at Keighley m Yorkshire, Septembei 30, l6l6, and educated
in Magdalen-hall, Oxford. Having finished his studies at the
university, he was employed for some time m the capacity of
schoolmaster, at Keniton in Herefordshire, and afterw ards at
Cirencester in Gloucestershire. At the latter place he suc-
ceeded one Mr. Henry Toppe, who is said to have been
ejected by the puritanical tow nsmen. In the year l642 the
place was stormed and taken by the royal forces, when
Taylor was ejected, and Toppe restored. Mr. Taylor
being driven from the place, retired to London, became
minister at Bow, near the city, and afterwards at St. Stephen's
church, Coleman-street, in the place of Mr. John Goodwin,
who was turned out by the parliament. Here he met with
considerable opposition, and therefore resigned the place ;
upon which he preached for some time in a church in Wood-
street, and delivered a lecture every Lord's day at St. Giles's,
Cripplegate, and another on a week day at St. Peter's, Corn-
hill. It is said, that he was afterwards called by the rump
parliament to his former charge in Coleman-street, which he
kept to the day of his death ;* but, from the register of the
place, this manifestly appears to be a mistake. t Dr. Calamy
says he was ejected from St. Stephen's, Coleman-street, after
the restoration, but he afterwards corrected his improper
statement.^ Mr. Taylor united with his brethren, the London
ministers, in their declaration against the death of King
Charles ; when, it appears, he was pastor at the above place.§
He published several sermons, one of which is in the " Morn-
ing Exercise at St. Giles's," on Christ's Exaltation; and
collected and revised several of Mr. Christopher Love's ser-
mons, to which he prefixed recommendatory epistles. He
died September 5, l66l, and his remains were interred in the
chancel of the above church. Dr. William Spurstowe
preached and published his funeral sermon, giving a high
commendation of his character. Wood denominates him

* Wood's Athenae Oxen. vol. ii. p. 169. + Kennel's Chronicle, p. 793.
t Caiamy's ATOunt, vol. ii. p. 39. — Continuation, \ol. i. p. 58.
^ Ibid. vol. li. p. 744.



W. TAYLOR— JAMES. S91

" a frequent preacher, a laborious divine, a learned man in
his profession, and a zealous and loyal presbyterian."*



John James. — This unfortunate man was minister to
a baptist congregation which assembled in Bulstake-alley,
Whitechapel, London, observing the seventh day as the
sabbath. October 19, I66I, being assembled for public
worship, with the doors of their meeting-house open, they
were interrupted by Justice Chard and Wood theheadborough,
as Mr. James was preaching, whom they commanded in the
king's name to be silent and come down, charging him with
treason against his majesty. As Mr. James proceeded in his
discourse without noticing their summons, the headborough
approached him, and commanded him again to come down,
or he would pull him down. The disturbance then became
so great that he could not proceed, but told the headborough
he would not come down except he was pulled down ; upon
which he pulled him down and dragged him away. Mr. James
was charged by one Tipler, a man of base character, with
uttering certain treasonable w ords in his sermon. The men
and the women who were at the meeting were carried at the
same tnne, by sevens, before four justices, then sitting at the
Half-moon tavern; to whom they tendered the oath of allegi-
ance, and committed those who refused, some to Newgate,
and some to other prisons. +

Afterwards the justices assembled in the meeting-house,
and sent for Mr. James. Li the mean time the lieutenant of
the Tower, pullnig a paper out of his pocket, said, he would
inform them what doctrine had that day been preached in that
place. Upon the reading of this paper, certain women
belonging to the meeting, and still detained, were asked how
they could hear such things delivered ; to which they, in the
fear of God, unanimously replied, " That they never heard
such words, as they should answer it before the Lord, and
they durst not lie." Nevertheless, upon the evidence of this
paper, taken from the mouth of Tipler, the prosecution of
Mr. James was founded. When he was brought before the
justices he underwent an examination; and among other
questions put to him were the following : W hen the lieute-
nant asked him whether he had not been before him before,
he answered, that he had. " And," said the lieutenant,

* Wood's Athene, vol. ii. p. 169.

+ Narrative of the Condemnation and Execution of Mr. James, p. 7, 8.
Edit. 1662.



S92 LIVES OF THE PURITANS.

"were you not civilly used ?" "Yes," replied Mr. Jame?,
" and I thank you for your civility." " And x^ ere you not
counselled," said the lieutenant, " to take heed in future?"
*' Yes," said Mr. James, " I have taken heed, so far as I
could with a good conscience." Upon this, the lieutenant
said, " You shall stretch for it ; asid ii you be not hanged, I
will be hanged for you." To which Mr. James meekly re-
plied, " I am not careful in that matter : you can do no more
than the Lord shall permit you to do." Then said the
lieutenant, " 1 think you are not careful ; for you have a mind
to be hanged, as some of your holy brethren have before
you." Mr. James being asked whether he owned the Jif'tk
kingdom, and signifying in the afifirmative, they laughed at
him, and said, i/ozo t/iei/ had it from his ozcn mouth. He was
also charged with having learned to sound a trumpet, in order
to a rising with Venner's party ; when he said, there was a
friend of his who lodged in his house, and who, designing to
go to sea, and wishing to learn the sound, desired that he
might have liberty to be taught in his house : but he never
learned himself, neither was he at all concerned in that rising,
judging it to be a rash act. The lieutenant of the Tower
then called in Captain Hodgskin, who commanded the party
of soldiers standing at the door, and said, " Take this man, be
careful of him, and commit him close prisoner to Newgate,"
and gave him a warrant for that purpose.*

November 14lh, Mr. James was brought to the bar in the
King's-bench, Westminster, and was indicted, 1. " For com-
passing and imagining the king's death. — 2. For endeavour-
ing to levy war against the king. — 3. For endeavouring a
change of government." In compassing, imagining, and
contriving the king's death, he was charged with having
maliciously, traiterously, and by instigation of the devil, not
having the fear of God before his eyes, declared these words:
" I'hat the king was a bloody tyrant, a blood-sucker, and a
" blood-thirsty man, and his nobles the same. — That the king

* This warrant was as follows: — " To the keeper of the goal of Newgate,
" or his deputy, Middlesex,

" These are in the king's majesty's name, to require you to receive info
" your custody, the body of John James, whom we send you herewith;
" being taken this present day at a coiiventicle, or private meeting, in the
" parish of Whitechapel ; and there speaking in tiie audienceof the people
*' present, treasonable words against his majesty's royal person ; you shall
•' therefore keep him close prisoner until further order, and tliis shall be
" your warrant, (jiven under our hands this 19th day of October, ICOl,
" John Robinson, Lieutenant of the Tower, Edward Chard,
Thomas Bide, Thomas Swallow."

Narrative, p. 9, 10.



JAMES. 393

" and his nobles had shed the blood of the saints at Charing-
" cross, and the blood of the covenanters in Scotland. — That •
" the king was brought in to this end, to till up the measure
" of his iniquity ; and that the king's cup of iniquity had
" filled more within the last year than in many years before.
" — I'hat he did bemoan they had not improved their oppor-
" tunity when they had power in their hands, and he said it
" would not be long before they had power again, and then
" they would improve it better ; and that he did bewail the
" apostacy of the people of God, and say, they had not fought
" the Lord's battles thoroughly, but when the Lord should
" give power to thein agam, and give his work into their
" hands, they would do it better. — That the death and
" destruction of the king drew very near."

The indictment being read, and Mr. James required to
plead guilty or not guilty, he desired a copy of his charge,
and time to consider of it ; pleading, that he humbly con-
ceived it to be his privilege as an Englishman, and till then he
was unable to plead one way or the other. He alleged, that
Chief Justice Cook and Judge Heath had declared it good
law, and that the latter gave John Lilburn a copy of his
charge, being arraigned for high treason. His request, how-
ever, was peremptorily denied ; and he was told, that if he
would not plead, they would proceed against him for con-
tempt, and consider him as mute. Mr. James seeing he was
overruled, pleaded Not guiUi/ either in matter or form. Upon
this he was sent to the King's-bench prison in Southwark,
where he remained till November lyth, when he was again
brousht to the bar.

During this interval Mr. James received information from

a person of respectability, that there was a jury picked on

purpose to take away his life ; and that if he did not except

against them, or most of them, he was a dead man. Upon

his appearance at the bar at Westminster before four judges,

and still pleading not guilti/, four witnesses were produced

against him. John Tipler, the first witness, said, that he was,

at the time mentioned in the indictment, in a yard adjoining

the meeting-house, and, through a window, saw Mr. James

preaching, and heard him repeat those words mentioned in

the indictment. To this evidence Mr. James excepted, that

it was difficult to swear that he was the person, when the

witness was not in the place, and only saw him through the

window, which might intercept the light. The second witness

w as Justice Chard, who said he could declare nothing of the

words spoken, only he found Mr. James preaching in the place



394 LIVES OF THE PURITANS.

alleged in the indictment, and pulled him out of the pulpit.
The next witness was a Yorkshiieman, whose name does
not appear, who said he was at Tipler's house, and heard
one say, " That the Lord had a great work to do for his
people, and that they were the people who must do it.'- The
judge asked him, if he heard nothing concerning the king's
cup of iniquity, and he answered. No. When he was asked
whether the prisoner at the bar was the man, he said he could
not say that he was. The last witness was one Bernard
Osburn, who said he heard Mr. James say, " That King
Charles was a blood-thirsty, tyrannical king, and that the
nobles of England were blood-thirsty. That he had drunk
pretty deep of the blood of the saints already, in that he had
shed their blood twelve months ago at Charing-cross, and
the blood of the covenanters in Scotland, and that God had
brought him in to that end, to fill up the measure of his
iniquity, and he had filled it up more in twelve .months than
in many years before. That they should have power
in their hands, then they should fight the Lord's battles more
thoroughly. That the ruin of the king was very near." Upon
this, Mr. James being allowed to call his witnesses, four were
produced in court, who gave evidence, " That this Bernard
Osburn confessed to them, that upon a previous examination,
he had sworn against Mr. James he knew not what : and one
of them, a person whom Osburn was about to marry, further
declared, that he told her, he did not only swear he knew not
what, but that he was affrighted into what he swore." Osburn
repeatedly refused to swear at all; nor would he take the
oath as witness against Mr. James, till he was threatened to
be sent to prison for refusal, and rewards were offered him
for swearing against the prisoner.* Mr. James then produced
four other witnesses, all of whom swore, " That the words
charged against him were not spoken."

After the examination of all the witnesses, Mr. James was
allowed to speak for himself, but did little more dian make a
declaration of his own innocence. He denied the charge
both in matter and form, and declared he had not any
malicious thought against the king, but desired the salvation
of his soul, as he did his own ; that he had never dealt mali-
ciously against him ; but that what he had done, he had done
in the fear of God. He denied the various particulars of
the charge, that he ever spoke any such things, and therefore
tjes^red they would clear him of all such evil things. He then

» KarratJTC, p. 10— li.



JAMES. 395

said, " I have but one word for the Lord, and I have done :
The Lord Jesus Christ is king of nations, as well as of
saints, and the government of all knigdonis of light belongs
to hnn. * And the seventh angel sounded, and Ukmc Mere
great voices in heaven, saying, The kingf'onis oi ihis world
are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Chust, and
he shall reign for ever and ever.'" Havmg spok( n these
Avords, he was interrupted by Lord Chief Justice Foster, who
said, " Hold sirrah, sirrah, you tl.ink you are preaching in the
conventicle in Whitechapel." Aftevvards, when his judges
would not allow him to speak even to the jury, he replied,
** If you will not suffer me to speak to the jury, you had as
good have hanged me m Bulstake-alley, before 1 came here,
and not brought me hither to cover the matter over with the
pretence of law."

The jury having brought in a verdict of g/<//V?/, judgment
was deferred till Movember 22d, and he was sent back to the
place of his confinement. During the interval, his wife, by
the advice of some friends, endeavoured to address the king,
with the view of acquainting him with her husband's inno-
cency, and the condition of those loose persons who had
falsely accused him. This she put in writing, lest she should
either want an opportmiity, or not have courage enough to
speak to him. With some difficulty, however, she at last
met the king, and acquainting him who she was, presented
him with the paper. To whom his majesty held up his
finger and said, " Oh ! Mr. James, he is a sweet gentleman ;"
but following him for some further answer, the door was shut
against her. Not being discouraged, she attended again next
morning ; and an opportunity being soon presented, she
implored his majesty's answer to her request. His majesty
then replied. He is a rogue, and shall he hanged. One of
the lords, who attended lum, askmg her of whom she spake,
the king immediately replied, *^ Of John James, that rogue:
he shall be hanged ; yea, he shall be hanged.''*

Mr. James was brought to the bar on the above day, and
being asked what he had to say why sentence of death should
not be passed upon him, he answered, that he had not much
to say, only two or three scriptures he would leave with them.
As for me, said he, do as seemeth good unto you. But know
ye Jor certain, that if you put me to death, you shall surely
bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this citi/, and
upon the inhabitants thereof. — Precious in the sight of the

* Narrative, p. 19 — 24.



596 LIVES OF THE PURITANS.

Ijord is the death of his saints. — He that toucheth the Lord' a
â– people, toucheth the apple of his eye.* He then told them
he had no more to say for himself; only one word for the
Lord, and then he had done : " Jesus Christ the Son of God,
is King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and of all the
kingdoms of the world." He had no sooner spoken this,
than he was silenced, and the judge immediately pronounced
upon him the following sentence : — " John James, thou hast
" been here indicted, arraigned, and tried, as a false traitor of
" his majesty, his crown and dignity, and hast put thyself upon
" the trial of God and thy country, and the country hath found
"thee guilty; and therefore, John James, thou art to be
" carried from hence to prison, and from thence to the place
*' of execution, and there to be hanged by the neck, and, being
" yet alive, to be cut down, and thy bowels to be taken out,
" and to be burnt before thy face, (a fire being prepared,) and
" thy head to be severed from thy body, and thy body to be
*' quartered, and thy head and body to be disposed of accord-
*' to the king's pleasure." This being done, Mr. James had
only time to say, " Blessed be God, that he whom man hath
condemned God hath justified," and so was immediately
carried to Newgate, where he was confined in a dungeon.

During his confinement in the dungeon, one of his friends
Tisiting him, and weeping over him, he, with a smiling coun-
tenance, said, " 1 beseech you, let me not see any of this, for
all is well. I beseech you forbear such carriage, which will
encourage the Lord's enemies. I pray you let me not see a
Sad countenance from any of you." "^I'o others of his friendi*
he said, " This poor weak body has often been near the gates
of death, and now the Lord chooses to take it oft' in such a
way as this. Oh! blessed be God! let him take it." He
spoke much of the goodness of God, who supported and
comforted him under so great a trial ; and added, " I have
got the start of my brethren, and am going to the place
* where the wicked cease from troubling, and where the
weary are at rest.' God hath delivered me from all my
fears. My good Lord hath helped me over two of my
steps, and 1 have only one more to get over : I am going to
a place where my sins will trouble me no more." Being
asked how he did, he replied, " I bless God I am well ; never
better in all my life. No poor creature ever dreaded this
condition more than I have done. I have been so much
afraid of a prison, that I have trembled to think of it, and

* Jer. xxti. 14, 15. — Pgalm cxvi. 15. — Zcch. ii. 8,



JAMES. 397

would have fled out of the land to have escaped it; but now
my fears are all gone, every cloud is blown over. I bless
God, I no more fear this death, than to lie down upon this
bed. Oh ! how good the Lord is." At another time, being
asked how he was, he answered, *' Very well, I bless the Lord,
never better in my life. My wife and I have had the best
morning that we ever enjoyed. We have been giving up one
another to the Lord ; and, I bless the Lord, lie hath made us
as willing to part as ever we were to come together." To
his friends, who urged him to petition the king for his life, he
said, " 1 have discharged my duty and conscience in clearing
myself already, and to the king I have done no wrong ;
therefore I will submit myself to the Lord, and rest satisfied
in his good pleasure." The night before he suffered, being at
supper with some of his friends, he said to them, " I sup with
you to-night, but you would be glad to sup with me to-morrow
night." When the messenger brought him tidings of the
time of his execution, he said, " Blessed be God, that is good
news."*

Upon the morning of his execution, Mr. James was carried

from Newgate to Tyburn on a sledge ; and having leave from

Mr. Sterling the sheriff, he delivered a speech of some length

to the people. In this speech, after giving an account of his

parentage, clearing himself of some foul aspersions, and

relating his religious sentiments, he said, " I am not come here

to sow sedition : the Lord knoweth I have it not in my heart.

This hath not been my practice, though it be the pretended

cause of brhiging me hither : but the Lord knows, before

whom I now stand, and with whom 1 shall shortly be, that I

am free from those things of which I am accused ; and I desir«

you may hear and remember, that the things charged upon me

are notoriously fahe. I speak this as my last words ; and the

Lord, who knows all hearts, and will call all men one day to

an account, knows I speak the truth, both in respect of the

utanuer and matter of the things charged against me. I do,

in the fear of the Lord, also tell you, that I bless the Lord

I have not the least hard thought of those who swore against

me, nor the least rising of spirit against the judge, the jury, or

any other, the Lord knoweth : but have sought their pardon

upon my bended knees, and I hope to do it again, if God

permit."

Mr. James having finished his speech, fell upon his knees,
and offered up a prayer to God at considerable length, part

• Narrative, p. »t— 3T,



398 LIVES OF THE PURITANS.

of which was as follows: — " Glorious and holy majesty, in
whose eyes all the nations of the world are only as the drop
of a bucket, or as the small dust of the balance ; and there-
fore, O Lord, this mighty concourse of people are as nothing
in thy sight. Thy eyes are open to the ways of thy people,
and thy ears are open to their cries, and thou wilt one day
shew thyself strong in behalf of them that fear thee. Sweet
Father ! blessed be thy dear and holy name, that such a poor
worm as is now before thee can call thee Father, and come
and take hold of thee through thy dear Son. O Lord, what
am I, or what was my father's house, that thou hast brought
me hitlerlo? This, O Lord, has been but a small thing in
thy sight, but thou hast spoken thy servant's welfare, even
to eternity. Dear Lord, in the audience of all this people,
thy poor worm cannot but bless thee that thou didst ever call
him, and wert ever pleased to engage his soul to walk in thine
own paths ; and, blessed be thy holy name, thy paths do not
seem in the eyes of thy servant ever the worse because of this
thing : but he can bless thee ; he can rejoice before thee ; he
can say, ' Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within
me bless his holy name.' Blessed be thy holy name, that thou
hast hitherto been pleased to keep the soul of thy poor
servant, and that he does not sufter as an evil doer; yea,
blessed be thy name, thy poor worm can approve his heart
unto thee even noic at the very giving up oj the ghost, that he
is not gui/ti/. Dear Father, thy poor worm can now with
much boldness lift up his face unto thee, and is assured
that he whom man hath condemned God hath justified :
and now, for thy dear name's sake, give thy poor worm leave,
in integrity and godly simplicity, to beg one request at thy
hands for the poor witnesses. O Lord, pardon them in that
very thing they have done, and shew them as much grace as
thou hast done to thy poor worm. As they have done their
utmost to wash their hands in the blood of thy servant, O
that thou wouldest thoroughly wash their souls in the blood
of Jesus Christ. Be pleased, for thy tender mercy's sake,
to deal graciously with every one, from the least to the
greatest, from the first to the last, that hath had any hand
against thy servant."*

Having finished his prayer, and being very much exhausted,
he said he had done. The hangman then said, " The Lord
receive your soul." Mr. James replied, / thank yon. A
friend saying, " This is a happy day," he added, 1 bless the

* Narrati?e, p. 38—44.



BAREBONE. 399

Lord, it is indeed. His friend adding, " The Lord make your
passage easy ;" he said, / trust he zoill. Being asked if he
had any thing to say to the sheriff, he said, No, but only to
thank him for his civility. The hangman then preparing him
for death, and drawing away the cart, Mr. James cried aloud,
with his hands lifted up towards heaven, Father, into thy
hands I commit my spirit.

The sheriff and hangman were so civil to him in the execu-
tion, that they suffered him to be dead before his body was
cut down. The hangman then took out his heart and bowels,
and burned them in a fire prepared for the purpose. He
then cut off his head, and cut his body into four quarters ;
and, by the appointment of the king, the quarters were fixed
upon the gates of the city, and his head first upon London-
bridge, then upon a pole opposite the meeting-house in
Bulstake-alley.*

This tragic and brutal scene was transacted upon the
remains of this humble and holy man, November 26, I66I.
But if there were any undue combination against him ; and
if he suffered for some reason of state, rather than for any
crime that he was guilty of, his blood will God require at the
hands of his enemies. Several remarkable judgments befell
those who were active instruments in piomoting his suffer-
ings, or expressed their delight in them.t



Praise-God Barebone was of the baptist persuasion,
and pastor to a church of that denomination, meeting in Fleet-
street, London. This church was originally part of that
under the pastoral care of Mr. Stephen More ; which, upon
his death, divided by mutual consent, just one half choosing
Mr. Henry Jessey for its pastor, the other half Mr. Barebone.