The Lord Peterborough 's Depositions and Defence at the Council-Board p. 61. 62. 63. c Depositions and Examinations of several Persons relating to the New-Plot p. 45. 46. and so on to the end of the Book THE NARRATIVE OF Mr. Tho. Dangerfield ABout the latter end of March last past one Mrs. White who had been a Prisoner divers times in Newgate and Convicted was released out of Prison by one Mrs. Cellier And the said Mrs. White in regard I had been very instrumental for her Enlargement came divers times to Newgate where I was Prisoner also to visit me where she discover'd That I did profess the Roman Catholick Faith and likewise That some difference had arisen between Captain Richardson and me upon which I had sworn a Revenge From that time I began to make it my business to inspect his Usage of Prisoners where I found some ground for drawing up Articles against him which accordingly I did and acquainted Mrs. White with it who told me I did very well and That she would bring a Lady to me who would give me great Incouragement in that Affair And about two days after she brought the said Mrs. Cellier who was very friendly to me and after a strict inquiry into the Cause of my Confinement as also concerning my Religion Parentage Education and Travels demanded If I were capable of undertaking Business I answered Yes then says she For the present let me see how you can draw up those Articles against Captain Richardson and thereupon gave me some Instructions for the same in Writing But it is to be suppos'd That Mrs. Cellier and Mrs. White from whom she had taken the said Instructions had throughly consulted my Condition and Capacity before Mrs. Cellier came to me and as I was inform'd Mrs. White and Mrs. Cellier soon after they were acquainted made diligent enquiry after the Prisoners in Newgate and asked If it were not possible to find a Man of Courage amongst them and one who would Reform and the said Mrs. White having such an opinion of me made this the chief occasion of Mrs. Cellier's Visit But I drew up Articles pursuant to the Directions I had received which together with those which I had drawn from my own Observation amounted to so considerable a Charge as if the Particulars could have been sufficiently proved it must certainly have been very prejudicial to Captain Richardson The Articles are too long and not worth while to be here inserted So I refer the Readers if they desire to satisfie their Curiosity to the Coffee-houses where they are to be seen at all times At the second time of Mrs. Cellier's coming I had finished them and she perused the Papers and liked them well and express'd much sorrow for my Misfortunes saying she would use all possible means for my Enlargement and told me she had something of far greater moment for me to undertake than that but in the mean time advised me to complain to Mr. Recorder of Captain Richardson for his hard usage of me in the Prison and told me That she would immediately go to Alderman Jeffreys and make by Alderman Jeffreys his means such Interest with Mr. Recorder as Captain Richardson could not oppose and that my Request should be granted The Sunday following I went to the Recorder where I found all performed that Mrs. Cellier had promised and I no sooner moved for any favour but it was granted especially that of having better usage whilst I continued in Prison which accordingly I found The next time Mrs. Cellier sent her Maid to me who in her Mistresses Name bad me be of good courage for I should in a short time be at Liberty about two days after her Mistress came and told me Mr. Williams the Solicitor was employed to get me Let out upon Bail but in the mean time that I should want for nothing and bad me as often as I had occasion for Money or other necessaries to send to her House in Arundel-Street and I should be Furnished as I often did do and was supplied accordingly About two days after Mrs. Cellier sent her Maid to me with a Message that her Mistress was gone to Peterley in Buckingham-shire about extraordinary business but would return in a day or two which business might if I were willing be much to my advantage the said Maid came to me every day after that either to bring me Money or to enquire of my health and condition When Mrs. Cellier return'd to Town she came to see me I being still in Newgate and said within a day or two I should be inlarged and at the same time at my entreaty she gave one Godfrey a Roman Catholick and a Prisoner Money to relieve him and has ever since allowed him a weekly Pension the next day she sent her Maid with my Discharge under Mr. Recorders hand who had taken Bail for me and desired to know what the Charge of the House came to which I cast up and sent her and immediately after the Maid returned with the Money I paid the Charges of the Prison and was absolutely Discharged from thence but immediately or before I was well out of those rude limits I was Arrested and carried to the Counter which Mrs. Cellier was much troubled to hear of and the next day sent her Maid to me to know the cause of it which I told her and how much Money would purchase my Liberty with this the Maid went to her Mistress and immediately return'd with Money and this Answer That her Mistress had ordered business for me to do within two days of great consequence and if I could get out by that time she would purchase my enlargement at any rate but if not her Mistress could not tell whether ever I should be freed by her or no. Now upon these words I being as desirous of the fresh Air as any person could be who had suffered a years Imprisonment as I had done sent for a Solicitor and it being within the Term gave order for a Habe as Corpus which was prosecuted with such expedition by one Mr. Scarlet that the next being Munday morning it was allowed and I brought to the Kings Bench Bar and from thence turn'd over according to the course of that Court to the Kings Bench from whence I sent Mrs. Cellier this following Letter Madam I Am now in a greater Labyrinth than ever and am heartily sorry I have expos'd you to so much Charge that I am not capable either of congratulation or restitution wherefore I refer all to your good and charitable consideration c. Willoughby Her Answer by her Maid the same day was as followeth Sir I Suppose your expensive business has drein'd your Pockets I here send you 20 s. and promise since I have undertaken the thing I will see you at Liberty and not only so but make your Fortune if you will be ruled and in order to it I will be with you tomorrow I am E. C. By
Nay said he you might have done it with all the Security in the World for no manner of Hurt could have befallen you Why said I Mr. Gadbury would not Death unavoidably have been the Consequence of it No said he not if you undertook it For before you were Released out of the Kings Bench Prison I had an exact account from Mrs. Cellier what Year Month Week Day and Hour you were born in and the Countess of Powis ordered me to Calculate your Nativity Now I do remember that when I was in the Kings Bench I received by the Hands of Mrs. Cellier's Maid a Letter in which her Mistriss desired me to give an exact account of the time of my Birth which I did in my next Letter to her But wondering what her meaning might be in desiring it I read the Letter to the Maid thinking that she might possibly be able to give me some light into it But she pretended she knew nothing of the matter so I sent her away And what I have told ye said he appear'd to be so clear and demonstrable that you were by all meaning I suppose the Lords in the Tower adjudged A Person design'd by Heaven for that bold and daring Enterprize But I was soon weary of his Discourse and as soon as conveniently I could I took my leave of him and returned home to Mrs. Celliers House where I then lodged and after some Discourse of the Lord Peterborough I told what Discourse had passed betwixt Gadbury and me and how he had entertained me with Frowns at which she fell into a great Laughter and said Mr. Gadbury was in his Heart a good Catholick This Gadbury was the Author of the Ballad of the Popish Plot which was pretended to be writ by a Woman and many other Seditious Pamphlets Now you must understand that after Gadbury had first Chastised me for not undertaking what the Lords in the Tower proposed to me I found him to smile in another occasion which made me believe that Gadbury knew of the Design to Kill the Lord Shaftsbury The next day being Sunday came Mr. Regaut the Virginia Merchant that the Lord Powis promised should Treat with me about Murthering the Earl of Shaftsbury and Dined at Mrs. Celliers that Day Before Dinner we had no Discourse upon the Business but afterwards he told me of the whole matter and what I had promised at the Tower to the Lord Powis and the Lord Arundel which I wondered at not thinking him to have been the Person For I had divers times seen him at Powis house with Mrs. Cellier but never thought or heard that he was privy to any of our Business but now there is reason to suspect his knowledge of the whole There he opened the manner of the thing to me demanding how I would order the Money to be paid when I had accomplish'd that bloody Design or if it should be brought in Guineys and left with Mrs. Cellier for me I answered No not so for divers reasons but desired when he heard of the Lord Shaftsbury's death and should receive a Note from me that the Money might be immediately paid for my use which he promised should be done and desired Mrs. Cellier to let me know where he liv'd when I should have occasion to send to him Then he told me I must advise with one Mr. Dormer Mr Sharpe Mr. Knowls Mr. Munson Mr. Remese and some others about the manner of doing the Business which I promised to do that was all the Discourse I had with him then so I having business in the City that night I took my leave leaving Mrs. Cellier and him together On Monday morning I went to Mr. Dormer at Madam Dormers in St. John's where I told him my Resolution about my Lord Shaftsbury and he embraced me very kindly but said he could wish that might be suspended for a time For said he there are some Priests that are falling that is to say troubled with remorse of Conscience and were upon the point of discovering the Designs they were engaged in their names were one Southerne and Mr. Clay the latter is now lodged at Mr. Blazedale's house the Apothecary in Arundol Street These persons being thought dangerous he demanded if I would venture to hire a small Vessel and endeavor to transport them to any part of France or Flanders I promised I would and he told me he would furnish me with Money for it at his own Charge Then I came away and the next time I saw him he had conceived some better way For said he Mr. Southerne I have sent to a secure place in Buckinghamshire and Mr. Clay is placed at Mr. Blazedale's who will be very careful of him Then we discoursed of putting in execution the Design against the Lord Shaftsbury He spoke a great deal upon the Subject but little to the purpose in my opinion at last finding that I gave but little heed to what he said he took his leave but on the Monday morning I went again to him to St. John's After which I went according to order to Mr. Knowles the Priest to Confession He lodged then at a Coffee-house in White-Fryers that has a Back-door into Water-lane Of him I received the Sacrament and had his advice about Murdering the Lord Shaftsbury which was so silly and weak that I shall not mention any part of it here Knowles sent me to the Lady Abergaveney telling me she was a witty Lady and held a great Correspondence with the Lord Shaftsbury and therefore was the more fit to give me advice So I left him and went to that Lady who then lodged at one Mrs. Griffins house in Holborn-Row in upper Lincolns-Inn Fields I was admitted into her Chamber and let her Ladiship know who I was and whence I came She told me she had heard much of me and gave me thanks for my diligence in the Cause but coming to treat about the main Business with her she told me 't was as easie to Kill the Lord Shaftsbury as a Bird on a Tree I asked her how then she proposed several ways but this amongst the rest viz. That I should pretend to have skill in Curing the Gout and be recommended by her to my Lord Shaftsbury and having access to him for that purpose should watch my opportunity She said she had advis'd with Mr. Knowles and Mr. Sharpe and they had agreed upon that way as the best and most secure that could be Then I went to Powis house where the Countess was to whom I repeated where I had been and what discourse I had with every of the aforesaid persons but particularly that Project of the Lady Abergaveneys Which her Ladiship thought but a very weak Contrivance but said that perhaps it might do So I parted without any orders to proceed as yet On Tuesday in the evening Mrs. Cellier went to Gadbury's a little before the time appointed to discourse with the Lord Peterborough and Gadbury about Sir Robert Peyton
he may be Examin'd This I wrote with my own Hand by Munson's order but did not send the Letter who was as urgent as the Lords to have me do some Service to the Cause For indeed I was not very forward to be concern'd on that manner with Mr. Bedloe and ask'd Mr. Munson and Kemesh What Service I should do the Lords by it They told me The Service I should the Lords would be by Declaring some things that they would tell me before I should be Examin'd which would make for them For I was first to be Sworn a Witness for the King and then to Swear such other Matter as they should direct me but this did not take in regard they could not contrive any secure Story or such as I who was to be the Actor could approve of Then Mr. Nevel sent me a Letter and advised me to use all the Care and Diligence I could to Compound my Debts and get out of Prison and to let me know how easie it was for me so to do told me The Lord Powis Lord Petre Lord Arundel Lord Bellasis and Lord Stafford had allowed Mrs. Cellier Money for that purpose and did particularly desire when I was out That I should be forthwith brought to them in the Tower as I afterwards was Then the same day I received a Letter from Mrs. Cellier by the hand of one Gifford one of the St. Omers Witnesses which Letter was much to the same effect with that which I had before received from Nevel Then I went for all or most of my Creditors whose Actions amounted to near 700 Pound and in a short time I brought them to Compound with me for their Debts and paid them the Composition agreed on being furnished with Money by Mrs. Cellier then I immediately obtained my Liberty and went to Mrs. Cellier's House in Arundel-street as I was directed but not finding her there the Maid directed me to Powis-house and to make sure sent Gifford with me where with much ado I found Mrs. Cellier for she was still forced to abscond from Sir William Waller I having present occasion for Money as not having paid the Fees of the Prison I pray'd Mrs. Cellier to let me have 5 l. she went into a withdrawing Room and talked with a person whom I afterwards discovered by Mrs. Cellier to be the Lady Powis who gave her the Money I desired saying Here do you give it him 't will be better from your hand than mine Then I went and discharged the House and return'd according to Mrs. Cellier's Order to Powis-house again where being by one of the Servants brought into the Gallery I found Mrs. Cellier who left me and promis'd to come presently as she did and told me I must see the Countess of Powis then she left me again to divert my self with the sight of some Pictures and return'd bringing with her the Countess who very joyfully thanked me for my diligence in the King's-Bench and there promised on her Honour for that I had acted so faithfully there it should make my Fortune provided I would undertake the Management of other Business which I promised to do and after a long and strict Charge given me by her Ladyship First To be stedfast in the Principles of my Religion Secondly To go once a Week to Mr. Munson to Confession which I also promised to do we parted for that time this was about the 6th of June 1679. But in the Afternoon of the same day the Countess met me again in the Gallery where her Ladyship told me That for me to be entertained there that is to say in Powis-house would not be convenient in regard of the business I was to be employ'd about For said she some of Captain Richardson's People may watch you to my House and by that means you would give an Obstruction to our Business and become uncapable of Appearing therein for prevention whereof she proposed a Lodging in Drury-lane at the Sign of the Goat And says the Lady when I have any Business I will send some of my Servants in Disguise to you but your opposite Neighbour says the Lady is one Mrs. Prince a Roman Catholick and a good Woman and one that always has good People in her House meaning by that as I suppose Priests the Countess advised me to Visit her the said Mrs. Prince sometimes which I did but I understand since she never knew any more of me from that time to the time of my Discovery but that I was imployed in the business of the Lords in the Tower she having been told so by Mrs. Cellier and others but notwithstanding my Lodging was at the Goat yet I was often sent for to Powis-house to be employed in Business first as a Solicitor I was to endeavour to get out some of the Catholick Party from their Imprisonments upon Bail but the Countess told me this would only be present Business and during the Term but there were other Affairs cut out for me from that time I went about the Enlargement of five or six Priests in the Gate-house and got two or three out one of which was Mackarthey who is since committed for a new but worse Matter All this time I was every day from six or seven a Clock in the Morning till ten or eleven at Night absent from my Lodging which made the People not a little wonder at my constant absence By this time thâ— Countess had writ a Letter to the Lord Castlemain and I was ordered to carry it whereupon I went to the Lord Castlemain's Lodging at Charing-Cross and delivered him the Letter who after his Lordship had perused it received me very kindly and then and there promised to make my Fortune if I would use my Endeavours to support the Catholick Cause as I should be directed I promised I would Now 't is to be supposed his Lordship was no stranger to the Transactions in the King's-Bench Then I waited till his Lordship had writ a Letter in Answer to that which I brought which being done I returned with it to the Countess who called to her Mrs. Cellier and opened and read it in my Hearing the Contents as I remember were thus viz. Madam JVst now I received Yours and will meet you at the Tower to Morrow at Ten a Clock but this Person I like well and though he be no Scholar yet he may serve to Instruct the Youths according as he shall be directed and in so doing I shall be eased of much Suspicion c. By the Youths is meant the St. Omers Witnesses who were lodged at Mrs. Cellier's House and were Instructed once in two days by the said Lord Castlemain all the time of their being in Town nay some of them wanted their Lessons even at the time of the first Tryal of the five Jesuits at the Old-Bayly and were there again Instructed but 't is apparently known how weakly they behaved themselves At the time when I returned from the Lord Castlemain with the
lest the Rabble out of inveterate hatred should offer them any injury this I did and secured them so that not above one received any hurt Then I was ordered to get into Court and take some Notes of the Tryals which I did till they were over the Lady Powis read them and sent me to the Tower to her Lord with them to whom I shewed the little imperfect Remarques I had taken he seemed to like them well and to encourage me to be industrious in other business commended me highly for this though I deserv'd it not and gave me far better encouragement than I ever had either from his Lady or any body else promising on his Honour to make my fortune if I would be ruled then his Lordship sent me to shew them or rather to shew my self to my Lord Bellasis and the other Three Lords but I being a stranger and not well knowing where to find their several Lodgings took with me one John Porter the Lord Powis's Butler who went with me to each of the other Lords Lodgings to whom I privately shewed the Remarques they all desired they might be Printed and gave money towards it one a Guiney another Fifty Shillings one half a Guiney another fifteen or sixteen shillings and when I returned to my Lord Powis I told him what the other Lords had done and he also contributed and told me the Lord Castlemain should do so too and at the same time his Lordship told me some person employed by them had taken the whole Tryals and they were at one Turners a Book-Seller but a Catholick to be Printed and ordered my Notes to be compared with his and one intire Relation to be composed out of both as was afterwards done then was the Lord Arundel come to Lord Powis's Lodging and the Lord Peters desired his Lordship to come into his Bed-Chamber where I was and as soon as Lord Arundel espied me he did me the Honour to lay his hand on my head and promised I should be well rewarded for all my diligence and at the same time Lord Powis asked me whether I had a faculty of Writing abusively and like a Satyrist and was Master of such a Style as would look well in Print for said his Lordship that Sot Nevel is so very delatory it is not to be endured therefore if you dare undertake the Writing of some sound Pamphlets it might be of very great Use to us to which I replied that I was not a competent judge of my own abilities but would do my best Then Lord Powis told me Mrs. Cellier should be allowed Ten shillings per week to Dyet me and his Lordship would allow me three pound per week for my expences in business and what ever hapned to be beyond that I should put into a Bill and bring or send it to his Lordship and I should forthwith have it paid the said Three pound ten shillings per week was constantly paid me whilst I serv'd them Then I was advised by both the Lords to lodge at Powis-house which advice came very seasonably for I knew very well that I had given my Landlord just occasion to harbour strange thoughts of me and conceive suspitions to my disadvantage About the eighteenth of June the Countess who knew that I was then lodged in Powis-house and by her Lords order sent me with a Letter to the Lady Tukes Lodgings in Scotland-yard which Lady seemed to take particular notice of me and was pleased to say she liked me very well and gave me two Guineys and demanded if I durst undertake a desperate Enterprise I answered yes then she went into her Closet and wrote a Letter for the Countess of Powis and gave it me to carry her and so I took my leave In my Return I went to wait on my Lord Castlemain who asked where I had been I answer'd at the Lady Tukes and so told his Lordship how she received me at which he seemed to be well-pleased and smiled and demanded if the Countess of Powis had not delivered to me her self or caused to be deliver'd some Papers relating to a business of Oates for which one Knox and Lane were in Prison in the Gate-House To which I answer'd no Then said he I will write to the Countess about it and order you Money and give you directions how to proceed in it There I waited till his Lordship writ a Letter which I carried to Lady Powis but first being sent for up I gave her Ladyship the Letter who before she opened it told me Mrs. Cellier would give me Money to get Knox and Lane out of Prison I then asked what they were in Custody for The Lady modestly answered 't was by Oates's means but if I could get them out he should not reign long in his Roguery From thenceforth I undertook it and had all the business and Papers delivered me by one Lawson an Attorny of Clement's-Inn who had been endeavouring two Terms to remove them by Habeas Corpus but could not I forthwith went to the Gate-House and found means to supply them both with Money though they were close confin'd and by a course that I took upon advice with the Priests there they had Pen Inke and Paper conveyed to them both but especially Lane who writ the first Letter which was to this effect I will die before I will comply with that Villain Oates and if any good people will work my Liberty I will do the Catholicks the greatest Service imaginable by Discovering what I know of Oates This is from the bottom of my heart and what I will die with So help me God This Letter was taken from Lanes hand under the door by one Tempest then a Prisoner in the Gate-House and by him given to one Mrs. Ayry who brought it to me at Powis-house and I shewed it the Countess who was more transported with joy than I can express and breaking out as it were into a Rapture Has God given us this unexpected help said she Well we will God-willing employ it to the best advantage charging me to use all expedition to get them both out and then I withdrew But as I understood the next day the good Countess was the greater part of that day on her knees to render thanks to Almighty God for this new occasion of strength that she supposed he had been pleased to bless their Cause with From that time I was very industrious in this business and had several Motions in the Kings Bench before I could get either of them to the Bar but at last I brought Lane out upon Bail to the great satisfaction of the whole Catholick Party but Knox I could not get out but have since been inform'd by himself that Nevel told some Friends of his that he did it and had Money from the Lords in the Tower for that purpose Now when I had got Lane out the Countess ordered me to bring him to Powis-house and lodge him there for the present and she
by Habeas Corpus from the Fleet-Prison to the Kings Bench which as Mrs. Cellier afterwards told me was on purpose to have him trie some experiment on Stroud who often was visited by the Countess of Powis and Mrs. Cellier but at last after they had well consulted the business of Stroud Nevel writes a Letter to me to put me upon a new Method of Pumping Stroud or getting the Papers from him the Contents of which Letter were as followeth Sir You must by some means get some six grains of Opium dissolv'd and put it privately into his Drink and in a small time you will find the operation thereof will lay him in such a Frensy that in every part you may search him with great safety to your self but be sure to advise with Mr. Munson and Mr. Kemesh about the action before you venture At the same time he sent me written by his own hand the Danby reflections desiring me to write out some Copies of them at my leisure which I did and sent some to him and others by the Countess of Powis's servant to Mistress Cellier and sometimes the Countess used to send her servant to me for them and once by the same servant she sentme five Guineys to encourage me Soon after the Countess Mrs. Cellier Mr. Nevel Mr. Fitton Mr. Munson and Mr. Kemesh consulted about business of which I was made privy to that part only that concerned Stroud and that very day Munson and Kemesh ordered me the next time Mrs. Celliers Maid should come to me to send to one Mr. Blaredale an Apothecary in Arundel-Street and one that had newly Married Mrs. Celliers Daughter who Munson said was a very honest man and a Catholick and much devoted to the Good of the Catholick Cause and desire him to send me six grains of Opium dissolv'd by himself in some Syrup of Gillyflowers which he did and sent me the same the next day by Mrs. Cellier's Maid but I suppose either Munson or Kemesh or both had sent to Blaredale before otherwise he would not have sent the Potion to me being an absolute stranger to him but when the Maid brought it in a small Phial I left her in my Chamber and went and shewed it to Mr. Munson who together with Mr. Kemesh did again direct me how to use it They bid me take him meaning Stroud into the Cellar and drink him stoutly with Burnt-Brandy and when I found him merry take my opportunity to put the Opium into his Cup which I did but it only made him somewhat drousie the next day and did not operate according to expectation then Munson and Kemesh sent to the Countess of Powis to let her know what I had done and as Mrs. Celliers Maid told me her Ladyship gave order to Blaredale to send me another Dose and Munson told me for the Colour of the thing I must send the Maid my self to Blaredale for it which I did and he sent by the same Messenger about as much more then by all their advice I made the second Attempt and invited Stroud to Dine with me that day and there being a Tankard of small bitter Beer fit for the purpose I put the Opium into it but when Stroud tasted it he suspected it was not fit to drink and threw it away saying or swearing He believed he should be poisoned before he should be set at liberty of this I sent Mrs. Cellier an Account by her Maid who expected another Story and as I understood since she was very angry with Blaredale the Apothecary for not ordering the Compound aright This Project not taking effect they bethought themselves of another Device which was That I should drink him on the square and observe well his Discourse and put it immediately into Writing so that if he should come to be made use of as a Witness for the King what he had then said might be given in evidence to invalidate his Testimony This way pleased me better than the other and I proceeded as I had opportunity insomuch that I had gotten from Stroud's mouth some things that were material but spoken carelesly by him who suspected not my Design nor heeded what he said These Writings I took Copies of and sent the Originals to Mrs. Cellier she carried them to the Tower to the Lords who liked them very well as she told me but all this was thought no very considerable step By the way I will give a summary Account of Stroud's Discourse which was as follows viz. May the 16th 1679. he told me That about fifteen years since he knew Bedloe who was then in a mean condition That when Mr. Oates and Mr. Bedloe came to view the Prisoners in the King's-Bench he spoke to Mr. Bedloe and told him of some former Passages and that from that time he sent him Money every week May the 17th Stroud told me his Wife in the Country had in a Cabinet divers Papers that concern'd Mr. Bedlow The same day Stroud told me his Allowance from Mr. Bedloe was the larger because he was to observe the Motions of several Priests which were Prisoners there and their Correspondence Now according to the usual improvement which the Papists make of anything tho' never so inconsiderable that does but in the least appear to be for their advantage I will shew you what Use they would have made of these Passages They would have engaged me to Swear to some Paragraphs which Mr. Munson framed out of those Papers and dictated to me which were as follows viz. That Stroud told me his Enlargement was at hand and if ever he had it some in the World should soon feel the Effects of his Fury I demanded who he meant by that he answered Bedloe Stroud also told me That one Mr. Johnson then a Servant of the Right Honourable the Earl of Shaftsbury had been with him divers times to persuade him to become a Witness for the King against the Lords in the Tower and in order to it offered him a considerable Sum of Money but that he demanded What he must Swear and who it was must Instruct him Mr. Johnson replied You shall not want for that and I am very glad to find you so ingenious But hold says Stroud I will not Perjure my self for the World c. These two last were additional Paragraphs to the former but such as were to be Deposed upon Oath But Stroud not being able to give any account of the then Popish Plot this Design fell which was no sooner laid aside but another was taken up which was thus laid by the five Popish Lords in the Tower viz. That Stroud and I should Write a Letter to Bedloe to this effect Here is a Person meaning my self whose Travels in Flanders France Spain Italy and divers other parts have given him the opportunity of Inspecting the Actions of the Popish Gang by whom you may be inform'd of somethings that may be of great Importance therefore you will do well to take Care