A brief history of the times, &c. ...

CHAP. XIX.

The Opening of the Body had certainly Discover'd the Cause of Sir E. B. G.'s Death: And it was Advis'd and Propounded by Doctors, Friends, and Surgeons, but Rejected.

THE Allyance that was by this time Contracted betwixt the Pretended Murther, and the Preten∣ded Plot, had made the Credit of the Story so Sacred, that there was No Touching of the One, without giv∣ing a Box o'th' Ear to the Other; and consequently, no Longer any Way, or Hope left, of Arriving at the Truth, but by breaking in upon Principalities and Pow∣ers. Under the Awe of This Influence it was, that Evidences were Shorten'd, or Stretch'd, or Smother'd, or Baffled, in favour of the Imposture; and No Relief in the Case, but that of a Dutch Appeal, from mine Host in the Inn, to Mijn Heer upon the Bench, where he does Himself Right, in the Quality, of both a Iudge and a Party, in the same Person. There will be the less Need of Amplifying in this Place upon Particular Instan∣ces of Persons, Practices, and Methods, in Regard that I have already spent one Whole Chapter at Large up∣on This Subject, Part. I. Cap. 10. But there was one Passage upon This Occasion, that must not be either Omitted, or Forgotten.

There was one General Rule to Walk by, which was to make every Man a Papist, that Cross'd the Designs of the Then Prevailing Faction; and after the Fastning of That Brand upon him, it was but the Lip-Labour of Kis∣sing a Book to Swear him into a Traytor; for they Ma∣nag'd their Treasons, as Dyers do their Colours; that

first lay on one, to make the Stuff take t' other. This was the Snare that was set for Mr. Richard Wheeler, a Man of Sense, Credit, and Estate; but he was too Nimble for 'em, and so they snapt Short. The Relation of it will be best in his own Words.

Richard Wheeler Deposeth, That on Friday Morn∣ing (October 18.) the Day after Sir Edmund's Body was found; Mr. Cowper, having been (as this Enformant heard) to see the Body, came into the Exchange, and told how Sir Edmund was Wheedled out, and Murther'd in such a Place: For that Mr. Collins the Brewer had met him in Marybone-Fields: Hereupon, this Enformant Declaring what Cowper had said; and What He Himself had Observ'd,

That upon the Monday Morning, this Enformant going to his Shop, one Mr. Templer said to this Enformant, There are Rods in Piss for you. To which this Enformant replyed, For what? Saying he had done no Man any Wrong: The said Mr. Templer replying, Sir Edmunds Brothers have been here, to enquire what Religion you are of. Vpon which this Enformant came into the Exchange, and met Mr. Cowper, telling him what Mr. Templer had said; and saying that he the said Cowper must Clear him∣self: For he this Enformant had Witnesses enough to prove what he had said. Whereupon Cowper asked this Enfor∣formant what he should do? To which this Enformant asked him, Do you know who told you so? Cowper said, Yes, I do. Why then, said this Enformant, I'le go along with you to him, being told it was an Ale-house-Keeper in So-ho: So this Enformant and Mr. Cowper went to the said Ale-house-Keeper, where this Enformant took Occasion to say, that they were going to see the Place where Sir Ed∣mund's Body Lay, to which, the Ale-house-keeper said, That Sir Edmund was wheedled out, and Murther'd; for Mr. Collins said, That he met Sir Edmund that Sa∣turday

in Mary-bone Fields. Whereupon, This Enformant, Mr. Cowper, and the Ale-house Keeper, went All Three to Mr. Collins, and found him at Home; who told them, that he did meet with him, as aforesaid, Talking with a Milk-woman, And that he said, Good Morrow Sir Edmund, who reply'd, Good Morrow Mr. Collins. This Enformant then asked Mr. Collins, (being One of the Coroner's In∣quest) how he came to Find him Murther'd: To which He reply'd, that Mr. Radcliffe and his Servant, and his next Neighbour's Servant, swore him to be at Radcliff's Door, at One of the Clock upon the Saturday. This Enformant did then ask the said Collins, Whether or No he Summon'd the Milk-woman? who told him No. How should they find her? This Enformant Objecting it to him, that for a Crown, or such a Matter, he might have found her out.

This was according to the Scheme of the Politiques of That Season. Will Wheeler be medling with Our Prim∣rose-hill Matters? What Religion is he of? This is only Demurring to My Clyents Beard (as a Lawyer of Famous Memory has it) and not one Hair to the Matter in Question. Had they been but Half as Inquisitive after Collin's Milkwoman, as they were about Mr. Wheeler's Religion, it would have been much more to Common Satisfaction: But every thing was Distorted and Emprov'd (if it may be said so) the Wrong Way. The Advice of Surgeons was not only Reasonable, but Necessary, in a Matter where there fell so many Important Circum∣stances under their Peculiar Cognizance: But the Re∣moval of the Body, and the Drawing the Sword out; had so Confounded the Signs and Accidents they were to have form'd a Iudgment upon, that there was scarce Room for any more then the Bare Conjectural Suspicion of a Possible Strangulation: But now as the Surgeons Opinion was taken upon the Main, as to the Probable Cause of his Death, it would have been Well, if Those

that had the Care and Power of the Body, after the Verdict, had found it as reasonable to Comply with the Council, and Importunity of Friends, as well as of Men of Art, toward as Certain a Discovery of the Truth of the Matter, as if they had been Eye-Witnesses of the Execution. The Opening of the Body is the Expedient that I speak of; which, as I am Credibly Enform'd, was Mov'd and Insisted upon by some of the Inquest upon the Debate, however it come to be Carry'd in the Negative.

There was the King's Life, the Peace of his Domini∣ons, An Imperial Monarchy; The Prerogative of the Royal Family; Religion, Liberty and Property all (in a Great Measure) at stake upon the Issue of This Que∣stion. Now it must be some Consideration of Mighty Weight sure; some Greater Good on the One side, then the Preservation of All These Sacred Interests was Worth; Or some Greater Evil, on the other, then the Embroyling, and Confounding of them All, that could with any Colour of Iustice, or Reason, stand in Com∣petition with the Consequences of Denying This Request; We saw how Near the Mistake of This Matter came to the Destroying of Three Kingdoms: And All for want of Clearing This One Point. And now to Bal∣lance all These Hazards, let but the World Produce One Colourable Pretence for the refusal of it; and I will Allow Bedloes, and Prances Depositions to be as Authen∣tique as the Truest of Oracles. Where's the Dishonour, the Inconvenience, the Trouble, the Vnlawfulness: Nay, or so much as the Least Scruple either in Reputation, or in Conscience, in Consenting to the Opening of a Dead Bo∣dy? 'Tis done in some Cases, upon the Account of De∣cency and respect; in Others, out of Curiosity, and Expe∣riment; In some again, to find out what Disease the Man Dy'd of; and the Bus'ness was Here, to have Ga∣ther'd from it by what Sort of Violence he came to his

Death. I have Beat my Head upon't, and when People will be running me down, that the Only reason for Re∣fusing the Only Means of knowing Certainly how Sir Edmund came by his Death; could be No other then because they would not have it known; If I were to Dye, I cannot find so much as one Colour of an Answer to't. But I am now Coming to shew, that the Thing was Propos'd, and Rejected.

The Opening of the Body was Desir'd by Dr. Lloyd, (the Present Bishop of St. Asaph) and by Dr. Goodall; and his Lordship gives This Account of it, that [The Brothers or One of them would not Hearken to This Propo∣sal; He said that None had ever Yet been Open'd of their Family, and that it was not Necessary for the Keeping of the Body, for so short a Time as they intended to Keep it.] This Account bears Date, April 16. 1686.

I shall Second the Enformation Above, with some other Testimonies of Undoubted Truth, and Weight in further Proof of the same Matter.

The Enformation of Dr. Charles Goodall of St. Martins in the Fields, Taken upon Oath, April 9. 1686.

SAITH, That at the Time when the Dead Body of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey lay Expos'd at his House in Harts-horn Lane, This Enformant having seen the said Body, had some Discourse about it, to the Best of his Re∣membrance, with Mr. Thomas Hobbs, who did both Agree in Opinion, that it would be a Great Satisfaction to the World to have the Body Open'd.

And This Enformant did think it so Necessary to be done, that he Requested the Dean of Bangor to use his Interest with the Brothers, or One of them; to Consent to the Opening of the Body; that it might be Inspected by

Physicians, and Surgeons; The said Dean very much Approving of the Proposal; And telling This Enformant afterward, that he had Earnestly Press'd the Matter to One of the Brothers, if not Both, Who (as the Dean told This Enformant) did not think fit to have it done. This Enformant being Induc'd to a More then Ordinary Earn∣estness of Desire to have the Body open'd, upon This Consi∣deration, that it was the Way to prevent Clamour, and to give some Reasonable Satisfaction, whether he Dy'd of the Wound or of Suffocation.

The Enformation of Mr. Thomas Hobbs of the Parish of St. Clements Danes, Surgeon, Taken upon Oath, April 8th. 1686.

SAITH, That This Enformant being Interrogated, Whe∣ther or No, he knew of any Proposal made for the Opening of the Body of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, While the said Body lay at the House of the Late Sir Ed∣mund? He This Enformant maketh Answer, That to the Best of This Enformants Memory, He Himself upon Dis∣course with Dr. Goodall about the Death of the said Sir Edmund; This Enformant spake to Dr. Goodall (He This Enformant having newly seen the Body) to This Ef∣fect: This Bus'ness of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey makes a Great deal of Noise; And I think it would do well for General satisfaction, if a Physician and Surgeon from the Court, and some Eminent Physician and Surgeon from the City, should Ioyn in the Opening, and Inspect∣ing the Body. By which means they might have known how he came by his Death. To which Dr. Goodall agreed, as a very Reasonable Thing, and said he would propound it: And the said Doctor told This Enformant afterward, that he had Propounded it (as This Enformant remembers) to Dr. Lloyd; Dr. Goodall telling This En∣formant

also, that the said Dr. Lloyd had Propounded it to the Brothers, whose Answer was to This Purpose, That the Coroners Inquest had found it Murther, and they would not Trouble Themselves any further: All which This Enformant Delivers to the Best of his Knowledge and Memory.

There was a Time, when the stabbing Question was, [Ay, but who Murther'd Sir Edmundbury Godfrey?] Now What if a Man should Answer it with a Another Que∣stion! Ay, but who were They that might have known and Would not, how he came by his Death?] Nay, the very Sword it self would have told Tales, if the Question had but been put to't; but I look upon That Omission as a Thing not Thought of. I have Caused several Sword-Cutlers, and Men of Skill and Experience in their Bus'ness, to be Consulted about This Point; and not with any Leading Questions Neither; but Barely, and Simply, What Colour will the Warm Bloud of a Man leave upon the Blade of a Sword, and how shall a Body know it from any Other sort of Rust? To which I have recei∣ved This Account.

We the Subscribers hereof, do Affirm, and Declare, and are ready to Attest upon Oath, that according to our Ob∣servation, the Blade of a Sword that has been Thrust into the Body of a Living Man, is of a Different Colour from a Blade that is Canker'd with rust, upon Water or any Ordinary Wetting of it; and that if the Sword be Wi∣ped, upon the Drawing of it out of the Body, It will have a kind of a Dark Lead Colour; but Otherwise it will Look like a redder kind of Rust.

• John Hill.
• Joseph Smith.
• Rich. Hayes.

We'le See now as Briefly as we can, how far the Observation of Several of the Iurors Themselves agrees with This Judgment of the Sword-Cutlers.

John Cowsey Deposeth, That upon an Exact view of the Sword, This Enformant Observed That Part of the Blade, which was in the Body, to be Discolour'd, as if it had been Stain'd with Bloud and Water.

Thomas Woollams Deposeth, That he took Particu∣lar Notice of the Sword which was said upon Oath to be taken out of the Body of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, and that he Observed the Colour of That Part which had been in the Body to be Darker then the rest.

Simon Standever Deposeth, That he Observed the Colour of the Sword as it lay before the Jury, and found that That Part of the Sword that was in the Body was quite of Another Colour then the rest that was out of the Body.

Thomas Mason Deposeth, That he Observed the Sword, as it was shewed to the Iury, to be of a kind of Lead Colour, so far as it was in the Body, and Distin∣guishable from the Other Parts of the Sword.

John Hartwell Deposeth, That he Observ'd the Sword to be of a kind of a Blackish Blew, or Lead Co∣lour, so far as it was in the Body, and of a Colour Distin∣guishable from other Parts of the Sword.

We have had Such a Superabundance of more Preg∣nant and Convincing Arguments and Evidences, that I should not so much as have Mention'd This Particu∣lar, but that there's somewhat of Curiosity in it as well as of Use.

We have now pass'd through the Several Points in order, as they were laid down in the Course of our Distribution concerning the Sufficiency of the Proofs Produc'd; The Sincerity of making the Best of them in Matters whereof the Examiners had Certain Know∣ledge; the Competency of the Witnesses that were Sum∣mon'd, and the Best Emprovement also of what they Did say, and of what in Likelyhood, and Reason they might be able to say More. I shall pass now to a Consideration of some Witnesses that were not Summon'd, and might have been more Serviceable, in Common Probability, to the Satisfaction of the Iury, upon the Enquiry they had Then before them, then any of the rest.