Page:The Church of England, its catholicity and continuity.djvu/168

 mortality with a better courage, nor look upon his bloody and malicious enemies with more Christian charity." At his execution, Laud turned to the man who had to take away his life, and, after giving him money, said, "Here, honest friend, God forgive thee, and I do; and do thy office upon me with mercy."

It would be foolish, of course, to say that Laud had no faults. But what they were were such as men had in common with him, even those of his enemies. But to say that he was a bad man is very far beside the mark indeed.

It was equally false, the aspersion that he wished to subvert the law of England and to overthrow the customs of this country. The Puritans behaved in a shameless way towards him, quite apart from their act of unlawfully cutting short his life. They managed to steal his diary, which was meant for no eyes save his own, and this in his lifetime they published with interpolations and alterations, and used this amended copy as witness against him at his trial. Southey says that "Prynne published Laud's diary, being garbled in some parts and interpolated in others, artfully and wickedly; and when the Archbishop came to the bar, he saw that the book had been presented to everyone of the lords who were to pronounce sentence on him." Laud bitterly complained of this in his address which followed this event. He complained to the House that he had been searched to the very core. "My diary," said he "nay, my very Prayer Book, taken from me and used against me, and that in some cases not to prove but to make a charge. Yet I am thus far glad even for this," he added, "for by my diary your