Articles of high misdemeanours humbly offer'd and presented to the consideration of His Most Sacred Majesty, and His Most Honourable Privy Councel, against Sir William Scrogs, Lord Chief-Justice of the Kings Bench, exhibited by Dr. Oats, and Captain Bedlow, together with His Lordships answer thereunto.

ARTICLES OF High Misdemeanours, Humbly offered and Presented to the Consideration of His Most Sacred Majesty, AND HIS Most Honourable Privy COUNCEL, AGAINST Sir William Scrogs Lord Chief Justice of the KINGS BENCH, Exhibited by Dr, Oats, and Captain Bedlow, Together with his Lordships Answer thereunto.

I.

THat the said Lord Chief Justice, contrary to his Oath, the Duty of his Place, in contempt of the King, his Crown and Dignity, did set at Liberty several persons accused upon Oath before him of High Treason, without their being ever Tryed, or otherwise acquitted; as namely the Lord Brudenell, &c.

II.

That at the Tryal of Sir George Wakeman and others, at the Sessions-House in the Old Bayly, for High Treason, the said Lord Chief Justice (according to the Dignity of his place) managing the said Tryal, did brow-beat and curb Dr. Titus Oates and Mr. William Bedlow, two of the principal Witnesses for the King in that Case, and encourage the Jury impanelled and sworn to try the Malefactors, against the said Witnesses, by his publick speaking slightly and abusively against them and their Evidence, and the mis-repeating and omitting of material parts of their Evidence, whereby the parties Indicted were by the said Jury acquitted of the Fact then charged against them, and fully proved by the said Witnesses.

III.

That the said Lord Chief Justice, after the Tryal of the said Sir George Wakeman and others for High Treason as aforesaid, in the further abuse of the said Dr. Titus Oates aud Mr. William Bedlow, and in their great disparagement speaking of them, said, That before the Tryal of Sir George Wakemen (mean∣ing the aforesaid Tryal) the Witnesses (meaning the aforesaid Dr. Titus Oates and the said Mr. William Bedlow) were to be believed, but that at and after the said Tryal, they were not to be believed by him, nor should not be belie∣ved by him; or to that very effect.

IV.

That the said Lord Chief Justice, by reason of his Office, hath taken upon him the power to oppress by Imprisonment his Majesties Loyal Subjects, name∣ly Henry Care, for writing and causing to be printed divers single-sheet Books in English, called The Pacquet of Advice from Rome, for the information and discovery of the Idolatrous Errors and Impieties of the Romish Church, to his Majesties Loyal and obedient Protestant Subjects, (in this conjucture of time very useful) although the said Lord Chief Justice neither did, not could alledge or charge the said Care with any thing contained in the said Book, that was any ways criminal or derogatory to his Majesties Laws, Crown or Dignity; and refuses to take very good Bail for him, though offered, and afterwards less Bail taken for him upon his Habeas Corpus in Court: But by the said Lord Chief Justice's means, he was continued bound all the Term to his good behaviour, and at the end thereof until the next Term, although no particular Crime was or could be proved against him, or laid to his charge.

V.

That to the great oppression of his Majesties Loyal Subjects, the said Lord Chief Justice, contrary to Law, and in manifest breach of his Oath, hath with∣out any reasonable cause imprisoned a Feme Covert, and also divers other his Majesties said Subjects, and refused to take Bail, though tendred, and the Mat∣ter Bailable, as in the case of Mrs. Jane Curtis, Mr. Francis Smith, &c.

VI.

That the said Lord Chief Justice is very much addicted to Swearing and Cursing in his common discourse, and to drink to excess, to the great dispa∣ragement of the Dignity and Gravity of his said place. He did in his common discourse at Dinner at a Gentlemans house of Quality, publickly and openly use and utter many Oaths and Curses, and there drink to excess.

VII.

That Charles Price being accused upon Oath, before the said Lord Chief Justice to be a Popish Priest and Jesuit, and Imprisoned for the same, and also divers other Persons accused upon Oath for High Treason, as namely Sir Francis Mannock, Richard Vaughan Esq and Daniel Arther Merchant, the said Lord Chief Justice set at large upon Bail, without consulting his Majesties Councel, or his witnesses, and against their consent, divers of which Persons have not since appeared, but have forfeited their Recognizances, and the persons not to be found.

VIII.

That the said Lord Chief Justice, to the great discouragement of his Maje∣sties Loyal Protestant Subjects, to the manifest Incouragement of the Roman Catholick Subjects, when Information hath been duly and legally given to him of the aboad, or person of a Popish Priest or Jesuit, and a Warrant de∣sired from him to take or search for such Priests or Jesuits; he hath in a slighting and scornful manner refused the same, and bid the Informer go to Sir William Waller, who busied himself in such matters mainly.

IX.

That at the Tryal of Knox and Lane, at the Barr of the Kings-Bench-Court, for their misdemeanors, in endeavouring to take away the Credit of Dr. Titus Oates, and Mr. William Bedlow, two of the principal Witnesses for his Majesty, in the proving of the Conspiracy and Conspirators a∣gainst his Majesties Life, and Government of these Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland, the destruction of the Protestants and Protestant Re∣ligion, and introducing and setling of Popery there, although the Evidence was so full and clear against them, that the Jury found them guilty without going from the Bar; yet the said Lord Chief Justice, in further discourage∣ment and disparaging the Evidence of the said Dr. Titus Oates and Mr. Wil∣liam Bedlow, would not, nor did not give any Charge to the Jury therein, but rose up suddenly, after the Evidence closed by the Council, and left the said Court abruptly, before the said Jury had given in their Verdict.

X.

That the said Lord Chief Justice, knowing that one Will. Osborn was in the Conspiracy and Contrivance with the said Knox and Lane, in the last Article mentioned, to take away the Credit of the said Dr. Titus Oates and Mr. William Bedlow, and knowing the said Dr. Titus Oates and Mr. William Bedlow to be material Witnesses for his Majesty, in proving of the Conspiracy and Conspirators in the said last Article mentioned, and had been so against se∣veral of the said Conspirators that had been tryed, and were to be so against several others of the said Conspirators that were impeached or accused for the said High-Treason, and were to be tryed for the same; and knowing the said Will. Osborn had been detected before the Lords in Parliament assembled, for his said Conspiracy and Contrivance with the said Knox and Lane; and that upon his own Oath, thereupon denying the Fact in their said Conspiracy and Contrivance to be true, yet out of his malice to the said Dr. Titus Oats. and Mr. William Bedlow, and in as much as in him lay to endeavour the dispa∣ragement, if not the suppressing of the further discovery of that Hellish and damnable Plot, the said Lord Chief Justice, without the knowledge, consent, or approbation of his Majesty, or any of his Learned Council in the Law, or the said Dr. Titus Oates, or Mr. William Bedlow, did voluntarily give the said Osborn liberty to make an Affidavit before him upon Oath, of the truth of the said Fact, he had before as aforesaid denied upon his Oath, with intent that the same might be made use of against the said Dr. Titus Oates, and Mr. William Bedlow, to their disparagement, and the apparent prejudice of his Majesty, against the said Conspirators, in the said High-Treason.

XI.

That he the said Lord Chief Justice, to manifest his slighting opinion of the Evidence of the said Dr. Titus Oates and Mr. William Bedlow, in the presence of his most Sacred Majesty, and the Right Honourable the Lords and others of his Majesties most Honourable Privy Council, did dare to say, That he had thought that Dr. Titus Oates and Mr. William Bedlow always had an ac∣cusation ready against any body.

XII.

That at the Assize holden at Monmouth last, the said Lord Chief Justice, in the presence of several Justices of the Peace for the said County, did say to Mr. William Bedlow, that he did believe in his Conscience, that Richard Langhorn, whom he condemned, died wrongfully, to the great disparage∣ment of his Majesties Crown and Dignity, the Justice of the Court, the Jury and Evidence.

XIII.

That the said Lord Chief Justice, contrary to the Dignity of his Place, did make Merchandize of the Trials of certain Priests to be tried in Staffordshire, and took twenty Guinneys in earnest; then sold the said Trials to other per∣sons, refusing to return the said twenty Guinneys to those from whom he had received them. And furthermore, before the Trial of Sir George Wakeman, he the said Lord Chief Justice did bargain with two Book-sellers for one hun∣dred and fifty Guinneys for them to Print the Trials, and in case they would not lay down the Money before he went into the Court, he would not go into the Court, but would go into the Countrey; and if the said Trial, by reason of its length, could not be finished in one day, he would have a hun∣dred Guinneys more, or to that very effect.