supprest c. page 169. Sect. 26. In like manner he dealeth with Master F. in the latter end of his booke wherein he himselfe faileth in what hee would correct Master F. for that is in wisedome in honesty and in charity for he publikly declared in his congregation to his auditours that he had beene credibly enformed that a very factious Sermon had been preached on fryday before in the hearing of them It was wel known to al that heard him who it was that had preached the friday before and so consequently the preacher knowne though not named Where was then Master Studleys wisedome in taking on trust and by information a report so weighty without examination Where his honesty in contempt of Master F. his person whom he ought of duty to have privately consulted Or where his charity Which is never suspitious of evill before it be convinced by evidence of fact The choyce of Master F. his text seemeth factious to Master Studley for the Lord Bishop having preached upon the Text 1 Pet 2.17 Feare God and honâ—ur the King Master F. tooke his text Matth. 10 28. Feare not them which kill the Body c. Now it is confessed by Master Studley that Master F. was wholy ignorant of the Lord Bishops text as is set downe pa. 281. nay hee was so farre from factiousnesse that being importuned to preach and having scant time for study he preached the same Sermon and upon the same text which he had a Sunday before preached in his owne parish And therefore the Lord Bishop as he himselfe tould me concerning neither errour in the doctrine nor factiousnesse in the manner of preaching did order for full satisfaction that Master F. should preach againe at Shrewsbury and explaine himselfe which was performed and the Minister stood in the Bishops good opinion as appeared by his commendation of him to my Lord of Saint Asaph Yet after this course taken Master Studley puts in print a letter as he calleth it of a sharpe contents and indeed it was very violent and virulent unfit to passe between men of that order and ranke Wherein hee taxeth that Minister of Gods word as a false traducer unwise dishonest uncharitable a sectarie a Schismatick light-headed furious fantasticall disloyall and unquiet yet those who know him as I protest I doe not say he is no such man but a modest sober discreet and conformable minister and so my lord Bishop of Lichfield conceived of him as hee likewise tould me lately The certificate mentioned in the letter I have seene a copy of it and of their names who have subscribed it who are of the best ranke and understanding in the Towne of Shrewsbury anâ— not such as would certifie under their hands the confirmation of a lewd and false report They who heard the Sermon and know the men marvell at the impudency of the Author of the Looking-glasse And if the certificate the Sermon and the Bishops censure were printed as well as Master Studleys letter the Reader no doubt would have full satisfaction The letter it selfe of Master Studleys hand writing I have seene and compared it with the printed which is verbatim as hee saith without addition detraction or mutation of one sillable yet I have observed and â—an make appeare above â—wenty variations of the printed from the written letter it selfe pag. 296 sect 54 but he that feares no mans tongue what should he sticke at Sect. 27. Hitherto I have laboured in the search and discovery of the truth and endeavoured to free my neighbourhood from the aspersion of Puritanisme or non-conformity now my conclusion shall be an earnest request to all good people to make a right use of such fearefull examples not to be more profane and to abstaine from divine Service the hearing of Sermons hearing and reading of Gods word publicke and private prayer because they have heard and read that this Enoch was a bould and busy scripturist that he would ride three or foure miles to heare Sermons which is tearmed the ordinary practice of this formal age and yet he fell into these haynous crimes but rather to be more zealous diligent and constant in the profession and practise of Christianity and with all circumspection and fortitud watch over our selves and resist the temptations of the flesh the world and Sathan by continuall prayer Lord lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evill The consideration of the parties murthered and the partie murthering will be speciall motives hereunto The parties slaine were his mother out of whose bowells he came and from whose life his life next under the Almighty Creator was derived and his brother who came out of the same womb and sucked the same breasts Yet the lives of that dearest Mother and nearest brother were taker away and by him whom they least suspected never feared and even then when they were most secure How great cause have we al none excepted of thankesgiving to our good God for ouâ— preservatioÌ„ from such a sudden bloudy and cruell end of prayer that our heavenly father would continue his gracious protection over us and to deliver us from suddaine and violent death 〈◊〉 of preparation for who knowes when that time will come or in what manner we shall end our dayes Therefore by continuall repentance faith prayer doing of good workes let us prepare our selves taking heed least at any time our hearts bee overcome with surfetting drunkenes or the cares of this life and so that day come on us unawares If we consider the party murthering he was conceived to be honest and upright in his dealing free from drunkennes or other notorious sinnes as farre as I can learne hee was given much to reading and praying not onely privately and in his fathers house but to frequent divine Service and Sermons Now that God should permit such a man to fall into and preserve others in outward shew more profane and ungodly from such a bloudy crime may minister matter of wonder and amazement at the judgement of God which is many times secret and profound yet alwaies just And of terrour least he should suffer us to fall so fearefully in the like manner Lastly if we consider the religious duties which Enoch practised as prayer reading of the Scripture frequenting of divine service in Gods house these are in themselves good ordinarily meanes necessary to salvation we are bound unto them by divine law and the command of our Church and state shall we neglect them because he practising them fell into these sinnes Shall wee thinke that these were any causes of these murders Shall we condemne those that are frequent in these holy actions God forbid The Scripture containeth the Gospell which is the power of God to salvation let us read it Prayer is the key of heaven let us use it with our best devotion The Church is the house of God it is the place of his blessed presence let us frequent it And by those meanes we
boasteth himselfe to be the known Antipuritan of the county as is said and so most likely to know the puritans in the couÌ„ty yet he namethnone that seduced Enoch he teleth us of puritans about Bishops Castle pag. 99. that framedarguments to make Enoch appeare to be lunatick and thereby perhaps intimateth that by some thereabouts Enoch was seduced for it is before confessed that Enoch all his life time had his abode within two or three Miles of Bishops Castle I my selfe have dwelt within two miles of the said Towne this forty yeares for the most part I know most of the Cleargy within the Deanery of Clunne in the Diocesse of Hereford and I am confident there is not amongst them all one non-conformist neither is there any of any note that I can learne of the laity but doe conforme and particularly in that point of kneeling in the receaving of the blessed Sacrament Master Studley should doe well to make the Puritans known that they may be reformed and not conceale them and yet cast an aspersion upon the Ecclesiasticall and civill government and that meerly upon his owne imagination what may the reverend Father our present Diocesan thinke of us in this part of his Diocesses what will the world to whom we are unknowne otherwise then by report which falleth out with such prejudice in this particular by the Looking-glasse of Schisme conceave of us better then such a nest of Puritans and Non-conformists as England affordeth not the like Sect. 16. Our lately deceased Diocesan the reverend father in God Bishop Lindsel much desired to understand that part of his Diocesse tooke speciall notice of every particular minister that were Preachers at the monethly Lecture in Bishops Castle before established by the Bishop of the same Diocesse and by his owne appointment supplied the places of some that were lately dead and they are twelve in number all of them in the same Deanery of knowne conformity more particularly hee requested to be informed about this Enoch ap Evan and to speake with his father and for him I prepared my first papers by whose meanes we had very good hopes to have our neighbourhood cleared from the aspersions laid upon it by the Looking-glasse of Schisme which booke he had read and therupon untill he was enformed to the contrary conceaved that these parts had need of reformation for until he spake with some that could enforme him in the particulars concerning Enoch he did not imagine the relation to have beene so false in the chiefe points but it pleased GOD to take him out of this life before what wee wished came to passe The same reverend father delivering his opinion concerning the said booke which would not have pleased Master Studley asked a Minister of this Countrey whether he had not observed a passage in it concerning Master Studlies great and ungodly wit adding that he that said so of him did him wrong he would excuse him of the first of those if any could free him from the latter of which he can by no meanes be excused since he hath put his pen on worke to publish such scandalous slanders against the Cleargie and lay persons as affected to non-conformity seducing Enoch into his opinions and to conceale both their names and the true cause of the fact Sect. 17. We see what worke Master Studley hath made us in the Gaole at Shrewsbury now the Gaole delivery draweth neare and the Iudges are in their Circuit at the next County of Stafford adjoyning to Shropshire there they are informed of this murtherer by the reveâ—end father the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry who was so carefull not to misreport as that he required Master Studley who was his informer to lay downe in writing under his owne hand and subscription of his name the truth of the particulars receaved from the prisoner as Master Studley confesseth pag. 121. The reverend judges who ever laboured to suppresse Schisme and non-conformity being at Shrewsbury reprehended the Iustices of Peace that had not enformed them of so notorious a malefactor before they came to heare of it in a Sermon when as in â—uth the Iustices themselves that dwelt nearest to the place where the offence was committed were Ignorant that the offence was committed upon any such ground or reason as non-conformity But at the assises Enoch is severally indited for the murders by him committed upon his mother and brother upon the severall indictments he is severally araigned upon his araignments he pleadeth guilty upon which plea as you shall heare anon hee had judgement to be executed given upon him according to justice and regular proceeding though Master Studley assuring us in the word of a minister that we have a relation of such substantiall truth as he will maintaine against any person living upon the face of the earth be not ashamed on hearesay to deliver as he hath set it down pag. 135 136. that the evidence of his murders so ofteÌ„ published to the world by his free and voluntary confession might have prevented the formal proces of law by jury conviction and casting and have put him into the power of the judge for sentence of death from his owne acknowledgement and expression of his guilt but for more strength of justice and regularity of proceeding the jury found him guilty and made him lyable to sentence of death As if after Enoch had pleaded guilty it had been more for the strength of Iustice and regularity of proceeding to have tryed him by a jury of life and death The Iudges for both of them sate at his araignment were carefull to find out the cause moving Enoch to this barbarous murder and therefore after he had pleaded guilty one of the judges asked him what the cause might be moving him to kill his mother and his brother whether there were any difference or falling out betweene them Enoch answered there was some difference in reasoning betweene his brother and him about the gesture of kneeling at the Communion It was then urged by the judg that then that was the cause why he slew his brother Enoch answered no it was not being againe demanded what then might be the cause He answered the strong temptation of sinne He was further asked whether he did not desire to receive the holy Communion before his execution He answered yes he did It being then declared unto him by Baron Trevor that he might use no other gesture in that action but that which was prescribed by law and practised by the Church which was kneeling and that no Minister should deliver it him otherwise and it being so he was demanded what in that case he would doe Enoch answered hee had rather bow his body yet rather then he should not receive the Communion he would kneele This passed openly at his araignment upon fryday the Sixteenth of August The judgement to be given upon Enoch was deferred untill the next day being Saterday upon which day and before judgement
falling into this sinne of murder And likewise to shew that Sathan working upon his predominant humour of melancholy tempted him to commit these murders or as he in the Gaole confessed to many before named to the judges at his arraignment and at the time of his death it was the strong temptation of sinne that moved him to commit them And that he was not seduced into the poynts of Puritanisme by any of the Clergy or laity about Bishops Castle or Clunne land for there were none such to perswade or seduce him as hath been shewed And for more confirmation thereof I referre it to the better knowledge and testimony of the present Chancellor of the Diocesse of Hereford Master Doctor Skinner who hath continued that place under the three last Bishops of that Diocesse and who by presentments and other meanes for his information is likeliest to know the state of the country in that behalfe Sect. 21. Though in this narration we are come to Enochs death yet death the end of life giveth not an end to the stirres and rumours about him from this Puritanicall Phoenix hatcht by Master Studley in this part of the Country others have risen out of the ashes for saith he pag. 164. the dead body of this Enoch hanging forth waving in the ayre more then a fortnight and lesse then three weeks some brethren of his owne disposition and faction who are restlesse in wilfulnesse that he say not wickednesse contrived a device by rearing up a Ladder in the night a worke of darkenesse to saw off that part of the Gibbet where his body hanged and tooke it away c. and these he tearmeth saucy rebells under the visard of Puritanisme Sect. 22. The act of taking downe his body and that in the night is not denyed The question in this also wil be who and what manner of persons the actors were and thesewere brought to light before Master Studleys book came to publik view and there was great care taken for the discovery of so great an affront to publik justice For the next day after this act committed Master Walcot a justice of peace dwelling neare Bishops Castle and my selfe met there we fell into consideration what meanes was to be uâ—ed to discover the offenâ—ers It was considered that if any warrants were directed for the apprehension of any that might be suspected the feare of punishment might cause a more close concealement and therefore we purposed by private meanes to informe our selves and to communicate each with other what we could discover But Sir Robert Howard living then at Clunne presently granted out warrants and thereby amongst other things required a search to be made in all lakes of water pits and other places where in likelihood the putrified body might be cast or drowned And although this were a probable course being carefully mannaged as indeed it was for finding of the body yet neither was it found nor any person thereby discovered for the fact Then we all joyned our best endeavours in this discovery knowing that the delinquents being once manifested the body would soone be found Having therefore received some private intelligence of some persons who had commended the actors in this work of darknesse and some also who had offered for some consideration to effect it we at length brought those parties to examination though therein we used the helpe of Sir Robert Harley a justice of peace of Hereford Shire for the apprehending of one of them who indeed proved innocent Sir Robert Howard and my selfe meeting at Bishops Castle examined another named Lewis Owen upon whose examination and testimony of witnesses there was evidence from his owne mouth that he at least had knowledge of those that had taken down the body though in truth as it proved afterwards in his drinke hee had spoken more then was true but w … before the full truth appeared bound him over to the then next assises Master Walcot and my selfe proceeded Sir Robert Howards occasions then calling him to London and upon examination we bound over another by name Richard Williams who had offered to Edward ap Evan the father of Enoch that he would take downe his sonne from the Gibbet if hee would consider his paynes Sect. 23. By this time the judges of our circuit Sir William Iones and Sir Thomas Trever had heard of the taking down of the body of Enoch and they directed their letters dated the eleventh day of October 1633 to the high Sheriffe of the County and us the forenamed Iustices requiring us to make diligent search and enquiry by our selves and all others whom we thought fit to be imployd therin whoare the Malefactors and by whose abetment and privity the same was done and to informe them of our proceeding therein with all convenient speed because as they expressed they were to give an account of our proceedings Although we were not conscious to our selves of any want of diligence yet here is a further tye upon us unto which we give all dutifull regard and therefore having by the former proceedings observed that the actors were like to be such as for money or some such respect performed the worke we proceed to the examination of such neare friends of Enoch as were likeliest to give some reward And in this number on Meredith ap Reece who married Enochs sister tould us that his wife had intreated him to let her make ten Shillings of something that might bee spared to pay her Sister Margaret according to her promise to give to them that had taken downe her brother Enoch from the Gibbet This being so far made knowne unto us we often pressed the friends of Enoch to discover the truth to the end there might neither suspition nor suffering light upon innocent parties and called to their remembrance the judgements of God already fallen upon their family and which were likely to proceed further if they or any of them being actors or abettors in this offence by their concealing of it should cause others to suffer for it Hereupon this being Saterday we were intreated to stay our further examination untill munday following upon which day it was promised the three Sisters of Enoch should discover the whole truth And according to this promise they came The eldest Sister being Margaret the wife of Iohn Howells of Spoade did then upon her examination confesse unto us that shee being grieved and afflicted not onely for the lamentable losse of her deere mother and her only two brethren but also because her brothers body hanged upon the Gibbet being ignorant as she said that it was an offence against the law procured and perswaded her two other Sisters to contribute with her in hiring a young man named Hugh Meredith whom shee conceaved fit for that purpose being of an able body and a trayned Souldier in the band of Captaine Scriven before named to take downe the said body of Enoch from the Gibbet which the said Hugh Meredith having procured another