was forming some Villains were carrying on that horrid and execrable Plot of Assassinating his Majesties person and his dearest Brother And a Massacre was to follow wherein they principally designed for slaughter the Officers of State the present Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of London and others that had been most eminent for Loyalty Upon which Discovery James Duke of Monmouth the Lord Melvin Sir Jo. Cockrane Sir Thomas Armstrong Robert Ferguson Richard Goodenough Francis Goodenough Richard Rumbold William Rumbold Richard Nelthorp Nathaniel Wade William Tompson James Burton Joseph Elby Samuel Gibbs Francis Charleton Joseph Tyley Casteers and Lobb two Nonconformist-preachers Edward Norton John Row John Ayloff and John Atherton fled from Justice Ford Lord Grey made his escape Arthur Earl of Essex killed himself in the Tower William Lord Russel Thomas Walcot William Hone and John Rous were on their Tryals convicted and executed And it is observable that each of them confessed enough to clear the Justice of the Nation The most that they could plead for themselves was that their Crime could amount onely to misprision of Treason Algernoon Sidney another of the Conspirators was tryed condemned and executed afterward who professed to die for the Old Cause wherein he had been engaged from his youth And indeed he was so far engaged that being named for one of the Royal Martyr's Judges he often appeared at his Tryal And Manus haec inimica Tyrannis was his Motto The Earl of Shaftsbury had been indicted of High-Treason 24 Novemb. 1681. for endeavouring to depose and put to death the King and levy war within the Kingdom he having declared That in a short time the Parliament was to sit at Oxford and that he had inspected the Elections and was satisfied that the Parliament would insist on three matters viz. The Bill of Exclusion against the Duke of York The abolishing the Act of Parliament of the 35 of Queen Elizabeth and a new Bill for uniting Protestant Dissenters which he was confident the King would not consent to and if so that he and other Lords had provided strength to compel him under the command of Captain Wilkinson and John Booth he declared the King to be a man of no faith and there was no trust in him That he deserved to be deposed as well as King Richard the second And the said Earl further declared That 〈◊〉 would not desist till he brought this Kingdom 〈◊〉 a Commonwealth as Holland was That the King was a man of an unfaithful heart not fâ—â— to rule and govern being false unjust and crueâ— to his people and if he would not be governed they would depose him Though the Witnesseâ— swore positively to the particulars yet there was such a Jury provided as brought in an Ignoramus Sir Sam. Bernardiston being their Foreman who hath since been found guilty of Misdemeanors of a high nature During the late seditious Stirs and Tumults none was more active than one Stephen Colledge a Joyner of London a pragmatical person that pleased himself with the title of The Protestant Joyner he had been busie for a long time sowing Sedition and talking Treason so openly that his Friends advised him to forbear lest he came to the Gallows He made it his business to serve some dissenting Lords boasting of his acquaintance with the Earl of Shaftsbury Lords Gray Howard Clare Huntington Pagit Lovelace c. He had fitted his Raree Show and scandalous Songs and Pictures reflecting on the Royal Family The sole pretence for his treasonable actions was his zeal against Papists who he said had feigned seventeen or eighteen Sham-plots against the Protestants he affirmed that London was to be seized by the Papists and that they had a designe against the Parliament at Oxford and therefore he with some others whom he had perswaded came well armed thither Divers Ribbons were provided as a mark of distinction bearing this Motto NO POPERY NO SLAVERY one of which he gave to Turbervil and it was proved as the Lord Chief Justice said at the close of the Tryal whom he called Papists The King was a Papist the Bishops and the Church of England were Papists He was indicted for High-Treason the 17 and 18 of August 1681 it being proved that he said That nothing of good was to be expected from the King That he minded nothing but beastliness and the destruction of the people That he endeavoured to establish Arbitrary Government and Popery Dugdale Smith and Turbervil who had been Witnesses against the Lord Stafford were of the Evidence against him though there were enough if these had been laid aside to have proved him guilty Mr. Masters testified against him p. 31. That he said The Parliament in 1640. was as good a Parliament as ever was chosen To which Mr. Masters answered I wonder how you have the impudence to justifie their proceedings that raised the Rebellion against the King and cut off his head To which Colledge replied They did nothing but what they had just cause for and the Parliament at Westminster was of their Opinion p. 31. And being demanded what he had to say against this testimony he answers That Mr. Masters had said nothing material and that it was but a jocose discourse p. 39. To which Mr. Justice Jones replied Do you make mirth of the blackest Tragedy that ever was that horrid Rebellion and the murther of the late King Colledge answered I never justified that Parliament in any thing that they did contrary to Law One Mr. Jennings who was another Witness testified that on the bleeding of Colledge's Nose he said It was the first bloud that he lost in the Cause but it will not be long ere more be lost He saw him sell the Ribbons with NO POPERY NO SLAVERY to a Parliament-man as he supposed who tyed it on his Sword c. p. 32. It is observed in the Tryal that there was not one Papist that gave evidence against him and that they were such of whom Colledge had formerly given a good Character though now the case was altered The Jury were so well satisfied with the Evidence that they quickly agreed and brought him in guilty and so he was condemned and executed at Oxford on Wednesday 31 of August 1681. Captain Tho. Walcot was indicted for High-Treason at the Old-Baily July 12 c. 1683. for endeavouring to move and stir up War and Rebellion against the King to deprive the King of his Crown and to put him to death for which he conspired with divers other Traytors and had several meetings and consults to those ends and provided Blunderbusses Carbines and Pistols c. Which being proved by Col. Rumsey Mr. Keeling Mr. Bourne Mr. West and Captain Richardson he was found guilty sentenced and executed Then was William Hone arraigned on the like Indictment the Evidence against him were Mr. Keeling Mr. West Sir Nicholas Butler and Capt. Richardson upon whose testimonies he was found guilty and executed also July 13. the Lord Russel was tryed for
the execution of the Laws which might have hindred more weighty affairs c. The King therefore consented 1. That all Jesuits and Seminary Priests having taken Orders from the See of Rome be forthwith commanded to depart out of his Majesties Dominions and not to return under the penalty of the Laws now in force and that none harbour or conceal them 2. That all Armour and Ammunition be taken from them 3. That all Papists be confined within five miles of their Dwelling-houses and come not within ten miles of London or the Kings or Princes Court 4. That all Subjects be restrained from hearing Mass or other Exercises of Romish Religion in the houses of forreign Embassadours 5. That none be intrusted as Justices of the Peace Lord-Lieutenants Deputies Captains c. who resort not to Divine-Service 6. That the Laws made against Recusants be put in execution and not slacken them on any Treaty of Marriage or otherwise with any forreign Princes To these the King answered I cannot but commend your Zeal in offering this Petition yet I hold my self unfortunate that I am thought to need a Spur to do that which my Conscience and Duty bind me to What Religion I am of my Books my Profession and Behaviour declare and I wish it may be written in Marble and remain as a Mark on me to posterity when I shall swerve from my Religion for he that doth dissemble with God is not to be trusted by men The increase of Popery hath been my grief and my endeavour hath been to prevent it and if I have not been a Martyr I have been a Confessor though I have been far from prosecution I therefore grant your Petition That all Priests and Jesuits depart at a day and will command my Judges to put the Laws in execution against them I will restrain the resort to Embassadours houses and provide for the education of Popish Children for it is a shame they should be brought up here as if they were at Rome And assure your selves I shall never hearken to the intercession of foreign Princes against the Laws Hereupon many Noblemen and others that were in places of trust were put out So that King James could not be suspected of Popery In the first year of King Charles a Parliament being called June 18. a Petition of the like nature is presented to which the King answered That he was glad of their forwardness in Religion and assures them of his readiness to comply with them The particulars being like those in the former and the Answerâ— agreeable I here omit but the King granting all added That he would have done thâ— same things had he not been desired and whâ—â— he now did was from his Conscience and hiâ— Duty to his Father who in his last Speeâ— commended to him the person but not the Religion of the Queen Accordingly the King by Proclamation recals the Children of PAPISTS from beyond the Seas commands 〈◊〉 JESUITS c. to depart his Dominionâ— to disarm all Recusants and forbid the meeting of Papists injoyns the Judges to put the Laâ— in execution against them And many Lord and others suspected of Popery were put oâ— of Commission But King Charles being left intangled 〈◊〉 many expensive affairs by his Father Kinâ— James for the discharge of which his Revenues were insufficient was resolved to caâ— to the Parliament for a Supply which takinâ— advantage of his necessities would not granâ— him any thing considerable unless he woulâ— part with what was of greater value than thâ— Crown And the Priviledge of Parliameâ—â— was made a Rival to the Kings Prerogative for several years together The particulaâ—â— are too large to be here repeated but Siâ— Edward Cooke told the Parliament That thâ— French Embassadour told his Master what had done during this last Parliament in sowing Divisions between the King and his People and he was well rewarded for it And at a Conference with the Lords Sir Edward told them That the Jesuits did vaunt at home and sent Letters abroad that all would be well and doubted not to win ground upon us by our Divisions Which Divisions were then visibly made by some leading men in the Parliament such as Sir John Elliot Mr. Pym and others but by whom they were acted it doth not appear though the mischievous effects of them brought the three Nations into Confusion What sport the Jesuits made of these transactions appears by a Letter taken among some other Papers at Clerkenwel Father Rector LEt not a damp of Astonishment seize on your ardent soul in apprehending the sudden and unexpected calling of a Parliament we have not opposed but rather further it so that we hope as much in this Parliament as ever we feared any in Queen Elizabeth's days You must know the Council is engaged to assist the King by way of Prerogative in case the Parliamentary way should fail You shall see this Parliament will resemble the Pelican which takes a pleasure to dig out with its beak her own Bowels The elections of Knights and Burgesses have been in such confusion of apparent Faction as that which we were wont to procure heretofore with much Art and Industry when the Spanish Match was in treaty Now it breaks out as naturally as a Botch or Boil and spits and spews out its own rancour and venome You remember how that famous and immortal Statesman Count Gundamor fed King James's fancy and rock'd him asleep with the soft and sweet sound of Peace to keep up the Spanish Treaty he had but one principal means to further the great designe which was to set on King James that none but the Puritan Faction which plotted Anarchy and his Confusion were averse to this most happy Vnion We steered on the same course and have made great use of this Anarchical Election and have prejudicated and anticipated the Great One that none but the Kings Enemies and his are chosen of this Parliament c. We have now many Strings to our Bow and have strongly fortified our Faction and have added two Bulworks more For when King James lived you know he was very violent against Arminianism and interrupted with his pestilent Wit and deep Learning our strong designes in Holland and was a great friend to that old Rebel and Heretick the Prince of Orange Now we have planted the Soveraign Drug Arminianism which we hope will purge the Protestants from their Heresie and it flourisheth and bears fruit in due season The Materials which build up our Bulwork are the Projectors and Beggars of all ranks and qualities to destroy the Parliament and to introduce a new species and form of Government which is Oligarchy These serve as direct Mediums and Instruments to our end which is the universal Catholick Monarchy Our foundation must be Mutation and Mutation will cause a Relaxation which will serve as so many violent Diseases as the Stone Gout c. to the speedy destruction of our perpetual and insufferable anguish of body which
of their Religion And doubting of their own strength they consult of ingaging the King of France against their own King to which end they agreed on the following Letter directed Au Roy which Title is not wont to be given to any but their Liege Lord from his Subjects of which his Majesty in his lesser Declaration 1640. took special notice and complained that they courted a Forreign power against him SIR YOur Majesty being the Sanctuary of afflicted Princes and States we have found it necessary to send this Gentleman Mr. Colvil to represent to your Majesty the candor and ingenuity as well of our actions and intentions which we desire to be written with the beam of the Sun as well as to your Majesty We therefore humbly beseech you Sir to give faith and credit to him to what he shall say on our part touching us and our affairs being assured of an assistance equal to your wonted Clemency heretofare and so often shewn to our Nation which will not yield the glory to any other whatsoever to be eternally SIR Your Majesties most humble most obedient and most affectionate Servants Rothes Montross Lesly Marr Montgomery Loudon Forester This Letter was discovered and brought to the King and was proved to be the hand-writing of Loudon who being in London was committed to the Tower and on examination confessed it to be his hand but excused the matter because it was written before the Pacification However they had really engaged Cardinal Richlien who governed the affairs of France He sent one Chamberline his Chaplain a Scot by birth to assist the Covenanters and to attempt all ways for exasperating the first heats with order not to depart till he might return with good news He appointed one of his Secretaries also to reside in Scotland and to march with them into England to be present at the Council of War and direct their business Hamilton's Chaplain also had free access unto Con the Popes Nuncio and a Scotch-man then in England on the same designe And if Mr. Rushworth the Parliaments Historian may be credited there were also at that time some Applications made to the King of Spain who was then the most potent Monarch For p. 970 971. he says That in the year 1639 when the Spanish Armado came on the Coasts of England Scotland being then in a great ferment by the Covenanters some of them thus argued That there could be no Fleet strong enough to attempt them by Sea except all the Kingdom did contribute to it which say they cannot be done except all the States joyn of which we of the Confederacy shall be the greater part and so the Enemy shall be forthwith forced to give liberty of Conscience to the Catholicks or put themselves in danger of losing all From whence it is collected 1. That the Scots thought no Enemies so great as the King and his Party 2. That liberty of Conscience was desired for the Papists as well as themselves 3. That the Covenanters thought themselves the greater part of the States And 4. That there was a secret Confederacy between them and the Papists and this Armado was designed for their assistance And as for the King of Great Britain the Relator says If he will not give liberty of Conscience he shall be reduced to it with no little damage As for Argyle whose Father was a known Papist I suppose he was as much of that as of any Religion though he were the Head of the Covenanters his interest was his Religion as this Action of his doth demonstrate His Father left a second Wife by whose last Will there was given to the Daughters 12000 l. sterling and Argyle prevailed to be admitted Administrator he giving security to perform the Will but shortly after he caused the eldest whose Portion was 5000 l. to marry a Gentleman who accepted onely 1000 l. with her which was paid by Argyle's Surety and not repayed to this day saith my Author As to the other Daughters there was a clause in the Will That if any of them should enter into Nunneries for it seems they were inclinable to the Popish Religion they should have onely 300 l. And being defrauded of their due Maintenance two of them did enter into Nunneries and the third through his neglect was ready to do the like But the Covenanter cared for none of these things See the History of Independency Appendix p. 7. Nor was Hamilton whom the King intrusted as his Commissioner in that Kingdom free from a shrewd suspicion of corresponding with the Papists his Chaplain making frequent Applications to Con the Popes Nuntio by whom he was commended as a man fit for his purpose as shall appear in the discovery made by Sir Will. Boswell of which hereafter The King during the interval of Parliaments which was for thirteen years resolved on a Journy to Scotland to be there crowned He had requested that the Crown might be sent into England to save that Journy but the Covenanters and Papists sent word they durst not do it Marquess Huntly who obtained a Toleration of Popery there told the Council there When his Majesty shall come and be crowned here he will no doubt be sworn to our Laws mean while seeing he hath intrusted us with them we will look they shall be observed And both Papist and Covenanter agreed to tell the King that should he long defer that duty they might perhaps be inclined to make choice of another King The King therefore goes into Scotland and is crowned with great solemnity But being there he makes a revocation of such Lands as had been taken from the Crown in his Fathers minority And by the foresaid Commission of Surrendries upon a Petition of many of the Gentry Ministry and Commons he frees the Ministers and People from the Vassalage of some great men that had ingrossed the Tythes of the Nation allowing the Ministers onely an inconsiderable Pension keeping the generality of the People in dependance on them and so oppressing them that no one durst carry home his nine parts until the Lay-Impropriator had housed his Tenth For this the King received great Honour and Thanks from the greatest part of the Nation but the Lords that were concerned caused it to be reported abroad that this was done to the prejudice of their Religion and to make greater provision for the power and splendour of Bishops and from this time they confederate against the King and provide for a Rebellion Et hinc illoe Lachrymoe But to look back a little into England In the last Parliament called by King James Feb. 19. there was as the King called it a stinging Petition presented against the Papists on which the King spake thus It hath been talked of my remisness in Religion and a suspicion of a Toleration but as God shall judge me I never thought or in word expressed any thing that savoured of it It is true that for reasons best known to my self I did at times forbear
endeavouring to raise a Rebellion to seize and destroy the Kings Guards to deprive the King and put him to death The Attorney-General urged That the Duke of Monmouth the Lord Gray Sir Tho. Armstrong Mr. Ferguson and this Lord with the Earl of Essex then dead were of a Council for a general Rising to which end they received several Messages from the Earl of Shaftsbury who being disappointed by Mr. Trenchard who had promised to raise a thousand Foot and two or three hundred Horse he and Ferguson left the Kingdom The Witnesses were Col. Rumsey Mr. Shepherd and the Lord Howard on whose evidence he was found guilty and sentenced to die and accordingly he was beheaded in Lincolns-Inne-Fields July 21. 1683. The next was the Tryal of Mr. Rous against whom Mr. Leigh Mr. Lee Mr. Corbin Mr. Richardson gave such evidence that he was presently found guilty and received sentence to die and was executed accordingly Captain Blague being indicted for conspiring to seize the Tower of London received his Tryal but was acquitted Algernon Sidney was tryed at the Kings-Bench-Bar on the 7th 21th and 27th of November 1683. His Indictment was almost the same as the former onely there was added to it his sending of Aaron Smith into Scotland to excite and stir up the Subjects to a Rebellion there and his being the Author of a traiterous Libel containing among other seditious discourses these words viz. The power originally in the People of England is delegated unto the Parliament He the most serene Lord Charles the Second now King of England meaning is subject unto the Law of God as he is a man to the People that makes him a King inasmuch as he is a King the Law sets a measure unto that Subjection and the Parliament judges of particular cases thereupon arising He must be content to submit his interest to theirs since he is no more than any one of them in any other respect than that he is by the consent of all raised above any other If he doth not like this condition he may renounce the Crown but if he receive it upon that condition as all Magistrates do the power they receive and swear to perform it he must expect that the performance will be exacted or revenge taken by those that he hath betrayed And in other places these traiterous Sentences are contained viz. We may therefore change or take away Kings without breaking any Yoke or that is made a Yoke which is not one the injury is therefore in making and imposing and there can be none in breaking it c. In p. 23 24 25 26. many other things were read at the Tryal out of that Libel particularly p. 26. where speaking of a King he says When the matter is brought to that that he must not reign or the People over whom he would reign must perish it is easily decided As if the Question had been asked in the time of Nero or Domitian whether they should be left at liberty to destroy the best part of the world as they endeavoured to do or it should be rescued by their destruction And as for the Peoples being Judges in their own case it is plain they ought to be the onely Judges because it is their own and onely concerns themselves The Attorney-General p. 13. says The whole Book is an Argument for the People to rise in Arms and vindicate their Wrongs He i. e. Sidney lays it down That the King hath no authority to dissolve the Parliament but 't is apparent the King hath dissolved many therefore he hath broken his Trust and invaded our Rights And concludes We may therefore shake off the Yoke for 't is not a Yoke we submitted to but a Yoke by Tyranny that is the meaning of it imposed on us The Witnesses who swore to the Indictment were Mr. West Col. Rumsey Mr. Keeling the Lord Howard Sir Andrew Foster Mr. Atterbury Sir Philip Lloyd Mr. Shepherd Mr. Cary and Mr. Cooke upon whose evidence the Jury found him guilty of High-Treason and accordingly sentence was pronounced against him and he was executed on Tower-hill Decemb. 7. 1683. I shall adde onely a few Remarks on the dying Speeches and Confession of these men and first of Col. Sidney He had no other Apology for himself but that he had been engaged from his youth in that Old Cause for which he prayed in these words Defend thine own Cause and defend these that defend it stir up such as are faint direct those that are willing confirm those that waver give wisdom and integrity unto all Grant that I may die glorifying thee for all thy mercies and that at the last thou hast permitted me to be singled out as a Witness of thy Truth and even by the confession of my Opposers for that Old Cause in which I was from my youth engaged and for which thou hast often and wonderfully declared thy self Now the Old Cause wherein Col. Sidney was engaged was the destruction of the Church and the Royal Martyr to set up a Commonwealth in which he acted as a Colonel and one of the Judges of the Royal Martyr yet he calls these Treasons Gods Truth In what Religion this Gentleman died God onely knows for he made no profession at all whether Presbyterian Independent Anabaptist or Quaker but a Protestant at large as any of those Factions term themselves As to the Lord Russel he was also unhappily engaged in the same OLD CAVSE from his youth as may appear by the following Relation Mr. Johnson the Author of the Life of Julian confirmed him in his riper years in those opinions which * This Lewis was a stickling Presbyterian that had gotten the Sequestration of Totnam-high-cross from Mr. Wimpew a loyal Minister of the Church of England To this Lewis many Noblemen and Gentlemen sent their Sons for Education among whom was the late Lord Russel And to divert his Scholars he composed a Farce wherein the young Gentlemen were to be Actors The Farce had all the Formalities of a High Court of Justice President Sollicitor Witnesses c. The Criminal was an old Shock Water-Dog which he called Charles Stuart This Dog was arraigned tryed condemned and executed by cutting off his head By which action he instilled the Principles of Ring-killing into his Scholars as if the murdering of a King were no more than the cutting off a Dogs neck Mr. Lewis and Dr. Manton had educated him For Mr. Johnson having written that Traiterous Book to defend the mischievous Doctrine of Resistance this unhappy man could not be extricated from that snare to his death And it was long before his acquaintance with this Seditious Author that Dr. Manton a great Abettor of the first War and a Favourite of Cromwel had instilled the same Principles into him For in his Comment on St. James 4.1 he proposeth this Question Whether Religion may be defended by Arms To which he answers That sometime the outward exercise of Religion and
had not been as careful and diligent and as ready and forward to discover them a great while since I gave his Majesty says he an account to the best of my knowledge and he seemed to be well pleased and thankt me for it but before I had power to put it in writing the Council thought it fit that I should be committed to Prison That there was a designe to set up the Duke of Monmouth I will not say while the King reigns though some extravagant hot-headed men have taken upon them to discourse these things but not any worthy man I know those that have been worthy to be called by that name have declared in my hearing that in opposition to the Duke of York if the King be seized they would stand by the Duke of Monmouth There are others that were for a Commonwealth and some few for the Duke of Bucks He confesseth that Goodenough told him the King was to be taken off as he came from Windsor that they wanted a place of meeting in order to it and the place pitched on was Black-heath where Rous advised that a Ball of Silver worth thirty or forty pound might be thrown up and the people invited to come and drink a Bowl of Punch which would have gathered thirty or forty thousand in two or three days time That this Goodenough spake in base Language concerning the Duke of York calling him Rogue and Dog and that we will do his work and that after the Kings decease the Duke of Monmouth having a Vogue with the People must of necessity succeed And he confessed that it was just in God and righteous and just in the King that he died On the 6th of February 1683. in Hillary-Term John Hambden Esq was tryed at the Kings-Bench-Bar upon an Indictment of High Misdemeanour for assembling meeting consulting c. with divers ill-disposed Subjects of the King to disquiet molest and disturb and as much as in him lay to incite stir up and procure Sedition within this Kingdom of England and further to cause an Insurrection and to provide Arms and armed men for that purpose And also for that he did consult agree and consent that a person should be sent into Scotland to invite and incite divers ill-disposed people to come into England to consult and advise with him and others here concerning aâ—â— and assistance from thence to bring about their designes He pleaded Not guilty but upon a full and fair hearing he was found Guilty and Fined forty thousand pounds Which Sentence was given the 12th of February being the last day of the said Term. The Witnesses were James Duke of Monmouth but he did not appear William Lord Howard whose evidence is supported by Sir Andrew Foster Mr. Atterbury one Sheriff thaâ— lodg'd Aaron Smith at Newcastle and Beâ— that directed him the way into Scotland The Lord Chief Justice tells the Jury Thâ—â— if there were another Witness as positive against the Defendant as my Lord Howard the matter would amount to no less than High-Treason The next day being the 7th of February 1683. Lawrence Braddon and High Speke Gent. were tryed upon an Information of High Misdemeanour Subornation and spreading False Reports at the Court oâ— Kings-Bench for that whereas the Earl of Essex on the 10th of July in the thirty fifth year of the King was committed to the Tower for High-Treasons supposed to be committed on the 13th did there kill and murther himself as appear by an Inquest taken in the Tower the 14th day of July in the year aforesaid They not being ignorant thereof but contriving and maliciously and seditiously intending to bring the Kings Government into hatred disgrace and contempt did conspire and endeavour to make the Kings Subjects to believe that the said Inquisition was unduly taken and that the said Earl was murdered by some person in whose custody he was And to bring this to effect they procured false Witnesses to prove it And to perswade others to the belief of it they caused to be declared in writing that the said Braddon would prosecute the matter This is the sum of the Indictment To which they pleaded Not guilty How the Intrigue was managed in brief The 13th of February in the morning the King and Duke going to visit the Tower in the interim of their being there that dreadful accident of the Earl of Essex cutting his own throat happen'd The rumour of the one and the other caused a great concourse of people Among the rest there was one Edwards his son a School-boy of about thirteen years old that having played Truant in the Tower that morning upon this occasion thought it best to tell some strange story when he came home to Dinner to palliate his Truantry and accordingly goes home and tells his Mother and Sisters that he saw a hand throw a Razor out of the window of the Earl of Essex his Chamber They were surprised at this and charged the Boy to tell truth and not to tell lyes to excuse his play as he used to do He persisted in it Mr. Braddon being told of this Boy goes to his fathers house pretending he came from Sir Henry Capel and the Countess to examine the Boy which when he had done he writes a Paper and reads it to the Boy for him to signe The Boy refuses to signe it because he said the whole matter was a lye So Braddon went away but coming another time he got the Boy to signe it telling him it was no harm He also found out a Girl of about the same age that said she saw a hand throw out a bloudy Razor but from whose window she knows not and she said many others saw it but she could name none Braddon goes with this to Sir Henry Capel desiring his assistance in the prosecution of the Earl's murder but Sir Henry directs him to a Secretary of State it being of publick concern He goes to a Secretary has his little Witnesses examined before the King in Council and the business found false and frivolous Mr. Braddon would not rest here being in Conscience bound to prosecute the Murder as he alleadg'd but resolves for the Country and goes to one Mr. Speke desiring his Letter commendatory to Sir Robert Atkins in Gloucester-shire which was granted by that Gentleman who also sent his man along with him to defend him from Assaults To colour this it was pretended that Braddon had word sent him that my Lords death was discoursed the same day it was done at Marlborough and at the Posthouse in Frome nay at Andover two or three days before it happened Mr. Speke's Letter to Sir Robert Atkins concerning Braddon which he had about him when taken commends his great integrity and courage thanking the person 't was writ to for great kindness to him and his friends hoping to get my Lords Murder tryed before the Tryal of any in the Tower saying the Tyde run strong against them and he must not be called Braddon but