deposed that Peters preached in St. James’s Chapel on 28 Jan., and in the middle of the sermon “ took occasion to produce a text-14. Esay, 18, 19, 20. Saies he, ‘ This I did intend to insist and preach u on before the poor wretch, and the poor wretch would not hear me.’ ” The three verses form part of the judg- ment pronounced by God on the King of Babylon tlu'ough the mouth of Isaiah. Corroboration of this comes from America. Roger Williams wrote to Winthrop on “ 26. 3. 49 (so call’d),” ie., March, 1650. “ It is said that Mr. Peters preached (after the fashion of England) the funeral sermon to the King out of the terrible denunciation to the King of Babilon Esa. 14. 18, &.c."+C.M.H.S., Series III., vol. ix. p. 286. ', when Bradshaw failed to induce the ' g to be “tried,” Holland Simpson testified that “ Mr. Peters going down the stairs .... bids Stubbard to command the soldiers to cry out ‘ Justice# ‘ Justice against the traitor ’. . . . some of them spit in the King’s face, but he took out his hand ercher, wiped it of! and smiled.” Sir Jeremy Whitchcot testided :+ “ I remember one time he was sa he would have preached before the King, Ent, said he, the poor wretch would not hear me." 0 And Richard N unnelly deposed that “ on that unhappy day, 30 Jan. 1648 [i.e., 16401, this Hugh Peters came an houre before the King, and to Whitehall I came with a warrant to 40 or 50,000l. to Oliver Cromwell, being door- keeper. ‘ Nunnelly,’ says 0. Cromwell, ‘ will you A