Relation of the Prosecution of Nathaniel Fiennes, Title page – Dedication
A True and Full RELATION OF The Proſecution, Arraignment, Tryall, and Condemnation of NATHANIEL FIENNES, late Colonel and Governor of the City and Caſtle of BRISTOLL, Before a Councell of War held at Saint Albans during Nine dayes ſpace, in December, 1643.
Touching his Cowardly and Traytorly Surrendering of this City and Caſtle, with all the Canon, Ammunition, Arms, Magazines, Priſoners and Colours therein to the Enemy, in leſſe then Three whole dayes Siege, before any Outwork taken, or the leaſt Battery or Aſſault againſt the City or Caſtle walls; To the ineffable loſſe, danger and prejudice of the whole Kingdom.
Set forth at the earneſt deſire of many perſons of Quality, to vindicate the verity of this much diſguiſed Action, Proſecution, Tryall, Sentence, and ſome ſubſequent Proceedings; together with the Honour, the Juſtice of the Councell of War, and Proſecutors Reputations, againſt all thoſe falſe Gloſſes, Calumnies, Aspertions, injuriouſly caſt upon them by Col: Fiennes, or his Partizans in ſundry printed Pamphlets, ſeconded with publike falſe Reports.
And to perpetuate a ſignall Judgement againſt Cowardize and Treachery to Poſterity, not fit to be buried in oblivion; For the benefit of the preſent and future Ages.
By WILLIAM PRYNNE and CLEMENT WALKER, Eſqs;
PROV. 18. 13, 14.
He that anſwereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and ſhame unto him. He that is first in his own cauſe, ſeemeth just, but his neighbour cometh and ſearcheth him.
London, Printed for Michael Sparks ſenior, at the ſigne of the Blew Bible in Green-arbour. 1644.
To the Right Honorable, John Lord Roberts, Baron of Truro, Preſident; Francis Lord Willoughby of Parham, Sir William Balfore, and Sir Philip Stapleton, Knights; Colonell Sheffield, Col. Martin, Col. Ayſcough, Col. Coningham, Col. Thompſon, Col. Hoburn, Col. Carlton, and Mr. Engliſh Adjutant Generall: Colleagues and Judges in the late Councell of War at St. Albans, at the Tryall and Condemnation of Col. Nath. Fiennes.
Right Honorable, Right Worſhipfull, and Worſhipfull:
WE here humbly preſent you with a True, though late Relation, and Vindication of your impartiall Juſtice, in the Tryall of Nathaniel Fiennes, the Unfortunate Governour of Briſtoll, which hath been over-long traduced, miſreported, by the licentious Pens, the ſlanderous Tongues of him and his, which will not yet learn ſilence.
It was his own vainglorious humour that firſt inevitably engaged us, by publike Proclamations to be his Proſecutors, and now inforceth us to become the Regiſters of his deſerved Doom. Had his Tongue or quill been diſcreetly ſilent, and not miſreported his ignoble ſurrender of Briſtoll to the world, the memoriall of it had been dead ere this, at leaſt our Lips, our Pens would have continued mute. And had he not returned to his former folly, in juſtifying himſelf again in Print, after your Honorable juſt ſentence denounced againſt him (to the inſufferable derogation of your moſt upright Juſtice) this Hiſtory of his Tryall and Condemnation, (truly collected out of our broken Notes and Memories, without any Sophiſtication of Additions) had never ſeen the light: But his pertinacious inſolency, firſt in appealing privately from, and ſince in Writing openly againſt the Juſtice of your ſentence, againſt the Ordinances of War themſelves, as ſummum jus, yea ſumma Injuria, in his late Check to the Checker, to palliate or extenuate his own Cowardize and Treaſon, for which he was condemned to loſe his head, hath now obliged us (in point of honour, of duty, both to your Honours, the Parliament, Kingdom, Juſtice, and our ſelves) to publiſh the reall verity of all the proceedings in this publike caſe, under your Noble Patronage: to whom as we both reſorted for Juſtice in the Tryall of the Cauſe; ſo we now appeal for the Truth of the enſuing Debates, Relation, Teſtimonies, as to the moſt equall Judges, who tooke Notes of all the Paſſages, Arguments, Depoſitions on either ſide, the true publication whereof will ſcatter all the miſts of Prejudices, Miſtakes, Miſreports, wherewith they have been hitherto clouded.
Our deſire is, that your eminent Juſtice may ſhine as bright in this Relation of it, throughout the Realm, as it did in the Councell-Chamber at Saint Albans, in the pronounced Sentence: from whence the deſperate Malefactor (who hath loſt his braine, or modeſty at leaſt in ſtead of his head) I know not by what prodigious Chymiſtry endeavours to (*) abſtract Arguments of his Innocencie,In his Check to the Checker. Integrity Valour, againſt all ſenſe and reaſon. If he will not henceforth learn better manners, and ſubmit himſelf to your publike Juſtice, with humble acknowledgement, and Recantation of his former Calumnies, we preſume you will be ſo ſenſible of your wounded Honors and Integrities, as to make this ſtout affronter of Juſtice, and Cowardly Oppoſer of the common Enemy, a Preſident to poſterity in point of exemplary Execution, as well as of bare Conviction; ſince others of better extraction and deſert then he,See here p. 118 (as Van * Hemert, with two of his Captains by name) have loſt their heads, for ſurrendring places of leſſe conſequence and ſtrength then Briſtoll, after a longer, ſharper ſiege by far then it ſuſtained.
Thus ſubmitting both our Canſe and this unpoliſhed Relation to your Honorable, impartiall Cenſures, We humbly reſt
Your Honors, VVorſhips, and the Republikes Devoted Servants, W: Prynne. Clement Walker.