Manifesto's and Averments to which there is no more credit to be given than to your own observations upon the weather 't is only two Papists in a bad cause vouching one for another like two Horse-stealers in Smithfield For my part I was certainly and intirely upon a conscientious discovery of the Truth and before those Persons who were not to be â—lamm'd or impos'd upon neither did I make or offer at the least Capitulation for my life till the King after full satisfaction given concerning the truth of my discovery out of his Majesties great clemency and wisdom gave that 〈◊〉 order for a pardon for me in whose power my Life was whether I spoke truth or no and which I had most assuredly forfeited had they found me asâ—rologizing like your self Mr. Gadbury But You go on and avow that You never had any discourse with me concerning any matter or person as having never seen me but twice in your life c. This is another most notorious falshood and this I must tell ye in all your three capacities as a Taylor a Quack and a Figure Caster For You saw me once when I came to give you notice of the meeting between the Lord Peterborough and Sir Robert Payton and three times within the space of six weeks before that once upon a Tuesday in the evening which was about the 23d of Septemb. 1679. at what time I call'd for Dame Cellier whom I left at your House while I went she knows where once at your own House by your own appointment which was about the 27th day of Septemb. and in the afternoon about three of the clock where we discoursed about Sir Denzell Hollis c. and after that in some short time at Mrs. Cellier's House in Arundell Street and all this I will prove to your face by several Witnesses which perhaps you may in good time hear more of for all your pardon Then let me put You in mind of that extraordinary rainy day when You came to Mrs. Cellier's House and told her You were just come from the Tower that You had din'd with the Lord Powis and had brought her a note from the Lord Arundell to go to a certain place mention'd in the said note to receive a Sum of Mony And further to rub up your memory for to use your own Words I find it very much bruis'd of late You know I gave you two Books entitled Traitors Transform'd into Martyrs which I told you were wrote by one Dormer upon the Execution of the five Jesuits What weather is it now friend John Here are no less than eight times which are six more than twice and if You consider the Circumstances more than transiently to boot So then that You were privy to the design intended by the Papists against the Kings Life and had made your self an equal Conspirator with them and did discourse with me concerning the Lord Castlemaine is undenyably true Now for further satisfaction I shall refer the Reader to your own Evidence at Mrs. Celliers Tryal where You swear that she desired you to consult your Art to know how long the King would live His Majesty being then sick at Windsor and that she asked You something about me and being ask'd by the Court what that something was You repli'd to get me out of Prison Then being again ask'd by the Court if You did nothing for Cellier at that time when she so earnestly importun'd You to consult your Art about the Kings Life You repli'd You did a Scheme then but since You found it to be for me but You knew not for what it was when you did it Then being ask'd if You could apply one Scheme to any body You replied When Mrs. Cellier came to You she gave You the time of a Persons Nativity and You set the figure of Heaven to that time to know whether he were a Person fit to be trusted to get in mony her Husband being a French Merchant Now what were the remarks of the Court upon these shuffling cutting equivocating answers of yours Why truly that You talk'd as like a Papist as could be That You made all the company laugh c. And pass'd many Sarcasmes upon your baffling discourse which shewed how much they were dissatisfied with the bruises of your memory But to come more particularly to the point You confess that Dame Cellier did desire You to consult your Art how long the King would live Which being so confessed all the world will believe that Mrs. Cellier would not have importun'd You about a business of such a dangerous consequence had she not had a more than an ordinary Conjuring confidence in You. Whence I infer that being so intimately if I may not say desperately engaged with Mrs. Cellier You could not chuse but have seen me more than twice transiently Next You confess you did a Scheme which afterwards you found to be for me to know whether I were fit to be trusted or no to get in old debts A very probable story this This French Merchant Husband to Mrs. Cellier had been broke for many years before and was as poor as a Rat till his industrious Wife found the way to the Plot and yet will any man of Reason believe that two or three hundred pounds should be rais'd and disburs'd to procure my liberty for no other end or purpose than to gather in the debts of a Banckrupt that was some hundreds of pounds worse than nothing and more than this I defie any Man Woman or Child in the world to say to my face that ever I demanded a shilling from them as a Debt to Mrs. Cellier or any Person intrusted for him Ah friend John friend John these are meer flams and stories badly contriv'd and worse put together surely you never consulted the Stars about this But lay your discourse and mine together That I had displeas'd the Lords in the Tower and why your expostulating with me about ingratitude and for what reason Your securing me from danger by the countenance of the Stars and upon what account and then it will appear why Mrs. Cellier was so kind a solcitress for me who they were that had been so liberal and why Then it will appear that you did erect a Scheme for me and that your business was of a higher nature than to trouble the seven Planets and the Dragons Tail about such a silly Question as whether I were fit to be trusted to gather in the sweepings of a Banckrupt's Estate who as such seldom or never have any thing they can call their own Then it will appear or at least be vehemently suspected that you did do a Scheme for the King For Mrs. Cellier was a Woman that would not be flam'd and that you know well enough Mr. John she understood Men and would not keep a correspondency of ten or twelve years with a Conjurer for nothing Then that I may touch you to the Quick compare her letter to me after I was
juncture of time plainly demonstrate the concatenation of the Causes of these solicitous enquiries The Kings life was sought but hearing he was sick a Scheme must be erected to know whether he would outlive the distemper or put them to farther trouble Then Mine in the nick of time for encouragement to proceed in case of His Majesties Recovery Then the Lord Powis's to make a discovery of the issue of the business by his good or bad Fortune Now that the Popish Lords in the Tower should be unacquainted with their Delphian Oracle especially you your self confessing you had din'd with one receiv'd a note from another and telling me that the Lords in the Tower were displeas'd with me and that you knew the reason of it is a thing never to be controverted There is one thing more which I cannot pass by and that is that you call your self a Protestant It was a thing which the Court would not believe nor can any unbsass'd person in the world have any reason to believe it by that which follows The Court demanded of you if you knew of any attempt to change the Government To which you answered you knew of no Plot unless it were a Plot to bring Sir Robert Payton over to the Kings Interest That Plot you had some concern in But why a Plot to bring over Sir Robert Payton to the Kings Interest you 'l say because Sir R. P was a great stickler against the Duke of Yorks Interest and took great pains to incense the People against it Now to shew how like a Protestant you manag'd this design 't is well known that you procur'd a meeting between the Lord Peterborough and Sir Robert Payton at your own house and this under pretence of a long continu'd Friendship and there they met so often that at length Sir Robert Payton was perswaded to wait upon the Duke and did kiss his Hand and was from that time forthwith taken into favour And this you call a Plot to bring over Sir R. P. your great Friend to the Kings Interest by getting of him receiv'd into the Dukes favour only What said the Court to this Not a tittle For they understood better things than to believe you spoke a word of Truth Well knowing that the Kings Interest is altogether Protestant the Peace and Quiet of the Religion and Government in Church and State as it is now by Law Establish'd the Interest of the Duke of another nature as having been declar'd a Romish Catholick So that it was Sir Robert Paytons loss that out of your seeming Protestant Friendship you betrayed him to your own Romish Catholick party whose Interest is so Diametrically contrary to the Interest of His Majesty and to the Genius and Interest of the whole Nation For which kindness would Sir R. P. but take upon him the so much abus'd Character of the Kings most Loyal Evidence I am of opinion I might see you translated from your habitation in Brick Court to another place And now whether He that professes himself a Protestant and acted so like a cordial Papist can be believ'd to be what he only says he is I leave to all the Candid-Readers in the world to judge As for your praying for the King 't is to be look'd upon as a meer piece of convenient and time serving flattery a pretence to cover the malignity of your black Soul Were it real it were highly to be commended but as it is not there are many that pray for the King with their lips yet curse him in their hearts As for all your hatings and abhorrings of this and that while you pray for the King you curse his Loyal and best Subjects under the names of Jugling Nonconformists Papists in Masquerade and Narrative Writers and all this meerly because they obviated your Hellish Designs And indeed he that will betray his friend can never be true to his King And this is demonstrable by your Plot to bring over Sir Robert Payton to the Kings Interest For if that were your design why did you not do it if you did it out of affection to the Popish Interest you were a Traitor to your Friend unfaithful to your Prince and consequently an absolute Papist however you may pretend your self to be a Protestant So that your Honouring Monarchy signifies nothing For England was Monarchical in time of Popery as well as now and under that Circumstance you expected it would ere now have been so again Your professing your self to be a Member of the Church of England signifies as little For in the Ages of Peter-Pence we know the Church of England was then Establish'd by Law and that no question is the Establishment you mean and as you have confirm'd by your own practices As for your Astrological Observations they are not worth the leanest louse that ever suffered under the violence of your needle you speak irreverently of the very Stars you get your Bread by Say you in your Observations upon January The angry Stars do belch out enmity faster than the Planets can breath forth Vnity A strange and unseemly accusation of the Stars as if you were indebted to the Planets for rent and therefore thought to pay your Landlords with good words you speak scandalously of the Justice of the Nation in these words When is there hopes of Vnity When we shall hate Violence Fraud and Perjury As if they who by their Oaths and Testimonies had brought the Conspirators against His Majesty to condign punishment had done it by Fraud and Perjury and that nothing but Castlemaines Compendiums and Manifesto's were to be believ'd Every page of your Observations breaths forth nothing but malice against the Kings best Witnesses advancement of Popery disturbance of the Government and the raising of fears and jealousies between the Prince and his People What have you to do with the Councils at Whitehall or the Councils in Scotland but only to amuse the unthinking and most giddy People of the multitude For most certainly you knew no more than Cowzers dead Broom Tell the Country Gentlewoman when she shall sow her Pease and set her Sweet Marjerome tell the City Haberdasher of small wares when Bristol and Exeter Fairs will be and tell him how far it is between London and St. Davids This is your business Friend John Can any Man of reason abstain from loud laughter to hear you apply your nonsense to State Affairs as for example in your Observations upon the Suns ingress into Aries What shall I say Can Saturn the great enemy of nature bode any good this Year to Mankind Is he not in the 7th angle and the house of his Enemy too What if he be there let him stay who cares a rush But when he shall be Lord of any revolution and in Leo having Northern Latitude he renders the designs and projects of many men frustrate What stuff is this And yet the intent of it is mischievous to keep the minds of men addicted to folly and superstitious imaginations in suspence And that this is the design at which you drive is plain by your quoting a silly Prophesie of that Popish Wizard Nostre-Damus in derision of your enemy Geneva In short such Figure-Casters as you are not fit to be suffered under a Protestant Government nor indeed understand For as your Art is fallacious and consequently impious so when those fallacies and impieties are us'd to a seditious end they are the more to be abominated None but the Superstitious believe ye and never any that did believe ye but perish'd through their folly A sort of People saith Tacitus Treacherous to Princes deceivers of them that believe them and therefore alwaies prohibited from our City And therefore it is a shame that they are so publickly tolerated to hang out their amusing signs in This and to give our their bills about the Streets to inveigle and many times undo wanton and inquisitive Youth After all this I admire what unlucky Star influenc'd you to make this unfortunate vindication and to provoke me to collect these Truths in my own defence to encounter your lies and equivocations For certainly Men are not to live in this world that will hear themselves abus'd and tax'd of Villanies and Perjuries by those that are the Criminals themselves If you have your pardon thank God and the King for it but in my opinion 't is a breach of that Grace to side anew with those that seek all they can to stifle the Plot and vindicate their Conspiracies to the disparagement and high dishonour of the Kings Justice Friend John when you become honest I shall be glad to be yours Thomas Dangerfeild
committed by the King and Council for you must allow her the honour of the first invention viz. I have said you were taken into my House to get in desperate debts c. It cannot worst you And your answer That you did the Scheme to know whether I was a Person fit to be trusted to get in desperate debts and then it will appear your answer was a sham because the invention from which it was borrowed was the same a meer contrivance and forgery to obscure the Truth The two Questions arise thus Mrs. Cellier why did Dangerfeild lodge at your House Answer To get in my Husbands desperate Debts Mr. Gadbury why did you erect a Scheme for Dangerfeild Answer To know whether he might be trusted to get in those desperate debts Now then Mrs. Celliers excuse for me being a most devilish lie it follows that Mr. John Gadburies answer must be of the same stamp as coming out of the same Mint And so the excuse failing the charge remains more clear than before Now then since it is so plain that You did draw a Scheme of Ensurance for me to Kill the King and proffered me all the spangled Host of Heaven for Bail if there be any person that will believe that You never did discourse with me about the Popish Lords in the Tower that I never discoursed with You about the Lord Castlemaine and in short that You being one Confederate never saw me your Brother-Confederate but twice transiently in your life that man is no rational Creature till he have suck'd his reason from the Pope's Toe Now how You came to play these pranks and scape the Tridentine Figure as You call it is past my Astrology to tell unless it were that the Stars had given You their Minion better security than You could impose by their warrant upon my belief But now I think on 't I have one Question more to ask You very pertinent to the matter in hand For if we had never seen one another and that You had not been very instrumental in the Cause wherein You found me engag'd to what purpose was the two hundred and ten pounds given You and that was collected for You immediately after You were discharg'd out of the Gatehouse I know your wish will be as it was when the same Question was put to You by another hand viz. That You may go to Hell immediately if ever you saw or told one penny of it or ever heard of any such thing That is You wish You may go to Hell immediately that is to Hell in the Pallace Yard if ever You saw it with the Observators Eyes if ever You told one penny of it with your Thimble and Bodkin or if ever You heard of any such thing with Cowzers Ears But notwithstanding all this 't is true enough You had this money and it was given you for your sufferings and fidelity to the Catholick Cause and you had as good confess or else your neighbour M. G. will maintain and prove it to your face Now that in all your Travels and painful Visits which you made to earn this money that you should never see me but Twice and that transiently is a thing so much without the Verge of Belief that you might as well have sworn me invisible And that both you and the Lord Castlemaine must do before all the Averments Avows and Manifesto's in the world will do any good unless it be to the Company of Stationers and they To draw a little more from your own mouth I will apply one Plaister more to your bruised memory For being asked when you knew the Scheme was for Dangerfeild you answered never before you came to the King and Council for said you he went by the name of Willoughby before Now how far that before reach'd backward you must give the thinking part of the world leave to judge by what has gone before And thus we have discover'd the Spring that moves this whole frame of Astrological equivocation and thus you have cut more work out to batch up against next Year For this Year you have only avow'd that you never saw Dangerfeild but twice transiently that you never discours'd with Dangerfeild about the Lord Castlemaine and the Lords in the Tower Next Year You must write an other short Epistle to the Candid Reader and mâ—ke the same strenuous avow in reference to Willoughby Come come friend John these devices will never do your work I perceive you understand Proverbs soft and fairly goes far He that Damns himself but once a Year I 'le warrant him shall go soon enough to the Devil I commend your Providence you thought one full mouth d Cannon-bore equivocation would last twelve months and so reserv'd Willoughby for the next Year But the worst on 't is the Lord Castlemaine must alter his Manifesto too a cursed trouble but that we find he has a good quick hand at his Pen. Having made your avow 's you come to ask Questions and demand upon what account I made my self so familiar with you and swore you into the knowledge of the Honourable Lords in the Tower whose faces you never yet saw that you knew of His conscience if he hath any can best inform him This 't is to be casting the Figures of other Men's consciences and not mind your own For look ye now I must yet mind ye once more of the Rainy Day before mentioned when you your individual self said you came from the Lords in the Tower That you din'd with the Lord Powis and brought a Note from the Lord Arundel Did the Lord Powis sit at Table Alamode du Dumb-show mute and vizarded If you will not believe your self can you expect that other People should believe ye 'T is a likely story that you could dine with a man and not see his face In the next place I am to put you in mind that upon your examination before the King and Council you confess'd That you had cast the Lord Powis's Nativity For which I refer you to the Council Minutes taken upon Sunday Novemb. 2. 1679. Which being true it is most rational to believe that you were admitted to the Lord Powis's Table either in acknowledgment of what you had done or in order to what you were to do For Lords are curious and not understanding your Astrological snatches cannot but have a natural desire to understand the exposition of your marks and signs and the reason oâ— things And it cannot be imagin'd but the curiosity of the rest of the Lords must bring them all in a hurrey to hear great news from the Heavens were it for no other reason but out of a Complement either to congratulate the happiness or condole the misfortune of their fellow sufferer Now is it likely that you would hazard your self upon such dangerous enterprizes without knowing the faces and feeling the Purses too of those that employed ye Then again the Persons for whom the Schemes were erected and the