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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63146	The tryal and condemnation of Mervin, Lord Audley Earl of Castle-Haven At Westminster, April the 5th 1631. For abetting a rape upon his Countess, committing sodomy with his servants, and commanding and countenancing the debauching his daughter. With the learned speeches of the Lord High-Steward, the arguments of the King's-Councel upon that occasion, and the Lord Audley's speech at the place of execution.	Castlehaven, Mervyn Touchet, Earl of, 1592?-1631.	1699 (1699)	Wing T2144; ESTC R219718	15,249	39

THE TRYAL AND Condemnation OF MERVIN Lord Audley Earl of Castle-Haven AT Westminster April the 5th 1631. For Abetting a Rape upon his Countess Committing Sodomy with his Servants and Commanding and Countenancing the Debauching his Daughter With the Learned Speeches of the Lord High-Steward the Arguments of the King's-Councel upon that occasion and the Lord Audley's Speech at the place of Execution LONDON Printed in the Year 1699. THE PREFACE 'T IS no less deplorable than wonderful that in this Nation where the purest Religion is profess'd and where Vice and Immorality are punish'd by severe Laws Wickedness should ascend to such a height as equals if not exceeds all the Barbarous Regions of the Earth Time was when gross enormities in this Island like Batts and Owls were obscur'd by Night and Darkness and those that committed them were asham'd to own their Crimes or suffer their Examples to infect the open Air. They were contented to go to Hell alone without Usurping the Office of Belzebub or loading their Souls with the Guilt of Tempting their incautious Brethren but now the most Scandalous Inhuman Unnatural and Beastly Offences stalk abroad at Noon day and he thinks himself a Puny in Wickedness and scarce worth the Damning that can't boast of numbers of Souls that he has lead to Destruction Ravishing Women was a Crime rarely heard of among our Ancestors and though no Age has been so happy but it has produced some Monsters in Morality as well as Nature yet now this Sin is grown so common that scarce a Sessions passes wherein there is not one or more Convicted of Rape and that in the most Scandalous manner too upon the Bodies of meer Children Nay the Debauches of this Age have found out another way of Ravishing Women and that is of their Honours and Reputations for where the Villains have impudently assaulted the Chastity of Vertuous Women and have encountred nothing but Scorns or the Bastinado from a Foot-Man there they 'll be sure to fix a Scandal and boast of the Favours they ne'er received Nay a Fellow that has neither Sence in his Head Money in Pocket nor a Tatter to his Back but what a Louse wou'd break its Neck from shall dignifie himself Gallant to persons of the Best Quality that ne'er could reach above the Rank of a Dung-hill-raker Another Abomination that shocks our Natures and puts our Modesty to the Blush to see it so commonly perpetrated is the Devillish and Unnatural Sin of Buggery A Crime that sinks a Man below the Basest Epithet is so Foul it admits of no Aggravation and cannot be express'd in its Horror but by the Doleful Shrikes and Groans of the Damned A Sin that caus'd God Almighty Pluere Gehennam de Coelo to Rain down Hell-Fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah and turn a Fruitful and Pleasant Country into utter Barrenness and Desolation This Sin being now Translated from the Sadomitical Original or from the Turkish and Italian Copies into English not only in the Infamous Example of that Monster Ri by and other Notorious Sodomites but he●ring also that there is at this time several taken up at Windsor and others of the same Gang now Committed to Newgate who were ingag'd in a more than Beast-like Confederacy among themselves for exercising this Unnatural Offence I thought I could not more oblige the Publick than having this Tryal lying by me in an Old Manuscript which was never yet Printed to Publish it at this Juncture that by Reading the Sin so Tragically Delineated in its Horrid Shape and ugly Visage by the Grave and Learned Sages of the Law and in the Death of a Noble Peer other Men might be terrify'd and scar'd from those Sins that are attended with nothing but Infamy and Death in this World and Eternal Damnation in the next And Now seeing I have some Paper left give me leave to tell the Miscreants of our unhappy Days that the preceding Sins of Sodom which spaun'd the Unnatural Sin of Buggery were the same that now Reign among our English Debauche's and as they would avoid the Effects so they ought to be careful in removing the Cause or without the help of Prophecy 't is easie to foretel their R●ine Pride Luxury and Irreligion were the Infernal Parents of Sodomy and that of their Destruction And he must have neither Eyes nor Ears that knows not how egregiously the same Vices Reign amongst us also Pride is in its Achme and nothing so much admir'd as Ease and Softness Courtship Address and Entertainment And that Delicata Insania Effeminate Madness had banish'd all manly Vertues Instead of those Noble Characters of Vertue Wisdom and Courage the great things in Vogue and the only obtaining Bonne Graces are that the Fop Eats and Drinks nicely manages his Whore his Snuff-Box his Wigg his Comb and Glass discreetly mouths his Oaths finely and handles his Knife and Fork to Admiration But the great Qualification they Boast of and which wholly imploys our Modern Wits is in Belching out Blasphemy against the God that made them and throwing bitter Scoffs and Prophane Jests upon Religion and having no other way to demonstrate their Courage they shew it in this That they dare venture to be Damn'd to be accounted Contemptibly Witty But if they are not already so far sunk into Beast as they have lost the benefit of Thinking I wou'd faign stop their Career by a few Modest Questions viz. Whether they can the better indure Eternal Torment because they don't believe them Or whether they can extinguish the Flames of Hell by going Merily and Laughing thither You all know that Ri by 's other Heinous Crimes was Accompanied with horrid Blasphemy See your Faces in his Glass at the Bar on the Pillory and the Brink of Hell and if that will neither shame nor fright you let me beg the favour of you to leave the Kingdom for that will be the best Office you ever did or can do for England and the Obligation shall be gratefully acknowledg'd by Gentlemen If it ben't a Shame to Stile you so Your Humble Servant The Prefacer THE TRYAL AND Condemnation OF MERVIN TOUCHET Lord Audley Earl of Castle-Haven c. ON Monday the 25th of April in the Year of our Lord 1631. About the Hour of Ten in the Morning the Lord-Keeper Coventry being by special Commission Constituted Lord High-Steward of England with twenty six of the Nobility came into Westminster-Hall Attended by an Herald and six Sergeants at Arms And the Lord High-Steward being sat in a Chair of State and the Peers on each side of a Table cover'd with Green Velvet Proclamation was made for Silence Then Sir Thomas Fanshaw Clerk of the Crown Read the Commission and the Usher of the Black Rod kneeling before the Lord High-Steward presented his Lordship with a White Rod After which a second Proclamation was made Commanding all persons to keep to Silence and the Lord High-Steward having desir'd the Peers of the Realm and the Privy

nominandum it is a Crime not to be named among Christians and by the Law of God as well as the Antient Laws of England it was punish'd with Death Levit. 20. Fleta l. 6. Cap. 35. Sodomitae in terra vivi confodiantur Sodomites are to be buried alive in the Earth or rather as some understand the Phrase be set deep and alive into a Pit dig'd for that purpose with their heads above ground till they are famish'd to Death and this agrees with the Mirror Cap. 4. The Statute of 25. Hen. 8. Cap. 6. made it Felony without Clergy which tho' Repeal'd by 1. Mar yet it was revived by the 5. El. Cap. 17. and is still in Force As to this Indictment there is no other Question but whether it be Crimen Sodomiticum penetratione whether he penetrated the Body or not to which I answer the Fifth of Elizabeth sets it down in general Terms and ubi Lex non distinguit ibi non distinguendum and I know you will be cautious how you give the least Mittigation to such abominable Sins for when once a Man indulges his Lust and Prevaricates with his Religion as my Lord Audley has done by being a Protestant in the Morning and a Papist in the Af●ernoon no wonder if he commits the most abominable Impieties for when Men forsake their God 't is no wonder he leaves them to themselves But here I find things that exceed all imagination and is what the Poet truly Calls imprincipiti vitium or meditated mischiefs for his ill inclinations were bent to force his Wife to be naught against her own Inclinations which the wickedest Man I ever heard of before would have Vertuous and Honest how bad soever he is himself but on the contrary the Prisoner at the Bar tells his Wife if she loves him she must love Antill his Servant also and to incline the Lady to lie with him he fetcheth an argument from Scripture and tells her that her Body is his and that she is bound to obey his Commands and if she Sinned in obeying him it was no fault of hers but his own and he would answer for it He allowed this Antill his vitious favorite to spend Five Hundred Pounds a Year but would not allow his Eldest Son One Hundred If his Lady or Daughter wanted necessaries they must lie with Skipwith another of his Servants before they could have Money to buy what they wanted telling his Daughter he had rather she should have a Child by Skipwith than any other person but these things my Lord I had rather should come out of the Mouths of the Witnesses than from mine therefore pray Cryer call Walter Tyte. Cryer Vous avez Walter Tyte who being sworn the Attorny General said Attorny General Walter Tyte Inform my Lord High Steward and the rest of these Noble Lords the Conditions and Circumstances of Antill and Skipwith before they came into my Lord Audley's Service and how my Lord Audley Preferr'd and Enrich'd them afterwards Walter Tyte. Antill my Lord was a Footman to Sir Henry Smith and had not as I verily believe one Farthing when he came to my Lord besides the Cloaths on his back he liv'd with my Lord as his Footman and Page several years then he had Leave given him to keep Horses in my Lord's Grounds by which it was discours'd that in a short time he got Two Thousand Pounds He never sat at Table with my Lord till he had Married my Lords Daughter with whom he gave him to the Value of Seven Thousand Pounds Henry Skipwith was sent by my Lord from Ireland to be my Ladies Page his Father and Mother was very poor people yet he spent Five Hundred Pounds a Year of my Lord's Mony He gave him at one time a Thousand Pounds and has since made over to him leveral parcels of Land to the value of Two Hundred Pounds a Year Attorny General Pray what Religion did my Lord profess Walter Tyte. At first every Body knows he was a Protestant but after the buying of Founthill House he turned to the Romish Religion at the Instance of some Popish Gentlemen who were Neighbours Then the Lady Audley appearing as an Evidence she was Sworn and the Attorney General said to her Attorny General Will your Ladyship be pleas'd to inform these Peers with the Real truth concerning my Lords Vile and unheard of Actions to your Ladyship Countess My Noble Lords I should be glad if a way might be found out that I might deliver my Testimony in a Written Affidavit and not by word of Mouth in this publick Audience Lord High Steward I will propound it to the Judges and if the Law will allow it you shall be at your own Election My Lords the Judges you have heard what the Countess desires of us will you give your Opinions and satisfie her Ladyship about it Lord Chief Justice Hyde By the Law the Testimony relating to matter of fact that is what relates to the Charge in the Indictment must be made Viva Voce and not otherwise and the reason is because persons may take a greater liberty of inserting in an Affidavit what is not really true which the Awe of the Court or asking apt Questions may probably prevent or discover the falsehood Lord High Steward Your Ladyship I hope is satisfied with the Judges Opinion and the Reasons on which its grounded Countess Why then my Lords the first or second Night after we were Married Antill came to our Bed and the Lord Audly talk'd lasciviously to me and told me my Body was his and if I lay with any Man with his consent 't was not my fault but his He made Skipwith come naked into our Chamber and Bed and took delight in calling up his Servants to shew their Nudities and forc'd me to look upon them and to commend those that had the longest Broadway a Servant of my Lord's by his Lordships command lay with me and I making resistance my Lord Audley held my hands and one of my Feet and I would have kill'd my self with a Knife afterwards but he took it from me before that Act of Broadway's I had never done it He delighted to see the Act done and made Antill come into the Bed to us and lie with me in such a marmer as he might see it and though I cry'd out he never regarded the complaint I made but incouraged the Ravisher Attorny General Pray Young Lady Audley will you give my Lord High Steward and these Lords an account of your Fathers barbarous usage of you I was Married to my Husband by a Romish Priest in the Morning and at Night by a Prebend of Killkenny I was first compell'd to lie with Skipwith by the Earls perswasions and Threatnings saying I should have nothing but what Skipwith gave me He saw Skipwith and I lie together several times and so did many Servants of the House besides He tempted me to lie with others also telling me my Husband did not love

but in Criminal Causes she may But my Lord what do you say to what these Fellows your Servants have Sworn against you Lord Audley They are persons of mean and base extraction and suborn'd by my Wife and Son to take away my Life and Witnesses according to Law should be honest Men and of untainted Reputation which these are not Fitz-Patritk is a Recusant and therefore cannot be a Witness besides I have often beat him for his Knavery and turn'd him away and now he is hired by my Son to Swear against me To which the Judges answered it did not appear he was Convicted of Recusancy that all are held Legal Evidences for the King till they are Convicted of Crimes that may disable them and as to their Reputation no Men of unstain'd Credit could be Witnesses of such monstrous Inhumanities besides what the Witnesses have Sworn has put their own Lives into the same danger with his Lordship's Lord Audley My Lord I desire to know whether the Statute intends that all kind of pollution Man with Man is Buggery or not seeing the Witnesses say there was no penetration Lord High-Steward My Lords the Judges you hear the Lord Audley's Query pray give him your Opinions Lord Chief-Justice It is Buggery by the Law for the Law of this Land makes no distinction of Buggery if there be Emissio Seminis Lord High-Steward Are persons of mean Extraction and of no Estates sufficient Evidences against a Baron Lord Chief-Justice Against any Man Lord High-Steward Is a Man that is Particeps Criminis a party in the Crime a Legal Witness against the Accused Lord Chief-Justice Yes my Lord for otherwise Facts of this nature would seldom or never be discovered and till he is Attainted he is Bonus legalis Homo a Competent Evidence Then the Lords withdrew to consider of the Evidence and being return'd the Lord High-Steward asked them one by one whether my Lord Audley was Guilty of the Rape or not Guilty and they Seriatim laying their Hands upon their Hearts all answer'd Guilty Then his Lordship ask'd them whether he was Guilty of Sodomy or not Guilty and fifteen of the six and twenty answer'd Guilty Then the Lieutenant of the Tower was Commanded to bring forth his Prisoner and he being brought to the Bar the Lord High-Steward spoke to him as followeth Lord High-Steward Mervyn Lord Audley you have been Indicted of two Heinous Crimes Rape and Sodomy you have pleaded not Guilty and put your self upon God and your Peers who have found you Guilty of both and now my Heart grieves for what my Tongue must utter but Justice is the way to cut off all Wickedness O think upon the Turpitude of your Offences with an unfeigned Sorrow and a Sincere Repentance and as your Crimes have been Abominable so let your Mortification for them be as remarkable 'T is not a slight and formal Contrition can obliterate your Offences for you have not only Sin'd against the Law of God and Nature but against the Rage of Man Jealousie and though you are not Condemn'd for that enormity you caus'd your Daughter to be abused and having Honour and Fortune to leave behind you would have the spurious Issue of a Varlet to Inherit both My Lord I am sorry to see you so unconcerned and that you discover no signs of Sorrow or Repentance for the Crimes you have Committed How are you obliged to bless God that his Judgments did not seize and hurry you away with the load of these Sins upon your Conscience and in the very Act of your Filthiness but has I hope reserv'd you as a Subject of his Mercy and when you were blinded in your Sins has brought you to this day of Shame that the sight of them might turn you to him by Shame Sorrow and Repentance These my Lord are Arguments that invite you to lay hold of his Mercy and secure a happy Eternity and therefore I advise you to improve this opportunity and for the few Moments you have to Live indeavour to wash away your Crimes in Tears of true Repentance for the many Crimes you have Committed That the Sentence I am going to Pronounce may prevent your dreadful Doom from God Almighty The SENTENCE For as much as Thou Mervyn Lord Audley hast been Indicted of divers Fellonies and by thy Peers hast been found Guilty of them thy SENTENCE therefore is That Thou return to the place from whence Thou camest and from thence to the place of Execution and there be Hang'd by the Neck till thy Body be Dead And the Lord have Mercy on Thee The Lord Audley hearing his Sentence fell upon his Knees denied the Fact and desired the Lords to intercede with His Majesty to grant him a little time to reconcile himself to God which their Lordships promised they would and then the Court was dissolved At the Intercession of the Lords he had time given him by the King till Saturday the Fourteenth of May and the SENTENCE was changed into that of Beheading His Coffin was sent to him about a Week before his Death and he was daily visited by Dr. Wickham Dean of S. Paul's to prepare himself for his Dissolution The Day of his Execution being come he ascended a Scaffold on Tower-Hill in a plain Black Grogram Suit a falling Band and a Black Hat without a Band Accompanied by Dr. Winnerf and Dr. Wickham and several Noblemen and Gentlemen Then he address'd himself to Prayers and having done he stood upon his Legs and leaning upon the two Deans after a short and private Conference with them he turned to the Lords and spoke as follows I Thankfully acknowledge the great goodness of Almighty God whose Divine Majesty has bestow'd upon me Honour Riches and other Endowments which I have mispent in a Vicious Life and have justly deserv'd Death as the Reward of my Sins against God but for the two Heinous Crimes for which I am now to Suffer I deny them upon my Death and freely forgive all that have been any way accessary to it even as heartily as I desire Forgiveness at the Hands of God which I hope to obtain through his Infinite Goodness and Mercy and the assistance of your Prayers which I humbly beg of your Lordships and this whole Assembly It has been Reported to my Disadvantage that I have been unsetled in my Religion and therefore I have made a Confession of it to these two worthy Doctors and have Publish'd it in Print under my Hand a Week since and do now again Renounce all the Errors and Superstitions Taught by the Church of Rome or any other Church and declare my self a Member of the Church of England and stedfastly Believe all the Articles of that Church as they are confirmed by Authority of Parliament Having thus acquainted you with the Articles of my Faith I must next acknowledge the great Justice and Mercy of the King's Majesty His Justice in bringing me to a Tryal and his Mercy in appointing me to be Tryed by such Noble Peers and in assigning me this kind of Death rather than that pronounc'd in my Sentence but above all for giving me so long a time to repent in and sending these two worthy Divines to assist me for I hope nay can speak it to my Comfort that I have made such good use of these Favours that I am fully prepar'd to Die and before you all give my hearty Thanks to these two good Men for the great pains they have taken in coming to me praying for me and Preaching and Reading to me and I desire your Lordships will give my humble Thanks to the King for sending them to me and for all the rest of his Favours for which I pray God to Bless His Majesty the Queen the young Prince the King and Queen of Bohemia and all the Royal Family And now my Lords and all you who are Spectators I humbly request you that you would remove your Eyes from me and your Thoughts from what I am to suffer and lift up your Eyes your Hands and your Hearts to Heaven in Prayer for me and so I take my last Farewell of your Lordships and all the World After this his Lordship betook himself to his private Prayers and then undrest and prepar'd himself to receive the Fatal Stroke Then taking leave again of the Lords and Doctors he prayed a while by himself pull'd his Hankerchief over his Face laid his Neck upon the Block and having given the Sign the Executioner at one Blow divided his Head from his Body FINIS