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The Green Bag

condition to pass upon the lives of the King's subjects. But neither bad habits nor ordinary faults of temper serve to explainthe variety of villainy with which

he visited the unfortunates brought before him.

The following incidents

To Chardstock,

of supplying

a

money

lawyer, aocused

to

mouth in his rebellion,

aid Mon but in fact

robbed of his coin by Monmouth's soldiers, Jeffreys said after a mockery of a trial: —

are by no means exceptional, but indeed

J.— “Villain, rebel, methinks I see

fall short of some which have been more frequently recalled against him. One Armstrong, charged with a politi

thee already with a halter round thy neck."

And

his

lordship

jeeringll'

cal crime, had ﬂed beyond seas and

remarked in passing sentence that he desired when possible to prefer lawyers.

sentence of outlawry and death had

being one of that profession himself,

passed in his absence, subject to his right by law to surrender himself within a year and stand trial. Within the time

and therefore Chardstock should be hanged ﬁrst of the next lot going to the

allowed he returned to England and gave

himself up before the King's Bench. Jeffreys refused to hear his defense and proceeded to grant execution of the death sentence. Armstrong was accom panied by his young and beautiful

scaffold. Jurors stood in fear of him.

In those

few trials where they mustered courage enough to return a verdict of acquittal, the ﬁnding was at their peril. In not:

few instances they were subjected to vile abuse, sent back to reconsiderI and

daughter, who now addressed the court. Dau.—"My lord, I hope you will

threatened with Jeffreys'

not murder my father."

scaffold. In desperate cases,,leﬁl'el's would call them up One by one to the bench, and there interrogate them as“)

C. J. —- “Who is this woman? Take her into custody. Why, how now, because your relative is attained of high treason must you take upon yourself

to tax the courts of murder? Take her away." Dau.—-“God Almighty’s judgments

light on you." C. .I.—“God Almighty’s judgments light upon those guilty of high treason." Dau. — "Amen.

I pray God.”

C. J.—“So say I. I thank God I am clamor-proof." Armstrong-—"I ought to have the beneﬁt of the law." C. J. —— “That you shall have, by the grace of God. See that execution be done on Friday next.

You shall have

the full beneﬁt of the law.” And the unfortunate man was hanged, disemboweled, beheaded and quartered with all the rigors of his barbarous

vengeance

unless they sent the accused to the

their verdict. Rarely was the jury m‘fde of stuff to withstand the teffiiymg inﬂuence of the ferocious visage 9f the

Chief Justice, and many a verdicfff guilty was directly due to such ludlc‘al interference.

At the trial of Richard Baxter‘, fhe

learned and gentle Presbyterian dmne' Jeffreys startled the bar as well 3.5 fhe

defendant and his friends, by throw“ back his head, closing his eyes and cfylng out with a nasal twang supP05ed_tO

simulate the manner of

disseﬂtlng

preachers: “O Lord, we are Thy people’;

Thy own people. Thy peculiar people‘

Indeed Dissenters fell under the loulest of his abuse, for he made loyalty to

the established religion a prime feature of his policy. Witnesses as well 35 accused were assailed with insult aznd

epithet. .“Whining, canting Presbytfinan sentence.