Dr. Hollingworth's defence of K. Charles the First's holy and divine book, called Eikon basilikē against the rude and undutiful assaults of the late Dr. Walker of Essex proving by living and unquestionable evidences, the aforesaid book to be that royal martyr's, and not Dr. Gauden's.

King CHARLES the Firſt's ἘΙΚΩΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΗ: OR, THE Portraiture of his Sacred Majeſty in his Solitude and Sufferings, VINDICATED.

THERE is a Book lately publiſh'd, that hath made a great noiſe in the City and Country, and hath occaſion'd a great many falſe and ſpiteful Reflections upon my ſelf, which, I muſt tell the World, I am ſo far from being really burthen'd with the Thoughts of, that I look upon them as the greateſt Honour done to me, and to my Memory when I am dead and gone, conſidering it is for an honeſt and ſeaſonable Zeal for the Honour and Reputation of King Charles the Firſt, whoſe Name (notwithſtanding all villanous and deſigning Reflections) will ſmell ſweet to all Ages and Generations to come. How this Book hath been bought up, and carried up and down in Triumph, all men of any Obſervation know, and all good men are grieved at it: And now the Point is gained, and that for which that Great King was ſo highly venerated, ſo deſervedly applauded, and indeed upon the ſcore of which the greateſt part of his Actions were vindicated, is now proved a Cheat, and a Forgery, and therefore he truly is guilty of what by the then Parliament was laid to his Charge, and made the reaſon of their War againſt him, and, at laſt, of the Murther of him. This is ſad News in deed, if it can be unqueſtionably made out, and thoſe many of us, that have defended the Intereſt and Innocence of this King, have great cauſe to lay our Hands upon our Breaſts, and ſay, What have we done?

But ſtay a little, bare Aſſertions and Accuſations were never yet amongſt Wiſe and Good Men admitted as ſatisfactory Proofs; and therefore this Book muſt be conſider'd, and examined, and weighed in a juſt and proper Ballance, before we down upon our Knees, and acknowledge our Faults, for defending and ſtanding up for this good and admirable Perſon.

And therefore I, ſo far as I am concerned, muſt beg Leave to tell the World what I have to ſay for my ſelf, and what I have to ſay in Bar, to the Truth and Credit of this Book, ſo much admired by a Party of men, who will cry up any thing that ſerves their Luſts againſt Monarchy and Epiſcopacy, for that is, in ſhort, the ſum total of the thing; and was there no Hopes of overturning the Government once again, and engroſſing the whole Power of the Nation into their hands, King Charles's Aſhes might lye ſtill in the Grave, without any diſturbance or moleſtation.

The Title Page of the Book is, A True Account of the Author of a Book entituled, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ; or, the Portraiture of his Sacred Majeſty, in his Solitude and Sufferings: With an Anſwer to all Objections made by Dr. Hollingworth, and others, in defence of the ſaid Book.

The Author is Dr. Walker of Eſſex, who, if God, the Avenger of the Injured and Oppreſſed, had not called him to an account, before his Book was publiſhed, I ſhould have been ſo bold as to have given, and that by undeniable Proofs, ſuch Inſtances of the man, as would have invalidated his whole Teſtimony, and made him and his Book too a Scorn to the World; but he is dead, and therefore I will, as much as I ought in this Caſe, forbear him, and let his Aſhes lye eaſier in the Grave, than he has the Aſhes of King Charles the Firſt.

The deſign of the Book is to tell the World, that that Book, that hath for 43 years together gone under the Name of King Charles, was none of his, but drawn up by Dr. Gauden.

Well, But how muſt we be ſatisfied in this? For, truly there ought to be mighty clear and home Proofs, that a Book writ in ſo lofty, noble, and ſo agreeable a Stile to all the other acknowledged Writings of this great King; a Book ſo full of Accounts of Political and State-Affairs, that no man hardly could be acquainted withal but himſelf; a Book ſo full of Divine Thoughts and Meditations, ſo ſuited to the various Conditions and Afflictions he was in, and indeed a Book, as the preſent Biſhop of Rochester ſaid in a Sermon, muſt needs be his, becauſe it was impoſſible any one ſhould write it but himſelf.

I ſay, there ought to be mighty clear Proofs ſuch a Book was none of his; Witneſſes upon Witneſſes, and thoſe very honeſt, and known upright men, who make Conſcience of the Appearance of Evil, ought to be brought into Court to make this good, to convince the World this ſo celebrated a Book was none of his. I, but here is no ſuch thing, Dr. Gauden made the Book, and told Dr. Walker ſo, and therefore 'tis true, and who ought to doubt it? And this moſt of the Diſſenters about Town ſay too. Why truly, with the Worlds good Leave, I am one that doubts it, nay, that ſcorns to believe it, and the more, becauſe Dr. Walker aſſerts it, who was he not dead (which upon this account and no other I am truly ſorry for) as I ſaid before, I would give Reaſons ſufficient to ſatisfie any man why I do not believe it upon his Authority.

Well, further Dr. Gauden ſhew'd him ſome of the Heads of Chapters, and afterwards told him, that he had made Biſhop Duppa acquainted with it, and ſent it by the Hands of my Lord Marqueſs of Hartford, to the King. This is all fine indeed, and yet, notwithſtanding both the Marqueſs and Biſhop Duppa ſurvived the Calamities of the War, and ſaw King Charles the Second's Reſtauration, and felt the good Effects of it, the one by being made Duke of Somerſet, and the other Biſhop of Wincheſter; yet poor (and yet ſo highly deſerving) Dr. Gauden was fain to ſit down contented with the ſmall Biſhoprick of Exeter, though over-and-above he had wrote againſt the very Covenant, he, as Dr. Walker ſaid, had taken, and never durſt deſire, as by the Sequel appears, either Marqueſs or the Biſhop to recommend him to the particular and great Opinion of King Charles the Second; for, the Dr. tells us, pag. 5, that Dr. Gauden did not know whether the King knew it, yea or no; nor yet did he ever (as by Dr. Walker's further Account appears) give himſelf the Pleaſure and Satisfaction, to underſtand from the Marqueſs, whether King Charles the Firſt received it, approved it, and made uſe of it in his Retirements, as he pretended to deſign it, which certainly he might have done by a word ſpeaking to the Marqueſs, after the Reſtauration, for he lived till October following.

And this to me makes it a plain Caſe, that it is all Sham, and that if Dr. Gauden had dared at that time to have told ſuch a Falſhood, he muſt have ſate down contented with his Living at Barking, without any Expectations from the Court, without either being Biſhop of Exeter, or living in hopes of the Biſhoprick of Wincheſter.

And Sir Dennis Gauden might have ſpared the Coſt and Charges of building an Houſe upon Clapham Common, for his Brother the next Biſhop of Wincheſter that was to be. A Story, all things conſidered, enough to make a very melancholy man to ſmile, but 'tis ſuch a one as Dr. Walker was accuſtomed to; That Sir Dennis Gauden ſhould lay out five or ſix thouſand pounds upon an Houſe for his Brother, when Biſhop of Wincheſter, which he was to have for writing a Book, and yet neither he nor his Brother knew, neither King Charles the Second had nay knowledge of his writing the Book at all.

So that, in ſhort, the whole thing lies within this compaſs; Dr. Gauden made the Book, and told Dr. Walker ſo. I ſay on the other ſide, if Dr. Gauden ſaid it, he did but jeſt with him, or elſe did ſomething worſe, which I will not name; for, I will prove by and by, under the hand of a more creditable man than ever Dr. Walker was, without any Diſparagement to his Memory, that Dr. Gauden had another opinion of the Author of that Book, and did ſo declare it.

Well, he ſays, he believes upon this Say-ſo of Dr. Gauden, that it was his Book, and would have others upon his bare credit believe the ſame; and there are Thouſands of Deſigning men have, upon this man's Aſſertion, greedily ſwallowed it down, though I hope either to ſhame or ſilence them before I have done: And therefore on the other hand I ſay, I have better and greater Teſtimonies to the contrary, which I now come to offer to the World, which when I have done, I will leave my ſelf in the hands of all unprejudiced, diſpaſſionate, and unintereſted men, to judge which of us, upon true Evidence and Proof, ought to be believed. And thus I begin.

I tell the World in my Poſtſcrip to the Defence of King Charles the Firſt, that being in Converſation with Sir John Brattle, a worthy perſon, and who hath long enjoy'd a conſiderable Office in the Royal Mint, and diſcourſing with him about King Charles the Firſt, and particularly of the Suſpicions of the Truth of his Book, he frankly told me, and aſſured me the Truth of this Story.

That in the year 47, the King having drawn up the moſt conſiderable part of this Book, and having writ in ſome looſe Papers, at different times, deſired Biſhop Juxon to get ſome Friend of his, whom he could commend to him as a truſty perſon, to look it over, and put it into an exact method: The Biſhop pitched upon Sir John's Father, whom he had been acquainted withal for many years, who undertaking the Task, was aſſiſted by this his Son, who declared he ſate up ſome Nights with his Father to aſſiſt him in methodizing theſe Papers, all writ with the King's own Hand.

Which Story, upon the coming out of my Book, did ſo nettle the Enemies of King Charles, that Sir John was preſently peſtered with Penny-Poſt Letters, (the uſual way of that Party, when any thing croſſes their Deſigns) and gave him ſuch a diſturbance, that preſently they raiſed a Story about Town, that Sir John had denied the thing, and conſequently I had abuſed the World with a Tale of my own inventing; upon hearing of which, I went the next morning to Sir John's Houſe, in the Tower, and not finding him at home, by good Providence, in my return, met him under Aldgate, and walking with him down towards Crouched Fryers, I told him what I had heard, and deſired to know whether he had ſaid any ſuch thing, Sir John preſently, without haeſitation, told me, that all I had printed was true, but was troubled at my printing of it, becauſe of the Trouble he had with theſe Penny-Poſt Letters, at which I was not ſo much concerned, becauſe I thought it an Honour to Sir John, to have any hand in vindicating his old Maſter, and did think the Cauſe I was engaged in would defend me from any Imputation of Undecency, in not asking his Leave to print a Story which he told without any Obligation to ſilence, and in company of another perſon, a worthy Citizen, as well as my ſelf; but to do Sir John Juſtice, I muſt acknowledge, that what he ſaid to me, as to the truth of what I writ in his Name, he hath ſaid to all my Friends ever ſince, that have had the opportunity of converſing with him, and talking about this Affair.

And now let us ſee what Dr. Walker ſays to this; why truly he does as good as tell me, that I have contradicted my ſelf, when I aſſert, the Book was delivered by the King to Biſhop Juxon, and the ſame Book ſent by the King to Mr. Simmons: He ſays, They cannot both be true; if that, not this; if this, not that; they are ſo contrary, pag. 2. Good God! how faſt will ſome men ſhut their Eyes, when ſeeing the Light would make them write and ſpeak Truth! A man of very ordinary Parts, and of an honeſt Mind, might at firſt ſight fee no manner of inconſiſtency in theſe two Stories; for, in plain terms I tell you, Biſhop Juxon received the moſt conſiderable part of the Book to methodize, by his Friend Dab, as he in familiarity called Sir John's Father in 47, and the King ſent it to Mr. Simmonds in 48, ſo that here is a full Years difference betwixt the one and the other. But poor Dr. Walker knew very well what ſort of mens Cauſe he was carrying on, and that a bare telling of them I had contradicted my ſelf, would be enough, for they preſently run away with a Scandal, though never ſo groſs and groundleſs, without any further examination. Further, he queſtions Sir John's Memory, and talks of his Youth to invalidate the Story, but that is ſo great an Affront to all the young Gentlemen and Apprentices in London, who at the age of Nineteen are ſo very much employed and truſted in their Maſters Books and Accounts, that I leave them to vindicate Sir John upon the ſcore of helping his Father in a thing of ſuch a Nature as this was, at ſuch an Age. And as for his doubting whether Biſhop Juxon ever ſaw the King, from the beginning of the War till his Murther, pray who can believe that a perſon who had been ſo obliged by his Maſter, as Biſhop Juxon was, would not take a days Journey to viſit his Royal Maſter at Hampton-Court, when the Army careſſed him at that great rate, and ſuffered acceſs to him by all forts of Perſons, even the Marqueſs of Ormond himſelf, who had ſo ſtoutly appear'd againſt them.

And this is all I have to ſay as to Sir John Brattle; and that he told me this, I will depoſe upon Oath, whenever I am lawfully recalled.

The next thing I ſhall diſcourſe upon, is the Story of Mr. Simmonds. I ſay in my Poſtſcript, That King Charles ſent his Book to Mr. Simmonds, to peruſe and correct, he having writ ſo excellent a Vindication of him, as indeed it is the beſt I ever ſaw, and which I wiſh were reprinted, and that Mr. Simmonds, upon the reading of it, ſent for Dr. Gauden, ſhewed it him, and who was ſo taken with it, that he borrowed it, tranſcribed it, and ſo returned it back to his loving Neighbour again, which Story I had from the Reverend, and my Worthy Friend, Dr. Meriton, who does not uſe to tell Stories of this high nature, without very good Grounds; but that which confirmed me in the belief of this Account, was this, namely, That Dr. Meriton dining the latter end of the laſt year with the late Lord Mayor Sir Thomas Pilkington, happened to meet with Dr. Walker, at the ſame Table, where Dr. Walker was pleaſed, with his uſual Confidence, to aſſert Dr. Gauden the Author of the King's Book, upon which Dr. Meriton turned upon him with this Story of Mr. Simmonds, communicating the whole thing to Dr. Gauden, upon which he was ſo confounded, that he had nothing to ſay for himſelf; and though if none but Dr. Meriton himſelf had declared to me the iſſue of their Debate, it would have ſatisfied me: Yet the further ſatisfaction I had from my Worthy Friend Mr. Marriot, then Chaplain to the Lord Mayor, and Miniſter of the Pariſh Church in Rood Lane, who ſtood by, and heard the whole Diſcourſe, and withal the Silence he put Dr. Walker to; which he profeſſed to my ſelf, gave me ſo full a ſatisfaction, that upon that account I ventured to give the World an account of it in Print. After this, in January laſt, a Reverend Friend Mr. Jonas Warley, Vicar of Witham in Eſſex, coming to Town, was pleaſed to let me know by a Paper of Directions, where Mrs. Simmonds, the Widow of the aforeſaid Loyal Sufferer lived, whom according to the Directions I found at the ſame place, where after telling her, that I heard ſhe was ſuch a man's Widow once, and ſhe acknowledging it, I asked her, whether ſhe knew any thing of the King's Book, and how far her Husband was concerned in it; ſhe preſently anſwer'd me, that going into her Husband's Study, ſhe ſaw upon the Table a Book in writing, which ſhe knew was not her Husband's Hand, and therefore asked him whoſe it was, which he turning her off with bidding her mind her own Buſineſs, ſhe deſiſted from any further Enquiry; after which he ſending, or elſe giving it with his own hands to Mr. Royſton to print. The ſaid Book was printed, as I ſhall ſhew by and by, and the Proofs corrected by himſelf; but the thing getting ſome Air, the Souldiers came, and ſeized upon a great part of the Impreſſion, ſo that what were left of that Impreſſion, were ſold for Twenty Shillings a piece. The King's Murther quickly after following, ſhe told me, her Husband never joyed himſelf, (thoſe were her very words) but fell ſick, and died the 29th of March following, and throughout his whole Sickneſs declared the Book was the King's Book, which upon reading, the Spirit and Temper, the Religion and Piety, the holy Courage and undaunted Zeal, the Simplicity and Sincerity of the man throughout all his Writings for King Charles, I am confident he would never have atteſted upon his Deathbed, if the Book had been compoſed by any but King Charles himſelf, and which upon the Characters I have read of the Lord Marqueſs of Hartford and Biſhop Duppa, I alſo firmly believe of them, both of them, no doubt, ſcorning to aſſiſt their Royal Maſter's Righteous Cauſe by ſuch a Cheat as a Book writ in his Name by Dr. Gauden; for true Church-of-England-men, governed by conſcientious Principles, ſcorn to carry on their Deſigns by Lyes and Forgeries, by Tricks and Devices, that are only fit to ſerve a bad and wicked Cauſe; the King himſelf was a man of too great Wiſdom and Piety, of Underſtanding and Learning, to want the help of ſuch a man as Dr. Gauden; and I dare ſay, the two aforeſaid Lords ſcorned to propoſe ſuch a thing to him; or if they had, he would with all worthy Diſdain have rejected it.

But to put this thing further out of doubt, underſtanding who compos'd and printed this Book, and they both being now alive, I went to the one, and ſent to the other; he I went to, was Mr. Thomas Milbourn Printer, juſt by Jewen-ſtreet, and enquiring of him what he knew of King Charles's Book, he told me, before a ſufficient Witneſs, That in the year 48 he was Apprentice to Mr. John Griſman, a Printer, at which time Mr. Simmonds, by Mr. Royſton, ſent the King's Book to be printed, and that his Maſter did print it; and that Mr. Simmonds alwaies had the name of ſending it to the Preſs; and that it came to them as from the King, and they underſtood it no otherways; and that they had printed ſeveral other things with C. R. to them, and that it looked to them like the ſame Hand, and the ſame ſort of Paper with others that were ſo marked, and looked upon as the King's Papers, for the King (as all Kings no doubt do) kept the Original by him, and Mr. Odert the Secretary tranſcribed them.

Which after I writ down, I read to him, and he before witneſs declared to be true; but withal, he informed me, that there was one Mr. Clifford belonging to the Church of St. Paul's, and Reader of Prayers at Serjeants-Inne in Fleetſtreet, that aſſiſted him in compoſing and correcting the aforeſaid Book, who could give me a further account of the thing; upon which the ſame day April the 28th, in the Afternoon, I ſent a Letter to Mr. Clifford, deſiring him to give me the favour of his company that Afternoon, or to come to me the day following; who ſent me an Anſwer, That his Buſineſs was ſo, that he could not come that Evening, but he would come to me the next day; which accordingly he did, and after Dinner, before Witneſſes, I writ down what he ſaid to me upon Knowledge of the King's Book, which I after read to him, and he ſet his Hand to: The words were theſe.

I James Clifford do, upon my Knowledge, declare to Dr. Hollingworth, that I was an Actuary in ſeveral things publiſhed by King Charles, particularly the Letters between him and Mr. Alexander Henderſon, who endeavoured to ſeduce the King to favour the Presbyterian Government, and that there was a man of known Fidelity, Mr. Simmonds by Name, Chaplain to the then Prince of Wales, who was employed by the King to take care of his Book, becauſe he had writ the Vindication of the King ſo well; and that the King entituled his Book The Royal Plea; but Dr. Jeremiah Taylor coming accidentally to Mr. Royſton's Shop, he having a great and aſſured Cofidence in him, ſhewed him the firſt Proof from the Preſs, which when the Dr. viewed under that Title, he told him that the Title would betray the Book; whereupon Dr. Tayler did undertake to write a Letter to his Majeſty, to let him know it would be in danger of being ſuppreſſed for the Titles ſake, there being, as he underſtood, two crafty Informers, by name Cheltenham and Jones, who would underſtand the Book by the Title, and therefore he thought 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 would be a better Title, and the leſs taken notice of by the Informers, being Greek, and withal, it agreeing with the Title of his Father's Book, called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ; upon which Letter the King immediately conſented to the alteration of the Title as Dr. Tayler propoſed. And withal, I do declare, that the King, for fear the Original ſhould miſcarry, ordered Mr. Odert, Secretary to Sir Edw. Nicholas Principal Secretary of State, to tranſcribe it, and lodged the Original in the Lord Marqueſs of Hartford's own Hands, and by the Copy of Mr. Odert's, Mr. Milbourn and my ſelf, (it being the way of Livelihood I took to, being turned out of Magdalen College in Oxford for my Loyalty) did print the ſaid Book, after the printing of which a great part was ſeized in Mr. Simmonds's Lodgings, and he, though in a Shepherd's Habit, was ſo far diſcovered, as that he was purſued into Great Carter-lane, by the Rebels, where he took Refuge, and the bloody Villains fired two Piſtols at him, which frighted him up Stairs, and out of the Garret Window he made his eſcape over the Houſes. And I do further ſay, that I never heard, nay, that I am ſure, that Dr. Gauden never was concerned in that Book, by which Mr. Milbourn and my ſelf printed it, and that we had no part of the Copy from Dr. Walker, for it was that tranſcribed by the aforeſaid Mr. Odert we printed it by.

Teſte Jac. Clifford, In the Preſence of Luke Milbourn, Clerk, and Margaret Hollingworth.

And now I think this is enough as to Mr. Simmonds; there is but one thing worthy of Remark, (for the other about Colonel Rich is trifling) and that is, That Mr. Simmonds was gone from Raine ſome years before 48, and therefore could not ſend for Dr. Gauden as a Neighbour, to communicate the King's Book to him.

This Story, though true in the main, was not ſo punctually delivered as it ought to have been, and I quickly ſaw my Error, after the Book was out, though I did not ſay that Mr. Simmonds ſent for the Dr. to Raine, the Living out of which he was ſequeſtred for his Loyalty in 43.

Now, you muſt underſtand, that Dr. Gauden was preſented to the Living of Bocking in 41, and as I am well informed, he had his firſt preſentation from the Parliament, but not looking upon it as a ſafe Hold for ſo great and reputable a Benefice, which is called a Deanery, he, by the Interceſſion of Friends, at laſt, procured a Preſentation from Archbiſhop Laud, the rightful Patron to it, then in the Tower, at which place he contracted a Friendſhip with, as well as became a Neighbour to Mr. Simmonds at Raine, which I am told is not Two Miles from Bocking, and it was in London, after he had received the King's Book, that he ſent for his former Neighbour Gauden, and communicated, and lent him for ſome days that Book: And, pray what mighty Error is there in this, for Dr. Walker to take ſuch an Advantage from? I wiſh he had committed no greater throughout his whole Book, and then I am ſure it would have not ſwelled to 37 Pages; for, if he had writ nothing but Truth, a Nut-ſhell would have held it all.

And thus much for Mr. Simmonds's Story, in which, I hope, by Living Teſtimonies, I have made good what I aſſerted, and proved Dr. Walker's Say-ſoes but meer Fictions of his own.

I, but ſtill Dr. Gauden ſaid he compoſed and framed the whole Book to ſerve the King, and that Good, that Pious man Dr. Walker does aſſert it, and his words weigh more with us, ſay the Common-wealths-men, than a Thouſand (though living) Teſtimonies to the contrary. I, but ſoft and fair Gentlemen, I ſay and will prove it by a better Evidence than Dr. Walker's can be ſuppoſed to be, that Dr. Gauden, after he was Biſhop of Exeter, did ſay the quite contrary, and did juſtifie it to be the King's Book; and that if ever he told Dr. Walker he made it, he ſpoke that which is falſe to one or the other, and therefore his Credit ought not to be rely'd on at all.

Dr. Walker hath forced me to this, or elſe Biſhop Gauden's Aſhes ſhould for me have lain peaceably and honourably in the Grave; but Dr. Gauden's Reputation is a meer Trifle when put in the Scales with the Honour of King Charles the Firſt.

Know therefore, Reader, that underſtanding the Reverend Mr. Long, Prebendary, as I take it, of Exeter, was well acquainted with Dr. Gauden, when Biſhop of Exeter, and had many free Diſcourſes and Communications with him, and ſometimes about King Charles the Firſt, and more particularly about his Book, to whom Biſhop Gauden declared, it could be the Book of none but the King himſelf; hearing of which before I ever thought of ſo bold a Man and audacious a Slanderer as the Eſſex Dr. proved afterwards by his Book to be, I made bold the 21ſt of April, the very day after the publiſhing of Walker's Book, to write to Mr. Long, deſiring him to let me know whether Dr. Gauden had ever declared and aſſerted any ſuch thing in Converſation with him? who was pleaſed to anſwer mine by the next Poſt, and to referr me to his Letters he had ſent to Dr. Good all, the Phyſician in Charterhouſe-yard, upon whom I waited, and who was pleaſed, upon my deſire, to give me out of Mr. Long's two Letters theſe two Tranſcripts.

I Had the Hap to be acquainted with Biſhop Gauden, as long as he was our Dioceſan, and I have heard him often affirm, that he was fully convine'd, that the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 was entirely that King's Work.

Exon, March 23. 1691/2 Tho. Long.

And in another Letter thus:

I Can affirm on my own Knowledge, that Biſhop Gauden did affirm it to be his full Belief, that the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 was the King's own Work.

Exon, April 15. 1692 Tho. Long.

And if the Reader of theſe two Accounts be deſirous to know who Mr. Long is, I muſt tell him, that he is an Ancient, Grave, Reverend Divine, well known for his Truth and Honeſty; one who, as he is a profeſſed Member of the Church of England, ſo he hath alwaies been true to the Doctrin and Diſcipline of it in his Preaching and Practice, and not like my Adverſary, who I know (for I was perſonally acquainted with him) was an Encourager of, and a Comrade principally with thoſe who had no kindneſs for the Church at all.

I have but one thing more which is matter of Fact to anſwer, and that is his Story about Major Huntington: He tells you how he met him at Tunbridge, upon what account he viſited him, and what paſſed betwixt the Major and himſelf, when the reſt of the Company were engaged in their Divertiſements; in which he takes great care of not being contradicted by any Stander by, for ſtill his bare Word and Credit are the only things to be relyed upon, ſo vain a thing is Man.

Well, the purport of the Diſcourſe is, That the Major denies all that was ſaid of him by Sir William Dugdale, or any others, as to the Papers relating to the King's Book. Well done Dr. Walker; if thou ever hadſt a man alone with thee, undoubtedly he was alwaies on thy ſide, and thou wert alwaies in the right, and when the man was dead, wouldſt aſſume the confidence to print it.

Now, What muſt a man ſay in this caſe? Muſt he give the famous Dr. Walker the Lye, and ſay, the Major never ſaid theſe words; and that becauſe he ſaid the contrary to others, who have atteſted it in the moſt ſolemn and ſerious manner? Truly this looks very hard upon the Memory of ſuch a man, ſay the Common-wealths-men, as Dr. Walker.

Well, but by the good Leave of all Dr. Walker's Believers and Admirers, I will here, in the Fear and Preſence of God, tell this Story:

That the laſt year, when Dr. Walker, by living in London at Alderman bury, had been by his vain and raſh, his falſe and undutiful Talking, an occaſion of the Clergy-mens and others Defence of the King's Book, amongſt other Confirmations of the Truth of the Book, this Story was told me by a certain Nonconformiſt Miniſter, to wit, what Major Huntington told him with his own Mouth, that he procured ſome Papers that made up part of his Royal Book afterwards, from the Hands of my Lord Fairfax the Parliaments General, which were taken after Nazeby Fight, and kept by my Lord Fairfax himſelf; and that afterwards he the ſaid Major Huntington preſented them to the King with his own Hand. This Story I remember as well as any thing I ſaw done or heard ſpoken all the laſt year: I ſpare the man's Name for particular Reaſons; but if ever I be called by Authority to name him, I will do it, and depoſe the Truth of his ſaying ſo, upon my Oath.

I have now, and I hope to all good mens ſatisfaction, made out Matter of Fact againſt Dr. Walker's Aſſertions, and doubt not but from henceforth, if the Party, that have taken occaſion to triumph over the Duſt of King Charles the Firſt, from this vain, ſhuffling, proud, and inconſiſtent Book of Dr. Walker's, will not believe what I have ſaid yet, that they will have either the Modeſty, the Prudence, or Heneſty not to rail at and revile him, who was one of the beſt, wiſeſt, and moſt pious Princes that over ſate upon a Throne, and conſequently leaſt deſerved the hard Fate that he met withal from Sons of Belial.

I have but two things more to add, and then I have done.

I am very well aſſured, and that from a very good Hand, that Dr. Dillingham many years Fellow and Maſter of Emanuel-College in Cambridge, did wait upon the King after he was ſeized by the Army in 47, and when the King was walking in the Garden, had by a ſpecial Favour from thoſe about the King, admittance into his Bed-Chamber, where he ſaw and read under the King's own Hand, freſh writ, a whole Chapter of the King's Book; which is a great Teſtimony, conſidering the Truth and Piety of Dr. Dillingham, throughout his whole Life, who never was a vainglorious man, hunting after Popularity. And further, I have a Commiſſion from the preſent Biſhop of Glouceſter, Dr. Fowler, to preſent the World with this Narrative, from an Original drawn up and atteſted by himſelf, which has a great deal of weight in it, conſidering the former Teſtimonies.

About Twenty eight Years ſince, I received the following Account from Mrs. Keighly of Albro-Hatch in Barking Pariſh in Eſſex, viz.

THAT ſhe had a Servant, who went from her into the Parliament Army, and was made a Captain, who giving her a Viſit, ſome time before the Murther of the King, told her, that he laid down his Commiſſion; and ſhe demanding the Reaſon why, he replied, That his Conſcience would no longer permit him to keep it. She again asking him what it was that had diſſatisfied him, he replied, That whereas he had been made to believe that the King was a very bad man, he was now abundantly aſſured, that he is an excellent good man. She enquiring what induced him to judge ſo well of the King, he told her, That he was appointed to ſtand every Morning at His Majeſty's Bed-chamber Door, when he was a Priſoner in the Iſle of Wight, and obſerving for ſeveral days after he was ſet at his Poſt, that the King went into his Cloſet quickly after he was dreſſed, and there ſtaid a conſiderable time, and then went down into the Garden, and walk'd there a pretty while, and perceiving that he ſtill left the Key in his Cloſet Door, he adventured to go in, and found that he had been penning moſt devout and pious Meditations and Prayers, which he fell to reading, and read on till he ſaw the King return into the Walk that leads towards his Chamber, (for the Cloſet Window looked into the Garden.) And thus he the ſaid Captain did for ſeveral Mornings after, and read from time to time the King's Mornings Work, till he came to a Reſolution, no longer to be ſuch a Prince's Jaylor. Mrs. Keighly farther told me, that he gave ſuch an account of theſe Meditations and Prayers, that ſhe was confident they were printed in 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , after ſhe came to read that Book. This Mrs. Keighly was a very religious and pious Gentlewoman, and as diſcreet and prudent.

This I atteſt, Edward Fowler, D. D. June 15. 1691.

And now I leave the whole thing in the Unprejudiced Reader's Hands, to judge betwixt me and the late Dr. Walker; and if ſome men will be ſtill incredulous, I here offer my ſelf to ſtand to the Verdict of Twelve Neighbour-Miniſters, of Dr. Walker in Eſſex, and will give up the Cauſe if they bring me in guilty; and I am ſure it is a Corner of the Kingdom, wherein live as learned and vertuous Clergymen as any are in ſuch a ſpot of Ground in the Kingdom.