Cromwell Page #7

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Whatever these proposals

may be, Sir Edward...

...they are not acceptable to the king.

- Cromwell has betrayed us!

- Aye!

We have given our blood and our lives

in this war to put down this king!

If Cromwell

comes to terms with him now...

...what price our freedom then?

Get back, will you?!

I have served General Cromwell

faithfully all my life...

...and I reckoned him to be a man who

feared God and did honour his word!

But in this business he has shown

himself to be a man of no honour!

Aye!

We fought this war

to remove this king...

...not to put him back on the throne!

- Aye!

- I say, let us march on London...

...let us take Parliament...

...and then let the king

try to negotiate with us!

Make way for Cromwell.

Traitors! Mutineers!

I don't have to tell you, any of you,

you could all be hanged for this.

We are not serfs, general,

nor mercenaries.

We fought for the Lord in our cause,

and now we have a right to speak.

You have no rights

to preach revolt and mutiny.

As for you, John Carter, I did expect

a greater degree of loyalty from you.

I am still loyal to what I fought for.

Can the same be said of you?

I have not betrayed my God,

country, Parliament or my conscience.

Where was your conscience this day,

when you parleyed with the king?

I tell you, all of you...

...I do most honestly believe that we

have taught this king a lesson.

And he will prove most honourable.

Upon that I would stake my life.

Traitor! Traitor!

This is a military camp, sir,

not a debating chamber.

Under military law, any man inciting

mutiny can be hanged.

- Colonel Harrison?

- General.

These three men will draw lots.

One of them will be hanged.

- Captain Lancing, get a length of rope.

- Yes, sir.

- You, man, pick up some straws.

- Yes, sir

General, there is a Sir Edward Hyde

to see you.

Sir Edward, has the king

considered our terms?

The king, sir, has not

even read your terms.

Nor, will I venture,

has he any intention of so doing.

He has drawn up a secret treaty

with Manchester and Essex...

...to raise a Scottish army

against the Parliamentary forces.

He has already consented

to a Catholic army from Ireland.

While you negotiate

a settlement with him...

...he is planning a second civil war.

I do confess that I have these many

years given my allegiance to a man...

...not worthy of the title,

king of England.

Colonel Harrison!

I will have this king's head...

...aye, and the crown upon it.

This obstinate king,

this man of blood...

...whose heart God has hardened,

can no longer be trusted...

...for in prodigious treason,

he has revealed himself to be a traitor.

A man of no honour.

A man unfitted to bear the title,

king of England.

Hear, hear.

I demand, therefore,

in the name of the army...

...and the people of this nation

that Charles I, king of England...

...be brought hence to stand trial

for his life on a charge of treason.

Oyez, oyez, oyez.

All manner of persons...

...having anything to do

with this court...

...come forward

and give your attendance.

Every man to keep silence

upon pain of imprisonment.

God save the king.

Let the prisoner be brought in.

The clerk of arraigns

will read the charges.

Charles Stuart, king of England...

...you stand before this court

charged with high treason.

In that being admitted king of England,

and therein trusted with power...

...to govern according to the laws,

you did out of wickedness and design...

...erect and uphold in yourself

an unlimited and tyrannical power.

To rule at your will and overthrow

the rights and liberties of the people.

And that you did traitorously

and maliciously levy a cruel war...

...against Parliament and the people.

And are therefore guilty of all the

treasons, rapings, burnings, spoils...

...desolations, damages and mischiefs

to the nation committed in the said war.

Thus, on behalf

of the people of England...

...this court impeaches you

as a tyrant...

...traitor, murderer and public enemy

to the Commonwealth of England.

God save the king!

Silence!

Sir, you have heard

the charges against you.

The court expects an answer.

First, I would know by what authority,

I mean lawful authority...

...I am brought here and carried from

place to place, and I know not what.

And by what authority you presume

to sit in judgement on me.

Remember, I am your lawful king.

Think well upon it.

I have a trust committed to me by God,

by old and lawful descent.

Therefore, let me know by what

authority I am brought here...

...and I shall answer.

It is not for the prisoner

to question the court.

I am no ordinary prisoner, sir.

An answer, sir,

the court demands an answer.

Then I refuse an answer.

Sir, you are before a court of justice.

Well, sir...

...I see that I am before a power.

The court will keep silent.

Mr. Solicitor General,

are your witnesses prepared?

- They are, my lord.

- Then let them be brought forth.

Call Sir Edward Hyde.

And you saw the king and his wife

alone in their chambers...

...with this Catholic Archbishop

Rinuccini?

I did.

And what did you assume

was the purpose of this meeting?

- You are obliged to answer, Sir Edward.

- To raise an Irish army, my lord.

To fight against

the Parliamentary forces?

And at this time, was the king

in communication...

...with any other foreign power?

Yes. Yes, with the king of France

and with the Dutch.

- For the same purpose?

- Yes.

To raise a foreign army

to invade this country...

...and to perpetuate the war

against the people of this kingdom.

Sir Edward?

Yes.

To the block with him!

Sir, throughout the three days

of this hearing...

...this court has patiently awaited

your pleasure...

...to hear what you have to say

in answer to charges against you.

Yet you have declined to speak.

I am most willing, sir,

to answer before Parliament...

...but not before this assembly...

...whose authority

I refuse to acknowledge.

Sir, what answers you may offer

the commons can be given here.

For this court does sit

in the name of the House of Commons.

Sir, if, as you have said, you do love

the liberty of the subject...

...you will grant me, your king,

a hearing before Parliament...

...which is the lords and commons

assembled.

Sir, I submit you seek only to delay

the course of justice.

By your favour, sir,

I seek only those rights...

...which, as your king,

I would grant any one of my subjects.

Silence!

Sir, this court requires to know

if you have anything to say...

...before judgement is passed

upon you.

I have nothing to say to you.

Then this court

will retire to judgement.

What ails thee? Art thou mad?

Have we come thus far

that you would betray us now?

There is nothing in the Constitution

of this land that entitles us...

...to bring a king to trial.

- Is he answerable to his subjects?

- The trial is clearly illegal, and l...

- Is not he answerable to his subjects?

The king, sir,

is answerable only to God.

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