Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A29064
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The narrative of Mr. William Boys, citizen of London faithfully relating what came to his knowledge concerning the late horrid Popish plot, and the death of Sir Edmund-Bury Godfrey, by his acquaintance with, and attendance upon Mr. Miles
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Boys, William.
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1680
(1680)
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Wing B4067; ESTC R19616
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19,907
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20
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by break of day the next Morning being the 13 th of Jan. I was sent for to the Prison to speak with Mr. P. And that very morning it was that he Discovered to me all that he knew of the Murther of Sir Edmund-Bury Godfrey and of something more relating to the Plot it self and gave me a full account of the manner of the Action if not in the same words yet altogether the same in Substance which he himself hath already made publick to the world to which for avoiding a needless Repetition I refer the Reader When I brought the account to the King and Council they gave me my Oath to Confirm that the Recital of it came immediately from Mr. Prances mouth which I readily took as being a most certain Truth I farther told his Majesty what Mr. P. had revealed to me of the Design of Prossers Matteson Adamson and Bradshaw to have Murthered the Right Honorable the Earl of Shaftsbury And indeed such was the Indefatigable Care and Industry of that Noble Peer in Prosecuting the Discovery of the Plot such his unwearied endeavours to secure his Majesty and the Kingdom by his Wisdom and Councils from the Attempts of our Enemies that they have merited the thankful applause of the whole Nation No wonder therefore that the Papists should be so zealous to remove so great an Obstacle of their wicked Conspiracies out of the way I also gave an account of what Mr. P. had revealed to me concerning the Plot or at least of so much as he know All which things Mr. P. has since himself more amply declared either in his own Narrative or in the Testimonies which he gave against the several persons since Convicted and Executed for the Crimes in some part by him proved against them When the Kings most Excellent Majesty had received a full Information of all these things from me part in Writing part by word of Mouth he caused Warrants to be issued forth for the apprehension of Prosser Bradshaw c. and by me sent an Order to Captain Richardson to bring Mr. P. up to the Council the same day The King was then present and took the pains to examine him himself to every particular of what I had delivered and declared all which Mr. P. confirm'd as he had before Confess'd to me in the Prison and further declar'd to his Majesty That he would stand by his said Confession with the hazard or loss of his Life In consideration of this Confession his Majesty was pleased to command that Mr. P. should have his Pardon and that Captain Richardson should suffer him to want for nothing I was also ordered to keep him Company every day For the Kings Majesty and Council were pleased to be so sensible of the pains I had taken to bring that horrid Murther to light that the Earl of Essex a most Noble and Prudent Counsellour with the rest of the Honourable Board did me the high favour to return me a particular thanks And Sir Robert Southwell afterwards declared in the Lobby before several persons that I had Discharg'd a good Conscience both toward God and man And therefore in requital of my good Service upon that occasion upon the 29 th of Jan. his Majesty in Council was most graciously pleased to make the following Order in my behalf At the Court at White-hall the 29 th of January 1678 9. Present the Kings Most Excellent Majesty The Lords of the Committee of Examinations having this day represented to his Majesty in Council the necessity of having a stock of three or four Hundred Pounds to answer the Occasions of the Committee did among other particulars make mention of the Service which had been done by Mr. William Boys who had for a long time left his own occasions and the following of his Trade to obey the Orders of the said Committee and frequently to resort to his Neighbour Mr. Prance in order to Discover the truth of the Evidence which he had given touching the Murther of Sir Edmund-Bury Godfrey and their Lordships praying that his Majesty would please to bestow some mark of his Favour upon him to the value of 30 l. His Majesty was pleased to Order and it is hereby Ordered accordingly That the Right Honourable the Lord High Treasurer of England do forthwith cause to be paid to the said William Boys the Sum of Thirty Pounds Sterling as of his Majesties free Gift and Bounty to him out of the Stock which by the said Committee is desired to answer the Service which is under their Care Robert Southwell After the Tryals of the Murtherers were over I waited upon the Right Honourable the Earl of Essex to intreat his favorable Assistance and his kind word to his Majesty and Council in behalf of Mr. P. that he might be releas'd out of Prison That as I had been an Aid and Succour to him in the time of his Trouble I might not be thought to leave the work imperfect which I had in Friendship begun having no other end or aim in all my Actions Relating to this Affair than to approve my self a good and Loyal Subject a true Protestant and a Cordial Friend Neither am I conscious to my self of having fail'd in any one of these particulars for which my Innocency will at no time refuse with all humility to make its appeal to those Noble Lords who were the discerning Witnesses of my behaviour as having frequent occasion to attend upon them during Mr. Prance's Imprisonment Therefore for several reasons I thought it but necessary to give this short account and Narrative to the world as being First 1. An Eye-witness of his Majesties most Princely and Tender Care and unwearied pains which he took at that time for the publick Security of the Nation and to bring the Offenders to Condign punishment And that the Lords of the Council were no less vigorously Active to second his Soveraign Resolutions with their most prudent Advice and continual and laborious Scrutinies 2. To confirm the Relation of the Murther made by Mr. P. as being first received by my self from his own Mouth which I do Attest before God and the whole world to agree in all particulars with what he himself has Published and so absolutely consent that I should but have incurr'd the blame of tyring or abusing the Reader with a Repetition of the same words again Nor was it extorted from him by any other Wrack or Torture then that of a Dismaid and Distracted Conscience which could not Disburthen it self till it had thrown off the Shackles of those fears and jealousies that usually perplex the Guilty especially considering the remediless Dilemma that was put upon him that Labyrinth of Life or Death wherein he found himself intrigu'd without hopes of ever getting forth unless he made use in time of the Silken Clue that was offer'd 3. In the third place I thought it was a duty owing to my own Reputation to disengage it from the Scandals throw upon me