Page:Trial of john lilburne (IA trial john lilburne).djvu/17

 as my right, not onely by the Law of God and man, but also by the law & light of Nature; And I shall do it with that respect, reason and judgement, that doth become a man that knows what it is to plead for his life. I hope God hath given me ability to be master of my own passion, and indowed me with that reason, that will dictate unto me what is for my own good and benefit.

I have severall times been arraigned for my life already. I was once arraigned before the House of Peers for (sticking close to the Liberties, and Priviledges of this Nation, and those that stood for them) being one of those two or three men, that first drew their Swords in Westminster-Hall against Col. Lunsford and some scores of his associates. At that time, it was supposed, they intended to cut the throats of the chiefest men then sitting in the House of Commons; I say for this, and other things of the like nature, I was arraigned by the Kings speciall Command and Order, the 1. of May 1641. I mention it to this end, that when I came before the House of Peers, where was about three or fourescore Lords then sitting at the beginning of the Parliament; (who then were supposed the most arbitrary of any power in England) yet I had from them free liberty of speech, to speak for my life at their Barr, without check or controll in the best manner, all those abilities God had given me would inable me; and when I was at Oxford, I was again arraigned as a Traytor before the Lord Chief Justice Heath, for levying Warre at the Command of the then Parliament against the person of the King; and when I came before him in the Guild-Hall of Oxford, he told me (there being present with him (as hs fellow Judge) Mr Gardiner (sometimes Recorder of the City of London) now Sir Thomas Gardiner, and others that sat by a speciall Commission of Oyer and Terminer from the King; the which Commission I did not so well then understand, as I hope I do now. And my Lord Chiefe Justice Heath stood up, & in the face of all the Court, & in the face of all the Country present there told me, Capt. Lilburne you are brought here before us for High Treason, for leavying Warre in Oxfordshire against your Soveraigne Lord and King; and though you be now in a Garrison, and were taken in Armes in open hostility against the King (yea Sir, and I must now tell you in such hostility, that we were but about 700. men at Branford that withstood the Kings whole Army in the field, about five houres together, and fought it out to the very Swords point, and to the Butt end of the Musket; and thereby hindred the King from his then possessing the Parliaments Train of Artillery, and by consequence the City of London, in which very act I was taken a prisoner, without Articles or capitulation, and was by the King and his party then lookt upon, as one of the activest men against them in the whole company) yet Rh