THE REBELLS VVarning-Piece:
1. I Confesse and acknowledge to all the World, that I have these six yeares to the terror of my Conscience, sided with a desperate, wicked, ungodly, and Schismaticall Faction of men, in this present Parliament, walking in the Name of Independents; who have led mee blind-fold to this Destruction; first by making me guilty of laying violent hands upon the sacred Person of my KING.
2. To usurpe the Power and formallity of lawfull Justice.
3. Against the Lawes of God and Man, to depose him, and imbrew my impious hands in his Royall Blood.
4. Against my severall Oathes of Allegiance, Supremacy, League and Covenant, &c. besides the light of my owne Conscience, to make approvall of all this by signing my hand, or consenting to so high and horrid a Treason, above all that beares the name or thought of wickednes.
5. That contrary to my former Oaths, I have perfideously signed to the new Ingagement, and made approvall of a new Government without King or House of Lords, though but for suspition of some going about to change the said Government, I have been one that have sentenced others to Death.
6. I have been brought to thinke, I was so perfect, that I was above all Ordinances of God, or Lawes of Man, and might my selfe doe what I list, and not give an account for any of my actions to God or Man: and whatsoever I did or should doe (though never so wicked and desperate) was already forgiven, and so not accountable for.
7. I have beleeved that the Soule of Man is mortall, and a meere composure of the foure Elements, and at the disolution of my body, shall returne to the first Principles or Elements it was made of, viz. Fire, Aire, Water, Earth, and of no other celestiall matter whatsoever.
8. I have beleeved that it is lawfull, where mindes cannot simpathise between a Man and his Wife, to put away one Woman, and take another, without any consent of the Temporall or Spirituall Authority; which hath blown up the fire of Lust in my boyling veins, and made me commit Adultrey, and Whoredome, &c.
9. I have believed it lawfull to Equivocate, Lie, Blasphemie, &c. or to act Regicide or murder on any Person (though never so sacred) to gain [Page 4] my self superiority, and reigne over the rest; which hath caused me with ranck-mouth'd Slanders to doe my utmost to blast the Fame, and Integrity of my late King, his Queen, and their Progeny; and by Ambition, Pride and Covetousness have used all frawdulent wayes and means to enrich my self out of the ruines of the late King & his Faithful subjects.
10. I have accounted Chance or successe to be my God, and have varyed and fitted my evill Principles thereto, acknowledging no other Power, and with the same resolution armed my self to hinder all good in others, and commit any evill my self.
Thus walking in this Laborinth of sin, and crooked Meanders of wickedness my blind guides had led me into, being destitute of a right Guide, having nothing but a false light, in stead of bringing me out, to minde and bewitch me further into more imaginary mischiefs, groaping with one hand this way, and the other that way, at last I fell headlong into the deep pit of desperation, the snare of the Devil, and darkness of hell, whereupon many idle Imaginations came hourly into my head, that I could neither, eat, drinke, nor take rest; sometimes I thought a man all in black offered me a Knife, and pointing it to my Throat, which presently put me in minde, that to ease my troubled Conscience, it was my best way to out my own throat; whereupon I provided me a sharpe Knife, and assayed to doe the same about Christmass last, but was then prevented by my servant, and Mr. Peters, Dell, and others sent unto me by both the House and the Army, whose Exhortations and Prayers wrought no whit upon me, but rather drove me to greater despaire, in which I continued till the Devill presented before me (as in a glasse) all my fore-mentioned Errours that I had maintained, and the bloody crying sins I had formerly committed, and shewed me a glasse of wine, seeming to out poyson therein, and drinke it off: presently I apprehended it must be a poysoned cup, must allay that scorching fire of hell that consumed my blood-guilty conscience; I presently called up my man telling him I was trobled with a Rat that knaw'd my writings, & commanded him to buy me two penny-worths of Ratsbane; but my man (observing former distempers in me) came back without, saying the Apothecary questioned what he would doe with it; and brought up a Trap in his hand to catch the Rat, when indeed it was nothing but my own rotten, and scared Conscience tearing and devouring my more rotten soul: being out by this time; I became a little quieter, and took Physick for my body, which but prolonged the pains of my soul; sometimes I had some good motions to read, and taking up my Bible, accidentally opened it upon the fourth Chapter of the second Book of Samuel, vers. 10, [Page 5] 11, 12. which when I had read, I presently fell into my old distemper; me thought I saw Judas, Absalom and Ahitophell hanging themselves; pre—I suggested (on the Devil in me) that I could finde no rest till I did the same; methought my minde ran presently on the bed-coard, and I did thinke it a comfort, that I was so well provided; I kneeled down, but could not pray, nor had I power to think of any thing but hell and damnation, so that night I went to Bed; where I no sooner slumbred, but I saw passe by my bed the late KING attended with the Earl of Strafford, the Bishop of Canterbury, the Lord Capel, and numbers before and behind Him bearing Palms in their hands singing this Anthem; Hee that is faithfull to the end, and overcommeth, shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my Son; but the fearfull, the unbeleeving the abominable, the Murderers, Whoremongers, Sorcerers, Idolaters, and all Lyars shall have their parts in the Lake which burneth which burneth with Brimstone and fire. I awaking in a great passion flung my self toward the wall, my arm hanging down between the wall and the bed, and pulling up my hand, brought a piece of the Bed-cord up in my hand which hanged by, which I cut off with my knife and laid by me, and rise up and betook my self to write these few Items, which I leave as a Legacy to those to whom it doth belong.
Woe unto you O bloody Cities of London and Westminster, for your Pride hath ruined the King, his children, and the whole Country round about you; Vengeance is now reigning down upon you, because of your sin, you have been both Mothers and Nurses of Rebellion, Cities of Murderers, robbers and Spoilers; therefore because you do spoil, you must be spoiled, and that suddenly, even in lesse then two full yeeres.
VVoe unto thee thou black Perjured Parliament, for you have taken upon you the Office of the Almighty, judged, condemned, and Martyred your rightfull King over whom you had not the least Power to wrong one hair of that Head you presumed to separate from the body of Gods Anointed, in which accursed blow, you smote off your selves from the Protection of the Almighty, denyed your faith, and are no more Christians but Infidells, more blood guilty then Cain or Iudas fearfull and terrible, shall be your ends before three times three Moons shall go their circuits, you shall be many of you with me, if not by the same manner of death, by a worse.
VVoe unto you Apostatizing and backsliding Army, for you have made many widows and Fatherlesse you and your Armies shall rott away like dung, you shall be a stinke in the nostrills of all People to the worlds end.
VVoe unto thee Fairfax, Cromwell, Bradshaw, &c. ye spared not the Lords Anointed, neither shall you be spared. Thus Lucifer fell; so must you all, and sinke to hell.
[Page 6]THe writing of this took him up neer till dinner-time, about which time his Land-lord came to him, and asked him, if he pleased to come down to dinner; He answered, he was drawing up some Instructions for the Counsell of State, which he must finish by two a clock, yet to cover his desperate intention, bid him preserve him some meat, and sent down Ten shilings to the servants of the house to buy Powder to make fire-works to solemnize the day, which was received thankfully by them, and St. Regicides Holy-day made by master and servants, who all went abroad to spend the Burgesse of Yorks money, which administred him the better opportunity to hang himself, which before they came in again, (by the help of the Devil) he had effected with a Bed-coard; A fearfull Example to all desperate Regicides.
Behold! Here is a Warning-Piece for all Rebells, if their Pride will give them leave to ponder the end of this desperate wretch; This foregoing Paper came to my hands by his Servant, which I seriously perusing, thought it worthy the revealing in print; to dehort others from the like, yet finding great difficulty in the Presse (which is ty'd up from delivering Truths in this nature) I at last prevailed with the Printer, (notwithstanding any Act to the contrary,) to Print and publish the same, in which I have not added nor deminished a word; only adding to his own last and seasonable Advice, this Epitaph following.