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
Maliciously and Trayterously did send to the said Monsieur le Chese into Parts beyond the Seas there to be delivered to him And that the said Edward Coleman afterward viz. the first day of December in the seven and twentieth year of our said Sovereign Lord the King at the said Parish of St. Margarets Westminster in the County of Middlesex aforesaid did receive from the said Monsieur le Chese one Letter in Answer to one of the said Letters first mentioned and written by him the said Edward Coleman to the said Monsieur le Chese which said Letter in Answer as aforesaid Falsly Maliciously and Trayterously received the day and year aforesaid at the Parish of St. Margarets Westminster aforesaid the said Edward Coleman did falsly trayterously and maliciously read over and Peruse And that the said Edward Coleman the Letter so as aforesaid by him in Answer to the said Letter received into his Custody and Possession the Day and Year last mentioned at the Parish of St. Margarets Westminster aforesaid in the County of Middlesex aforesaid did Falsly Maliciously and Trayterously Detain Conceal and Keep By which Letter the said Monsieur le Chese the Day and Year last mentioned at the Parish of St. Margarets Westminster in the County of Middlesex aforesaid did signifie and promise to the said Edward Coleman to obtain for the said Edward Coleman and other false Traytors against our Sovereign Lord the King Aid Assistance and Adherence from the said French King and that the said Edward Coleman afterward Viz. the tenth day of December in the seven and twentieth year of the Reign of our said Sovereign Lord the King at the Parish of St. Margarets Westminster in the County of Middlesex aforesaid his wicked Treasons and Traiterous Designs and Proposals as aforesaid did tell and declare to one Mounsieur Revigni Envoy extraordinary from the French King to our most Serene and Sovereign Lord King Charles c. in the County aforesaid residing and did falsly maliciously and trayterously move and excite the said Envoy extraordinary to partake in his Treason and the sooner to fulfil and compleat his Traiterous Designs and wicked imaginations and intentions the said Edward Coleman afterward Viz. the tenth day of December in the seven and twentieth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King Charles the Second of England c. aforesaid at the Parish of St. Margarets Westminster in the County of Middlesex aforesaid did advisedly maliciously deceitfully and traiterously compose and write three other Letters to be sent to one Sir William Throckmorton Kt. then a Subject of our said Soveraign Lord the King of this Kingdome of England and residing in France in parts beyond the Seas Viz. at the Parish of St. Margarets Westminster in the County of Middlesex aforesaid to sollicite the said Monsieur Le Chese to procure and obtain of the said French King Aid Assistance and Adherance as aforesaid and the said Letters last mentioned afterward Viz. the day and year last named as aforesaid from the said Parish of St. Margarets Westminster in the County of Middlesex aforesaid did falsly and tâ—aiterously send and cause to be delivered to the said Sir VVilliam Throckmorton in France aforesaid against his true Allegiance and against the Peace of our Sovereign Lord the King that now is his Crown and Dignity and against the Form of the Statute in that Case made and Provided Court Upon this Indictment he hath been arraigned and hath pleaded thereunto not guilty and for his Tryal he puts himself upon God and his Country Which Country you are Your Charge is to enquire whether he be guilty of the High Treason whereof he stands indicted or not guilty If you find him guilty you are to enquire what Goods and Chattels Lands and Tenements he had at the time when the High Treason was committed or at any time since If you find him not guilty you are to say so and no more and hear your Evidence Cryer If any one will give Evidence on the behalf of our Soveraign Lord the King against Edward Coleman the Prisoner at the Bar let him come forth and he shall be heard for the Prisoner now stands at the Bar upon his Deliverance Mr. Recorder May it please you my Lord and you Gentlemen of the Jury Mr. Edward Coleman now the prisoner at the Bar stands indicted for High Treason and the Indictment sets forth that the said Edward Coleman indeavouring to subvert the Protestant Religion and to change and alter the same And likewise to stir up Rebellion and Sedition amongst the Kings Liege people and also to kill the King did on the 29th of September in the twenty seventh year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord the King at the Parish of St. Margarets VVestminster in this County compose and write two several Letters to one Mounsieur Le Chese that was then servant and Confessor to the French King and this was to procure the French Kings aid and assistance to him and other Traitors to alter the Religion practised and by Law established here in England to the Romish Superstition The Indictment sets forth likewise that on the same day he did write and compose two other Letters to the same Gentleman that was servant and Confessor to the said King to prevail with him to procure the French Kings assistance to alter the Religion in this Kingdome established to the Romish Religion The Indictment sets further forth that he caused these two Letters to be sent beyond the Seas And it also sets forth that on the tenth of December the same moneth he did receive a Letter from the Gentleman that was the Confessor in answer to one of the former Letters and in that Letter aid and assistance from the French King was promised and that he did traiterously conceal that Letter My Lord the Indictment sets out further that on the tenth day of the same moneth he did reveal his Treasons and traiterous Conspiracies to one Mounsieur Revigni who was Envoy from the French king to his Majesty of Great Britain And his Indictment declares he afterwards did write three Letters more to Sir VVilliam Throckmorton then residing in France to procure the French Kings assistance to the alteration of the Religion practised here in England Of these several Offences he stands hereindicted To this he hath pleaded not guilty If we prove these or either of them in the Indictment you ought to find him guilty Serj. Maynard May it please your Lordship and you Gentlemen of the Jury This is a Cause of great Concernment Gentlemen the Prisoner at the Bar stands indicted for no less than for an intention and endeavour to murther the King For an endeavour and attempt to change the Government of the Nation so well settled and instituted and to bring us all to ruin and slaughter of one another and for an endeavour to alter the Protestant Religion and to introduce instead of it the Romish Superstition and Popery This
as to know your Person and that I have an Opportunity of putting this Letter into the hands of Father St. German â—s Nephew for whose Integrity and Prudence he has undertaken without any sort of hazard In order then Sir to the plainness I profess I will tell you what has formerly passed between your Reverence's Predecessor Father Ferryer and my self About three years ago when the King my Master sent a Troop of Horse Guards into his most Christian Majesties Service under the Command of my Lord Durass he sent with it an Officer called Sir William Throckmorton with whom I had a particular Intimacy and who had then very newly embrac'd the Catholick Religion To him did I constantly Write and by him address my self to Father Ferryer The first thing of great Importance I presumed to offer him not to trouble you with lesser matters or what passed here before and immediatly after the Fatal Revocation of the Kings Declaration for Liberty of Conscience to which we owe all our Miseries and hazards was in July August and September 1673. when I constantly inculcated the great danger Catholick Religion and his most Christian Majesties Interest would be in at our next Sessions of Parliament which was then to be in October following at which I plainly foresaw that the King my Master would be forced to something in prejudice to his Allyance with France which I saw so evidently and particularly that we should make Peace with Holland that I urg'd all the Arguments I could which to me were Demonstrations to convince your Court of that mischief and press'd all I could to perswade his most Christian Majesty to use his utmost endeavour to prevent that session of our Parliament and proposed Expedients how to do it But I was answered so often and so positively that his most Christian Majesty was so vvell assured by his Embassador here our Embassador there the Lord Arlington and even the King himself that he had no such apprehensions at all but vvas fully satisfied of the contrary and lookt upon what I offered as a very zealous mistake that I was forced to give over arguing though not believing as I did but confidently appealed to time and success to prove who took their measures rightest When it happened what I foresaw came to pass the good Father was a little surprized to see all the great men mistaken and a little one in the right and was pleased by Sir William Throckmorton to desire the continuance of my correspondence which I was mighty willing to comply with knowing the Interest of our King and in a more particular manner of my more immediate Master the Duke and his most Christian Majesty to be so inseparably united that it was impossible to divide them without destroying them all Upon this I shewed that our Parliament in the circumstances it was managed by the timerous Councels of our Ministers who then governed would never be useful either to England France or Catholick Religion but that we should as certainly be forced from our Neutrality at their next meeting as we had been from our Active Alliance with France the last year That a Peace in the Circumstances we were in was much more to be desired then the continuance of the War and that the Dissolution of our Parliament would certainly procure a Peace for that the Confederates did more depend upon the power they had in our Parliament then upon any thing else in the World and were more encouraged from them to the continuing of the War so that if they were Dissolved their measures would be all broken and they consequently in a manner necessitated to a Peace The good Father minding this Discourse somewhat more then the Court of France thought fit to do my former urg'd it so home to the King that his Majesty was pleased to give him Orders to signify to his R. H. my Master that his Majesty vvas fully satisfyed of his R. H s. good intention tovvards him and that he esteemed both their interests but as one and the same that my Lord Arlington and the Parliament were both to be lookt upon as very unuseful to their interest That if his R. H. would endeavour to dissolve this Parliament his most Christian Majesty would assist him with his Povver and Purse to have a nevv one as should be for their purpose This and a great many more expressions of kindness and confidence Father Ferryer was pleased to communicate to Sir William Throckmorton and Commanded them to send them to his R. H. and withall to beg his R. H. to propose to his most Christian Majesty what he thought necessary for his own concern and the advantage of Religion and his Majesty would certainly do all he could to advance both or either of them This Sir William Throckmorton sent to me by an Express who left Paris the 2d of June 1674 Stilo novo I no sooner had it but I communicated it to his R. H. To which his R. H. commanded me to answer as I did on the 29th of the same month That his R. H. was very sensible of his most Christian Majesties friendship and that he would labour to cultivate it with all the good Offices he was capable of doing for his Majesty that he was fully convinced that their Interests were both one that my Lord Arlington and the Parliament vvere not only unuseful but very dangerous both to England and France That therefore it was necessary that they should do all they could to Dissolve it And that his R. H's opinion was that if his most Christian Majesty would Write his thoughts freely to the King of England upon this Subject and make the same proffer to his Majesty of his Purse to Dissolve this Parliament which he had made to his R H. to call another he did believe it very possible for him to succeed with the assistance we should be able to give him here and that if this Parliament were Dissolved there would be no great difficulty of getting a new one which would be more useful The Constitutions of our Parliaments being such that a new one can never hurt the Crown nor an old one do it good His R. H. being pleased to own these Propositions which were but only general I thought it reasonable to be more particular and come closer to the point we might go the faster about the work and come to some issue before the time was too far spent I laid this for my Maxim The Dissolution of our Parliament will certainly procure a Peace which proposition was granted by every body I Conversed withall even by Monsieur Rouvigny himself with whom I took liberty of discoursing so far but durst not say any thing of the Intelligence I had with Father Ferryer Next that a Sum of Money certain would certainly procure a Dissolution this some doubted but I am sure I never did for I knew perfectly well that the King had frequent Disputes with himself at that time whether
From those of the Society at Rome wherein one Harcourt one of the Fathers was certified that the Commissions were come to Langhorn and were in his hand I saw the Letters at St. Omers before they came to Harcourt we read the Letters there before they came to England I had power to open them L. Chief Just Did you open the Letters Mr. Oates Yes L. Chief Just When saw you the Letters at St. Omers Mr. Oates I saw the Letters at St. Omers in the month of January then they came from Rome and after I received summons to be at this Consult in the month of April and accordingly we came over L. Chief Just VVhat time did you come over Mr. Oates In the month of April L. Chief Just VVhat time went you to Langhorns chamber I cannot reconcile the months together Just Dolben Did you not say you came to Langhorn in November Mr. Oates Yes before I went to St. Omers Just Wild. How many came over with you Mr. Oates I cannot tell how many came over together there were nine of us all Jesuits L. Chief Just Did not you say you went to Langhorn in November Mr. Oates That was before I went to St. Omers Attorn Gen. Tell how many Priests or Jesuits were lately in England that you know of at one time Mr. Oates There was and have been to my knowledge in the Kingdom of England Secular Priests eightscore and Jesuits fourscore and by name in the Catalogue I think three hundred and odd L. Chief Just How long had you been in England before you were at Mr. Langhorn's Chamber Mr. Oates Not long because I had Letters in my Pacquet from his Sons assoon as I had rested a little I went to him L. Chief Just What said Mr. Langhorn to you about the Commissions in his chamber Mr. Oats Not a word but seem'd glad L. Chief Just Did you see them open upon his Table or did you ask to see them Mr. Oates They did not lye open upon the Table but the Commissions were before him I asked to see them Mr. Langhorn said I I hear you have received the Commissions from Rome he said he had Shall I have the honour to see some of them He said I might he thought he might trust me and so he might because that very day I gave him an account of the Consult L. Chief Just When was it you gave him an account of the Consult Mr. Oates In the morning L. Chief Just You say you were twice there that day Mr. Oates I was there the whole Forenoon L. Chief Just That day you saw the Commissions Mr. Oates I had been there several times the same day and meeting him at last he asked me how often I was there before I said said twice or thrice but that day was the last time ever I saw him I have not seen him since to my knowledge L. Chief Just Was that the first time that you saw him after you came from Spain Mr. Oates I saw him thrice in November then I went to St. Omers the first time I saw him after I came from thence I saw the Commissions Attorn Gen. What were the Names of those men that came over from St. Omers besides your self Mr. Oates As near as I can remember the Rector of Liege was one Father Warren Sir Thomas Preston the Rector of Watton one Francis Williams Sir John Warner Baronet one Father Charges one Pool a Monk I think I made the ninth Attorn Gen. If the Prisoner at the Bar be minded he may ask him any Question Prisoner I am mighty glad to see that Gentleman Sir Thomas Dolman in the Court for I think he was upon my Examination before the Councel and this man that gives now in Evidence against me there told the King he never saw me before and he is extreamly well acquainted with me now and hath a World of Intimacy Mr. Oates at that time gave such an Account of my Concern in this matter that I had orders to go to Newgate I never saw Mr. Oates since I was born but at that time L. Chief Just You shall have as fair a Search and Examination in this matter for your Life as can be therefore Mr. Oates answer to what Mr. Coleman saith Mr. Oates My Lord when Mr. Coleman was upon his Examination before the Council-board he saith I said there that I never saw him before in my Life I then said I would not swear that I had seen him before in my Life because my sight was bad by Candle-light and Candle-light alters the sight much but when I heard him speak I could have sworn it was he but it was not then my Business I cannot see a great way by Candle-light L. Chief Just The Stress of the Objection lyeth not upon seeing so much but how come you that you laid no more to Mr. Coleman's charge at that time Mr. Oates I did design to lay no more to his Charge then than was matter for Information For Prisoners may supplant Evidence when they know it and bring Persons to such Circumstances as Time and Place My Lord I was not bound to give in more than a general Information against Mr. Coleman Mr. Coleman did deny he had Correspondence with Father Le Chese at any time I did then say he had given him an account of several transactions And my Lord then was I so weak being up two nights and having been taking Prisoners upon my Salvation I could scarce stand upon my Legs L. Chief Just What was the Information you gave at that time to the Council against Mr. Coleman Mr. Oates The Information I gave at that time as near as I can remember but I would not trust to my memory was for writing of News-Letters in which I did then excuse the Treasonable Reflexions and called them Base Reflexions at the Council-board the King was sensible and so was the Council I was so wearied and tyred being all that Afternoon before the Council and Sunday night and sitting up night after night that the King was willing to discharge me But if I had been urged I should have made a larger Information L. Chief Just The thing you accused him of was his own Letter Pris He doth not believe it was my Letter L. C. Just You here charge Mr. Coleman to be the man that gave a Guinny to expedite the business at Windsor c. at the time when you were Examined at the Council-Table you gave a particular account of attempting to take away the Kings life at Windsor and raising twenty thousand pounds and all those great Transactions why did you not charge Mr. Coleman to be the man that gave the Guinny to the Messenger to expedite the business when the 80 pounds was sent that he found out a way of transmitting 200000 pounds to carry on the Design he consulted the killing the King and approved of it very well And of the Instructions for 10000 pounds and said it was too little
himself wrote and counterfeited in the Duke's Name Clerk of the Crown reads the Letter THE 2 d. of June last past his most Christian Majestie offered me most generously his Friendship and the use of his Purse to the assistance against the designs of my Enemies and his and protested unto me That his Interest and mine were so clearly linckt together that those that opposed the one should be lookt upon as Enemies to the other and told me moreover his Opinion of my Lord Arlington and the Parliament which is That he is of opinion that neither the one nor the other is in his Interest or mine and thereupon he desired me to make such Propositions as I should think fit in this Conjuncture All was Transacted by the means of Father Ferrier who made use of Sir William Throgmorton who is an honest man and of truth who was then at Paris and hath held Correspondence with Coleman one of my Family in whom I have great Confidence I was much satisfied to see his most Christian Majestie altogether of my opinion so I made him Answer the 29 th of June by the same means he made use of to write to me that is by Coleman who addrest himself to Father Ferrier by the forementioned Knight and entirely agreed to his most Christian Majestie as well to what had respect to the Union of our Interests as the unusefulness of my Lord Arlington and the Parliament in order to the Service of the King my Brother and his most Christian Majestie and that it was necessary to make use of our joynt and utmost Credits to prevent the Success of those evil designs resolved on by the Lord Arlington and the Parliament against his most Christian Majestie and my Self which of my side I promise really to perform of which since that time I have given reasonable good proof Moreover I made some Proposals which I thought necessary to bring to pass what We were obliged to undertake assuring him That nothing could so firmly establish Our Interest with the King my Brother as that very same Offer of the help of his Purse by which means I had much reason to hope I should be enabled to persuade to the Dissolving of the Parliament and to make void the Designs of my Lord Arlington who works incessantly to advance the Interest of the Prince of Orange and the Hollanders and to lessen that of the King your Master notwithstanding all the Protestations he hath made to this hour to render him service But as that which was proposed was at a stand by reason of the sickness of Father Ferrier so our affairs succeeded not according to our designs only Father Ferrier wrote to me the â—â— th of the last Mâ—â—â—h That 〈…〉 that they had been very well lik'd of but as they contained things that had regard to the Catholick Religion to the offer and use of his Purse he gave me to understand he did not desire I should treat with Monsieur Revigny upon the First but as to the last and had the same time acquainted me that Monsieur Revigny had order to grant me what soever the conjuncture of our Affairs did require and have expected the effects of it to this very hour but nothing being done in it and seeing on the other hand that my Lord Arlington and several others endeavoured by a thousand deceits to break the good Intelligence which is between the King my Brother his most Christian Majestie and my Self to the end they might deceive Us all Three I have thought fit to advertise you of all that is past and desire of you your Assistance and Friendship to prevent the Rogueries of those who have no other design than to betray the Concerns of France and England also and who by their pretended service are the occasion they succeed not As to any thing more I refer you to Sir William Throgmorton and Coleman whom I have Commanded to give an account of the whole state of Our Affair and of the true Condition of England with many others and principally my Lord Arlington's endeavours to represent to you quite otherwise than it is The Two First I mentioned to you are Firm to my Interest so that you may treat with them without any apprehension Serj. Maynard Gentlemen of the Jury pray observe that he takes upon him to prepare a Letter And that in the Duke's Name but contrary to the Duke's Knowledge or Privacy for when he had so much boldness as to tell him of it the Duke was Angry and rejected it But in it we may see what kind of passages there are he takes very much upon him in this matter And Mr. Coleman must keep the Secret too Att. General My Lord I have but one Paper more to read and I have kept it till the last because if we had proved nothing by Witness or not read any thing but this This one Letter is sufficient to maintain the Charge against him It plainly appears to whom it was directed and at what time It begins thus I sent your Reverence a tedious long Letter on our 29 th of September I onely mention this to shew about what time it was sent There are some Clauses in it will speak better than I can Sir Tho. Doleman and Sir Phillip Floyd swear who hath confessed and owned it to be his hand writing 〈…〉 I desire the Letter may be read Clerk of the Crown reads the Letter SIR I Sent your Reverence a tedious long Letter on our 29 th of September to inform you of the progress of Affairs for these 2. or 3. last years I having now again the opportunity of a very sure hand to convey this by I have sent you a Cipher because our Parliament now drawing on I may possibly have occasion to send you something which you may be willing enough to know and may be necessary for us that you should when we may want the conveniency of a Messenger When any thing occurs of more concern other then which may not be fit to be trusted even to a Cipher alone I will to make such a thing more secure write in Lemmon between the Lines of a Letter which shall have nothing in it visible but what I care not who sees but dryed by a warm fire shall discover what is written so that if the Letter comes to your hands and upon drying it any thing appears more then did before you may be sure no body has seen it by the way I will not trouble you with that way of writing but upon special occasions and then I will give you a hint to direct you to look for it by concluding my visible Letter with something of fire or burning by which mark you may please to know that there is something underneath and how my Letter is to be used to find it out We have here a mighty Work upon our Hands no less than the Conversion of three Kingdoms and by that perhaps the utter subduing of
at Mr. Francis Fisher's I was there at least twenty days L. Ch. Just Have you any more Witnesses Pris Ans None L. Ch. Just If you have a mind to say any thing more say what you can Pris I can say nothing more than what I have said Positively I say and upon my Salvation I never saw these Witnesses Oates but once and Bedlow never before Sir Francis Winnington his Majesty's Sollicitor General sums up the Evidence as followeth May it please Your Lordship and you Gentlemen of the Jury THE Cause before you I dare adventure to say is a Cause of as great a Nature and includes as great Crimes as ever came to this Bar. It is not a Cause of a particular Treason but ' t is a Treason that runs to the whole the King the Government and the Protestant Religion all are comprehended in it The defence the Prisoner has made is so very short and of so slight a Nature that I shall contract my self very much in what I had to say and only state to the Court and Jury the principal things I rely upon The first Crime laid in the Indictment is the design of killing and destroying the Royal Person of his Majesty The second the subverting of the Government and in doing that the destruction of the Protestant Religion And these Treasons have been punctually proved as well by two Witnesses as by Letters under Mr. Colemans own Hand whereby he corresponded with Monsieur Le Chese the French Kings Confessor as also by the Answers which were sent by Monsieur Le Chese to Mr. Coleman As to the Proofs made by the Witnesses the substance of them is this Mr. Oates swears that in April last Old Style and May New Style there was a General Consult or Meeting of the Jesuites at the White-Horse-Tavern in the Strand and afterwards they divided themselves into several Companies or Clubs and in those Consults they conspired the Death of the King and contrived how to effect it The manner of it was thus as Mr. Oates positively swears That Grove and Pickering were imployed to murther the King and their design was to Pistol him in St. James ' s Park Grove was to have Fifteen hundred Pounds in Money and Pickering being a Priest was to have Thirty thousand Masses which was computed to be of equal value to Fifteen hundred Pounds according to the usual price in the Church of Rome And this Conspiracy and Contrivance Mr. Coleman was privy to and did well approve of the same as Mr. Oates affirmeth upon his Oath So that here is a plain Treason proved upon the Prisoner by his assenting to the Fact to be done the Law not allowing any Accessaries in Treason And this in Law makes the Prisoner as guilty as any of the Assassinates who designed to kill the King with their own Hands If this design should fail Mr. Oates swears that the Conspirators intended a farther attempt upon the Royal Person of the King when be should be at Windsor and four Irish Assassinates were provided by Doctor Fogarty whose Names he would not tell and fourscore Guinneys were provided by Father Harcourt a Jesuit to maintain the Assassinates at Windsor till they should have effected their wicked design While the Conspiracy was thus in agitation Mr. Coleman the Prisoner went to visit Harcourt the Jesuit at his House in Town but finding him not at home and being informed that he was at Wild-house Mr. Coleman went thither and found him there and Mr. Coleman asking what Provision Harcourt had made for the Gentlemen at Windsor Harcourt replyed that there were fourscore Guinneys which then lay upon the Table which were to be sent to them and said that the Person who was in the Room was to carry them To which Mr. Coleman replyed he liked it very well and gave a Guinney out of his own Pocket to the Messenger who was to carry the Money to Windsor to encourage him to expedite the Business But in case the design of killing his Majesty at Windsor should be any ways prevented then there was a further Conspiracy to destroy the King by Poison Mr. Oates swears that in July last Ashby a Jesuit brought instructions to London from Flanders that in case Pickering and Grove could not kill the King at London nor the four Irish Assassinates at Windsor then Ten thousand Pounds was to be proposed to Sir George Wakeman to poyson the King But it did appear by the Letters that passed between White the Provincial here in London and Ashby that Mr. Coleman said he thought ten thousand Pounds was too little and therefore thought it necessary to offer five thousand Pounds more which afterwards was assented to by the Jesuites abroad And Mr. Oates swears he saw Letters from the Provincial at London to the Jesuites at St. Omer signifying that Sir George Wakeman had accepted of the Proposition and received five thousand Pounds of the Money By which Testimony of Mr. Oates it plainly appears that Mr. Coleman the Prisoner at the Bar was privy to the Conspiracy and aiding and abetting to the wicked and damnable design of murdering the King The second Witness is Mr. Bedlow who swears that he was imployed by Harcourt the Jesuit to carry Pacquets of Letters to Monsieur Le Chese the French Kings Confessor and further says he was at a Consult in France where the Plot was discoursed on for killing the King and did bring back an answer from Le Chese to Harcourt in London and swears particularly that on the 24th or 25th of May 1677. he was at Colemans House with Father Harcourt and some other Persons where Mr. Coleman discoursing of the great design in hand said these Words following That if he had a Sea of Blood and an hundred Lives he would lose them all to carry on the design and if to effect this it were necessary to destroy an hundred Heretick Kings he would do it So that here is another positive Oath to an Act of Treason committed by Mr. Coleman in relation to the murthering the King The other part of the Evidence consists of Papers and Letters which generally relate to prove the latter part of the Indictment to wit The Extirpation of the Protestant Religion and introducing of Popery and the subverting of the Government And this appears by a Letter written by Mr. Coleman dated 29. Septem 75. and sent to Monsieur Le Chese the French Kings Confessor wherein he gives him an account of the Transactions of several years before and of the Correspondence between Mr. Coleman and Monsieur Ferrier Predecessor to Le Chese wherein he does also assert that the true way to carry on the Interest of France and the promoting of the Popish Religion here in England was to get this Parliament dissolved which says he had been long since effected if three hundred thousand Pounds could have been obtained from the French King and that things yet were in such a posture that if he had