Selected quad for the lemma: master_n
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A36787
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The information of Stephen Dugdale, gent. delivered at the Bar of the House of Commons, Munday the first day of November, in the year of our Lord 1680.
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Dugdale, Stephen, 1640?-1683.
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1680
(1680)
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Wing D2475; ESTC R504
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6,147
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16
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the KING should be killed those of the Church of ENGLAND would presently be incensed and take up Arms to Revenge it and rather crave the Aid of the Catholicks than be afraid of them And therefore it was fit they should be in a Readiness to make the first Alarm and give out that all was done by the Presbyterians and then by a little Assistance from abroad the Work would easily be compassed This was the substance of the Letter from Paris and they did further desire to have the same sent into England with the Opinion of those of St. Omers upon it and those of St. Omers did in their Letter much praise the Advice from Paris adding nothing else of their own unto it besides Commendation but passed unto other of smaller concerns as that one Mr. Evers should call to one Gerard of Lancashire and Gerald of Hilderson for fifty pound due for teaching of their Children or Relations there and such like things Master Harcourt further added that this Letter from Saint Omers being directed unto him he had Communicated it as also that from Paris unto Master Bedingfield and Master Ireland and likewise to the Lord Arundell Lord Bellasis Lord Stafford and six or seven more whom I have forgot by all whom it was highly commended as good Advice and that all should endeavour upon any Differences in Parliament or any other Disorders still to give out That it was those Blood-sucking King-killing Presbyterians that were the Authors of it That Master Evers did shew them the said three Letters sent from Master Harcourt and then soon after the same day sent them by the same Messenger Carrington under a cover to Mistress Heveningham at Aston to be shewn to her Husband and to Sir James Symonds their Son-in-law and to come back that night with the same Letters as he did for that I did see Evers shew them to the present Lord Aston in the Parlour after Supper his Lordship having been abroad before and he believes them to be the same Letters he had seen in the morning for the Messenger was then come back and two of the Letters lay by on the Table and the third they were reading by the fire And I do verily believe they were the same Hands and the same Letters and the Messenger was there detained all Night and made much of by Me according to Order and in the Morning Master Evers sent him back with an Answer to Master Vavasor but Master Evers kept still the Letters from Master Harcourt And I did afterwards hear Master Evers and Master Gavan discourse together touching the said Letters and in Commendation of the said Advice and they named several Friends in their discourse that were engaged at Paris whom I remember not And Master Evers did tell me that the Letters from Saint Omers were brought by a particular Gentleman into England and from London to Master Vavasor by some Friend which I do the rather believe for that I took notice there was no Post-mark upon the said Letter to Master Vavasor That about February 1677 8 there came a Letter to Mr. Evers to acquaint him from a Friend of his in Paris that he had received a Letter from Rome which did require the said Mr. Evers together with the said Cotton's Company in London with Mr. Gavans Mr. Peters and Mr Vavasor And accordingly Mr. Evers did come to London and Mr. Peters but whether the other two were there I know not And when Mr. Evers came home he told me Mr. Ireland and Mr. Symonds would be in the Country the latter end of June for considering the best way and means for carrying on the great Work as it was called And in July 1678. I received a Letter from Mr. Evers which came from Sir John Warners to acquaint him that all the Arms were ready that were bespoke and wanted now nothing but their Orders how they should be disposed of In August following a Meeting was appointed at the Lord Aston's House at Tixall where was present the Lord Aston himself and my Lord Stafford Sir James Symonds Mr. Dracott Mr. Heveningham Mr. Symonds Mr. Ireland Mr. Vavasor Mr. Gavan Mr. Peter Mr. Fitter Mr. Fitzherbert and Mr. Manley with several others which Meeting was for carrying on the Plot the Death of the KING with several other things relating thereto At that time it was Agreed That the said Lord Aston and Sir James Symonds should go beyond the Seas in the beginning of October to dispose of the Arms that were provided but the Plot breaking out their journey was stopt In September following my Lord Stafford sent for me several times into his lodging Chamber at Tixall where we had several private Conferences amongst which he told me That Mr. Evers had commended me to him that I was true and trusty to any thing that I undertook and that now was the time That they stood in need of such Men as I was And that if I would I might make my self happy And if I would be one that would undertake to Kill the KING he would give me Five Hundred Pounds for a present supply which I faithfully promised I would do And he told me I should go up to London with him in October and sometimes I should be at Standon and sometimes in London And should receive Instructions from Mr. Harcourt Mr. Ireland and himself And going to Mr. Evers and acquainting him of it he told me he knew of it before I must renew my Oath of Secrecy which I did do And the Fourteenth of October I received a Letter from Mr. Harcourt for Mr. Evers the Contents of which was This night Sir Edmundbury Godfrey is dispatcht Sir said I to Mr. Evers do you think that this will not destroy all our Designs Sir said I if it do not destroy it I will be hang'd Not so said Evers be not so passionate not so for he was a man that did use to punish Lewd and Debaucht people And it will rather be cast on them than any of us Another time I being in company with Mr. Evers I pressed of him to know the reason why they should Kill Sir Edmundbury Godfrey He told me That the Duke of YORK had sent a Message to Coleman after he was taken that he should not Confess any thing He returned the Duke an Answer back That it had been his misfortune to declare all that he knew of the Matter to Sir Edmundbury Godfrey and he heard the said Sir Edmundbury Godfrey would come in a Witness against him in regard he had been so diligent in taking Examinations The Duke returned him Answer back again That bid him be sure he did not Confess and he should not need to fear Sir Edmundbury Godfrey and that there should be care taken or to that purpose I saw a Letter from Mr. Whitebread directed to Mr. Evers but inclosed in Groves Letter to my self wherein was That there was great hopes now that things will go on well if there be diligent care taken in the Management of it which can never be if it be communicated to every idle Fellow Therefore be sure you do not trust any but whom you have made tryal of for if it should be discovered we both ruine our Design and all concerned in it For those persons which are for the People no matter whether Gentlemen or not so they be cunning desperate and trusty which choice made here I fear not for there hath been especial care taken that no opportunity might be lost and what persons you think fit let me have your Answer next Week Send to Boscobel and there will be a Messenger to bring them to me I need not say much more to you in regard you are fully acquainted with the business and how it is to be carried on by Mr. Ireland I hope you put the Gentlemen in mind for the getting what Mony you can Pray send me word by the next how my Lady is I think to be at St. Omers next week Those Gentlemen that Subscribed for carrying on this design about us in Staffordshire were as followeth viz. Sir James Symonds subscribed 1000 l Mr. Heveningham 2000 l Mr. Dracot 3000 l Mr. Gerrard 500 l Mr. Howard 2000 l And as Master Evers told me my Lord Aston paid One thousand pound for carrying on this Design to Master Bedingfield and that what was paid was returned towards the discharging the Accounts of Arms which were provided beyond the Seas and every of the aforesaid Gentlemen was to have a share and Offices appointed But in all our Meetings it was never agreed what their parts should be and the Noted'st Gentlemen of all those was ever Sir James Symonds being as they said a very active person and one that would be found a well qualified person But as far as I ever understood their places were to be appointed here in London by some of those Great Ones whom I have formerly mentioned but there are several persons names besides those I have named in that same List and there are other persons that entred their Names beyond Seas for this Note was only for Master Evers private use And to that end Master Evers and Master Cotton were sent to Saint Omers about two or three years ago for the sake of other persons which were very fearfull and some others paid their money to Master Bedingfield Master Ireland Master Harcourt and Master Evers hath been appointed to receive Acquittances for them which Acquittances I have seen come in Master Evers Letters one to Sir James Symonds at one time was for three hundred pound which was noted in the Acquittance for a Charitable Use but it was for the carrying on of this Wicked Design or Master Evers told me not true Most of the persons about Woolverhampton Master Gavan took care to receive of and discharge them I asked Master Peter how the rest must be had for these Gentlemen when they were all together would be but a few He Answered me I need not fear there was care taken for that and such a care that at one hours warning they would be ready But as he said they had formerly told that none except the Gentlemen were so much as to tell one another till the very time of which I never enquired after that time but I perceived that a great Number were knowing by their fear when I was taken Stephen Dugdale FINIS