A modest vindication of Titus Oates, the Salamanca-doctor from perjury, or, An essay to demonstrate him only forsworn in several instances by Adam Elliot ...

THE TRIAL BETWIXT TITUS OATES And ME.

IDeclar'd against him, for saying that I was a Popish Priest, and had been circumcised as a Mahumetan; to which the Doctor pleaded not guilty, upon which we joyn'd issue, ha∣ving June the 30th, appointed for a day of Trial. The words were plainly prov'd by the Honourable Ralph Grey Esquire, and Mr. William Durham a Clergy-man, before whom he had spoke them; after which, my Council were proceeding to aggravate the charge by proof, that he had not only said these words in several companies, and more especially before his Majesty, (as Captain George Collingwood, was there in Court ready to attest, though not call'd upon, that he heard Titus Oates depose in his Majesties presence, that I was a Jesuit, and was sent over from Ireland, under the masque of a Clergy-man of the Church of England, to be a spy:) as also that he had ma∣liciously swore to the truth of those calumnies and slandering expressions a∣gainst me; but the Council of the Defendant, conceded that the words were prov'd sufficiently, begg'd leave to offer something in mitigation of Dammages: viz. some proof that Titus, if he did speak such words as were prov'd, yet he spoke them only jocularly, as who had no malicious design. No not he, good man was of so tender a conscience, that he would not discompose the Hair of a mans head, for a thousand worlds, (as is clear in the case of the Lord Stafford, and the Jesuites who suffer'd; (the pious Doctor, God wot, had no malice against them, he only had them hang'd up jocularly, or so, (for truly hanging is but an ordinary jest with him.) And in order hereunto, the first who appear'd to qualify the Doctor's words, and honour the cause was the Noble Peer Charles Lord North and Grey. It was by many lookt upon with admiration, that his Lordship would appear in defence of an already baffled cause, and for the encourage∣ment

and patronage of a profligate Villain, abandon'd by his Ma∣jesty and all his Loyal Subjects. But these people were it seems but strangers to the Great soul of this Noble Lord, who maintain'd a resolution and courage equal always with difficulties which were in∣superable, and a wit so transcendent which nothing could match but his profound wisdom and discretion, and besides an eloquence so powerful as to be able to rend the rocks, and make the most obdu∣rate heart to split. These people moreover did not consider what a sence of gratitude this person of honour did entertain, who seeing how liberal the Doctor had been of his Oathes in his Lordships behalf, re∣solv'd to be even with him, and pay him in his own coyn: his Lord∣ship therefore, after having been sworn in mitigation of dammages, in behalf of the Doctor, and against poor Me, addresses himself to the Lord Chief Justice, and the Jury to this effect. My Lord, I knew this same Elliot when Chaplain to the Lord William Grey, and my Lord, he then told me, that he was circumcis'd; I vow to God this is true, I would not tell an untruth for all the world: and my Lord, to shew you cir∣cumstances to believe this to be so, he was at that time making Diamonds out of calcin'd Flints. My Lord, he told me, he was a Slave at Mamo∣ra, where the Blackmores inhabit, I have been there my Lord, and know it very well. (Here his Lordship was interrupted by his Council, ac∣quainting his Lordship with a mistake, for that Elliot was a Slave at Salle and not at Mamora, that being the Christian Garrison whither he escapt; but His Lordship being mov'd a little with their sawcy interruption proceeds) I say Elliot told me he was a Slave at Mamora, he might tell you, who understood no better, that he was a Slave at Salle, but he knew that I had been in that Countrey, and that I know very well a man cannot escape from Salle, but from Mamora he may easily, and there∣fore he told me the truth, that he was a Slave at Mamora, and to shew you that this is true, he told me he knocked his Master in the head, and left him for dead, and the reason why he did it, was becaase his Master had a very handsome woman to his wife, and Elliot told me, he had a very great mind to have a bout with her; this upon my honour is true, nay, as I hope to be sav'd, he told me, shrugging his shoulders. He told me besides, my Lord, that he was a Slave at Rome, no, I beg your pardon, my Lord, I would not tell an untruth not for all the world, I think he was mistaken there; he told me he taught Mathematicks in the Scotch Colledge, and I believe then that he was a Priest. He swore against me, ay, he swore against me at Doctors-Commons, and truly my Lord, I got Oates to swear against him: that good man was loth to appear, I was forc'd my Lord to Whatdeecallum him, what dee call it, pish, what dee call it, pish, you you know well enough what they call it (at length some call'd out subpaena, and then the Lord went on) ay, ay, I was forct to subpaena that modest good man to swear the truth. Ile tell you my Lord by what good fortune I met the honest Doctor, you know my Lord, there is a gallery in Whitehall, you have been there my Lord, and so have I, and several I be∣lieve in this Company; it was not the Stone-Gallery, no, no, I know that Gallery well enough, that is below stairs, no, no, it was a Gallery above stairs, and yet it was not that Gallery over the Stone Gallery, but another Gallery; and yet now I think on't, it was not in the Gallery, (for I would

not tell a Lye, an give me never so much) it was in a Chamber at the end of the Gallery, not such a Chamber which your Lordship knows very well, but another Chamber; there it was that I met Oates, no I beg your par∣don my Lord, I would not tell a Lye for the world, I did not meet the Doctor there, but I'le tell you who I met there, I met my Lord Chancellour there; this is the plain truth as I hope to be saved; says I to him, pray my Lord Chancellour who can you advise me to, that is good at catching a Priest; says my Lord presently to me again, there is Doctor Oates hard by, you can∣not light upon a better; with that I took leave of his Lordship, and addressed my self to the Doctor, I ask'd him if he knew one Elliot a Priest, who had been at Cambridge, he presently told me that he knew him to be a Popish Priest, and that he had been circumcised, and for the truth of this, the King and my Lord Chancellour will be my Witness; God damme (laying his hand on his Breast) this is all truth. This eloquent speech in Oates's behalf, by the Lord North and Grey I have made bold to trou∣ble the Reader's patience with, lest the Doctor should tax me with in∣justice in omitting any thing that was material in his defence, as this florid harangue was the most considerable. I remember I have some∣time heard this Noble Peer say, that the curious Painter in drawing His Lordship's Picture, had observ'd a Je ne scay quoy in his face, I am sure there are a great many Je ne scay quoy's in his speech, embellish∣ments which can hardly be better express'd in English, than by a word borrowed from His Lordship, Whatdeecallums. There is one observa∣tion which I cannot omit, viz. that in the heat of his Rhetorick, His Lordship overslipt his design, which was to prove Oates intended no malice against me by his detraction, and so to mitigate the damma∣ges, but instead thereof, His Lordship offer'd His Majesty and my Lord Chancellour for witnesses, that Oates loaded me with calumnies e∣ven before the King; so that with whatsoever resentment His Lord∣ship may be thought to have utter'd these pathetick elaborate periods, yet he really was a Witness on my side, and confirm'd Mr. Grey's re∣stimony, destroying the Doctor's Plea.

The next who seconded the Lord in behalf of the Doctor, was one Isaack Warren, the Lord North's chief evidence against the Lady Grey; he told the Court, that I had confess'd to him privately that I was a Papist, and that I did not believe any of the Protestant Doctrine, which I deliver'd in some Sermons I preacht before the Lord William Grey, his Lord and mine. In answer to this (because he proceeds in the method of his Swearing-Master Oates) I say, that I appeal to all that Noble Family, to which I retain'd, who I am sure will unani∣mously give him the Lye: the Lord William Grey is known to have been a person so averse to all that favoured Popery, that if he had suspected me guilty of any tendency that way (as this Fellow ought to have discovered me, and there is no question, if he had known, he would) His Lordship would never have afforded me entertainment under his Roof, which I enjoy'd during his Life. The Reader will be astonisht, when he shall know, that this impudent fellow came to the Lady Dowager Grey's House, and offer'd to Mr. Durham the said Lady's Chaplain, to be a Witness in my behalf against Oates, and did suggest several things very dishonourable to the Lord North, which the said Gentleman told him, he was sure I would reject, as who

knew him to be a very rascal, and to be forsworn in the Lord North's cause, and therefore would not prejudice my self by such a notorious false witness: his Testimony is a scandal to truth, and as unwor∣thy of acceptance on my side, so not deserving any more confutation on Oates's.

The third who appear'd was Marshal, a remarkable man the Cause, at Peter's Coffee-house in Covent-Garden; I remember I saw this Blade once at Leghorn, by the same token, that I sav'd him from being beaten or worse, which courtesie he has now requited, by testifying that he suspected me to have been then a Popish Priest, because he finds my name was not then Elliot, which now I own. He more∣over testified that I told him in England, that I had cut off my Pa∣trons head in Barbary; which is false; for Mr. Edward Courtney, who was then in company, when this Story was suppos'd to be told, desires me to acquaint the world in his name, that he heard me then relate the manner of my escape, as he had done formerly, and that I then told them that I left my Patron asleep, and that he pursued me the next morning: so that this zealous Buzzard, though he spoke nothing to the purpose, (as who cross'd the design of the Doctors Plea, and who endeavour'd to render that probable which was impossible and a Lye, and which the impudent Doctor himself pretended to the grace to deny,) yet to shew his good will, he pawns his soul, and put his ears to a hard venture to serve the Doctor.

The next in place, was one Codoghan, or some such ugly name, an Irish Evidence; this was very surprizing, that the Doctor who had given them all to the Devil a great while agoe, should now make use of such a Witness: he would make application to the Devil him∣self upon an urgent occasion. This Fellow swore that when I was at Dublin, I sustained a bad Reputation; which I grant; and may thank the Doctor for it; yet notwithstanding, I have Certificates of my fair and honest deportment in that place, from the Dean and Chapter of Christs-Church, and those who were concern'd to be ac∣quainted with my conversation, more to my advantage, than Oates or this Irish fellow, or all their Relations can produce, for theirs.

After him comes a holy Sister, a True-blew-Protestant-Hosiers wife, one Mrs. Kedley forsooth, who lives at the sign of the Swan at the corner of Fryday-street in Cheapside; this zealous woman thinking it hard that the Doctor who had sworn so much for the Nations good, should be expos'd to danger for want of an Oath or two, prostitutes her little modesty at his service; swearing that travailing from Chester to London in the Chester-Coach, she heard me tell a Story of an Es∣cape from Slavery, and that I said I kill'd my Master; She swore moreover, that I said I was circumcis'd; and withal, she had the im∣pudence to blush, though she wanted the grace to repent. To con∣vince the Court of the improbability of this Womans Depositions, I produc'd a Gentleman Mr. Shorter, who travail'd in Company, with that Woman and me all the way, who testified that he heard me tell the Story of my, escape during our journey, five or six times, and that it appear'd so strange to him, that he imprinted it in his memory, and hath since told it above a hundred times he believ'd: he swore that he never heard me say I kill'd my Master or Patron,

but that I might have kill'd him if I would, and that I said my Patron pursued me the next morning: he moreover declar'd, that he never heard the word Circumcision, or any thing relating there∣unto, mentioned by me, and that it seems highly improbable, that I should declare to that woman that I should be circumcised, seeing I profess'd my self a Clergy man in Orders, when first I enter'd the Coach; and that I was girded with a Canonical Girdle, and all the way demean'd my self as a person under that character.

Lastly, to bring up the Rear of this goodly Company, comes Brother Sam. Oates, the Son of the Doctor's Mother; he would fain have disprov'd Mr. Grey's Testimony, and at the same time the Lord North's; but it was observ'd here, as also at Colledge's Trial, that this fellow had not been taught his Lesson well enough. To be short, he is a mere blockhead, and will never make an Evidence worth a farthing, notwithstanding all the examples and Copies the Doctor has swore before him.

I had forgot two Witnesses more, Clergy-men, whom the Doctor had subpaena'd out of Kent, but seeing they testified against him, and to my advantage, I will not reckon them in the number.

This is an impartial account of what the Doctor alledg'd in mi∣tigation of dammages, which howsoever true it should be, yet I sup∣pose it cannot influence the Readers judgment so, as not to believe the Doctor to be forsworn in his Depositions against me; for though I should be so foolish and silly as to give my self the Lye, and up∣on no design raise an ill report of my self, and say that I am a Popish Priest or a Turk, and that I recanted Mahumetism at Rome. Notwithstanding it should be true that I thus falsly abus'd my own reputation, and slandered my self, yet Titus Oates is not a whit less guilty of being forsworn, in saying he knows these false things to be true; though he and his Council endeavoured to mitigate his Fine, yet they pretended not a word in alleviation of his crime and guilt in swearing falsly, and lying most malitiously. To conclude, they ta∣citely admit what I have plainly prov'd, viz. that Titus Oates is a great enemy to the truth, a malitious Calumniator of his Brethren, and a forsworn Villain: and now I prosess in all sincerity, that I do not serve any Popish or sinister ends, in exposing this Enemy both of the Romish and English Church; I aim only at. what every man claims, the Liberty of the Subject, my Birthright, a vindication of my Name and credit from the oppressive calumnies of a Ruffian, and to serve the interest of truth, and the glory of that God, who has ex∣presly forbid evil to be done, that good may come of it; or that the Testimony of a false witness, and notoriously forsworn wretch should be accepted, though we were sure thereby to rid the Church of Eng∣land of its greatest plagues, the Jesuites and Phanaticks both together.

FINIS.