ued forth,
and what was done was done by their power; and whereas it hath
been said we did assume and usurp an authority, I say this was
done rather in the fear of the Lord.

COURT--Away with him. Know where you are, Sir; you are in the
assembly of Christians; will you make God the author of your
treasons and murders? Take heed where you are. Christians must
not hear this. We will allow you to say for your own defence
what you can; and we have with a great deal of patience suffered
you to sally out, wherein you have not gone about so much for
extenuation of your crimes, as to justify them, to fall upon
others, and to blaspheme God, and commit a new Treason: For your
having of counsel, this is the reason for allowing of counsel:
When a man would plead any thing, because he would plead it in
formality, counsel is allowed. But you must first say in what
the matter shall be, and then you shall have the Court's answer.

LORD FINCH--Though my lords here have been pleased to give you a
great latitute, this must not be suffered, that you should run
into these damnable excursions, to make God the author of this
damnable Treason committed.

_Harrison_ repeats his two points; that what was done was done by a
'Parliament of England, by the Commons of England assembled in
Parliament'; and was therefore not to be questioned by the present
Court; and that what any did in obedience to a power which they could
not disobey, they ought not to be punished for. Upon these two points he
asked to be allowed the assistance of counsel. To this the Lord
Chief-Baron replies that the body Harrison refers to was not a
Parliament, that Harrison had made himself 'a solicitor in the
business,' when he said, 'Come let us blacken him as much as we can';
and that 'neither both Houses of Parliament, if they had been there, not
any single person, community, not the people collectively, or
representatively, had any colour to have any coercive power over their
King.' Annesley--who had, as he says, been one of the 'corrupt
majority,' put out of the house at the time of Pride's Purge--and Hollis
repeat the same thing. An argument then ensues between Harrison and the
other members of the Court on the authority of Parliaments generally; at
last--

HARRISON--I would not willingly speak to offend any man, but I
know God is no respecter of persons. His setting up his standard