Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	false_a	religion_n	true_a	4,673	5	5.0261	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63112	Truth vindicated, or, A detection of the aspersions and scandals cast upon Sir Robert Clayton and Sir George Treby, Justices, and Slingsby Bethell and Henry Cornish, Esquires, sheriffs of the city of London, in a paper published in the name of Dr. Francis Hawkins, minister of the Tower, intituled, The confession of Edward Fitz-Harris, Esq., &c. the coppy of which paper is herewith printed for the readers clearer judgment in the case.	Treby, George, Sir, 1644?-1700.; Fitzharris, Edward, 1648?-1681. Confession.	1681 (1681)	Wing T2107; ESTC R11729	17,499	36

TRUTH VINDICATED OR A detection of the Aspersions and Scandals cast upon Sir ROBERT CLAYTON and Sir GEORGE TREBY Justices and SLINGSBY BETHELL and HENRT CORNISH Esquires Sheriffs of the City of LONDON in a Paper published in the Name of Dr. Francis Hawkins Minister of the Tower INTITULED THE CONFESSION OF EDWARD FITZ-HARRIS Esq c. The Coppy of which Paper is herewith Printed for the Readers clearer judgment in the Case LONDON Printed for Rich. Baldwin 1681. TRUTH Vindicated c. OUT of a just care that the Protestant Religion and Interest may not suffer nor our own Reputations be blasted by the most odious Scandals causelesly cast upon us in the execution of our several Offices we are constrained to make known unto the World the abominable falsehoods and fictions of that pretended Confession of Fitz-Harris published by Dr. Francis Hawkins Minister of the Tower We could not indeed suddenly resolve whether it were needful to open the Villany of that Paper in regard it carries in its own forehead so many evident marks of malice and falsehood to every observing man that knows what happened about Fitz-Harris But having heard that some have been deceived by that Paper and induced to believe that it was Written by Fitz-Harris bona fide from some compunction of Conscience or sense of obligation to reveal the truth at his death We hold it our duty to discover the Popish practice and contrivance in the forming and publishing that pretended Confession The poor deluded timerous Wretch consenting perhaps to the wickedness whilst he was perswaded it should save him from the Gallows though he was conscious to himself that the matters pretended to be confessed were a parcel of falsehoods invented to serve base designs the whole Paper having no face or appearance of a dying Criminal's open-hearted confession of his sins nor any expressions of remorse of Conscience for them No more notice is taken of any of those too well known debaucheries and wickedness of his Life than if he had lived like a Saint or Angel no acknowledgment or mention is made of those odious repeated perjuries to the Secretaries of State to Sir Robert Clayton c. and to the Judges of the Kings-Bench of which he must have known himself to be guilty if he had thought this pretended Confession to be true There 's nothing in it that looks plain clear and natural as seriously intended to discharge his Conscience and satisfie the world about the matters formerly sworn by him and published by Authority If any such purpose had been really in his heart like a true penitent sinner he must natually have descended to the particulers of what he had sworn and have declared to the world whether his Ghostly Father Gough did really tell him in the year 1672 as he had deposed of the Papists designs to bring the D. of York to be King to restore Popery and of killing the King to make way for it He could not but have confirmed or denied the truth of his Oath That his other Ghostly Father Parry the Portugues Embassador's Confessor told him in 1678 That a Council of Roman Catholicks had resolved that seeing the King failed in the expectations they had from him he should be destroyed and that the business was near and he should soon see it done If his Conscience had been to be unburdened in this Consession he could not have forborn to say clearly that he deposed truly or falsly That the Marquess Montecuculi in 1679 swore him first to secrecy and then offered him Ten thousand pounds to kill the King either in his own person or by any other And if this pretended Confession were conscientiously taken by Dr. Hawkins as from a penitent sinner whom he absolved from his sins as he says he could not be so negligent or ignorant in his Priestly Office or so false to the King and the Religion he professes as not to exhort the sinner when he seemed to retract what he had sworn before to confess the truth in matters of such concern to the life of the King and the being of the Protestant Religion and the publick justice of the Kingdom knowing that his Confession about those things had been published to the whole world But this Paper shews it self when duly examined to be a studied artisicial contrivance to cover the Popish Treasons without an impudent direct forswearing the particulars that have been evidently proved and a design by equivocations and sly insinuations mixt with downright falshoods and fictions to perswade the world that there are amongst the Protestants abominable practises of subernation of Perjuries against the Papists wicked Conspiracies against the King Queen and Duke of York and vile designs against the Lords of the Council We doubt not but time will discover how and by whom this pretended Consession was modelled and put together and how long it was upon the Anvil to fashion it and how the miserable man was prevailed upon to give a seeming consent to it against the dictates of his Conscience with hopes to save his life by serving such designs though he was seemingly to renounce those hopes to make himself the better to be believed For the present let it suffice that we anatomize this mock Confession and shew its shameful falshood out of its own matter and form It is to be observed how he begins his Confession not like a man that had before confessed upon his Oath many Popish Treasons and Designs against the Protestants their Religion and Lives and from whom being now attainted of Treason was to be expected a clear account of all the Popish Intrigues he knew But without Apology or Preamble he tells the world believe it who can That the Treason of the Libel whereof he was convicted came from a Protestant viz. the Lord Howard and that he was no further concerned in it than as he was imployed to give the King notice of such Libels which he was wont to do by Mrs. Wall the Lady Portsmouths Woman But the Conscience of this poor wretch could not but witness within him that he had often protested before God that the Lord Howard knew nothing of the Libel and that he had bitterly complained sometime to Sheriff Cornish and sometime to Sheriff Bethel in Newgate that he was pressed with the powerful Argument of saving his Life to accuse my Lord Howard and Lord of Shaftesbury of the Libel and that he was so importuned thereunto that he was sorced to down of his knees and beg that he might not be further pressed therein the Lord Howard being innocent of it and the Lord Shaftesbury being such a stranger to him as he had scarce ever spoke to him adding with great asseverations that if it were to save his Life he could not be guilty of so base a villany but would rather dye than accuse the innocent What large offers were also made to some of his friends to perswade him to accuse the Lord Howard may hereafter be

proved He also knew as many Thousands do that the Evidence given at the Kings-Bench upon his Tryal was full and clear That he provided and furnished all the matter of the Libel and dictated other parts of it and that it was drawn into form at his request and for him And himself confessed he shewed the Papers of the Libel to the Lord Arran But perhaps the miserable man was deluded to think his Life might be saved by accusing the Protestants and excusing himself as a Spy upon them Therefore he next proceeds in his Sham Confession to a Protestant Plot viz. That the Lord Howard told him of a design to seize upon the King's person to carry him into the City and there detain him till he had condescended to their desires and that himself and Heyns were privy to the design Here is a Wonderul tale of a Protestant Plot between two Irish Papists and a Protestant Lord one English Sheep in conjunction with two Irish Wolves to hunt and persue the same prey and this is told to be believed and Swallowed like the Articles of the Popish faith without chewing or asking question about the particulars or the probability or possibility of the thing Doubtless if those Words have any sense in them viz. by detaining the King until he hath condescended to their desires it must be meant until he hath passed Acts of Parliament or Laws suitable to the Protestant desires Surely the Inventer of this never considered that such a design was of a thing impossible unless the Parliament did concurr and Act in such a Treason and prepare and frame their desires into Bills for that purpose and unless the Government and also the force of the City did joyn with the Parliament to detain the King in Custody for the same ends and doubtless it was an absolute impossibility to know the mind and sense of a Parliament before it had a being and another to understand the resolutions of the vast body of the City in a matter never propounded to any of their assemblies Yet this sham Consession hath the confidence to say that Heynes and Fitz-Harris were privy to this Design and had several Meetings with the Lord Howard and particularizeth the revocation of the Act for the Settlement of Ireland as one of the Acts that was to be passed in the execution of this Design Yet there is nothing of Circumstance or particular pretendedly discovered to induce the weakest of men to believe it If this counterfeit confessor were privy to such a design and met to consult it he must certainly have known what forces were thought of to Master the King's Guards and who was to Command them and out of what ground they were to spring up in a Night like Mushrooms and which of those Newborn Regiments were to Carry the King Prisoner to London he must have also heard who were to prepare and prevail with the Members of Parliament to persue this design Fitz-Harris and Heynes two Irish Papists and neither of quality parts estates or interests were doubtless well chosen instruments to apply to the Members of Parliament to revoke the Settlement of Ireland and were likely to be admitted into Secrecy with them about this Design and Treason We ask pardon that we cannot speak more gravely of this matter this feigned discovery of a Protestant Plot being more ridiculous then the birth of the Mountaines And for that reason we think it needless to relate the frequent protestations made by Fitz-Harris That he knew nothing of any design of the Lord Howard against the King or Government This very Confession it self when examined being the clearest evidence of its own wickedness and folly Now this Mock Confession having told this vain Story of a design against the King by the Protestants he applies himself in the next page by false insinuations to perswade the World in effect that there was no Popish Plot and that the Protestant Officers and Magistrates have wickedly indeavoured to suborn him to make a Confession that might corfirm a Popish Plot. He declares that in Newgate the Sheriffs Bethell and Cornish came to him with a token from the Lord Howard which he knew to be true and told him nothing would save his Life but discovering the Popish Plot and gave him great incouragements from the Lord Howard that if he would declare that he believed so much of the Plot as amounted to the introducing the Roman Catholicks or if he would find out any that would Criminate the Queen Royal Highness or make so much as a plausible Story to comfirm the Plot that the Parliament would restore him to his Fathers estate with the profits thereof since His Majesties Restauration We have no way left us in nature to evince the falshood of this whole Story but by Circumstances or the testimony of such as were present when the Sheriffs were severally with him or their own averments upon Oath which they are ready to give that all those particulers are false and groundless inventions 'T is so far from the least appearance of truth that the Sheriffs went to him with a token from the Lord Howard that they will severally depose that they never saw or heard from the Lord Howard in any kind whilst Fitz-Harris was in Newgate and Capt. Richardson and the keepers can Witness that they never came together to Fitz-Harris or discoursed him together or were in Newgate at the same time whilst he was there save only that Sheriff Bethell on the 10th of March was coming out from Fitz-Harris when Sir Robert Clayton and Sir George Treby with Sheriff Cornish were coming in to examine him but Sheriff Bethell made then no stay but left them forthwith nor did he ever see Fitz-Harris in his life until Wednesday the 9th of March last which was four days after he had made his first Confession of the Popish Treasons to the Secretaries of State the same in substance with that printed by order of the Commons in Parliament and Sheriff Bethell had not then come to Fitz-Harris if he had not sent to him the day before to desire to speak with him Sheriff Cornish likewise never saw Fitz-Harris until Sunday the 6th of March which was after the Secretaries of States first examination of him and he then discoursed him only in the presence of Captain Richardson who can testify the falsehood of those Suggestions that he pretended to come from the Lord Howard with a token c. And can prove that Sheriff Cornish cheifly advised him to make an honest true Confession about the Libel and its authors and abettors but Fitz-Harris of his own accord and Motion told him that he had known the proceedings of the Popish Plot for Seven or Eight years and that he could make great and considerable discoveries wherein His Majesties Life was still in danger for that the grand Plot So he called it was still carrying on And further said that he could discover considerable things about the Popish

Plot and Godsreys Murder not yet discovered Then he desired Sheriff Cornish to take his examination who told him he could not for he was not in the Commission of the Peace then Fitz-Harriis prayed him to send a Justice of the Peace to him but Sheriff Cornish forthwith applyed himself to His Majesty and acquainted him with the discourse herein related and thereupon Munday March the 7th the Secretaries of State and the Kings Attorney came and examined him a second time and the next day a third time before Sir Robert Clayton and Sir George Treby ever saw his face their examination of him being taken on Thursday March the 10th So that neither of the Sheriffs or the City Justices ever spake word in private with Fitz-Harris until he had been fully examined at three several times by the Secretaries of State and before them sworn to the substance of all his printed Examination We hope from these matters of fact which are here truly related it will appear to be a wicked device in the mock Confession to insinuate most falsly to the world a Consultation and Confederacy between the Lord Howard and the Sheriffs who never saw nor heard from his Lordship in the Case to suborn Fitz-Harris with promises of rewards mixt with threats to confess the Popish Plot or to put him upon chargeing the Queen his Royal Highness or any man else as is suggested But the stupid folly of this false tale if considered may be alone sufficient to render it worthy of no credit in that it makes the Sheriffs so void of understanding as to have thought a declaration from such a wretch as Fitz-Harris of his belief of the Popish Plot to have been of great value and that it was worth a high reward for him to have invented a plausible story to confirm the Plot after the Villany of it hath been declared in so many Proclamations of His Majesties the Votes of four successive Parliaments and Sentences of Death given against the Popish Plotters in all the highest Judicatures of the Kingdom Who but Dr. Hawkins could have had faith enough in such a story to suffer his pretended Penitent as he did to renounce before him all the mercies of God Almighty if it were not Truth With the like falshood in the same Paragraph the Sham Confession chargeth the Sheriffs to have brought heads with them from Everard to have accused Fitz-Harris for a Yorkist put on by the King to put the Libel into Protestants Houses to trapan them and Fitz-Harris denies that he knew of any such thing We could not have easily thought the heart of any man so vile to have formed out of nothing this horrible slander but the wicked intent herein is not hard to be discerned If the King can be induced to believe it the Popish ends are compassed he must needs be highly incensed against the Sheriffs And if he should think as 't is insinuated that they did it by consent with other Protestants His Royal heart must pass severe censures upon them and be jealous of base designs against him And if any Artifice can prevail upon His Majesty to distrust the loyalty of any number of his Protestant Subjects 't is matter of Triumph to the Popish party and their adherents Other wicked uses of this Slander might be to blunt the edge of the evidence given upon Fitz-Harris his Tryal about a trapanning use intended to be made of the Libel and to make the world believe that he was a wretched counterfeit when he desired the Sheriffs as they came severally to him with seeming uprightness and sincerity to advize my Lord Shaftsbury and other Members of Parliament from Fitz-Harris himself to take heed to their Pockets for that there was a design to slip Treasonable Papers into them and then seize them whilst they had them about their persons The next business of the Mock Confession is to perswade such as will be deceived that the Confessions he made about the Popish Plots and Godfrey's Murder were altogether false and sorced from him by the Sheriffs I saith the Paper finding my self in Newgate Fettered Moneyless Friendless and I could see no other refuge for Life but complying with them i.e. the Sheriffs so to save my Life I did comply This looks something like the practice of that infamous Popish Midwife Mrs. Celier who attempted to couzen the world into a belief That the Protestants upon salse Accusations cast some innocent Papists into Newgate and there tormented them in Irons and otherwise to extort false Confessions from them of a Popish Plot. But the truth will be attested by many Witnesses that Fitz-Harris was never fettered or put into Irons or harshly used whilst in the Sheriffs custody but on the contrary treated with all the civility his Case would permit and so he declared at the Gallows and thanked the Sheriffs even with his dying breath when he ought to have expressed just indignation against them and a Dying repenting Sinner could not have forborn it if he had thought as this sham Confession says that they had forced or perswaded him to defile his Conscience with so many Perjuries and to blot the Names of his Ghostly Fathers and whole Popish Party and many great Persons with so many black Treasons and other crimes And it will be as evident from circumstances that there was no more force put upon Fitz-Harris's mind by the Sheriffs to procure his Confession than was upon his Body The Sheriffs jointly as is said before never discoursed him and neither of them took any Confession upon Oath from him or pretended to any Power so to examine him nor had it in their Power to reward or punish him Whatsoever this mock Confession saith Fitz-Harris could not think the Sheriffs a refuge to save his Life whom he knew not to have Power to save a hair of his Head There 's another invention in this sham Confession as false and as rediculous as any of the former never dreamt of by the Sheriffs nor perhaps by any Body else save the inventers of it till that vile Paper came forth viz. That the Sheriffs brought instruction from the Lords and Commons as they said who met that day in order to Address to the King in his behalf if he should confirm the Instructions which must be intended surely If he should swear as they would have him that is as the Mock Confession explains it to the Heads which the Examination taken by Sir Robert Clayton and Sir George Treby contains and a great deal more relating to the Queen his Royal Highness and the Earl of Danby declaring French Pentioners Lords Hallifax Hide Clarendon Feversham Seymor and others the Burning the Fleet Forts and Government in Popish hands Meal Tub Plot Apprentices Plot and these and many other Heads Fitz-Harris is made to say were brought him by the Sheriffs Surely this was contrived to perswade the credulous Papists in foreign Countries that the Lords and Commons were then sitting in

Parliament and that the Sheriffs consulted and confederated with them to suborn Fitz-harris to be a Witness of the Popish Plots and Practices which they had declared to the world or at least that some Lords and Commons were privy and parties to the Subornation of Fitz-harris by the Sheriffs to sware as they should instruct him and that those Lords and Commoners intended to use their Interest with his Majesty for his Pardon to make him though false their legal Witness But as in truth there was no Parliament sitting whilst Fitz-harris was in the Sheriffs custody nor in ten days after and the place of their sitting is well known was to be at Oxford and not at London so there were no instructions for him to confirm or swear to either from Lords or Commoners none of the heads mentioned nor any others brought to him by the Sheriffs or either of them no address for his Pardon imagined or thought of by either Lords or Commons nor mentioned by the Sheriffs or either of them no meeting for any such intent no discourse between the Sheriffs and any man or men under the Sun about such an Address every circumstance of this Hellish Tale coming out of the forge of the Father of Lyes Yet it may be this was thought a hopeful invention to take off from the credit of all the Evidence given in Courts of Justice concerning all the Popish Designs enumerated under those Heads and Instructions and indeed it seems to be a crafty way to throw dirt at all those solemn Declarations made in Parliament concerning the Abettors of those Popish and French Designs and the adherents to them by whose countenance all their Plots have been managed that have so endangered the King and Kingdom And though this false poysonous tongue seems to spit its venom directly at the Sheriffs yet it endeavours to do the greatest mischief to the King and the Parliament and to defame to the whole world all the late Proceedings of Parliaments against the Popish Plotters and their favourers The mock-confession goes on further to defame if his tongue be a slander Sir Robert Clayton and Sir George Treby Justices of the Peace for the City darkly insinuating that they would have induced him to say more than was true and plainly saying that what he deposed before them concerning Father Patrick was forced out of him and was not true and he so represents Sir George Treby's carriage in taking his whole Examination that he would have the whole thought to be of no validity But doubtless Mr. Fitz-harris did not nor could he possibly have believed himself if he consented to have it written that Sir Robert Clayton and Sir George Treby dealt unfairly with him or forced out of him either what he swore concerning Father Patrick or any thing else of his Confession He knew very well that they came to take his Confession not officiously but upon his own earnest reiterated intreaty at several times to each of the Sheriffs apart that some Justices of the Peace might be sent to him to whom he might make a full discovery of matters not before discovered in the Grand Popish Plot as he called it He knew also that they came not till Thursday in the afternoon the tenth of March and that he had been thrice examined by the Secretaries of State Lord Conway Sir L. Jenkins and the Attorney-General before Sir Robert Clayton and Sir George Treby ever saw him and he was conscious to himself that he had first sworn before the Secretaries all that he would now retract concerning Father Patrick as forced out of him by Sir Robert Clayton and Sir George Treby and the other matters also in substance that are contained in his Printed Examination by Sir Robert Clayton and Sir George Treby except that one passage in it about De Puy and the whole House of Commons at Oxford are Witnesses herein That when Sir George Treby read Fitz-harris's Examination to the House Mr. Secretary Jenkins declared That he had before confessed the same in substance to the Lord Conway the Attorney-General and himself except that about De Puy Yet for what reason we know not the contrivers of this Sham-retractation or declaration took no care to retract or excuse his swearing the same matters before the Secretaries of State Perhaps because those Examinations were never Printed and scarce any Foreigners nor many English men did know that Fitz-harris had thrice sworn to the same Confession in substance before the Secretaries of State which he did the fourth time before Sir Robert Clayton and Sir George Treby Besides it best answered the design of this Sham-confession to conceal the first Examinations as much as could be and to represent it to the world as if Sir Robert Clayton and Sir George Treby had forced out of him the Confession of all those Popish Treasons mentioned in his Printed Examination as it was reported to the Parliament There 's a Trial of skill also for the same purpose in this mock-confession to wrest some of Sir Robert Clayton's and Sir George Treby's words from their honest sense wherein they were spoken and to separate them from their other words properly joined with them as the Devil used the Scripture that they might seem to imply a wicked intent to draw Fitz-harris to say what was not true When it was late in the night and Fitz-harris complained he was tired having been about three hours upon Examination and was asked what he could say concerning Godfrey's Murder and he answered in general only something Could any thing be replied more harmlesly by Sir Robert Clayton than to wish him to recollect himself against the next day when it was intended to examine him further if he had not been removed out of their power Yet even these words of Sir Robert Clayton's are recited as if they imply'd some ill practise by him upon the Examinant or at least some sinister intent of his in that matter The Sham-confession further craftily insinuates tho' it doth not expresly say it that this wretched mans Depositions about the Counsels held at St. James's and Windsor concerning Godfrey's Murder were taken by Sir Robert Clayton and Sir George Treby which is utterly false then the Confession declares that he was put upon what he said against the Queen and the Earl of Danby about that Murder and that Sir George Treby would have had him say that the Duke the Lord Bellasis Arundel and Powis were at the Consult and that he had seen them go to it at St. James's Surely these Sham-Confessions are thus methodized and put together in hope to abuse or deceive the world into a Belief or Opinion that whatsoever this Fitz-Harris Deposed first and last about the Popish Plot and Godfrey's Murder was done by the Practices Force and Inducements of the City-Sheriffs and the Justices of the Peace Whereas it is most notoriously known that it was upon Fitz-Harris's own Motion to the Judges of the Kings-Bench that his

had for secret Service and advised me to go to the Lord Clarendon or Hyde but before I could do this I was taken As for that part of the Libel which I left with Everard as a Pledge to assure him I would not betray him I received it of the Lord Howard And the Money I received from the King was for bringing a Libel called The King Unvail'd and the Lady Portsmouths Articles I call God to witness I never had a Farthing charity from the King I do further confess and declaere That the Lord Howard told me of a Design to seize upon the King's Person and to carry him into the City and there detain him till he had condescended to their Desires Heyns and my self were privy to this Design and had several Meetings with the Lord Howard and as an Encouragement the Lord Howard assured us of breaking the Settlement of Ireland taking off the Additional Revenue of the Bishops Forty nine-men and Grantees whose Estates were to be shar'd amongst the Party I do confess and declare That while I was in Newgate the Sheriff's Bethel and Cornish came to me with a Token from the Lord Howard which I knew to be true and brought Heads with them from Everard wherein he accused me of being a Court Emissary or Yorkist put on by the King to put the Libel into Protestants houses to trepan them But I declare upon my death I had no such intent nor do I know any such thing The Sheriffs likewise told me I was to be tried within three or four days that the people would prosecute me and the Parliament would impeach me and that nothing would save my life but discovering the Popish Plot. And then the Sheriffs aforesaid gave me great Encouragement from my Lord Howard that if I would declare that I believed so much of the Plot as amounted to the introducing the R. C. or if I could find out any that could criminate the Queen R. H. or make so much as a plausible story to confirm the Plot that the Parliament would restore me to my Fathers Estate with the Prosits thereof since His Majesties Restauration I sinding my self in the condition I was in Newgate Fettered Moneyless and Friendless my Wife ready to Lye in without any subsistence my Children in a miserable condition and must needs be in a worse by my death and I could see no other Refuge for life but complying with them so not with ambitious intent but to save my life I did comply The Sheriffs brought Instructions which they said came from the Lords and Commons who met that day in order to Address to the King in my behalf if I should confirm the Instructions and they made use of the Lord Shastsbury's name and others what Advantage I might have thereby At the first I made a formal story concerning the Plot which was not prejudicial to any body but most relating to general Heads known publickly upon which Mr. Cornish told me These were things cryed about the Streets two years ago I replied I could say no more Mr. Sheriff said He was sorry for me with all his heart but thought I could say more if I would and pressed me hard to speak to several Heads unto which unless I spoke he said there was no hopes of life The Heads I was to speak to is what the Examination taken by Sir Robert Clayton and Sir George Treby contains and a great deal more that I did not say then relating to the Queen R. H. Earl of Danby declaring French Pensioners Lords Hallifax Hyde Clarendon Feversham Seymer and others the burning the Fleet Forts and Governments in Popish hands Meal-Tub-Plot Prentices Plot the contrivance of the Libel on the Lady Portsmouth being a French Designe to destroy Protestants These and many other Heads were brought me by the Sheriffs I do farther confess declare That Sir Rob. Clayton and Sir George Treby coming to me to examine me Sir Rob. Clayton asked me what I could say concerning Godfrey's Murder I answered Something He replied It may be I was in a confusion recollect your self And what I said concerning Father Patrick was forced out of me and what I said concerning him is not true Sir George Treby was with me three hours or thereabouts and pressed to say concerning Godfrey's death and said Vnless I could speak to that Murder I could say nothing Whereupon I said something I had from others He asked me if I could say no more I replied Is not this enough to save my Life Am I not Rogue enough The Recorder hereupon swore Gods wounds what were you ever but a Rogue Then the Recorder entred upon the Heads of the Examination which being done he told me All this would not save my Life unless I would speak to the Libel which was a Court-trick and it was not for nothing that I had been so often seen at the Lady Portsmouth's The Lord Shaftsbury said You know more of these matters than any man Sir George would have me speak to the Consult that the Duke was at it the Lords Bellasis Arundel and Powis were at it You have seen them go to it at St. James's without doubt they were there Do you but say it we have those that will swear it I do further declare and confess That what I said against the Queen the Duke I was put upon in the matter of Sir Edmunbury Godfrey's Murder And do further declare That what I swore against the Earl of Danby the threatning words that were uttered I did to the best of my remembrance hear but whom they concern'd I could not well know by what my Lord himself said And what de Puis told me concerning my Lord of Danby I do believe was spoken out of ill will and what I said against him was to stave off my Tryal till a Parliament and they were the more desirous to accuse the Lord Danby of Godfrey's Murder because the Crime of Murder is not inserted in his Pardon I am sorry for what I said against the Queen his Royal Highness and the Earl of Danby I desire God to forgive me the wrong I did them and do heartily beg their Pardon I do further declare and protest That this Confession and Declaration of mine I own sincerely as a dying man and not to save my life and I call God and all his Angels to witness the Truth of it and I renounce Mercy at the Hands of God Almighty if this be not true And I do further declare and protest as a dying man unto James Walmesly Edward Pattel and Mary Walmesly That I have made this Confession and Declaration unto Doctor Hawkins freely and of my own voluntary accord without any manner of promise made or hopes given me by him from the King of saving my life by this Confession I having given him to understand before-hand they were matters of consequence and such as chiefly concern'd the good of the King and Kingdom I give the Doctor my hearty Thanks for all his Prayers Counsel and Charitable Offices he hath done me and I pray God to bless him for ever for it I forgive all the World and desire all the World to forgive me and the Lord have mercy on my Soul EDWARD FITZ-HARYS This Protestation was made by Mr. Fitz-Harys July 1. between the hours of 7 and 8 in the morning in the presence and hearing of us whose Names are hereunder written James Walmesly Edward Pattel Mary Walmesly I Do hereby declare That Mr. Fitz-Harys before he began to write any part of this Narrative was more than once assured by me that there was no hope of his life that I know of whatever he should say nor of his Salvation if he should say any thing that he knew to be false of which he being throughly sensible and perfectly convinced proceeded to write the Narrative aforesaid And I continuing to admonish him upon every point that was material not to say any thing but what was exactly true he took occasion at several periods of his Narrative to kneel down and solemnly to protest the truth of every word therein contained And this I do again declare upon the Faith of a Christian and the word of a Minister of the Gospel Francis Hawkins FINIS