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A Poor Carpenter dwelling in the Town, who having stoln a Goose, and plucking it within his doors, a little Girl (his Daughter-in-law) went out of his house, and left the door open, by which means, the owner of the Goose passing by, espyed the wretched thief
very diligently picking what he before had been stealing, to whom the owner said, Neighbour, I now perceive which way my Geese use to go, but I will have you in Question for them, and so away he went; the Caitiff being thus reproved, grew desperate, and his Child coming into his house, ye young whore, quoth he, must ye leave my door open for folks to look in upon me, and with that word he took a hatchet, and with a cursed stroak, he clove the Childs head, for the which murther he was condem∣ned and judged to be broken alive upon the wheel. Upon the day of Execution, about the hour of 12 at Noon, the peo∣ple of the Town in great multitudes flocked to the place of Execution, which is half a mile English without the Gates, the Prisoner came on foot with a Divine with him, all the way exhorting him to repentance; and because death should not terrifie him, they had given him many Rowses, and Carowses of Wine and Beer; for it is a custom there to make
such poor wretches drunk, whereby they be made sensless, either of Gods mercy, or their own misery, but being pray'd for by others, they themselves may die re∣solutely, or (to be feared) desperate∣ly.
But the Prisoner being come to the place of death, he was by the Officers delivered to the hang-man, who entring his strangling fortification with two grand hang-men more, and their men, to assist their Hamburghian brother in this great and weighty work; the Prisoner mounted on a mount of Earth, built high on purpose that the people about may see the execution a quarter of a mile round about, four of the hang-mens men takes each of them a small halter, and by the hands and the feet they hold the prisoner extended all abroad lying on his back, then the Arch-hang-man, or the great Master of this mighty business, took up a wheel much about the bigness of one of the fore, wheels of a Coach, and first having
put off his Doublet, his Hat, and being in his shirt, as if he meant to play at Tennis, he took the wheel, and set it on the edge, and turn'd it with one hand like a Top or Whirly-gig; then he took it by the Spoaks, and lifting it up, with a mighty stroke, he beat one of the poor wretches legs in pieces (the bones I mean) at which he rored grievously, then after a little pause he breaks the o∣ther leg in the same manner, and conse∣quently breaks his arms, and then he stroke four or five main blows on his breast, and burst all his bulk and chest in shivers; lastly, he smote his neck, and missing, burst his chin and Jaws to mam∣mocks, then he took the broken man∣gled Corps, and spread it on the wheel, and then fixed the post into the Earth some six foot deep, being in height a∣bove the ground some ten or twelve foot, and there the carkass must lye till it be consumed by all consuming time, or ravening fowls.
This was the terrible manner of the horrid Execution; and at this place are twenty posts with those wheels or pie∣ces of wheels, with heads of men nailed on the top of the posts; with a great spike driven through the skull. The several kinds of torments which they inflict upon offenders in those parts, puts me to imagine our English hanging to be but a flea-biting.