priest will have you, and in such actions as these as your priests suggest to you, so does the devil to your priests; if you are upon the matter necessitated to what they will have you think; for though your priests preach up freedom of will, yet they allow none to the understanding. They hold you may do good or evil, but will not suffer you to understand right and wrong, for you cannot be perfectly theirs, if you have any thing of your own to guide yourselves by. I know that every body of that party is apt to say their priests own no such thing, but it is notoriously known to all the world, that they both print it, and practise it. What, shall any of you dispute the power of a pope? saith a Jesuit: or, of a pope and council? say the most moderate priests. Have you power to say how far you will be a papist, and how far not? you may as well bound the sea, and bid it go thus far, and no farther, as limit the pope's authority. I wonder any man should be of that persuasion, and yet keep his reason: much less turn from our religion to theirs, if he considers how they impose, and what mischiefs and blood you are involved in by your priests, that have alarmed the nation. For I will affirm, the greatest mischief the papists have received, come from their priests, who have such unworthy and unmanly ways of setting up their religion: What! Do they think it an act of charity to kill men; or is the Christian Religion or yours, to be promoted by such means as these? No, gentlemen, it is the fault of your doctrine, and it is a monstrous mistake in you, if you think that you have any power of your own whilst you continue in their persuasion. I know some will ascribe all to conscience that guides them, and that even these mischiefs are but the effects of their religious obedience; but they are indeed the consequences of the blindness of their obedience. I wonder how any man can have the face, thus to disorder a whole nation, and yet pretend conscience for it. Let no man tell me, Ó, sir, we desire none of these mischiefs you talk of; what, not if religion requires it, or if the pope says it does? hath not the council of Lateran decreed that every popish prince ought to root out heresy upon pain of damnation? you must: can you go and tell the pope how far you will believe, or what you ought to do? You may as well tell me, that if he were once with us, and had the power he once had, he would leave us to ourselves and that if he had the same ability, he would not have the same tyranny. And therefore all the Roman Catholic gentlemen in England would do very well to consider, how much it concerns christianity not to give offence; and if they cannot at this time live in a Protestant kingdom with security to their neighbours, but cause such fears and dangers, and that for conscience sake, let them keep their consciences but leave the kingdom. If they say, why should not we stay here, while we do no mischief? Alas, that is not in your power. You cannot be quiet in your own reli gion, unless you disturb ours; and therefore, if to shew your consciences you acquit the country, and let the inconveniencies light on yourselves only, I should then think you had zeal, though not according to knowledge; and not ascribe it to any plot, but to the simplicities of understanding. But, in short, there is a monstrous evidence of the whole plot itself by this fact; for we can ascribe it to none, but such ends as these, that such a man must be killed; for it must be either because he knew something the priests would not have him to tell, or they must do it in defiance of justice, and in terror to all them that dare execute it upon them; which carries a great evidence in itself, and which I leave to your consideration; having remembered, as well as I could, the proofs against them, and all that is considerable for them. Add to this the condition that we are in at this time, and the eagerness of the pursuit that these priests make to gain the kingdom, that, for my own part, I must put it into my litany, That God would deliver me from the delusion of Popery, and the tyranny of the Pope: For it is a yoke which we, who have known freedom, cannot endure, and a burden which none but that beast who was made for burden, will bear. So I leave it to your consideration upon the whole matter, whether the evidence of the fact does not satisfy your consciences, that these men are Guilty. And I know you will do like honest men on both sides. their verdict, and after a short space returned [Then the Jury withdrew to consider of again.] Cl. of Cr. Gentlemen, answer to your names. Sir William Roberts. Sir William Roberts. Here. And so the Foreman. Guilty. Cl. of Cr. What goods or chattels, lands or tenements? Foreman. None, to our knowledge. Cl. of Cr. Hearken to your verdict, as the Court hath recorded it. You say that Robert Green is Guilty of the felony and murder whereof be stands indicted. You say that Henry Berry is Guilty of the felony and murder whereof he stands indicted. You say that Lawrence Hill is Guilty of the felony and murder whereof he stands indicted; and that neither they nor any of them, had any goods or chattels, lands or tenements, at the time of the felony committed, or at any time since, to your knowledge. And so you say all. Omnes. Yes. L. C. J. Gentlemen, you have found the same verdict that I would have found if I had been one with you; and if it were the last word I were to speak in this world, I should have pronounced them Guilty. At which words the whole assembly gave a great shout of applause. Att. Gen. Will your lordships please to give Judgment this evening? I know it is not usual the same day. Justice Wild. My lord, I am realy. L. C. J. No, brother, I am to sit at Nisi Prius this afternoon, and it is time we broke up the Court. Cl. of Cr. Captain Richardson, you shall have a rule to bring them to-morrow. And then the Court broke up. On Tuesday, the 11th of February, the Prisoners were brought again to the bar, in order to receive their Sentence; and the Court pro ceeded thus: Recorder. My lord, as I was directed by Mr. Attorney, these prisoners being convicted of murder, I do, for the king, pray Judgment upon them; but I must first acquaint your lordship, that immediately after their conviction, one of the officers, a tipstaff, pretending it was his fee, took their clothes off their backs. L. C. J. Who is that officer? L. C. J. Call him. Why do you offer to meddle with these men's clothes? Ashby. It hath been an ancient custom this 40 years, some of us have known it, that the marshal hath the upper garment of all prisoners tried at this bar. LC. J. (Speaking to a Clerk of the Crown Office). Is there any such custom, Mr. Waterhouse? lord; I think they always plead in custody of the marshal. Justice Wild. But this seems a very barbarous thing, to take their clothes off their backs. Justice Dolben. It doth so, brother, and they must be restored. L C. J. Yes, yes, you must restore them. L. C. J. Ask them what they can say to hinder Judginent. Cl. of Cr. Robert Green, hold up thy hand (which he did). Thou hast been indicted of felony and murder, thou hast been thereupon arraigned, thou hast pleaded thereunto Not Guilty, and for thy trial thou hast put thyself upon God and thy Country, which Country hath found thee Guilty; what hast thou to say for thyself, why the Court should not proceed to give judgment of death upon thee, and award. execution according to the law? Captain Richardson. What have you to say for yourself? Green. I declare to all the world, that I am as innocent of the thing charged upon me, as the child that is in the mother's womb. I die innocent, I do not care for death. I go to my Saviour, and I desire all that hear me to pray for me. I never saw the man to my knowledge, alive or dead. Cl. of Cr. Henry Berry, hold up thy hand (which he did). Thou hast been indicted of felony and murder, &c. what canst thou say, &c. Berry. I do declare, I am not guilty of any thing in the world of this. L. C. J. We do not expect much from you, and it is no great matter; for your confession will do us, little good, but only for yourselves. We regard it not otherwise, because the evi dence was so plain, that all mankind is satisfied, there is no scruple in the thing; and we know you have either downright denials, or evasions, or equivocating terms for every thing; yet in plain-dealing, every one that heard your trial hath great satisfaction; and for my own particular, I have great satisfaction that you are every one of you guilty. Cl. of Cr. Lawrence Hill, hold up thy hand (which he did). Thou hast been indicted of felony and murder, &c. what canst thou say, &c. Hill. I have nothing to say for myself, but that God Almighty knows my innocence. Cl. of Cr. Crier, make an O Yes. Crier. O Yes! Our sovereign lord the king doth strictly charge and command all manner of persons to keep silence, whilst Judgment is giving upon the prisoners convicted, upon pain of imprisonment; peace about the Court. Then Mr. Justice Wild, who, as second judge in that Court, pronounced the Sentence in all criminal matters, except High Treason, spoke to the prisoners thus: Justice Wild. You that are the prisoners at the bar, you have all three been indicted for a detestable murder, and thereunto have pleaded Not Guilty; and put yourselves for your trial upon your country; and your country, upon a clear and pregnant evidence, I believe to the satisfaction of all good men, that were indifferent, have found you Guilty. I have little comfort to say any thing to you, because I observe your obstinacy at the bar; but it is so generally among you all, you will confess nothing to the death. Green. God forbid, Sir. Justice Wild. But though I am of another persuasion than you, and know you have no charity for me, yet I have charity for you. And if I shall say any thing, it is out of a zealous affection I have for your souls; God knows I speak it upon no other grounds; though the offence be horrid, yet I commiserate your per sons. tleman was a person very vigorous in the execution of his place, that would omit no opportunity of doing his office; you pretend you have occasion for him, and by this means draw him into your snare; where what you do, you do cowardly and basely, first disarm him, then fall upon him, and murder him; as the prophet David saith of the ungodly man, 'first gets the righteous man in his net, and then ravisheth him.' Had such a thing as this been acted by us Protestants in any Popish country in the world, I doubt there would scarce have been one of us left alive. They would not have taken this course that hath been taken with you, to admit us to a fair trial; no, they would have made their own hands their avengers: but, God be praised, we are of another religion, and of another persuasion. We leave vengeance to God, and, under him, to the magistrate who beareth not the sword in vain,' as you now find. If I could abstract folly from wickedness, certainly it was one of the greatest pieces of folly and sottishness in the world; for what could be your end in it? did you think that all the magistrates in England were lodged in sir E. Godfrey? that, if he were taken out of the way, there were not men of spirit and courage, as faithful and diligent as he was? trouble not yourselves, nor let those of your persuasion trouble themselves, there are a numerous company of magistrates in this kingdom, that will do the same thing, and act in it, and execute their offices with the same courage. For the nature of your offence, it is murder: 'He that sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God created he him.' So saith God to Noah, intimating and declaring thereby, that the intention of God Almighty, in the making of that law, was the preservation of mankind; and that he will not admit or suffer his image to be defaced or destroyed. If it shall be accounted treason against earthly princes to deface their images, is it not much more treason against the great God of heaven and earth, to deface his image, who is the King of kings, and Lord of lords?' The greatness of this sin struck such a damp and horror upon the soul of Cain, that it made him cry out, His punishment was greater than he could bear;' or, as our bibles have it in And as to the manner of the murder: whom the margin,His iniquity was greater than have you destroyed? a magistrate. For what? could be forgiven; and it shall come to pass, for the execution of his office. One that was that whosoever meeteth me, shall slay me:' a conservator of the peace; and whose study being conscious to himself, that it was just and it was to preserve you in peace, on him you lawful, that whosoever did meet with him have violated the peace, and nothing less should slay him. And God himself doth set would satisfy you than his precious life; an afforth the heinousness of this offence, when he front to the law, to the magistrate, to the king, tells him, His brother's blood cried to him;' to the nation; yea, to God himself, upon whom that is, cried unto God from the earth for ven. an higher affront could hardly have been put. geance. Blood, it is of a crying nature, and For the magistrate is God's ordinance; God will never cease crying, till it find out the man-hath set him up to avenge himself upon the slayer. wicked, and to reward the good; and he doth not bear,' as it is a sign by you he hath not born, the sword in vain.' It is an offence so heinous in the eye of God, that he will not endure it in a beast; God saith, he will require it of a beast. And doth God require blood of a beast, a brutish creature void of all reason, and will be not require it much more of man, whom he hath endued with those two great faculties of reason and understanding? and certainly, if murder in general be enquired after, I may well say this of yours, there hath not been committed a more impudent and barbarous murder in this civilized nation, by one subject upon another. And observe how you did effect this murder, with baseness enough. See the baseness of it; as the devil was the father of lies, so he was a murderer from the beginning; and you first begun your murder with an hellish, studied, and premeditated lie. Knowing that this gen I might say much more concerning the heinousness of this offence; but had I the tongue of men and angels, I could not say enough to set out the horror of it. And now let me tell you, I do not speak this to insult and domineer over you; I praise God I am of another spirit; he knows I have another end in what I say, and my end is merely this, to persuade you from the foulness of your fact, to make a good use of it; that the horridness of your siu may make the greater and deeper impressions on your spirits; and so make your repentance more severe and efficacious. Had you as many years to live as you have hours, it were little enough to bewail this horrid offence. But on the other side, as that will be little enough, yet let me give you this comfort, you have time enough, if you make a good use of it, to make your peace with God. Pray let me dehort you from one thing; and that is this, do not be of the opinion of those wicked miscreants the Jesuits, that have put you upon this matter; for I have so much charity for you as to believe they made it a matter of religion to you, and justifiable upon that account. Do not think so, for the law of God is indispensible, and no power under heaven can license to murder. So that though the offence in them is abominable, yet in you it is an offence too, and an horrid one. Ånd when you have considered it as such, I then desire you to take a right course to make your peace with God: for you must pass under an. other judgment than that of man, and that shortly; you must stand before the Judge of heaven and earth. And therefore, if by this means you can prevent that future judgment, you will have just cause to thank God that you had your punishment here on earth. Therefore let me advise you to spend every minute you have left, in a free acknowledgment of all your offences: for certainly some sin went before, or this had never come after. One sin dogs another, and makes way for the commission of another. And what must you rely upon? not upon any trash or trumpery, not upon any merit of your own; there is but one Saviour and Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. And I would advise you, in the words of that great Cardinal, one that was one of the greatest men of your religion, Bellarmine I mean, who having made a scrutiny, which was the safest way for securing heaven, made the conclusion thus: To trust only upon the Lord Jesus Christ for life and salvation; which I advise you to do. I have now done what I intended to say to you; and what I have said, I spoke to deliver ruy own soul, and upon no other account. I now pronounce the judgment which the law hath appointed to pass upon such malefactors; and that is this: "That you go from hence to the place from whence you came, and from thence to the place of execution, where you shall be severally hanged by the neck, till you are severally dead; and the Lord have mercy upon your souls." Hill. I bumbly beg one favour, that I may have the privilege to see my wife and children, and my brother, before I die, sometimes. L. Č. J. God forbid else. Hill. Any day, I hope, my lord? L. C. J. Captain Richardson, let them have the liberty of seeing their friends, but do it with care and caution. Just. Wild. And I wih say this more to you, if you will have any religious Protestant divines to come to you, they shall be sent to you, but none of your priests. Hill. I desire only my relations. Green. I have no relations that are catholics, but two, and they are not priests. God bless the king: and I desire all good people to pray for us. L. C. J. Mr. Astry, let the rule be entred for their execution on Monday next. Cl. of the Cr. Captain Richardson, you shall have the rule for their execution on Monday next. Then the keeper carried away the prisoners to the gaol, to be reserved till their execution, On Friday the 21st of February, the prisoners, Robert Green, Henry Berry, and Lawrence Hill, were executed according to the sentence pronounced against them; they all persisted to the last in denying the fact for which they suffered. An Account of, together with, the Writing itself, that was found in the pocket of LAWRENCE HILL, at the time be and Green were executed, Friday, the 21st of February, 1678-9, for the Murder of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, knt. It is very fit the world should have some account of what was said at the Execution of these men, and how they came to say what they did. Their Confession (as it is called) was a denial of the fact, which was penned and prepared in a very format mauner, and taken out of the pocket of Hill, who had neither pen, ink, nor paper, all the while he was in Newgate; yet, after he was dead, captain Richardson, the master of Newgate, saw the executioner take it out of his pocket; which is ver batim, as follows: "I now come to the fatal place where I must end my life, and I hope with that courage that may Lecome my innocence: I must now appear before the Great Judge, who knows all things, and judges rightly; and I hope it will be happy for me, a sinner, that I am thus wrongfully put to death. I call God, angels, and men, to witness, that I am wholly ignorant of the manner, cause, or time of the death of justice Godfrey; although, on that account, by the malice of wicked men, brought to this shameful death, which, I hope, will give me a speedy passage to eternal life: In this hope I die chearfully because of my innocence, and the benefit of the precious wounds of my blessed Saviour, by whose merits I hope for salvation. I die a Roman Catholic, desiring all such to pray for me: Aud I beseech God, in bis justice, to discover this horrid murder, with the contrivers thercof, that my innocence may appear. And though from my heart I forgive my accusers, yet I cite all such as have had a hand in this bloody contrivance, before the great tribunal of God's justice, to answer for the wrong they have done the innocent; and particularly the Lord Chief Justice, and the brothers of sir Edmundbury Godfrey, with Just. Wild. You shall bave them, and we jury, witnesses, and all their partakers. O offer you the others. VOL. VII. Lord, bless and preserve his majesty, and be Q merciful to this poor nation, and lay no innocent blood to its charge. So I bid you all farewell in Jesus Christ, into whose hands I commend my spirit." Then turning to some of the officers, he said: There is a report up and down, that I have confessed the murder of sir Edmundbury Godfrey to Dr. Lloyd; I do deny it. This Paper was shewn to Hill's wife; and she being demanded whether it was her husband's hand-writing, affirmed it was not: And being further asked, whether she conveyed it to him, she protested she knew not how he came by it; and declared that she never saw it before. Then Mr. Green said; "I desire all your prayers: And as for sir Edmundbury Godfrey, I know not whether he be dead or alive; for in my days I never saw him with my eyes, as I know of; and if false people will swear against me, I cannot help it. I pray God to bless my king, and all good people." Then captain Richardson told him, he had a fair trial, and wished him not to reflect on others, but to prepare himself for death: To which Mr. Green replied, I pray God Almighty to forgive them all: I never saw sir Edmundbury Godfrey, to my knowledge in my life. Mr. Berry being a protestant of the church of England, was reprieved till the 28th of the same month, in hopes he would make some discoveries. Nevertheless, when he came to the gallows, he absolutely denied all knowledge or concurrence in the fact for which be died; as will be seen by the following Account of his Behaviour. WHEN I came to him in Newgate, I found him upon his knees, at his prayers, with Dr. Patrick's Devotions in his hands. He told me he was glad I was come, and desired my assistance in prayer. After I had for some while prayed with him, which he did very fer. vently, I believe, for almost all the time he wept; we then rose up both together, and had some little discourse. I told him, that as the law had condemned him, so I could not but conclude him guilty; and therefore did assure him, that there was a strict tribunal after this life, before which we must all appear; and in particular for him, that there were but two or three hours before he must suffer death, and come to judgment; and therefore I did desire him, that he would reveal to me what he knew From a MS. in the library belonging to the church of St. Martin's in the Fields. of the murder of sir Edmundbury Godfrey, that God's justice might be glorified in his death; and that he would not go out of the world in his sin, unrepented of; which it must be, if he did not abhor it, and confess it. He fact for which he was condemned: This was answered me, He knew not any thing of the spoke with some asseveration. I hearing him give this answer, asked him, what were the particular things that were witnessed against him, for which he was condemned? As I did conjecture then, I thought he seemed to be unwilling to speak of this matter; nor did his words seem to come freely from him: But he told me, that Mr. Praunce had accused him An Account of the proceeding to sentence against MILES PRAUNCE, for wilful PERJURY; who was sentenced in the court of King's-Bench, Westminster, upon a conviction by his own confession, on the 15th of June, 1686, in wilfully forswearing himself at the trials of Robert Green, Lawrence Hill, and Henry Berry, &c. in relation to the murder of sir Edmundbury Godfrey. Miles Praunce, a silversmith, having been, the last Easter Term, arraigned upon an information of wilful perjury, exhibited against him in the court of King's Bench, for wilfully forswearing himself against Robert Green, Lawrence Hill, and Henry Berry, &c. in relation to their murdering sir Edmundbury Godfrey; and for which, upon his oath, &c. they were executed for the said murder at Tyburn; and he confessing himself guilty of the perjury specified in the same information, was, on Tuesday, the 15th of this instant June, again brought to the court of King's Bench, to receive his sentence. The Court having a while considered the heinousness of the crime, and putting him in mind of it, told him, It was well he was so sensible of his offence, it being so great a one, as to extend to the taking away the lives of innocent persons, which did aggravate it; though one that had before him been found guilty of two notorious perjuries in that court, continued obstinate to the last; and, for aught appears, has not hitherto shewn any remorse. Yet seeing he (meaning the prisoner) was sensible of his crime, and had confessed it, the Court had considered his condition, and would have some compassion on a true penitent. The sentence of the Court was, "That he should pay a fine of 100l. to the king: That he should appear before each court in Westminster-Hall, &c. with a paper upon his forehead, expressing his crime: That on Monday next he should stand at Westminster in the pillory, between the hours of 11 and 1, for the space of an hour; on Wednesday the like, before the Exchange; and on the following Monday, at Charing Cross: And he was likewise sentenced to be whipped from Newgate to Tyburn and he to continue in prison until all was performed." Praunce, upon the aforementioned exhortation, declared, That his last confession was the |