Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 06.pdf/564

 The Court of Star Chamber. out the Christian world, that future genera tions may see the innocency of this cause, and your Honors' unjust proceedings in it; all which I will do though it cost me my life." "Mr. Doctor, I thought you would be angry," sneeringly remarked the Lord Keeper. "No, my Lord," said Bastwick, " you are mistaken. I am not angry or passionate. All that I do press is that you would be pleased to peruse my answer." "Well, hold your peace. Mr. Burton, what say you?" said the Lord Keeper, ad dressing the third defendant. Burton was discouraged with the expe rience of his fellows, and made no very vigorous effort to state his cause. But he did not weaken a jot. He faced his unjust judges manfully. His answer had been expunged from the records. He said he confessed having written his book, but intended nothing inflammatory nor seditious. " In my judgment, and as I can prove it," he said bravely, " it was neither railing nor scandalous. I conceive that a minister hath a larger liberty than always to go in a mild strain. I being a pastor of my people whom I had in charge and was to instruct, I supposed it was my duty to inform them of these innovations that are crept into the church, as likewise of the danger and ill consequence of them. As for my answer, ye blotted out what ye would, and then the rest, which made best for your own ends, you would have me to stand. And now for me to tender only what will serve for your own turns, and renounce the rest, were to desert my cause, which before I will do, or desert my con science, I will rather desert my body, and deliver it up to your Lordships, to do with it what you will." "This is a place where you should crave mercy and favor, Mr. Burton," said the Lord Keeper, " and not stand upon such terms as you do."

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"There wherein I have offended through human frailty I crave of God and man par don," responded Burton. "And I pray God that in your sentence you may so cen sure us that you may not sin against the Lord." The prisoners desired to speak further, but were commanded to silence, and the court proceeded to pass sentence. Lord Cottington was the first to express himself: " I condemn these three men to lose their ears in the Palace yard at West minster, to be fined five thousand pounds a man to His Majesty, and to perpetual im prisonment in three remote places of the kingdom, namely, the Castles of Carnarvon, Cornwall and Lancaster." Burton was also to be deprived of his ecclesiastical benefice and degraded from his ministerial function and degrees in the university. All were denied the use of pen, ink and paper, and all books except the Bible, Book of Common Prayer and a few books of pri vate devotion. Finch proposed that in Prynn's case, whom he regarded as the worst of the lot, he should be branded in the cheeks with the letters " S " and " L," for a seditious libeller. All the lords agreed to this sentence. Thereupon Archbishop Laud delivered a lengthy address, wherein he defended him self against the numerous charges that had been made against him in the book, and concluded by saying: "I humbly crave pardon of your Lordships for this my neces sary length, and give you all hearty thanks for your noble patience, and your just and honorable censure upon these men, and your unanimous dislike of them, and de fense of the church. But because the business hath some reflections upon myself I shall forbear to censure them, and leave them to God's mercy and the King's jus tice." The sentence was afterwards executed in the Pillory in Cheapside in the most cruel