The Trial

OF

ALGERNON SYDNEY.

THE ARRAIGNMENT, TRIAL, AND CONDEMNATION OF ALGERNON SYDNEY, FOR HIGH TREASON, FOR CONSPIRING THE DEATH OF THE KING, AND INTENDING TO RAISE A REBELLION IN THIS KINGDOM. BEFORE THE RIGHT HON. SIR GEORGE JEFFREYS, KNIGHT AND BARONET, LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF ENGLAND: AT HIS MAJESTY'S COURT OF KING'S-BENCH AT WESTMINSTER, ON THE SEVENTH, TWENTY-FIRST, AND TWENTY-SEVENTH OF NOVEMBER, MDCLXXXIII.

THE ARRAIGNMENT, NOV. 7.

ALGERNON SYDNEY, Esquire, was by habeas corpus brought up to the bar of the court of king'sbench; and the clerk of the crown having read the return, Mr. Attorney-General informed the court, there was an indictment against the prisoner, and prayed he might be charged with it.

Clerk of the Crown. Algernon Sydney, hold up thy hand [which he did].

Midd. ss. The jurors for our lord the king upon oath do present, that Algernon Sydney, late of the parish of St. Martin in the Fields, in the county of Middlesex, Esquire, as a false traitor against the most illustrious, most excellent prince, our lord Charles the Second, by the grace of God king of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, and his natural lord; not having the fear of God in his heart, nor weighing the duty of his allegiance, but moved and seduced by the instigation of the devil, utterly withdrawing the cordial love, and true, due, and natural obedience which a true and faithful subject of our said lord the king should bear towards him the said lord the king, and of right is bound to bear; contriving, and with all his strength intending, to disturb the peace and common tranquillity of this kingdom of England, and to stir up and move war and rebellion against the said lord the king, and to subvert the government of the said lord the king, in this kingdom of England, and to depose and deprive the said lord the king from the title, honour, and regal name, of the imperial crown of his kingdom of England, and to bring and put the said lord the king to death and final destruction, the thirtieth day of June, in the five and thirtieth year of the reign of our lord King Charles the Second, now king of England, &c. and divers other days and times, as well before as after, at the parish of St. Giles in the Fields, in the county of Middlesex, maliciously and traitorously, with divers other traitors to the jurors aforesaid unknown, did conspire, compass, imagine, and intend, to deprive and cast down the said lord the king, his supreme natural lord; not

only from the regal state, title, power, and rule of his kingdom of England, but also to kill, and bring and put to death, the same lord the king, and to change, alter, and utterly subvert, the ancient government of this his kingdom of England, and to cause and procure a miserable slaughter among the subjects of the said lord the king through his whole kingdom of England, and to move and stir up an insurrection and rebellion against the said lord the king, within this kingdom of England. And to fulfil and perfect those his most horrid, wicked, and diabolical treasons, and traitorous compassings, imaginations, and purposes, the same Algernon Sydney, as a false traitor, then and there, and divers other days and times, as well before as after, maliciously, traitorously, and advisedly, did assemble himself, meet and consult with the aforesaid other traitors to the jurors aforesaid unknown, and with the same traitors did treat of, and for, those his treasons and traitorous compassings, imaginations, and purposes, to be executed and fulfilled. And that the aforesaid Algernon Sydney, as a false traitor, maliciously, traitorously, and advisedly, then and there, and divers other days and times, as well before as after, upon himself did assume, and to the aforesaid other traitors did promise, that he would be aiding and assisting in the execution of their treasons and traitorous compassings, imaginations, and purposes aforesaid. And to fulfil, perfect, and reduce to effect, those their most horrid treasons and traitorous compassings, imaginations, and purposes aforesaid, the same Algernon Sydney, as a false traitor, then and there, falsely, maliciously, ad

visedly, and traitorously, did send one Aaron Smith into Scotland, to invite, procure, and incite divers evil disposed subjects of our said lord the king, of his kingdom of Scotland, to come into this kingdom of England, to advise and consult with the aforesaid Algernon Sydney, and the aforesaid other unknown traitors in this kingdom of England, of aid and assistance to be expected and supplied from the kingdom of Scotland to fulfil, perfect, and reduce to effect, those their most wicked, horrid, and traitorous treasons aforesaid. And that the aforesaid Algernon Sydney, to fulfil and perfect those most wicked, horrid, and devilish treasons, and traitorous compassings, imaginations and purposes aforesaid, and to persuade the subjects of the said lord the king of this kingdom of England, that it is lawful to make and stir up an insurrection and rebellion against the said lord the king that now is, the said thirtieth day of June, in the five and thirtieth year of the reign of the said lord the king that now is, at the parish of St. Giles in the Fields, in the county of Middlesex, falsely, unlawfully, wickedly, seditiously, and traitorously, did make, compose, and write, and cause to be made, composed, and written, a certain false, seditious and traitorous libel, in which said false, seditious and traitorous libel, among other things, is contained as followeth in these English words, viz. "The power "originally in the people of England is delegated un"to the Parliament. He [the most serene lord, "Charles the Second now king of England, mean"ing] is subject unto the law of God, as he is a man; "to the people that makes him a king, inasmuch as