Ontario High School History of England . als. Then,at last, Cromwell agreed that Charles must be brought totrial. The House of Lords, in which there were now rarelymore than a dozen members, held aloof, but the Rumpwas ready to go on to the bitter end. It created a HighCourt of Justice, to consist of one hundred and thirty-fivepersons, with the task of trying Charles for treason inlevying war upon the Parliament and kingdom. Half ofthose named would not act. Even Fairfax, commander-in- Henky Ireton (1611-1651) THE GREAT CIVIL WAR 291 chief of the army, would have nothing to do with thesesteps
Ontario High School History of England . als. Then,at last, Cromwell agreed that Charles must be brought totrial. The House of Lords, in which there were now rarelymore than a dozen members, held aloof, but the Rumpwas ready to go on to the bitter end. It created a HighCourt of Justice, to consist of one hundred and thirty-fivepersons, with the task of trying Charles for treason inlevying war upon the Parliament and kingdom. Half ofthose named would not act. Even Fairfax, commander-in- Henky Ireton (1611-1651) THE GREAT CIVIL WAR 291 chief of the army, would have nothing to do with thesesteps against the king. Charles was brought to Westmin-ster Hall, but he refused to plead or to acknowledge thespecial court. The proceedings went on for a week. Manyof Charless judges would have shrunk from carrying thecase through to the end, but Cromwell and Ireton nowheld them to their task. I tell you, Cromwell answeredto some questionings of Algernon Sydney, we will cutoff his head with the crown upon it. The king wassentenced to fnE House of CommonsFrom a print of 1648. Execution of Charles I—It was on a sharp and frostimorning, January 30th, 1649, that Charles with his guard!\walked rapidly from St. Jamess Palace across the park toWhitehall. For two or three hours he was kept waitingin a bedchamber of the palace, but about two in the after-noon came the final scene. When the king stepped througha window of the banqueting hall to the scaffold, he was in 292 HISTORY OF ENGLAND the presence of a great crowd. He spoke, but his voicecould hardly reach beyond those with him on the scaffold. I am the martyr of the people, he said, and in his hearthe believed that the laws and liberties of England were saferin a kings hands than in those of the Parliament. The axefell, and the executioner silently held up the bleeding groan, such a groan, said an eye-witness, as I neverheard before and desire that I may never hear again, burstfrom the crowd, and it was typical of the
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