where led by my extraordinary Curiosity in this Affair I was not a little inquisitive to learn if possible the Catastrophe of this unfortunate Gentlewoman as indeed I had been all along little other than a Spy upon her and her concerns relating to that Young Child I confess I had but small occasion of given my self this needless trouble of making the aforesaid Inquiry For Father Sabran who I forgot to tell my Reader was Chaplain to the Young Prince and is now his Tutour did frankly own to me the same Evening they left her That he believed she would not be alive the Day following nor was it fit she should live I might have rested satisfied with what Sabran told me it being undoubtedly too much of Truth However as it could not enter into my heart to think it possible there should be such Inhuman Barbarity in the World as to Murder a poor Woman in cold Blood and that too by the Commands of Crowned Heads my own good Nature in Tenderness for the poor Creature inclined me to the said inquiry about her Besides my own knowledge in this Affair there have been several Letters and Papars found in Mrs. Labodies Fathers's Trunk now still to be produced Relating to this Gentlewoman besides several corroborative Proffs from divers Persons of Quality of Ireland and others as also Capt. Wright that brought her over from Ireland and the other Capt. that carried her over into France that are able to give a great Light into the Discovery of this Grand Imposture Nor were the Managers of this Affair any ways wanting in providing of Two Big-Bellied Women together that if One String failed the other might hit As for the Child he is a very Brisk and Airy no ways Deformed in his Limbs but a Ruddy Complexion fair Hair and Dark coloured brisk Eyes He when but Two Years Old was a great lover of Musick and could distinguish several particular Tunes when Played he is a notable Fighter and does not only beat his young Play-Fellows on the least Distaste But the Dauphin of France going one Day to Kiss his Highness and his Welch or Irish Blood being up he gave the Dauphin a Blow on the Face with his Hand with all his Might None dare cross him for he is so Refractory that upon the least Occasion he will hold his Breath to that degree that the Queen and all about him have thought him really Dead As to my first Introduction to this Trust and Knowledge into the Affairs of the late Court I must inform my Reader that by Sir John Burrows a Zealous Roman Catholick and my particular Patron and the Marquess of Powis to whom by the Mother side I had the Honour to be a little Related I was prefered to be a Page to the Countess of Melford From her Service I was introduced into the Marquess`s Family and from thence as before mentioned I was advanced to the late Queens Service And here to begin with my first Trust and Commands received from her said late Majesty The Sunday before Christmas in the Year 1688. I Embark'd with the late King Jame's Queen her pretended Son the Prince of Wales the Marchioness of Powis the Lady Strickland Mrs. Labody and Count De Lazon with several Others in a Barge from White-Hall And the next Day following arrived at Calais in a Yatch where the said Queen was received by the Governor and Garrison in Arms and continued there Three Days â—â—takinâ— her Journey from thence to Bulloign where she had an Express with the News of King James's being taken at Feversham in Kent On which occasion I was immediately Dispatched for England with Letters to him and came to his Majesty on a Sunday Morning just as he was ready to take Coach for Whiee-Hall from whence I was sent with Letters back to France again the same Night and overtook the Queen Four Days before her Arrival at St. Germains and continued there until King James's Arrival immediately after which I was sent to England again with Letters from King James to his Friends here and arriving safely I was soon ordered back to France with the Answer in the like manner And was likewise sent betwixt France and England several other times bringing Letters not only to several Lords in England but also for such of King James`s Friends as were in Scotland particularly the Lord Viscount Dundee and Commissions for several in Rebellion with him and for Others that promised to Joyn against the Prince of Orange on the first Opportunity I also brought several Bills of Exchange for Money to be Remitted to the said Lord Dundee which was performed by the care of Mr. Ashton the late King James`s Queens Privy-Purse And during my continuance in London I used daily to visit the Lords and Others in the Tower and being young passed freely to them unsuspected carrying Letters to and from them on all occasions relating to King James`s Affairs and brought several Bills from them which was to be employed by their appointment for Listing of Men in England for King James`s Service against a Descent from France which was resolved on at the Court of France and much Solicited for from England it being the chief Subject of the Letteas I carried to King James and the Frence King to intreat the Landing of Men in England in several places particularly in the North and that Five Thousand Men some good Officers with a Hundred Thousand Pound and Thirty or Forty Thousand spare Arms would be sufficient to be sent` and to secure the Kingdom of Scotland with the assistance of those in Arms against the Prince of Orange For this the French Court was almost daily Sollicited by Letters and great Promises from England aâ—e all possible Provision was made on each side the French having provided a great Fleet and Men ready to make a Descent whilst King James's Friends in England had according to the account they sent to France Listed above Twenty Thousand Men in and about London January 1690. for this cause the Popes Nuncio's Chair-Man was Executed and had provided great numbers of Horse ond Foot Accountrements and Arms and the like was done according to their utmost endeavours in most Counties and Shires in this Kingdom Here I shall omit troubling you or my self with the manner of my coming to serve King William since 't is known to most intelligible Men I propose to acquaint you that having privately Discovered all I knew to His Majesty the now Duke of Shreswsbury then Secretary of State and the Earl of Rumney then Lord Sidney and the Earl of Portland I continued to go to France as before with Letters for King James his Queen and the French Court which Letters I always shewed to King William before I went or to one of the Lords before mentioned as I did also the Answers at my Return The last time of my coming from France was with Mr. Crone at the beginning of Summer in the year 1690. The
Authentick Confession He affirms on Oath That all my Information was true for the Confirmation of this I can appeal to any Member of Parliament that heard Mr. Crone 's or the Lord Preston's Confessions Read before the Honourable House of Commons After this it may seem strange to some how the House came to be so angry with me I beg leave to inform such That the Jacobites by Mr. Crone 's going off knew they had partly secured themselves from the just Power of the Law but were yet concern'd if possible to make the World believe that they never had any Design against the Government And who can blame them for being ashamed of such a Horrid and Bloody Design as they had then contrived against the Government and their own Countrey to Ruine both Church State To cover their Shame as much as may be they had no way but to Invalidate me which they set about with all the Malice that the Devil or Popish Principles cou'd incite them with though for some time my faithful Service and the King 's large Promises of lasting Favours to me was my Support and had continued so but that the Immaturity of my Judgment was so easily impos'd upon by Two Instruments sent by the French Court to accomplish my Ruin viz. Colonel Tho. Dellaval and Mr. George Hayes They were formerly my most intimate Acquaintance both in England and at the Court at St. Germains and were imployed constantly ' twixt England and France on King James's Account as I was The First of these came to me at my Lodgings in White-Hall and told me He desired to come and Serve the Government as I had done provided I wou'd intercede with the Queen for his Pardon and make some Conditions for his coming over Honourably I acquainted the Queen of it immediately the King being then in Flanders and Her Majesty whose Bounty extended to all did most Graciously promise to Write to the King about it and in the mean time committed the Management of this Affair to the Care of His Grace John Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury my very good Friend But before the King's Answer came from Flanders Dalleval received a Letter from the Earl of Melfort requiring his Return immediately to St. Germains which Letter he shewed me and I carried it to the Queen who knowing Melfort's Hand gave Orders That Colonel Dalleval might go for France again provided that he engaged to Return when Her Majesty required him All which he Swore and promimised most Solemnly to do and then went for France accordingly Soon after his Arrival there he sent me several Letters writ in Characters promising to come to King William in Flanders and desired me to meet him there The Arch-Bishop and my self from time to time acquainted Her Majesty of every Particular and I was Commanded to go for Flanders where I continued with the King Three Months on this Occasion and Receiv'd Letters from Colonel Dellaval at St. Germains Twice every Week during the time I was there the Contents of which Letters prov'd very true and of some Use at that time to the King's Affairs but this was only a Snare the more securely to Ruin me to the Purpose For as soon as the King came to England and the Parliament was Sitting Dellaval writ to me and Mr. Hayes likewise to have me get their Pardon and Protection from the King and Parliament promising they wou'd make great Discoveries which His Majesty knew they might this being the Winter before the Second intended Invasion when the Forces with the late King James lay at La Hogue ready to Embark the latter end of April following the Parliament having Addressed the King to cause the Lord Preston's and Mr. Crone 's Confessions to be laid before them and theirs agreeing with mine the Parliament made an humble Address to the King to add to his Bounty to me this did more inflame Mine and the Nations Enemies and Colonel Dellaval and Mr. Hayes sent me abundance of Letters and great Promises of performing considerable Services for Their Najesties and this Kingdom 's Safety At length I did Address the House of Commons in their Behalf Desiring a Pardon and Passport to be given me Blank for Two Gentlemen to come from beyond the Seas and to Return if desired The Honourable Honse granted my Request on Condition I would engage for their Appearance and performing what they promised at this time Only their Majesties and some of Their Most Honourable Privy-Council knew these Mens Names that I engaged for lest the French Court shou'd prevent their Coming as my Credulity caus'd me to believe I had the Protection of the Parliament for them and a Pardon and Passport Signaed by the King and under the Great Seal it was left blank for me to fill up and this I sent for Flanders by a Messenger of my own Recommended by some Members of Parliament It proving very cold hard Weather in those Parts Dellaval and Hayes came to Antwerp some time before my Messenger cou'd get there so they went to Ostend and came from thence to England having heard their Pardon had passed the Seals The Messenger heard of them at Antwerp and other Places and hearing they were come for England he returned As soon as Dellaval and the other arrived they sent one Jones to me with a Letter assuring me they were coming to Town and intended to Attend on the House of Commons the Monday following I was extream joyful to hear of their Arrival and immediately sent their Letter to the House where the Speaker Read it and Monday was appointed for Hearing them At this Unhappy Time I was very dangerously Sick and when Monday came the Gentlemen were seen by many in the Lobby whilst the House was at Prayers But Prayers being ended and they call'd for they were vanished of a sudden which occasioned the House to appoint a Committee to come to me which they did taking all my Papers and Informations on Oath Anthony Bowyer Esquire being Chair-man of the said Committee I gave them an Account where Mr. Hayes had lodged formerly at a Papists in Holborn but they were not to be sound which occasion'd on Wedn'sday the Twenty Fourth of February to pass a Vote against me and to address the King to order the Attorney-General to prosecute me for engaging for these Men and that they did not appear Now King James's Friends had their Desire and Dellaval with the Other having accomplisht their Villanous Designs return'd for France I was brought to my Tryal at my own Request at the King's-Bench at Westminster and even then these Gentlemen Dellaval and Hayes sent me several Letters to excuse themselves and promised to come and Vindicate me And it is most certain That even to this time they have continued to come frequently to England about King James's Business When I was on my Tryal the Attorney-General now Lord-Keeper of the Great Seal and one of the Lords Justices of England told the
Judges and Jury That I had performed very considerable Services to the Advantage and Security of the Present Government and had discharg'd my Duty honestly but having Engag'd for those Men and they not Appearing occasioned my Tryal on which I produced a Certificate under the Hand of His Grace the Duke of Shrewsbury that by the King's Order and his Encouragement I was sent to France for the Service and Security of the Present Government as before mentioned I also desired the Lord Chief Justice Holt to acquaint the Jury who were all Gentlemen of good Account of what he knew being one of His Majesty's most honourable Privy-Council And as to the Matter relating to the Letters I had and the Pardons and Money which was offered me to go back for France all which his Lordship most justly and honourably declared There was likewise a considerable number of Members of Parliament call'd but the Men I engaged for not appearing before the House to certifie them I was found Guilty of a Misdemeanour against them Having thus shewed how far their Malice extended to me I beg you will take Notice how Confidently King James's Friends can oppose any Truth that is against their Interest as now their denying that the French Court or King James's knew of the Design of Murthering King William when the World cannot but remember that Chevalier Granval was Executed in Flanders for Endeavouring to Shoot the KING and that at his Death he Confess'd the Fact And it was sufficiently prov'd That Colonel Parker was engag'd with him and that Parker had Receiv'd Instructions from the Late King and that both of Them with Others were Encouraged from Time to Time by the French Ministers of State Of This I first acquainted his Majesty but it was further Discover'd at one of the Confederate Prince's Courts who earnestly pressed his Majesty to Examine the Matter and being done this Granval was found Guilty and Executed tho' Colonel Parker made his Escape Which may convince any thinking Man that from the First Intended Invasion from France that Court has studied Wayes to Kill King William and his late Royal Consort of ever Blessed Memory As for the Intolerable Injuries that I have undergone Time and their own Devices have at last Demonstrated tho they spared for no Means that might make me Obnoxious to all Good Men I bless God and must acknowledge the abundant Goodness of my Sovereign for my Deliverance from their treacherous and base Villanies and earnestly pray that Almighty God will forgive them as I most freely do Whoever shall peruse these Lines and is not satisfied with the Truth of any Particular I shall be ready to give any Demonstration that is not too impertinent And as I have mentioned the Names of several Great and Good Men I dare refer any Person to them for the Confirmation of the Truth of this Narrative POST-SCRIPT THough the Jacobites and Malecontents of the Kingdom those that either blindly or those that wilfully think too well of their bad Cause will be apt no doubt to quarrel and revile at what I have here declared concerning the Birth of their Darling though weak Hopes the preâ—â—nded Prince of Wales however more strongly to confirm what I have here deliver'd introductory to the more ample Detection of that shameful Imposture The undoubted spurious Fountain the obscure Original of this Supposititious Birth from good testimony and the Papers of Mrs. Labody's Father c. will in due time be plainly made out to the full Satisfaction of all Europe and the eternal Shame of all the Jacobite Confederates in that wretched Contrivance And to the foregoing General and Succinct Account of my Correspondence and Interest in the late Court and their Affairs together with the hard Measures I received in Return for my well-meaning honest Endeavours to serve the King and the Nation I shall only add a few Remarks on the farther Subtilties and Artifices of the Jacobites That certainly never was there a more cunning Reach of Policy nor a Popish Misrepresentation more Artfully managed to the rendring of Truth Suspected Innocence Exposed and Integrity Ridicul'd than by those Hypocrite false Friends of mine the foremention'd Delaval and Hayes who by a Master-piece of Villany against me could work with me only to blow me up viz. When their fore mentioned Letters and Correspondence with me together with their many fair Promises of Serving the King and Queen in joyning in my Discovery as also their Publick Appearance in the Lobby and other Places to strengthen my too easie Credulity c. were all but a Popish Juggle and Trick to give them Opportunity to vanish off Invisible and by the stink of their own Cloven-Feet they left behind them utterly to blast the whole Credit of all I had said or could say so to expose the King to their own Impious Conspiracies by stifling whatever Truth should pretend to speak for his Preservation and Deliverance And as to the ' Veracity of my Informations and Depositions though render'd by the aforesaid Misrepresentations so discredited by the Government the happy Detection of the late horrid Plot has fully and amply clear'd the unjust Aspersions and false Imputations against me when their Designs are so manifestly proved to be built upon the same Bottom and managed by the very same Persons the same Conspiring hands I then Discovered c. For a clear Demonstration of the unquestion'd Truth of my Discovery I shall only instance one Particular viz. in the Matter of Granval's and Parker's Assassination 'T is known to Mr. William Killigrew and if required will be attested by him That he saw my Papers drawn up concerning Chevalier Granval's Assassination c. and was by when I deliver'd them to the King 's own hand and heard me tell his Majesty part of the Contents and which Papers I desire my Reader to observe were â—â—ven to his Majesty in the Winter before 〈◊〉 then setting out for Flanders before the intended Execution of the said Horrid Design his Majesty's timely Warning and â—auâ—â—â— being receiv'd from my Information and Intelligence I must confess with Sorrow unspeakable that the unkind Usage I met with expos'd me to some little Shifts which my Soul 〈◊〉 as the running in Debt for necessary Subâ—istence being sometimes hardly allow'd â—â—ead when I was about his Majesty's Serâ—â—â—â— Therefore whoever shall presume to Câ—â—â—â—â—â— the Government with keeping me in conâ—â—â—â—…t Pay for a Spy or Witness as was practis'd in the former Reigns does them much Injury But my Wrongs being now plainly Demonstrated I hope none will reflect on the Justice of the Government in providing for me that I may have a poor Maintenance and be able to render to every one their just Due which is my hearty Desire Lastly As to my no earlier Publication of these Papers I have only this to say That the Disreputation I so long groan'd under till now deterr'd me from appearing in Print as having the Prejudice of a Nation against me and which I well knew would have render'd the whole Truth I had to speak but so much Breath against the Wind. 'T is true I might have publish'd these Papers some few Months sooner had I not then been Commanded to Sea in his Majesty's Service in order to my Apprehending several suspected Persons concern'd in this present Plot which gave me neither that Leisure nor Opportunity FINIS THE Author's Advertisement WHEREAS I am inform'd That there is a Design of Publishing a Surreptitious Copy of this Narrative of the True Mother of the Pretended Prince of Wales by way of Abridgement These are therefore to Certify That the only TRUE COPY as Deliver'd to the KING and Ministers of State is contain'd in this BOOK Price stitcht Six Pence as Witness my Hand this Fourth Day of July 1696. W. FULLER A true Copy of his Grace the Duke of Shrewsbury's Certificate I Do hereby certifie That in November 1689. Mr. William Fuller came to me and did make several considerable Discoveries of the Intreagues of the Enemies of the present Government and He was by my Incouragement sent into France and at his Return did perform very great Service for the Preservation of Their Majesties Sacred Persons and the Peace and Security of their Government And that it was by his Endeavours that Mr. Matthew Crone was detected and convicted of High-Treason Given under my Hand this 15th of April 1692. Shrewsbury
Benedictine Nuns in Paris she having been in a Nunnery in Ireland sometime before she came for England After the new Happy Revolution the Winter following and King James`s Abdication I being at that time Servant to her Majesty in France commended and prefer`d to her Majesty`s Service by my kind Patroness the Marchioness of Powis and the late Queen reposing a peculiar Trust and Confidence in my Fidelity from the Character she had received of me from the Marchioness I proceed to let you know That in February 1689 I being at St. Germains the late Queens Court in France was one Sunday-Night ordered to attend the Queen immediately Her Majesty being as was reported Indisposed it seems with a Fright which made Her keep her Chamber where I attending Her Commands Her Majesty told me I must immediately prepare to go to England with some Letters to the Lord Montgemery and Others about extraordâ—â—arry Business Her Majesty gave me her Letters and that my Journey might no. be in Vain was pleased to tell me It was a matter that nearly concernâ—d the late King and her Self And lest in my Voyage to England or at my Landing I might meet with so strict a Search as might oblige me to fling my Letters into the Sea or some other way dispose them to conceal them from being taken her Majesty thought fit to give me a Ring which I was to deliver to the Lord Montgomery in England by way of Credentials for what I had to say to him by Word of Mouth upon any unfortunate forementioned Miscarriage of my Letter and by that to tell him That the same Woman which came from Ireland with the Lady Tyrconnel in May 1688 was stollen out of the Nunnery in Paris where she was kept there having been a Breach in the Garden-Walls and that it was the Opinion of the French Court that she had been assisted by some of the Prince of Orange`s Friends in Paris to make her said Escape from thence in order to come for England The late Queen farther Commanded me to tell him That the French King had taken all possible care to prevent her going off but least his Endeavours might prove Ineffectual it was her desire that immediately after my Arrival in England the Lord Montgomery and Others should take care to place People on the Coast of England that might inform them when she Landed vnd then they were positively commanded to use all Endeavours to get her Dispatcht to prevent whatever Design she might Pretend to Here the Reader may Observe That the Queen was infinitely Zealous both for her Apprehension and Dispatch and that must be some very threatning Fears they Convinced from this poor Womans Escape that could pull down all this Mortal Vengeance upon her Head Nay the Queen was so very solicitous for Executing the said Vengeance that for fear of Failure or Miscarriage of her Commands in Black and White she trusted me with some part of the bloody Commission on that Account ` T is true her Furious Zeal in this Case did nor directly tell me the very particular Crime this Offending Lady had committed deserving Death that part of my Intelligence into this Secret History was my own Observation and Discovery This was the Contents of the Queens Letters and what I had Orders to inform the Lord Montgomery and Others of his Party which the Ring as a Token was to Confirm The late Queen gave me also another Letter to carry to Father Petre who by the French King`s Order was constrained to live privately at Albeville a City between Paris and Callais Accordingly I took Post and came to Albeville where I was forced to tarry six Hours before I could meet with Father Petre to give him the Queens Letter which was to require him To go to St. Omers to observe whether or no the Woman might come that Way in order to her Embarking for England Just as I came to my Inn and was going to take Horse there arrived one Mr. Crane Gentleman-Usher to the Queen from the Queens Court to order me to return with him to St. Germains again were we arrived the next Night and then waiting on the Queen she told me The lost Sheep was found at a private House in Paris and as I afterwards soon understood was then in the same Nunnery again under the care of the Countess of Sussex and others But the next day following Father Sabran was to go in one of her Majesties Coaches to Paris in order to bring the Countess of Sussex with the Woman to St. Germains and the Queen ordered me to accompany the said Father Sabran which I did in the Coach the next day and coming to the Nunnery they continued there about an Hour and a half and then the Countess of Sussex with Sabran and my self returned with the Woman to St. Germains where she was conveyed privately to the Queens Back-Stairs by Father Sabran whilst I attended the Lady Sussex who went in to acquaint the Queen That the Woman was come after which by the Queens Command I went to the Back Stairs to convey the Woman to the Queen in her Bed Chamber where she continued with the Queen the Lady Powis the Countess of Sussex and several others above an Hour and was afterwards conveyed down the Back Stairs and cross the Gallery under the Prince of Wales's Lodgings to a private Appartment belonging to the Lady Powis where the said Woman continued a day or two After which the late Queen with the whole Court going to visit the French King at his Court at Marli Three Miles from St. Germains in the same Evening the said Woman with the Countess of Sussex Father Sabran and my self went in the Princes Coach with Six Horses to the same Place and were there convey'd to a Chamber or Room belonging to the Arch-Bishop of Paris where the Woman Sabran and my self continued about half an Hour whilst the Countess of Sussex went publickly to wait upon the French King and the late Queen Then the Womam Sabran and my self were conducted by a Priest a Chaplain of the Arch-Bishops privately to the French King's Back Stairs The Woman lamenting her Fate which she said was occasioned by her last being in England she grieved to that excess that she Fainted several times before they could get her up the Stairs to the French King's Apartment whither she was conducted by a Jesuite and continued about half an Hour with the French King and the late Queen During which time I waited with Father Sabran at the bottom of the Stairs till she came down with the Jesuite that conveyed her up at which time she wept bitterly and told Father Sabran and me That now she must take her Everlasting Farewel of us and so was carried away by the Jesuite and never more seen or heard of notwithstanding my most diligent Inquiry after her at all the English Scotch and Irish Nunneries in Paris and other Places where I had great Acquaintance and