Speech Upon the Scaffold 2
The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A25795.0001.001
Project Note
This is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND. This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
The source of this document is the Early English Books Online (EEBO-TCP) website. Those books were transcribed in a character for character manner and can be very cumbersome to read since there was no standard spelling during that time. Many spelling variations such as "unlesse", "vnlesse", and "vnles" regularly appear.
This project was conceived to clean up those books as much as possible and make them more accessible to the interested reader, leading to the creation of a massive list of variant spellings and their corrections. This was used to clean up the text, but is of course only as complete as the list itself. Because of the nature of the original transcription, some words have missing characters or places where the original language (e.g., Greek) was not transcribed. This effort does not change that. Be aware that the original transcription can also be faulty and in some cases entire sentences may be missing.
Although this is no substitute for a properly compared, proofed, and scholarly edition, I believe that the result is a document which is far more accessible, particularly for searching for terms using standard spelling. The document has been cleaned and presented in what I hope is a pleasing and useful format for the vast majority of Christian brothers and sisters who just want access to read these spiritually nourishing works.
However, a word of warning: The Puritans were a very diverse group of people and their age was characterized with godliness, but also much upheaval, disputation and strife. They disagreed on many doctrines and some of these works contain less orthodox or Scriptural views than others. The reader is strongly advised to read with discernment, particularly if it is unknown whether author is trustworthy.
This project took a huge amount of time and skill to bring to fruition. I would particularly like to thank David Jonescue for the initial list of Puritans he found on EEBO and the concept behind this project as well as the continuous, unceasing efforts toward seeing this complete. Without his labor, this would not be available. Alex Sarrouf was invaluable in providing the initial list of over 7,000 spelling variations he had identified and corrected, as well as continuing to review more than 16,000 additions to that list for any typos.
Logan West
(with David Jonescue and Alex Sarrouf)
www.puritansearch.org
THE SPEECH of the late Marquis of Argyll upon the SCAFFOLD May 27. 1661.
Being a True and Perfect COPY.
Printed at Edinburgh, and Reprinted at London, Anno Dom. MDCLXI,
THE SPEECH of the late Marquisse of ARGYLL upon the Scaffold, May 27. 1661.
Gentlemen,
MAny will expect, that I will speak of many things, and according to their several Opinions and Dispositions, so will be their expectations from me, and constructions of me, but I resolve to disappoint many, for I came not either to justify myself, but the Lord, who is holy in all his ways, and righteous in all his works, holy and blessed is his Name; neither come I to condemn others; I know many will expect that I should speak against the hardness of the Sentence pronounced against me, but I will say nothing to it, I bless the Lord, I pardon all men, as I desire to be pardoned of the Lord myself; Let the will of the Lord be done, that is all that I desire. I hope that you will have more Charity to me now, than ye would have had at another time, since I speak before the Lord, to whom I must give account shortly. I know very well that my words have had but little weight with many, and that many have mistaken my words; many have thought me a great enemy to those great works that have of late been brought to pass • But do not mistake me people, I speak it in the presence of the Lord. I entered not upon the Work of Reformation with any design of advantage for myself, or prejudice to the King, or his Government, as my Will (which was written in the year 1655▪ and then delivered to a friend in whose hands it still remains) can show. As for those Calumnies which have gone abroad of me, I bless God I know them to be no more, and as I go to make a reckoning to my God, I am free as to any of them concerning the Kings Person or Government. I was real and cordial in my desires to bring the King home, and in my endeavors for him, when he was at home, and I had no correspondence with his Adversaries Army, or any of them, the time His Majesty was in Scotland, nor had I any accession to His late Majesty's Murder, by Counsel, or Knowledge of it, or any other manner of way: This is a truth, as I shall answer to my Judge; And all the time H • s Majesty was in Scotland, I was still endeavoring his advantage, my conscience beareth me witness in it; That is for that; At this he turned about, and said, I hope Gentlemen ye will all remember this.
I confess many looks on my Condition as a suffering-Condition, but I bless the Lord that he that hath gone before me hath trod the Winepress of the Fathers wrath, by whose sufferings I hope that my sufferings shall not be eternal. I bless him that hath taken away the sting of my sufferings. I may say my Charter was sealed this day; for the Lord hath said to me, Son be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee: And so I hope my sufferings shall be easy; and ye know the Scripture saith▪ That the Captain of our Salvation was made perfect through sufferings. I shall not speak much to those things that I am condemned for, lest I seem to condemn others; it is well known it is only for Compliance, which is the Epidemical Fault of this Nation, I wish the Lord may pardon them, I say no more. There was an expression in my Submission presented to the Parliament of the Contagion of the times, which may be mis-construed, as if I had intended thereby to lay Imputation upon the work of Reformation; but I declare I intended no such thing, but it was only in relation to the Corruptions and Failings of men, occasioned by the prevalency of the usurping Power.
Now Gentlemen, I think there are three sorts of people that take up much of the world, and this Nation: There are 1. The openly profane; and truly I may say though I have been a prisoner, yet I have not had mine ears shut: I hear assuredly that swearing, drinking and whoring were never more common, and never more countenanced than now; and truly if Magistrates were here, I would say to them if they lay forth their power for the glor • fying of God by the restra • ning of this they would fare the better, if they continue in not restraining of it, they will fare the worse; I say no more, but let either people shun profanity, or Magistrates restrain it, or assuredly the wrath of God will follow on it.
2. Others, they are not openly profane, everyone will not allow that, but yet they are Gallio's in these matters, if things go well as to their private interests, they care not whether Religion, and the Chu • ch of God sink or swim: But what ever they think, God hath laid Engagements upon Scotland, we are tied by Covenant to Religion and Reformation, those that were then unborn are engaged • o it, and in our Baptism we are engaged to it; and it passes the power of any under heaven to absolve a man from the Oath of God, they deceive themselves, and it may be will deceive others that think other ways. But I would caveat this; people would be ready to take this as a kind of instigation to Rebelion, but they are very far in the wrong that think so and tha • Religion and Loyalty are not consistent; if any man separate them, Religion is not to be blamed, but they: It is the duty of every Christian to be Loyal, yet I think the order of things is to be observed as well as their na • ure; • he order of Religion as well as the nature of it, Religion must not be the Cogboat but the Ship, God must have what is his as well as Caesar what is his. And those are the best Subjects that are the best Christians. And that I am looked on as a friend to Reformation is my glory.
3. There are another sort that are truly godly, and to those I must say, what I fear, and everyone hath reason to fear (it's good to fear evil) it is true that the Lord may prevent it, but if he do not, these times are like to be very sinning times, or very suffering times; and let Christians make choice; there is a sad Dilemma in the business, sin or suffer, and truly he that will choose the better part, will choose to suffer, others that will choose to sin, shall not escape suffering, they shall suffer, but it may be not as I do here (turning him to the Maiden when he spake it) but worse, mine is but Temporal, theirs shall be Eternal, when I shall be singing, they shall be howling; bewa • e therefore of sin, what ever ye beware of, especially in such times. Yet I cannot say of my own condition, but the Lord in this providence hath minded mercy to me, even in this world▪ for if I had been more favourably dealt with, I fear I might have been overcome with temptations, as many others are, and I fear many more will be, and so should have gone out of the world, with a more polluted Conscience, than through the Mercy God now I have; and hence my Condition is such now, as when I am gone, will be seen not to have been such as many imagined. It is fit God take me away before I fall in those Tentations, that I see others are fallen into, and I fear many others will fall, I wish the Lord may prevent it. Yet blessed be his Name that I am kept both from present evils, and evils to come.
Some will expect that I will Regrate my own Condition; but truly I neither grudge nor repine, nor desire I any Revenge. And I declare I do not repent my going to London, for I had always rather have suffered anything, than lie under such Reproaches as I did. I desire not that the Lord should Judge any man, nor do I Judge any but myself; I wish that as the Lord hath pardoned me, so may he pardon them for this and other things, and that what they have done to me may never meet them in their Accompts. I have no more to say, but to beg the Lord that since I go away, he may bless them that stay behind.
His last words immediately before he laid his head upon the Block were the vindication of his Innocency from that horrid Crime of the Kings Murder in these words:
I desire you Gentlemen, and all that hear me again to take notice, and remember that now when I am entering on Eternity, and am to appear before my Judge, and as I desire salvation, and expect eternal happiness from him, I am free from any accession by knowledge, contriving, counsel, or any other way to his late Majesty's death. And I pray the Lord to preserve our present King his Majesty, and to pour his best blessings upon his Person and Government: And the Lord give him good and faithful Counselors.