Former Ages Never Heard of, Floating text 8
The Charge of the Commons of England, against Charls Stuart King of England.
THat the said Charls Stuart being admitted King of England, and therein trusted with a limited power, to Govern by and according to the Lawes of the Land, and not otherwise; and by his truth, Oath, and Office, being obliged to use the power committed to him, for the good and benefit of the people, and for the preservation of their Rights and Liberties, yet neverthelesse out of a wicked design to erect and uphold in himselfe an unlimited and tyrannicall power, to rule according to his will, and to overthrow the Rights and Liberties of the people; yea, to take away and make void the foundations thereof, and of all redresse and remedy of mis government, wch by the fundamentall Constitutions of this Kingdome, were reserved on the peoples behalfe, in the right and power of frequent and successive Parl. or Nationall meetings in Councels; He, the said Charls Stuart, for the accomplishment of such his designs, and for the protecting of himselfe and his adherents, in his and their wicked practices to the same ends, hath trayterously and maliciously levyed War against the present Parl. and the people therein represented. Particularly, upon or about the 30 of June, in the year 1642. at Beverley in the County of Yorke, and about the 30 of July in the yeer aforesaid, in the County of the City of York; and upon the 22 of August, at Nottingham, where he set up his Standard of War; and also about the 23 of October, in the same year at Edge-hill, and Keintonfield, in the County of Warwick; and neer the 30 of Nov. in the same yeer, at Brainford in the County of Middlesex; and neer the 30 of Aug. 1643 at Cavesham Bridge neer Redding, in the County of Berks; and neer the 30 of Octob. in the same yeer, neer the City of Gloucester; and about the 30 of Nov. the same yeer, at Newbury in the County of Ber. and about July 31. 1644. at Cropredy Bridge in the County of Oxen. and Sept. 30. the same yeer, at Bodmin, and other places in the County of Cornwall; and Nov. 30. the same yeer, at Newbery; and about June 8. 1645. at Leicester; and the 14. at Naseby field. At which severall times and places, or most of them, and at many other places in this land, at severall other times within the years afore-mentioned. And in the year 1646. he the said Charls Stuart hath caused and procured many thousands of the free people of the Nation to be slain, and by diversions, parties, and insurrections within this land, by invasions from forreign parts, endeavoured and procured by him, and by many other evill wayes and means, he the said Charls Stuart hath not only maintained and carried on the said War, both by Land and Sea, during the yeers before mentioned, but also hath renewed, or caused to be renewed the said War against the Parl. and good people of this Nation, in this present yeer, 1648. in the Counties of Kent, Essex, Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex, and many other Counties and places in England and Wales, and also by Sea; and particularly, he the said Charls Stuart hath for that purpose given Commission to his Son the Prince, and others, whereby, besides multitudes of other persons, many such as were by the Parl. intrusted and imployed for the Nation, being by him or his Agents corrupted to the betraying of their trust, and revolting from the Parl. have had entertainment and Commission for the continuing and renewing of War and Hostility against the said Parl. and people as aforesaid. By which cruell and unnaturall Wars by him the said Charls Stuart, continued and renewed as aforesaid, much innocent blood of the free people of this Nation, hath been spilt, many Families have been undone, the publick Treasury wasted and exhausted, Trade obstructed and miserably decayed, vast expence and damage to the Nation incurred, and many parts of the Land spoiled, some of them even to desolation.
And for farther prosecution of his said evill Designes, he, the said Charls Stuart doth still continue his Commission to the said Prince, and other Rebels and Revolters, both English and Forreigners, and to the Earl of Ormond, and to the Irish Rebels and Revolters associated with him, from whom further invasions are threatned, upon the procurement, and on the behalfe of the said Charls Stuart.
All which wicked Designs, Wars, and evill practices of him the said Charls Stuart, have been and are carried on, for the advancing and upholding of the personall interest of will and power, and pretended prerogative to himselfe and his Family, against the publick interest, common right, liberty, justice, and peace of the people of this Nation, by and for whom he was entrusted as aforesaid.
By all which it appeareth that he the said Charls Stuart, hath been and is the Occasioner, Author, and Contriver of the said unnaturall, cruell, and bloody wars, and therein guilty of all the Treasons, Murthers, Rapines, Burnings, Desolations, Damage, and mischiefe to this Nation, acted or committed in the said Wars, or occasioned thereby.
And the said John Cooke, by Protestation (save on the behalf of the people of England, the liberty of exhibiting at any time hereafter, any other Charge against the said Charls Stuart, and also of replying to the answers which the said Charls Stuart shall make to the premisses, or any Charge that shall be so exhibited) doth, for the said Treasons and Crimes on the behalfe of the said people of Engl: impeach the said Charls Stuart, as a Tyrant, Traytor, Murtherer, and a publick and implacable enemy to the Common-wealth of England, and pray, That the said Charls Stuart King of England, may be put to answer all and every the premisses, that such Proceedings, Examinations, Tryals, Sentence, and Judgement, may be thereupon had, as shall be agreeable to Justice.