A BREVIATE OF THE LIFE, OF VVilliam Laud Arch-bishop of Canterbury: Extracted (for the most part) Verbatim, out of his owne Diary, and other WRITINGS, under His owne Hand.

Collected and published at the speciall instance of sundry Honourable Persons, as a necessary Prologue to the History of His Tryall; for which the Criminall part of His LIFE, is specially reserved.

By William Prynne of Lincolnes Inne, Esquier.

PROV. 10.7, 28, 29.

The memory of the Just is blessed, but the Name of the Wicked shall Rot.

The hope of the Upright shall be gladnesse; but the expectation of the Wicked shall perish.

The way of the Lord is strength to the Upright: but destruction shall be to the Workers of Iniquity.

IT is Ordered this sixteenth day of August 1644. By the Committee of the House of Commons Assembled in Parliament concerning Printing, that this Booke intituled, A Breviate of the Life of William Laud, &c. bee printed by Michaell Sparke Senior.

JOHN VVHITE.

LONDON, Printed by F. L. for Michaell Sparke Senior, and are to bee sold at the Blew-Bible in Green-Arbour. 1644.

To the Right Honourable Lords and COMMONS now Assembled IN PARLIAMENT.

HAving formerly presented Your Honorable Assembly with a large Historicall Collection of the severall Execrable Treasons, Conspiracies, Rebellions, Seditions, Oppressions, Antimonarchicall practises of our Lordly Prelates, in all former and late ages, in my Antipathy of the English Lordly Prelacy, both to Regall Monarchy, and Civill Vnitie (which gave a fatall blow to the Prelaticall partie;) I thereupon conjectured my Domesticall Collections of that nature, had arrived at a Non ultra: But the Death of some eminent Members of the Commons House (principally interessed in the Archbishops prosecution) inevitably engaging me at a dead lift (through the Committees request) to make good the grand Charge against this Arch-Prelate, and bring him to his long expected Tryall, (a trouble which I gladly would have declined:) thereupon the Importunity of diverse Honourable Friends in both Houses, whom I could not deny, hath (beyond expectation) in the midst of many other distracting occasions, imposed on me this further Trouble, of collecting the ensuing Breviate of his Life, abstracted (for the most part word for word) out of his owne Diary and Papers: which being a necessary Prologue to the much desired History of his Tryall (wherein his Crimes here pretermitted, will appeare in their proper Colours) was conceived to bee a fitter Fore-runner, then Concomitant of it.

There was one speciall consideration which for a time did somewhat disswade me from this service, to wit a misconstruction which some no doubt will make of my publications in this kinde, as if they proceeded meerly, or principally from malice, or revenge of former Injuries and Cruelties inflicted on me by this Archbishops means. But my own Conscience and forbearance to meddle with his Prosecution, till publikely called and necessitated thereunto, acquitting me from any such ...