The History of England from the Accession of James II (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Chap, have been surprised by the fairness and gentleness with XVIt' which they were treated. " I would not mislead the 1691. jury, I'll assure you," said Holt to Preston, "nor do Your Lordship any manner of injury in the world." " No, my Lord;" said Preston; " I see it well enough that Your Lordship would not." " Whatever my fate may be," said Ashton, " I cannot but own that I have had a fair trial for my life." The culprits gained nothing by the moderation of the Solicitor General or by the impartiality of the Court: for the evidence was irresistible. The meaning of the papers seized by Billop was so plain that the dullest juryman could not misunderstand it Of those papers part was fully proved to be in Preston's handwriting. Part was in Ashton's handwriting: but this the counsel for the prosecution had not the means of proving. They therefore rested the case against Ashton on the indisputable facts that the treasonable packet had been found in his bosom, and that he had used language which was quite unintelligible except on the supposition that he had a guilty knowledge of the contents. Both Preston and Ashton were convicted and sen- Execution enced to death. Ashton was speedily executed. He of Ashton. might have saved his life by making disclosures. But though he declared that, if he were spared, he would always be a faithful subject of Their Majesties, he wa8 fully resolved not to give up the names of his accomplices. In this resolution he was encouraged by the nonjuring divines who attended him in his cell. It was probably by their influence that he was induced to deliver to the Sheriifs on the scaffold a declaration which he had transcribed and signed, but had not, it is to be hoped, composed or attentively considered. In this paper he was made to ...