as refused the chance. On leaving he was recorded as saying 32 : "I am not suffered for to speak: expect what justice other people will have". As he was taken out the cries of "Execution!" and "Justice!" filled Westminster Hall. AFTER THE TRIAL At the Palace of St James, King Charles was permitted to see the two children who had remained in England 33 . He warned them repeatedly not on any account to agree to attempts to put them on the throne as puppet monarchs but to show allegiance to their lawful King, the Prince of Wales, who was in the Netherlands. He was then brought back to Whitehall where he was housed until his execution. The scaffold for the King's execution was ready by 30 January 1849 in the afternoon. Until that day, no one in the House of Commons had seriously considered the legal steps that would be necessary to constitute England a republic. The execution had to be delayed a matter of hours so that actions could be taken before the King's head was severed. An "Act" was passed by the Commons to make it an offence to proclaim a new King 34 and to declare the representatives of the people, the Commons, as the source of all just power. The brief emergency Bill for this purpose was hurriedly passed by the Commons by midday. The King had been kept waiting until nearly two o'clock for his last engagement 35 . He was then taken through the Banqueting Hall with its ceiling painted by Reubens to a scaffold. His last words were to deny the justice of the sentence upon him and to forgive "even those in particular that have been the chief causes of my death". He gave instruction to his enemies that they should learn to know their duty to God, the King - "that is my successors" and the people. His final words were directed to the law 36 : "Truly I desire [the people's] liberty and freedom as much as anybody whomsoever; but I must tell you their liberty and freedom consists of having of government, those laws by which their life and t...
