Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	france_n	king_n	prisoner_n	4,350	5	8.4560	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63153	The tryal and condemnation of Sir William Parkyns, kt., for the horrid and execrable conspiracy to assassinate His sacred Majesty King William, in order to a French invasion of this kingdom who upon full evidence was found guilty of high treason, at the sessions-house in the Old-Baily, March 24, 1695/6 : together with a true copy of the papers delivered to the sheriffs of London and Middlesex, by Sir J. Freind [sic] and Sir W. Parkins, at the place of execution.	Parkyns, William, Sir, 1649?-1696, defendant.; Friend, John, Sir, d. 1696.; England and Wales. Court of Oyer and Terminer and Gaol Delivery (London and Middlesex).	1696 (1696)	Wing T2153; ESTC R17270	58,904	40

together as they could to meet him upon his Landing And it was agreed that forty Men should be provided of which the Prisoner was one to lie in wait and set upon the King in his Return from Hunting and to Assassinate him Some were to fall upon the Guards while others murdered the King in his Coach The Indictment further charges the Prisoner with providing several Horses and Arms and that he did provide five Horses for them that were to commit the Assassination And the Indictment also does charge the Prisoner with getting together several Arms. To this Indictment the Prisoner has pleaded not Guilty If you do not believe him Guilty of what the Indictment charges him with God forbid but he should be acquitted But if you believe him Guilty the Nation does expect you should do Justice to the King and Kingdom Mr. Att. Gen. My Lord and you Gentlemen of the Jury the Prisoner Sir William Parkins stands indicted of High Treason for compassing and endeavouring the Death of the King and adhering to his Majesty's Enemies The Overt-acts laid in the Indictment to prove this Treason are these That the Prisoner together with several others had several Meetings and Consultations wherein it was agreed to send a Messenger over to invite the French King to invade this Kingdom and to depose the King and subject this Kingdom to the Tyranny of a French Power And further that he entred into a Conspiracy with several Persons to murder his Majesty These are the Overt-acts to prove this Treason against the Prisoner The Evidence to prove this will be in this manner It will appear that the Prisoner had a Commission from the late K. James to raise a Regiment of Horse in England and that in May last the Prisoner had a Meeting with several others at the Old King's-head in Leadenhall-street where there were present the Lord Ailesbury the Lord Montgomery Sir John Friend Sir John Fenwick Sir William Parkyns Mr. Charnock Capt. Porter Mr. Cook and Mr. Goodman came in after Dinner At that Meeting it was consulted among them how they should bring back the late King James and depose his present Majesty King William And in order to that did resolve to send a Messenger Mr. Charnock one of them to the late King James to desire him that he would obtain from the French King about ten thousand Men to invade this Kingdom eight thousand Foot a thousand Horse and a thousand Dragoons And to incourage the late King James to do this they did assure him by their Messenger they would meet him with two thousand Horse upon his Landing They all agreed they would do this and Mr. Charnock did agree to go upon this Errand About a Week after Mr. Charnock not being willing to go without good Assurance from them that sent him did desire there might be another Meeting And accordingly there was another Meeting of the same Persons of which the Prisoner was one and that was at Mrs. Mountjoy's a Tavern in James-street And at that Meeting they did all agree as formerly to continue the Resolution they had taken to send Mr. Charnock over to the late King James to assure him of their Assistance if he would give them notice when and where he would land And they did take notice that that was a very proper time for such an Invasion to be attempted for the King was then gone into Flanders and most of the Forces were drawn thither and the People very much dissatisfied and therefore it would be very easy to accomplish such a Design at that time And they did therefore desire Mr. Charnock to go upon that Errand and to desire that the late King James would be speedy in his Coming After a few days Mr. Charnock did go to France and delivered his Message to the late King James who took it very kindly but said the French King could not spare so many Forces at that time And he came over again and brought that Message to those Gentlemen that sent him This was in May or June last and so the Conspiracy ceased at that time But you will hear last Winter it was revived again and was attempted and carried on very near to a fatal Success You will hear Gentlemen that the Prisoner at the Bar has had as great a hand as any in this barbarous Conspiracy and Treason not only in the Invasion that he and the rest sent the Messenger over to procure but in the blackest part the Assassination of the King About January last Sir G. Berclay Lieutenant of the Guards to the late King James in France was sent over into England to excite Persons to go on in the assassinating of the King and for his Assistance there were sent over before and after him about twenty Troopers of the late King James's Guards in France and Sir G. Berclay to incourage Persons to ingage in this horrid Conspiracy brought over with him a pretended Authority from the late King James to justify them and that was a Commission from the late King James He communicates this Design of his to Mr. Charnock Capt. Porter and others and amongst the rest to the Prisoner at the Bar having a great Confidence in him He did acquaint him he had such a Commission and shewed it him and that the Commission was to levy War against the King's Person which they took as a sufficient Authority to attack his Person In order to the accomplishing this horrid Conspiracy several Meetings there were at which the Prisoner was present and very active sometimes at Capt. Porter's Lodgings at other times at the Nag's-head in Covent-Garden and the Sun-Tavern in the Strand You will hear that at these Meetings they did propose several Ways and Methods to accomplish this Conspiracy and several Persons some of which have suffered the just Punishment of the Law were appointed to go and view the Ground where most conveniently the King's Person might be assaulted King that has been executed for it and Capt. Porter and one Knightly went to view the Ground to see the most convenient Place And the Day before they went there was a Meeting at which was present the Prisoner and several others where it was resolved upon that they should go and view the Ground and Capt. Porter Mr. Knightly and Mr. King accordingly went to see the most convenient Place After that at Brentford they went over to Richmond where his Majesty used to go a hunting to divert himself At last they pitch'd upon a Place a Lane between Brentford and Turnham-green and they thought that a convenient Place for doing this barbarous thing And when they had viewed the Ground they were to come back in the Evening to the Nag's-head-Tavern where the rest were to meet to give them an Account of their Proceedings Accordingly in the Evening they came back and at the said Place were the Prisoner Sir G. Berclay Mr. Charnock and others and there they had an Account of the thing and they

The Keeper dare not keep a Copy of the Commitment from you you might have had a Copy of it Sir W. Parkins No body was permitted to come to me if I had had it but the very Goaler Mr. Baker I gave Sir William notice of his Tryal and he said The Time was short and he would Petition for longer time I told him it was appointed for that time and that I did believe he would not have longer Time given him L. C. J. H. We do not see any Reason to put off the Tryal upon these Suggestions Sir W. Parkins My Lord it is very hard I humbly beg the Favour that I may have Counsel allowed me I have no skill in Indictments I have no understanding in these matters I beg your Lordship to assign me Counsel L. C. J. H. You are not ignorant that Counsel has always been refused when desired in these cases Sir W. Parkins Here is a new Act of Parliament lately made L. C. J. H. That Act does not yet commence Sir W. Parkins It wants but one day L. C. J. H. It is not in our Power to take notice of it sooner We cannot make it commence a day before the time Sir W. Parkins Will your Lordship please that it may be read L. C. J. H. You shall have it read if you will Sir W. Parkins If your Lordship please Then the Act was read accordingly L. C. J. H. Sir William This Law has no effect as yet but the Law stands as it did before the making of that Act. Sir W. Parkins It is reasonable that I should have Counsel L. C. J. H. But Sir William we must go according to Law Sir W. Parkins My Lord the Law is grounded upon Reason and I have had such short notice that I could not have time to prepare to make my Defence I hope that which will be Reasonable to morrow is so to day And no doubt your Lordship may Order it especially when your Lordship sees how straight it is upon me that I cannot make my Defence L. C. J. H. We cannot go against Law We cannot make a Law but must go according to it Sir W. Parkins But it is just and reasonable the Act savs L. C. J. Holt. The Parliament have thought fit to make such a Law to commence the 25th of this Month and it is not Law till the Parliament have appointed it to be Law and we cannot make it commence before Sir W. Parkins If I had had convenient Notice I had been within the Compass of that Act and there is no other Man can want the Benefit of that Act but my self L. C. J. Holt. We cannot alter the Law but are bound by our Oaths to proceed according to the Law that is in being at present Sir W. Parkins Pray my Lord may not the Trial be put off for some little time I am utterly unprovided for making my Defence L. C. J. Holt. You do not name any Witnesses that you want nor the time you can have them in Sir W. Parkins I will name both if you please my Lord. Mr. Att. Gen. You have had as much Notice as any have had L. C. J. Holt. You have had as much Notice as Sir John Friend had yesterday Mr. Att. Gen. And as much as is necessary even after the Act of Parliament takes effect Sir W. Parkins Sir J. Friend was charged with single Facts about the time and I am charged with many things much more particular than he was Mr. Sol. Gen. My Lord this Act does not meddle with Notice of Trial but it continues the same as it was before L. C. J. Holt. No nothing at all Sir W. Parkins My Lord I hope you will be my Counsel L. C. J. Holt. So we will and do you all the Right we can Then the Petty Jury impannelled for his Trial was called and the Prisoner was informed by the Court that he might challenge 35 without Cause shewn and as many as he would assigning a good Cause Accordingly the Prisoner amongst others challenged two assigning as a Cause that they were the King's Servants But he was told by the Court that that was no Cause of Challenge but the King's Counsel did not insist on that if there were enough besides And this was said that it might not go for a Precedent that this is a sufficient Reason for a Challenge The Twelve that were sworn were William Northee Tho. Edlin Edward Gold Robert Sanderson Daniel Thomas Ralph Marsh Henry Whitchcott Joseph Whiston Robert Bampton Tho. Ems of Stanhopp Tho. Sutton Nicholas Rufford After which Proclamation for Information was made in usual manner Cl. of the Cr. Sir W. Parkins Hold up thy Hand which he did You Gentlemen of the Jury look upon the Prisoner and hearken to his Cause He stands indicted by the Name of Sir William Parkins c. for that he as a false Traitor c. where the Indictment was again read Upon this Indictment he hath been Arraigned and thereunto hath pleaded not Guilty Your Charge is to enquire whether he be Guilty of the High Treason whereof he stands indicted or not Guilty If you find him Guilty then you are to inquire what Goods or Chattels Lands or Tenements he had at the time of the High Treason committed or at any time since If you find him not Guilty you are to enquire whether he fled for it If you find that he fled for it you are to enquire of his Goods and Chattels as if you had found him Guilty If you find him not Guilty nor that he did fly for it say so and no more Now hear your Evidence Sir W. Parkins My Lord. L. C. J. Holt. What say you Sir William Sir W. Parkins You were pleased to say that you would be my Counsel If your Lordship sees any Fault in my Indictment that may be any Advantage to me I desire your Lordship to inform me L. C. J. Holt I have read it and I observe none Mr. Mountague May it please your Lordship and you Gentlemen of the Jury This Indictment does contain as heavy an Accusation as ever was brought against any one For it charges the Prisoner not only with the traiterous Design of subverting the Government and of killing the King but also it charges the Prisoner with designing an Invasion upon these Kingdoms and an Assassination of the King's Person The Indictment sets forth that the Prisoner did meet with Mr. Charnock and other false Traitors and there it was agreed how to procure some French Forces to land here in England and also to raise a Rebellion against his Majesty within this Kingdom Mr. Charnock was sent as a Messenger from the Prisoner and the rest over to the late King James to acquaint him with this bloody Design and to desire him to procure and borrow of the French King as many Forces as he could spare to make this Descent upon these Kingdoms and to facilitate his Descent they promised to get as many