THE TRIAL OF CHARLES I A Contemporary Account Taken From the Memoirs of Sir Thomas Herbert and John Rushworth

The trial of Charles Stuart (Charles I) for treason against England had no precedent in Europe at the time. Three writers provide the accounts, including a transcript of the proceedings. History lovers will find a trove of precious Elizabethan language from the mid-1600s, a time when printed books barely existed. The eloquent prose comes to us via the skill of British narrator David Thorn. His narration conveys two features of the king one might not appreciate from the printed page, a heavy Scots accent and a stammer. Sometimes the legal discourses carry so much verbiage (“thereto,” “heretofore,” “whereas” . . . ) that they take on a humorous superfluity. The description of the separation of the king from his head has a linguistic delicacy incongruous with the act. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2011]