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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43666	Ravillac redivivus, being a narrative of the late tryal of Mr. James Mitchel, a conventicle-preacher, who was executed the 18th of January last, for an attempt which he made on the sacred person of the Archbishop of St. Andrews to which is annexed, an account of the tryal of that most wicked pharisee Major Thomas Weir, who was executed for adultery, incest and bestiality : in which are many observable passages, especially relating to the present affairs of church and state / in a letter from a Scottish to an English gentleman.	Mitchel, James, d. 1678, defendant.; Hickes, George, 1642-1715.; Weir, Thomas, 1600?-1670, defendant.	1678 (1678)	Wing H1860; ESTC R10945	57,651	80

though for the honour of our Nature and Religion I wish no such stories were extant in the World Nay confident I am that when you have consider'd it in all the circumstances that attend it you will say that he who is the subject thereof was one of the most prodigious sinners that ever was extant of humane race For there 's nothing in History comparable to him nor I hope will ever be and had not our blessed Saviour told us that Men may be so wicked as to sin beyond forgiveness I could scarce have believ'd that any Man much less a Christian could have committed uncleanness in all specieses with Women Devils and Beasts But such a Monster was this Pharisee of whom I am going to give you an account which is partly taken out of the publick Register of our criminal Court and where that cannot relieve me from common fame the notoreity of the things related or the Authority of Persons of known Integrity and great Reputation in the World He was born and bred in the Western parts of this Kingdom which as it appears from the preceeding Narrative hath ever been the most Fanatical part of our Country and most disaffected to the King and the Church There he was early prepossessed with the principles of Schism and Rebellion which he shew'd upon all occasions particularly in the beginning of the late Rebellion wherein he was a forward stickler and by his extraordinary zeal for the Cause raised himself to a greater command in some Troop or Company than Men of his mean Original use to arrive unto here About the Year 1649. he had the great trust of the Guards of this City committed unto him under the quality of Major and from that time to the day of his Infamous Death was always called by the Name of Major Weir He behav'd himself in this Office with great cruelty and insolence towards the Loyal party being very active in discovering and apprehending the Cavaliers and bringing them to be arraign'd and try'd for their Lives He used to insult and triumph over them in their miseries and persecute them with all manner of Sarcasms and Reproaches when they were led out like Victims to publick Execution as many yet alive can testifie to the World In particular the barbarous Villain treated the Heroick Marquess of Montrosse with all imaginable insolence and inhumanity when he lay in Prison making his very calamities an Argument that God as well as Man had forsaken him and calling him Dog Atheist Traytor Apostate Excommunicate Wretch and many more such intollerable Names This cruel manner after which he used to outrage the poor Royalists pass'd among the people for extraordinary zeal and made them consider him as a singular Worthy whom God had raised up to support the Cause He studyed the Art of Dissimulation and Hypocrisie always affecting a formal gravity and demureness in his looks and deportment and employing a vast and tenacious memory which God had given him in getting without Book such words and phrases of the Holy Scriptures as might serve best in all companies to make him pass for an Holy and gifted Man He had acquir'd a particular gracefulness in whining and sighing above any of the sacred Clan and had learn'd to deliver himself upon all serious occasions in a far more ravishing accent than any of their Ministers could attain unto By these and other Hypocritical Arts he had got such a name for sanctity and devotion that happy was the Man with whom he would converse and blessed was the Family in which he would vouchsafe to pray For he pretended to pray only in the Families of such as were Saints of the highest Form insomuch that the Brethren and Sisters of these Precincts would shrive who should have him to exercise in their Houses and of those that liv'd at a greater distance some would come forty or fifty miles to have the happiness to hear him pray He had indeed but by what assistance will be seen hereafter a wonderful fluency in extemporary Prayer and what through Enthusiastical phrases and what through Extasies and raptures into which he would appear transported he made the amazed people presume he was acted by the Spirit of God Besides praying he used to exhort and bless the Families in which he prayed but he never undertook to Preach in them for fear of invading the Ministerial Province which certainly would have offended the Kirk After this manner and in this mighty reputation he lived till the Year 1670. which was the 70th year of his Age. When like the Tyrant Tiberius after so many Murthers and sorts of unnatural Lusts he was no longer able to endure the remorse of his awakened conscience but to ease the inquietudes of his guilty mind was forced to accuse himself which he first of all did among those of his own party and desired them to bring him to publick Justice to expiate for his abominable crimes But they considering what a confounding scandal and dishonour the Hypocrisie of such an eminent Professor would reflect upon the whole Sect did with all possible care and industry strive to conceal the Major's condition which they did for several months till one of their own Ministers whom they esteem'd more forward than wise revealed the secret to the Lord Abbotshall then Provost of Edinburgh who judging humane Nature uncapable of such horrid crimes as the Minister told him the Major had confessed concluded he was fallen into a phrenzy or high degree of melancholy and therefore courteously sent some Physicians of his own perswasion and acquaintance to visit him and Physick him for his distempered Brain But the Physicians returning to the Provost assured him that the Major was in good health and that he was free of Hypocondriack Distempers and had as sound intellectuals as ever he had had and that they believed his Distemper was only an exulcerated Conscience which could not be eas'd till he was brought to condign punishment as with cryings and roarings he desir'd to be Afterwards the Provost for his further satisfaction sent some Conventicle-Ministers to enquire into his condition and make a report thereof who finding it impossible to disguise the matter which now was Town-talk told his Lordship that the Major was not affected with melancholy but that the terrours of God which were upon his Soul urg'd him to confess and accuse himself The Provost thereupon began to conclude that he had good grounds to take publick notice of this affair and therefore without further enquiry sent the guards of the City to seize upon the Major and his Sister who was involv'd in his confessions and carry them both to the publick Goal There they were visited by Persons of all Sorts and Qualities Clergy-men Lay-men Physicians Lawyers Conforming and Non-conforming Ministers who all flocked thither to see this Monster and discourse with him about his horrible crimes They had not been long in Prison before they were brought to Tryal which was on the

several Copies of his intended Speech whereof one was found in his Pocket and taken from him before he was carried out to Execution It is long and the former part containing nothing but Libellous reflections on the Privy Council the Justiciary Lords and the King's Advocate I shall content my self to send you a transcript of the latter I Acknowledge my particular and private sins have been such as have merited a worse Death unto me but I dye in the hope of the merits of Jesus Christ to be freed from those Eternal punishments due to me for sin Yet I am confident that God doth not plead with me in this place for my private and particular sins but that I am brought here that the Work of God might be made manifest and for the Tryal of Faith John 9. 3. 1 Pet. 1. 7. and that I may be a witness for his despised Truth and interest in this Land who am called to seal the same with my Blood And I wish heartily that this my poor Life may put an end to the persecution of the true Members of Christ in this Kingdom so much actuate by these perfidious Prelates and in opposition to whom and in testimony of the Cause of Christ I at this time willingly lay down my Life and bless my God that he hath thought me so much worthy to do the same for his Glory and Interest Finally concerning a Christian Duty in a singular extraordinary case and my particular Judgement concerning both Church and State it is evidently declar'd and manifested more fully elsewhere So farewel all Earthly enjoyments and welcome Father Son and Holy Spirit into whose hands I commend my spirit As to that particular Christian duty in an extraordinary case and his Judgement concerning Church and State manifested elsewhere he means a larger blasphemous Libel which he left behind him wherein he endeavours to justifie his fact It is very long but yet I beseech you to read it over and if you have not read Naphthali nor Jus Populi vindicatum which is a Reply to the Answer which the Bishop of Orkney whom this miscreant wounded made to Naphthali I am confident you must be surpriz'd with horrour and astonishmment to see such Un-christian Doctrines come from a Christian Pen. Yet the Primitive Churches never receiv'd the Apostolick Epistles with greater veneration than the Members of our Field-Congregations receive such discourses as this nor can any Church-man respect any ancient Ecclesiastical Writer half so much as they adore Naphthali which is written in the Defence of the Rebellion in 1666. and wherein this horrid mans attempt upon the Primate is commended for an Heroical Act and that cursed Book with Lex Rex Jus populi vindicatum and Mr. Rutherfords Letters are the Fathers and Counsels of our Fife and Western Whigs I have here subjoyned the Account of my self principles and foresaid practises as they were set down in a Letter to a Friend and another Declaration both written by me when first Conveened before the Lords Justices in the year 1674. The Coppy of my Letter Edinburgh Tolbuith February the 16th 1674. SIR ME who may justly call my self the least of all Saints and the chiefest of all Sinners hath Christ his Son our Lord called to be a Witness for his destroyed Truth and trampled on Interest by this Wicked Blasphemous and God-contemning Generation and against all their other perfidious Wickednesses Sir I say the confidence I have in your real Friendship and love to Christ his Truth People Interest and Cause hath incouraged me to write to you hoping that you will not misconstruct nor take advantage of my Infirmities and Weakness you have heard of my Indictment which I take up in these two particulars First as they term it Rebellion and Treason anent which I answered to my Lord Chancellor that it was no Rebellion but a Duty which every one was bound to have performed in joyning with that party And in the year 1656. Mr. Robert Lightonne being the Primate of the Colledge of Edinburgh before our Laureation tendered to us the national Covenant and solemn League and Covenant which upon mature Deliberation I found nothing in them but a short compend of the Moral Law only obliging us to our Duty towards God and Men in their several Stations and I finding that our then banished Kings Interest lay wholly included therein viz. Both the Oath of Coronation Allegiance c. And they being the then tessera of all Loyalty And My Lord it was well known that then many were taking the Tender and forswearing Charles Stewarts Parliament and House of Lords I then subscribed them both The doing of which My Lord Chancellor would have stood me at no less rate if all 's well known then this my present adhering and prosecuting the ends thereof doth now And when I was questioned what then I called Rebellion I answered That it is Ezra 7. 26. And whosoever will not do the Law of thy God and of the King c. But being questioned by the Commissioner before the Council there anent I answered as I said to My Lord Chancellor before in the year 1656. Mr. Robert Lightonne being then Primate of the Colledge of Edinburgh before our Laureation he tendered to us the national Covenant and solemn League and Covenant where he stopped me saying I wade you are come here to give a Testimony and then being demanded what I called Rebellion if it was not Rebellion to oppose His Majesties Forces in the face to which I answered My Lord Commissioner if it please your Grace I humbly conceive that they should have been with us meaning that it was the Duty of those Forces to have joyned with us according to the national Covenant at which answer I perceived him to storm But says he I hear that you have been over Seas with whom did you Converse there Answer with my Merchant My Lord. But saith he with whom in particular with one John Michel a Cousin of mine saith he I have heard tell of him he is a Factor in Rotterdam to which I conceded But saith he did you not Converse with Mr. Levingston and such as he To which I answered My Lord Commissioner I Conversed with our banisht Ministers to which he replyed banisht Ministers banisht Traytors he will speak Treason at the very Bar. Then he answered himself saying but they would call the shooting at the Bishop an Heroick Act To which I answered That I never told them of any such thing Question But where did you see James Wallace last Answ Towards the borders of Germany some year ago Quest But what ailed you at my Lord St. Andrews here pointing at him with his finger Answ My Lord Commissioner the grievous oppression and horrid Bloodshed of my Brethren and the eager pursuit after my own Blood as it appeareth this day to your Grace and to all His Majesties Honourable Council after which he commanded to take me away that they might see what