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

APPENDIX

PRANCE's History of the Merry-meeting at the Queen's-Head at Bow, where was Lauson, Vernatti, Girald, Dethick, and Himself, is a Sham of the same Batch with the rest of his Works; and the Perjury con∣fess'd. Mr. Vernatti has Fairly and Legally Acquitted

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Himself; and Mr. Dethick has been pleas'd to give the Following Account of That Days Meeting, Sign'd with his own Hand.

The Attestation of George Dethick Esq about the Meet∣ing of the Pretended Plotters at Bow.

THAT about the Seventh day of November 1678. One Mr. Vernatti sent a Note for me, desiring my Company at the Queens Head-Tavern at Bow, where accordingly I came and found there Mr. Vernatti, Mr. Lewson, and One Other Person, which since I have been Enformed was Mr. Miles Prance, and no body else, Ex∣cept the Master of the House, who came to us, where we Dined. And I do well remember that Prance a little before Dinner had some Discourse with the Drawer for Standing at the Door, at which I was somewhat concern'd, and being a Stranger to Prance, told him we had No Bus'ness that we Cared who knew, and that I was well known to the Ma∣ster of the House; upon which I Opened the Door, and so it remained all the while we remained there: during which time, there was not a Paper read, or account given of any Matter relating to the Murther of Sir Edmund Godfrey; nor so much at his Name Mentioned, to the Best of my Remembrance; but I do remember there were some Verses Written and Read, by Mr. Vernatti, but what they were I cannot possibly say.

Likewise to the Best of my Remembrance I never saw Mr. Miles Prance either before, or since That Time.

George Dethick.

There was a Great Talk in Those Days too, about one Iennings, a Cow-keeper, that was Taken up, and Charg'd for Advising Bromwel, Walters, and Rawson, that first found the Body, to take no further Notice of it, but rather let some body else find it out; for nothing would

come of it but Trouble. It appears upon the Depositions of the Three Persons above Named, that Iennings did speak VVords to that Effect; and Iennings himself owns the speaking of the VVords; but Deposeth with∣al, as followeth.

Edward Iennings Deposeth, That he had never seen nor heard of that Body before they told him of it. And saith, That in the Spring following he was committed to New Pri∣son upon the Oath of his Wife, that he brought home a Band, and said it was the Band of Sir E. Godfrey. He continued a Pris'ner there, a Month, within Two Days, to the best of his Remembrance. And saith, That the Under-keep∣er of the said Prison told him, that among other Persons that came there to him, there was one of the Brothers of the said Sir Edmund, Prance, and Otes.

There went a Hot Report of Cattle taken away from him, and of the Bus'ness being made up, and his Cattle Restor'd again, no body knew how. I have met with many sober People that laid a great Stress upon This Story; but, for my own Part, I could never find any thing in't to build upon.

The Staffordshire Letter of Intelligence about the Death of Sir E. B. Godfrey, made a mighty Noise in the Tryal of the Iesuits, and of my Lord Stafford: Inso∣much, that Challenges were made to all the Papists in England to wipe off that Evidence: and the Weight, effectually, of the whole Cause was thrown upon that Issue. Mr. Evers (as Dugdale Swears) received a Let∣ter from London at Tixhall upon Monday, Octob. 14. 1678. bearing Date, Saturday the 12th. with These Words in't, [This Night Sir E.B.G. is Dispatch'd.] Lord Staffords Tryal, fol. 22. And this Evidence was Back'd by several other Testimonies, 134, 135, 136, & 137. of the said Tryal: And so likewise in the Try∣al of the Five Iesuits. Now the Force of the Inference

was This: The Body was not found till Thursday the 17th. And how should any Man that was not privy to the Murther, give such an Account of it upon Saturday the 12th? For they had the News of it in Staffordshire upon the Monday. I shall only Refer the Reader to the Sixth Chapter of this Second Part, 199. for a Full, and Final Answer, where he shall find a Report Raised, and Industriously spread on the very Saturday Sir Edmund went away upon; that Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was Murther'd by the Pa∣pists; so that the Saturdays-Post might well carry the News into Staffordshire by Monday. There was Nota∣ble Clashing, I remember, about the Credit of the Staffordshire Evidence, that was given upon This Point: But if the Rumour was so Rife about the Town upon the Saturday, 'tis All a Case to me, whether they had it in Staffordshire, or Not; for if they had it Not, they might have had it; which is the same Thing as to the Reason of the Case, though not to the Truth of the Fact.

The Drops of Wax upon the Cloaths, and Stock∣ings, which Elizabeth Curtis (or Draper) swears to, are never the more Credible for her Testimony; because we have already prov'd her to be Forsworn; both by Iudith Pamphlin, and Avis Warrier, in the Bus'ness of Green and Hill, cap. 13. And another Falsity out of her own Mouth, about Greens speaking First French, and Afterwards English in the Council-Chamber-Deposi∣tion; and First English, and Afterwards French, at the Tryal. See the same Chapter, p. 152. And She's little better then Forsworn again, in delivering her Evidence upon Oath, as the Servant of Sir Edmundbu∣ry Godfrey; which she never was; neither was it fair to set her up for a Witness, in the Quality of Sir Ed∣mund's Servant, by Those that knew she never was so. Not but that there might be Drops of Wax too, but how they came There, will be the Question; for when Mrs.

Gibbon and her Daughter, together with a Kinswoman of Sir Edmunds, were to see the Body in Hartshorn-Lane, the Day after it was brought home, the pretended Drops of Wax upon the Filliping, were found to be only Dirt, as is already set forth in the Last Chapter. And after this Disappoint∣ment, if there had been any such Drops, they would undoubtedly have been found out. But this Mistake might put it in their Heads perhaps, to bestow the Drippings of a Wax-Candle here and there about him, as they saw convenient; for the Wax upon his Cloths (as Proofs went then-a-days) made a very Substantial Cor∣roborating Argument of the Body's being layd under the Altar. But Wax, or No Wax, comes all to a Point, if the main Cause be Detected for a Sham; for the Somerset-house-murther, and the Somerset-house-wax are Fillip'd off Both together; and it was for the Tapers sake undoubtedly, that this Sham was Contriv'd. I shall now take Notice of some of their Extraordinary Affi∣davits, which, how Vnconcluding soever, pass'd for Matters of Moment yet with the Common People.

Nathaniel Thompson, &c. were Try'd at Guild∣hall, on Tuesday, June 24. 1682. upon an Enforma∣tion, for Writing, Printing, and Publishing Libels, by way of Letters, and other Prints, Reflecting upon the Iustice of the Nation in the Proceedings against the Murtherers of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey; and they were found Guilty of the Enformation.

Upon the 3d. of Iuly, 1682. (according to the Li∣cens'd Tryal) Thompson, &c. were brought up by Rule to the Bar of the Court of Kings-Bench, to receive their Iudgment; upon which 3d. day of Iuly an Affidavit of Richard Spence was read, bearing Date the 10th. of the same Iuly. (Whether this was the Printers, or the Com∣pilers Mistake, it does not much matter.) But the short of the Enformation is This.

That Passing by the Water-gate of Somerset-House, October 10. 1678. about Seven at Night, there were Five or Six Men standing together there, who laid hold of this Deponent as he was passing by them; and they taking hold of both this Deponents Arms, Dragg'd him down about a Yard within the Water-gate of Somerset-House, it being dark; but one of the said Men, which this Deponent believes to have been Hill (for that this Deponent knew Hill very well, as also his Master Dr. Godden) Cry'd out, and said, This is not He; upon which, they immediately let this Deponent go.

10. July 1682.

Jurat' coram me

VV. Dolben.

Richard Spence.

Mr. Spence, 'tis true, did probably know Hill and his Master, as we shall see farther by and by. But in the mean Time, 'tis Remarkable, that he has Pitch'd upon Prance's Iust Number of Murtherers, (Six;) Prance's Water-gate; and that These Ruffians should Seize a Man so like Sir E. B. Godfrey for Sir E. B. Godfrey, when 'twas so Dark, they could hardly know One Face from Ano∣ther. If he had but call'd out for Help, they had cer∣tainly been Taken (unless we shall suppose that They only could see the Man, and No Body else See Them.) 'Twas a strange Thing, that No Place but Somerset-House-Water-Gate, could serve for the Surprize. But to be Short, and to make the Most on't; Here was One Man taken for Another; Seiz'd, and let go again; and This Man, for the Purpose, Like Sir Edmundbury Godfrey (though I am told otherwise:) And what's the Inference at last now, but that These Men were either Bedloe's, or Prance's Assassins, that lay upon the Catch there for Godfrey? Where was This Evidence of Mr. Spence's at Green's Tryal: Or how came it Now to be Bolted, upon This Occasion?

There was a Little Affair at That Time in hand, about the Lease of a House, which Mr. Spence had for a Term of Years in Trust from Mrs. Broadstreet. There was some Arriere Incurr'd, and a Prosecution upon it for the Mony; And while This Dispute was a-foot, the Story of Mr. Spence's being lay'd hold of, and dragg'd into Somerset-House, came to Light: I shall look no further into't; for the Further, the Worse.

Mr. Spence's Affidavit, is follow'd with Another of Iohn Okeley, the Servant of Robert Breedon, of Hartshorn-Lane, who maketh Oath, That upon Saturday, October 12. 1678. going homewards to his Master Breedons House, coming by Somerset-House in the Strand; when he came near the Gate of that House, which leads down to the Wa∣ter-side, commonly call'd the Water-gate, about Nine at Night, ••e there saw Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, and pas∣sed close by him, and put off his Hat to him; and Sir E. B. Godfrey put off his Hat again to Him; and after that the Deponent had passed beyond Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, He the Deponent turned about, and looked upon him again, and Sir Edmundbury Godfrey stood still, and there was a Man or Two near Sir Edmund.

This Affidavit was Sworn, Iune 22. before the Lord Mayor; and sworn to again the 1st. of July; 1682. before Judge Dolben, and is left Fil'd up in the Crown-Office▪ Thompsons Tryal, 33, 34, 35.

After These, there follows an Appendix, containing several Other Affidavits, in Further Confirmation (as is Pretended) of the Testimony of Mr. Miles Prance.

Harry Moor Swears, That the Report of Sir Edmund∣bury Godfrey's Hanging Himself, and of Moors saying, that He cut him down, is utterly False. Tryal, p. 41.

And after This follows Another Enformation, of Ju∣stice Baalam, that the Above-written Affidavit is True. Ibid. June 28. 1681.

Elizabeth Dekin Swears, That her Fellow-Servant John Oakley told her, while Sir Edmund was Missing, of his seeing Sir Edmund about Nine, That Saturday Night, near the Water-gate at Somerset-House.

Robert Breedon follows it with another Deposition, that Elizabeth Dekin told him, as above, what John Oakley said, June 22. 1682. p. 44.

Ralph Oakley Swears, That John Oakley told him of seeing Sir Edmundbury Godfrey as aforesaid, July 4. 1682. p. 45. And Robert Oakley, the Father of John, Deposeth, that his Son told him the same Story. Ibid.

Heres a Clutter of Six Affidavits to Two Points. The First Two to Moor's Purging himself of a Scandalous Re∣port: The Other Four to Iohn Oakley's saying that he saw Sir E. B. Godfrey. Moor's Point is nothing at all to the Present Bus'ness; and the Rest is only Hear-say, without Proof. 'Twas Dark, and what if Oakley mi∣stook the Man? And Being Dark, 'twas a Wonder he should know him at all; Especially, following, and passing by him; and then, looking back again. It was a Mighty Lucky thing too, that Spence should be Drag∣ged in by Six Men at the Water-Gate, on the Thursday, about Seven in the Evening, and that Iohn Oakley should stumble upon him at the Water-gate too, about Nine on the Saturday; and that in Both Those Dark Nights, Both these Witnesses should have the Hap to See him at the same Place, and to know him. And how came Iohn Oakley to take Notice that there was a Man or Two near Sir Edmund? What was That Circumstance to His Sto∣ry;

when, at that Hour, it could hardly be Other; but it Nicks Prance's Evidence however; for there were the Doggers, and there was the Water-Gate; and That the Place of Ambush; though the Dark Passage into Hartshorn-Lane would have been a Post worth Forty on't, for That Purpose.

Benjamin Man maketh Oath, That the Turn-key of the Gate-house, telling this Enformant that Green was Charg'd with the Murther of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey; the De∣ponent, Reading of it, Turn'd to Mr. Green, and said, I did not think to have found you such a Man; Where∣upon Green Reply'd, [I am a Dead Man] or Words to That Purpose. Sworn July 3. 1682. Tryal, p. 47.

And what Difference in the Case of this Poor Crea∣ture, betwixt saying, I am a Dead Man; and saying, There's no Fence for Perjury. But the killing Affidavit is, That which follows.

Robert Fawcet of Marybone, in the County of Middle∣sex, Esq. maketh Oath; That Tuesday the 15th. of Octo∣ber, 1678. (being the Tuesday after that Sir Edmund∣bury Godfrey was Missing) he This Deponent was a Hun∣ting with his Pack of Hounds at the very Place where the Body of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was afterwards found, and Beat that very Place with his Hounds, and the Body was not then there, nor any Gloves, nor Cane there∣about. The said Deponent further saith, That the same Day Mr. Henry Harwood requested Him This Deponent, that he would let him have his Hounds the next day after, being Wednesday, and he would find that Hare, which they could not find on Tuesday; or Words to that Purpose. And This Deponent further saith, That He the said Harwood hath several Times since Affirmed, That he did accordingly Hunt in the same Place, and Beat the same Ditch, and said, that the Body was not there That Wednesday at Noon, which said Henry Harwood is now Newly Dead.

1. die Iulii, 1682.

Jur. Coram me

W. Dolben.

Robert Fawcet.

To take the Matter now according to the Fact, as it is here Deposed. First, If the Huntsmen were on the Wrong side of the Ditch, the Thicket of Bushes and Brambles was so Close, that it was Morally Impossible to see, either the Body or the Gloves where they lay. 2dly, Though a Man in This Case of the Ditch, may Allow the Noses of the Doggs, Compar'd with the Tongues of the Witnesses, that swore the Murther at Somerset-house, to be much the more Credible Evi∣dence; It would be a Dangerous Conclusion yet, to Pro∣nounce, that the Body was Not there, because the Doggs did not Find it there; and to Raise an Argument, from That Presumption, of the Bodies Not being in the Ditch, that Therefore Sir Edmund was Murther'd at Somerset-house. So that I shall very Fairly Divide the Matter; That it was likely enough they should have found the Body, but Not Impossible for 'em to Miss it; And according to Common Course of speech, the Beating of that very Place must be intended of That Field, or of That Ditch at Large; for it cannot be Imagin'd, that they Hunted Every Inch of Ground with∣in That Compass: Or that when Men Beat to start a Hare, they stand Poring at every thing, as if they were looking for her in her Form. So that in the Candour, and Equity of Construction, [There was not any Gloves nor Cane thereabouts] must be Intended, and Ought to be Taken No otherwise, then with This Qua∣lification; That is to say, We were a Hunting and Beat∣ing upon That Place, upon Tuesday, and there was No Dead Body, Gloves, or Cane, that we saw. For such a Negative amounts only to a Presumption. And whether shall we rather Believe now; the Doggs that did Not see him there, upon Tuesday and Wednesday; or Baker, that swore He saw him hard By there, upon Saturday in the Afternoon, or the Devil in his Cloaths. To say Nothing (more then is said already p. 175.176.) of Mr.

Huysman's, and Mr. Grundy's Observations upon a Per∣son sauntring in Those Fields on Saturday Afternoon, in All Points Answering the Description of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey. There was a Discovery made, 'tis True, of a dead Body in a Wood near High-Gate, in February 1686. by the very Doggs (as I remember) of This Mr. Fawcet; But as they Chopt upon it at Last: So they Miss'd it for at least Six Weeks before, after many and many a Time Beating the same Wood.

This Enformation of Mr. Fawcet bears Date the 1. of Iuly, 1682. And 'tis a Wonder that No Publique Notice was taken on't sooner, either before the Coro∣ner, or at Green's Tryal; for Mr. Fawcet was in Com∣mission of the Peace, and Liv'd in the same Parish, saw the Body at the White-house, and had the Curiosity to View the Place where it was Found; Nay he Dis∣cours'd the Bus'ness of his Dogs, upon That Occasion; As I have it upon the Oath of a very Honest Gentleman.

Mr. VVilliam Collinson Deposeth, That being at the White-house upon Friday-morning, the Day after Sir Edmund's Body was found, while the Body lay upon the Table there; the Woman of the said House, said to This Enformant, [There's One of them that Help'd to bring him up:] Pointing to the said Person. One Mr. Fawcet being then come into the Room, spake to That Person to shew him the Place where the said Body was found: and so they went down together, and This Enformant along with them: The Guide shewing the Place, where, and Describing in What Posture the Body Lay, after This Manner. The Body lay (as the Guide told the Company) with his Head Low, and towards the High Bank, with his Heels turn'd up against the other, His Coat Vnbutton'd, and his Shirt put aside; and the Sword came a Good way thorough him about the Shoulder-blade.

Vpon sight of a Considerable Quantity of Bloud, that lay some Yards from the Ditch, Mr. Fawcet Asked how That Bloud came there? The Guide before spoken of, said, that the Sword was taken out there, and the Bloud Follow'd it: Mr. Fawcet Wond'ring at it; Asked, Why they Meddled with the Body, before the Coroner came? To which the Man Answer'd, they made a Great Busle about it; and we could not Carry the Body without taking out the Sword. Mr. Fawcet said also, ['Tis strange, that being Hunting about These Grounds, we should make No Discovery of the Body.

It will be Time now to look back upon what I have Written; To Compare the Evidences, Likelyhoods, Ap∣pearances, and Pre••ences, of the One side, with Those of the Other; To Examine the Good Faith, and the Fair Dealing, on Both Hands; And in fine, upon a Summary Review of the Whole, to Wind up my Matters in as Few Words as I can.

In the Former Part of This Discourse, the First Chap∣ter is a Bare Narrative of Godfrey's coming to a Violent Death; and Bedloes and Prances setting-up for the Dis∣coverers of the Murther. 2dly, Why, and How, they made a Plot on't. 3dly, And Swore to't. 4. How the Plot and the Murther were Incorporated. 5. The Clashing of the Witnesses. 6. Bedloes Inconsistency with Himself. 7. The Taking-up, and the Manage of Prance. 8. Prance's secret History, and Vsage, for Thirteen Days, wherein he Renounc'd to any Knowledge, either of the Plot, or the Murther, (according to his First Evi∣dence). 9. How he went off again. 10. How People were Us'd; to Encourage False, and to Discourage Ho∣nest Witnesses. 11. & 12. Notes upon Bedloes, and Prance's Evidence, and upon their Character. 13. Their Depositions, Impossible to be True. 14. The story of

Somerset-house, and of the Ditch, never to be Reconcil'd. 15. No Plot, No Murther; The One being Founded upon the Other.

Now laying all This together; That is to say, The Sham of the making a Plot on't; The Flagitious Impro∣bity of the Witnesses, Their Contradictions to Themselves, and to One Another; Their Evidence in the several Parts of it, neither Likely, Credible, nor so much as Possible; The Notorious, and the Infamous Practice of Countenancing Impostures, and of smothering the Truth; They might as well have Charg'd Prance with the Murther of Abel; or Cain with the Pillows, or the Crevats at Somerset-house: and the One would have been just as Competent a Testimony as the Other. That is to say; as the Other would Now appear to be, after the Revelation of That Part of the Mystery of Iniquity, that lay in the Dark, Before.

After the Proofs made out in the First Part, that Bedloe's and Prance's History of the Somerset-house Mur∣ther, was only a Ridiculous, and a Malicious Fiction; the Main scope of the second Part is little more then Deli∣berative, in what Manner, and Place; and by what Means and Hand he came to his End: VVherein, I have first Sir William Iones's Opinion to justify me in the Law, and Equity of my Reasonings, and Conclusions. 2dly, I prove Sir Edmund's Dismal Melancholy That Saturday, when he left his House. 3dly, VVhat Others thought of it. 4thly, VVhat He Himself Thought of it before he went away. 5thly, VVhat his Friends thought was become of him, when he was Missing. 6thly, They would have him Murther'd by Papists, before he was Dead. 7. The Care taken to Conceal his Death, in∣stead of finding it out. From 8. to 15. How the Inquest was Labour'd, upon Points Clear from the Matter; and All Necessary Enquiries, so far as Possible, set aside. 15.

16.17.18.20. Not One Word in the Coroner's Enfor∣mations to the Proper Subject of the Enquiry. 19. The Opening of the Body Order'd, but Oppos'd and Rejected though a Certain Means of Discovering the Truth.

So that upon the whole Matter at last, we have here Sir Edmund's Confession of his Own Melancholy, and his Dread of it; the Opinion of his Friends, Relations, and Servants; The Ground, and the Reason of his Fears laid Open; Proofs of his Own Forebodings, both in Words, and in Actions, Undenyably made out: Charges of Privacy given, to Hinder the Means of Discovering it. Not One Creature Examin'd, that was likely to give any Account of him; nor One Question put, and the An∣swer made use of, that any Man could be the Wiser for. The Bus'ness of the Bloud, and of the Posture, totally suppress'd; which would Infallibly have Clear'd the Point of his Dying by the Sword; And Nothing Oppos'd, on the Other side, to Ballance This Harmony of Evidences, Reasonings, and Presumptions; but the Lim∣berness, and the Distortion of the Neck, which every Nurse, and Searcher, could have told them was a Common Accident in Cases of a Natural Death.