CHARLES II. 39 £

The clamor and outrage of the populace ,during the trial, were extreme: Great abilitiesand eloquence were displayed by the managers,Sir William Jones, Sir Francis Wilmington, andserjeant Maynard: Yet did the prisoner, underall these disadvantages , make a better defencethan was expected, either by his friends or hisenemies; The unequal contest, in which he wasengaged, was a plentiful source of compassion toevery mind, seasoned with humanity. He repre-sented , that, during a course of forty years ,from the very commencement of the civil wars ,he had, through many dangers, difficulties andlosses , still maintained his loyalty : And was itcredible, that now, in his old age, easy in hiscircumstances, but dispirited by infirmities, hewould belie the whole course os his life, andengage against his royal master, from whom hehad ever received kind treatment, in the mostdesperate and most bloody of all conspiracies ?He remarked the infamy of the witnesses; thecontradictions and absurdities of their testimony;the extreme indigence in which they had lived ,though engaged, as they pretended, in a con-spiracy with kings, princes, and nobles; thecredit and opulence to which they were at pre-sent raised. With a simplicity and tendernessmore persuasive than the greatest oratory, hestill made protestations of his innocence, andcould not forbear, every moment, expressingthe most lively surprise and indignation at theaudacious impudence of the fitnesses.

C c 4

CHAPI. XVIII.1680.