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Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
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Alan Bedford Link to this
Miles Corbet was a Puritan from a "knightly Norfolk family." He was Cromwell's lawyer, and MP from Great Yarmouth. He served on the Parliamentary Committee that arranged the trial of Charles I: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?com...
...and subsequently became the last of the 59 signatories of the King's death warrant. Very short biographical paragraph at: http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/biog/index_...
Bill Link to this
Mr. Miles Corbet was a Gentleman of an ancient family in the county of Norfolk. He had applied himself with diligence to the study of the laws of England in the society of Lincoln's-Inn; and, for the space of thirty seven years, had been chosen to serve his country in the several parliaments that were called. Being appointed one of the high court of justice for the trial of the late King, he appeared not among the judges by reason of some scruples he had entertained, till the day that sentence was pronounced. But, upon more mature deliberation, finding them to be of no weight, he durst no longer absent himself; coming early on that day into the court, that he might give a public testimony of his satisfaction and concurrence with their proceedings. He was afterwards by the parliament made one of their commissioners for the civil government of Ireland; in which employment he manifested such integrity, that though he was continued for many years in that station, yet he impaired his own estate for the public service, whilst he was the greatest husband of the treasure of the commonwealth. The day before his death, he assured his friends, that he was so thoroughly convinced of the justice and necessity of that action for which he was to die, that if the things had been yet entire, and to do, he could not refuse to act as he had done, without affronting his reason, and opposing himself to the dictates of his conscience; adding, that the immoralities, lewdness, and corruptions of all sorts, which had been introduced and encouraged since the late revolution, were no inconsiderable justification of those proceedings.
---Memoirs of Edmund Ludlow, Esq., 1751