The same Witness in the Tryals of Green Berry and Hill gives in his Deposition the whole Story of the Murder of Godfrey He says That to agree the manner of that Murder they had several Meetings at an Ale-house at the sign of the Plow that they labour'd much to perswade him it was no Crime to kill a turbulent and over-busy man that the project being agreed they had dogg'd Godfrey several times that at last about nine a Clock at night the Conspirators having observed Godfrey returning from St. Clements Lawrence Hill went to the Gate toward the street and meeting Sir Edmund intreated him to come and part two men who were a fighting by the Water-side that Godfrey having follow'd Hill when they had him at the end of the Pales Hill flung a cord about his neck and strangled him that Green finding he was not quite dead wrung his neck about that having kept the Corps some days and carried it from place to place at last they laid it a cross a Horse-back carried it into the fields and threw it into a Ditch having first run his Sword through his body Robert Jennison another Witness in Wakeman's Tryal deposes he had heard Ireland one of the Conspirators say that the Roman Catholick Religion was to be shortly set up in England that there was but one person could hinder it and that they could easily poison the King that the same Ireland being told by the Deponent that the King went a Hunting and a Fishing with a very thin Guard said he should be very glad they were rid of the King In Stafford's Tryal the same Jennison deposes that in the Meetings of the Priests and Jesuits he had been at he heard them say It was necessary for the Good of the Catholick Religion to alter the Government and to reform it after the model of France that Ireland a Priest had solicited him to come along with him to help him to dispatch the King that the same Priest had ask'd him if he knew any brave and resolute Irish-men fit to give that great blow That being in Harcourt's Chamber with many other Jesuits he had heard them say that if C. R. would not be R. C. he should not be long C. R. the meaning whereof was that if Charles Rex would not be a Roman Catholick he should not long be Charles Rex that they made him take the Sacrament and an Oath of Secrecy and than discovered to him the whole Plot. In the same Tryal Smith declares that having been born a Protestant Abbot Monutague and Father Gascoyne had labour'd at Paris to make him a Roman Catholick telling him that in a short time the Catholick Religion should be the praedominant Religion in England that having design'd to go to Rome and passing through Provence in his way to Italy they had oblig'd him to many Conferences with Cardinal Grimaldi who at last perswaded him to turn Catholick and that he was made Priest That Cardinal Grimaldi told him he had Correspondence with many great English Lords that he was very well assur'd the Roman Catholick Religion should be prevalent in England but that there was one man they must be rid of and that was the King that in truth he was a good Man but however he must be made away because he was an Obstacle to their Designs The same Witness says that having left Provence he went into the English Colledge at Rome where he continued long and that he heard the Jesuits say in their Sermons and ordinary discourse That the King of England was not truly King because he was an Heretick and that whoever kill'd him should do a very meritorious act And when he and five or six more were ready to leave that house the Fathers earnestly exhorted them to maintain that Maxim That People are not oblig'd to obey the King of England And that they should take care to instruct accordingly in Confession all those they should find capable to enter into this great design There is another Witness Dennis by name a Roman Catholick and a Jacobine Monk and such at the time of his Deposition having neither quitted his Religion nor Order This Monk deposes that being in Spain at Madrid in the Chamber of James Lenck an Irish-man Arch-Bishop of Tuam this Arch-Bishop told him That Dr. Oliver Plunket was to be imploy'd very speedily to procure Succours from France to be sent into Ireland for maintaining the Catholick Religion in Ireland and England and that be the Arch-Bishop would in a short time go in person into that Countrey to advance so pious a work The same Witness deposes that the Earl of Carlingford s Brother caus'd great Sums of Money to be levy'd in the Covents and that they said openly this money was design'd for the bringing over an Army into Ireland when time should serve Edward Turbervil another Witness swears expresly That Stafford being lodg'd at Paris at the corner of Beaufortstreet the Deponent came to him and stay'd with him several days That Stafford having taken an Oath of Secrecy from him not to discover what he should trust him with he told him at last they were in search of one to kill the King of England who was an Heretick and consequently no King but rather a Rebel against Almighty God and that he solicited him to undertake this great Action Here Sir are a great many Witnesses besides Oates and Bedlow who swear as home as they Can any reasonable man imagine there can be found so many Infernal Spirits as here are Witnesses capable to invent so horrible a Calumny to destroy a Religion and all that profess it And if it were possible to suborn one Witness or two have you ever seen a president of such a Subornation that hath gain'd so great a number of Witnesses Besides what is there improbable in this History of the Plot Is it not the Spirit and Custom of your Bigots and blind Zealots to use such means as these to promote their Religion Read the Life of Queen Elizabeth and you will find she was no sooner delivered from one Conspiracy but another was fram'd against her The words of Stafford who passes for a Martyr among you are remarkable In his Speech to the Lord High-Steward Stafford's Tryal pag. 200. and the Peers his Judges he declares That he did believe those of the Roman Religion had since the Reformation of the Church of England entred into several most wicked and most dangerous Conspiracies particularly the Conspiracy of Babington and that of the Earl of Westmorland or the Northern Rebellion raised by the Papists in Queen Elizabeth 's time He declares further That he believ'd there was a wicked Conspiracy in the Reign of King James wherein some of the Conspirators were Roman-Catholicks and some Protestants And that after this followed that execrable Plot called The Gunpowder-Treason And when Sir could they have made choice of a more favourable time wherein to revive and reduce into practise those bloudy
Maxims than a time when they assur'd themselves and were fully perswaded they should find a King of their Religion in the Person of his Royal Highness 'T is true the King of England hath been favourable to them in tolerating them but they were notsatisfy'd with this and having lost all hopes of prevailing with him to turn Roman Catholick they look'd upon his Life as a great Obstacle to their Designs for it made them lose time and they had reason to fear the Protestants in the interim might discover the design so that it was their interest speedily to make away a King who possess'd the place of him from whom they promis'd themselves a full re-establishment of the Roman Catholick Religion in England Recollect the Evidence add to it the Letters and Memoirs that were seiz'd and the Murder of Godfrey and I will justify it a man must have the Forehead of a Jesuit to deny there was a Plot. The Memoirs and Letters are very numerous you may read them in the printed Tryals particularly you will find a great Collection of them printed with Stafford's Tryal But pray Sir remember Coleman's Letter I spoke to you of last year that alone is enough to stop the mouths of those who dare say this Plot is an invention of the Protestants To which Calumny we will constantly oppose as an impenetrable Buckler the words of that Letter acknowledg'd by Coleman to be his We have here a mighty work upon our hands no less than the Conversion of three Kingdoms and by that perhaps the utter subduing of a Pestilent Heresy which has domineer'd over great part of this Northern World a long time Coleman 's Tryal pag. 69. I said not a word t' you of another Letter as plain as this which you may see in Ireland's and Grove's Tryals where you will find words to this effect Every one had notice not to make too much hast to London nor to be there long before the day appointed nor to appear much in the Town before the Congregation was ended for fear of giving cause to suspect the Design This Letter doth not tell us what was the design of this famous Assembly but it lets us see they had some great design in hand and the Plot being discover'd at the same time 't is not hard to guess what it was It hath been prov'd before the House of Commons that upon the first discovery of the Plot one of the Lords accus'd to have had a hand in it writ to another of the same Lords then in Staffordshire that their designs were discover'd and that he should use his best endeavours to conceal all such their Catholick Friends as were concern'd in that affair This Letter was found by a Justice of the Peace in the house of that Lord to whom it was directed upon the search made for Arms in Roman Catholick houses and was produc'd to the Commons in Parliament with all the Witnesses to whom it was shew'd the moment it was found Hug. Law You have reason to wish Gentlemen that my Friend here had not been any better instructed than formerly in these matters but had still continued under his mistake that Oates and Bedlow had not chang'd their Religion but remain'd Roman Catholicks after the Plot discover'd for the pains he hath taken to inform himself have made him acquainted with many particulars which cannot please you since they make it clearly appear there was a Plot. Par. We might have easily known all this already being taken all out of those Tryals printed in several Languages but since you make use of them you will allow me to do so and give me leave to ask you whether the clearing of Wakeman the Queen of England's Physitian be not an evident proof that all your Witnesses are false Witnesses For they are in effect no other Oates and Bedlow charg'd Wakeman to have treated for fifteen thousand pounds for poysoning the King Here are two Witnesses enough to Condemn a Man Here is in question one of the principal Crimes laid to the charge of the pretended Conspirators their design to make away the King yet this man is acquitted by his Judges It necessarily follows your two famous Witnesses were taken for false Witnesses and if they were not to be credited against Wakeman why should they be credited against the rest Hug. Law Do not say Sir that the clearing of Sir George Wakeman is a proof of his innocence or of the falshood of the Evidence say rather that the Chief Justice who sate at that Tryal hath been since impeach'd before the Peers of England in Parliament and had the Parliament continued sitting perhaps that Judge had smarted for it The King was not very well satisfy'd of Wakeman's innocence after his Acquittal For that Poyson Merchant having had the confidence to appear at Court after his enlargement the King caus'd him to be turn'd out with shame Par. There is one thing sticks still very hard with me as to this Plot that of twelve or fifteen Persons who have been executed for the pretended Conspiracy not one confest himself guilty in the least When Men are ready to appear before God the Mask falls off it self the fear of Hell softens the hardness of their hearts You shall not see a Malefactor but discharges his Conscience at his death if some of them were hardned enough to deny to the death yet sure one or other of them would have confess'd something but there hath not been one of them who did not protest to the last he was innocent Consider after what manner dy'd Stafford and Plunket the Primate of Ireland who were Persons of Honour and Quality Hug. Law It surprizes me Sir to hear you make their obstinate Silence an Argument of their innocence every day we see Criminals who to save their Credit and have the pleasure of saying they dye innonocent resist the most violent Tortures Yet you cannot comprehend how Men who have long fortify'd their Courage and prepar'd for an Enterprize the most dangerous that may be have the power to keep till death a Secret on which depends not only their Honour but the preservation of all the Roman Catholicks in England Had they confess'd themselves Guilty they must have named their Complices and in so doing they would have destroy'd an infinite number of People and render'd their Religion abominable in the World by making it appear it inspires into its Votaries such horrible Sentiments and gives Birth to such furious designs These Considerations are of weight and strength sufficient to keep the weakest of Men from revealing a Secret of this importance When the Powder-Plot was discover'd in 1605. not one of the Conspirators confest and nothing had ever been prov'd upon them out of their own mouths had not the Judges had the ingenuity to cause Garnet and Hall to be imprison'd in two Dungeons where they could speak to one another and in the Wall between the Dungeons there was a place they plac'd
wicked of men doth it follow that because out of hatred to the Roman Religion and for Excluding the Duke of York from the Succession he would have suborn'd some Witnesses against the Queen and the Duke he must therefore have framed and invented this long train of Conspiracies and that multitude of particular matters of Fact Letters Meetings and Consultations that appear in the History of the Plot Doth it follow that because he would have suborn'd Witnesses he must therefore succeed in it Or if he hath had the fortune to find one Wretch or two capable to be Suborn'd is it probable he could have found out so great a number Hath he search'd England and Ireland all over to scum out for his purpose all the Rascals capable to give and maintain a false Testimony How many Witnesses have been produc'd about the Plot in Ireland Hath the Earl of Shaftsbury Suborn'd them too Is this probable Sir or will any man believe it Par. This probably is all you have to say to us about the Plot in England I think it high time to put an end to our Discourse it hath been somewhat long you may well be weary of speaking as we are of hearing Hug. Law We should have had much more to say to you if we were allow'd to speak and could produce all the proofs the Cabal hath found the means to bury Had we but seen Plunket's Tryal we could without doubt have added many things to what you have heard And if it were in our power to discover the Mysteries of the Irish Plot we should certainly stop their Mouths who say the reason of our ill usage in France is that the King may revenge the Outrages done to the Roman Catholicks in England Hug. Gen. Gentlemen if you please before we make an end because I am in the humour of making Retractations and Confessions I will confess t' you that speaking last year of the death of King Charles the 1st and how great a share the Jesuits had in his Death I gave you but a very imperfect account I have since search'd into the bottom of that affair and if you please will acquaint you what I have learnt Du Moulin's Answer to Philanax Anglicus pag. 58. I must tell you then that 't is known when the late King of England was Beheaded there was a Roman Priest a Confessour who having seen the King's Head cut off flourish'd his Sword and with Demonstrations of extraordinary joy cryed out Now we are rid of our greatest Enemy There is proof that the News of the King's Death being come to Roan and discours'd in a great Company of men very well instructed in the Mysteries of the Zealous Cabal one of them spoke thus Pag. 58 59. The King of England had promis'd us at his Marriage that the Catholick Religion should be re-establish'd in England and because he put it off from time to time we often call'd upon him to perform his promise we were so plain as to tell him That if he did it not we should be forc'd to make use of means to destroy him We gave him fair warning and because he would not follow our advice nor keep his Word with us we have kept ours with him A Gentleman of honour a Protestant who was in the Company gave me this Relation The Author who produces this Proof produces also a Letter from a Secretary of State who was actually in the Service of the Crown when the Accusation was brought against the Jesuits about the Death of the King this Secretary whose name was Morrice in answer to a Letter from the Author of the Accusation says to this purpose I am not allow'd nor does it become me to make Conjectures or draw Consequences from the Orders his Majesty gave me concerning you beyond what he hath precisely exprest You know in what trust and capacity I serv'd his Majesty Pag. 64. and what it was my duty to say and whereof to be silent But this I may safely say and will do it confidently that many Arguments did create a violent suspicion very near convincing Evidences that the Irreligion of the Papists was chiefly guilty of the Murder of that Excellent Prince the Odium whereof they would now file to the account of the Protestant Religion The same Author adds That a Protestant a little before the King's death met upon the Road from Roan to Diep a Company of Jesuits who taking him for a Catholick told him they were going into the Army of the Independants in England and that they would make work enough there An English Lady at Paris being seduc'd by a Jesuit turn'd Roman Catholick soon after came the news of the King of England's Death The Jesuit visiting the Lady found her all in Tears for this lamentable Accident Madam says the Jesuit smiling you have no reason to lament what hath happened the Catholicks are delivered of the greatest Enemy they had and his Death will be much to the advantage of the Catholick Religion The Lady angry at this discourse sent the Jesuit packing down Stairs and conceiv'd such horrour against the Roman Catholick Religion she would never after endure to hear speak of it A very understanding Man visiting the Monks at Dunkirk that he might sound them what they thought of the King's Death said That the Jesuits had labour'd much to bring about that great work A Monk answer'd That the Jesuits always assum'd to themselves the credit of every great Work but that their order had contributed to this as much if not more than they 'T is certain there was an universal Joy in all the English Seminaries on this side the Sea for the Death of the King They thought themselves so sure of their Designs that the Benedictines were taking care how to prevent the Jesuits from possessing themselves of the Lands belonging to their order and the Nuns quarrell'd among themselves who should be Lady Abbesses To conclude the same Author reports That he offer'd to prove in due course of Law Pag. 61 62. his Charge against the Jesuits for the Death of the King but that he was unwilling to publish his Proofs before hand lest those who were guilty of the Charge might have opportunity to get them out of the way or destroy them I do not understand English but I got a Friend of mine who does to Translate me this Book being an Answer to a Book entituled Philanax Anglicus I remember these Particulars in it which in my opinion sufficiently prove that the Charge of the King's Death on the Roman Catholicks is not altogether groundless but I begin to be sensible we abuse your patience Therefore Gentlemen we will break off here and take our Leaves Prov. I wish'd them gone a quarter of an hour ago The Lawyer as he took out of his Pocket the Oath he gave us to read dropt a Paper I took up and having half open'd it I spy'd written a top To the King I folded it up again