of Glorious Memory fell under I pray god forgive my Enemies as I freely do those that Accused me those that witnessed against me and all others that either desired my Blood or rejoyce at the shedding of it and all Persons that have any ways concern'd themselves with me I freely forgive them with all my Soul and beg my dear Jesus to forgive them and all others God Almighty bless you and bless the whole Nation and the Government and preserve it from all Evil and Mischief that I am afraid is coming on it for the shedding of Innocent Blood Sweet Jesus lay not my Innocent Blood to their Charge I shall say no more now Publickly Asked the Executioner Whether the Rope was right or no He said Yes and he asked him Whether he did forgive him To which Mr. Langhorne said I freely do I shall now recommend my self to God in Private S. You may have liberty The Writer The Lord have Mercy on your Soul L. The Lord in Heaven Reward your Charity Crost himself pray'd again Blessed Jesus into thy Hands I recommend my Soul and Spirit now at this instant take me into Paradice I am desirous to be with my Jesus I am ready and you need stay no longer for me Concerning Sr. George Wakeman Mr. Corker Mr Marsh alias Marshal and Mr. Rumley THese were Tryed at the Old Bayley on the 18. of July against whom Dugdale first appearing repeats his former Story of his knowing long ago somthing of the Plot but more particularly about two years since That the Killing of the King and Duke of Monmouth was told him by the Priests and my L'd. Stafford That Hartcourts Letters besides others were ever directed to him frought with the Business of the Plot That he open'd many of them privately and that he kept those he could not handsomly Seal again which Reader infinitly amaz'd the Auditory as not being able to imagin why if he were such a Privado he should play such Tricks with his Fellows and especially when there was no design or Advantage in it for he had not one of them to produce as the Prisoners urg'd Nor could any body comprehend how the Conspirators themselves should have Letters of such Concern intercepted and not be presently in an Uproar Then he said that Sr. James Symons Mr. Howard Mr. Gerard and Mr. Adderley were to be Officers in the Army which was to be rais'd That he saw St. Omer Acquittances of July last of the Payment of the money for this Affair That in a Letter directed to him there was also caution given That no Rumor should be of Armes or any thing else till the King were dispatch'd but he could not now recollect either who wrot it or its Date or from whence it came and yet 't was brought by the Common Post all which seem'd very strange to the Court nor did the Prisoners besides the other mad Assertions fail often to insist upon this Letter so that Dugdal being perplex'd Confounded was forc'd to run to another forsooth brought by a particular Messenger and Communicated also to my Lord Aston which at last prov'd as wild and odd as the former for it came he said from Paris and from Sr. John Warner as he thinks promising them not only all Assistance but advising them also to lay the Kings murther on the King-killing Presbiterians which would make the Church of England joyn with the Papists to cut them off and that my Lord Stafford Bellasis and Arundel did approve of this Advice by setting their very Hands to it which Reader was incredible Moreover he affirmed besides the notice of Sr. E. Godfreys Death as before That my Lord Stafford who came down about July last offer'd him 500 l. as a present Encouragement for Killing the King and to be received at his Arrival at London in October That they had all a great Confidence in him for he had bin free of his Purse in giving the Priests 400 l. secur'd upon Lands and 100 l. more on promise a passage Mr. Corker made sport with as thinking it very pleasant and prety for him to give 500 l. with one hand for the promotion of the Cause and then for Encouragement to receive as much with the other Nor had Dâ—gdal any better Reply ready than that my Lord Stafford he supposes knew not of the money given before by him which was far from answering the Difficulty why such a Zealot as he should have Encouragement for his bare personal help even out of the present publick Stock especially when he confesses the Contributions were so backward that Mr. Peter ' s complain'd to him of it But the Evidence that made the most Mirth both then and since was Mr. Whites Letter sent by the Common Post as he also mentions in the former Tryal to command Mr. Evers in express Terms To Choose hardy persons to kill the King for the Expedient in case Letters did miscarry which made not a few Laugh outright was That he the said Dugdal should be the only Person hang'd the Jesuits having as he assures the Court so devised it That they never subscib'd but two Letters of their names and the packet being directed to him he was upon all accidents to deny it and to observe the Secrecy which they had at least ten times sworn him to and then they could not be discover'd he said but must go free seeing all was flung upon him This Evidence being thus without either Head or Taile Rhyme or Reason the King's Counsel told the Prisoners that it was not to affect any in particular but to prove the Plot in general whereupon Sr. G. Wakeman readily answered That it was the worst made out that ever any thing was he believes â—rance therfore being next repeats also his old Tale and among the particulars of my Lord Arundel's Butler's acquainting him That the King was to be killed by Mr. Messenger and then Mr. Messenger's Answering him afterwards in surprize when he found â—rance knew it That they were now off the Business and then he adds as new That Mr. Paston told him that Sr. Henry Benningfield Mr. Stoner and Mr. Talbot of Long-ford had Commissions to to raise an Army which was to be Govern'd by the Ld's Bellasis Powis and Peters as Gâ—ove assur'd him whilst he was buying silver Spoons of him for a Christning Then stood up a new Witness to wit Mr. Robert Jennison who said That Mr. Ireland told him in June 78 his sister Anne Ireland being by that there was hope of the Restauration of their Religion that only one stood in the Gap and that it was easie to poyson the King That he the said Witness call'd it a horrid Action That Mrs Ireland did rebuke her Brother for talking so who answered That he thought it ought not to be done That Mr. Jennison reply'd that Violence would never do the thing it being a Scandal
refus'd Paper and expresly deny'd to send for his Witnesses Besides Mrs. Yorke who actually liv'd both before and after April in her Brother Grove's house attested that she saw not Oates there which he excus'd by his being forsooth in Disguise In conclusion there were three that gave evidence against Mr. Ireland for Oates produced one Sarah Paine an ordinary Maid that had formerly serv'd Grove who swore she saw him about the Twelfth of August in Town at the door of his Lodging Whereupon the Prisoners were all Condemn'd and being carried back to Newgate Mr. Ireland writ there under his own hand a Journal which shew'd where he was every day and who saw him from the Third of August to the Fourteenth of September being the time of his absence from London The chief places were Tixhal Holy Well Wolver-Hampton and Boscobel the Persons that saw him were of great Quality as my Lord Aston and his Family Sir John Southâ—â—â— and his Family Madam Harwel and hers several of the Giffords of Chillington several of Sir John Winfords Relations Madam Crompton and Mr. Bidolph of Bidolph Sir Thomas Whitgrave Mr. Chetwin Mr. Gerard and his Family Mr. Heningham and his the Pendrels of Boscobel and above Forty more nor is there one day during the whole time 〈◊〉 which there cannot be produced above a dozen of these Witnesses On Fryday the Twenty Fourth of January Mr. Ireland and Mr. Grove were carried to Tyburn where they spoke as follows Mr. Irelands Speech WE are come hither as on the last Theater of the World and do therefore conceive we are obliged to speak First then we do confess that we pardon all and every one whatsoever that have any Interest Concern or Hand in this our Death Secondly We do publickly profess and acknowledge that we are here obliged if we were Guilty our selves of any Treason to declare it and that if we knew any Person faulty therein although he were our Father we would detect and discover him and as for our selves we would beg a Thousand and a Thousand Pardons both of God and Man but seeing we cannot be believed we must beg leave to commit our selves to the Mercy of Almightly God and hope to find Pardon of him through Christ As for my own part having been twenty Years in the Low-Countries and then comming over in June was twelve month I had return'd again had not I been hindred by a Fit of Sickness On the third of August last I took a journey into Stafford-shire and did not come back to Town before the Fourteenth day of September as many can Witness for a Hundred and more saw me in Stafford-shire and thereabouts Therefore how I should in this time be acting here Treasonable Stratagems I do not well know or understand Here one of the Sherifs told him he would do well to make better use of his time than to spend it in such like Expressions for No body would believe him Not that they thought much fo their time for they would stay but such kind of words did arraign the proceedings of the Court by which they were tryed Then Mr. Ireland proceeded and said I do here beg of God Almighty to Showr down a Thousand and a Thousand Blessings upon his Majesty on her Sacred Majesty on the Duke of York and all the Royal Family and also on the whole Kingdom As for those Catholicks that are here we desire their Prayers for a happy passage into a better World and that he would be Merciful to all Christian Souls And as for all our Enemies we earnestly desire that God would Pardon them again and again for we pardon them heartily from the bottom of our Hearts And so I beseech all good people to pray for us and with us Then Mr. Groves said WE are innocent we loose our lives wrongfully we pray God to forgive them that are the Causers of it MR. Pickering being Repriev'd till the Nineth of May was then brought to the place of Execution expressing infinit Joy at that great happiness and taking it upon his Salvation that he was Innocent in thought word and deed of all that was laid to his charge Being taxed for a Priest he smilingly deny'd it saying he was but a Lay-Brother then Praying for his Accusers and Enemies he said to the Hang-man Friend do thy Office and presently after was turn'd over being regretted by many as seeming a very harmless Man and altogether unfit for the Desperate Employment put upon him Concerning Mr. Hill Green and Berry MR. Hill servant to Doctor Godwin Green an antient â—eeble man Cushion-keeper of the Chappel and Berry the Porter of Somerset-House were tryed at the Kings Bench Bar on Munday the tenth of Feb. 1678. where Oates swore that he was told by Sir Edmund Godfrey the week before he was missing That after the Plot was known several Popish Lords some of whom are now in the Tower had threatned him asking what he had to do with it That other Persons desirous of the full Discovery threatned him with the Parliament for his Remisness That he was in a great Fright saying He went in â—ear of his Life by the Popish Party as having bin often dogg'd That he came some times to the said Oates for Encouragement That he did encourage him by telling him That he would suffer for a just Cause and the like Prance swore That at the plow Girald and Kelley two Priests did about a fortnight before the Murder entice him to it saying That Sir Edmund-Godfrey was a busy man and would do a great deal of mischief That Green Girald and Hill dogg'd Sir Edmund Godfrey to a House at St. Clements That Green came about seven at night to tell Prance of it Kelly and Girald being at watch there but the said Green did not tell him where at St. Clements Sir Edmund Godfrey was nor did any of the rest do it That about the hour of Eight or Nine Sir Edmund Godfrey came homewards That Hill ran before to give the Conspirators notice of it at Sommerset-House and then going to the Gate He told Sir Edmund that two men were quarelling within and desir'd him being a Justice to qualify them that he consented to it but when he came to the bottom of the Railes Green threw a twisted Handâ—ercher about his neck and cast him behind the Railes and throtled and punch'd him That within a quarter after Prance who had bin before watching above at the Water-gate came down and laying his hand upon the body found the leggs to totter and shake and then Green wrung his neck quite round But here the Reader is to take notice that Prance having related the matter of Fact in this manner Mr. Attorney askt him on a sudden if he saw Green thus wâ—ing his neck No answered he forgeting what he had just before said but Green did afterwards tell me that he did it which words supris'd not a â—ew Then he proceeded and
for the Catholick Cause under the Command of my Lord Bellasis Powis and Arundel and that there should be Trade enough for him and others in Church-Work That he going to Mr. Fenwick's Chamber and his Confessarius Father James being dead Mr. Fenwick would have had him come to Confession to him and enjoyn'd him Secresie once or twice Then Bedlow was call'd who said That he question'd not but Mr. White and Fenwick would now object his former slender Evidence against them but that it was then Convenient for otherwise it would have stopt a Design there being a Treaty with Mr. Reading about them two as well as the Lords in the Tower So that Mr. Reading depended on him as to the favouring the said Lords according as he dealt with these which made him then Apologize in Court as some of the Justices he believ'd did remember That he could not then safely declare all he had to say and in truth he was so far from saying all that he did not say half of it Now as to the Particulars of his then Evidence it was he affirm'd thus That he had seen Mr. White at several Consults but this he said with a Caution viz. That he never heard Mr. White was so very much concern'd in the Plot because he had no reaeson to say otherwise since he heard of it from Mr. White himself and so could not well speak it from a Hear-say And for Mr. Fenwick he never heard him 't is true give in any Answer but yet he had seen him at the Consults This was Bedlow's Prelude but whether Satisfactory or not the Auditors then and the Readers now can best judge and especially since his former Charge was not as he would now have it to be it being without any Apology or Advertisement to the Court that he had more to say against them as it most manifestly appears by Ireland's Printed Tryal For being then ask't Whether he knew any thing of Mr. White 's being present at any of the Consults His Answer was That he had the least Acquaintance with him of any of all the Society yet both he and Mr. Fenwick had been several times at Consultations but he knew not the particular Resolves of them nor had he heard them speak any thing in particular only he was often told that nothing was done without Fenwick but this Evidence not being enough the Jury was Discharged of them and they Remanded to Prison The Court taking no notice of Bedlow's Pretence and Plea or of Mr. White 's Demand viz. Whether any thing he had now said was in the last Tryal the Chief Justice askt Bedlow if they had told him any thing of Killing the King who answered Yes For White had told Coleman the manner of sending the Four Ruffians to Windsor That he saw Hartcourt take out of a Cabinet 80. or a 100 l. That Hartcourt paid them the Money by Coleman's Order and gave the Messenger a Guinney to Drink his Health for Coleman was gone before he the said Bedlow came in Moreover he had seen Mr. Fenwick at Mr. Hartcourt's and White 's Chamber when this whole Business was spoken of That he heard from Mr. White and others in Mr. Hartcourt's Chamber of Grove's and Pickering's Reward or Killing the King as aforesaid That Pickering had received Checks for slipping many Opportunities For once his Flint was loose another time there was no Power in the Pan a third time he Charg'd the Pistol with Bullets and no Powder and a fourth time as one that was at the Tryal assur'd me though the Common Print has omitted it he Charg'd it with Powder only Which Reader if these Attempts had bin Bells are all the Charges that can be Rung on them That Mr. White was in Mr. Hartcourt's Chamber with him and others where 't was agreed that the Additional 5000 l. should be given Sir George Wakâ—man and yet Oats in his Evidence told us That Mr. White order'd it by Letter from Flanders He further sayes That Fenwick was to go to New-Market along with Coniers c. to Destory the King there in his Morning-Walk That he knew nothing in particular of Turner and Gaven That â—e had brought Hartcourt many Pacquets from Spain France Flanders c. about this Affair That he had often carryed the Papers of Business to Mr. Langhorne to Register them That he saw Hartcourt in Sir William Aderson's Presence give a Bill of Exchange to Sir George Wakeman of 2000 l. in part of a greater Sum That Sir George then said 15000 l. was too small a Reward for setling Religion but that Sir George did not read out the Merchant's Name on whom it was drawn After this two Letters were produc'd taken among Mr. Hartcourt's papers The first being from Mr. Peters here in England in which the 24 th of April was mention'd as the day of the meeting Now because it was there enjoyn'd that they should not appear much about Town till the meeting were over lest their Design should be suspected and because of the word Design as also that Secrecy was much recommended as in its own nature necessary The C. Justice thought it extremly conduc'd to the making out of the Plot. As for the second it was from Mr. Anderton at Rome bearing date the 5th of February was Twelve month where mention being made of Patents that were sent and Patents being in the Plural number 't was thought that these were the Commissions so often spoken of The Charge being finish'd it became soon very dubious as to Gaven and Turner because Oates knew them not at their Apprehension and his own words in Court make it good for first He confest that when he met Gaven after his apprehension in the Lobby and was askt by a Gentleman about him he did not well know him nor could say any thing against him then because being under an ill favour'd Perriwig and being a man he knew had a good Head of Hair he did not understand the MYSTERY of it and so spar'd his Evidence and informing the Councel against him Again Gaven produc'd several Staffordshire Witnesses and among others Sir John Winford's Neece and her Maid where he sojourned who attested that they were very confident of his being with them besides other moneths all June and July 'till the 23th because they remember not his absence yet they would not positively say that 't was impossible for him to be away some days since they had no particular Circumstances in readinesse but both they and the rest of his witnesses did averr that he was in Wolver-Hampton from the 23th to the end of July for then to their knowledge he was in the Spiritual Exercise which in truth included the very time of Oates his Accusation for by his saying that Gaven was in London either in July or August and then absolutely agreeing that it was in July it in manner follows that the time
was order'd to acquaint Mr. Langhorn in the Temple of the MINUTS past at the said Consult by which he understood of Grove's and Pickerings employment and Reward That Mr. Langhorn with lifted up hands and eyes for the good successe did then sign also the Consult and told him That he had Receiv'd about fifty Commissions from Rome and among others shew'd him the Commissions for my L'd. Arundel Powis Stafford Bellassis and Peters as also Mr. Langhorn's own to be Advocate of the Army which were all Sealed with the Jesuits Cross or Cipher and signed by their General the Seal and Hand being the same as that of the Patent which Oates had then in Court viz. a Pattent constituting F. Stapleton Rector of St Omers and found it seemes among the Jesuits Papers That He the said Oates saw those Commissions in his Study upon his Desk when as Mr. Langhorn appeals in his Memoires to all that great Company which frequented his Chamber whether any of them ever saw a Desk in his Study That Mr. Langhorn gave him several Originals from F. Anderton and La Chaise who did assure them of his Constancy in carrying on the Cause and that the French King would stand by them with Men and Money That Mr. Langhorn being Sollicitor for the Jesuits did Communicate the Design to the Benedictins who promis'd 6000 l. That Mr. Langhorn call'd Sr. George Wakeman a narrow soul'd Phisitian for not being content with 10000. l. That he the said Oates never stir'd out of the Colledge of St. Omer from December till his coming away in April except a Night or two at Watten and when he went to Paris 'T was here some two questions before that Mr. Langhorn began to be Nice about the time of his coming to St. Omers c. whereupon the Court answer'd That all the Defences of the Papists lay in Catches about time a thing which no man living could be positive in which heartned Oates not a little for he being presently askt by Mr. Langhorn when he return'd in April into England he answered about the middle of that moneth and that he stay'd under twenty dayes a Latitude which he would now have fain granted him by reason of his ill success in the former Tryal though the Court never then pretended as you saw to extend it to above eight or ten and because he fear'd Mr. Langhorn he desired the Court to ask the Questions adding that he knew they would be so kind as to ask him such Questions as were reasonable After this Mr. Langhorn demanded whether he came with Hildestey from Dover by Coach or on Horseback to which Oates after much hesitation answer'd That the Question was so sudden that he could not be positive but at last said that as near as he could remember It was by Coach This strange uncertainty amaz'd many but more smild at it considering that in truth he had reason for what he did as not knowing the question was casual but that Mr. Langhorn might have Witnesses ready to prove how Mr. Hildesley made that journey nay he would not tell Mr. Langhorn positively whether he lay at Grove's the first night of his coming to London or no though he 〈◊〉 directly sworn in Irelands Tryal as has bin mention'd before That he was commanded to lie close at that House so that if he had had such Instructions it was impossible for him not to remember whether he broke them or no and more especially at his first Arrival about so dangerous and great an affair Bedlow brought up the Reer and after he had also produc't as Oates had done before a private Patent of the Jesuits found by him in the search of Mr. Arthur's House and which Reader you must know is written forsooth in the same Hand and seal'd with the same Seal as the Commissions were he had seen at Paris I say after this he askt fearing there would be Witnesses to what he said whether a Papist might take Notes The Court at first thought not But when they understood that the Scribe was the Marchioness Dowager of Winchester 't was answer'd That a Womans Notes would signifie no more than her Tongue and then he thus began That Coleman carried him about three Years ago to Mr. Langhorn's Chamber who in his presence register'd several Treasonable Letters for La-Chaise c. some of which had been read in Court at Coleman's Trial That there was no a penny of money receiv'd or paid or the least thing done in relation to the Plot that was not registered by Mr. Langhorn That a year and a half ago he carried a Pacquet from Hartcourt to be registred That he was registred by the name of Captain Williams and not by his own which he wondring at Hartcourt Answer'd That this was but a blind Register and that there should be a new one That one of these Letters was from the Rector of the Irish College at Salamanca who desir'd the Lords and the rest here to be ready for that he had provided at the Groin as Pilgrims several Irish cashier'd Soldiers and Bandits as also a great many Lay-Brothers who landing at Milford should be joyn'd with the Army my Lord Powis was to raise That in May 76. he carried a Letter to Mr. Stapleton the Benedictin to raise money for England That Pritchard told him That Mr. Langhorn had Commissions That Sir H. Tichbourn shew'd him three at Paris sign'd by the General of the Jesuits and seal'd with their Seal like the before-mention'd Patent That he knows only by report of Mr. Langhorn's being privy to Grove's and Pickering's design of Killing the King for having a mind to go to Windasor to see what the Assassines did he askt Hartcourt leave as if he went to a friend at Plimouth who Answer'd He could not be spared till they knew how the Gentlemen had succeeded and that he the said Hartcourt was going to Mr. Langhorns to take the MINVTES which was the contrivance of sending down the Assassines to New-Market That the Letter which he saw Mr. Langhorn Register to the Benedictins beyond Sea was to Sollicit them to get their contributions ready since the Hearts and Arms of the party 〈◊〉 ready here and That in the French Letter to F. La Chaise Registred also by Mr. Langhorn there were invitations to that King to invade us Now upon Mr. Langhorn's saying that he understood only Law-French as an Argument that he could be no Register and upon Bedlow's confessing he never heard him discourse in French Oates to salve the difficulty cry'd out and thereby made not a few laugh That he himself could neither write not read French but he could Translate it And when Bedlow was askt by Mr. Langhorn whether Mr. Coleman's Letter Transcrib'd by him were long like those in the Narrative or no the said Bedlow Answer'd The best part of half a sheet of Paper for