THE TRYAL OF EDWARD COLEMAN Gent. FOR Conspiring the Death OF THE KING AND THE Subversion of the Government OF ENGLAND AND THE Protestant Religion Who upon Full Evidence was found Guilty of HIGH TREASON And received SENTENCE accordingly on Thursday November the 28th 1678. LONDON Printed for Robert Pawlet at the Bible in Chancery-Lane near Fleet-street 1678. November 28. 1678. I Do appoint Robert Pawlet to Print the TRYAL of Edward Coleman And that no other Person presume to Print the same WILLIAM SCROGGS THE TRYAL OF Edward Coleman Gent. ON Wednesday the Twenty Seventh day of November 1678. Mr. Coleman having been Arraigned the Saturday before for High Treason was brought to the Kings Bench Bar to receive his Tryal and the Court proceeded thereupon as followeth Court Cryer make Proclamation Proclamation for Silence Cryer O Yes Our Sovereign Lord the King do's strictly Charge and Command all manner of Persons to keep Silence upon pain of Imprisonmenâ— If any one can inform our Sovereign Lord the King the King's Serjeant or the King's Attorney General or this Inquest now to be taken of any Treason Murder Felony or any other Misdemeanour committed or done by the Prisoner at the Bar let them come forth and they shall be heard for the Prisoner stands at the Bar upon his Deliverance Court Cryer make an O yes Cryer O yes You Good Men that are impannelled to enquire between our Sovereign Lord the King and Edward Coleman Prisoner at the Bar answer to your names Court Edward Coleman Hold up thy hand These Good men that are now called and here appear are those which are to pass between you and our Sovereign Lord the King upon your Life or Death if you challenge any of them you must speak as they come to the Book to be sworn and before they are sworn The Prisoner Challenging none the Court proceeded and the Jury were sworn viz. JURY Sir Reginald Foster Baronet Sir Charles Lee. Edward Wilford Esquire John Bathurst Esquire Joshua Galliard Esquire John Bifield Esquire Simon Middleton Esquire Henry Johnson Esquire Charles Vmfrevile Esquire Thomas Johnson Esquire Thomas Eaglesfield Esquire William Bohee Esquire Court Cryer make an O yes Cryer O yes Our Sovereign Lord the King does strictly charge and command all manner of Persons to keep Silence upon pain of Imprisonment Court Edward Coleman Hold up thy hand You Gentlemen of the Jury that are now sworn look upon the Prisoner and hearken to his Charge You shall understand that the Prisoner stands Indicted by the name of Edward Coleman late of the Parish of St. Margarets Westminster in the County of Middlesex Gent. for that he as a false Traytor against our most Illustrious Serene and most Excellent Prince Charles by the Grace of God of England Scotland France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith c. and his Natural Lord having not the Fear of God in his Heart nor duely weighing his Allegiance but being moved and seduced by the Instigation of the Devil his cordial Love and true Duty and natural Obedience which true and lawful Subjects of our said Lord the King ought to bear towards him and by Law ought to have altogether withdrawing and Devising and with all his strength intending the Peace and common Tranquillity of this Kingdom of England to Disturb and the true Worship of God within the Kingdom of England practised and by Law Established to overthrow and Sedition and Rebellion within this Realm of England to move stir up and procure and the cordial Love and true Duty and Allegiance which true and lawful Subjects of our Sovereign Lord the King toward their Sovereign bear and by Law ought to have altogether to Withdraw Forsake and Extinguish and our said Sovereign Lord the King to Death and final Destruction to bring and put the Twenty Ninth day of September in the Seven and Twentieth year of the Reign of our said Sovereign Lord Charles the Second of England Scotland France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith c. at the Parish of St. Margarets Westminster aforesaid in the County aforesaid Falsly Maliciously and Traiterously proposed Compassed Imagined and Intended to stir up and raise Sedition and Rebellion within the Kingdom of England and to procure and cause a miserable Destruction among the Subjects of our said Lord the King and wholly to Deprive Depose Deject and Disinherit our said Sovereign Lord the King of his Royal State Title Power and Rule of his Kingdom of England and to bring and put our said Sovereign Lord the King to final Death and Destruction and to overthrow and change the Government of the Kingdom of England and to alter the sincere and true Religion of God in this Kingdom by Law established and wholly to subvert and destroy the state of the whole Kingdom being in the universal parts thereof well Established and Ordained and to levy War against our said Sovereign Lord the King within his Realm of England And to accomplish and fulfill these his most wicked Treasons and Trayterous Designs and Imaginations aforesaid the said Edward Coleman afterward that is to say the Nine and twentieth day of September in the Twenty seventh year of the Reign of our said Lord the King at the Parish of St Margarets Westminster aforesaid in the County of Middlesex aforesaid Falsly Deceitfully and Trayterously Composed Contrived and Writ two Letters to be sent to one Monsieur le Chese then Servant and Confessor of Lewis the French King to Desire Procure and Obtain for the said Edward Coleman and other False Traytors against our said Sovereign Lord the King the Aid Assistance and Adherence of the said French King to alter the true Religion in this Kingdom Established to the Superstition of the Church of Rome and to subvert the Government of this Kingdom of England And afterwards that is to say the said Nine and twentieth day of September in the year aforesaid at the Parish of St. Margarets Westminster in the County of Middlesex aforesaid the said Edward Coleman Falsely Trayterously and Maliciously Composed and Writ two other Letters to be sent to the said Monsieur le Chese then Servant and Confessor to the said French King to the Intent that he the said Monsieur le Chese should Intreat Procure and Obtain for the said Edward Coleman and other False Traytors against our Sovereign Lord the King Aid Assistance and Adherence of the said French King to alter the true Religion in this Kingdom of England Established to the Superstition of the Church of Rome and to subvert the Government of this Kingdom of England And that the said Edward Coleman in further Prosecution of his Treason and Trayterous Imaginations and Intentions as aforesaid afterward viz. the Twenty ninth day of September in the Seven and twentieth year of the Reign of our said Sovereign Lord King Charles of England c. the said several Letters from the said Parish of St. Margarets Westminster in the County of Middlesex aforesaid Falsly
is the Charge in general of the Indictment We will proceed unto particulars whereby it may appear and whereupon he indeavoureth to accomplish his ends One or two Letters written to Mounsieur Le Chese he is a Foreigner and we have nothing to say to him being Confessor to the French King it was to excite and stir him up to procure aid and assistance and you know what aid and assistance means from a Foreign Prince Arms and other Levies We charge him with it that he did receive this Letter I and received an answer with a promise that he should have assistance He writ other Letters to Sir William Throckmorton who trayterously conspired with him and had intelligence from time to time from him This is the Charge in the Indictment To which he hath pleaded not guilty We will go on in our Evidence I shall but more generally open our method that we intend to take For it may seem strange and is not reasonably to be imagined that a private Gentleman as the Prisoner at the Bar is should have such vast and great designs as this to alter Religion destroy the Government I and destroy the Subjects too in a great measure But 't is not himself alone but he imploys himself for Forreign assistance great Confederacies and Combinations with the Subjects of that King many of whom he did pervert In the course of the Evidence I shall not open the particulars Mr. Attorney I think will do that by and by those that we have occasion to speak of and shall in proof mention to you will be these Le Chese the French Kings present Confessor we have mentioned before him there was one Father Ferryer with whom he held Correspondence That Ferryer being removed by death the Prisoner had an imployment here amongst us by which he gave to Le Chese instructions how to proceed This Gentleman is the great Contriver and Plotter which gives him instructions how to proceed He doth give him an account by way of Narrative how all things had stood upon former treaties and negotiations how businesses were contrived and how far they were gone this he diligently and accurately gives an account of This my Lord doth discover and delineate what had been done before until 1674. My Lord there was likewise Sir William Throckmorton and some others that are Englishmen too there are none of them but what were first Protestants but when they once renounced their Religion no wonder they should renounce their Nation and their Prince too He was gone beyond the Seas several Letters past between them and all to promote and encourage and accomplish this design My Lord there is likewise a consult of Jesuits used too where in express words they designed to murther the King or contrived and advised upon it My Lord there were four Irish men I open but the heads of things sent to Windsor to murther the King this Gentleman received and disbursed money about this business and one Ashby a Jesuit here had instructions from him to prosecute the design and to treat with a Physitian to poyson the King This the Prisoner approved of and contributed to it There were Commissions as I take it delivered from Ferryer or by his hand that came from Forreign powers Sir Henry Titchburn was another that received and delivered Commissions Pompone the French Gentleman he maintains intelligence with him about this business the Titular Arch-bishop of Dublin There 's Cardinal Norfolk by him he had accession to the Pope There was likewise the Popes Nuncio I do not open the transactions of these Iustructions these particulars will be made out not only by Witness Viva Voce and not single only but by Letters of this Mr. Colemans own writing But I offer that to the consideration of the Jury Mr. Oats was the first Man that we hear of that discovered this Treason he was the single man that discovered so many active Agents in so great a Treason as this was and it needed to be well seconded but he being found to be but single the boldness and courage of these Complotters in it grew great thereupon We know what followed the damnable murther of that Gentleman in Execution of his Office so Hellishly contrived and the endeavours that were used to hide it every body knows How many Stories were told to hide that abominable Murther how many lies there were about it but it could not be supprest The Nation is awaken'd out of sleep and it concerns us now to look about us But all this while Mr. Coleman thought himself safe walked in the Fields goes abroad Jealousie increasing and he himself still secure The Letters that are produced go but to some part of the year 75 from 75 unto 78 all lies in the dark we have no certain Proof of it but we apprehend he had Intelligence until 78 That there were the same persons continuing here and his Company increasing here But this I speak but as probable but very exceeding probable that there was other passages of Intelligence between this Person and other Confederates It seems my Lord that this Coleman was aware that he was concerned but God blinded and infatuated him and took away his reason It 's no question but he carried away some of those Papers those that were left behind and are produced he forgot and neglected and by that my Lord those which are produced are evidence against him at this time Surely he thought we were in such a condition that had eyes and could not see and ears that could not hear and understandings without understanding for he was bold and walked abroad and that until this prosecution was made upon him he endeavoured to murther the King change the Government make an alteration of Religion and destruction of Protestants as well as the Protestant Religion And it will be proved by some Letters when they were rejected by the Duke that he sent them in the Dukes name And by this no man will doubt but he is a great Traitor Attorn Gen. May it please your Lordship and you Gentlemen of the Jury The Kings Serjeant hath opened the general parts of our Evidence and we have reason to foresee that our Evidence will be very long and will take up much of your time and therefore I shall spend no more time in opening of it than is just necessary And indeed my Lord Mr. Coleman himself hath saved me much of the labour which otherwise I should have bestowed for he hath left such Elegant and copious Narratives of the whole Design under his own hand that the reading of them will be better than any new one I can make But my Lord some short account I shall give you such as may shew you the course of our Evidence and will make our Evidence when it comes to be given to be more intelligible My Lord It will appear that there hath been for many years last past a more than ordinary design and industry to bring in the
Moneth of July one Ashby who was sometimes Rector of St. Omers being ill of the Gout was ordered to go to the Bath this Ashby being in London Mr. Coleman came to attend him this Ashby brought with him Treasonable Instructions in order to expedite the King by Poison provided Pickering and Groves did not do the Work Ten thousand pound should be proposed to Sir George Wakeman to Poison the King in case Pistol and Stab did not take effect and opportunity was to be taken at the Kings taking Physick I could give other Evidence but will not because of other things which are not fit to be known yet L. Chief Just Who wrote this Letter Mr. Oates It was under the hand of White the Provincial beyond the Seas whom Ashby left it was in the name of Memorials to impower Ashby and the rest of the Consulters at London to propound Ten thousand pound to Sir George Wakeman to take the opportunity to Poison the King These Instructions were seen and read by Mr. Coleman by him Copied out and transmitted to several Conspirators of the Kings death in this Kingdom of England that were privy to this Plot. Recorder Know you of any Commission We have hitherto spoken altogether of the work of others now we come to his own work a little nearer L. Chief Just Who saw Mr. Coleman read these Instructions what said he Mr. Oates He said he thought it was too little I heard him say so L. Chief Just Did you see him take a Copy of these Instructions Mr. Oates Yes and he said he did believe Sir George Wakeman would scarce take it and thought it necessary the other Five thousand pound should be added to it that they might be sure to have it done L. Chief Just Where was it he said this Mr. Oates It was in the Provincials Chamber which Ashby had taken for his convenience at London until he went down to the Bath it was at Wild-house at Mr. Sandersons house L. Chief Just Ashby was imployed by his Instructions to acquaint the Consult of the Jesuits that there should be Ten thousand pound advanced if Doctor Wakeman would Poison the King now Asbby comes and acquaints him with it Why should Coleman take Copies Mr. Oates Because he was to send Copies to several Conspirators in the Kingdom of England L. Chief Just To what purpose should Mr. Coleman take a Copy of these Instructions Mr. Oates The reason is plain they were then a gathering a Contribution about the Kingdom and these Instructions were sent that they might be incouraged because they saw there was incouragement from beyond Seas to assist them And another Reason was because now they were assured by this their business would quickly be dispatched and by this means some Thousands of pounds were gathered in the Kingdom of England L. Chief Just To whom was Mr. Coleman to send them Mr. Oates I know not any of the Persons but Mr. Coleman did say he had sent his Suffrages which was a Canting word for Instructions to the Principal Gentry of the Catholicks of the Kingdom of England L. Chief Just How know you this that Mr. Coleman did take a Copy of these Instructions for that purpose as you say Mr. Oates Because he said so L. Chief Just Did any body ask him why he took them Mr. Oates Saith Ashby you had best make haste and Communicate these things Mr. Coleman answered I will make haste with my Copies that I may dispatch them away this night Recorder Was he not to be one of the Principal Secretaries of State Mr. Oates In the Month of May last New Stile April the Old Stile I think within a day after our Consult I was at Mr. Langhorn's Chamber he had several Commissions which he called Patents among his Commissions I saw one from the General of the Society of Jesus Joannes Paulus D'Olâ—â—a by vertue of a Brief from the Pope by whom he was enabled L. Chief Just Did you know his hand Mr. Oates I believe I have seen it Forty times I have seen Forty things under his hand and this agreed with them but I never did see him write in my life we all took it to be his hand and we all knew the hand and Seal L. Chief Just What Inscription was upon the Seal Mr. Oates Ι.Η. Σ. with a Cross in English it had the Characters of I. H. S. This Commission to Mr. Coleman in the Month of July I saw in Fenwicks presence and at his Chamber in Drury-Lane where then Mr. Coleman did acknowledge the Receipt of this Patent opened it and said It was a very good exchange L. Chief Just What was the Commission for Mr. Oates It was to be Secretary of State I saw the Commission and heard him own the Receipt of it Just Wild What other Commissions were there at Mr. Langhorns Chamber Mr. Oates A great many I cannot remember there was a Commission for my Lord Arundel of Warder the Lord Powis and several other persons But this belongs not to the Prisoner at the Bar I mention his Commission L. Chief Just Were you acquainted with Mr. Langhorn Mr. Oates Yes I 'le tell your Lordship how I was acquainted I was in Spain he had there two Sons to shew them special favour and kindness being meer strangers at the Colledge I did use to transmit some Letters for them to the Kingdom of England in my Pacquet When I came out of Spain I did receive Recommendations from them to their Father and in great civility he received me This was in November that I came to his house He lived in Shear-lane or thereabouts I understood that his Wife was a zealous Protestant therefore he desired me not to come any more to his house but for the future to come to his Chamber in the Temple L. Chief Just Had you ever seen Mr. Langhorn in London before Mr. Oates I never saw him till Nov. 77. to my knowledge I was several times in his company at his chamber and he brought me there to shew me some kindness upon the account of his Sons It was at the Temple for his Wife being a Protestant was not willing any Jesuits should come to the house I was to carry him a summary of all the results and particulars of the Consult at the White Horse and Wild House The Provincial ordered me to do it he knowing me being in that affair often imployed L. Chief Just Was it the second time you saw him that you saw the Commissions Mr. Oates I saw him several times in the month of November L. Chief Just When did you see the Commissions Mr. Oates In the month of April old stile May new stile L. Chief Just How came he to shew you the Commissions Mr. Oates I hearing of their being come had a curiosity to see them and he knew me to be privy to the concerns L. Chief Just How did you know he had the Commissions Mr. Oates By Letters L. Chief Just From whom Mr. Oates
but Twenty thousand Pounds sent him from France he would he content to be a Sacrifice to the utmost malice of his Enemies if the Protestant Religion did not receive such a blow as it could not subsist And the receipt of this Letter was acknowledged by Monsieur Le Chese in an answer which he wrote to Mr. Coleman dated from Paris Oct. 23. 75. in which he gives him thanks for his good Service in order to the promoting the Popish Religion Several other Letters have been produced and read which were written by Mr. Coleman to Monsieur Ferrier and others and more particularly one Letter dated August 21. 74. written by Coleman to the Popes Internuntio at Brussels wherein he says the Design prospered so well that he doubted not but in a little time the businesse would be managed to the utter ruine of the Protestant Party And by other Letters he writes to the French Kings Confessor that the assistance of his most Christian Majesty is necessary and desires Money from the French King to carry on the Design But there is one Letter without Date more Bloody than all the rest which was written to Monsieur Le Chese in some short time after the long Letter of September 29. 1675. wherein amongst many other things Coleman expresses himself thus We have a mighty Work upon our Hands no less than the Conversion of three Kingdoms and the utter subduing of a Pestilent Heresie which hath for some time domineer'd over this Northern part of the World and we never had so great hopes of it since our Q. Mary's days And in the Conclusion of the Letter he implores Monsieur Le Chese to get all the aid and assistance he can from France and that next to God Almighty they did rely upon the mighty mind of his most Christian Majesty and therefore did hope le Chese would procure Money and Asistance from him Now any Man that considers the Contents of these Letters must needs agree that the latter part of the Indictment to wit the Treason of endeavouring the Subverting the Government and the Protestant Religion is fully proved upon Mr. Coleman the Prisoner at the Bar and that these Letters were written by him and the Answers received he does not deny But all he has to say for himself is that it was to make the King of England great whereas the contrary is most manifest because the Jesuits who love Force and Tyranny always adhere to those Princes that are greatest in Strength and Power For it appears in History that when the House of Austria were in their greatness and like to arrive to the Vniversal Monarchy in these parts of the World the Jesuits all adhered to that House But since the French King hath grown more mighty in Power and Greatness they declined the Interest of the Austrian Family and do now promote the Councels of France thinking that now that King will become the Vniversal Monarch I shall therefore now conclude the Evidence only observing to the Jury that the several Treasons in the Indictment are fully proved The first as to the destruction of the Royal Person of the King by two Witnesses Mr. Oates and Mr. Bedlow the other part of it viz. the subversion of the Government and extirpation of the Protestant Religion by the several Letters which have been before remembred which have not been denyed by the Prisoner to be his Therefore I hope Gentlemen when you meet with Offenders that are guilty of such stupendious Crimes you will do Justice upon them which will be a great Comfort and Satisfaction to the King and all his good Protestant Subjects Serj. Pembert Gentlemen You hear the Crime is of the highest nature it 's the subversion of three Kingdoms and the subduing of that Religion which he defames by the name of Pestilent Heresie It concerns us all to look about us and all the Kingdom when there shall be a Design managed in this manner to destroy our King and to take away our Religion and to enslave us all to the Pope and make us all truckle to the Priests It is wonderful it is capable at this day of so great Evidence there is Digitus Dei in it or else it would be impossible such a thing should be made so manifest All the rest that is said in the Indictment are but Circumstances that declare it There is a strong Evidence of many matters of Fact in this Design which declare the Intention hatched in his Breast for many years together Here hath been a Design to kill the King and he doth not only consent to it but commend it what can be said to his giving the Money to him that was to pay the fourscore pieces of Gold to those Ruffians sent to Windsor and adding 5000 l. to the 10000l for the Doctor that was to poyson the King He denies all No question but a Man that hath had a Heart to design such Contrivances will have the Face to deny it publickly It 's a thing to be acted in the dark but there 's both Mr. Oates and Mr. Bedlow plainly prove it upon him that he consented to the acting the Kings death What 's the Sence of his Letters but to shew his design and to beg the Assistance of France to them in their necessities the whole Current is to destroy our Religion I think you Gentlemen of the Jury have had such Evidence as will satisfie any Man Pris I deny all Mr. Oates his Testimony for his saying to the Council he did not know me because he could not see me when I was as near as the next Gentleman but one but knew me when I spake and I spoke to almost all the matters asked He accuseth me of a thing in August but names not the day Now if there be one Error in his Testimony it weakens all the rest I went out of Town the 10th of August it was the latter end I came home about the middle of Bartholomew Fair the last day of August L. Ch. Just. Have you any Witness to prove that Pris I cannot say I have a Witnesse L. Ch. Just Then you say nothing Pris People cannot speak to a day to a thing they neither imagined or thought of L. Ch. Just I ask your Servant do you know when Mr. Coleman went out of Town Coleman's Serv. In August I cannot say particularly the day L. Ch. Just Do you know when he came home Serv. I cannot remember Just Wild. Where was you the last Bartholomew day Serv. I was in Town Just Wild. Where was your Master Serv. I do not remember L. Ch. Just You say you went out of Town the 10th and came home the last of August you say it is impossible that he should say right but yet you do not prove it Pris I have no more to say but I entered down all my Expences every day in a Book which Book will shew where I was L. Ch. Just Where is your Book Pris At my
likewise found Guilty of endeavouring to subvert the Protestant Religion as it is by Law Established and to bring in Popery and this by the aid and assistance of Forraign Powers And I would not have you Mr. Coleman in your last apprehension of things to go out of the World with a mistake if I could help it That is I would not have you think that though you only seem to disavow the matter of the death of the King that therefore you should think your self an Innocent man You are not Innocent I am sure for it is apparent by that which cannot deceive that you are guilty of Contriving and Conspiring the Destruction of the Protestant Religion and to bring in Popery and that by the aid and assistance of Forraign Powers and this no man can free you in the least from And know that if it should be true that you would disavow that you had not an actual hand in the Contrivance of the Kings death which two witnesses have sworn positively against you yet he that will subvert the Protestant Religion here and bring in consequentially a Forraign Authority do's an act in derogation of the Crown and in Diminution of the Kings Title and Soveraign Power and endeavours to bring a Forraign Dominion both over our Consciences and Estates And if any man shall endeavour to subvert our Religion to bring in that though he did not actually contrive to do it by the Death of the King or it may be not by the death of any one man yet whatsoever follows upon that contrivance he is guilty of Insomuch it is greatly to be fear'd that though you meant only to bring it in by the way of Dissolving of Parliaments or by Liberty of Conscience and such kind of innocent ways as you thought yet if so be those means should not have proved Effectual and worse should have been taken though by others of your Confederates for to go through with the work as we have great reason to believe there would you are guilty of all that blood that would have followed But still you say you did not design that thing but to tell you he that doth a sinful and unlawful Act must answer and is liable both to God and man for all the consequences that attend it therefore I say you ought not to think your self innocent 'T is possible you may be penitent and nothing remains but that And as I think in your Church you allow of a thing called Attrition if you cannot with our Church have Contrition which is a sorrow proceeding from Love Pray make use of Attrition which is a sorrow arising from Fear For you may assure your self there are but a few moments betwixt you and a vast Eternity where will be no dallying no arts to be used therefore think on all the good you can do in this little space of time that is left you all is little enough to wipe off besides your private and secret offences even your publick ones I do know that Confession is very much owned in your Church and you do well in it but as your offence is publick so should your Confession be and it will do you more service then all your Auricular Confessions Were I in your case there should be nothing at the bottom of my heart that I would not disclose Perchance you may be deluded with the fond hopes of having your sentence respited Trust not to it Mr. Coleman you may be flatter'd to stop your mouth till they have stopt your breath and I doubt you will find that to be the event I think it becomes you as a man and as a Christian to do all that is now in your power since you cannot be white to make your self as clean as you can and to fit your self for another world where you will see how vain all resolutions of obstinacy of concealment and all that sort of bravery which perhaps may be instil'd by some men will prove They will not then serve to lessen but they will add to your fault It concerns Us no farther than for your own good and Do as God shall direct you for the truth is There are perswasions and inducements in your Church to such kind of Resolutions and such kind of Actions which you are led into by false Principles and false Doctrines and so you will find when you come once to experiment it as shortly you will that hardly the Religion of a Turk would own But when Christians by any violent bloody Act attempt to propagate Religion they abuse both their Disciples and Religion too and change that way that Christ Himself taught us to follow him by 'T was not by blood or violence By no single mans undertaking to disturb and to alter Governments To make hurly burlies and all the mischiefs that attend such things as these are For a Church to perswade men even to the Committing of the highest Violences under a pretence of doing God good service looks not in my Opinion like Religion but Design like an Engine not a Holy institution Artificial as a Clock which follows not the Sun but the Setter Goes not according to the Bible but the Priest whose Interpretations serve their particular ends and those private advantages which True Religion would scorn and Natural Religion it self would not endure I have Mr. Coleman said thus much to you as you are a Christian and as I am one and I do it out of great Charity and Compassion and with great sense and sorrow that you should be mislead to these great offences under pretence of Religion But seeing you have but a little time I would have you make use of it to your best advantage for I tell you that though death may be talkt of at a distance in a brave Heroick way yet when a man once comes to the minute death is a very serious thing then you will consider how trifling all Plots and Contrivances are and to how little purpose is all your concealments I only offer these things to your thoughts and perhaps they may better go down at such a time as this is then at another and if they have no effect upon you I hope they will have some as to my own particular in that I have done my good will I do remember you once more that in this matter you be not deluded with any fantastick hopes and expectations of a Pardon for the Truth is Mr. Coleman you will be deceived therefore set your heart at Rest for we are at this time in such disorders and the people so continually Alarm'd either with secret Murthers or some Outrages and Violences that are this day on foot that though the King who is full of mercy almost to a fault yet if he should be inclined that way I verily believe both Houses would interpose between that and you I speak this to shake off all vain hopes from you for I tell you I verily believe they would not you should have any Twigg