RIght honourable, and the rest, you are now come to convey me to my death: I am willing to die, which is a thing no more than all our Predeces­sours have done, and a debt that our Posteritie must in their due time discharge, which since it can be no way avoyded, it ought the lesse to be feared; for that which is common to all, ought not to be intollerable to any: It is the law of nature, the tribute of the flesh, a remedy from all worldly cares and troubles; and to the truly peni­tent, a perfect path to blessednesse: And there is but one death, though severall wayes unto it: Mine is not naturall, but enforced by the Law & Justice: It hath been said that the Lawes vex only the meaner sort of people, but the mighty are able to withstand them: It is not so with me, for to the Law I submit my selfe, and confesse that I receive nothing but Justice: For he that politikly intendeth good to a Com­mon-wealth, may be called a just man, but he that practiseth either for his owne profit, or any other sinister ends, may bee well tearmed a Delinquent person; Neither is delay in punishment any priviledge for pardon. And moreover, I ingenuously confesse with Cicero, that the death of the bad, is the safety of the good that be alive.

Let no man trust either in the favour of his Prince, the friendship and consanguinity of his Peeres, much lesse in his [Page 4] owne wisedome & knowledge, of which I ingenuously con­fesse I have been too confident. Kings, as they are men before God, so they are gods before men, and I may say with a great man once in this Kingdome, had I strived to obey my God as faithfully, as I sought to honour my King diligently, I had stood, and not fallen. Most happie and fortunate is that Prince, who is as much for his justice feared, as for his goodnesse belo­ved: For the greater that Princes are in power above other, the more they ought in vertue to excell other; and such is the Royall Soveraigne whom I late served.

For my Peeres, the correspondence that I had with them during my prosperitie, was to me verie delightfull and plea­sing, and here they have commiserated my ruine, I have plen­tifully found, who (for the most generous of them) I may boldly say, though they have detested the fact, yet they have pitied the person delinquent; The first in their loyalty, the last in their charity: Ingenuously confessing, that never any subject, or Peere of my ranke had ever that helpe of Coun­sell, that benefit of time, or a more free and legall tryall than I have had: In the like whereof, none of my predeces­sours hath had so much favour from his Prince, so much suf­ferance from the people; in which I comprehend the under­standing Commons, not the many headed monster, Multi­tude; But I have offended▪ am sentenced, & must now suffer.

And for my too much confidence in my supposed wise­dome and knowledge, therein have beene the most deceived: For hee is wise to himselfe that knowes by others faults to correct his own offences: To be truely wise is to be Secreta­ries to ourselves, For it is meere folly to reveale our inti­mate thoughts to strangers: Wisedome is the most precious Gem with which the mind can be adorned, and learning the most famous thing for which a man ought to bee esteemed, and true wisedome teacheth us to doe well, as to speake [Page 5] well: In the first I have failed, for the wisedome of man is foolish­nesse with God.

For knowledge, it is a thing indifferent both to good and evil, but the best knowledge is for a man, to know himselfe; hee that doth so, shall esteeme of himselfe but little, for hee considereth from whence he came, and whereto he must go, he regardeth not the vaine pleasures of this life, hee exalteth God, and strives to live in his fear; But he that knoweth not himselfe, is wilfull in his owne wayes, unprofitable in his life, infortunate in his death, and so am I. But the reason why I sought to attaine unto it, was this: I have read that he that knoweth not that which hee ought to know, is a bruit beast amongst men: Hee that knoweth more than he ought to know, is a man amongst beasts: But he that knoweth all that may be known, is a God amongst men. To this I much aspired, in this I much failed; Vanitie of vanities, all is but vanitie.

I have heard the people clamour and cry out, saying, That through my occasion the times are bad, I wish that when I am dead they may prove better: Most true it is, that there is at this time a great storme impending (God in his mercie avert it.) And since it is my particular lot, like Ionah, to be cast into the sea, I shall thinke my life well spent, to appease Gods wrath, and satisfie the peoples malice.

O what is eloquence more than aire? fashioned with an articulate and distinct sound, when it is a speciall vertue to speake little and well, and silence is oft the best oratorie; For fooles in their dumbnesse may bee accounted wise: It hath power to make a good matter seeme bad, and a bad cause ap­peare good: But mine was to mee unprofitable, and like the Cypresse trees, which are great and tall, but altogether without fruit.

What is honour? but the first step to disquietnesse, and [Page 6] power is still waited on by envie, neither hath it any privi­ledge against in famie. It is held to be the chiefe part of ho­nour, for a man to joyne to his office and calling, curtisie, and affabilitie, commiseration, and pitie: For thereby he draweth to him with a kind of compulsion, the hearts of the multi­tude. But that was the least part of my studie, which now makes mee call to minde, that the greater the persons are in authority, the sooner they are catcht in any delinquencie, and the smallest crimes are thought to be capitall, the smal­lest spot seemes great in the finest linnen, and the least flaw is soonest found in the richest Diamond. But high and noble spirits finding themselves wounded, grieve not so much at their owne paine and perplexitie, as at the derision and scofs of their enemy: But for mine own part, though I might have manie in my life, I hope to finde none in my death.

Amongst other things which pollute and contaminate the mindes of great spirits, there is none more hainous than am­bition, which is seldome unaccompanied with Avarice: Such, to possesse their ends, care not to violate the Lawes of Religion, and Reason, and to breake the bonds of Mode­stie and equitie, with the nearest tyes of Consanguinitie, and Amitie; Of which as I have beene guiltie, so I crave at Gods hands forgivenesse. It is a maxime in Philosophy, that am­bitious men can never bee good Counsellours to Princes; The desire of having more is common to great Lords, and a desire of Rule, a great cause of their ruine.

My Lords, I am now the hopelesse President, may I bee to you all an happy example: For ambition devoureth gold, and drinketh bloud, and climbeth so high by other mens heads, that at the length in the fall, it breaketh its owne neck: therefore it is better to live in humble content, than in high care and trouble: For more precious is want with honestie, than wealth with infamy: For what are wee but meere va­pours, [Page 7] which in a serene element ascend high, and upon an instant, like smoak, vanish into nothing: Or like ships with­out Pilots, tost up & down upon the seas by contrary winds, and tempests. But the good husbandman thinkes better of those eares of corne, which bow downe, and grow crooked, than those which are streight and upright, because he is assu­red to finde more store of grain in the one, than in the other. This all men know, yet of this, how few make use: The de­fect whereof must bee now my paine: May my suffering prove to others profit.

For what hath now the favour of my Prince, the familia­ritie with my Peeres, the volubility of a tongue, the strength of my memorie, my learning, or knowledge, my honours, or offices, my power, or potencie, my riches, and treasure, (all these the especiall gifts, both of Nature, and Fortune) what have all these profited mee? Blessings I acknowledge, though by God bestowed upon man; yet not all of them to­gether upon many: Yet by the divine providence, the most of them met in me: Of which had I made happie use, I might still have flourisht, who now am forc'd immaturely to fall.

I now could wish, (but that utinam is too late) that God with his outward goodnesse towards me, had so com­mixed his inward grace, that I had chused the medium path, neither inclining to the right hand, nor deviating to the left; but like Icarus with my waxen wings, fearing by too low a flight to moysten them with the waves: I soared too high, and too neare the Sun, by which they being melted; I ay­ming at the highest, am precipitated to the lowest: and am made a wretched prey to the waters: But I who before built my house upon the sand, have now setled my hopes upon the Rocke my Saviour: By whose only merites my sole trust is, that whatsoever becomes of my bodie, yet in this bo­some my soule may bee Sanctuaried.

Nimrod would have built a Tower to reach up to heaven, and cal'd it Babel; but God turned it to the confusion of Lan­guages, and dissipation of the people, Pharaoh kept the chil­dren of Israel in bondage, and after having fred them, in his great pride would have made them his prey; but God gave them a drie and miraculous passage, and Pharaoh and his hoast a watrie Sepulcher. Belshazzer feasted his Princes and Prostitutes, who drunke healths in the vessels taken from the Temple, but the hand of God writ upon the wall, Mene, Te­kel, Phoras, and that night before morning was both his King­dome and life taken from him: Thus God lets men goe on a great while in their owne devices, but in the end it proved their own ruine & destruction, never suffering them to effect their desired purposes: therefore let none presume upon his power, glory in his greatnesse, or be too confident in his riches: These things, were written for our Instruction, of which the living may make use, the dying cannot; but wit and unfruitfull wisedome are the next nieghbours to folly.

There can bee no greater vanitie in the world, than to esteeme the world, which regardeth no man; and to make slight account of God who greatly respecteth all men; and there can be no greater folly in man, than by much travell to increase his goods, and pamper his body, and in the Interim with vaine delights and pleasures, to lose his soul, It is a great folly in any man to attempt a bad beginning, in hope of a good ending; and to make that proper to one, which was before common to all, is meere indiscretion, and the begin­ning of discord, which I positively wish may end in this my punishment.

O how small a proportion of earth will containe my bo­dy, when my high minde could not bee confined within the spacious compasse of two Kingdomes? But my houre draweth on, and I conclude with the Psalmist, not aiming at [Page 9] any one man in particular, but speaking for all in generall: How long will you Iudges be corrupted? how long will ye cease to give true Iudgement? &c, Blessed is the man that doeth not walk in the Councell of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornefull, therefore they shall not stand in the Iudgement, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous, &c.

About the houre of 12. a Clocke the aforesaid Lord of Strafford was conveyed to the Scaffold on Towre-Hill, where was a court of Guard made by the severall Compani­es of Souldiers of the City of London, and the Hamlets of the Tower on each side as he passed to the Scaffold: before mar­ched the Marshals men to make way, then the Sheriffes of Londons Officers with their Halberds; after them the Kings Guard, or warders of the Tower: Next came one of his Gentlemen, bare headed, in mourning habit, the Lord Straf­ford following him clad in black cloath, with divers others, in the same habit, which were his attendance, then the Lord, Bishop of Armach, and other good Divines; with the She­riffes of London, and divers honourable personages.

When hee came to the Scaffold, he there shewed himselfe on each side in full view to all people and made this short speech, with as much alacrity of Spirit, as a mortall man could expresse, viz.

Then turning himselfe about, he saluted all the Noblemen, and tooke a solemne leave of all considerable persons on the Scaffold giving them his hand.

And after that, he said, Gentlemen, I would say my pray­ers, and I entreat you all to pray with me, and for me; then his Chaplaine laid the booke of Common prayer upon the chaire before him as hee kneeled down, on which he prayed almost a quarter of an houre, then he prayed as long or long­er without a booke, and ended with the Lords prayer; then standing up hee spies his brother Sir George Wentworth, and [Page 10] calls him to him, and saith, brother we must part, remember me to my sister, and to my wife, and carry my blessing to my eldest Son, and charge him from mee, that he fear God and continue an obedient Sonne of the Church of England, and that he should approve himselfe a faithfull subject to the King, and tell him that he should not have any private grudge or revenge towards any concerning me, and bid him beware that he meddle not with Church livings, for that will prove a moath and canker to him in his estate, and wish him to con­tent himselfe to be a servant to his Countrey, as a Justice of peace in his County, and not aiming at higher preferments; carry my blessing to my daughters, Anne and Arrabella, charge them to fear and serve God, and he will blesse them, not forgetting my little Infant that yet knowes neither good nor evill, and cannot speak for it selfe, God speak for it, and blesse it; then said hee, now I have nigh done, one stroke will make my wife husbandlesse, my deare children fatherlesse, and my poore servants masterlesse, and seperat me from my deare brother and all my friends, but let God be to you and them, all in all.

After that, going to take off his dublet, and to make him­selfe readie, he said I thank God I am no more afraid of death, nor daunted with any discouragements rising from any fears, but do as chearfully put off my dublet at this time, as ever I did when I went to bed. Then he put off his dublet, and wound up his haire with his hands, and put on a white Cap.

Then he called, Where is the man that should do this last office? (meaning the Executioner) call him to me. When he came and askt him forgivenesse, hee told him hee forgave him and all the world. Then kneeling down by the block, he went to prayer againe himself, the Bishop of Armach knee­ling on the one side, and the Minister on the other; to the which Minister, after prayer, he turned himselfe, and spoke [Page 11] some few words softly, having his hands lifted up: this Mi­nister closed his hands with his; then bowing himselfe to the earth, to lay his head on the block, he told the Executioner, that hee would first lay down his head to try the fitnesse of the block, and take it up againe before he would lay it down for good and all, and so he did: and before hee laid it downe againe, he told the Executioner that he would give him war­ning when to strike, by stretching forth his hands; and then laid down his neck on the block, stretching out his hands the Executioner struck off his head at one blow, then he tooke the head in his hand and shewed it unto all the people, and said, God save the King.