Dublin Printed by J. Ray on Colledg green 1683. THE TRYAL OF WILLIAM HONE FOR HIGH-TREASON For Conspiring the Death of the KING c. On Thursday July 12. 1683. William Hone being set to the Bar and after having held up his Hand the following Indictment was read London THe Jurors for our Sovereign Lord the King upon their Oaths present That William Hone late of London Labourer with many other Traitors as a false Traitor against the most Illustrious and Excellent Prince our Sovereign Lord Charles the Second by the Grace of God of England Scotland France and Ireland King his natural Lord not having the Fear of God in his Heart nor weighing the Duty of his Allegiance but being moved and seduced by the Instigation of the Devil and the true Duty and natural Obedience which true and faithful Subjects of our Sovereign Lord the King towards him our said Lord the King do bear and of right ought to bear wholly withdrawing and with his whole Strength intending the Peace and Common Tranquility of this Kingdom of England to disturb and War and Rebellion against our said Lord the King to move and stir up and the Government of our said Lord the King within this Kingdom of England to subvert and our said Lord the King from his Title Honour and Kingly Name of the Imperial Crown of this his Kingdom of England to put down and deprive and our said Lord the King to Death and final Destruction to bring and put the second day of March in the Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord Charles the Second King of England c. the 35th and diverse other days and times as well before as after at the Parish of St. Michael Bassishaw in the Ward of Bassishaw London aforesaid maliciously and traiterously with diverse other Traitors to the Jurors aforesaid unknown he did conspire compass imagine and intend our said Lord the King his Supream Lord not only of his Kingly State Title Power and Government of this his Kingdom of England to deprive and throw down but also our said Lord the King to kill and to Death to bring and put and the ancient Government of this his Kingdom of England to change alter and wholly to subvert and a Miserable Slaughter amongst the Subjects of our said Lord the King through the whole Kingdom of England to cause and procure and Insurrection and Rebellion against our said Lord the King to move and stir up within this Kingdom of England And to fulfil and perfect the said most horrible Treasons and Traiterous Compassings Imaginations and Purposes aforesaid He the said William Hone and many other Traytors as a false Traytor then and there and diverse other Days and Times as well before as after Maliciously Trayterously and advisedly he did assemble meet together and consult with divers other Evil disposed and Discontented Subjects of our said Lord the King to the Jurors as yet unknown and had Discourse and did treat of and for the executing and fulfilling their Treasons and Traiterous Compassings Imaginations and Purposes aforesaid And that the said William Hone together with many other Traytors as a false Traytor Malitiously Traiterously and Advisedly then and there and diverse other Days and Times as well before as after did take upon himself and promise to be aiding and assisting in the execution of the Treasons and Traiterous Compassings Imaginations and Purposes aforesaid And in providing of Arms and Men Armed to fulfil and perfect the said Treasons Traiterous Compassings Imaginations and Purposes aforesaid And to fulfil and bring to pass the said most horrid Treasons and Traiterous Compassings Imaginations and Purposes aforesaid he the said Willam Hone with many other False Traytors as a False Traytor Malitiously Traiterously and Advisedly then and there did procure and prepare Arms to Wit Blunderbusses Carbines and Pistols against the Duty of his Allegiance against the Peace of our Sovereign Lord the King c. and against the Form of the Statutes c. Cl. of the Crown How saiest thou William Hone art thou Guilty of this High Treason whereof thou standest Indicted or not Guilty Hone. In some measure I am Guilty Capt. Richardson You must say Guilty or Not Guilty L. Ch. J. You must plead to this and the way is to confess all or deny all Hone. I know nothing of the Arms. L. Ch. J. Are you Guilty of the Treason in conspiring the Death of the King and providing of Arms for that purpose Hone. I never provided Arms I am Guilty of the Conspiracy L. Ch. J. We can take notice of none of these odd kind of words you talk of but either plainly Guilty or Not Guilty Hone. My Lord I can truly say I am Not Guilty for I know nothing of it L. Ch. J. If you say so you say as much as is required of you at present Hone. In that understanding of it I am Not Guilty L. Ch. J Well he says he is Not Guilty Cl. of Cr Culprit How wilt thou be tried Hone. By God and my Countrie Cl. of Cr. God send thee a good Deliverance Friday July the 13th in the Morning the Court being met and Proclamation made Mr. Att. Gen. Set William Hone to the Bar. Cl. of Cr. You the Prisoner at the Bar Hold up your Hand Hone. I desire I may retract my Plea I would plead Guilty L. Ch. J. Do you confess the Indictment Hone. Yes my Lord. L. Ch. J. That is that you did conspire the Death of the King and in order to that that you did provide your self with Arms to do this wicked Act. Hone. I never did that my Lord I never provided any Arms. L. Ch. J. What were you to have done Hone. That Deposition I gave before Sir William Turner is true L. Ch. J. Tell us what you were to have done in this bloody matter Hone. I was asked by one Mr. Goodenough to go along with him and I asked him whither and he would not tell me but I understood it was to Kill the King and Duke of York but he did not tell me the place Sir Geo. Jeff. He does not confess fully we desire to trie him L. Ch. J. Look you you have pleaded Not Guilty to this Indictment the King is willing that if you be not Guilty you shall not be Condemned and therefore he does desire and command the Evidence against you should be publickly given that all Persons may see that you are not without Cause brought to Trial therefore swear the Jury The Prisoner challenged none but the Jury that were sworn were Nicholas Charlton Christopher Pitts Robert Beddinfield John Pelling William Winbury Thomas Seaton William Rutland Thomas Short Theophilus Man John Jenew John Short Thomas Nicholas Then Proclamation for Information and for those that were bound by Recognizance to appear was made Cl. of Cr. William Hone hold up thy Hand which he did You Gentlemen of the Jurie that are sworn look upon the Prisoner and hearken to his
Cause he stands indicted by the name of William Hone c. prout antea in the Indictment mutatis mutandis upon this Indictment he hath been Arraigned and hath thereunto pleaded Not Guilty and for his Trial c. Mr. Jones May it please your Lordship and you Gentlemen of the Jurie the Prisoner stands indicted for the most horrid Treason that ever was endeavoured to be committed in this Kingdom for traiterously conspiring to Kill the King and consulting how and in what manner it should be done and for preparing Arms for the doing of it we shall prove this to you and then I hope you will find him Guiltie Mr. Att. Gen. May it please your Lordship and you Gentlemen of the Jurie the part the Prisoner at the Bar was to act in this Treason was the Killing of the King he was one of the Persons that were to be assisting in Assassinating the Kings person We will not trouble you with the large Evidence of the Rising as we did yesterday but we will prove these things upon him that he undertook to do it that he was concerned with the rest of the Confederates we shall shew you this is not a new thing but he hath been an old Rebel for this hath not been a new Project but hath been acting several Years Five Years ago when the King attended my Lord Mayors Show he undertook to kill him off of Bow-Church We shall call our Witnesses and prove it fully upon him Mr. Keeling and Mr. West Mr. Josias Keeling sworn Mr. Att. Gen. Do you tell my Lord and the Jurie what you know of this Prisoner at the Bar. Mr. Keeling The first time I saw him was at the Dolphin Tavern when the Arms were agreed upon he was there then Mr. Att. Gen. Who was there then Mr. Keeling Mr. West Mr. Goodenough and him I remember particularly and some others whom I do not at present remember and since that he hath taken notice of me Mr. Att. Gen. Was Mr. Rumbold there at that time Mr. Keeling Yes Mr. Att. Gen. Pray at that Meeting tell the Jury what Discourse you had for many of these Gentlemen are not the same that were on the Jurie yesterday Mr. Keeling It was discoursed then of the Kings coming home from Newmarket the Saturday after the Fire Mr. West told Mr. Rumbold he heard the King would come home that day but says he I don't believe it says Rumbold I hear he will come home on says Mr. West I hear so too They said they hoped he would not come home on Monday Says Mr. West to Mr. Rumbold then How many Swan Quills Goose Quills and Crow Quills and how much Sand and Ink must we have I think the Prisoner at the Bar must needs remember it as well as I. It was agreed by Mr. Rumbold I think I am exact in the Number and he was by and heard all the Discourse Mr. Att. Gen. What did they mean by this Mr. Keeling By Swan Quills they meant Blunderbusses by Goose Quills Muskets and by Crow Quills Pistols and by Sand and Ink Powder and Bullet He took Acquaintance with me after that Meeting for I never saw him as I know of before and after some time he told me he was one of them that was to go down to Rye to assassinate the King And since that at a Coffee house in Swithin's Alley he told me it would never be well till the Black Bird and the Gold-Finch were knocked on the Head they being Terms I did not understand I asked him what he meant he said the King and Duke of York Sir Geo Jeff. You are sure that is the Man Mr. Keeling I am sure that is the Man William Hone. Sir Geo. Jeff. What is that the Man that talked of the Black Bird and Gold-Finch Mr. Keeling I am sure that is the Man Mr. Att. Gen. Now swear Mr. West Sir Geo. Jeff. If Mr. Hone has a mind to ask him any Questions he may Hone. My Lord this I deny As to the Black Bird I own it as to the Gold-Finch I never heard a Word of it till this time Sir Geo. Jeff. You had only a design upon the Black Bird then Mr. West Sworn Mr. Att. Gen. Tell the Court what you know of the Meeting at the Dolphin Tavern Mr. West I was there and Mr. Keeling came in There was several things said of Swan Quills Goose Quills and Crow Quills but this Man did not come in till this Discourse was over And I am sure I did not speak of any thing of this Nature before this Man in my Life But Mr. Goodenough did undertake to provide the Men and Mr. Goodenough said he would try him if he would make an attempt upon the Duke without the King And I asked him whether he had seen Mr. Goodenough he told me he had says he he spoke to me about a little Job for the Duke Mr. Goodenough said he had spoke to him fully about the thing And I saw him often in the Company of Mannius that was designed to be another of the Assassinates He was at my Chamber once says he Master shall we do nothing I think he used these Words That if the Duke of Monmouth would be true and appear he could bring fifty or threescore honest Men of to'ther side the Water to do the business I asked him what business says he either a brisk Push that I took for an Insurrection for the two Brothers says I what Brothers do you mean Says he the Captain and Lieutenant those were the two Terms they used since the Van herring was Printed I think he was a pretty honest Fellow before this time he was deluded by Goodenough I think in the thing L. Ch. Just To Mr. West Do you come to justify these things Mr. West My Lord he hath been deluded basely and I am sorry for the poor Fellow L. Ch. Just It is a very unusual thing for one in your Condition to use such Expressions in such a Case Sir Geo. Jeff. Mr. West you have been deluded Mr. Att. Gen. Captain Richardson and Sir Nicholas Butler Sir Geo. Jeff. I find he is not worthy of the mercy the King hath shewed him Mr. West It was a Word I put from me unawares Sir Geo. Jeff. My Lord We will give you an account of a design this man had long ago to Kill the King Sir Nicholas Butler Sworn Sir Nicholas Butler My Lord I know the Prisoner at the Bar very well I have known him many years I have always known him guilty of Plotting and Contriving and ready upon all occasions to embrace any thing for these Purposes laid to his Charge Particularly when Sir Francis Chaplain was Lord Mayor his Majesty and the Duke stood at Mr. Waldoe's House by reason of the Angel House being shaken And he came to my house and told me he would discourse me upon some private matter I called him into a Closet and he told me they had a fair opportunity
to take off the King and the Duke at once I told him that would do very well but how will you do it Says he we will do it with Cross-bows we are to be half a dozen and we will go into the Steeple where there is a Window just opposite to the Balcony and a great deal of Discourse we had to this purpose My intent was to divert him from this Design and told him how impossible it was they should escape the Foot-Guards and Horse-Guards and multitude of People And if he did not do the Business effectually he would be undone and all the Party I rested satisfied he would have desisted upon this But I knew the Principles of these Fifth Monarchy Men and their Associates and thought it not safe to trust to his bare say so that he would desist but I went to the King and the Duke of York into my Lord Chamberlains Chamber where they came to me and I gave them this Account and desired them to set some to watch the place and to search if any were got into the Steeple before they came and there was one Horsal appointed that did accordingly watch them but none came Upon which some Good-willers to it have have reported that it was a Sham business but I think that was not well done But the thing was real and when he was examined before the King in the Secretaries Office he did confess all these things that I charged him with Mr. Att. Gen. Sir Nicholas Butler had you any Discourse of killing the King at this time Sir Nicholas Butler No at last they did understand I kept a Correspondence at Court and then they would tell me no more Mr. Att. Gen. Since he was taken what did he say about this matter Sir Nicholas Butler About this matter he did acquaint divers he was one that was to kill the King and the Duke Captain Richardson sworn Captain Richardson Sir Nicholas Butler asked him in my presence I went along with Sir Nicholas when he examined him as to this thing how he was concerned He said Mr. Goodenough came to him and told him he wanted Labourers he asked him for what at last he did confess that Mr. Goodenough did tell him it was to kill the King and the Duke of York he did confess that he did agree to it and that he would be one of them He did likewise say That after at another Meeting he was for killing the King and saving the Duke but Goodenough was for both Sir Nicholas Butler He said he was to have Twenty Pound Capt. Richardson He said he did not desire to stir and Goodenough told him he should have 20 l. to buy him Horse and Armor And told us the Business of Rye the Place he did not know but said it was the place where the King was to be murdered This is the substance of the Examination taken Sir Geo. Jeff. Though the Prisoner at the Bar did partly make a Confession yet for the Satisfaction of the World my Lord give us leave to call our Witnesses Capt. Richardson That which Sir Nicholas says about the Cross bows he did own but L. C. J. What say you to this Treasonable Design of yours in undertaking to kill the King in hiring your self out to be one of the Persons that should have executed this Traiterous Design this horrid Murder to have killed the King at the Rye Hone. I say I did not know the place where nor when at the time it was proposed about the Rye L. Ch. J. But what do you say as to the undertaking to kill the King the other 〈◊〉 but a Circumstance this is the material Point Hone. My Lord I was drawn into it by Mr. Richard Goodenough L. Ch. J. You hear what Sir Nicholas Butler says of the Cross bows you designed to kill the King with what say you to that Hone. I say there was a person told me of such a thing and I told Sir Nicholas immediately of it The person that told me was a Shop-keeper and I don't know him Sir Nicholas Butler You named three Persons to the King that were Confederates with you but you came to me of your self L. C. J. Look you your self was one of the wicked Undertakers in that Traiterous Design Hone. No I did never design it but I was told it L. C. J. Ay that your self and some other good Fellows were ingaged in the Design Hone. I was not ingaged only as I was told by a Fellow that there was a Shop-keeper lived hard by that would do such a thing and I immediately told Sir Nicholas Butler L. C. J. Come 't is in vain for you to mince the matter for here is a full Evidence against you The best you can do for your Advantage now is to consider well with your self and repent of this wicked Design What Religion do you profess Hone. Religion my Lord L. C. J. Ay any or none Hone. My Lord I hear several sorts of Men sometimes Baptists sometimes Independents and sometimes the Presbyterians L. C. J. But regard none Look you Gentlemen of the Jury you hear a plain case of a barbarous Murder designed upon the King one of the horridest Treasons that hath been heard of in the World to have shot the King and the Duke of York in their Coaches as they were coming upon the Road. You have had full Evidence of this Mans being one of them and therefore I am of opinion that you must find him Guilty So the Jury brought the Prisoner in Guilty without going out of Court And on Saturday July 14. Mr. Recorder gave Judgment against him as follows That you be carried back again to the place from whence you came and from thence be drawn upon an Hurdle to the place of Execution where you shall be hanged up by the neck but cut down alive your Entrals and Privy Members cut from your Body and burnt in your sight your Head to be severed from your Body and your Body divided into four Parts and disposed at the Kings pleasure And the Lord have Mercy upon your Soul FINIS