midnight that Sindercomb was poisoned and then let any man judge how he came by his end And shall my lungs that have been such imcomparable Bellows to blow the Coales in these three Nations be stifled and suffocated with a Pillow or Boulster No! I 'le warrant you I shall make a fairer end than so for all that But give me leave to tell you sir Since the last time we conferred together in this place the people have been all overjoyed And on Tuesday night the eight of May instant they made room for you at Tower hill by digging up the body of Sindercomb and removing of it to some other place not onely burning the Land-mark which you caused to be driven through him to shew your right and title to the ground but the very Scaffold it self whereon you caused Sir Henry Slingsby Dr. Hewet and many more to be beheaded under which Sindercomb was laid Nay more sir That very day the Son of the late King by the name of CHARLS the II. was proclaimed with very great solemnity rejoycing to be King of England Scotland France Ireland both at Westminster and over all the City of London by the joynt Consent Concurrence of the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament and there never was the like day seen in London Cromw What 's this the Son of the late King proclaimed Why then Peters all my Cunning has failled me and that 's it that vexeth disquieteth all our Infernal Court I 'le warrant thee But the wisemans sentence is verified Foelix criminibus nullus erit dâ—ù States built in Crimes shall soon be overthrown True it is that the lust of ruling caused me to tumour to such a monstrosity that nothing could gratifie my desires but Raâ—ines and Murders and yet thou knowest how closely I pursued the example of Clopius the Romane Tribune and the Counsel of Machivel ever to pretend Religion and Providence for a Warrant for my Villanies besides I never refused the daily suggestions and motives used by thy self to me for the more plausible and hypocritical conduct of my affairs Pet. Truly Sir I have been alwayes of opinion and judgement that a man who will be in practice a skilfull Fencer must not alwayes play at Sharps or lay on dry blows but sometimes falsifie a little for advantage And my principall Doctrine is That an Ounce of Hypocrisie and prous fraud by tried experience I have found it will carry a man out in some Passages better than a pound of down-right honesty and good Conscience Cro. T is very true Peters that Hypocrisie Jugling thou speakest of is that which carried me with so much honour out of the World into the highest favour of my Infernal Soveraign and no question but in due time and ere it be long it will send thee of an Errand to me and then I shall as of duty be gratefull to thee for thy good services Oh! how much I am indebted to thee for Pimping so handsomely for me at Liecester where thou knowest I defloured a young Virgin of a rare composure and onely by thy solicitation to her by whom I had a sinister daughter which much troubles my Conscience that I left it no better provided for at my departure Nay And what do I not ow thee for thy versutious Complements to my Lady Lambert whose beauty and elegance bewitched my affections as thou well knowest so that I could not forbear toying and tickling her at my son Ireton's Funeral in Somerset-house before all the Company And what did we then privately at the Cock-pit I prethee Pet. Oh Sir you made sweet work on 't I 'le warrant you I 'm sure you have made J. Lambert beetle brow'd ever since and so damnable jealous of his Wife that he left her in special Charge with the Committee of Safety to keep her Continent in the time of his running on Frost-biting in the North last Winter to catch General Monk when he could come at him Crom. To catch him Why dost thou think that Lambert could ever catch him when I my self never could do 't Though Lambert has a long time had a jealous head of his own and not without good causes yet I tell thee I was too cunning for him and so was his wife too for though he like a proud ambitious Fool turn'd him self out of my favour yet I never turn'd her out of mine for we two however kept close together For what Cause doest think did I make so many Avenues and Recesses up and down at White-hall and Hampton-Court but for the better convenience of my Letchery although it was pretended for the greater security of my Person Else why did I make that privy Recluse in the Tilt-yard to passe towards Wallingford-house and the Spring-garden But this thou knowest I did to blind my wives eyes whose Country-Butcher-like face thou canst tell did never so affect me but that I alwayes had my Hand maids to be helpers to me for the propagation of my Renown or otherwise I had never been called The Town-Bull of Ely as I was before ever the Wars began Pet. I Sir you was alwayes a notable Gamester and good at that Sport for I have often heard that you have play'd your Doublet and Breeches off many times at In and In rather than stand out Crom. But that was before my Conversion Peters In the dayes of my wantonnesse and youthfull vanities When Nan Chambers was my Chamber maid and Dol Marks had a clap by my brother Walton as she made the foole believe though I was the Father of it An hundred more such Tricks I have plaid in my dayes but let them passe And now le ts return to a little more serious discourse Prethee What will become of my Wife and Family Pet. I professe Sir I cannot tell certainly but if I may guesse by the proportion and Analogy of Lex Talionis they will not be left worth a Groat For you know that you and they did what you could to reduce the late Kings Family to the greatest exigences and extremities that you could possibly imagine or invent in all the world and you endeavoured to bring upon them and all the Nobility and Gentry of the three Nations all the Indignities and Disgraces that Milton and Nedham with the help of Jack Hall and the Devill to boot could designe or contrive And what then can you expect should be done with them For can they look for mercy that never shewed any and acted and executed nothing but injustice with the greatest Barbarisme and Impiety as t is generally said all the world over Crom. But I alwayes suspected Dick and Harry to be Cavaliers Pet. It s no matter for that It s enough that they were your Sons You have left such an ill name behinde you that the very word Cromwell will be as infamous to all Posterity as the memory of the late King will be blessed as most men are of opinion If your sons
have any wit left them as you know they never had much they 'le take my course and try to get beyond the Seas if they can But I think it will be as possible for us as it was for John Barkestead without the help of Gyges his Ring to eat the Pies invisibly in Fetter-lane We are all lamentably put to it There 's nothing but Hue and Cries after us Let us go where we will we are very ill beloved and no body will shelter us But I have a Plot in my head If an honest Cavaleer will but marry my Daughter and get me a Pardon from the King I 'le give him money enough and never meddle with State matters again so long as I breath Crom. What wiâ—â— thou be a Turncoat too Prethee hold close to thy former principles and be honest and come to me Leave me not now in the lurch for shame I tell thee thy presence would much refresh the drooping spirits of all my fellow Courtiers as well as my own for now we sit wailing howling for want of good Company and thine would be very welcome to us What shouldst thou dream of a Pardon T will never keep thee from me All the money and Treasure that thou hast juggled for has but made our gates the more open for thee Our Porter Cerberus ever nods his three heads at the very mention of thee He thinks it long till he sees thee that he might direct and conduct thee to my Lodgings of State in our Tartarian Court for I have given him special charge to do it upon thy first appearance there If thou dost not come quickly Feak will get the Start of thee and be our confounded Bishop But we had rather have thee then any one of them for thou hast more craft than twenty of them And therefore delay not thy coming Peters And for my part if thou hast not had Invitations and Promises enough to encourage thee I shall trouble thee no further nor will I spend time to no purpose Pet. Sir I pray be not angry I alwayes was so much an honourer of your Person that I cannot keep at a distance from you for my very soul My obligations are great upon me to be just to you And therefore I will be honest and never perplex my self any more with vain hopes of a Pardon or Remission For I believe Acts of Indempnity and Free Pardon will not be so common again for us as they were in your days And it s the cheif part in a wise man to be well resolved in himself And therefore Sir expect me very suddainly for I will come to you whosoever stayes from you Crom Honest Hugh I thank thee And before I depart from thee at this moment Le ts Dance for joy a Jig or two as we were wonted to doe in this place in the dayes of my Protector-ship and sing an Infernal Canto to the Tune of The three merry Marriners A Song made and sung by Cromwell both of them dancing to it BY Ruine and Blood My Power once stood Which no body can deny Boyes To Murder the King And Misery bring What Instrument had you but I Boyes To live by the Spoile was my joy and delight And he that may get a Crown will he not fight The Cryes of the Poore I valu'd no more Than a Woolf do's pitty his Prey Boye 's It s terrour must keep The Britains like Sheep Or else you can never 'um sway Boyes A mercifull King for a Cypher shall stand But a rigorous Prince keeps his Scepter in 's hand Peters T is incomparable my Lord Cromw Now let me hear thy Phant'sie Peters Another Song made by Hugh Peters to the Tune of the Beggars WHo will be brave Princes and keep up their Rules Must bridle their Commons like Horses and Mules For if the rude multitude once get a-head They 'le not be reclaim'd or quietly led It s harder to keep it though gotten with pleasure Than first to attain to a Kingdome or Treasure Or treasure or treasure or treasure or treasure Than first to attain to a Kingdome or Treasure Crom. Oh brave Peters le ts heare some more of this Peters Your Son lost his place like a Cowardly Fool Fitter than be a Prince to be Groom of a Stool You left him three kingdoms which you got by chance And he let 'um go like a man in a Trance But England a Proverb has and 's true I tell 'ee What 's got o're the Devil's back 's spent under 's belly His belly his belly his belly his belly What 's got o're the Devil's back 's spent under 's belly Cromwell Th' art in the right Peters Now I will sing to thee my last Farewell To the Tune of Loth to depart My Park Farewell farewell my Deer I must to Hell go I must to Hell go Look for me never again to be here From Tartarus down below Pet. Stay my Lord And take my valediction too I pray Crom. Le ts have it quickly or I cannot stay Peters Tiburn A dieu till we doe greet T will not be long Sir T will not be long Sir The Boyes will be merry when thou and I meet And the Bels shall ring Ding Dong Sir Cromw Be sure you make hast after me Peters Cromwell departs out of sight Peters Solus If I was sure to be by th' neck suspended I would not care how soon I was dispatch'd To follow him The work would soon be ended But here 's the Devill If I once be catch'd I shall be tortur'd worse than on a Rack And torn in pieces like Ravilliac Finis Funis Funus
A Third CONFERENCE BETWEEN O. Cromwell AND Hugh Peters In Saint James 's Park Wherein The horrible Plot is Discovered about the barbarous Murder of our late Soveraign Lord King CHARLS the I. of ever blessed Memory London Printed by Tho. Mabb 1660. A Third Conference wherein the horrible Plot is discovered about the barbarous Murder of our late Soveraign Lord King Charles the I. of ever blessed memory Peters having very lately received a strict command from O. Cromwell in a speciall Message sent to him by a Succubus one of the Infernal Pursuivants attends his pleasure once again in St. Jamse's park where after a little respect Cromwell appears to and treats him as followeth Cromwell OH Peters Peters What a wretched life did I lead that I cannot rest from troubleing thee my dearest Familiar now I am dead Whatsoever is the matter amongst you in England I am very certain that there never was such a sad and mournfull Court in all the time of his infernal Majesties Domination and Principality as now there is with us in Hell When I came thither first there was never more triumphing and rejoycing amongst the infernal Orders and Degrees as then there was as if all the infernal Dignities and Preheminences under my dreadfull Soveraign depended solely on my presence and without which they would have sustained an irreparable losse in their Stations Somewhat there is in the winde more than ordinary And therefore I prethee discover it to me that I may not be too much put to my trumps to pump for Intelligence Pet. Oh Sir do you want your Intelligence now It s no marvaile indeed As I told you at our last Conference If you were here again it would bereave you of all your Intelligence and make you stark mad to see how things go with us now adayes You sent me with your thanks to my Lord General in the Devils name But if you knew all that 's done now you would say that you had little cause to thank him Crom. Why prethee Peters what 's the matter Pet. The matter and manner and form too is so that I know not what to do for my part There 's no way of escaping left either for you or my self Crom. For me Why I am safe enough I 'le warrant thee And for the true love I bear thee I wish that thou wert no worse than I and then thou shouldest be free from all despair of escaping But thou mayest be very confident that thou hast no better refuge than I my self have found Pet. Oh but Sir you had the luck to die in your bed and to have a pompous Funeral with all Prince-like solemnities never to be paid for Whereas I am yet alive t is true but how long I shall so continue I am in very great doubt However the thoughts of my death do not so much perplex me as the manner thereof as t is universally concluded Crow Why what manner of death is it Pet. Not to be broyled like a Spitch-cock as Saint Laurence was nor to be uncased of my skin as the Arch-bishop of Spoleto was but to be tortured and torn in pieces with wild horses as Ravilliac was Crom. Why as Ravilliac Peters Pet. Because as they say that I had a principall hand and stroke in the murder as they call it of the late King Charls And you know that Ravilliac was a King killer and Murdered Henry the fourth of France and therefore he was put to death with as much pain and torture as the quality and notoriety of his fact did merit Crom. Thou knowest in thy Conscience Peters that there was none that had so great an hand in procuring his death as thee and I. Did not we beguile the Lord Fairfax and all the rest of the innocent Officers of his Party carried on the work by a Faction of our own without opposition Who more than we did incite the Members of the High Court of Justice and Souldiers of the Army to act in that Tragedy Wert not thou most intimately consulted with by my self my son Ireton Tom-Harrison and Henry Martin for the abridging and shortning the Charge and Impeachment against the King when as Dorislaus and Cooke had prepared a long draught of almost an hundred sheets of paper for a Charge which was not long since in the custody of John Phelpes one of the Clerks of that Court if it be not still in his hands Bradshaw thou knowest would have made a tedious piece of businesse of it by drawing into question the death of King James and the defeat at the Isle of Ree with other miscarriages in his Goverment but thy policy concurred with ours to charge him with Generals because therein is the greatest latitude of evasion and deceipt and so we resolved onely to lay the Cause of the War in England at his doore and make him the Author and Fomentor thereof and principal Actor therein by a generall Charge upon the reason of this maxim that Frustra fit per plura quod fieri potest per pauciora reserving particulars to our clandestine proof by Witnesses without any Oath giving us private Information in the Painted Chamber upon their bare words And this we did to the end the King should never know it till it was too late for him that so we might have the larger field to fight against him and prevent him from putting us to a formal Tryal in Foro Judiciali And thus we assured our selves that he would never own our Jurisdiction and then we should the sooner dispatch him for his Contumacy out of the world But art thou in fear to be put to death for that business Why take my ghostly Counsel Peters Take thee a sufflation of the powder of black Poppey and other Opiatick Powders up into thy Nose as Miles Sindercombe did to cozen me and the Hang-man and thou needest not then be afraid of the severing of thy members but thou shall come intirely to me soule and body in thy whole skin without any fracture dislocation or extension of any part Pet. Oh! but sir T is in a great many good mens mouths that Sindercombe never poysoned himself nor ever took any Soporifick medicines whereby to sleep his last as it was commonly said that he did so but that by some secret hand or other by your complotting with Barkestead your Creature that fellow was stifled in his Bed to prevent his telling of Tales next morning at Tiburn And so they say several of the Coroners Inquest were of opinion who were Inhabitants within the Liberty of the Tower of London notwithstanding that your then Lord Chief Justice directed them to finde him a Felon of himself at his house in Lincolns Inn fields And we also know that the Doctors and Chryrurgions were put to a stand and non-plus and could not tell well what to make of it upon their Dissection And Doctor Trig was alwayes of opinion to whom Barkestead first of all applied himself at the very