"Upon the Double Murder of King Charles I"
By Katherine Philips

Transcription, correction, editorial commentary, and markup by Staff and Research Assistants at The University of Virginia, John O'Brien, Sara Brunstetter, Rachel Retica

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London : Printed by J.M. for H. Herringman, 1667This text is based on transcriptions created by the Early English Books Online Texts Creation Partnership, a library-based project directed by the University of Michigan and Oxford University. Their digital text was produced from the 1667 edition, published by Henry Herringman in London in 1667, three years after Philips's death, but with the collaboration of her late husband. We have also consulted The Collected Works of Katherine Philips, edited by Patrick Thomas (Essex: Stump Cross Books, 1990), which takes Philips's manuscript versions of her poems as its copytext. Annotations have been provided by faculty and students at the University of Virginia. For a full description of this object, see its ESTC entry.

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Research informing these annotations draws on publicly-accessible resources, with links provided where possible. Annotations have also included common knowledge, defined as information that can be found in multiple reliable sources. If you notice an error in these annotations, please contact lic.open.anthology@gmail.com.

Original spelling and capitalization is retained, though the long s has been silently modernized and ligatured forms are not encoded.

Hyphenation has not been retained, except where necessary for the sense of the word.

Page breaks have been retained. Catchwords, signatures, and running headers have not. Where pages break in the middle of a word, the complete word has been indicated prior to the page beginning.

Materials have been transcribed from and checked against first editions, where possible. See the Sources section.

Citation

Philips, Katherine. "Upon the Double Murder of King Charles I". Poems by the most deservedly admired Mrs. Katherine Philips, the matchless Orinda; to which is added Monsieur Corneille's Pompey & Horace, tragedies; with several other translations out of French, Printed by J.M. for H. Herringman, 1667 , pp 1-2 . Literature in Context: An Open Anthology. http://anthologydev.lib.virginia.edu/work/Philips/philips-double-murder. Accessed: 2025-01-30T09:52:30.896Z

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1 Upon the double Murder of K. CHARLES I.^MurderMurderCharles I was beheaded on January 30th, 1649. in Answer to a Libellous Copy of Rimes made by Vavasor Powell^PowellPowellVavasor Powell was a nonconformist Puritan preacher who published poetry in praise of the execution of Charles I. Philips wrote in respond to Powell's poem. 1I think not on the State, nor am concern’d 2Which way soever the great Helm is turn'd 3But as that son whose father's dangers nigh 4Did force his native dumbness, and untie 5The fetter'd^fetteredfetteredShackled or chained (Oxford English Dictionary). organs; so here's a fair cause 6That will excuse the breach of Nature's laws. 7Silence were now a sin, nay Passion now 8Wise men themselves for Merit would allow. 9What noble eye could see (and careless pass) 10The dying Lion kick'd by every Ass^LionLionPhilips is referencing an Aesop fable in which a dying lion is attacked by several animals seeking their revenge on him. After being kicked by an ass, the lion declares: "this is a double death."? 11Has Charles so broke God's Laws, he must not have 12A quiet Crown, nor yet a quiet Grave? 13Tombs have been Sanctuaries; Thieves lie there 14Secure from all their penalty and fear. 15Great Charleshis double misery was this, 16Unfaithful Friends, ignoble Enemies. 17Had any Heathen been this Prince's foe, 18He would have wept to see him injur'd so. 19His Title was his Crime, they'd reason good 20To quarrel at the Right they had withstood. 21 He broke God's Laws, and therefore he must die; 22And what shall then become of thee and I? 23Slander must follow Treason; but yet stay, 24Take not our Reason with our King away. 25Though you have seiz'd upon all our defence, 26Yet do not sequester^sequestersequesterTo confiscate or take forcibly (Oxford English Dictionary). our common Sense. 2 27But I admire not at this new supply: 28No bounds will hold those who at Sceptres fly. 29Christ will be King, but I ne're understood 30His Subjects built his Kingdom up with blood, 31Except their own; or that he would dispence 32Oh! to what height of horrour are they come 33Who dare pull down a Crown, tear up a Tomb!