An Appeal to All Rational Men Concerning His Trial, Title page – To the reader
King Charls his Caſe: OR, AN APPEAL To all Rational Men, Concerning His TRYAL AT THE High Court of Iuſtice. Being for the moſt part that which was intended to have been delivered at the Bar, if the King had Pleaded to the CHARGE, and put himſelf upon a fair TRYAL. With an additional Opinion concerning The Death of King James, The loſs of Rochel, and, The Blood of Ireland.
By JOHN COOK of Grays-Inn, Barrester.
Juſtice is an▪excellent vertue:
Reaſon is the life of the Law.
Womaniſh pity to mourn for a Tyrant,
Is a deceitful cruelty to a City.
London, Printed by Peter Cole, at the ſign of the Printing-Preſs in Cornhil, near the Royal Exchange, for Giles Calvert, at the Black Spread-Eagle at the Weſt-end of Pauls. 1649.
To the READER.
THe righteous Iudge, whoſe judgement is not onelyonly inevitable, but infallible, muſt ſhortly judge me, and all that concurred to bring the capital Delinquent to condign puniſhment; but in the interim, I deſire to be judged by all underſtanding men in the world, that ſuffer their judgements to be ſwayed by Reaſon, and not byaſſed by private Intereſt, Whether ever any man did ſo much deſerve to dye: Cain for the murther of one righteous Abel, and David for one Uriah, had been men of death, had not God pardoned them: Thoſe thirty one Kings which Joſhua hanged up, and Sauls ſeven Sons, which were2 Sam. 21. but at the worſt (as it ſeems to me) Evil Counſellors; were they not innocent, nay Saints in compariſon of this man? Thoſe that crucified Chriſt did it ignorantly, For had they known him, they had not crucified the Lord of Glory. The Saints under the ten Perſecutions ſuffered by the hands of Heathens; theIn 1571. Sicilian Veſpers, the Pariſian Maſſacre of the Proteſtants, and the Gunpowder-Plot, were acted and intended by Papiſts, out of a conceit of Merit; But for a Proteſtant Prince, ſtiled, The Defendor of the Faith, in a time of light, that had ſworn to keep the Peace, received Tribute to that end, and might have had the very hearts of the People, if they could have given him them without death (the ſtrongest Engagements;) I ſay, for ſuch a one ſo long to perſecute the faithful, deſtroy and inſlave the People by oppreſsing cruelties: And when Machiavel could not do it, to levy a War to that wicked end, which never any of his Anceſtors durſt attempt; that might at any time with a word of his mouth have ſtopt all the bleeding veins in the three Kingdoms, but would not; and for the ſatisfying of a baſe luſt, cauſed more Proteſtant blood to be ſhed then ever was spilt, either by Rome, Heathen or Antichriſtian. Bleſſed God, what ugly ſins lodge in their boſoms, that would have had this man to live! But Words are but Women, Proofs are Men; it is Reaſon that must be the Chariot to carry men to give their concurrence to this ludgement: Therefore I ſhall deliver my thoughts to the courteous Reader, as I was prepared for it, if Iſſue had been joyned in the Cauſe, but with ſome addition for illuſtration ſake, deſiring excuſe for the Preamble, becauſe there is ſome repetition in matter.