complained of Colledges ill usage in many bitter expressions among others I very well remember he said these words at our parting By God this pace will not carry it we must take another course I askt him what he replayed We must Dagger them nothing but a Dagger will do it Dagger who quoth I These Rogues the Judges says he we must make a Tumult in the street and Stab them like Villains in their Coaches for an Example to others for no good will be done we shall have no Justice till these Rogues be served so Mr. Merry said to me in Mr. Ote's Chamber at Whitehall when the Parliament was sitting at Oxford 1680 1. That the King had a Design to seize upon all the Protestant honest Lords and Gentlemen at Oxford and chop off their Heads but says he They are well provided for Defence and Offence yet the King will cut off all the honest Party and bring in Popery at last by the help of the King of France but if he Travels once more neither he nor any of the Race of him will ever return Rhoderick Mansel at Lambs Ordinary in March 1679. told Mr. Savage Mr. Hughs Mr. Button and my self That there were Commissions given out that Sir William Waller had seized them that he had seen them that he knew of Twenty Horses in divers Stables ready that he and Collonel Disney would Head the Prentices that he would Fight for the Cause in Blood up to the Knees and that the King resolved to bring in Popery This was before the business of Captain Tom. Nicholson when he was fitting up Otes's Pistols a little before the Parliament met at Oxford said to me Come come we shall have occasion for these before we come back again from Oxford I shall be once again on Horseback I would I were Twenty Years Younger He was a Trooper in Cromwells Army The aforesaid Creswel is a most Audacious Villain His many Horrid Expressions against the King and the great Ministers of State would fill many Sheets His ordinary Execrations against the King are The Devil confound him he is a Papist the Devil run through him with a Scythe at 's Back The Devil Run through that Papist Whore that Bitch the Queen with a Scythe at 's Back The like Curses against the Chancellor Mr. Seymore Secretary Jenkins Privy Seal c. I have heard him express I do really think above a hundred times Doctor Oates hath in my hearing I belive a hundred times affirmed very Peremptorily That the Supream Power was in the People That the King was but the Peoples Servant and Steward That the People had Power to Depose him and set up another when they pleased That the King was as deep in the Plot and was as Errant a Papist as his Brother That the King had Suborned VVitnesses to stifle the Popish Plot and to throw it upon the Protestants mentioning Dangerfield Tongue and Fitz-Harris One day when Tongue was Examined before the Council Otes told me All the Subornation will come up to our Master at last meaning the King Many times Otes has said to me His Fingers Itches meaning the King to bring in Popery and the French Government But it will not do we are ready we are Provided against him with Men and Arms upon any occasion He may remember what became of former Kings that abused Parliaments Let him Remember his Father He must expect the same Sauce if he goes on The Persons that most frequented Otes's Chamber were Councellor Smith Starkey Pascal Charleton Aaron Smith VVilson Burroughs Nelthrop VVest Hunt Snow Halford Blaney Merry Mansel Sir Hugh Inglesby Collonel Scot Chetwin Colledge Yarrington Harrington Dr. Jones Dr. Butler Dr. Pole Dr. a Prebendary of Chichester Cannon Billing Penn and VVhitacre That Afternoon Oats Returned from Oxford after Colledges Tryal he laid him down on the Chairs in his Chamber at Whitehall and said Oh! there is a great Man fallen this day in Israel I wish I may lay down my Life in so just a Cause He is his Countries Martyr Well! well we may now see how the Game is like to go Our Master meaning the King is resolved to bring in Popery No Man ever had such foul Play as this poor Colledge all the True Protestants will be Murdered thus one after another Major Wildman and Mr. Charleton Furnished Oats at his going to Oxford to the Parliament with Forty Pound his Collections are now gathered by Elias Best the Hop-Merchant in Thames-street William Powel said to me one day in Scotland-yard Dam this Dog Warcup By God if I could light on him handsomely I would Cut his Throat he hath been the cause of all this mischief meaning the business of Colledge This Powel will commonly say Our Family lost a great Estate by Windsor at the Kings coming in but if things go on we shall get it again I doubt not I have divers times in Oats's Chamber in Whitehall particularly after the Dissolution of the Two last Parliaments and during that at Westminster heard Henry Starkey Aaron Smith Mr. Hunt Mr. Wilson Mr. Chetwin Mr. Thomas Merry Mr. Richard Halford Mr. VVhitaker Collonel Mansel and Doctor Oates Affirm and Discourse thus VVe have 20000 Horse and Foot ready Armed upon occasion we Value not the Kings Guards a Fart and if the Duke of Monmouth will but draw his Sword he 'l find Friends enough and if the Parliament would but sit their Friends could Protect them against the King and all his Guards The means how they can have 20000 Men so ready as far as I could perceive is this The Gentlemen of the Three Great Clubs and their Adherents of the better sort and the meaner fort of the Trained-bands are double Armed I have heard many of them say They would loose their Lives before they would part with their Arms and if the King should come to demand them they would Fire upon him I Remember when the matter of presenting the Guards was on Foot that Mr. Merry said to me The Grand Inquest are Cowardly and Timerous Fellows and dare not go through with the work they are too much of the Court Party but afterwards upon advice from my Lord Shaftsbury the business was laid aside My Lord said It was better to let the Guards alone because they were of small moment to obstruct our Designs and help'd to Impoverish the King This Dr. Otes told me and I once heard my Lord Speak to that purpose Otes often visited my Lord Shaftsbury and was put upon Swearing against the Duke of York by his Instigation as Otes himself told me and verily I believe it was true Dr. Otes when I have ask'd him of my Lord Shaftsbury hath often told me my Lord was Well and would say what are they all Starved yet at Whitehall The King will not be able to buy a Shirt to his Back in a short time And I once heard my Lord say to Otes I shall see thee Bishop of Winchester or Canterbury before
I Dye This was occasioned by Otes's threatning my Lord Chancellor and saying He was a Rogue and he would stick as close to him as the Shirt on his back This was in August 1679. Aaron Smith told me in Otes's Chamber that a Name sake of mine made the Ballad of the Raree Show I ask'd him who he then answered me You see him Mr. Burroughs the Glass-seller in York-buildings commonly repaired to Otes's Chamber on Sunday in the Morning His Province is to get to be a Jury Man at Hicks's Hall and VVestminster and to obstruct all business tending to the advantage of the Crown to make a disturbance in the Parish to Rail against the Bishops to perswade the People the King is bringing in Arbitrary Power and Popery and to Contribute and Raise Money for Otes Mr. VVilson one morning in March last in Otes's Chamber Discoursed to me thus VVe must draw our Swords nothing will be done with these Pimps and Rogues without it meaning the Ministers of State The King will never be good till we force him to it nor the Nation Happy till another course be taken we shall fee Popery and Despotical Power overwhelm us unless we draw our Swords and Fight for our Religion and Liberty This VVilson was continually Singing Bowdy and Treasovable Songs Reflecting on the King Mr. Richard Halford is an old Leveller and a Commonwealths man He was an Agitator at New-Market and in Thompsons Broil at Burford in 1647 and hath been I do believe in all the Pactious Cabals this Twenty Tears He is a very close and dangerous Man and hath had the Dexterity to Preserve himself undiscovered Mr. Blaney of the Temple the Short-Hand Writer did in my hearing in Otes's Chamber say There was a Printing-Press in the Temple where they could do any thing and by several hints I have heard I am perswaded most of the Treasonable Libels of late Years were Printed there Mr. John Harrington did at the same time Demonstrate how easie it was for a Gentleman to Compose and Print which he said Prevented all the Discovery by Mercenary Printers Sir Henry Inglesby told me one Afternoon in September last in Otes's Chamber That he believed all the True Protestants in Ireland would have their Throats Cut in a short time by the Papists and that by the connivance if not command of the Duke of Ormond and some body else Mr. VVilliam Snow who belongs to the House of Lords is a very great Confident of Dr. Otes's He when the Parliament Sits Informs the Factious Party what he hears about the House of Lords shows Lists of the Lords Names and tells which are Honest Protestants and which are Rogues and Tories He is a constant Singer of all the late Treasonable and Bawdy Ballads that abuse the King and Government Mr. VVilliam Dalby Otes ' s Clerk hath often told me That the King was a Papist that Mr. Parsons of the Temple had many times seen him at Mass at Somerset-House That the King was drunk when he Dissolved the Parliament at Oxford so Drunk that he could not stand or Speak I have often heard Mr. Dalby say This Popish Race of the Stewarts must be Rooted out there must be a Change He was formerly Clerk to the Committee of the Rebels in Rutland Thus far Gentlemen I have given you a small insight into this Grand Popular Cheat this great Mystery of Iniquity and as far as my little Walk amongst them has Empower'd me to do And truly if all Persons farther concern'd would be as Candid as my Self undoubtedly the whole Imposture would be fully Detected and the yet unsatisfied part of Mankind wholly undeceived FINIS POSTSCRIPT SOme things being omitted in the preceding Discourse it may not be thought impertinent to insert them in this Appendix And first I shall give an account so far as fell under my knowledge of the wrong Dr. Goade Mr. of Merchant-Taylors School sustaind in the late time of Fraud and Injustice hoping that Pious and Learned Person will not take my honest and fair Intentions otherwise than I mean them The Factious Party of the Company had watch'd with malitious Eys to gain any advantage for several years against Him But either not finding any plausible one or esteeming him a Man so extraordinarily qualify'd that a better could not be found in the Three Kingdoms and there I 'm sure they were in the right They attempted not to Eject him but lessen'd him in Priviledges belonging to his Place some years I think I may say before Oates's Plot appear'd above-ground It so fell out in the beginning of the year 1681 as I take it that John Smith commonly call'd Narrative Smith but his real name is David Barry happen'd to Dine with Elias Best the Hop-merchant in Thames-street He having Sons at Merchant-Taylors-School desir'd J. Smith to examine how they benefitted in Learning These Boys producing their Books drew out the Ch. of England's Catcehism with a Comment upon it in which Comment Smith positively avow'd there was plain Popery upon our B. Saviour's descent into Hell This formidable Spectrum of Popery thus opportunely conjur'd up by Smith the Renegado Priest the True Prot. Elias manag'd so effectually that Bushel Mallery Keys Delves and other Fanatical Members of Merchants Taylors Company caus'd Dr. Goad to be summon'd to the Hall to answer for his Comment which he undertook and unhappily did it under his Hand which was the only thing they wanted Next they consulted their Oracles Otes Ferguson and Dr. Owen the Independant The first to Swear and the latter to Evict the Popery of the Comment and its Defence Notwithstanding during the time that this Affair was transacted I was very intimate with Oates yet he cautiously conceal'd it from me knowing I would endeavour to prevent it having so great a Veneration for Dr. Goad He being the best Friend I ever found However he had before often tamper'd with me to have accused the Dr. of being a Papist which neither knowing or Believing him so I refus'd to do telling Oates that it would be the greatest piece of Ingratitude imaginable in Him to attempt any such thing To which he would always answer I did not spare You who were my Mr. too and therefore why should I spare Him And for this aversion of mine I was then wholly kept a stranger to their projects against him till they had fully done their work But to give you the full account of this Comment and the Dr's Ruine that attended it The matter of Fact is as follows Upon a fit of Sickness that the Dr. lay under the conduct of his School was wholly left to the Ushers who driving as is well known a great Trade in Selling Books to the Schollars did at that time for their own private Lucre Introduce this Comment upon the Church Catechism into the School which was so far from being Popish that it was both Licens'd and Dedicated to the then Arch-bishop of Canterbury Now tho' the Dr. did
had a Souldier planted betwixt each of us In an hour's time the Lords Adjourned till Four in the Afternoon and Sir Edward Carteret the Black Rod came to us with a Paper in his Hand importing our Doom Some were order'd to the Gate-house some to Newgate some discharg'd I was left among the Souldiers whom the Black Rod discharged telling me I was his Prisoner He recommended me to one Button a Messenger and charged him to treat me civilly which truly he did This was on Fryday the First Day of November 1678. And notwithstanding Mr. Latimer and Mr. Hughes whom with Gratitude I here mention proffer'd to be bound Body for Body in my behalf I was kept in Custody so strong was the Ferment of that Season In the Afternoon Dr. Dean and Mr. Wells a Minister visited me and next Morning Mr. Gadbury and Major Fisher came to me And these were all the Friends I saw in this unhappy Juncture All things were in a most violent hurry and I was in such a great Consternation that I knew not which way to turn my self or what to do Between Seven and Eight at Night out came my Lord Shaftsbury in a great Cloak to warm himself at a Fire in the with-drawing Green-Lobby By the Messenger's Perswasion I followed him I told his Lordship I was clearly Innocent of what Otes had sworn against me in the Morning and I hop'd his Lordship out of Pity and Commiseration would stand my Friend He told me He would not speak for any one nor be a Friend to any one that spoke against the King I replyed His Lordship was too Wise to believe all Reports to be true No says he I believe not all Reports to be true and I think what was spoke of thee in the Morning was an idle Story But I have this Afternoon an Account of thee from Dr. Tonge and Mr. Ferguson Men that know thee as well as thou knowest thy self which will prove of dangerous Consequence to thee I desired his Lordship to let me know what dangerous things they had inform'd against me He told me I had made a Practice of talking for and desending the Church of Rome in every Place where I came which was Treason I humbly did beseech him again to stand my Friend He reply'd If thy Friends can get thee out of these Bryars Wilt thou be an honest Man I told him Yes I would to my Power I then told him again I could justify my self against that which Otes had sworn But says he if thou goest about to justify thy self thou'lt be utterly lost for thy Friends had very much ado to keep the House from sending for those Two Persons Otes mention'd Petition therefore the Lords to be discharg'd And so he left me promising he would assist me the best he could which I believe he did I shall make a short Observation upon this Dialogue I had not to my Knowledge ever before that Day seen Tonge and with Ferguson I had never been in Company save once and I 'm sure we talk't nothing of the Church of Rome So that I believe these Men were then as busie to bring People into the Plot as Otes and doubtless were as deeply concern'd It may be consider'd likewise that I then was intended for the future Work because I was to be in his Lordship's Sense an Honest Man A term of Art I have had cause to understand the meaning of very well since Thus instead of getting out of the Bryars I got much faster in I had not stay'd so long as the Reading this Digression in the Lobby but a Prelate repair'd thither to warm himself as I imagine I made my Address as well as I could to him for his Help and Assistance It seems Dr. Tonge was this Prelate's great Confident which I presume made me fare the worse The Prelate told me plainly That I having kept company with so many Papists and perhaps one my self must needs either be in the Plot or know something of it and that it would be best for me to deal freely with the Lords they having been so kind to me as not to commit me to Prison I might imagine they meant not to ruin me but only to make me an Honest Man I protested by all that is Sacred I knew nothing of any Plot. Here I cannot but remark that this Prelate was much severer than the Lord Shaftsbury for now I was a Papist and a Plotter notwithstanding the very Oracle Titus himself had upon Oath clear'd me from being either of them and that but just before in his Lordship's Hearing This Good Man had certainly read all the Major and Minor Prophets together with the Book of Revelations with incomparable Judgment and singular Advantage to himself else he could never have known more of me than I knew of my self and that I must be undone before I could be made an Honest Man This was a sharp use of an Evening Consolation and more severe than Otes's Morning-Lecture Saturday came and I Petition'd the House to be discharged my Petition was read an Order being made to this effect That my License for teaching School was to be taken from me and that I was to give an Account of what I could that might deserve the Favor of the House In the mean time my old Friend the Vicar afore-mentioned was not idle he being all this while as strenuous and sedulous to take away my Livelihood as others were to take away my Life He I say together with a broken Brewer introduced one Clatterbuck a Parson's Son into my House and Imployment without any Order from the Company of Brewers who are the Patrons they being of a different Opinion as this following Certificate given at that time will evince We the Master Wardens and Assistant of the Company of Brewers London Governours of the Lady Owen's Free-School at Islington whereof William Smith Master of Arts hath been for Twelve years School-Master who now is suspended from his said Imployment Do on the behalf of the said William Smith humbly Certify That he was an Industrious and Careful Person in his Place and is a very Loyal Subiect to his Sacred Majesty and Government for any thing we know to the contrary James Reading Master Joseph Lawrence Thomas Morton William Courtis Wardens Ralph Bowes Richard Hammond Jo. Raymond David Knight Assistants Now the Vicar had atchieved his Design namely he had got me fast enough and almost in as ready a Road to the Gallows as Mr. Staley He had put the afore-said Clutterbuck into my Place yet he ceased not to persecute me still Trudging to Brewer's-Hall to say Grace and replenish his Gutt he there most falsly bespatter'd me in a Fustian-Harangue after Dinner having not leisure I suppose till he had filled his Belly to rail against and abuse the Innocent Yet observe what came of all this Clutterbuck has since spent his Patrimony which was considerable and ruin'd by his illiterature and negligence the School with his