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

THE MYSTERY OF THE DEATH OF Sir E. B. Godfrey UNFOLDED. PART. II.

CHAP. I.

The Vindication of Green, Berry, and Hill, upon the Ground of Sir William Jones's Law and Equity.

THE Whole Sum of the Matter here in Issue, lyes within This Compass; Either Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was Murther'd in Somerset-House, according to the Oaths of Bedloe and Prance, or he was

Not. Whoever supposes that he Was, must take This Along with him, that he was Murther'd in Se∣veral Places; by Several Instruments, Ways, and Means, for Differing Reasons, and with Differing Ends, and De∣signs. And in short, that he was Murther'd One Way before the Lords Committees, and Several Other Ways up∣on the Tryals of the Pretended Criminals. These Con∣tradictions and Inconsistences are layd as open as the Day, in the Former Part of This Little History; and the Witnesses turn'd Naked into the World, without so much as a Fig-leaf to cover their Shame. Nay, and without so much as an Advocate, to Excuse them from a Deliberate, and Wilful Perjury. We are all satisfy'd, they cry, that he was Not Kill'd at Somerset-House; and that the whole History of it is an Imposture: But it will be a harder piece of Work to make it out, How, Where, and by Whom he Was Kill'd, then How, Where, and by Whom he was Not. Conjecture, they say, is No Evidence, and we have not the least Glim∣mering of any Light toward the Certain-Truth, and Knowledge of This Matter.

The World cannot give a Better Answer to This Objection, then what Sir William Iones has put in my Mouth; upon the Summing up of the Evidence at the Tryal of That Cause.

[Mr. Attorney General.] My Lord, I shall be bold to say, here is certainly as much Evidence as the Matter is Capable of. It is not to be Expected, that they should call Witnesses to be By, when they do such Foul Facts: so that None can swear directly the Fact, but such a One, as was an Actor in't: All Circumstances relating to the Fact, both Before, and After, are made out by Concur∣rent Testimony. Greens Tryal, pag. 72.]

Now if the Matter here in hand be of the same Qua∣lity, and the same Secrecy; (with Sir William Iones's In∣stance) and supported by More, and by stronger Cir∣cumstances, relating to the Fact, both Before, and Af∣ter; Why may not my Circumstances go as far toward the Vindicating of the memory of Three Innocents, as Mr. Attorneys Circumstances did, toward the taking away of their Lives? And why may not my Concurrent Te∣stimonies, with the Great Odds of Weight, and Number, do as much toward the Retrieving, and the Establishing of a Truth, as the Concurrent Testimony that Mr. At∣torney here speaks of, did toward the Supporting, and the Authorizing of an Imposture? He that Kills Himself, goes as Privately to Work as Any Other Man would do that were to Kill him. And if none but an Actor can swear Directly to the Fact, it were madness to require a Witness to a Felo de se, when there's no Man left alive to bear Testimony: And I have This Advantage Over and Above, (as I say) that I shall here set up a Greater Number of Fairer Likelyhoods, and more Preg∣nant Presumptions of Subornation, and Perjury; to Sup∣ply the Want of a Point-Blank-Evidence: And Leave No room for Doubting to any Man, that would not stretch his Belief further in favour of Falshood and Oppression, then to Assert the Cause of Truth, and Iustice.

The Paragraph above-Cited has so many Remark∣able strokes in't, that 'tis pity any of it should be Lost, and so I'le go on with it.

My Lord, I must Observe, that it was a Murther, Committed through Zeal to a False Religion; and That Religion was a Bond of Secrecy. We all know his Ma∣jesty hath been Graciously pleased by his Proclamation to Propose a Pardon, and a Reward to the Discoverers. And yet almost without Effect; Their Zeal to a False Re∣ligion was a Greater Obstacle, then the Proclamation

was an Incitement to the Discovery. And I do believe, if Mr. Prance had not had some Inclination to Change his Religion, You had still been without so Clear a Dis∣covery of This Work of Darkness, as now you have. Ibid.

Here's a Murther Presum'd, upon the Evidence of a False Oath; Religion made the Ground and the Bond of That Murther; And yet at the same Time, Three Other Murthers Design'd, Carry'd-on and Accomplished, upon the Credit of it; beside Innumerable Other Mischiefs that lay out of sight, under the Veil of Hidden Events. The King's Proclamation did, in Truth, fall short of Producing a Discovery; but the Five Hundred Pound Promis'd in't, prov'd a Temptation to a Most Damnable Cheat: (for that was the Lure that brought Bedloe down.) To say Nothing of an Evidence-Proselyte: in making Prance's Forswearing himself, to be the Test of his Conversion. Only once again now, and I have done.

I shall say no more, but Conclude to the Jury, with That saying, that I remember in the Book of Judges (in the Case of a Murther too, though of Another Nature) Iudg. 19.30. (The People said, there was No such Deed Done, Nor seen, from the Day that the Children of Israel came out of Egypt:] And I may say, There was Never such a Barbarous Murther Committed in Eng∣land, since the People of England were freed from the Yoke of the Pope's Tyranny; And as 'tis said There, so say I, Now, Consider of it; Take Advice; and speak your Minds. Ibid.]

A Man should have been very sure of his Point, be∣fore he Lash'd out into so Bold a Figure; for here is Scripture call'd into his Aid, for the Illustrating of a

Forgery. Here's One Notorious Murther, (in the False Witnesses, That is) Supported, under the Colour of Arraigning Another. And here's the Actual, the Treasonous, and the Sacrilegious Murther of a Pious, a Gracious, and a Merciful King, set in Ballance, with the Fictitious Murther of a Malancholique Iustice; and found Light upon the Comparison. But be it as it will, here's Case against Case: And so long as I have the Authority and Opinion of Sir William Iones on my Side, as to the Legal Competency of Circumstantial and Presumptive Evi∣dences, I'le make no Difficulty of casting my Reputati∣on upon the Merits of the Cause. Only a Word or Two by way of Preparatory, that I may slide Natural∣ly into my Bus'ness.

'Tis out of Doubt, that Sir Edmundbury Godfrey Dy'd a Violent Death; but whether by Another Hand, or by his Own, is the Single Question: Now One of the Two it must be; though Which of them, is not as yet Determin'd: If by the Former, there must have been some Notorious Grudge, Quarrel, or Controversie, whereupon to ground so Mortal a Malice, and Revenge. If by the Latter, 'tis no New Thing for a Man that lyes under either the Load of a Hideous Melancholy, or the Power of a Temptation that he has not Strength to Resist, (though otherwise of never so Fair a Life and Conversation) to sink under the Horror of his own Thoughts, and to Lay Violent Hands upon Himself. Now how far any thing of This might appear in the Cir∣cumstances of his Temper and Condition, is a Point that a Thinking Man would not on either hand wholly pass over without loooking both ways upon This Occa∣sion.

First, as to any Matter of Grudge, Quarrel, Contro∣versie, or Rancorous Animosity, Private, and Personal; I cannot Learn that there has been any Thing of This, either Observ'd, Apprehended, or Suggested: Nor in

Truth (which was a wonderful Thing) that any of his Family were ever so much as Examin'd to That Point. But in a Word, for want of a Personal Pretence, they have turn'd it to the Spleen of a Party, and Grafted the Murther into the Conspiracy: However; for Colour sake, There were Two Reasons Assign'd; The One, Special; and the Other, General; as the Induce∣ments to This Barbarous Fact. The Former was the taking of Tong's and Otes's Depositions; which (as I have it elsewhere) would not have Signify'd a Single Hair of a Man's Head; if Ten Thousand Lives had de∣pended upon the Matter there Depos'd. The Other Reason was as Groundless as the Former was Frivolous: [The Murther (says the Kings Council) was Commit∣ted upon a Gentleman, and upon a Magistrate; and I wish he had not Therefore been Murther'd, because he was a Protestant Magistrate. Greens Tryal, fol. 7. And he was very Industrious in finding out the Principal Actors in this Plot. Ibid. This was the Song in all the Narra∣tives, Pamphlets, and Tryals; That the Papists Mur∣ther'd him; and Principally, for the Hatred he bore That Party.

Now This is so Notorious a Mistake, that he Liv'd in a strict Confidence, and Friendship, with Divers Roman Catholiques of No mean Quality, and Character: He was so far from Promoting the Plot, that he took it for a Cheat from the Beginning; Gave his Royal High∣ness an Account of Otes's Depositions; and so likewise to some Other Men of Honour of the Roman Communion upon the First Taking of them: Nay he was so Ten∣der of any Oppression That way, that upon the bring∣ing of one Mr. Burnet a Priest before him to be Ex∣amin'd, and Proceeded against according to Law, Sir Edmund made his Application to Dr. Godden (then be∣longing to the Queen) about him; told him how it was, and, though at That Time a Stranger to him,

desir'd him to use what Means he could, either by her Majesty, or by a Secretary of State, to Prevent his go∣ing to Prison; and in the mean while, he Himself would put the Bus'ness off as long as he could.

So that hitherto, there appears neither Interest, nor Provocation, Private, or Publique, toward the taking away This Gentleman's Life; but, for want of a more Plausible Pretext, there has been Objected over and over the Frequency of his Exclamations, that he should be the First Martyr; That he should be the first Man to suffer in the Cause; and other various Readings upon Words of his to That Purpose, according to the Rellish of the People's Fancy, or Palate, that Heard them. Now this was an Expression that Carry'd the Best Countenance of a Favourable Insinuation of any that they made use of: But there's Nothing said in all these Fore-bodings, from what Quarter it was that the Danger Threaten'd him; only he told Otes (if Otes does not Bely him) [That he was in a great Fright, and went in fear of his Life by the Popish Party. Greens Tryal, fol. 12.] Wherein, Otes's Sagacity supply'd a Dark Text, (to speak in his own fine way) with an Elucida∣ting Comment, worth Twenty of the Alexandrian Ver∣sion of the Septuagint that he presented the Iesuits with. But why he should be affraid of his Known Friends, and of Those that knew him to be Their Friend: And why should he be Affraid of the Papists, for fear of Spoiling Their Plot, when he had Already, so much as in Him lay, Spoil'd Otes's Plot, by Discovering the Roguery of it upon the first Instance; Why, I say, the Papists should Murther Sir Edmundbury Godfrey contrary to all the Rules of Morality, Humanity, Gratitude, Iustice, and Common Prudence; and do All This to No Manner of Purpose too; is a Mystery wholly Vnaccountable. We shall speak to his Exclamations by and by: But First to his Melancholy; and Then, Leave the World to

Iudge whether These Ejaculatory Starts, and Apprehensions took their Rise from Splenetick Vapours, or from any Reasonable Fears.

In the Handling of This Subject, I shall Range what I have to say under These Following Heads; and Assign to every Head a Chapter by it self, for the avoiding of either Prolixity, or Confusion.

First, What Humour was Sir E. B. Godfrey observ'd to be in upon the Morning, and Day, when he last left his House?

2ly. What Notice was taken of Sir E. B. Godfrey's Melancholy, before he left his House? And what Opinion, or Apprehension had People of it?

3ly. What Opinion, or Apprehension had Sir E. B. Godfrey Himself of his Melancholy before he went away?

4ly. What did Sir E. B. Godfrey's Friends, Relations, Servants, and Acquaintance think was become of him, from the time of his going away to the Time when the Body was found?

CHAP. II.

What Humour was Sir E. B. Godfrey Observ'd to be in upon the Morning and Day when he last Left his House?

SIR E. B. Godfrey went away from his House in Harts-horn-Lane, upon Saturday Morning, the 12th of October, 1678. People are Divided about the Hour, but most Agree that it was Early. Now from the Time of his Departure, we shall Date the Entrance into our Discourse upon This Subject, and begin with the

Evidence of his Clark, Henry Moor; as to Some Passages of That Morning.

Henry Moor Deposeth, That he was Sole Clerk to Sir Edmundbury Godfrey for a year and half before his Death; and that after the said Sir Edmundbury God∣frey had taken the several Depositions of Tong and Otes, he This Deponent Observ'd him to be Vnder Great Discon∣tent, and in Disorder many times, and wished they had never come to him.

And further This Deponent saith, That between the Hours of Nine and Ten in the Morning, on the same Sa∣turday that Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, in the year One Thousand Six Hundred Seventy and Eight, Left his House, He This Deponent was in the Parlour with him, and he bid this Enformant help him on with a New Chamblet Coat, which he did; but presently after, Order'd him to help him on with an Old Chamblet Coat, which he told this Deponent would Serve that Day well enough; and Immediately after his said Coat was put on, he went out of the Room, and was going abroad, and at the Gate, go∣ing out of the Yard into the Lane, he Suddenly Stopt, and turn'd Himself toward this Deponent, and Looked Seriously upon him, as if he would have said something to this Deponent; and in That Posture he Stood a small Time, but Immediately went his Way, Not Speaking to this Deponent; and after That time He this Deponent never saw him Alive.

There will need no Hand in the Margent here, to bespeak a Note upon the Disorder This Unhappy Gen∣tleman was in upon his Last Farewel to his House and Family: But I could wish the Clerk had been Call'd upon (who is since Dead) to Explain himself upon the Last Words of This Paragraph; where he says, that [After that Time he never saw his Master [Alive.]

And why not as well that he never saw him after, till he saw the Body at the White-house, or in Hartshorn-Lane, when it was brought home? as that [afterward he never saw him ALIVE. The Stress lyes upon the Word [ALIVE;] for Moor acknowledged upon the Examina∣tion above, that he had been to look for his Master about Primrose-Hill upon the Enformation of one Par∣sons, a Coach-maker, who told him that upon Saturday Morning, Sir Edmund Asked him the way thither; Moor Declaring further, [That he was looking for him within a little from the Place where the Body was found.] Now Considering the Distraction that Moor, and the Rest of the Family were in, upon his First going away; and taking Moor's Expression along with it, that he had been Looking for him about Those Fields; It must be Na∣turally Vnderstood, that he looked for him in Ditches, and Retired Places; unless he should think to find him a Grazing among the Cows, or the Sheep; a Day, Two, or Three after he was Missing: So that in All Likelyhood Moor found the Body in the very Ditch, and Covers the Concealment under the Disguise of Not having seen him Alive. I lay no Stress upon This; but it may, or it may not be, and no great matter which.

There are Two Enformations of Mr. Cooper, and Mrs. Leeson, that speak to his Ill Humour of That Morning.

Richard Cooper Deposeth, That He this Enformant well remembreth Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, and that he met him in St. Martins Lane, going toward Newstreet, be∣twixt That and the Crown and Scepter; and that This Enformant saluted him by his Name; and the Said Sir Ed∣mund returning the Civility to this Enformant, saying, Good Morrow, Mr. Cooper. This Enformant's Sister being in Company with him, and one James Lowen, Keep∣er of Hatfield Park. This was about Eight a Clock in

the Morning; but this Enformant cannot Positively speak to the Certain Day; only he saith, that he this Enforman•• did hear the day following, that the said Sir Edmund was Missing, and did not come-in All Night.

And saith, That to the best of this Enformants Memory, the said Sir Edmund was in Black Cloths, Stockings, and Hat, and that he walked with his Cane Dangling be∣fore him, and that the said Sir Edmund, having been for∣merly us'd to speak Freely, and Pleasantly to this Enfor∣mant upon all Occasions, this Enformant's Sister took notice of his Change of Humour, and that he spake Melancho∣ly, and Discontented.

Mary Leeson Deposeth, That about Eight a Clock in the Morning (to the best of this Enformants Memory) when Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was first missing from his House, as this Enformant heard it reported: This Enfor∣mant being in Company with Mr. Richard Cooper, and one Lowen, met the said Sir Edmund in St. Martins Lane; He going up toward New-street, and this Enformant go∣ing toward the Strand. This Enformant telling the said Mr. Cooper, There comes Justice Godfrey; The said Mr. Coo∣per Answering, So he does; and Mr. Cooper, when he came up to him, saluting him saying, Good Morrow Sir Ed∣mund; the said Sir Edmund replying in a Grave, Formal Way, Good Morrow Mr. Cooper: which gave this En∣formant Occasion to say, The Justice is Melancholy. Mr. Cooper replying, No, He is Studying.

Mr. Ioseph Radcliffe speaks to the Same Point also, and his Wife agrees with him in the same Thought, upon the Humour they observ'd him to be in, about One of the Clock the same Saturday. See the Enformation at Lage, cap. 18.

I have Three Other Depositions that speak to the same Day, and to the same Purpose; and with them I shall Conclude This Chapter.

Thomas Snell Deposeth, That He this Enformant had no Personal Knowledge of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey; but that Living in Holborn, over against Turn-Style, he hath seen a Person often passing by his House into the Red-Lyon-Fields, and hath been told Several Times (but by whom this Enformant doth not remember) that the said Person was Sir Edmundbury Godfrey.

He saith further, That upon the Day (as he Remem∣breth and Believeth) whereon Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was first missing, he saw (about Noon as he remembreth) the same Person (as he verily b••lieveth) which he had for∣merly been told was Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, pass by the House of This Enformant, into Red-Lyon-Fields.

And further, That hearing afterward that the Body of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was found, This Enfor∣mant Reflected upon the Person that he had seen as above-said; and upon the Melancholique Appearance of him, as he pass'd by This Enformants House at the Time aforesaid.

Thomas Grundy Deposeth, That He This Enformant walking out towards Hampstead, in Company with Mr. Huysman a Painter, upon the Saturday when Sir Ed∣mundbury Godfrey was first missing; being (to the best of This Enformants Memory) the 12th of Octo∣ber, 1678. He This Enformant about Two or Three in the Afternoon of the Day aforesaid, (as he remembreth) Seeing a Tall Person walking alone, towards the White-House near Primrose-Hill, He this Enformant said to Mr. Huysman, there goes Dr. Barwick; But this En∣formant observing him further, told the said Mr. Huys∣man, that it was not 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••arwick: but wondring a little

with himself, to see a Person alone thereabouts, This En∣formant having often taken that Walk, but very rarely see∣ing any Body thereabouts before: This Enformant followed him in the same way, at the matter of Twenty Yards di∣stance, for near a Quarter of a Mile; and observed, that his Stockings were a kind of a Rusty Black, and his Shoes seemed to be Old, and his Coat of a Dark-Co∣lour'd Mixed Chamblet (as this Enformant Remem∣breth.)

And further, That this Enformant going to take the same Walk some Days after, and going by So-ho, this Enformant was there told the First News he had heard of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, being found Murther'd upon Primrose-Hill. Vpon which, this Enformant reflected on the Person that he had taken upon the Saturday for Dr. Bar∣wick, and concluded within himself, that the Person whom he first took for Dr. Barwick, was Sir E. Godfrey. This Enfor∣mant knowing Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, and remem∣bring that he had seen him in such a Colour'd Coat; which Struck this Enformant with an Apprehension as he Declar'd to Several Others, that the said Sir Edmund had laid Uiolent Hands upon Himself.

Iames Huysman Deposeth, That he this Enformant hearing that the Body of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was found, at, or near Primrose Hill; and that the said Sir Edmund had been missing ever since the Saturday before; This Enformant reflected upon it, that he had seen a Per∣son in a very Melancholique Posture, and way of Walk∣ing, near the said Place, upon the Day when Sir Edmund was reported to have been first missing; And (as this En∣formant remembreth) it was betwixt Two and Three that Afternoon. He was a Tall, slender Man, in a Black or Dark Coat, which this Enformant took to be Chamblet; This Enformant wondring within himself to See a Person of his Appearance walking in so Lonesom a Place.

And saith, That this Enformant speaking with one Mr. Grundy, after the Body was found, about the said Sir Edmund, the said Mr. Grundy having been with this Enformant at the Time when they saw the said Person that is above described; He the said Mr. Grundy, and This Enformant, Comparing the Person of the Man with the Circumstances of the Day, the Place, and the Appearing Sadness in the said Persons Gate and Motion, did Joyntly Agree in an Apprehension, that the Person above Descri∣bed, and whom they had seen Together as aforesaid, was Sir Edmundbury Godfrey. And that this Enformant going afterward to the White-house, Asked the Woman of the House, Whether Sir Edmunds Body had been brought Thither, and if any Bloud came from it; the said Woman Answer'd This Enformant, that it was Laid there upon the Table, and that the Bloud Dreyned from the Body into the Cellar; and that Clots of Bloud were found about the Body, to the Best of This Enformants Memory.

CHAP. III.

What Notice was taken of Sir E. B. Godfrey's Me∣lancholy before he went away from his House; And what Opinion, or Apprehension People had Concerning it.

THis Topique is the very Hinge of the Main Que∣stion. There's a Great deal to be said upon't; And I shall rather Adventure to be thought Tedious, then to fall short in any thing that's very Particular, and very Material; for it is not with such a Tryal as This, in a Book, as it is with a Tryal at Bar in a

Court of Iustice; Where All that's over and above a Le∣gal Competency of Witnesses for Probity, and for Num∣ber, is Burdensom and Superfluous, and only so much Mony, or Time thrown away. Now I am not in This Place to contend with Rules, and Forms of Law and Equity; but Common Fame sits Iudge of the Controver∣sie, while Reason is to be Try'd by Noise, and Prejudice. So that I must, both in Necessity, and in Discretion, make use of All Honest Aids to my Advantage, though I prove the same thing over and over again, by Twenty several Hands, in as many several Ways; and so, as to leave no Place for Prepossession: For when Men of All Sorts and Conditions; Men of Several Qualities and Persuasions; And Men of Credit, in fine, of what Iudgment soever; When All These, I say, shall agree, as with One Voice, to the Truth of what I deliver; I have no more to Ask, but the Readers Patience for a Candid Report of the Fact; and Every Man then is at Liberty to make his Own Inference: We shall now Begin our Remarques upon the Eve to That Fatal Saturday before mentioned.

Mr. Richard Wheeler of St. Martins in the Fields, Deposeth, That upon Friday, October 11. 1678. being at a Vestry in St. Martins, Sir E. B. Godfrey, who was commonly the Mouth of the Bord, sate Leaning, with his Face upon his Hand, without a Word speaking, saving that he once Lifted up his Head, and Vttered These, or the like Words [That will not do.] Captain Bridal being there present: That the Company Adjourn'd from thence to a Tavern, where, upon Discourse of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, it was Agreed, that he Was not, or had not been Well; his Countenance, and Behaviour being very much Alter'd.

Mr. Ioseph Radcliffe gives an Account of a Hu∣mour of his at Mr. Weldens in York-Buildings, That very Night after the rising of the Vestry. See it at large, Cap. 18.

Mr. Edward Birthy Deposeth, That about Four or Five in the Afternoon of the Friday Next before the Saturday that Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was First Mis∣sing. This Enformant, with his Wife, and Another Person since Dead, going to Cross the Street from the Red-Lyon-Inn in Drury-Lane, saw Sir Edmundbury Godfrey walking down Drury-Lane to the Strand∣ward, Close by the side of the Kennel, looking still upon the Ground, seeming to be Extremely Pensive, and Me∣lancholique.

And that as This Enformant was just about to Pass the Kennel, He this Enformant with his Company stopt, till Sir Edmund might go by, who happened to be Passing, just at That Place; this Enformant saluting him with his Hat; as being very well known to him: Whereupon, the said Sir Edmund made a very strange, and a sudden Pause, Setting one Foot forward with a stamp, Catching hold of the Brims of his Hat, as if he were to look at something, and star'd this Enformant in the Face a while, without a Word speaking: This Enformant and the Company Passing by him while he stood in this Posture, and so continued a little while after, This Enformant ob∣serving the said Sir Edmund to continue his Course by the side of the Kennel, 'till This Enformant and his Compa∣ny went out of the Lane into a Little Alley, a good Way from thence. This Enformant telling his Company there∣upon, This is Sir Edmundbury Godfrey; This looks strangely; Pray God Bless him, or to that Effect. This Enformant being at that Time much Troubled to see him in

such a Disorder; and the Company at That Time making the same Reflexion upon it.

Mary Gibbons, Iunior, Deposeth, That Judith Pam∣phlin (who lived in the House with Sir Edmundbury God∣frey) told this Enformant, that Sir Edmund was the most Melancholique, Alter'd Man of Late that could be; and how upon the Day before he was Missing, he brought down, in a Great Discontent, as many Papers as she thought would fill her Apron, and threw them into the Fire.

Mrs. Gibbons, the Mother, saith also, That Mrs. Pamphlin told her, that Sir Edmund had been so very Dis∣contented, and out of his Ordinary Temper of Late, that he Quarrel'd with his very Band: Saying further, That the said Sir Edmund was in so great a Disorder the Fri∣day Night before he went away, that he Tumbled over his Drawers, and Trunks, and burnt as many Papers as her Apron would hold.

To pass a short Reflexion now upon the Matters above; His Disorder at the Vestry was Manifest; The Wildness of his Discourse, and Actions at Weldens, seem'd to Point Directly at what Follow'd. His Behaviour in Drury-Lane was as Freakish as any of the Rest; and as much Wondred at, by Those that were meer Stran∣gers to him. It must be Somewhat Extraordinary too, the Account that Pamphlin gives of Burning his Papers. And it was as Extravagant Perhaps as any thing else; his odd manner of coming to my Lady Prats That Day, and behaving himself at a rate, to put the whole Company in Amazement. This was the Action of Fri∣day: But now to look further back a little.

Mr. Thomas Wynell Deposeth, That having many Occasions of Bus'ness with Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, as well at the Enformants House at Cranbrook in Essex, as at the House of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, in Harts-horn-Lane in the Strand: He this Enformant took Notice many Times that Sir Edmund was very much Disorder'd and Troubled in his Mind; and particularly, some Two or Three Days before this last Appointment, (i. e. of Dining together that Saturday.) Insomuch, that this Enformant did often Reason the Matter with the said Sir Edmund; and use all the Means, and Arguments he could, to remove that Extreme Sadness, and Melancholy that he Labour'd Vnder. The said Sir Edmund still persisting in That Disconsolate Temper of Mind; and often expres∣sing the Deep Sense he had of the Vnhappiness of his Con∣dition, and that he had not Long to Live.

Captain Thomas Gibbon Deposeth, that about Ten of the Clock in the Morning, upon the Thursday before Sir E. B. Godfrey left his House, the said Sir Edmund having sent for the Wife of this Enformant, who could not at that Time leave her sick Mother: He this Enformant went into Harts-horn-Lane, to the said Sir Edmund, whom he found by his Dress, Looks, and Actions, to be in great Disor∣der. And this Enformant finding his Company Uneasie to the said Sir Edmund, soon took his Leave, and returning home to his Wife, he this Enformant told her his Thoughts of Sir Edmund; Expressing Great Trouble for his Con∣dition, the said Sir Edmund being This Enformants Par∣ticular Friend.

Mary Gibbons, the Daughter of the Captain above∣nam'd, Deposeth, That some Few Days before Sir Ed∣mund was Missing, the Father of This Enformant told her, that he had been to Visit Sir Edmundbury Godfrey,

and that he found him in so great Disorder, that he was affraid he would make some Attempt upon Himself, as his Father had done.

Mary, the Wife of Captain Thomas Gibbons, Depo∣seth as above, and tells of a Remarkable Extravagance of Sir Godfrey, at her House the Tuesday was Senight before he went away, of which we shall speak more particularly in the Last Chapter of This Book.

CHAP. IV.

What Opinion or Apprehension had Sir Edmund∣bury Godfrey Himself of his Melancholy before he went away? And what was it that made him use That Expression so often, I shall be the First Martyr; Or, I shall not Live Long.

MAry Gibbon, Senior, Deposeth, That she observed Sir Edmundbury Godfrey very Sad and Pensive, some time before his Death; and that the said Sir Edmund hath lamented his Condition to this Enformant, saying, [Oh! Cozen, I do inherit my Fathers Deep Melancholy: I cannot get it off. I have taken away a great many Ounces of Bloud, but I cannot get the Victory. These Words, or Words to this effect, the said Sir Edmund hath spoken very many times, saying, I am best Alone; I can∣not get off This Melancholy; and the Like Expres∣sions.

And says, that not long before his Death, he being Ill, sent for her to make him some Jelly, and that a Day or Two after, she going to Visit him, she found him drinking Whey with Brown Bread in it; and then she said to him, Sir,

I make Jelly for you one Day, and you Drink Whey another. Oh Cozen (saith he) throwing the Pot one way, and the Spoon Another) My Fathers Dark Me∣lancholy hath Seized me; It is Hereditary, and I can∣not get it out of me.

Mary Gibbons the Yonger Deposeth, That this En∣formant hath heard Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, not long before his Death, say, that He Inherited his Fathers Me∣lancholy, and that he had been let Bloud, but it did him no Good.

William Church of the Inner Temple, Gent. Deposeth, That this Enformant was very well acquainted with Sir Ed∣mundbury Godfrey for many Years before he Dy'd. And that the said Sir Edmund coming often to Richmond, had Lodgings there within Four or Five Doors of the House of this Enformant; where this Enformant observ'd him to walk much Alone, and to Shun the Company of the Gentry thereabouts: And this Enformant taking Notice that the said Sir Edmund did usually exercise himself upon the Bowling-Green with Ordinary Company; sometimes with Mr. Gofton's Footman; at other Times, with the Man that helps to Roll, and Make the Ground: And this Enfor∣mant meeting him, did ask him the Reason, Why he did not afford this Enformant, and the Gentry of the Town his Conversation, but kept Company with Footmen and Ordinary Fellows, which were a Scan∣dal to him. To which the said Sir Edmund Reply'd, That Company was very Irksom to him; That he Bowl'd and Exercis'd with those mean People, that he might run up and down, and do what he would, to divert Melancholy, for he was so Overpower'd with Melancholy, that his Life was very Uneasie and Burdensom to him.

The Substance of the Enformation above, hath run much in the Mind of this Enformant, and he hath upon several Occasions, and for several Years past, in Publique Places

made the same Observations; and spoke to the same effect, of what he here Delivers. These Expressions of the said Sir Edmund (to the Best of this Enformants Memory) were about a Year before he Dy'd.

I shall Force Nothing beyond the Genuine Signification and Import of Words, and Actions, in the Simplicity of their Meaning. Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was too well acquainted with the Dismal State and Effects of his Fa∣thers Melancholy, to lay such an Emphasis upon his Own, as still to call it Hereditary; and at the same time, not to have Other Apprehensions about him then the Fear of being Murther'd by the Papists. There were No Tongs, nor Otes's in his Fathers Days; No Whole-sale Narrative men to deal for Treason by the Gross; and yet so often as he found himself in any Extraordinary Distress, and Anguish of Thought, it was still his Fathers Melancholy, that he Inherited; That Dark Melancholy, as he calls it; and nothing but the Instance of his Fathers Melan∣choly would serve him for the Illustration of his Own. This was sure a very Vnhappy President, for him to Copy out the Resemblance of his Own Distemper by; for I find it Asserted upon Oath, by Mrs. Gibbon (and No Body knew the Family Better) that the Father of This Miserable Gentleman (though otherwise a very Good Man) was so Overcome with Melancholy, that he at∣tempted several Times to kill Himself; that she had seen him Bound in his Bed; and that in One Fit of Distra∣ction, he wounded three of his Children, almost mortally, with a Cleaver. This, in Substance, is Confirm'd by many Others; And I could carry it further, but it is a Calamity to be Compassionated; and even This alone would have been too much, if the Necessity of the Case and of the Argument had not Required it. He says, He was affraid of his Fathers Melancholy; and this is only to shew what kind of Melancholy it was that he was

affraid of. Harry Moor, the Clark, speaks of the Fa∣ther to the same effect.

To bring my Matters Now a little Nearer. If it be True, that Sir Edmundbury Godfrey Dy'd a violent Death; and Certain, that He was Kill'd, either by Some body else, or by Himself; If No Animosity Pri∣vate, or Publique, appear'd to make it either a Perso∣nal Act, or the Malice of a Conspiracy: Nay, and that the Gentleman was Manifestly a Friend to That Party, which the Faction would perswade the World he had so much reason to be affraid of; it will be as hard to Believe at Last, that This Gentleman Dy'd by the Hands of Papists, as that he Dy'd the Somerset-House-Way; which is as Impossible to be True, as that Fire and Water should Ioyn in one and the same Body, to Drown and Burn the World, Both at Once.

I shall Leave it now to the Reader to Consider, that if he did not Dye by Other Hands, he Dy'd by his Own; and if there was No Likelyhood at all, of his being Cut off by the Papists, whether there was any Ground or Not, to fear he might be Destroy'd by his Melancholy. Or in fine; Since of Necessity it must be One of the Two; Whether of the Two was yet the more Probable.

But People are still at a Loss, they say, how to bring him off from That Ordinary Ejaculation of his, that upon all Discourses of his Vneasiness and Trouble of Mind, was still the Burthen of the Song. Mr. Ro∣binson (afterward Sir Thomas) gave Evidence [as I have Noted] at Greens Tryal, of a Discourse he had with Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, and of Sir Edmunds speaking These Words to him: [Vpon my Conscience I believe I shall be the first Martyr, Tryal, pa. 14.] In short, Mr. Wynnel, Captain Gibbons; his Wife; and Daughter, Coll. Welden, (and indeed who Not) have heard him speak Many and Many a Time to the same Effect. Now 'tis a Strange Thing, if he reckon'd

himself in Danger from the Papists, that he should ne∣ver so much as Mention This but to Otes; Whose very Oath in the Affirmative; Blasts the Credit of the thing he Swore to: Especially, as it was Hook'd in to serve the Turn of his Plot. A man might very well Con∣tent himself, after what is said Allready upon the Ambiguity of This Expression, and the Weakness of laying more Weight upon't then 'twould bear; to Pass over the Question without any more ado. But yet though it may seem a Thing Wholly Frivolous, to Rea∣son upon, there is somewhat in it however, upon the Point of Curiosity, that may Deserve a Place in This Account of Things, though but for Common Satis∣faction.

Upon taking Tongs and Otes'es Depositions, upon Sept. 28. 1678. (though very Unwillingly, as appears over and over Already) Sir Godfrey reflected upon it, that he had made No Formal Discovery of the Pretend∣ed Treason; and finding now that the Bus'ness was come to be Publique: the Matter being then brought before the Councel, he came to be Every day more and more Sensible of the Danger of the Misprision, and not without Several Hints, by the By, that he was like to be call'd to an Account for't, There being near a Month Past, from his First Enformation, Sept. 6. with∣out any Regular, or Effectual Notification of the Matter: And he was the More Frighten'd upon it, for the Dis∣service that he did to the Design of making a Plot on't: for he never Believ'd one Word of the Story; and told All People as much, where he thought he might Safe∣ly Declare Himself. So that the Martyrdom he fear'd, was the being made a Sacrifice to the Faction. He was Sufficiently Sensible how Greedily the Multitude swal∣low'd This Bait of a Plot; what Labour was us'd to make a Parliament Cause on't: And how Heartily Dis∣pos'd the Majority, even of That Parliament, were, to

Entertain All Colourable Suggestions, under so Popular a Pretence. It must be added now, that This Terrible Parliament it Self was to meet upon the 21th of That October: So that Sir Edmund had but a Matter of Three Weeks Time to Consider on't. There was an Vn∣lucky Circumstance More too, in the Kings going to New-market upon the Second of That October; When the Faction had Effectually the Shuffling, Cutting, and Dealing of their own Game; and All things working toward a Common Ruine. There never was a Concur∣rence of more Critical, and Mortal Accidents toward the Ruine of One Poor Iustice of Peace, then met upon This Single Occasion; Adding to All the Rest an Here∣ditary, and an Inseparable Melancholy to Work upon; a Melancholy that he Complain'd of long before These Depositions came into the World; as is Set forth already in the Depositions of Mr. Church: But upon the Whole Matter, however, the Last day of his Life was the 12th of October: The 15th Day from the bringing of the Plot before the King and Council; and the 9th from the Meeting of the Parliament.

This was the Pinch of his Condition; His Case lay Open to the Worst of Constructions, and he was Mo∣rally Sure that his Enemies would make the most of any Advantage against him. The Man was No Fool; and his Head as well as his Humour, lay for Practice and Bus'ness: And who knows if he had Liv'd 'till the Meeting of the Parliament, Whether he should not have been brought in as a Party to the Conspiracy, ra∣ther then for a Bare Misprision? For his Royal High∣ness was made the Causa sine qua non, of the Plot it self; and the Communicating of These Enformations to the Duke of York, would never have been Forgiven him. To Conclude, if he had Surviv'd, he should, in All Likelyhood, have Suffer'd the Law as a Popish Traytor; Whereas, by This Intervening Disappoint∣ment,

he has pass'd now these several years, for a Protestant Martyr: So that in Truth, the Parliament were the Papists that He Fear'd; which agrees with an Enformation above-mentioned of Mrs. Gibbon, De∣liver'd upon Oath, to a Secretary of State, long before ever I saw the Face of her. See the Particulars of This Relation, Cap. 20.

Mr. Wynnel Deposes as Follows; That going toward Mr. Goodwins (a Councellor at Law) with Sir E. B. Godfrey, about the Time of the Lords Commitment to the Tower; The Enformant was telling Sir Edmund, that the Lords could not be such Fools as to Think of such a Thing; or What Power had the Pope, in such or Such a Case? Sir Edmund Replying, No; He has None: The Lords are as Innocent as You or I: Cole∣man will Dye; but not the Lords. To which This En∣formant said, If so, Where are we then? Sir Edmund Replying, Otes is Sworn, and is Perjur'd. This Enfor∣mant bad him then Speak the Truth, and tell the Mean∣ing on't. [Why (says Sir Edmund) Consults about a Toleration; Nothing against the King; but there is a Design upon the Duke of York; and This will come to a Dispute among them. You may Live to see an End on't, but I shall not.

Mr. Wynnel says further; That upon his asking Sir E B. Godfrey some time why he was so Melancholy; his Answer has been, that he was Master of a Dangerous Secret, that would be Fatal to him: That his Security was Otes's Deposition, that he the said Otes had first Declar'd it to a Publique Minister: And 2ly. That he came to Sir Edmund by His Direction.

I could add More Instances, but This is a Redun∣dance purely Superogatory; for the Case is Clear with∣out it.

CHAP. V.

What did Sir Edmundbury Godfrey's Friends, Relations, Servants and Acquaintance think was become of him, from the time of his going away, to the Time when the Body was found?

RIchard Adams Senior of Lincolns Inne, Esquire, Deposeth; Octob. 4. 1684. That upon the Satur∣day Morning, betwixt Six and Seven, being the Day (as he conceives) Whereupon Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was first Missing; He This Enformant went to the House of the said Sir Edmund, and Enquiring for him, received Answer, from some of the House, that he was gone a∣broad Early in the Morning: and so This Enformant went from Thence to Westminster, from whence he Re∣turn'd, and call'd at the House of the said Sir Edmund toward Eleven the same Day, and Enquiring for Sir Ed∣mund again, the People of the House seem'd to be in Great Consternation; which gave Occasion to This En∣formant to Enquire what the Matter was, receiving for Answer, that they had Cause to fear that he was made away.

Mr. Thomas Wynell Deposeth; that having been In∣timately acquainted with Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, the said Sir Edmund made a proposal to This Enformant (as on the behalf of a Friend) for the buying of some houses of this Enformants in Brewers Yard: And they proceed∣ed so far upon the Agreement, that they applyed them∣selves, by Consent, to Mr. Goodwin a Councellor at Law, then living near the Temple-Gate, to draw up the Con∣veyance between them: and appointed to Dine together at one Collonel Welden's in York-Buildings, on the Sa∣turday

the 12. of October 1678. To the best of This Enformants Memory; Intending, after Dinner, to go to Council together to finish the Writings.

This Enformant saith further, that coming to the Place and not finding Sir Edmundbury Godfrey there, he desired Collonel Welden to send his Servant to his house for him; it being then past Twelve a Clock at Noon. The Servant went to call the said Sir Edmund, and brought word back that he was not at home: After which, this Enformant staid for some time Expecting him; and then told Welden that he would go himself to his house, Whe∣ther this Enformant went accordingly.

And saith further, that he This Enformant coming to∣wards the Door of the house, saw the Maid-Servant of the House (an Elderly Tall Person) Leaning upon the Rail without the Door: and the Man-Servant (which he took to be his Clerk, and his Name, Moor) Leaning against the Door-Post: And both of them appearing to This Enformant sad, and surpriz'd.

This Enformant did then Demand of them where their Master was; or whether he was at home or No? To which they, or one of them made Answer, that he was gone out about two hours before; This Enformant asking them whether he was gone, it was Answered, that they could not tell: Whereupon, This Enformant said to them, Your Master Promised to Dine with me to Day at Collo∣nel Welden's, Will he not be There, think Ye? To which the Man replyed, Truly he could not tell. Vpon This the Enformant bad the Servant tell his Master when he came in, that he was gone to Collonel Welden's, and Expected him There, according to his appointment. To which the Man Answered, Ay Sir, when I see him, so I will. There appear'd to This Deponent so much Disorder in their Coun∣tenances; Their Manner of speaking, and their Beha∣viour, that it made an Impression of Heaviness upon him.

Hereupon the Enformant went his way, and in less then an hour return'd to Welden's, and told him he could not find him, and they had best go to Dinner; for they said he was gone out, and No body knew where he was.

Sir Edmund's Clerk remembers Mr. Wynel's Enqui∣ring for his Master, as above.

Mr. Thomas Burdet Deposeth, That He This En∣formant hath often heard Mr. Thomas Wynell speak of the very Great Melancholy, and Disorder of Sir Ed∣mundbury Godfrey for some short time before he left his House; and particularly, that upon the very Morning that Sir Edmund went away, Mr. Wynell calling at his House, saw a Servant, or Servants of the said Family, in a very sad, and Disconsolate Appearance, at the said Sir Edmund's Door, which gave Mr. Wynell an Ap∣prehension, as if some Great Mischief had Befall'n the said Sir Edmund.

Mary Gibbon the Elder Deposeth, That upon the Sun∣day, the Day after Sir Edmundbury Godfrey went from his House, Mrs. Pamphlin came to This Enformant, and Weeping, asked her where Sir Edmund was.

Vpon Monday (the Day following) the Two Brothers of the said Sir Edmund came to This Enformant's House, and Enquired for their Brother; telling her, that he din'd with her the Day before, and lay there all Night. Mr. Michael Godfrey saying, I am sure he is here; This Enformant Declaring that he was Not; and why should she deny it, if it were Otherwise? The Brother hereupon ask'd This Enformant when she saw him, and what Discourse they had? so This Enformant told them of his Locking himself up, and of his Discourse; and how much he was out of Humour: Vpon the Hearing whereof, Mr. Michael fell to stamping, and Crying-out, O Lord! We are Ruin'd, What shall we do? The

Brother Benjamin lifting up his eyes; Wringing his Hands; and breaking out into Exclamations: What will become of us! This Enformant asked them then what the Matter was! they said [Nothing.] But they said he was not at Church, and so they thought he might have been with Her, telling This Enformant also that she should hear More.

Henry Moor Deposeth, That his Master not coming home That Saturday Night, he went Early the Next day, being Sunday Morning, to the House of Mr. Michael Godfrey, to acquaint him with his Masters Absence; whereupon the said Mr. Godfrey brake out into This Ex∣pression: [God have Mercy upon us; I pray God we hear good News of him.]

Let any Man Consider now, upon what Apprehen∣sion it was that the Brothers should be so Transported upon the Story of This Extravagance of the said Sir Edmund. It will not be said, I hope, that This Wild Behaviour of his was a Symptom of any Danger he lay in from the Papists.

Mary Gibbon Iunior Deposeth, That some Day be∣twixt Sir Edmund's Leaving his House, and the finding of the Body, she This Enformant saw the Two Brothers of Sir Edmund come into her Fathers House; but she did not hear their Discourse: only This Enformants Mother told her afterwards, that upon some Discourse with them of the Strange Behaviour of their Brother a Matter of Ten Days before, they brake out into Exclamations, Crying out, they were Ruin'd; What should they do! VVhat would become of them!

Mary Gibbon Senior further Deposeth, That on Tues∣day Morning, the Enformant came to the House of Sir

Edmund, where she found Mrs. Pamphlin Crying, and saying, We shall never see Sir Edmund More: And asking her what was become of him, she said, she durst not trust her.

And further saith, That about a Fortnight after the Burial of Sir Edmund's Body, Mrs. Pamphlin came to This Enformant, saying, It is a very sad thing that I should not be examin'd about the Death of Sir Ed∣mundbury Godfrey: This Enformant telling her, the said Pamphlin; If you do know how he came by his Death, and do not discover it, you will be Damn'd to All Eternity: The said Pamphlin replying to this Effect; If his Clerk and I were Examin'd upon Oath, we could say a Great Deal, which I will not do Volun∣tarily; but if I be put to my Oath, I will speak what I know. The Clerk knows more then you can Imagin, This Enformant wrote down some Notes of what Mrs. Pamphlin said, which were Deliver'd (as this En∣formant believeth) either to the Lords Committees, or to the Earl of Shaftsbury. This Enformant well Remem∣breth, that Mr. Pamphlin took Notice to her of Sir Ed∣mund's being much out of Order some Weeks before his Death.

Captain Thomas Gibbon Deposeth, That upon the Munday after Sir Edmundbury Godfrey went away, he went to Collonel Weldens, and asked him what he thought of Sir Edmund? Whose Answer was, I Dare not tell you my Thoughts; for I have observ'd him to be much out of his Ordinary Temper, ever since his Ex∣amination of Otes: This Enformant telling his Wife, what he had heard, at his Return.

This Enformant went the Day Following, to Sir Ed∣mund's to know what News; where Mrs. Pamphlin said, that She could not tell him, but bad him go into the Kitchin, where the Clerk was, and he would tell him more.

Mary Gibbon Iunior, Deposeth, That after Sir Edmunds Dead Body was found, and that in the Time betwixt the Burial of the said Sir Edmund, and the co∣ming in of Bedloe, and Prance; and before any News of a Discovery how he came by his Death; the said Pam∣phlin, came to the House of This Enformants Father, and was saying; How strange a Thing it was that she should not be examin'd; For I was warn'd (said she) as well as Moor, and Curtis, and they were examin'd, and I was not: Pamphlin telling her this Enformant, that they were not willing she should appear; Mean∣ing, as this Enformant understood her, the Relations of Sir Edmund; but the said Pamphlin told this Enformant, that upon a Second Warning, they agreed that she should Appear; but bad her speak sparingly; and tel∣ling her, that she might safely swear, That the Pa∣pists had Murther'd him. This Enformant was at that Time waiting upon her Grandmother in her Death-Sick∣ness, who after the Departure of the said Pamphlin, spake to the Enformant to this effect, [Mrs. Pamphlin has made such a Discourse here, that I think you are bound in Conscience to enform a Magistrate of it; for I am Confident Sir Edmund kill'd Himself.] This Enformant Inclining also to have some Justice of the Peace acquaint∣ed with it.

And this Enformant well remembreth, that the said Pam∣phlin asked her, [If Sir Edmund has Murther'd him∣self, d'ye think he is damn'd] which she this Enfor∣mant much wondered at; there being no occasion given for such a Question: So that this Enformant asked the said Pamphlin thereupon, Why d'ye say these Things to me? You frighten me; If you know any thing your self, you ought to discover it to the Next Magistrate. To which the said Pamphlin made Answer, Let Old Moor be examin'd wit•• me, and I'le say what I know; for

I have no reason to run my self voluntarily into an Inconveniency: for you know I have a Dependency upon the Brothers, (which this Enformant understood to be a Pension) and I am loth to Anger them: But if I be compell'd, I'le speak what I know. This Enformant telling her again, That if she knew any thing, she might be examin'd in such a manner, as it might appear a Force upon her: For there was a Severity or a Perse∣cution that lay heavy upon a Suffering People; and she did not know what Inconveniences might follow up∣on it.

Iudith Pamphlin Deposeth, That soon after Sir Ed∣dmundbury Godfrey's withdrawing from his House, this Enformant heard the Wife of Sir Edmund's Clark say, Oh! That ever it should be said that such a Man as Sir Edmund should Murther Himself! This being spoken some Days before the Dead Body was found.

William Fall, Gent. Deposeth, That at the Time when Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was Missing from his House, and to the best of this Enformants Memory, before the Dead Body of the said Sir Edmund was found; the Two Brothers of the said Sir Edmund, Merchants in London, came several times to the Lord Chancellor Not∣tingham's House in Queenstreet, to speak with his Lordship.

And saith further, That the Enformant enquiring of his said Brothers, what was become of Sir Edmund? He this Enformant apprehended by their Discourse; that they were in some Apprehension that he had made himself away.

To say Nothing of Mr. Grundy, Mr. Huysman, Mr. Birtby, and Mr. Snells Reflexions, as appears, ex∣presly in their Enformations so soon as ever they heard

the Body was found, upon the Melancholique Walk and Actions of the Persons, the last Time they saw him.

CHAP. VI.

What Endeavours were Vsed to lay the Death of Sir E. B. Godfrey upon the Papists.

THey began early to lay the Foundation of this Imposture, by dealing it up and down among the People, that somewhere or other Sir Edmundbury God∣frey was Murther'd by the Papists: But sometime it was at One House, sometime at Another; and they were as much Puzled at First, with the Shifting of the Story from This Place to That, as Bedloe and Prance were af∣terward, with the Removing of the Body; but there was no Confidence, or Industry wanting however to∣ward Preparing the Multitude to swallow the Cheat: As will appear by the Following Enformations.

Mr. Thomas Wynell Deposeth, That enquiring of Mr. Welden for Sir E. B. Godfrey, on Saturday, early Af∣ternoon, when Sir Edmund was first Missing; Mr. Welden looking this Enformant in the Face, said to him, to this effect; Ah! Mr. Wynell! You will never see him more. This Enformant hereupon demanded of him, What Ground he had to say so? Adding withal, to this effect, You and I know very well that 'tis a common thing for the said Sir Edmund to go out in a Morning so soon as his Justice Bus'ness is over, and not come home till Night; and no Apprehension all this while of any hurt to befall him. Why should you be so suspicious then of any Ill, for Two Hours Absence, and at this time of the day? Vnto which the said Welden made

Answer to this Purpose; To tell you the Truth, (says Mr. Welden) His Brothers have been with me, and are just now gone: And they say the Papists have been watching for him a long time, and that now they are very confident they have got him; to which this Enfor∣mant objected, to this effect, Why should the Papists do Him any Hurt? He was never observ'd to be an Ene∣my to them; the said VVelden Persisting in the same Opi∣nion as before.

This Enformant saith moreover, That laying the Circumstances together, of the Servants appearing at the Door, as if all were not well in the House; The Discourse of the said VVelden to this Enformant; and a Remarkable Sadness which this Enformant observed up∣on the said Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, Two or Three Days before; he this Enformant was struck with an ex∣traordinary Apprehension of some Fatal Disaster upon him.

This Enformant Finally saith, that he hath often Dis∣coursed all the Particulars in This Paper mentioned, relating to Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, from Time to Time, in se∣veral Companies.

Mr. Thomas Burdet Deposeth, That this Enformant well remembreth, that Sir E. B. Godfrey and Mr. Wynell were by Appointment to Dine together That Saturday, when Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was said to be first Mis∣sing. And saith, That in an Afternoon about Two or Three of the Clock, this Enformant met Mr. VVynell not far from Green-Lane, in the Strand, who said to this Enformant, to this effect. What have your People done with Sir Edmundbury Godfrey? The Town says you have Murther'd him: To which this Enformant A••∣swered something with Admiration, That he knew not what he meant. To which Mr. Wynell Replyed, That he had been at Sir E. B. Godfrey's House, and at

Collonel Weldens, where they were to have Din'd; and that it was a Report, that the News of Sir Edmund's being Murther'd by the Papists, came from his Bro∣thers. This Enformant verily believes, that it was upon That Saturday when Sir Edmund was first Missing, that This Enformant met Mr. VVynell; the said Mr. VVynell speaking of it as a thing newly told him: And this Enfor∣mant having heard nothing of the said Sir Edmund's ha∣ving Absented himself, till (as above) it was told him by Mr. VVynell.

Richard Adams Deposeth, Pursuant to the Dis∣course above, That he met the Earl, now Marquis of Powis, at the End of Lombard-street, with whom the Enformant had some Discourse; and seeing one Mr. Har∣rison, Nephew to Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, on the other side of the Way; He this Enformant begg'd my Lords Pardon, to speak a Word to That Gentleman, to enquire concerning the Truth of That Report (Implying some Preceding Discourse of a Report.) Whereupon This Enformant pass'd over to Mr. Harrison, enquiring of him the Truth of the Report concerning Sir Edmundbury Godfrey's being murther'd; who Replyed to this En∣formant, That he doubted the Report was too True; and that he was Murther'd by the Papists: And hereupon this Enformant return'd to the said Earl of Pow∣is, and told him what he heard from the said Mr. Har∣rison.

Mr. Edward Birtby also Deposeth, That upon the Thursday after Sir Edmundbury Godfrey went from his House, this Enformant went out of Town toward Leicester∣shire, and came to North-Killworth in the Evening of the Day Following, where this Enformant being in Company with one Mr. Belgrave, and some others, about Nine or Ten at Night; while they were there together, came a

Letter to Mr. Belgrave, Dated the Day before, to the Best of This Enformants Memory; and was brought by the Harborough Post, to North Killworth, being some Five Mile out of the Post-Road.

Mr. Belgrave read the Contents of the said Letter to the Company, for so much as concern'd an Account of the Death of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey; saying Positively, to the Best of this Enformants Memory, That he was Murther'd by Papists. Whereupon, this Enformant reflected upon his having seen him in Drury-Lane, as afore∣said, and brake out into an Exclamation to this effect, I pray God he has not Murther'd himself; for h•• look∣ed upon the Friday before, as if he were really Distra∣cted; This Enformant telling the said Company the Story, as it is above Related. Whereupon Mr. Belgrave observ'd upon it, That if this Enformant had seen him so Lately, and heard Nothing of it before he came out of Town, he Hoped it was not True.

This Enformant saith further, That he wondred at the Letters of Thursday's Post being brought that Night; for he never Remembred any Letters of That Post, in the Ordinary Course, to come to Killworth before Sa∣turday.

And further saith, That this Enformant Travelling Two or Three Hundred Miles up and down the Country, before his Return to London, found the same Intelligence by the same Post in All Places where he came.

And saith also, That the Letter before spoken of, to Mr. Belgrave, to the best of this Enformants Memory, came from a Brother of the said Mr. Belgrave's in Lon∣don, who liveth at Present (as this Enformant believeth) at Husbands Bosworth in Leicester-shire.

The Reader will observe, I presume, how quick they were in their Intelligence, and what Care was ta∣ken to Change the very Course, and Method of the Post, to spread it so much the sooner.

Mr. Robert Whitehall Deposeth, That upon the Sunday or Monday Next following the Saturday Whereupon Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was First Missing; being at Georges Coffee-house in Freemans-yard, a Considera∣ble Citizen told him This Enformant upon Discourse, that Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was Murther'd by the Pa∣pists; and that the Report came from his Brothers, or One of them.

Mary Gibbons the Elder, Deposeth, That a Mat∣ter of Two Days after Sir Edmunds Body was found, Two of his Relations, Mrs. H. and Mrs. P. came to This Enformants House, and told her, that he was Certainly Murther'd at the Duke of Norfolks House, for they were all in Mourning; and there was a Mourning Coach met in the Night, with Four Horses coming from Prim∣rose-Hill. Mrs. H. desired This Enformant to speak Fa∣vourably of Sir Edmund, saying, that This Enformant knew more of his Mind then any Body, &c.

This Enformant went to Sir Edmunds House in Harts∣horn-Lane the Next day, and having seen the Body, Mrs. H. asked This Enformant, If she did not Now Believe that the Papists had Murther'd him? This Enformant told her, That she did not Believe it; for to her This Enformants Knowledg, Sir Edmund had done many kindnesses for some Papists, that had Liv'd with her This En formant.

Mary Gibbons Iunior Deposeth, That upon Talk of This Enformants Mothers coming to an Examination, one Mrs. H. a Relation of Sir Edmunds, desired This En∣formant, that if her Mother came to be Examined again, that there might be as little said of Sir Edmund as could be, Whatever she knew: Mrs. H. having said before that Time, in the Hearing of this Enformant, that Sir Edmund

was Murther'd by the Papists; And that they had great Reason to Believe, that he was Murther'd in the Duke of Norfolk's House; for the Duke of Norfolks Mourning Coach with White-Horses, were Seen to come from Prim∣rose-Hill, the Saturday that Sir Edmund was Mis∣sing.

And this Enformant waited upon her Mother, to one Mrs. G. the Tuesday before Sir Edmunds Body was found, where Mrs. G. said, that Sir Edmund was Cer∣tainly Murther'd by the Papists, They had a Spleen at him, and they had done it.

Iudith Pamphlin Deposeth, That a Maid-Servant to a Relation of Sir Edmunds, whose Name was Jane (to this Enformants Best Remembrance) taking Notice that this Enformant was to Attend a Committee, to be Examin'd about the said Sir Edmund, she the said Ser∣vant said unto this Enformant, You may safely Swear that the Papists Kill'd him. This Enformant replying, that she would not Swear to more then she knew.

Mr. William Collinson Deposeth, That coming to the Feathers at Charing-Cross, one Sunday Morning in October, 1678. to Drink his Mornings Draught, the Enformant saw several of the Neighbourhood there, and giving them the Time of the Day, asked them what News? To which some of the Company Reply'd, Here's brave News for you Papists: Sir Edmundbury Godfrey went from his House yesterday, and did not come home last Night, &c. And it was in All Peoples Mouths in That Quarter, that he was Murther'd by the Papists at Somerset-House.

Captain Thomas Paulden Deposeth, That being at Mrs. Dukes Coffee-house, next to Northumberland-House about Three or Four a Clock in the Afternoon,

on the Saturday when Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was first said to be Missing from his House, there was a Dis∣course in the said Coffee-House to this Effect, That the said Sir Edmund said when he went out in the Morning, that if he Liv'd, he would be at home again by One a Clock: but not being at that Time heard of, it was be∣lieved that he was kill'd by the Papists: This Enfor∣mant doth not Remember Who they were that said it, but well Remembreth, that he himself upon that Occasion asked the Company, To what End the Papists should Mur∣ther him. To which, it was Reply'd by some of the Company, That it was so Believ'd; This Enformant thereupon Speaking to this Purpose, I am Confident if he be Kill'd, that it is either by Thieves, or he has done it Himself.

And further, That this Enformant being on the Thurs∣day following at Night in the Coffee-house above-said, News was brought up into the Coffee-Room, That Sir Edmundbury Godfreys Body was found; And that there were Two Men on Horse-back Below, that had been at the finding of him: Whereupon, the Company went down into the Street, and this Enformant among the Rest; Serjeant Ramsey being One of the Company: This Enformant then seeing the Two Horsemen above-menti∣oned at the Door, Asked one of them, if he had found Sir Edmundbury Godfrey's Body: and Where? Who Answered, Yes, at Primrose-Hill. This Enformant asking further, in what Place, and Posture? The said Horse-men making Answer, that they found him in a Ditch, run through with his own Sword, which ap∣pear'd a Handfull out of His Back; with his Head downward, and his Heels upward; And (as they said) as if he had fall'n upon his own Sword. There were by this Time Crowds of People go•• about them, and upon the Horse-man's Speaking the Words Last above-men∣tioned, there was a Muttering among the People, That

These are the Rogues that Murther'd him Them∣selves, and would make People believe, that he did it himself.

Mr. White the Coroner, was held in hand by Welden with the same Story of the Papists; Nay and with so Particular a Note upon't, that the Action was Precisely laid between the Pall-Mall, and Arundel-House, as shall be shewn by and By. But Once for All; The Belief or Dis-belief of This Story was at This Time become Effectually the Test of a Protestant, or a Papist; and the Credit of it Promoted by All ways Imaginable By Re∣ports, and Post-Letters, as appears by Mr. Birtby: By Menaces, Promises and Extreme Cruelties, as in the Case of Mrs. Gibbons, Walters, Bromwell, Corall, Prance: And in one word; All the Considerable Iayles of England were Crouded with Instances of this Kind.

CHAP. VII.

How Matters were manag'd while Sir E. B. God∣frey was missing, toward the finding out what was become of him.

IT was now Break of Day toward the Opening of a Parliament. Sir Edmund left his House on the 12th of October. The Body was found the 17th. and the Par∣liament to Meet on the 21th. A Popish Plot already a foot, but so Weakly and Scandalously Supported, that no∣thing could fall out more Opportunely to the Present Humour, and Purpose, then a Popish Murther, or at least a Popish Something else to Second it. This was the

Reason, and the Policy of the Sham; but the Bus'ness of the Imposture apart; We are in this Place upon an Enquiry what was done toward the Discovery of the Truth; and we cannot begin better then with the Clerks Narrative upon This Subject.

Henry Moor Deposeth, That his Master not coming home upon Saturday Night, Mr. Michael Godfrey obliged him upon Sunday Morning to keep his Masters Ab∣sence very Private, and Secret, and not to Communicate it to any Person, till He and his Brother came to him in the Afternoon: After which, he this Deponent returning home to his said Masters House about Nine of the Clock, and before Morning Service, Mrs. Pamphlin asked this Deponent, Where his Master was? To whom this Depo∣nent replyed, That he was got up, and gone abroad Two Hours before; which Answer this Deponent did make, be∣ing by the said Mr. Michael Godfrey enjoyn'd Secrecy, as aforesaid. And that on the Same Day, after Evening Ser∣vice, Mr. Michael Godfrey, and Mr. Benjamin God∣frey came to their Brothers House to this Deponent, as Mr. Michael Godfrey had Promis'd; and then they did agree to make Enquiry at all Places where they knew the said Sir E. Godfrey did use to frequent, to make Discovery of him; but withal, did then likewise Oblige this Deponent to Secrecy: And amongst the Places, where They with This Deponent did make Enquiry, they went to the House of one Captain Gibbons, and did enquire of Mrs. Gibbons for him, as This Deponent believes; for as soon as they came out from Mrs. Gibbons, they told this Deponent that Mrs. Gibbons said he had not been there That Day; and the same Day they went to my Lady Prats, living near Charing Cross, and several other Houses, but could not hear any thing of him, upon which, Both the said Mr. Godfreys commanded him, This Deponent, to keep his Masters Ab∣sence Secret, untill the Next Morning, being Monday,

when they would come to this Deponent again; and so they continued their Search, and Enquiry after his said Ma∣ster, all That Day, and at Night they return'd home, charging him this Deponent still to keep it Secret: But that Night, after their Departure, he this Deponent hearing of a great Funeral that was to be Next Night, he writ to Mr. Michael Godfrey, to know whether it would not be convenient to have his said Masters Absence Divulg'd a∣broad amongst that Number of People, which would be there together; to which he return'd for Answer, That he should Divulge it at the Funeral; but the next morning being Tuesday, he was Countermanded by a Messenger from the said Mr. Michael Godfrey, not to Divulge it, till they both had Communicated it to my Lord Chancellor, which after they had done, he this Deponent did make known the Absence of his said Master at the said Funeral.

Here are Five Several Injunctions of Secrecy; And Nothing to be Divulg'd, 'till the Brothers had been with the Lord Chancellor. Now there may seem to be Another Secret yet, even in the Mystery of This Secre∣cy; for they were enquiring after him all This while, and the Town Rung on't, that he was Gone; and that the Papists had Murther'd him: So that the Secrecy seems to look rather toward a Concealment of their Opinion what was Become of him, then to the Conceal∣ment of his Absence. But it hangs very strangely to∣gether, for People to run up and down Enquiring af∣ter Sir Edmundbury Godfrey; and yet not so much as Own that he is Missing. And a Man might as well Suppose the Publishing of a Proclamation, or a Hue and Cry, upon the Caution of making No Words on't, as such an Order given to Enquire up and down after him, upon the same Condition: which looks like a De∣sign, rather of Concealing One thing, then of Disco∣vering Another. But however, as to the Inquisitive Part▪

Heark'ning after him, was a Thing Natural, and Proper to be done; and as much as Could be done upon That Occasion. Mrs. Gibbon speaks to the Same Effect.

Mrs. Gibbon Senior Deposeth, That upon Tuesday Morning, as she was going down Stairs from Mrs. Pam∣phlin, she met Henry Moor, desiring him to tell her the Truth, how Sir Edmund did, and whether he was Alive, or Not? the said Mr. Moor Swearing, that he was as well in Health, as he himself.

It was Order'd, That at the Funeral, this Enfor∣mant should be led to Church by the said Sir Edmund's Clark; And This Enformant asked him by the Way, Why he made such Protestations to her, as aforesaid, that Sir Edmund was Alive? Who reply'd, that Sir Ed∣mund's Brothers had commanded him to keep All Things Private, and Charg'd him to say so, to Save the Estate.

Iudith Pamphlin Deposeth, That upon Tuesday Morning after Sir Edmunds Going away, she ask'd Henry Moor what was become of his Master? To which the said Moor reply'd; To tell you the Truth, We are affraid he is Murther'd; and his Brothers have been with the Lord Chancellor, and my Lord Privy Seal, about it, and they are to attend the Council this Morning.

Mr. Aaron Pengry Deposeth, That about the Time of the Prosecution against Mr. Payne, Mr. Farwell, and Thompson, about the Letters pretended to be written to Prance, upon the Account of the Death of Sir Edmund∣bury Godfrey, he This Enformant being in Company of Several Persons, where mention was made about the said Prosecution, one of the said Company, to the best of This Informants Knowledge, said, That the Brothers of the said Sir Edmundbury Godfrey had been to Wait upon the late Lord Chancellor Nottingham, about Saving their Brothers Estate.

But this Enformant not well remembring who it was that said those words, and discourse, about two Months since, upon that account being had between This Enformant and several others in Company, among whom was Mr. William Fall, who was formerly related to the said Lord High Chancellor: as one of his Gentlemen attending him, This Enformant ask∣ed the said Mr. Fall before the said Company, Whether he had not Vtter'd such or the like Words; who Answer'd to him this Enformant, and the rest of the said Company then present, that he had Declar'd as much, and would at any time Testify the same, if occasion should be given, or Words to that or the like Effect.

Mr. William Fall Deposeth, That at the Time when Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was Missing from his House, Two of his Brothers came several times to the Lord Chancellor Notinghams; and that it was a Common Talk in the Family, that their Bus'ness with the Lord Chancellor was, to beg his Lordships Assistance to secure their Brother's Estate, in case he should be found to have made Himself away.

And then again there's an Enformation of Mr. White's the Coroner of Westminster, that looks a Little This way too.

Robert White Deposeth, That this Enformant hear∣ing that Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was Missing, went to Mr. Weldens to Enquire after him, where he found Sir Edmund's Clark, Sitting by the Fire-side in Mr. Wel∣den's Private Room, Smoaking a Pipe of Tobacco. This Enformant reproving him for spending his Time There, since there was such an Uproar in the Town about his Masters Absence; To which he gave very little Answer.

And further, That this Enformant then discoursing with Mr. Welden about the said Sir Edmunds Absence, The said Welden said, He could not tell what to think of it: And This Enformant Frequenting the House of the said Welden afterward, to hear what News of Sir Ed∣mundbury Godfrey, the said Mr. Welden, at the last told This Enformant, that he did very much suspect him to be Murther'd by the Papists. And That be∣tween the Pall-Mall, and Arundel-House; And that if there were a Search made, he the said Welden doubted not but it would appear so. Vpon which, This Enformant told the said Welden, That if Sir Edmundbury God∣freys Brother (This Enformant knowing but of One Brother) had a Desire to have Search made, that He This Enformant did not Doubt but forthwith to Procure a Warrant from the Lord Chief Justice Scroggs; being at That Time at the Sessions-House in the Old-Bayly. And then left the said Welden: And soon after, This Enformant repairing to the said Welden, He asked the said Welden, Whether he had acquainted Sir Edmund∣bury Godfrey's Brother of What he had told him, touch∣ing a VVarrant to Search; and the said Welden An∣swered to This Effect; You talk of Searching, but they are Searching more after something else then Him. After which This Enformant heard no more of the Matter.

It is now High time to go off from This Point; and the Matter is so Plain, there will need no Expla∣nation upon the Text; But to do Things in Order, Harry Moor says, they were upon the Search, and it would do well to Enquire in This Place, what Discoveries they made, and we shall afterwards see how far they Emprov'd These Discoveries.

Henry Moor Deposes, That He, by the Order of Mr. Michael Godfrey, did go to a Great Funeral on the Tues∣day

Night next after the said Sir Edmundbury God∣frey was Absent from his House, to Divulge his Absence, and to hear if any Person among the Number of People that were there, could make any Discovery, or give any Account of him: And when he was at the said Funeral, and Discovering of the said Sir Edmunds Absence, there was one Parsons amongst the said Company, who did then and there Declare, that he met with the said Sir Edmund on the Saturday Morning before Nine, in St. Martins-Lane, who then enquired of him the said Parsons, the way to Primrose-Hill; saying further, that he had been Searching within a Little of the Place where the Body was found.

Judith Pamphlin Deposes, That upon the Next Tues∣day after Sir Edmund was Missing, to the Best of This Enformants Remembrance, Henry Moor the Clark of Sir Edmund told This Enformant, that one Parsons said to the said Moor, that upon the Saturday Morning then last Past; He the said Parsons met Sir Edmund in St. Martins Lane, who Asked the said Parsons the Way to some Woods, which This Enformant doth Not remember; somewhere about Primrose Hill.

Mary Gibbon Senior Deposeth, That she had it from Judith Pamphlin, that One Mr. Parsons, a Coachmaker, told Sir Edmund's Clark, that he met Sir Edmund the same Saturday when he went away, and Sir Edmund ask∣ed him the way to Primrose Hill.

And saith, that Mrs. Pamphlin told This Enformant, that the Clark told her, that he was within Few Rods of the Body at Primrose Hill the Day before (being Monday) when he was in the Search of Sir Edmund.

Now to take These Pieces as they lye; a Body would think by Moors Enformation, that the First News

of his Master had been the Account he had from Par∣sons at that Funeral; whereas it Appears, both by the Enformation of Iudith Pamphlin, from the Mouth of Moor, and of Mrs. Gibbon from the Relation of Pam∣phlin, that the Clark had been Searching for his Master about Primrose Hill the Day before: Nay, and from the Clarks own Mouth too, that he had the very Di∣rection from Parsons Himself; which is most Particu∣larly Confirm'd and Enlarg'd upon, by Mr. Wheeler.

Mr. Richard Wheeler Deposeth, that on Tuesday, (October 15th.) This Enformant went about Noon to the House of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey (He having been Missing ever since Saturday) to enquire if They had heard of him; while the Mace-Bearer to the Lord Chancellor was talking to Sir Edmundbury Godfrey's Clark at the same time; And (as it appear'd) being there, upon the same Errand. The Clark making answer, that they had heard Nothing of him, but what they had from Mr. Parsons, a Coachmaker, (then Church-Warden of St. Martin's) and from a Fellow that was us'd to Light him home, that was sawing a Piece of Timber in So-Ho Fields. The same Clark said also, the same Tuesday, that Parsons said at the Burial, that he walked with Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, up St. Martin's Lane, the Saturday Morning (Octob. 12. 1678.) between Eight and Nine of the Clock; and that much about the same time, the Sawyer saw Sir Edmund in So-Ho; And Described his Cloaths and his Band. And further, that Mr. Cooper, and his Sister-in-Law, Mrs. Lowen (now Leeson) coming out of Mr. Cook's door in St. Martin's Lane, met Sir Edmund, and spake to him.

Now the Evidence of Thomas Mason serves to Illu∣strate and strengthen All the Rest.

Thomas Mason of Marybone Deposeth, that he knew the Person of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey very well; And

had Custom'd Him, and one Kemp that was his Partner, for Coles; and that he This Enformant saw the said Sir Edmundbury Godfrey upon the Saturday, whereon This Enformant heard the said Sir Edmund was first Missing; That is to say, That He This Enformant (as he was go∣ing from London to his own House) met the said Sir Edmund about Ten a Clock the Saturday Morning aforesaid; The said Sir Edmund coming toward London, in the Fields, betwixt Mary-bone Pound, and Mary-bone Street: This Enformant likewise giving the said Sir Ed∣mund the Time of the Day, Who (as This Enformant Re∣membreth) was All in Black Cloaths.

And saith, that as This Enformant was walking with his Wife Vnder a Hedge near his House upon the Monday Morning, next after the Saturday abovesaid, about Ten of the Clock, there came a short Man in Black Cloaths, in Appearance about Fifty Years of Age, to Enquire of This Enformant whether he had seen his Master, Sir Ed∣mundbury Godfrey in the Fields since Saturday Last; for he had Lost his Master, and knew not what was become of him; The said Person being very sad, and te••∣ling This Enformant, that he was Sir Edmundbury God∣frey's Clark. This Enformant giving the said Person this Answer; That He This Enformant did see him upon Saturday (as aforesaid) and had not seen him since.

He was by Ten a Clock upon the Monday Morning gotten as far as the Half-way House to Enquire for his Master about Those very Fields, where afterwards his Body was found. Mason told him as above, that he met him upon Saturday going towards London, and had not seen him since: but This did not Hinder Moor yet, (as appears by his own Relation) from Going-on and Prose∣cuting his Search. Now there were No Arundel-Houses, No Somerset-Houses in That Walk; but his very Fancy wrought upon him, even Contrary to the Direction of

his Reason; for he would have come back else, and turn'd his Thought Another way. But the Ghastly Im∣pression of his Last Farewell upon Saturday Morning stuck so Close to him, that he thought it more likely to find him in a Ditch, then any where else. His Bus'ness into Those Fields, was, out of All Dispute, to search the Ditches for him; upon a strong Apprehension that he had kill'd Himself. It was but Coasting the Mounds to make the Discovery; And There, Undoubtedly, he Look'd for him; and There, 'tis Forty to One, he Found him. This Collation of Testimonies makes Moor's own Enformation, Pamphlin's Enformation, of what Moor and his Wife said to Her; Mrs. Gibbon's Enformation of what she had from Pamphlin, and Sir Edmund's Apprehension of himself to be All of a Piece.

There are a Couple of Questions now, that Hang one upon the Link of Another; which, the Reader, I pre∣sume, will Take into his Consideration. First, VVhy should Moor make a Countenance, as if he had known Nothing 'till Tuesday Night at the Burial, of Parson's Talk with his Master upon Saturday morning, when it appears most Evidently, that he knew it, either upon the Sunday, or Early the Monday morning before? 2dly, VVhy could No Resolution be Taken for the Divulging of the Secret, (as he calls it) 'till he had spoken with my Lord Chancellor, and my Lord Privy Seal about it? This looks, as if there had been an eye rather to the Saving of the Estate, then to the Discovery of a murther; for what Light could their Lordships give, toward the finding of the Body; Or what Reason could any man give, for the making of it a Secret? unless they were afraid that Truth should come out? But I am now com∣ing to an end. Here's Mr. Wynel, Captain Gibbon with his Wife and two Daughters; Mr. Wheeler, Mr. Radcliffe, Harry Moor Himself, and Iudith Pamphlin: They speak All of them to very Great Points; To say Nothing of

Forty and Forty Witnesses of Vnquestionable Probity besides: but most of them, rather Collateral, then Point Blank Evidences. VVe shall see in good Time, when the main Cause comes to an Issue, what use shall be made of Their Testimonies.

CHAP. VIII.

When, How, Where, and in What Manner the Body of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was Found; And what pass'd 'till the Coroners Inquest sat upon the View of it.

ON the 17th. of October, 1678. One Bromwell, and Walters passing toward the White-house about Three or Four Afternoon, saw a Cane and a Pair of Gloves lying upon a Bank, on a Ditch side; and Talk∣ing of it Afterwards at the House, they went back by Consent, with Iohn Rawson, the Master of the House, to see if they were there still. See their Enformations at Length, Part 1. Cap. 10. The Master stooping to take up the Gloves, Discover'd a Dead Body; Whereupon they went Immediately to One Brown, a Constable, to give him Notice of it. Who gives This following Enfor∣mation upon the Matter.

Iohn Brown Deposeth, that This Enformant very well knew Sir Edmundbury Godfrey; And that about Six or Seven of the Clock (to the Best of This Enfor∣mants Memory) on the Thursday Evening, after the said Sir Edmund went from his House, there came unto This Enformant, into This Enformants House, One William Bromwell a Baker, and John VValters a Farrier, both

of St. Giles's in the Fields, who told this Enformant that there was a Man Dead in a Ditch, with a Sword run through him near Primrose-Hill: Making mention like∣wise of a Stick, and a Pair of Gloves, a Scabbard, and Belt, that lay there not far from the Body. Whereupon, this Enformant took several of of the Neighbours to his As∣sistance, some on Horseback, and others a-foot, and went forthwith to the Place where the Body lay; which Place was so Cover'd with Bushes, and Brambles, in and a∣bout the Ditch, that it was a hard matter to see the Body, till one were come just upon it.

That having found the Body laid the Length-ways of the Ditch; The Left Hand under the Head upon the Bottom of the Ditch; The Right Hand a little stretcht out, and touching the Bank on the Right-side; The Knees touch∣ing the Bottom of the Ditch, and his Feet not touching the Ground, but Resting upon the Brambles; The Pum∣mel of the Sword not reaching to the Bottom of the Ditch; The Body lying in so Crooked a Posture, keeping it from the Ground; The Periwig and the Hat, lying in the Bot∣tom of the Ditch, a little before the Body; The Body being thus found, as aforesaid, this Enformant bestrid the Corps, as it lay in the Ditch, and put his Hands about it to find how the Sword was Plac'd.

That after whats Above-said, This Enformant spake to the Company to Hand the Body out of the Ditch, this Enformant helping likewise, Himself; and they remov'd it about Five or Six Yards, to the best of this Enformants Conjecture, from the Ditch, where the said Body lay: And that upon the Drawing of the Body out, some of the Com∣pany saying it was a Tall Man, this Enformant reflecting upon it, sayd to this Effect, Pray God it be not Sir Edmund∣bury Godfrey, for he hath been for some time Missing; and some others also had the same Apprehension. It was then very Dark, and this Enformant Kneeling down to take the best View of the Face that he could, continued in

the Suspicion, but could no be as yet Positive, that it was the Body of the said Sir Edmund.

This Enformant enter'd then into a Consideration with the Company, how they might best get the Body up to the White-House; and concluding that it would endanger the Breaking the Sword, to carry the Body All the Way with the Sword in't: It was resolved rather to take out the Sword, which was accordingly done, having first Cauti∣oned the Company to take particular Notice of every Cir∣cumstance, how the Sword and the Body were. This En∣formant hereupon, took out the Sword, which was somewhat hard in the Drawing, and Crash'd upon the Bone, in the Plucking of it forth.

And saith, That upon this, the Enformant and the Com∣pany layd the Body a-Cross two Watchmens Staves, and so carry'd it to-Rights up to the White-House, where they layd him down upon the Floor in the House: And this En∣formant caused the Mony, and the Papers, and what was found in the Pockets, to be enter'd into a Note, and a Du∣plicate to be taken thereof, to prevent any Mistakes.

That immediately after taking of the said Notes, the Bo∣dy was laid upon the Table, and no doubt any longer but it was the Body of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey.

This being done, This Enformant gave Order, that the Watch-men that were there a-foot, should stay with the Body, and not suffer any Medling with it, till they should hear further from This Enformant: And so he this Enfor∣mant, and the rest of the Horsemen, (being about Seven in Number) rode away to Hartshorn-Lane, to the House of the Late Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, and enquired for the Justice: But after Words Pass'd, a Woman there telling this Enformant, that the Brothers were above; This Enformant sent to desire to speak with them; and they came presently down, there being in the Company Mr. Ben∣jamin, and Mr. Michael Godfrey, one Mr. Pluck∣net,

and one Mr. Ramsy, whom this Enformant saw to go into the House before him.

And that this Enformant told the said Company, that they had found the Body in a Ditch near Primrose-Hill, with a Sword through it: And that they had remov'd the said Body to the White-House. The said Brothers strictly en∣quiring of this Enformant, How he was sure that it was Sir Edmund's Body? Who Reply'd, That he knew him very well. The Brothers and Mr. Ramsey had some Discourse by themselves together; after which, Mr. Plucknet told this Enformant, that he would go along with him to the Bo∣dy. Hereupon this Enformant and the said Mr. Plucknet rode away to the White-House, it being then Ten a Clock, or thereabouts; Mr. Ramsey telling this Enformant, that he would immediately give the King Notice of it, and appointed this Enformant to meet him at the Checquer Inn about One of the Clock.

This Enformant being Demanded, What Persons he can call to Mind of Those that went with him to Hartshorn-Lane, when he carry'd the First News of Sir Edmund∣bury Godfrey's Body being found, to the Brothers there? He maketh Answer, That there was Joseph Girle, William Whitcomb, John James, William Lock, John Paris; And that all the Persons above mentioned, Assisted, more or less, in the carrying off the Body from the Ditch where it was found, to the White-House, and John Rawson, with others, whom he cannot remember.

Iohn Hartwell Deposeth, That being told that there was a Person found Dead in a Ditch in the Parish, with a Sword through the Body, He this Enformant, with some other Company, went to see the Body where it lay in the Ditch, with a Sword above a Handful out at the Back: One Hand Extended before him, with the Face leaning upon it, and the other Hand lying Backwards; A Hat and Periwig before him; His Cane, Gloves, and Sword

lying behind him upon a Bank; A Dark Colour'd Stuff Coat on; It was a Tempestuous Night, that they could have No Light to see the Body by; And that upon This View of the Body, the Constable desired the People to take Notice, how the Body lay, and how far the Sword was through him: And thereupon, the said Constable Order'd the Body to be taken out of the Ditch: And it was accord∣ingly Handed out a matter of Eight or Ten Yards from the Place.

And that the Sword being as yet in the Body, the Con∣stable either took it, or order'd it to be taken out of the Body; And so the Body was laid upon Two Watchmens Staves, and carry'd up to the Wite House, where the said Body was layd in the House upon the Floor.

Iohn Rawson, Ioseph Girle, Iohn Paris, and others, Speak to the same Effect about the Finding and Removing of the Body, and the Drawing of the Sword, which was a way of Proceding very Extraordinary, and enough, not only to Puzzle the Inquest upon Examination of the Mat∣ter; but to put any Thinking Man hard to't, to find a Warrantable Reason for what they did; for the Posi∣tion of the Body in the Ditch, and the Circumstances that went along with it, would have been the Best Light the Matter would bear, toward the Guiding of them in their Verdict. But I am persuaded, that it was an Error with∣out Malice.

The Body however, is now Lodg'd at the White-House, and the next Thing in the Course of Law, is to pass a View upon't: But it will do well in the mean time to see what Matter the Coroner has to work upon.

The Enformation that Mr. Wheeler gives upon this Subject, is very Pertinent, and very Particular.

Mr. Wheeler Deposes, That on Wednesday, Octo∣ber 16. there was a Vestry in St. Martins, where this En∣formant, Mr. James Supples, and Mr. Wilson were Pre∣sent. Vpon the Rising, they Adjourn'd thence to the Fleece Tavern in St. Martins Lane, and sent Notice to the Church-Wardens, Mr. Parsons, and Mr. Monk, that they were there, and the said Church-Wardens came im∣mediately thither; and presently after them, in came Dean Lloyd, to know what was become of Sir Edmund; saying, That he had been led into some Mistakes, or to that Effect, already; but he would make no more if he could help it. It was then said by some of the Company, that Mr. Radcliffe walked out of London with Sir Edmund about One of the Clock upon the Saturday before, or about Twelve: Whereupon Dr. Lloyd said, he would go and enquire of him; but the Company Desired him to stay, and said they would send for Mr. Radcliffe, which they did, and he came accordingly: And the said Radcliffe being come, some∣body asked him, whether he walked out of London with Sir Edmund, as is above said? To which the said Radcliffe re∣plyed, No: But that Sir Edmund was at his Door about One of the Clock That Saturday; for he was Taking in of Goods that came out of London.

Mr. Wheeler was told by Parsons, that Sir Edmund∣bury Godfrey Asked him Three Times that Saturday Morn∣ing, in St. Martins Lane, whereabouts Paddington-Woods were.

The People that are found upon Proof to have seen Sir Edmundbury Godfrey the Saturday that he went away, are Richard Cooper, Mary Leeson, Ioshua Foxley, Iohn Parsons, All in St. Martins Lane, about Eight or Nine in the Morning. A Sawyer in So-ho. William Col∣lins, and a Milk-woman in Marybone Fields about Nine: Tho. Mason about Ten, Met him in the Fields betwixt

Marybone-Pound and Marybone-Street; coming toward London, Ioseph Radcliffe, and his Wife, saw him in the Strand near One: Mont saw him Passing by New-mar∣ket: Mr. Richard Bornford saw him about One of the Clock, a very Little Over or Under, Passing through the Back Gate of Lincolns-Inn-Fields; and observed him to go forward under the Wall toward the Portu∣gal Row, some Three or Fourscore Paces, as he Judges: Mr. Stephen Primate of Grays-Inn saw him Walking Cross the Fields toward Turn-Style, from the Corner of Clare-Market, at, or about Two a Clock, as he con∣ceiveth. Thomas Snell saw him some time about Noon, (according to his Remembrance) passing by the said Snell's House, from Turn-Style in Holborn into the Red-Lyon-Fields: Mr. Tho. Grundy, and Mr. Iames Huysman saw him about Two or Three in the Afternoon near Prim∣rose-Hill, according to their Enformations, Cap. 2. Part 1. Now in such a Case as This, This Difference of an Hour, More or Less, upon a Conjecture at such a Distance of Time, breaks no Squares, as any Man will find upon his Appealing to his own Memory, and Experience, how often he has been Mistaken himself, Sooner or Later, as much as that comes to, upon a Present Guess at the time of the Day. But after all the Rest, I must not forget what one Baker said upon the Sight of the Body a•• the White-House, [That he saw that Man in a certain Close thereabouts that he Named, upon That Saturday in the Afternoon, or the Devil in his Clothes. To the Truth of which,

Margaret Rawson Deposeth, That this Enformant heard Edward Baker, upon the View of the Body of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, speak Words to this Effect, to the Best of this Enformants Memory, Either I saw this Man in my Fathers Forty Acres-Field upon some Day, which This Enformant doth not Remember, or the Devil in ••is Clothes.

Mr. Thomas Burdet Likewise Deposeth, That he was told by the Man and his Wife; that Liv'd at That Time in the White-House, That a Person seeing the Body of Sir E.B. Godfrey, in a Crowd of Other Company, said he had seen that Man at Three of the Clock upon the Sa∣turday in the Afternoon, in his Fathers So-many-Acres-Close: (This Enformant having forgotten the Precise Number of the Acres) And that upon some Question made, he Confirm'd it again with an Oath, That he knew him well enough; and that By God it was either he, or the Devil in his Clothes.

Here's Matter in Sight, abundantly enough to En∣quire upon; beside infinitely more, that out of Fear, Faction, and Lazyness, has b••en Undoubtedly Lost, or Suppress'd; and it Cannot be Imagin'd, that Any of These Particulars should be kept so Private as not to come to the Knowledge, either of the Iurors Themselves or of Those that were Concern'd to Search out, and to Subminister All Fair and Honest Lights toward the Instructing of a Iury; and I am affraid, that This is The Part of the History that will be found the Impor∣tant Secret that was given in Charge not to be Disco∣ver'd. The Bus'ness of Godfrey was at That Time the Whole Talk of the Town, and the Story of the Brewer, the Coach-maker, a Nurse, and the Milk-Wo∣man, was the very Pinch of the Discourse: He was Seen Here by Such a One, There by Such Another, and hardly any Body set Eye upon him, that did not take Notice of a Troubled Head in his very Look and Gate; over and above, that even the Course of his Perambulation was not a Iaunt for any man in his Right mind to Take; Nay, the Distraction of his Thoughts appear'd in the Wandrings, and Irresolutions of his Steps: It did not look like a Walk either for Pl••asure,

or for Bus'ness; But rather the Whiling away of so many hours under the Fluctuation of Sick and Doubting Thoughts, and in a kind of Conflict (as a Man may say) betwixt his Nature, and his Disease. 'Tis much to be Suspected, that at his First Setting out, he had the very Thing in his Eye, as well as the Place; And that if a Body may Gather any thing, either from his Melancholy, or from his Enquiring the Way thither, He went Probably to Those very Fields; for Collins, and the Milk-woman, saw him thereabouts, and Mason met him then at Ten That Morning, coming back again, which in a Reasonable Construction was no more then to say, that his Heart had not Serv'd him to go thorough with his Work That Bout. After his Return; we have him again in the Strand, New-market, Lin∣colns-Inn-Back-Gate, the Fields, Turn-Style, Red-Lyon-Fields; and so forward to the very Next Close to That where the Body was found; Nay, Mr. Grundy, and Mr. Huysman, lost Sight of him at a Blind-Passage over a Plank that Struck off directly to the very Ditch; and so far from any appearance of being Dogg'd all this while, that it look'd as if Company had almost shun'd Him as much, as He shun'd Company.

CHAP. IX.

A Iury Summoned to Sit upon the Body of Sir Ed∣mundbury Godfrey; and some Difficulty Start∣ed about it.

UPon the finding of the Body; the First Thing to be done according to Reason, Equity, and Pra∣ctice, should have been the Securing of it 'till a For∣mal View might have been taken of the Body it Self,

and every thing about it, or Relating to it, in the very same State, and under the very same Circumstances where∣in it was found. Descriptions, or Reports, upon either Fancy, or Memory, are Short and Faint; Compar'd with the Lights we receive from Visible Effects, Ope∣rations, and Dispositions of Things in a Course of Na∣ture: But the Body being Remov'd, the Sword taken out, The Place it self Trampled upon, and Disorder'd; The True Iudgment of the Case lay at the Mercy of the Reporters; So that they might Represent, Alter, Dis∣guise, Add, or Diminish as they pleas'd. The Iury in short, were fain to Content Themselves with such an Account of the Matter, as the Constable, and his Assi∣stants thought fit to give them; or perhaps as they were able to give them: Considering that All This was done in a Dark Tempestuous Night, without either Link, Lanthorn, or the Help of any other Light what∣soever. There was Great Stress laid upon't, that they saw No Bloud in the Ditch; No Mark of the Pummel of the Sword: when yet if there had been both the One, and the Other, it could hardly be Expected, after so much muddling of the Earth to get the Body out, that there should remain any Sign of Either. Or however, if they had a Mind to be Partial, there was Pretence Enough for the Hiding, and the Smothering of it, without any Colour of Suspicion. Nay, and the Constable was half Oblig'd to Palliate the Bus'ness, even in his own Defence; and as some sort of Atone∣ment for so Vnwarrantable a Proceeding. In few words, the Iudgment of the Case, Depended greatly upon the Particulars of the Relation: Insomuch, that upon being found in One Posture, he would have been thought to have kill'd Himself, and the Presumption would have been as Strong in Another Case, that he had been Mur∣ther'd by some body else. This Irregularity would lye Open to very strong Exceptions, if a Body should

Measure the Government of This Part of the Story, by the Manage of the Rest: but I am verily persuaded, that the Constables Fault in Carrying off the Body, was only a Rash, and an Officious Ignorance, without any sort of Malice.

But to take Things de bene esse, and as we find them: The Body is now at the White-House; Brown the Con∣stable has given the Brothers Notice of it at Harts∣horn-Lane, and brought Mr. Plucknet back with him ••o see it upon the Place.

Brown Deposeth, That Mr. Plucknet, casting his Eyes upon the Face, Cry'd out presently, This is my Brother Godfrey; and they immediately resolved to go down with a Candle and Lanthorn to the Place where the Body was found: The said Mr. Plucknet, This Enformant, and one Rawson, the Master of the White-House, going down together.

This Enformant, after Viewing the Body, and the Place where it was found, went with Mr. Plucknet to the Checquer-Inn at Charing-Cross (According to an Ap∣pointment mention'd Cap. 8. (being near Two in the Morning) where Mr. Ramsey met according to his Ap∣pointment, and told This Enformant, That he had En∣formed his Majesty of the Matter, and that This Enformant need Trouble himself no further, but that a Coroner should be order'd to come to This Enfor∣mant, Early the same Morning; which he did, and brought This Enformant a Warrant for the Summoning of a Jury to go forthwith to the White-house, and Sit upon the Body aforesaid: The Jurors Names being as followeth.

St. Giles's.

• Mr. Tho. Harris.
• Mr. Philip Wine.
• Mr. John Cowsey.
• Mr. William Collens.
• Mr. Tho. Woollam.
• Mr. John Carvel.
• Mr. Anthony Fryer.
• Mr. Christ. Jarvis.
• Mr. Robert Trotton.

Mary-bone.

• Mr. Joseph Girle.
• Mr. John Hartwell.
• Mr. William Lock.
• Mr. John Owen.
• Mr. Simon Standever.
• Mr. Thomas Mason.
• Mr. Paul Harding.

Padington.

• Mr. Matthew Haines.
• Mr. John Davies.

And Saith, That the Jury met accordingly at the White-House, and after Sitting a While, they Adjourn'd without Coming to a Verdict.

The Iury Met, we See; but could not come to an Agreement That Meeting; for what Reason they Ad∣journ'd; and upon what Grounds they proceeded after∣ward to a Verdict, shall be seen in the Proper Place: But it may be Reasonably Collected yet, that there was Somewhat more then Ordinary in the Wind, from the Earnest Application that was made for the Joyn∣ing of Mr. White the Coroner of Westminster, to the Assistance of Mr. Cooper, who was then Sitting upon the Body: And the Presumption is so much the stronger, because they were so far Enter'd, and so much Divi∣ded upon the Matter before them; which might seem to Insinuate either the Partiality of a Practice, or a Nicety in the Question; and taking it either the One way, or the Other, it had the Face of a very Honest, and a very Seasonable Councel. But the Fact will be Better Set forth in the Following Enformation.

Robert White Deposeth, That upon the Discovery of the Body of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, there were Two Persons of the Acquaintance of the said Sir Edmund, To wit; One Wigg a Grocer; and one Bookey (or some such Name) a Linnen-Draper; Who came toge∣ther to the House of Thir Enformant; And told him, that they were much Troubled; And so were divers others of the Parish, that This Enformant was not the Coro∣ner to sit upon the said Body: And then Desired This Enformant very Pressingly to Enquire into the Bus'ness: To which, This Enformant told them, that he did not Love to Thrust himself into Such a Bus'ness, without the request of the Coroner. But the aforesaid Persons not being Satisfy'd with This Answer, and still Pressing him to be Concern'd in the Enquiry; This Enformant told them, That if the Brother of the said Sir Edmund∣bury Godfrey, should desire This Enformant to be As∣sisting to him the said Brother, that then This Enformant would be willing to Assist. Whereupon the said Wigg and Bookey took their Leaves of This Enformant, and told him that they would Endeavour with all Expedition to Speak to the Brother of the said Sir Edmund about it. And within an hour or two after, This Enformant had Notice brought him to his House, Desiring him to be at the Greyhound-Tavern in the Strand, about Two or Three a Clock That Saturday in the Afternoon: And This Enformant went thither accordingly, where he found Mr. Wigg, and Mr. Bookey, and staid with him 'till a Cer∣tain Gentleman came to him, whom he took to be Sir Edmundbury Godfrey's Brother, who took This Enfor∣mant into a Coach, and away they went together to a House in St. Giles'es, where the Coroner, and his In∣quest were together. Then this Enformant desired the said Brother to Acquaint the Coroner, that He this En∣formant was there Present; And the said Brother Whis∣per'd

to the Coroner in This Enformant's Presence; but This Enformant did not hear what he said. And the said Brother returning presently to This Enformant, told him, that the Coroner did not desire his being there. Where∣upon This Enformant went down; Sir Edmund's said Brother following, who gave This Enformant a Guinnea at the Door, for his Trouble, and so This Enformant went away.

These Two Persons, Wigg and Bookey are since Dead; but they have left a Good Name behind them, for Men of Substance, and Reputation; and it was at the Common Instance of Divers Others of the Parishioners too, that This Desire or Proposition was set afoot; and the very Hint of it does Necessarily presume some Dissatisfaction they had in the Former way of Proceedings But the Bus'ness went forward Never the Less; And the Neighbourhood of Paddington it self was as Little Pleas'd after the Verdict, as Others were Before: and they Mutter'd at it sufficiently, so far as they durst, but the Barbarous Vsage of Bromwell and Walters, for only Finding the Body, Ty'd up other Peoples Tongues from speaking their Thoughts out-right in so Dangerous a Story.

This was a Cause, perchance, that in a Reasonable Prospect of the Issue of it, was to have as Powerful an Influence upon the Honour, and Safety of the King and his Government, as ever any Disaster since the Creation, that appear'd to be so Little and Inconsiderable, in sight; and therefore No Care could have been too much, for the bringing of This Matter to a Clear Light: In re∣spect either of the Openness, and Candor of the Pro∣ceeding; a strict, and Industrious Enquiry; All Warran∣table Ways and Means of gaining Full, and Credible Enformations: The Pertinence and Sufficiency of the Proofs: The Qualification of the Witnesses; and the

like. To Conclude, a Man methinks should be Glad, and Forward, in an Instance of This Quality, to take in what Help he Can, fairly, to Assist him in the Scru∣tiny toward the Discharge of his Conscience: and to Se∣cure himself of a safe Appeal from the Censure and Envy that commonly Attends Resolutions of This Nature.

CHAP. X.

The Subject of the Debate; and First of the Posi∣tion of the Body, as it lay in the Ditch.

THE Cause being now before the Iury, we shall speak to the several Parts of it in Order, and Begin with a Consideration of the Position of the Body in the Ditch, as we have it by Tradition from the Constable, and his Assistants. The Description of it in, Mr. Pain, and Mr. Farwell's First Letter, to Mr. Miles Prance, is Allowed, without Contradiction, to be exactly Correct, and Iust, and therefore I cannot do Better, then to Deliver it to the World as I find it ready drawn to my hand.

His Breast was Vnbutton'd, his Wastcoat, and Shirt put by, his Sword run in under his Left Pap, next his Skin, the Point Coming out at his Right Shoulder, about Six Inches, his Left Arm doubled under him, (on which his Head seemed to Lean) And his Right Arm, stiff, stretcht out upon the Bank; his Belly and Breast being supported by the side of the Bank; his Knees Knit toge∣ther, and with his Hips a little Bending, or Doubling under him.

No Painter could have drawn a Man that had Cast himself in a Ditch upon his own Sword, more accord∣ing to Nature, then the Publisher of This Description has done This Unhappy Person: Neither was it Mo∣rally Possible, for People in the Dark to Dispose of a Body, and every Part of it, into so Proper and Congr••∣ous a Position. And it was as Little Possible, to bring a Dead Body and the several Parts of it, to Comply with the Circumstances of This Figure. His Right Arm was stiff, and his Left Arm doubled under him in the Ditch; and afterward, upon the Table, in the White-house, Both Arms so stiff, that Fisher was fain to Tear off the shirt, when he helped to strip him.

Let but any Man Fancy to himself now a Lively Image of This Disposition of the Body, and the several Parts of it; and say if he thinks it possible, for People (Nay, and it was in the Dark too) to Place every Thing in a Posture so Proper, and so Congruous to the Occasion. No Painter could have Design'd so Natural a Resolution as This Chance-Cast of Prances, dropt into. [They Threw him into a Ditch, (says Prance) and Layd his Gloves and Other Things upon the Bank, Tryal, fol. 20.] So that there was more Care taken, it seems, of his Trinkets, then of his Body. And it was not All, Nei∣ther, that Every Line and Point in the Composition of That Figure, seem'd to speak as Plainly as the Voice of Nature it self could have done; that he dy'd upon That Spot: But the Whole World could not have put his Head, Neck, Body, and Limbs, into That Position, if Death had Not Left him just in That Manner, and in That Place where afterward they Found him. The Witnesses will have it that the Murtherers Convey'd the Body from Somerset-house to the Ditch; and There left him (as is said Already) with his Mony in his Pocket, that it might be thought that he Kill'd Himself. Now if the Whole Pretence of the Somerset-house Murther was

an Imposture, as Truth it self is not more Certain; it is by their own Argument, a very Reasonable Thing, to Believe, upon This appearance of Matters, that he did Kill Himself; Unless they can Produce some Colour at lea••t, that some body else Kill'd him; for Never was a Thing better Prov'd by Secondary Circumstances, then That he Threw Himself upon his Own Sword. And no Man can Doubt it, that Considers the Contradictions of the Evidence; the Distance betwixt Somerset-house and Primrose-hill; The Bearers that Carry'd him; Their Accoutrements; The Watches, and the Almost Impassable Difficulties in the Way; The Chairing of him One Half of his Iourney, and the Horsing of him Tother. To say Nothing of a Thousand Fopperies more to come, that were Utterly as Incredible, as any of the Rest.

The First Question, Naturally in All These Cases, is the Condition, and the Posture of the Body: And so, What Evidence of any Weapon, Instrument, or Accident, by which the Person might come or be brought to his end: And whether by Himself, or by Another Hand. After These Enquiries, the Circumstances to be Well-weighed; and all such Witnesses call'd in to give Evi∣dence, as were either of his Relations, or Familiar Ac∣quaintances, or otherwise suppos'd, or Presum'd to be most Privy to his Affairs: either in General, or with a Regard to the Particular that is here in Question. It is a very Great Light (as I was a saying) that may be taken from such a Description of the State, and Ap∣pearance of the Body, as the Iury had before them: There are some Mortal Hurts, or Wounds that a Body can not be suppos'd to have given Himself: There are some Others of so special an Application, and Dire∣ction, that One can hardly believe them to have been given by Another Hand. Now it is very Remarkable, that This Consideration, for ought that I have been hitherto able to Learn, was never Yet brought upon

the Carpet; either before the Coroner, or in Truth, at the King's Bench Bar, at the Tryal of the Pretended Murtherers; But in Both Places they leapt over the Preliminaries in the Ditch, saving only the Two Nega∣tives, that there was No Bloud found there; nor any Dint of the Pummel of the Sword. [Pray (says Mr. Re∣corder to the Constable) in what Posture did You find Sir Edmundbury Godfrey? [Mr. Brown] I found him my Lord in a Ditch, with his Sword thorough him, and the end of it was Two handfuls out of his back. Green's Tryal, pa. 35.] Now This was a very short Answer, to a Home Question; And Nothing at all to the Posture, but only to the Weapon, and the Wound. If Brown had come up to the Interrogatory, He should have said that he lay Greveling Upon That Sword; and he should have given the Court an Account of Twenty Other Whats and Hows Beside; but the Posture, and all that belong∣ed to't, was Blown off presently, and the Eyes and the Thoughts of the People Carry'd away, to the Question of Bloud, or No Bloud, in the Ditch; And to the Gold and Silver that was Left in his Pocket, to Persuade the World that he Kild Himself; and that the Killers of him made more Conscience of Picking a Pocket, then of Committing a Murther. Nay Brown has worded his Deposition in the Next Page, as if he were Delivering a Verdict, rather then an Evidence; where he Determines the Point, in saying, That They had run it into ano∣ther Place, but that happen'd to be against a Rib: But we shall let That pass for a Slip too, as we did the Former. After This, They call'd in Two Surgeons to their Aid, but they were upon a View of the Body still, as it lay upon the Table, not as 'twas found in the Ditch; and therefore to say no more of it, they were extremely short in Passing over the Bus'ness of the Ditch; which, in Effect, was the Best Guide they had to the Truth of the Matter, and the most Convincing Part of their Evi∣dence.

The Other Scruples, were, at the Fairest, but Dubious, and Confounded with Incoherences, and Vnlikely∣hoods in abundance; whereas the Position of the Body, and the Parts of it in the Ditch, was so certain an Indi∣cation of his Dying by his Own Sword, that they might have Counterfeited Nature in any thing else, as well as in That Figure: Beside, that the Wound could very hard∣ly have been Given him by Another Hand; for it pass'd from under the Left Pap through the Blade, or some Bony Part of his Left Shoulder: Insomuch, that in Brown's own Words, It was somewhat hard in the Draw∣ing, and Crash'd upon the Bone in the Plucking of it forth, See Chap. 8. There lyes One Objection in the Way, and it is Easily Answered. The Pummel of the Sword, as Brown says, Did not touch the Bottom of the Ditch; but Imputes it to the Crooked Posture of his Body, and the Thickness of the Bushes upon the Place. Now, if the Pummel of the Sword was Pitched upon the Side of the Ditch, it could not be expected that it should still Rest there after the doing of the Execution; for what with the Preponderating Weight of his Body, and the Strug∣ling of Nature upon the Last Convulsion, it must of Ne∣cessity, remove: And then his Body being Otherwise Sup∣ported by his Knees at the Bottom of the Ditch, and the Weight of it bearing upon his Left Arm, lying Doubled under his Head, the Pummel of the Sword could not well touch the Bottom of the Ditch. But Mr. Skillarne, one of the Surgeons that Assisted upon the View of the Body, Speaks most Expresly to this Part of the Question.

Zachariah Skillarne Deposeth, That he this Enfor∣mant taking a strict View of the Ditch where Sir Edmund's Body was found, he observed an Impres∣sion upon the Side of of the Ditch, about a Foot above the Bottom of it, according to the Best Iudgment this Enfor∣mant

is able to make of it, which he took to be the Dint of the Pummel of the Sword.

This is a Great Deal more then Needed, for the Killing of a Dead Cause: But the Plain Short of the Matter in fine, is neither Better nor Worse, then This. If the Question of the Ditch has been Omitted, as a Point forgotten, 'tis such Another Slip as the Point that the Atheistical Penitent forgot in his Confession, which was, That he did not Believe in God; for it was the Key of the Whole Work. If it was pass'd over as a Thing not Worth the minding, it was a Case of Bloud, and might have born the Charge of Interrogatory, and Debate: Especially when so many Lives Depended upon the Consequence of a Right, or a Mistaken Sentence: But if it was neither of These Two, it was a Matter at That Time, perhaps, too Hot to be Handled; and 'tis a Dangerous Thing for People to be Over-Inquisitive in∣to the Truth of a Matter that is Design'd for an Impo∣sture. We shall pass now from what they Did Not, to what they Did, and so to the Next Chapter.

CHAP. XI.

The Iury found Sir E. B. Godfrey to be Strangled, and not Kill'd with the Sword: The Surgeons were of the same Opinion, and gave their Rea∣sons for it.

UPON the Evidence and View of the Body of Sir E. B. Godfrey at the White-House, it appear∣ed, upon the Main, that it was found at such a Time and Place, and with his own Sword thorough it. They

observ'd the Limberness of the Neck, and the Two Circles about it: His Brest very much Discolour'd, as if it had been Beaten, or Bruis'd; Two Wounds under his Left Pap: One stopt at a Rib; the Other quite thorough the Body: They laid Great Weight upon it, that there was No Bloud found in the Ditch; and upon the main Issue, Whether he Dy'd by the Wound, or by Suffocati∣on; or whether by his own Hand, or by some Other Bo∣dies: After a Long Debate, and a Great Deal of Iang∣ling, in Due Course and Form: The Coroner and his Inquest took the Surgeons Advice along with them, and in the Conclusion came to This Result.

That certain Persons to the Iurors unknown, a Certain Piece of Linnen Cloth of No Value, about the Neck of Sir Edmundbury Godftey, Then, and There, Felo∣niously, Wilfully, and of their Malice before thought, did Tye and Fasten; and therewith the said Sir Edmundbu∣ry Godfrey, Feloniously, Wilfully, and of their Malice before thought, did Suffocate and Strangle, of which said Suffocaeion, and Strangling, He the said Sir Ed∣m••ndbury Godfrey Then and There Instantly Dy'd.

This is according to a Printed Copy of the Verdict published by Ianeway in 1682. on the Behalf of the Pro∣secutors of Mr. Pain and Mr. Farwell, for Publishing cer∣tain Letters upon This Subject, directed to Miles Prance. I never heard the Truth of the Copy Question'd: Be∣side, that when the Bus'ness was fresh, the Story was in every Bodies Mouth, that he was strangled with a Linnen Cloth; and no other way of Suffocation so much as mentioned: And That was the True Reason, of Bed∣loe's Stifling him with a Pillow; to Answer the Suffocati∣on; and of Prance's doing it with a Twisted Hand∣kecther, to Answer the Linnen Cloth, which Bedloe af∣terward, very Discreetly turn'd into a Crevat; By the

Token, [It was so streight that he could not get his Finger in.] Now the Inquisition taken by the Coroner of Middlesex, upon the View of the Body of Sir Edmund∣bury Godfrey, according to a True Copy of it out of the Crown Office, which was Sworn and read in Court, upon the Tryal of the Gentlemen before mentioned, says, that he was Strangled with a Cord, fol. 8. by Per∣sons Vnknown: But Right or Wrong, it must be Strang∣ling at Last; for there was no way but That to bring him off from Killing Himself, which would have spoil∣ed more Plots then One: though it was a Huge way about, for People to Choak him at Somerset-House, and then carry him Two Mile out of Town at Midnight to run his Sword through him at Primrose-Hill for a Pretence; When there were so many convenient Boughs, and Beams, to have done his Work Better Cheap, nearer Home; The Trussing of him up to one of the Timbers in the New Vnfinished House, where Prance swears he left the Chair, when they put him a Horseback, would have born a much better Countenance of his Killing Himself, then the Leaving of his Body in a Ditch, with the Marks of Two Several Deaths upon it at Once. When I say [of Two Several Deaths] which Implies the Swal∣lowing of Things Inconsistent; I reflect no Reproach, ei∣ther upon the Surgeons, or upon the Iurors; for the Former Iudg'd according to Common Appearances; and the Latter were only over-rul'd by the Opinions of Men that spake in their own Profession. I do not say yet, that there was not a Secret Practice, and Manage that ran through this whole Affair from one End to the Other; but Time, and Consideration, upon the Opening of the Fact will better Discover that Mystery. The Root, in short, of this Whole Miscarriage, was the removing of the Body; Of which we have spoken sufficiently in the Last Foregoing Chapter. But now to the Merits of the Cause.

The Surgeons were of Opinion, upon the View of the Body at the White House (and in Truth for want of a View of it in the Ditch) that Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was Strangled, and Not Kill'd by the Sword. The Iurors were Guided by the Surgeons, and accordingly they Agreed upon a Verdict. It will be well, in This Place, to consider the Matter of Fact, as it lay before them; their Iudgments upon it, and the Inducements that mov'd them to Agree upon the above-mentioned Verdict. This will be best done, out of their Own Mouths. And to take the Matter in Order, We'll see first what they Deliver'd at the Coroners Inquest. 2ly. The Evidence they gave at the Tryals of Green, Ber∣ry, and Hill. And 3ly. The Short of what was De∣liver'd at the Tryal of Mr. Pain, and Mr. Farwel. I call it a Tryal, with a Respect to the Sacredness of the Seat of Iustice; though the Formalities of the Court were Interrupted, and the Dignity of the Tribunal Af∣fronted, with such Clamours, and Insults from the Rab∣ble, that a Man might Honestly enough, at a Distance, have taken it for a Bair-Bating.

The Enformation of Zacharias Skillarne, of the Parish of St. Martins in the Fields, Chirurgion, taken upon Oath 18th. Day of October, 1678. before Me.

HE saith, That he being sent for as a Chirurgeon, to search the Body of Sir Edmund Godfrey, did in the Presence of the Coroner and Jury, Search the same; and finds, that he was strangled; And that he hath re∣ceived some Violent Blow upon the top of his Breast; and this Enformant verily believes that the said Sir Edmund did Not Dye of the Wound through his Body.

Zacharias Skillarn Chirurgeon, being further Ex∣amined, saith, That when he Searched Sir Edmundbury Godfrey's Body, he found that his Neck had been Twi∣sted towards the Left Side; which was One of the Occasi∣ons of his Death, as This Enformant believes.

• Jo. Cowper, Coroner.
• ...Zac. Skillarn.

The Enformation of Nicholas Cambridge of St. Giles in the Fields, Chirurgeon, taken upon Oath the same Day and Year before Me.

This Enformant saith the same.

• Jo. Cowper, Coroner.
• ...Nicholas Cambridge.

Here's the Iudgment of the Surgeons upon Oath, before the Coroner, Octob. 18, 19. 1678. and their Evi∣dence was much thereabouts, afterward, at the Tryal of the Pretended Murtherers, Feb. 10. 1678/9. But the Fairest way will be to Deliver the Colloquy at Large, for so much a concerns This Subject.

I shall only take Notice of One Artificial Insinuation by the Way. [We Desire (says Mr. Attorney) to call the Surgeons that View'd and OPEN'D the Body, Mr. Skil∣larn, and Mr. Cambridge, Tryal. fol. 30.] Now this was to possess the Audience with a Full Persuasion of the most Reasonable Thing in the World, and that the Body had been Open'd Indeed. Whereas there was No Open∣ing of the Body; but on the contrary, the Thing was Mov'd and Desir'd, but the Brothers would not Permit it; and Mr. Hobbs (as he told me very Frankly, with his own Lips) was Absolutely for it; for, says he, upon the Opening of the Body, you should have known as well what Death he Dy'd, as if you had seen it. But now to the Evidence.

Mr. Att. G.

Did you observe his Breast? how was it?

Mr. Skillarn.]

His Breast was All beaten with some Obtuse Weapon, either with the Feet, or Hands, or Some∣thing.

Mr. Att. G.]

Did you observe his Neck?

Mr. Skillarn.]

Yes, It was Distorted.

Mr. Att. G.]

How far?

Mr. Skillarn.]

You might have taken the Chin, and have set it upon either Shoulder.

Mr. Att. G.]

Did you Observe the Wound?

Mr. Skillarn.

Yes I did. It went in at one place, and Stopt at a Rib; the Other Place, it was quite through the Body.

Mr. Att. G.]

Do you think he was kill'd by That Wound?

Mr. Skillarn.

No; for then there would have been some Evacuation of Bloud, which there was Not: And be∣sides; his Bosom was open, and he had a Flannel Wast∣coat and a Shirt on; and neither Those, nor any of his Clothes were Penetrated.

Mr. Att. Gen.]

But are you Sure his Neck had been Broken?

Mr. Skillarn.]

Yes, I am sure.

Mr. Att. G.]

Because some have been of Opinion, that he Hang'd Himself, and his Relations to Save his Estate, run him through; I would desire to ask the Chirurgeon what he Thinks of it.

M. Skillarn.]

There was more done to his Neck then an Ordinary Suffocation; the Wound went through his very Heart; and there would have appear'd some Bloud, if it had been done quickly after his Death.

Mr. Att. G.]

Did it appear by the View of the Body, that he was Strangled or Hang'd?

Mr. Skillarn.]

He was a Lean Man, and his Mus∣cles, if he had died of the Wound, would have been Tur∣gid; And Then again, All Strangled People never Swell,

because there is a Sudden Deprivation of all the Spirits, and a hindring of the Circulation of the Bloud.

Mr. Att. G.]

How long do you believe he might be dead before you saw him?

Mr. Skillarn.]

I believe, four or five days. And they might have kept him a Week, and he never Swell'd at All, being a Lean Man. And when we Ript him up, he be∣gan for to Putrify; we made two Incisions to give it Vent; and the Liquor that was in his Body did a Little Smell. The very Lean Flesh was so near turn'd into Putrefaction, that it Stuck to the Instrument when we Cut it.

Mr. Recorder.]

My Lord, here is another Chirurgeon, Mr. Cambridge; Pray Sir are you Sworn?

Mr. Cambridge.]

Yes, I am.

Mr. Recorder.]

When did you see the Body of Sir Ed∣mundbury Godfrey?

Mr. Cambridge.]

Vpon Friday; the very day the Gentleman did. I found his Neck Dislocated, and his Breast very much Beaten, and Bruised. And I found Two Punctures under his left Pap; the one went against the Rib, the other quite through the Body under the Left Pap.

Mr. Att. G.

Do you believe That Wound was the Occa∣sion of his Death?

Mr. Cambridge.]

No; I believe it was given him after his Death.

L. C. J.]

And his Neck was Broke?

Mr. Cambridge.]

His Neck was Dislocated, Sir.

The Matter here Under Consideration was the Distortion of his Neck, His Bruises; No Evacuation of Bloud; The Appearance of his Muscles; Insomuch, that they both Agree that the Wound was given him after his Death; And the Bruises are presum'd to have been Occasion'd by the Blows he received from the Murtherers upon Struggling to Defend himself. The Reader is here to take Notice, that Mr. Skillarne, and

Cambridge, were the Two only Surgeons that were ta∣ken in for Assistants to the Coroner. But however, that there were others Call'd-in who saw him by the By, to give Evidence afterward upon a Tryal at Guild∣hall, Iune 20. 1682. As Mr. Hobbs, The Two Mr. Chaces, Father and Son; Mr. Lazenby. Mr. Hobb'es Part was This.

L. C. Justice.]

Had you any doubt whether he was Murther'd?

Mr. Hobbs.]

Indeed my Lord, I thought he was Strangled; That was my Opinion; I can't tell Whether I was Mistaken. I said to Dr. Goodal, it would be very well if Mr. Godfrey would send for a Surgeon, and a Physician from the Court, and Others from the City, to SATISFY ALL PERSONS.

Mr. Farwell.]

What Colour was his Face?

Mr. Hobbs.]

My Lord, it was Bloated.

L. C. J.

Did it look as if Violence had been Vs'd to him?

Mr. Hobbs.]

Ay my Lord; and the Bloudy Vessels of his Eyes were so full, as if he had been Troubled with Sore Eyes. Tryal of Nathaniel Thompson, &c. fol. 23, 24.

The Evidence that the Two Mr. Chaces gave upon the Matter here in Question, was to This Effect. Mr. Chace the Son, upon Fryday Morning View'd the Ditch, and saw No Bloud in't. He saw the Body in the House; Two Wounds; A Contusion on the Left Ear. He Believ'd he was Strangled, and those Injuries done after he was Dead.

Mr. Chace the Father saw the Body at the White-House on Fryday; a Contusion, and Two Wounds; And the Next day he saw a Swelling on his Left Ear, as if a Knot had been Ty'd, fol. 24.

Mr. Lazenby took him to be Strangled, and gave his Reasons. There was Bloud Four Yards from the Ditch,

that Smelt as Strong as if he had been Dead a Fortnight; He Believ'd he was Strangled: His Stomach and Breast were much Discolour'd, and Black, and his Mouth Dis∣colour'd. He went up-stairs to Drink a Glass of Beer, and was Call'd down again to see Two Great Creases about his Neck, being told that young Mr. Chace had Vnbutton'd the Collar. So being come down, he put the Collar together, and Perceived the Collar made a Mark, like a Streight Ring upon a Finger; the Neck being Swell'd above the Collar, and Below, by the Strang∣ling with a Chord, or Cloth, Tryal, fol. 25, 26.

I must observe here by the way now, that my Cita∣tions are from a Tryal Printed by the Lord Chief Iustice Pemberton's Order. There was Another Pretended Ac∣count of the same Tryal: Published without Order, and said to be Printed for William Mason; Wherein by way of Abstract, the Evidence against the Pris'ners is strain'd, and Falsified, and being much Harder upon them, then That in the Authentique Tryal, 'tis to be presum'd, that for the Honour of the Court, Nothing was Omitted that might give Reputation to the Iustice of the Proceeding.

I must take Notice again, that there's an Appen∣dix of Affidavits and Observations Annexed to the Licens'd Tryal in the Course of Signature, and Folio, to support the Credit of Prance's Evidence, which looks as if the Whole had been Printed by the same Authority; Whereas my Lord Chief Justice only Licens'd the Tryal. These surreptitious Pieces are of No Weight; and it is but reason to Reject what is Spurious on the one side, as it is Fair to Allow the Vttermost Force of All that has been, or can be said on the Other. There was a Great stir made about Fly-blows, or No Fly-blows, and whether his eyes were shut, or Open. But I shall Touch upon Those Points as they fall in My Way,

without laying more stress upon the Matter then 'tis VVorth.

To do Right to All People, and to All Things; and to All Purposes, I must Recommend here one Note to the Reader, upon the Testimonies Deliver'd, and as they are here represented by the Gentlemen above Named. They do Not speak to the Whole History of the Bus'ness, according to the Literal strictness of the Oath, or Duty of an Evidence, so as to Expatiate upon All the Minutes of their Knowledge, or Thoughts, as to the Thing in Question, but according to the Equity, and the Intent of Publique Iustice; For the Court puts the Questions; and it is their Part, Truly to Answer them, without running into Matters Forreign to the Interrogatory. They Believ'd, upon what they had in Sight, that he was strangled; and so That was a safe, and Convenient Question: and the Signs of it about his Neck, were em∣prov'd in favour of That Opinion; if he had Dy'd of the Wound, they say, there would have been a Great Eva∣cuation of Bloud; and so the Question upon That Point, was, in a Manner Restrain'd to the Ditch: only some superficial Enquiries about the Dreining of it at the White-house into the Celler, and the like: As if the Evacuation of a Gallon of Bloud, in Another Place, were not as Competent a Ground to Conclude upon, as One Drop of Bloud in the Ditch: But if These Gentlemen had had the Body before them, in the Ditch, as they had it in the House, they would never have troubled themselves, with his Neck; his Bruises, or his Circles, having so Demonstrative a Certainty of the True Cause of his Death, before them: For there was not any Part about him; Not so much as a Finger, that they would not have read the Workings of Nature in. There would have been No Doubt, in fine, Whether he Dy'd by a Sword, or by a Crevat; but Who Kill'd him might perchance have Yielded Matter for Another Question,

if they could have thought it Possible for Mortal Hands to have Drawn so Accurate, and Natural a Counterfeit of a Man that had Kill'd Himself. To Conclude; the Surgeons were Consulted in their Fa∣culty, upon what Appear'd to Them, without any Ob∣ligation upon them to Pronounce upon a Fact that was Wholly out of their Ken: As if a Man should ask the Iudgment of the College of Physicians, concerning such or such a Disease. They may be Great Philosophers, and Doctors, and yet Mistake the Distemper; and much more lyable were These Gentlemen to a Mistake, upon the Iudgment of This Iustice's Death. In one Word more; This Evidence was Effectually, but the Repeating of a Lesson, and the saying of the same Things over again, which they had Declar'd before: They were, in Truth, Leading Questions that Required Following An∣swers; and, as it happen'd, there was not One Interro∣gatory that came near the Quick. I will add one Word more; and so make an end of This Chapter. I am, my self, Perswaded, that there were such Signs of Suffoca∣tion, as if his Body had been found Hung up in a Room with a Sword thorough it, and an Effusion of Bloud upon the Floor too, supposing the Wound before he was quite Dead, one might have at least divided the Death, be∣twixt the Sword, and the Halter: But upon the finding of a Sword through a Body in a Ditch, and in such a Po∣sition too; and No visible, or Hardly Imaginable Hang∣ing in the Case; to Conclude, that he was strangled, and that the Sword had No Part in his Death, was a Thing, that Most Infallibly These Gentlemen would never have Agreed to, at least 'till they had satisfy'd themselves that there was No Possibility of any Other Cause for Those Signs of Suffocation; and 'till they had fully Consider'd, whether there Might not be something of Equivalence to such a Suffocation, in the Circumstances of the State, and Condition wherein they found him.

CHAP. XII.

The Iuror's Reasons for the Verdict they gave, upon the View of Sir E. B. Godfrey's Body.

THomas Harris Deposeth, That He this Enformant, some few Days after Sir Edmundbury Godfrey went Last from his House, heard that he was Missing; And saith, That the said Sir Edmund's Body being found Dead in a Ditch, at, or near Prim-rose-Hill, He this Enformant was Summon'd upon the Coroners Inquest to attend at the White-House, near the said Primrose-Hill, where there were Two Persons suppos'd to be Surgeons, to View, and to Probe the Body. The One's Name was Cambridge; The Other this Enformant doth not know. The said Surgeons, upon Examining the Body, found Two Wounds, which they said they Believ'd were given after the Body was Dead. And observing a Streak about his Neck, they said they Believed he was First Suffocated, and some time afterward, run Through. And this Enfor∣mant did not take Notice of any other Surgeons there, then Those Aforesaid. The matter was there Debated by the Jurors, who were not as yet satisfied how he should come to his End: There being Evidence of the Place, and the Man∣ner of finding him, but None of the Particular Manner of his Death. So that the Jury Adjourn'd till they should have a Further Summons.

Vpon Saturday the Day following, the Jury met again at the Rose and Crown in St. Giles's in the Fields, where they came, after a Long Debate, to a Verdict, Agreeing, that the said Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was Strangled by Persons Unknown, &c.

And being further asked, How it came to pass, that this Enformant, and the Jury, not being satisfied in the Man∣ner

of the said Sir Edmund's Death, by any Proofs at the White-House, they came Now to be better Satisfy'd therein, at the Rose and Crown, then they were Before: To which, this Enformant maketh Answer, That an Oyl∣man, and Some Others made Oath, That they saw him in the Strand about Twelve or One upon the Day that he was First Missing.

And being further Asked, How they came to find him Strangled with a Linnen Cloth, when there was No Lin∣nen Cloth found, and not rather Kill'd with his own Sword, which was found through him: This Enformant Answereth, That the Surgeons told them, That if he had been run through first, there could never have been a Suffocation Afterwards.

Iohn Cowsey Deposeth, That there were Two Sur∣geons call'd to View, and Examine the Body, who gave their Opinions upon Oath, (to the best of this Enformants Memory) that he was Suffocated, which they Gather'd from a Circle about his Neck, and the setling of the Bloud about his Breast.

They did not come to a Verdict at That Meeting; But the Coroner told them, that for several Reasons, they should at present Adjourn.

After the Adjournment abovesaid, the Jury met at the Rose and Crown in St. Giles's in the Fields, the next Day, where they stay'd till very Late That Night, before they gave up their Verdict.

And this Enformant being Interrogated, if they found a Linnen Cloth about him: This Enformant Answereth, That he neither saw, nor heard of any.

And this Enformant being Interrogated, if there was any Proof made to the Jury of the Body being found Dead with a Sword through it, This Enformant maketh An∣swer, That it was Prov'd upon Oath.

And This Enformant being further Interrogated, how they came to find him Strangled with a Linnen Cloth, when no Linnen Cloth there appear'd; and why they did not find him to Dye of his Wounds, when 'twas Prov'd upon Oath, that the Body was found with a Sword through it? He this Enformant maketh Answer, That by the Opinion of the Surgeons, and the Appearance of the Body, they Iudg'd that he was Strangled. And touching the Wound given by the Sword, this Enformant Iudged that the Wound could not be his Death; because he saw No Bloud fol∣low.

Ioseph Girle Deposeth, That being Summoned, &c. One Mrs. Blith, amd her Man of St. Giles's, made Oath, They, or One of them had been upon Wednesday up and down thereabouts (where the Body was found) looking for a Calf newly fall'n; And that at that time, they did not see any Dead Body. This being Wednesday when Sir E. B. Godfrey was Missing. And saith, That the Jurors complain'd much of waiting so long, and Desir'd to be Dis∣missed; but the Coroner, John Cowper, urged the staying of it out, till they should see what Evidence would come in.

Thomas Woollams Deposeth, That he was Summo∣ned, &c. And that there were Two Surgeons with the Jury, upon the View of the Body; Who, upon Examina∣tion of the Circumstances, Declar'd upon their Oaths, That they Believed the Body was Suffocated; Giving these Reasons for it, that there was a Circle about the Neck; The Bloud was Setled within the Skin, and his Neck seem∣ed to be Wrenched. They did not come to a Verdict at That Sitting; but put it off to another Sitting.

Simon Standever Deposeth, that he being Summoned, &c. and the Jury Sworn, they went All, or the greater Part of

them, and this Enformant, one of the Number, to View the Place where the Body was found; and so Return'd to Sit upon the Body. There were Two Persons, one Cam∣bridge, a Surgeon, and Another Person Vnknown to this Enformant, who they said was a Surgeon also, to View, and to Examine the said Body, who Delivered their Opinion upon their Oaths, That they Believed that the said Sir Ed∣mund did Not Dye of the Wound by the Sword; but that he was Strangled: For his Breast was Black and Bruised; And there was a List about his Neck: His Neck Limber, and his Chin turn'd upon his Left Should∣er, to the best of This Enformants Memory. That by This Opinion of the Surgeons, and their declaring that he did not Dye by the Wound of the Sword, This Enfor∣mant, and others of the Jury (as he Believes) were Persuaded to be of the same Opinion, That he did not Dye of the Wound of the Sword.

And This Enformant saith, That they did not come to a Verdict at the White-House; But there being a great Crowd of People, and No Evidence as yet appearing (as this Enformant Remembers) but the Two Surgeons, and Mr. Collins, who said that he saw him on the Day that he was First Missing about Nine or Ten a Clock in the Morn∣ing, near a Barn of the said Mr. Collins's, hard by Ma∣rybone Church; the Jury was coming at that time to a Verdict. That the Day following, in the Afternoon, the said Jury met at the Rose and Crown in St. Giles's in the Fields, where they sate from the Afternoon, till past Midnight, before they gave up their Verdict.

This Enformant being Interrogated, what Evidence they had at the Rose and Crown, more then they had before at the White-House, to make them think that the Sword was not the Cause of his Death: This Enformant Answereth, That a Shop-keeper, with his Wife, and some body else, gave Enformation upon Oath, That they had seen the said Sir Edmund at the Door of the said Shop-keeper;

about Twelve a Clock at Noon the First Day that Sir Edmund was Missing; by which, it appear'd, that the said Sir Edmund was back again in London, after Mr. Col∣lins had seen him about Marybone.

Anthony Fryer Deposeth, being Summoned, &c. That there were Two Persons, said to be Surgeons, that had the View of, and the Probing of the Body. The Name of the One was Nicholas Cambridge, but the Name of the Other this Enformant doth not Remember: And that upon the Probing of the said Body, they gave their Opinion that the Wounds were made after he was Dead; which, to This Enformants Remembrance, Mov'd This Enfor∣mant, and Others, to be of the same Opinion too.

And this Enformant saith, That the Surgeons afore∣said were with the Jury again at the Rose and Crown, (to the best of his Knowledge;) And that the said Surgeons Declar'd they Believ'd he was Strangled with a Napkin, or Some such Thing, which this Enformant saith, was the Only Reason, together with the Circle about his Neck, that Induc'd This Enformant to be of That Opi∣nion.

Robert Trotton being Summoned, &c. Deposeth, That being ask'd upon what Evidence they found the said Sir Edmund to be Strangled with a Linnen Cloth, the Body being found with a Sword through it, and no Linnen Cloth appearing, This Enformant maketh Answer, That He and the Jury could not tell what to Think on't, it was so Ticklish a Bus'ness: But the Two Surgeons, One Nicholas Cambridge, and Another, saying, that it was done by some Linnen Cloth, Sway'd the Jury to find it so. And that This Enformant verily Believeth, that if the said Surgeons had not given their Opinions, that he was kill'd by a Linnen Cloth, the Jury would have given up the Verdict, that it was done with his own Sword.

And further, That this Enformant doth not Remember any more Surgeons upon the View of the Body with the Ju∣rors, then the Two before spoken of: And he Remembreth that the said Surgeons were with the Iury, both at the White-House, and at the Rose and Crown; And that the Iu∣rors were strongly of Opinion that the said Sir Ed∣mund was Kill'd with the Sword that was found in his Body, 'till the Earnestness of the Surgeons Prevail'd upon them, to give their Verdict Another way.

Iohn Davis Deposeth, That this Enformant was Sum∣mon'd to appear upon the Coroners Inquest at the White-House near Primrose-Hill; And there to sit upon the Bo∣dy of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, which was found Dead near that Place: And This Enformant went thither ac∣cordingly, where He this Enformant saw the said Body ly∣ing upon the Table: And likewise saw Two Persons there, which he took to be Surgeons.

And saith, That the said Iurors were discoursing how the said Sir Edmundbury Godfrey came by his End: And that This Enformant did not understand by any thing he heard there, nor did he ever understand how the said Sir Edmund came by his Death.

And that the said Iury was Adjourn'd from the White-House; and likewise that the Coroner there Declar'd, that the said Body might be bury'd.

And this Enformant remembreth, that the said Iury sat again at the Rose and Crown in St. Giles's in the Fields; And that there they sat Late in the Night, 'till they deli∣ver'd up their Verdict.

And saith, That this Enformant, by all that Pass'd There, could not understand how the said Sir Edmund came by his Death; Neither did he find by any of his Fellow-Iurors, how he came by his Death.

And This Enformant Remembreth, that in Discoursing upon the said Body; Some were of Opinion that he Mur∣ther'd

Himself; Others, that it was done by the Hands of some Other Person, or Persons.

Philip Wyanes Deposeth, being Summon'd, &c. That there was One Cambridge a Surgeon there; and Another Person who they say was a Profess'd Surgeon, whom This Enformant did not know, which Two Surgeons did upon their Oaths take a View of, and Examine the Body, Lancing the Breast, and the Neck, Declaring their Opi∣nions upon the View and Examination of the said Body; That it was Impossible for the said Sir Edmund to do That of Himself, but that it was done by other Hands; And that he Dy'd by Suffocating, by something that was Broad, the Circle it Self being very Broad. The Crowd of People being very Great, and the Jurors desirous to get what En∣formation they could they were Adjourn'd for that Time without coming to a Verdict.

The Iury met Next at the Rose and Crown at St. Giles's in the Fields, Where they sat from the Afternoon 'till about Midnight, before they gave up their Verdict; The Two Surgeons before Spoken of, Continuing in the same Opinion that they were before.

And This Enformant being Interrogated, what Objecti∣ons were Mov'd upon the Debate before they came to a Ver∣dict, Maketh Answer, That some said perhaps he might Murther Himself; some that perhaps the Sword might Kill him; Others that he was Strangled: But they All Agreed at last in the same Verdict.

Thomas Mason Deposeth, being Summon'd, That there was one Cambridge a Surgeon to view the Body; And Likewise Another Person Vnknown to this Enformant, who they said was a Surgeon; which said Surgeons gave their Opinion, that the Sword was not the Death of him; But that he was Strangled. That there was a Debate upon the Matter; But the Press being Troublesome, and the

Persons that found the Body, not Present, the Iury brake up from the White-House.

That on the Next day, being Saturday, the Iury Met at the Rose and Crown in St. Giles's in the Fields, about Five in the Afternoon; And that they sat 'til Four in the Morning, before they Agreed upon the Verdict.

And moreover, This Enformant saith, That the said Radcliffe and his Wife Swore they saw him about One a Clock, on the aforesaid Saturday, when Sir Edmund was first Missing, and Ask'd him to Dine with them.

Thomas Hartwell Deposeth, being Summon'd, &c. That the Neck of the said Body being so Limber, that it would not lye Upright upon the Table; This Enformant Believeth (to the Best of his Memory) that there were Sur∣geons sent for; And that there came two Persons, One Cam∣bridge, whom This Enformant knew to be a Surgeon, and the Other This Enformant did not know; The said Surgeons feeling, and viewing the Body about the Neck, and find∣ing the Neck to be Limber, and a Green List round it, They the said Surgeons gave their Opinions that the said Body was Strangled.

This Enformant further saith, That upon the Surgeons Declaring Themselves in Manner as Aforesaid, He This Enformant was Induc'd to be of That Opinion: But the Crowd being very Great, and the Iury desiring to be better Enform'd, they Rose without Coming to a Verdict.

And this Enformant saith, That the Iuries next Meet∣ing was at the Rose and Crown in St. Giles'es in the Fields, where they had a Long Debate before they gave up their Verdict.

This Enformant remembreth, that there was Sometime or other a Dispute betwixt the Two Coroners, but doth not remember upon what Point, nor the Circumstances of the Dispute; Neither can he be Positive, that it was about the Body that was there in Question.

And saith, That the Surgeons gave for the Reason of their Opinions, that the Neck was Limber, and Broken, And a Circle of Bloud Settled about the Neck; And That This Enformant Believeth, that the Jury relyed upon the Surgeons Opinion, believing that they Under∣stood the Matter better then the Jurors. The Surgeons also saying, That they Believed he was Strangled with a Cloth, the Circle would not have been so Broad else.

I am Now to Observe, upon This Evidence, First, That the Verdict was not Carry'd so Clear as the World has been made to Believe: For after so many Hours Sit∣ting at the White-House upon the Friday, they were forc'd to Adjourn the Debate to the Rose and Crown in St. Giles's, and to make Another Days Work on't; Nay, and it was far into Sunday Morning too, before they A∣greed their Verdict.

It must not be pass'd over in the Second Place, What was the True Reason of their putting it off. Harris said the Jury were not satisfied, and so Adjourn'd. Cowsey says, they could not agree That Point, and the Coroner Adjourn'd for several Reasons [Best known to Him∣self.] Wyanes says, they Adjourn'd for Better Enfor∣mation; And so says Hartwell. But they Adjourn'd, in fine, for want of Full Enformation. They came next day together again, according to that Adjournment, and sat out the Debate 'till it came to a Verdict, which presumes that they had now gotten the Better En∣formation, which they wanted before: And what That Enformation was, is the Thing next to be Con∣sider'd.

CHAP. XIII.

The Iury Adjourn'd the Debate for want of Evi∣dence: Quere what Better Evidence they had the Next Day when they came to a Verdict, than was Produc'd the Day before?

THE Question in Debate is shortly This: By What Death, or by What Hand Sir E. B. Godfrey Dy'd. The Iury were Divided, the First Day for want of Com∣petent Enformation; and their Coming to a Resolution the day following, Supposes an Additional, or a Supple∣mental Evidence, which must be either in Proof of Fact, or upon the Force of Fair Inference, or Pregnant Pre∣sumption: so that in a Train of Thought it comes Na∣turally now to be Enquir'd into, what New Induce∣ments or Enformations, they received, the Second day to∣ward the Presumption of his being Strangled, over and a∣bove what they had the Day before. The Business of the Wounds given after he was Dead, the Streak or Circle about his Neck; the Setling of his Bloud about the Breast, the Wrenching and the Limberness of his Neck; No Evacuation of Bloud; These were the Circumstances, as Appears by the Iurors Themselves, that the Surgeons Declar'd to be the Reasons, why they Concluded him to be Strangled; And it must be with a Napkin or some Linnen Cloth, they said, to Answer the Breadth of the List about his Neck. Now if the Jurors had All This before them on the Friday, And that Neither the Opi∣nion of the Surgeons, nor the View of the Body, nor Both Together could Prevail upon the Iury That Day to find him Strangled; the Same Reasons over again, Un∣less otherwise and better Supported, cannot be Decent∣ly Vnderstood to have had more Power upon their Minds,

and Vnderstanding upon the Saturday then they had on Friday: So that the Iurors are Now to tell us what Wonderful Revelation they had the Day Following, to Clear This Mystery; Only a Word or Two, Previous to That Point.

William Collins and Thomas Mason, Both Jury-Men saw Sir Edmund That Saturday Morning, The Former about Nine of the Clock talking with a Milk-woman near Paddington; The Other coming from Paddington-Ward, toward London, about Eleven, That Morning. We shall now see what it was that Sway'd the Verdict.

They were mov'd to the Verdict (says Mr. Harris) by an Oylman, and Others that saw him at Twelve. They sat Long (says Mr. Standever) and an Oylman and his Wife shew'd he was come back again. Mr. Mason says the same Thing too.

Now the Question was, upon the Evidence before the Jury, whether he was Strangled, or Kill'd with a Sword. They could not, it seems, agree upon the Mat∣ter, 'till they found that Mr. Radcliffe, and Others had Seen him about One of the Clock in the Strand near Cha∣ring-Cross That day that Collins had Seen him near Pad∣dington in the Morning: and from hence they draw a Conclusion, he was Strangled. And why might they not as reasonably have Inferr'd from the Proof of his Com∣ing back again, that he Dy'd by the Sword, as by the Linnen Cloth? Beside that it was in Every bodies Mouth, before ever they came to a Verdict, that Seve∣ral People had seen him in his way toward Paddington back again: But we shall have a Better Occasion to look into This Particular, when we come to Discourse of the Witnesses that were made use of, and of Those that were Not, and into the Merits of That Evidence. In the Mean While, the Iurors were, in Effect, Totally led by the Surgeons.

The Surgeons told us so (says Mr. Harris) The Surge∣ons Iudg'd him strangled, says Mr. Cowsey: And so says Mr. Woollams: The Opinion of the Surgeons sway'd the Iury, says Mr. Standever. The Surgeons Opinion mov'd Mr. Fryer, Mr. Trotton, and effectually, All the Rest.

But All This had no Effect upon the Iury the First day; Nay the Iurors (says Mr. Trotton) were strongly of opinion that he was kill'd with the Sword, 'till the Ear∣nestness of the Surgeons prevail'd with them to give their Verdict Another way. Mr. Davies Declares that Nei∣ther He nor Any of his Fellow-Iurors were satisfy'd in the Bus'ness. But some would have it that he Kill'd Himself; Others, that he was Murther'd by some body else.

So much for the Point of the Surgeons leading the Iury; and it remains now to Examine the Weight of Those Reasons that Wrought upon the Surgeons, which I shall Handle with All due respects to their Abilities, to their Integrity, and to their Profession. Let me be Understood here, to Comprehend All Those Persons of Name and of Mark, that have Deliver'd their thoughts upon This Subject, occasionally, and by the By, as well as Those Gentlemen that Assisted more Immediately to the Attending of This Office. To say the Plain Truth of the Matter, the Surgeons had but half a sight of the Case, and Consequently, could make but half a Iudgment upon the Thing in Question. Nothing is more Ordi∣nary, then for Learned and Practical Physicians, upon a Consult to say, If I had known, or seen This or That Ac∣cident, I should have taken it to have been such or such a Disease; and most Undoubtedly, (as I have Hinted already) they would have made quite Another Iudg∣ment upon the Body in the Ditch, then they did upon the Table. But to give as much as can be Granted, or I might have said as much as can be Demanded in the then Present state of Things; The very Conjecture, or

Probability of a Suffocation, was as much almost, as the Matter would bear; And it had need of being very well seconded, even to Warrant the Sentence of a Bare Likelyhood. As for Instance, now.

There is Great Weight laid upon the Limberness, the Twisting, or the Wrenching of the Neck, as some of the Iurors have worded it; or the Dislocating of it, accord∣ing to the Surgeons. They All spoke of Greens Twisting his Neck, says Prance, Tryal, fol. 17.] And from hence they Infer that he was strangled. Now the Fallacy of This Inference lyes so open, that Every Nurse, and Sear∣cher here about the Town is Infinitely better able to speak to't, upon Experience, then the Whole Council of Surgeons Hall can pretend to; if they take upon them to speak only by Book.

Robert White Deposeth, that being desired to speak his Observations upon Dead Bodies, Concerning the Limber∣ness of their Necks, as if their Necks were Broken; and whether or No he hath taken Notice of such a Limberness of the Neck in Ordinary Cases; He This Enformant ma∣keth Answer, That he hath seen several Bodies, which upon the First Apprehension seemed to have their Necks Broken, and Dislocated; but that upon Examination of Evidence, He This Enformant hath found the Necks of several Bodies to be very Loose and Limber, that have been Destroy'd by Wounds in Other Places.

Mary Smith, and Sarah Moreton, Searchers of the Parish of St. Martins in the Fields, Ioyntly Depose, that These Enformants being asked whether in their Observation of Bodies that Dye a Natural Death, they These Enfor∣mants find the Necks of such Bodies as aforesaid, either Stiff, or Limber: They make Answer, that they find the Necks of such Bodies both Ways; some, Stiff; and some, Limber: And that they these Enformants, in token of the

Truth of This, their Observation, do Ioyntly affirm, That it is a Common saying among the Generality of People, That if the Neck of the Corps be Loose, some others will shortly Dye out of the Family.

And further the Enformants being asked, in what Man∣ner they find the Loosness of the Neck in Those Bodies, where the Neck is Limber as aforesaid; They make Answer, That they find the Necks, some Limberer then Others, and very often that the Chin will be turn'd from shoul∣der to shoulder, and that it will Waggle to and fro.

And These Enformants Ioyntly say, that when they have come to search Bodies that have been a Day Dead or so; And that they have found the Head Leaning upon the shoulder or Body, in an Ill Posture; It is a hard thing to put it in Order; But when they come soon after the Body is Dead, it is much Easier to put it in Order.

And they say Joyntly likewise, that they find such Bo∣dies as aforesaid, some Limber and some Stiff, but (as they Believe) Ten Bodies Stiff for One Limber.

And they say Ioyntly, that they have seen a Corps where∣of the Neck was Broken, and that the Chin was turn'd directly behind upon the Back.

Alice Weeks, and Elizabeth Belcher, Searchers of the Parish of St. Giles's in the Fields Ioyntly Depose, that being asked whether in their Observation of Bodies that Dye a Natural Death; They These Enformants find the Necks of such Bodies as aforesaid, either Stiff, or Limber; They make Answer, that they find the Necks of such Bodies, Both VVays, some stiff, and some limber: And that they these Enformants, in token of the Truth of this their Observa∣tion, do Ioyntly Affirm, that it is a Common saying among the Generality of People, that if the Neck of the Corps be Loose, some others will shortly Dye out of the Fa∣mily.

And further; These Enformants being Asked in what Manner they find the Loosness of the Neck in Those Bo∣dies, Where the Neck is Limber, as aforesaid; They make answer, That they find the Necks some Limberer then others, and very often that the Chin will be turn'd from Shoulder to Shoulder, and that it will Waggle to and Fro.

And These Enformants Ioyntly say, that when they have come to search Bodies, that have been a Day Dead or so; And that they have found the Head Leaning upon the Shoulder, or the Body in an Ill Posture, it is a hard thing to put it in Order: But when they come soon after the Body is Dead, it is much Easier to put it in Order.

And they say Ioyntly likewise, that they find such Bo∣dies as aforesaid, some Limber, and some Stiff, but (as they believe) Ten Bodies Stiff for one Limber.

Alice Weeks Deposeth apart, that going to search the Body of a Child, she found the Neck of it Broken, and that the Chin of the said Child was Turn'd quite round to the Back.

This Account of the Searchers, agrees exactly, as well in the Negative as in the Affirmative with the Story of Sir Godfrey's Body. All People agree that they Could and did Turn the Chin from Shoulder to Shoulder; but there's Not a Word of turning it about to the Back, which the Searchers observ'd, might have been done, if the Neck was Broken; and Vndoubtedly, they that turn'd it to the Shoulder, if it had not stop'd There, would have gone further in it.

But then the Streaks, the Lists and the Creases about the Neck, as they call them, were look'd upon as strong Presumptions that he Dy'd by Suffocation, not so much as Accidents, simply Arising from the Choking of him, as the Impression, that the straining of the Rope or Linnen Cloth with which he was strangled, had Left behind it upon the Part.

I had a Fair Occasion of some Discourse upon This Point with Mr. Hobbs, who had not seen the Body, it seems, either in the Ditch, or at the White-House, but only after the Removal of it to Hartshorn-Lane. He told me that upon the View of the Body, he thought it to be Strangled. My Answer, I remember, was This, in Effect, that I my self was Partly of That Opinion; for considering the Depth, the Straitness, and the Stiffness of his Collar, and the Pressing of his Throat upon it, which, of Necessity, must bear hard in That Position of his Body: The very Force and Oppression of the Po∣sture he was found in, would have been Sufficient, in a very short time, to have Choaked him, even without his Wounds; but the Suffocation then follow'd the Sword, not the Sword the Suffocation, and the One Produced the Accidents of the Other. The Gentleman, for the Purpose, fell upon his Sword; The Stab was Mortal; but the Fall yet cast the Body into such a Disposition of the Several Parts of it, that it Superinduc'd the Signs of Strangling, over and above the Deadly Effect of the Wound: So that it stands with very good Reason, that he might be Really Kill'd with the Sword, and yet at the same time appear to be Choak'd: And under favour, the Scene of the Ditch, duly consider'd, the Presumpti∣ons were Twenty times more, and stronger for the For∣mer, then for the Latter. Mr. Hobbs was pleas'd to Agree in Opinion, that such a Collar, and such Circum∣stances might well be the Cause of such an Appearance: But we'le see now what Mr. Skillarne and Mr. Lasinby say to the Matter.

Zachariah Skillarne Deposes, That upon the Friday Morning Early, being the Next Day to the Evening whereon the Body of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was found, This Enformant heard a Rumour of the finding of the said Body, and the Place where 'twas found. And that

soon afterward, on the same Morning, he This Enformant by a Message from the Two Brothers of the said Sir Ed∣mund, was given to understand that they Desired his Com∣pany to go along with them to View the Body; And He This Enformant went accordingly, in a Coach with the Bro∣thers aforesaid, as near as they could come to the White-House; And there they Alighted, This Enformant with One of the Brothers, going a-foot to the Place where they were told the said Body was Found.

This Enformant observed the Limbs of the Body to be Loose, and No Stiffness upon them; Having also obser∣ved, that the Bodies of Persons that are Hang'd, or Strang∣led, are always Limber; Whereas Bodies that Dye a Na∣tural Death, are always Stiff, except in Apoplexies. There was also one Mr. Cambridge upon the View of the said Body, who Agreed in Opinion with this Enformant.

This Enformant being asked, what Induc'd him to Be∣lieve that the said Body was Strangled: He This Enfor∣mant gave these following Reasons. The Person Living being a Man of a Pale Countenance, His Cheeks Flac∣cid, His Lips Thin, His Nose Sharp, and his Eyes Hollow: The said Sir Edmund being Dead, his Lips and Cheeks were Turgid, and Tumefy'd, His Nose bigger, and Red; His Eyes Prominent, and a Circle about his Neck.

Richard Lasinby Surgeon, Deposeth, That this En∣formant went with some Company out of Curiosity to see the Dead Body of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, at the White-House near Primrose-Hill, where it lay upon the Table the Collar not as yet Unbutton'd: But this Enformant go∣ing out of the Room to refresh Himself after his Walk, and leaving a Crowd of People there, was soon after call'd back again to see the Neck of the said Sir Edmund, his Collar being Then Unbutton'd.

And this Enformant upon his Return, being asked what he thought of the Two Marks above and below, being just the Breadth of the Collar, which was a Deep Stiff Collar; It being Suggested to this Enformant, that they were the Marks of Ropes; He this Enformant gave his Opinion, that they were the Marks of the Edges of the Collar, and that the Swelling of the Neck, and the Breast was so Great above and below the Collar, that it occasi∣oned Those Marks like a Ring upon a Swoln Finger.

And this Enformant having seen the Dead Body as aforesaid, and spoken his Thoughts upon it, went out of the Room again, and after sometime passing backward through the said Room, he this Enformant observed, that the Swel∣ling of the Breast had Discharged it self into the Lower Crease, so that the Crease was hardly Perceivable. The Face all this While was Ruddy and Swell'd, excepting Two Places, one by his Mouth, and Another by his Tem∣ples, that seem'd to have a Degree of Putrefaction.

And saith, That the Breast was turn'd Greenish, and so Mortify'd, (considering the Season of the Year) that it might seem rather to have been Dead a Month, then so short a Time as he was Missing.

Now for so much as concerns the Collar, and the Circles, it is made a Clear Case here, by the Disappear∣ing of the Lower Circle upon the Vnbuttoning of the Collar, that the One caused the Other: The Creases just Answering the Depth of the Collar.

Sarah Moreton One of the Searchers of the Parish of St. Martins in the Fields, Deposeth, That thi Enfor∣mant, and her Partner, Mary Smith, being sent for to see the Body of a Dead Child, about Two Years since, this Enformant, and her said Partner, looking upon the said Child, said it Dy'd of the Rickets: Whereupon the Landlady said to this Enformant, to this effect, The

Child is Murther'd; The Father and Mother have thrown it against the Ground, and kill'd it, shewing to this Enformant a Looseness of the Neck.

And saith, That after This, there was a Jury Met to Sit upon the Death of the Child; and the Jurors Conside∣ring the Limberness of the Neck, concluded, that the Neck was Broke; After which, they sent to this Enfor∣mant, and her Partner, to View the Body once again; who continued in Opinion, that the Neck of it was Not Broken: Whereupon a Surgeon was sent for, who upon a Full Examination of the Matter, found that the Neck was Not Broken. The Reason they gave why the Neck was Broken, was, because they could remove the Chin from Shoulder to Shoulder, by the Great Looseness of the Neck: But this Enformant and her Partner satisfy'd them, that such a Limberness of the Neck was an Ordinary Case; and that if the Neck had been Broke, they might have turn'd the Chin behind to the Back; which this Enformant sh••wd them was not to be done by This Child: So that they found it to Dye of a Natural Death, and the Parents came into no further Trouble about it.

Mr. Skillarne gives other Reasons still, for his Opi∣nion that he was Strangled. Now if he lay in a Strangling Posture, there must be Strangling Accidents Expected upon him; And if that be Admitted, it was a Filthy way about, to have him Strangled somewhere else, and then brought to the Ditch, when he might have been as well Strangled as he lay in the Ditch: And after All This, there's not so much as the Least Glimpse of Light all This while, of his being Kill'd, either by any Other Hand, or in any Other Place. As to the Settling of the Bloud in his Breast, and the Resemblance of Brui∣ses thereabouts, it was but Natural; what with the Damp of the Earth, and the Course of the Bloud that way, that Those Parts which were nearest the Orifice of the Wound should Putrifie First.

It made a Mighty Noise, I remember, the Dispute whether his Eyes were Shut or Open, and whether they were Fly-blown, or Not. Mr. Hassard, and several Others found his Eyes Shut; Mr. Skillarne, &c. found them Open, and Both, True, Undoubtedly, as they might be Tamper'd with: But for Fly-blows upon the 18th. of October (though it was Sworn Point Blank over and over) the very Fancy of Fly-blows at That time of the Year, was Laugh'd at, and Hiss'd out of All Compa∣ny, and Credit. And yet this very Year, a pretty way into November, having the Honour to Dine with a Noble Person of a Character every Way Answerable to the Dignity of his Title: The Side-Bord, Cistern, and Ta∣ble-basket, were so Pester'd with Swarms, I dare say of Thousands of Flies, that I desir'd a Particular Notice might be Taken of the Thing, and of the Time, in Contradiction to the Frivolous Exceptions that were made to that part of the Evidence in the Case of Godfrey. There was great Notice taken too, of the Cleanness of his Shoes. Now they were not only Clean, but Shining; as any Man's will be, upon such a Walk, where the Grass wipes them every Step he sets: And Mr. Yeamans Deposes, That his Shoes were very Clean, and several Blades of Grass stick∣ing about the Seems.

Mr. Collinson Deposes, as to the Weather, That it was Fair, Dry Weather All that Week till Thursday, when there was a Great Shower of Hail. This he remem∣breth, by the Token that the Sickness and Death of his Wife at Marybone about that Time, caused him to Travel Ear∣ly and Late, upon that Occasion.

Mr. Audley Deposeth, That the Saturday when Sir Edmund was first Missing, was a very Fair, Sun-shiny Day. This Enformant having a Country-House at Ha∣mersmith, walked home on Foot that Saturday, and the

Way was very Dry, and Clean, which he well remembreth by Sir Edmund's being Missing That Day.

Now his Shoes could never have been Thus Clean, if he had been brought Thither a Horseback; or any way but a-foot; for (as some Body well observ'd) the Walk had as good as Glaz'd them; So that the Force of the Inference lyes strong the Other Way: Or if his Shoes Ought to have been Dirty with going thither a-foot to Destroy himself, Why did not the Murtherers Daub and make them Dirty, for the better Colour of the Cheat? But let the Matter be as it will, it is not Tanti, to argue whether it were so or no. The Question indeed of Bloud, or No Bloud, is of more Importance; and though there's already so much said upon't, there's yet so much More, to be said upon't, that it will de∣serve a Chapter by it self.

CHAP. XIV.

Bloud or No Bloud, was the main Point in Issue, though the least part of the Question, either at the Inquest, or at the Tryals.

THE Bus'ness of the Fly-blows, and of the Eyes shut or open, will bear Inferences Plausible enough, to Puzzle a Debate; but they are Circumstances, rather of Curiosity, and Caprice, then of Weight. The Limber∣ness of the Neck, and the Circles about it, might pass well enough in the Description of a Body that had been Strangled in Sight; but it does not follow, by any Means, because it was certainly the Rope that caused the Limberness, and made that Mark; that therefore every such Limberness, and every such Mark must have

been Caus'd by a Rope; for a Stiff Collar, as one may Place the Body, and the Neck of a Man, will as surely Strangle him in a Ditch, as a Halter will do upon a Gibbet: And the Sword that brings down the Body, and the Parts of it to such a Position, does the same Office one way, that the Executioner does Another: So that if I Grant but a Likely Possibility of an Antecedent Suffocation, 'tis the Vttermost that the Case will admit; and so far at last, from being a Warrantable Ground for a Conclu∣sion, that it will scarce amount to a Competent Foundation for a Bare Conjecture. But we have spoken abundantly to These Particulars, in the Two Last Chapters; And so to the Imaginary Blows and Bruises, and the Cleanness of his Shoes. In one Word; Sir Edmund dy'd a kind of a Complicated Death: The Sword and the Collar, in Appearance, had Both their Parts in't, and either of them would have done the Work, without the Other; But the Main Stress of the Cause is yet to come. 'Tis objected that the Signs of being Strangled were Evi∣dent; but that there appear'd nothing more then the Sword through the Body to Induce any Man to Believe that he Dy'd of the Wound. The Sword was run through him after he was Dead, they say, there would have been Bloud else, and so they have cast the Question upon This Issue, Was there any Bloud or No?

The Iury, we find, were led by the Surgeons; and the Surgeons, by the Bloud, or No Bloud. Mr. Skil∣larne deliver'd himself like a Iust Man, and a Master of his Profession, All that was Possible. I took him to be Strangled, (says he) and gives his Reasons (as in the last Paragraph of his Enformation, in the Foregoing Chapter.) But then a little further to Qualifie the Matter.

Zachariah Skillarne Deposeth, That He This Enfor∣mant being ask'd what Reasons Mov'd him to be of Opi∣nion

that Sir Edmund was Not Kill'd with the Sword, He this Enformant maketh Answer, Because there was no greater Flux of Bloud, which is the ONLY Reason, to the best of his Memory, that Mov'd This Enformant to be of That Judgement.

Now if This was the ONLY Reason, for his such Opinion, as He Himself Declares it was, there will be No Reason at all to believe it, when This Reason shall be Remov'd: And then Mr. Cambridge's Opinion falls, in Consequence, having sworn Himself of the same Judg∣ment with Mr. Skillarne. It would be Endless to set down All the Enformations at Length that have been deliver'd upon Oath upon This Occasion: So that I shall only Sum up the most Material Parts of them, in Ab∣stract, and refer any Man that doubts the Candor of the Report, to the Originals Themselves, which I have Deposited in the Paper-Office for the Perpetual Memory of the Truth of This Matter. I shall begin with the Iurors, and so to the Surgeons, and then to Other Testimonies of Credit, that speak Vnanimously to This Point.

Thomas Woollams Deposeth, That he saw the Body laid at Length, upon a Table, at the White-House, and (as he remembreth) a Stain upon his Flannel, or Holland Shirt, which he took to be Waterish Bloud. That this Enformant went down to see the Place, where the said Body was found: And that he being shewed the Place, where this Enformant was told the Sword was taken out of the Bo∣dy; He this Enformant heard some of the Company say, that upon the Pulling out of the Sword, there came out some Watry stuff mixt with Bloud; And that this En∣formant saw something of That Kind upon the Ground there, to the best of his Remembrance.

Philip Wyanes Deposeth, That being Summond, &c. He This Enformant went to the White-house, and saw the Dead Body layd there upon a Table, and saw the Flannel shirt stain'd with a kind of Watrish Bloud; and that going down to the Place where they said the Sword was taken out, This Enformant did there see a kind of Watrish Bloud upon the Ground.

William Collins Deposeth, That the Body had an of∣fensive Smell, and that the Shirt was Bloudy, and that some Bloud came from it, as This Enformant was told, when they took out the Sword.

Robert Trotton being Summon'd, &c. Deposeth, That he was shewd the Place where they said they took the Sword out of the Body, and saw Bloud, and at a Style or Posts in the Way; which they said came from the Body.

Thomas Mason being Summon'd, &c. Deposeth, That he saw the Body layd upon a Table in the White-house and Watrish Bloud upon his Linnen.

Joseph Girle being Summond, &c. Deposeth, That while the Body of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was lying upon a Table in the White-house, This Enformant ob∣serv'd a Great Quantity of Bloud to Issue from the Body, about a Gallon, as he This Enformant be∣lieves.

Here are half a Dozen of the Jurors Themselves, that Swear to the Bloud, though it was Carry'd upon the Two Verdicts, as if there had been No Bloud at All; and that the Sword had been run through him after he was Dead. We'll proceed now to the Testimony of the Surgeons, and of others well vers'd in Matters of that Quality.

Mr. Richard Lasinby Deposeth, That the Shirt was Bloudy and Foetid; and Bloud likewise on the Place where they said the Sword was taken out.

Mr. Skillarne Deposeth, That he took a View of the Ditch, where the Dead Body was found, and could not see any Bloud; But upon the Place where the Body was Remov'd, and where they drew out the Sword; This Enformant saw the Grass stain'd with a Watry Bloud, and Smelling to it, found it to be Offensive, and Putri∣fy'd. And This Enformant Passing further, in the Di∣rect way toward the White-house, He This Enformant observed at some Posts that were set up in the Way, that one of the Posts was Stain'd with such a kind of Watrish Bloud as before; And from thence, This Enformant pass'd forward to the White-house, where he saw the said Body lye upon a Table, in a Black Mix'd Chamblet Coat; Another Coat Doublet and Breeches Black, no Band, a Deep Stiff Collar, and the Body lying at Length upon the Back; His Eyes Open, The Face Swell'd; The Body upon the Breast appearing to be Bruis'd; The Neck Distorted, and so Limber that This Enformant Remov'd the Chin from One Shoulder to the Other. There was a Circle about the Neck; And upon This Enformants Opening it with an In∣cision Knife, the Bloud appear'd to be Coagulated. This Enformant saw No Bloud upon the Body, Before; but on the Back of it there was a Stain'd Watrish Bloud. And This Enformant Observed, that upon Raising the Body, there Drain'd a Bloudy Serum from it, upon the Ta∣ble, and so down upon the Floor.

Mr. James Chase Deposeth, That he saw some Bloud upon the Place, where they said the Sword was taken out, and the Constable being upon the Place, told This Enformant, that it was of the Bloud that Follow'd the

Sword from the Wound, when he drew it out of the Body.

Mr. James Huyseman Deposeth, That the Woman of the White-house told him, that the Bloud Drein'd from the Body as it lay upon the Table, into the Cellar, and that Clots of Bloud were found about the Body.

Mr. Brown the Constable Deposeth, That upon Drawing the Sword out of the Body (in the Dark,) he heard somewhat come Gubbling out of the Wound, and fall Spattering upon the Ground.

John Rawson Deposeth, That upon the Night when the Body was found, he went down with a Candle and Lan∣thorn, to the Place where the said Body was found: And going first to the Ditch, they could not Discern any Bloud at All; but that upon the Place, where the Sword was drawn out, they found Bloud and Watry Stuff up and down upon the Grass, and so Vpon the Posts in the Pas∣sage, and upon the Cheek of the Door, going into the House, and so likewise upon the Floor, where the Body was First laid, and afterwards upon the Table where it was Remov'd.

Margaret Rawson Deposeth, That the Body being layd upon the Table, she This Enformant saw Bloud and Watry Matter that had Dropt from the Table, and pass'd through the Cellar, and dropt on some Bottles that were there.

John Paris Deposeth, That he saw the Body lye Vp∣on the Floor at the White-house, and that there ran Bloud and Watry Matter from the said Body upon the Floor.

Mr. John Hassard Deposeth, That This Enformant heard that Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was Missing from his House some Days before the Dead Body was found. And that upon the Morning next after the Day the said Body was said to be found, He This Enformant being at a Coffee-House, heard the News; And at the request of Mr. John Farewell, He this Enformant went along with him to see the Body: And This Enformant coming to the Place where the said Body was found, and viewing the Place, Thought it a Hard Matter to bring a Body thither with a Horse.

And that This being Early in the Morning, some Snow that had fall'n the Night before, was yet seen upon the Ground. And that upon the Place where it was said that the Sword was pull'd out of the Body, there was Snow upon the Grass; But upon some other Places near it, the Bloud that was said to come out of the Body was seen there upon the Ground in a Considerable Quantity; And (as This Enformant Believes) the Snow Melted upon it.

And likewise that Passing by some Posts in the Way to the White-house, where the Body then lay, This Enfor∣mant saw near the said Posts a Quantity of Watry Bloud, which This Enformant Iudged to have Issued from the Body, in the Carrying it over.

And This Enformant coming up to the White-House, where the Body lay upon a Table, He This Enformant, Immediately upon the Sight of the Body, said, This is Sir Edmundbury Godfrey. His Coat was a Dark Brown Chamblet, His Shoes very Clean, Top and Bottom, His Eyes Shut, And something about the Eye-Lashes, that seem'd to This Enformant to be Fly-Blows. His Bossom was Open, His Shirt Stained with Bloud, And a Kind of Watry Bloud that dropt from him upon the Floor; all This to the Best of his Knowledge, and Memory.

William Batson Deposeth, That going from the White-house toward the Place where This Enformant was told the Body Lay; He This Enformant, with the Com∣pany, Saw, near a Gap in the Passage, some Bloud ly∣ing on the Ground; This Enformant being told, that the Body was brought from the Place where it was found, That way. And This Enformant going further, saw (as he Be∣lieveth) a Greater Quantity of Bloud, where the Grass was Stain'd with it, being the Place (as This Enformant believeth) whereunto the said Body was Remov'd out of the Ditch; And This Enformant Be∣lieveth, that upon taking the Sword out of the Body, the Bloud might there Issue out.

James Goweth Deposeth, That hearing several Years since, that Sir Edmundbury Godfrey (whom This En∣formant well knew) had been Missing some time from his House, And that his Body was found some where out of Town, (But the Day, the Month, or the Year, This Enformant doth not perfectly remember) He This En∣formant went in Company with one Mr. William Bat∣son, and a Servant of Mr. VVilliam Pilkingtons, to see the Body, which they found Early in the Morning, at the VVhite-house beyond Primrose-Hill, where it lay in the Clothes upon the Table.

And that This Enformant, having a Curiosity to see the Body of the said Sir Edmund, Unbutton'd a Loose Coat he had on, and Another Coat Under it; and so to the Shirt, Open'd his Shirt and saw Bloud upon it; with Two VVounds by his Left Pap; But no Sword at That Time in the Body.

And that This Enformant having seen, and Observed the said Body, agreed with a Fellow to shew the Place where he was found, and Payd him for his Pains: the said

Guide leading This Enformant, and the Company the same way (as he said) by which they brought the Body. This Enformant remembreth, that there was a Style, or Posts by the way, At, or near which Place, there was a Great Quantity of Bloud, as This Enformant and the Com∣pany took it to be, as if it had been Pour'd out of a Bason. This Enformant and the Company going from thence toward the Place, where he was found, and within a Matter of Thirty or Forty Foot of the Place, where the Guide said the Body was found; there was a Great Quantity of Bloud lying in the same Manner as the Other, and rather more in Quantity then the For∣mer.

And This Enformant saith, that being come to the Ditch, Mr. Batson was of Opinion that there was some Bloud in the Ditch, as he hath said to this Enformant several Times since; But This Enformant dares not be Positive, that he saw any, though he saw something which he Doubted, whether it might be Bloud or No.

Edward Fisher Deposeth, that the Day after the Bo∣dy of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was found, This En∣formant was Going about Nine or Ten in the Morning to My Lord Wottons for Orders about Work, and heard by the Way, that the Body of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was found, and Carry'd to the White-House in St. John's Wood: This Enformant went forward to My Lord Wotton's, and returning about Two or Three in the Afternoon, took the White-House in his way: And coming thither, This Enformant found the Coroner, and Jury there, to view the Body, who went up Stairs, while This Enformant went into a Low Room, where the Body lay.

That as This Enformant was looking upon the Body, there came in a Man with a drawn Sword in his Hand, who said, he was the Constable, and that he took that

Sword out of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey's Body, De∣scribing the Manner of Sir Edmund's lying upon his Face, and the Sword about Six Inches through his Body. The Constable, upon This, said, that the Coroner desi∣red the Body should be stript, and entreated the Company to lend him a Hand to do it: Whereupon, This Enformant with Two Others Assisted him in the stripping of the Bo∣dy; This Enformant observing his Neck to be Limber, a Blackness about his Breast, and upon the stripping him of his shirt, found it to be All Bloudy in the Back; And the smell of the Body very Noysom, and Offensive.

And saith likewise, that the Arms were so stiff, that they were forced to Tear off his shirt.

Thomas Burdet Deposeth, That the Woman of the White-House told him This Enformant, that the Bloud ran from Sir Edmund's Body from the Table on to the Floor; and so from the Floor into the Celler; And she took This Enformant into the Celler, and shew'd him the Ground stain'd with the Bloud.

Mr. Yeomans Deposeth, that he found the Body lying upon a Table at the White-House, and Watrish Bloud running from the Body on the Floor.

Mr. Collinson Deposeth, that he Observed Drops of Bloud in several Places of the Path where the Body was Carry'd, as if a Man had Walk'd with his Nose Bleeding; but that at some Posts in the Way, there was Bloud seen in a Great Quantity.

After These Proofs of Bloud, and of Bloud too, in such a Quantity, as more could not be Expected from a Body Vnder Those Circumstances; nor more Undeny∣able Evidences of it; (for the Sword stopt the Fore-part of the Wound as Tight, as a Tap) After All This, I

say; and an Appeal that a Man might safely make to the Consciences of Thousands of People that might be added to the Open and Avow'd Witnesses of This Truth; It will be but Fair Yet, at last, to see how This Question of the Bloud was Manag'd, and what was said on the Other side, to bear the World down, that there was No such eva∣cuation; for the [Bloud or No Bloud] was the same Thing, with Guilty or Not Guilty.

It is very Remarkable, that in the Coroner's Examina∣tions, the very Word of [BLOUD] is not so much as Mention'd: And in Truth, it was not safe to Insist upon it, because the Jurors were Conscious to Themselves, that there was a Great Deal of Bloud: (as I have al∣ready Prov'd upon Six of them) and the same may be rea∣sonably presum'd of All the rest. Now the Jurors would never have agreed upon a Verdict, wherein they should every Man of 'em have given the Lye to his own Know∣ledge and Conscience; for they might as well have said, we know upon Ocular Certainty, that there was Bloud in a Great Quantity; and yet we will Discharge our selves upon our Oaths, in Declaring that VVe believe there was None; and therefore Recourse is had to the Twisting of his Neck, and the Blows upon his Breast for the Cause of his Death.

And so we find it upon the Tryal, where 'tis the Crevat, or the Twisted Handkercher that does the Feat still; not the Sword. Was he bloudy? (says the L. C. Justice) [Mr. Brown] There was No Bloud at All; There was No Bloud in the Ditch. fol. 35. And so the Enquiry went off Immediately, to the Sword, the Bruises; The Loosness of the Neck; the Stick, and Gloves; the Mony in his Pocket, fol. 36. and not One VVord More to the Constable, of the Bloud, though that same No Bloud in the Ditch, Considering that the Question was not restrain'd to the Ditch, Imports a ••ind of Emphatical Exception, as who should say, there

was No Bloud in the Ditch, but there was Bloud else where. VVe find in Goweth's Enformation, 'tis true, that Batson told him he thought he saw Bloud in the Ditch; and that Goweth himself was Half of That Opinion, though he would not be Positive in't. It will be here Objected that This Admittance Overthrows what I have said Already of the Swords Closing the Wound, so that No Bloud could pass; And if a Little, why not More? Now This Cavil Concludes mightily for My Purpose, for the same Thing might be Object∣ed in the Case of his Shirt, and Flannel, How came it at All to be stain'd; And why no More on't? The Answer lyes very Plain, and Open; The Orifice of the Mortal Wound was Clos'd; but the Puncture (as Cam∣bridge calls it) that stopt upon the Rib, was Open, and thence came This Bloud. There might be some Little Draining from the Other, but Not Considerable, and the Clots that were found about him came from his Back, where the Point had Wriggled out its way through the Bone, and could not so well secure the Passage.

After Brown the Constable, had given his Evidence, the Surgeons were Call'd, and Question'd about his Bruises; The Distortion and Loosness of his Neck; and Then, Mr. Attorny Ask'd Mr. Skillarne, if he thought he was kill'd by the Wound? [Mr. Skillarne] No, for then there would have been some Evacuation of Bloud, which there was not; Meaning, I suppose, an Evacua∣tion, While the Bloud was Warm, and Fluid. Not Re∣flecting upon the Swords stopping the Course of it. One of the King's Council, upon This, Leads him off from the bloud again, to the Neck. Are You sure (says he) his Neck had been Broken? Yes I am sure says Mr. Skillarne; And then again of Himself; [The Wound (says he) went through his very Heart, and there would have been some Bloud, if it had been done quickly after his Death. Cambridge, in fine, Assented to the Opi∣nion

of Mr. Skillarne, without one Word more about the Bloud; And the whole Stress was laid upon the Signs of being Strangled, or Hang'd. fol. 37, 38.

The Light it self is not more Open to the Eyes of any Man, then is the Evidence of the Truth and Reason of This Affair: But there will be Place and Occasion by and by to make it yet Clearer.

CHAP. XV.

The Enformations before the Coroner Examin'd, and not One Word in them to the Point in Issue.

THere are many Cases wherein the Truth may be Cover'd, or Intricated, and the Reason of a Thing lye out of Sight: But for Errors of Inadvertency, Cre∣dulity, Frailty, or Good Nature, it is no more then Common Iustice, for Flesh and Bloud to bear with Humane Infirmity: But if People are Resolv'd to shut their Eyes against the Sun; to be Deaf to all Profitable Coun∣sels, and Necessary Instructions; and not only to Ne∣glect, Contemn, or Refuse, but also to Stifle, Discounte∣nance, and Oppose the Honest Means of Arriving at the Certain Knowledge of Things; Let it be in Fact; Let it be in Opinion; Let it be Where, How; or let the Case be What it will, there's No Excuse for That sort of Ignorance: But in few Words, the Present Point is Briefly This.

There's a Body found in a Ditch, with a Sword thorough it: The Constable removes This Body in the Night to a Neighbour-House: An Inquisition Passes upon it: And No Light to a Discovery how the Person came to his End, but what Arises from the Sight of it upon

a Table, and from the Imperfect Relation of those that took it out of the Ditch; who could say Nothing to it neither, but by Guess and Groping; for it was so Dark, that there was no discerning one Thing from Another. The Iurors were now to consider, how this Man came by his Death: And having nothing else to Work upon, as I was saying, but the Constable's Report on the bus'ness of the Ditch; and what further might be Collected from a View of the Body; the Subject Mat∣ter of Enquiry was Altogether Surgeons-Work; for there were Wounds, Bruises, Tumours, Marks of Strangling, and the Appearance of a Broken Neck in the Case: Now taking for Granted, that Sir Godfrey dy'd a Violent Death, it was a Point wholly out of their Cognizance, and fitter for a Consult of Doctors, than a Pannel of Iu∣rors to determine: Two Surgeons were hereupon call'd to their Assistance, by whose Opinions they were over-ruled to find him Strangled; or by Way of Explanation, that he dy'd rather a Dry Death, then a Bloudy; for, That was the Stress of the Question. If there was no Flux of Bloud, 'tis likely he was Strangled: If there was Any, 'tis certain that he Dy'd of his Wounds: So that the Verdict was carry'd in favour of a Possibility, against a Point-blank Demonstration; for Bloud there was in Abun∣dance, as is already Prov'd, and Over Prov'd, in the Last Chapter. The Coroner and the Iurors knew there was Bloud; Nay, and there were Inferences drawn from the Evidences of That Bloud, against the finding of him Strangled. And

Mr. Fryer Deposeth (being one of the Inquest) that as he believes there was Discourse, and Argument a∣mong the Jurors to This Effect, That there was Bloud came out of the Body, which could not have been, if the Sword had gone through the Body after it had been Dead.

This Point stuck, the First Day, and held 'em tack too the Next; 'till Sunday Morning, without any New Matter, either of Proof, or Presumption, that look'd toward the Strangling of him, though the Adjourn∣ment was said to be purely for Further Evidence. But in the Conclusion, the Limberness of the Neck, and the Two Circles Carry'd it against the Sword through the Heart of him: Now Those Two Circles were so far One from Another, that they were fain to Reconcile the Distance, by the Fancy of a Linnen Cloth, or something that was Broad, to Cover the Interval, and to do the Office of a Halter. They were, in short, Mightily at a Loss, what to do with These Two Circles; for if they would make them Marks of Suffocation, they must either Both be so, or Neither, being Manifestly Effects of one and the same Cause; That is to say, the Pinching of a Deep Stiff Collar that made Those Streaks with the Two Edges of it, as Mr. Lasinby Demonstrates the Thing, by bringing the Two Ends of the Collar toge∣ther, and then shewing how exactly the One Answered the Other. They found it a Chord however upon the Inquisition, and so rendred it, Effectually, a Rope, in Law, and a Linnen Cloth, in Equity. But in the Conclusion, there was at last a Verdict obtain'd, with∣out Mentioning any Bloud at all, for so much as ap∣pears at least upon the Coroners Copy of the Enformati∣ons; which I have received according to Order from the Hand of Mr. Cowper the Coroner, for the True Co∣pies of all that were by him taken in Writing upon This Mat∣ter: And they shall be hereafter Exhibited, in their Due Place, and Season.

Having thus far Cleared our Way, by a Particular, as well as a General Account of Things, toward the Forming of a True Iudgment upon the Equity of This Proceeding; We are now Entring upon such a Chain of

Thoughts, as, in the very Order of Reasoning, will Na∣turally Lead us to a Full Vnderstanding of the Merits of the Cause.

The King has lost a Subject; and the First Question is, What Death did he Dye? 2ly. What Means or Evi∣dence toward the Instructing of a Iury upon such an Enquiry? Of These Two Points we have said more then Enough, perhaps, Already? 3ly. Whether or no were Those Proofs Sufficient, and Emprov'd to the Vt∣most, according to the Coroners best Skill and Knowledg, to∣ward the finding out of the Truth? 4ly. Whether or no were there Any Witnesses left Vnsummon'd, that in Manifest Probability might have given more Light to the Truth of the Fact, then Others that they made use of? The Third Point in the Range of This Distribution, is to be the First now in the Order of my Discourse. There are Two Branches of it; The Competency of the Means, and the Best Improvement of Those Means towards the Common End. As to the former, The Main Question is This; Did he Dye of a Wound, or was he Strangled? And then, Was there any Bloud, or Not? For Bloud or No Bloud, was the Certain Indication, either of the One, or the Other? If there was a Considerable Flux of Bloud, there could not be a more Demonstrative Proof in the Case; for Mr. Skillarne Himself Declares, and Deposes upon Oath, that There being no greater a Flux of Bloud was the ONLY Reason, that Mov'd him to be of Opi∣nion, that Sir Edmund was not Kill'd with the Sword; But if there was such a Flux of Bloud in sight; though he did not take Notice of it, in so great a Quantity; and that it was not only Prov'd upon Oath, but the Iurors Themselves were likewise Ocular Witnesses of it, there could not be a more Convincing Evidence in the World, then this Discharge of Bloud, that the Sword was the Death of him. To say Nothing of Twenty other Convincing Circumstances in favour of that Opinion.

But what signifies Sufficiency of Evidence without the Application of it; Or the Flutter that many People make in pretending to Search after a Truth that they would be Loth to find? VVhether or no there was any thing of this in the Subject of Their Enquiry, will best ap∣pear from an Inspection into the Measures, and the Methods of their Proceeding; That is to say, with a respect to the Choice of the Matter; The Tendency, and the Direction of the Questions; and the Biass of the Debate. Now there is a Right and a Wrong, as well Antecedently to a Conclusion, as in the Last Sentence and Result it self. There may be Concealing, Qualifying, Suppressing, Disguising, Misrepresenting, Paradoxing, laying more or less Weight upon a thing then belongs to't, &c. In all which Cases, a False Medium, purposely Inter∣pos'd, is a Greater Iniquity then a Mistaken Iudg∣ment.

I was a Speaking of the Enformations taken before Mr. Cowper, one of his Majesties Coroners for the County of Middlesex upon the Subject of Sir Edmund∣bury Godfrey's Death: And it is in Those Papers that we are reasonably to look for the Stress of the Matter in Debate, and the Ground of the Final Resolution: Nay, and the Good Faith of the Very Manage of the Cause, will in some Degree appear from the Matter of the Examinations, or from the Loose or Strict Sifting of the Witnesses. I shall begin with the Enformations of Mr. Skillarne, and Mr. Cambridge, and so proceed from One to Another, with a Note Upon them as I go: Saving only that I shall reserve the Depositions of Iohn Brown, Henry Moor, Ioseph Radcliffe, and his Wife, with Mary, the VVife of Captain Tho. Gibbon, to be Treated of in like Manner, but in Chapters by Them∣selves.

The Enformation of Zacharias Skillarne, of the Parish of St. Martins in the Fields, Chirur∣geon, taken upon Oath the 18th. Day of Octo∣ber, Ann. Dom. 1678. before me.

Midd. ss.

HE saith, That he being sent for as a Chirurgeon, to search the Body of Sir Edmund Godfrey, did in the Presence of the Coroner and Iury, search the same, and finds that he was Strangled; And that he hath Received some Violent Blow upon the Top of his Breast; And this Enformant verily believes, that the said Sir Edmund did Not Dye of the VVound through his Body.

• ...Jo. Cowper, Coroner.
• ...Zac. Skillarne.

The Enformation of Nicholas Cambridge of St. Giles in the Fields, Chirurgeon, taken up∣on Oath the same Day and Year before me.

This Enformant saith the same.

• ...Jo. Cowper, Coroner.
• ...Nicholas Cambridge.

Zacharias Skillarne Chirurgeon, being further Ex∣amin'd, saith, That when he Searched Sir Edmund God∣frey's Body, he found that his Neck had been Twisted to∣wards the Left Side, which was one of the Occasions of his Death, as this Enformant believes.

• ...Jo. Cowper, Coroner.
• ...Zac. Skillarne.

I can only Observe over again, upon These Depositi∣ons, what, in Effect, I have observed before: which is that the Single Thing Necessary to be Mention'd, for the Full Enformation and Direction of the Iury is left out; for There's not one word of the Bloud: And that would have been an Infallible Proof of his Dying by the Sword, and Not by Strangling: Whereas the Suppressing of That Indubitable Evidence for the Wound, turn'd the Verdict Clean Contrary, and made him to be Strangled, and not to Dye by the Sword. I'le take Six or Seaven of the rest now in order, and then Speak to'em Altogether.

Midd. ss.

John Wilson of St. Martins Sadler, being Sworn and Examin'd, saith, That Sir Edmund Godfrey, about a Fortnight last Past, was Talking with one Mr. Harris, and then told this Enformant, that he was in Danger for what he had Acted for the Discovering the late Plot against his Majesty: and that he thought that some of the Postmasters were to blame, in not Intercepting some Pacquets; or Words to the same purpose.

• ...Jo. Cowper Coroner.
• ...John. Wilson.

Thomas Morgan, being Sworn and Examined, saith, That on Thursday last, about Twelve of the Clock, he was at the Pond near the Ditch where Sir Edmund God∣frey was found Dead, and doth believe, that if Sir Ed∣munds Belt, Gloves and Cane, had layn where they were found, this Enformant should have seen them.

• ...Jo. Cowper Coroner.
• ...Tho. Morgan.

The Enformation of William Bromwell, John Walters, and John Rawson taken upon Oath the same Day and Year.

THEY say that on Thursday the Seventeenth day of October instant, about Five of the Clock, they found a Scabbard and a pair of Gloves, and a Cane lying up∣on the Ground; and looking farther, they found a Person lying in a Ditch. And afterwards they were Enform'd that it was Sir Edmund Godfrey, and his Sword was thrust through his Body.

• ...William Bromwell.
• ...John Walter.
• The Mark of R John Rawson.

Midd. ss.

Caleb Wynde, and Richard Duke, being both Sworn and Examined, do say, that on Saturday last being the Twelfth of October instant, they saw Sir Edmund God∣frey talking with Mr. Radcliff, near Mr. Radcliffs, about one of the Clock.

• ...Jo. Cowper Coroner.
• ...Caleb VVinde.
• ...Richard Duke.

Now in One VVord, to the Enformations above. VVhat's All This to a Sword or a Rope? To a Cravat, a Handkercher, a Linnen Cloth, or what ever else of That kind the Reader pleases? The Sadler says right, that he was in Danger about Tong's and Otes's Enfor∣mations: But his Apprehension (as I have said else where) was from the Parliament, not from the Pa∣pists; and in Truth, for Concealing the Pretended Plot,

not for Discovering it; Unless for doing both the One and the Other, in the Wrong Place: He has a Touch about the Postmasters, and the Pacquets, which is only the Hint of a Story that he had gotten by Halves, concerning the Windsor-Letters; which Imposture was as Yet a Mystery; for it was Early days with the Plot, when These Matters were a Brewing.

Morgan Comes Next, and Deposes; that he was at the Pond, &c. upon Thursday about Noon, and saw No Gloves nor Stick: And so 'tis Inferr'd that they were not There, because Morgan did not see them: VVhere∣as if He was on One Side of the Pond, and the Things on the Other, the Bushes were so Thick, it was Mo∣rally Impossible that he should see them. Besides, that the supposing they were Not there, makes the Matter Worse; for what becomes of Prance, and Bedloes Evi∣dence then; that Swear the Body was carry'd thither Before? Or to make short on't. Whats All This to the Question of Strangling; whether they were There or Not?

The Oath of Brumwell, Walters and Rawson is as Little to the Purpose too as any of the Rest: Though I Cannot but take Notice of the Wording of the Last Line on't i. e. [His Sword was Thrust through his Body.] as who should say, He did not do it Himself. And so for the Deposition of Wind, and Dukes, seeing him at Twelve upon Saturday talking with Radcliffe; it is Vtterly Forreign to the Business. They found that he had been towards Mary-bone; And was Now come Back again, And What's his Coming Back again, to the finding of him Suffocated? And so to Fancy him Strangled in London, and his Bo∣dy Carry'd off, and Thrown in a Ditch, Two Mile out of Town, with his Sword through it; what was this Conceit, but an Anticipation of the Imposture of Bedloe and Prance that follow'd upon it? To Speak Plainly

to the Reason of the Thing, and to the Likelyhood of the Case, Sir Edmund Carry'd out a Foreboding Counte∣nance in the Morning with him' His Friends and Rela∣tions took Notice, that for a Fortnight before he went a∣way, his Melancholy grew Stronger and Stronger upon him, in Proportion to the Nearer, and Nearer Approach of the Parliament. His Domestiques were Startled at his Behaviour, both Over-Night, and the Next Mor∣ning when he went away: His Head ran upon Pading∣ton-Woods, and Thither he Ask'd the Way, and Thi∣ther he Went, and came Back, and, out of All Doubt, went Again, and did the Vnhappy Work in the After∣noon, that he went for in the Morning.

To look back once again upon These Depositions; they were so far, in the very Nature and Quality of them, from any Pretence of giving Light how Sir Edmund came by his Death, that I Cannot gather from This Evidence, so much as the Sign of any one Question that Pointed that Way. Nay, on the Contra∣ry, the Enformations are so Short, even where there was Place for such a Question, that it had a Counte∣nance, as if some Care had been taken Not to look too Narrowly into't. As in the Instance of Mr. Skillarne, and so of Brumwell, Walters, and Rawson. VVould they know whether Sir Edmund was kill'd with the Sword or No? VVhat had they more to do, then to Examine whether there was any Flux of Bloud or No; which would have brought the Matter to a short, and a Certain Issue: Nay, and which makes it look Worse Yet, it was Mightyly Insisted, and Dilated upon in the Debate, and Yet not One Word on't in the Evidence. It is Manifest, that the Marks of Strangling, both Might and Did Deceive them: though the Mo••t that could be made of them amounted but to Bare Likelyhoods at Best; but as they were Complicated with other Circum∣stances, Wholly Improbable. Now Mr. Skillarne Casts

the Main Cause upon This Point; [Bloud, or No Bloud.] He Himself saw Some, but not Enough, it Seems. The Iurors, even According to their Depo∣sitions, saw Bloud in Abundance; And there were Hun∣dreds and Thousands that could have said as much. Walters and Rawson were Examin'd to the Gloves, and the Cane, but Not a VVord again of the Bloud, Though Rawson could have said very much to't: Nor One Syllable of the Posture neither; though These Three that Saw the Body in the Light, could have Spo∣ken far more Expresly to't, then the Constable that came Afterward, and Grop'd it out in the Dark. But in fine, the Question was Shifted, from the Vndenyable Proof of his Dying by the Wound, to the Probability of his being Strangled: which was a Safe way; for the Iurors would have been able to Prove the One, and they could not Disprove the Other. It would have been a Question Pertinent enough, to Ask what Opinion the People had Generally of the Matter; VVhile the Body was at the White-house? The Iurors Themselves Tugg'd Hard for't, to Find him Felo de se.

Mr. Collinson Deposeth, That the People taking Notice of the Ditch, how it was Almost Cover'd with Shrubs and Bushes, said One to Another, What a Cun∣ning Place has he found out, and were of Opinion that He fell upon his own Sword.

CHAP. XVI.

The Coroners Enformations further Examin'd; and not One Word in them of Bloud, the Posture, or Any thing else Material to the Question.

IF a Plentiful Discharge of Bloud ought to pass for a sufficient Evidence in the Case of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, that he Dy'd by the Wound; And if That Effusion of Bloud was sufficiently Prov'd to the Coro∣ner and his Inquest; (as there is No Doubt to be made either of the One or of the Other) the Point here in hand is already Clear'd, and resolv'd, in the Affirmative, that the Coroner had a Competency of Means before him, for the Discovery of the True Cause of his Death: But how far These Means were Improv'd, toward a full and Effectual Discovery: And how it came to pass that the Best was not made of them, is the Thing that we have now Under Consideration. Touching the Enfor∣mations spoken of, and Recited, in the Last Chapter; as there was Nothing of Satisfaction to be Expected from the Greater Part of the Witnesses; so Neither does it appear that there was Any thing Propos'd to∣ward the Main Bus'ness of the Enquiry, to any of the Rest: So that it seems to be Time Lost One Way, and Opportunity, Another. To say the Truth, Those Papers would not be worth the Ink we have Bestow'd upon 'em, if it were not for the Remaining Enformations that are Yet to Follow; which Enformations might serve, of Themselves, even without any other Guide, for a Key to let a Man into the Whole Mystery: They are All of a Cast; All in the same Cause; and there∣fore I shall Deliver them over to the World Entire as they came to Me: Though to keep within some

reasonable Compass, I have Divided them into several Chapters.

The Reader is still to be Minded, that [How Sir Edmundbury Godfrey came by his Death] is the Ca∣pital Question. The Coroner is upon the View; and we are here upon the Evidence that was Given, and the Witnesses that Gave it. We shall see what use was made of them; and how far This Scrutiny was Ma∣nag'd, according to the Intent of the Inquisition, and to the Best of the Coroner's Skill and Knowledge.

The Enformation of John Brown, taken upon Oath the same Day and Year (Octob. 18. 1678.) be∣fore me.

HE saith, that on Thursday the 17th. of October In∣stant, about Six of the Clock in the Afternoon, Wil∣liam Brumwell, John VValters, and John Rawson came to his House and told him that they had found a Gentle∣man in a Ditch dead; and This Enformant went with them, and there found Sir Edmundbury Godfrey lying Dead, with his Sword through his Body: and his Shoes were very Clean: and this Enformant believes that he could not have Walked thither, but that his Shoes would have been more Dirty: And as he lay, his Sword would have made some Impression in the Dirt if he had flung him∣self upon his Sword, the Dirt being very soft.

• ...Jo. Cowper Coroner.
• ...John Browne.

I further Attest, that when I took up Sir Edmund Godfrey out of the Ditch, he had not any Band about his Neck.

• ...Jo. Cowper Coroner.
• ...John Browne.

Here's not one Syllable in These Enformations that could be of any Service to the End they Were or Ought to have been taken for; Nor any Thing in them but what is either Insignificant, or Partial.

Brown the Constable was told of a Gentleman found Dead in a Ditch; He went to the Place, with Those that told him, and there found Sir Edmund Godfrey lying Dead with his Sword through his Body; and when he took him out of the Ditch, he had Not any Band about his Neck.

And why [lying Dead] with his Sword through his Body, unless to Bespeak a False Understanding of the Matter, and to Insinuate that some body else had Murther'd him; and so either Cast or Left him there? This is the Genuine Countenance of it, and No Man that looks no further into't can take it otherwise. So that here's Truth Misrepresented, the Reason of the Thing Disguis'd, Honest Men Misled; and (All at Once) Common Iustice most Notoriously Abus'd. Let a Man but lay his Hand upon his Heart Now, and set himself to compare the Naked simplicity of the True Matter, of Fact with This way of Wording the Report that is made use of to Cover it.

Here's a Body found in a Ditch, with a Wound Under the left Pap, and the Point of a Sword so many Inches through the Blade of the right Shoulder; The Right Arm stiff-stretch'd upon the Bank; the Left arm Doubled under it, and the Head leaning upon't.

VVould any Man pass the same Iudgment now upon the Death of the same Man, under the Appearance of Two so Differing Evidences? And yet they are Both upon the Credit of the same Testimony: Only the One was Calculated for the Iury, and the Other for the Truth of the Fact; which Latter Deposition we have had already. I do not say Yet that there is any Contra∣diction in This Diversity; but the Evidence is suited to

the Question: and then there's a Latitude for Words and Phrases, that may seem to speak One Thing, and Import Another: As his Lying Dead in the Ditch, sounds as if he had been kill'd, and Thrown there; which is only a Cast of the Clerk's skill for the Better Colour of an Ill Bus'ness. And what's his Descanting then upon the Cleanness of his Shoes, and the Print of the Pummel of his Sword, but the Encroachment of a Witness upon the Office of a Iuror: Or effectually, VVhat's the whole Enformation but an Answer to such Leading Que∣stions as make the Depositions look liker an Argument, then a Testimony? Now Brown Applies his Answers to the respective Interrogatories, and if he fell short, it was the Examiner's Fault not His. And so for the taking of him up without a Band: it was Just as much to the Purpose as if he had Whistled. The single Bus'∣ness of their Enquiry, was to Learn what Death the Justice Dy'd; and whether strangled, or not: so that All This was not One Jot to the Point, unless they would draw Inferences from the Soles of his Shoes to the Circles about his Neck.

Now to an Ordinary Bodies Thinking, Brown might have been Catechiz'd upon Matters Infinitely more In∣structive to the Iurors then any thing that appears hi∣therto from These Enformations. Brown could have told of the Crashing of the Sword through the Bone, the Gubbling of the Bloud that came out, and the spatter∣ing Noise it made upon the Ground at the Drawing of it. And This was No more, then what was well Enough Known too; but for Solemnities sake, there must be somewhat upon Record Transmitted to After-Times, in Honour of the Cause, and for the Perpetual Memory of the Thing; In which Case, the Bloud, the Posture, and some other Dangerous Circumstances were found Con∣venient, by the Managers of That season, to be better Out then In.

The Next Enformation is Harry Moors: an Old Ser∣vant in the Family; the Clark; and, not a little, the Con∣fident of the late Sir Edmundbury Godfrey: for he was Inward with him in Most of his Privacies; he was the last Man too that saw him at his House the Morning he went away: And the Person Principally employ'd by the Brothers to Look, and Hearken after him, from the first Hour of his Missing, to the finding of the Body. In One word, he was the likeliest Man alive to set them right in their Bus'ness. It is to be Noted also, that the Brothers were Intimate with the Coroners; and Both, or One of them, from First to last, no less Assiduous with the Inquest. So that Moor could probably speak to a Thousand Particular Things that no Body else perhaps might take any Notice of. Now what ever he knew, to be sure, the Brothers Knew; And what ever They knew, as to This Matter, it is to be Honestly Presum'd that the Coroner knew; Insomuch, that they had All the Intelli∣gence among them, which the Brothers, the Coroner, and the Clerk could Contribute, Ioyntly, or Severally to the bringing of the Point to a Fair Issue. VVe shall see now in the Next Chapter, what Vse was made of Moors Testimony, and how they Squeez'd him upon the Exami∣nation, to Draw from him the Uttermost of his Know∣ledge upon Those Necessary Points, which they knew he could speak to. To Conclude, He did Certainly know a Great Deal; The Brothers and the Coroner did Both, Certainly know that he Did so: And it must be then Consider'd, that he did Probably know More Yet, then they could Certainly Charge upon him; and there∣fore it was Their Part to have him Examin'd to the Probabilities, as well as to the Certainties. A Plain, Blunt Enquiry upon These Heads, will do a Great deal toward the satisfying of the VVorld, whether the Mighty Clut∣ter that has been made here about sifting, and searching, was Banter, or Earnest.

CHAP. XVII.

Notes upon the Mysterious Examination of Henry Moor, Clerk to Sir Edmundbury Godfrey.

HEre was a Iury Summon'd and brought together up∣on the View of a Dead Body; Consultations and Debates in Form; Surgeons and Witnesses Advis'd with∣al, and Examin'd; And All upon a Short Question, Whether the Person Dy'd of the Wound, or of a Suffocation? And whether Felo de se, or Not? Among other Evi∣dences, they Pitched upon Harry Moor for One, to give the best Account he could, about the Death of his Master: Wherein, it falls in Course to be consider'd, How far Moor was certainly Privy to Matters; VVhat Points he could speak to; How far the Brothers, the Co∣roner, and several of the Iurors Themselves were En∣form'd of his Knowledge of Things; and how far, in fine, he was There Interrogated upon Those Special Mat∣ters, which They Themselves knew Necessary to be Clear'd, toward the Discovery of the Truth; and which they had Reason to Presume, and to Believe, that Moor was able to give a very Good Account of. I shall be forc'd upon This Occasion, to Deliver the Substance over again, of some Depositions that I have made use of in Parcels already; but to Differing Purposes: For the Question in Those Cases was properly the Truth of the Fact, where∣as we are now upon the Candor and Equity of the Pro∣ceeding.

William Collins, one of the Iurors, saw Sir Godfrey upon Saturday Morning, talking with a Milk-woman near Marybone-Conduit. Thomas Mason of Marybone, Another of the Iurors, on the same Morning met Sir

Edmund afterward, betwixt Marybon••-Pound and Mary∣bone-Street, coming back again for London.

Upon the Monday following, Moor walked out in the Morning to look his Master, and seeing Mr. Mason by the way, near his own House, Asked him, If he had seen Sir Edmundbury Godfrey in the Fields since Saturday? For he had lost his Master, and knew not what was become of him: Whose Answer was, That he had seen him on Saturday Morning, as above, and not since. It is here to be Noted, that Moor had heard of his Master on Monday Morning, though the Family gave it out, That the first Tydings they had of him was from Par∣sons, a Coach-maker at a Funeral on Tuesday Night; which Account was, That upon Saturday Morning he met Sir Edmund in St. Martins-Lane, who asked him the VVay to Padington Woods, or thereabouts; And the VVhole Story thus far, was well known to the Brothers and the Coroners.

On the same Saturday he went away, Mr. Radcliffe had him by the Hand at his own Door in the Strand, about Twelve or One; And Great Vse was made of that Evidence, to Induce a Verdict, that he was Strangled; for they Inferr'd, that he was Not Kill'd in the Ditch; because he was come back again: Now that Inference would have held as good, (and consequently that Ver∣dict) in the Case of Mason, (who undoubtedly told the Jury the Story of his Coming back again before they Adjourn'd) So that they got not one Grain of Intelligence to This Purpose at the Rose and Crown, more then they had before at the White-House. But to re∣turn to the Clerk again. Moor took Notice of his Ma∣sters Great Discontent, and Disorder, (in his Own VVords) after the taking of Otes's Enformations: He could not be Ignorant of the Freak of his Burning so ma∣ny Papers upon Friday Night; as he made express remarks upon his Distracted Starts, Look••▪ Actions and Gestures,

That Last Saturday Morning. He told Iudith Pamphlin, one of the Family, that he was affraid he was Murther'd: His Wife Exclaiming, O that ever it should be said that such a Man as Sir Edmundbury Godfrey Murther'd himself! Pamphlin raving at the same rate, and tel∣ling Captain Gibbon, his Lady, and his Daughters, over and over, that Moor knew a great deal; and if Moor were examin'd, he could say much. He Declar'd it him∣self that he had been to Search for his Master, and within a Few Rods too of the Place where the Body was found; And he Deliver'd the same thing upon Oath before Two of his Majesties Iustices for the Isle of Ely: It cannot be Imagin'd, that the Brothers, all this while, were Strangers to these Circumstances; Especially con∣sidering the Part they had in the Manage of the whole Transaction: Upon the Monday after his going away, they went to Mrs. Gibbons, to enquire for him; and up∣on her Relation of Sir Edmund's Wild Behaviour the Last time she saw him, they both brake out into Violent Exclaymings, Lord! What will become of us!

Upon Sunday Morning Early, Moor went to the House of Mr. Michael Godfrey, and told him that his Master did not come home last Night. God have Mer∣cy upon as (says the Brother)▪ Pray God we hear Good News of him: And Enjoyn'd Moor not to tell any Creature of his Absence, till he Himself, or his Brothers should come to him in the Afternoon. They came accordingly, and Agreed to enquire every where after him, but all under the Seal of Secrecy still: And so he was to keep it close 'till Monday Morning, and Then, till Night; and so 'till Tuesday Morning, 'till the Brothers should have been with my Lord Chancellor; and upon Tuesday Night they Divulg'd it at a Funeral. These Repeated Injun∣ctions of Secrecy, would puzzle the Mayor of Quin∣borough, and his Brethren, to find a current Reason for. They do as good as Cry, Seek, but do not Find. And

why Again, Say nothing till we have been with my Lord Chancellor? The Caution, in Truth, might be Pruden∣tial enough, in case of his Laying Violent Hands upon himself; but supposing him to be Murther'd by a Mali∣cious Practice, or by Assassins, it would have been a Point of Publique Duty, to Honour and Iustice, and an Office of Humanity, Natural Affection, and Respect to the Defunct, Immediately to have spread the Story of it as far as the Post, and Common Fame could carry it. But there's Another Passage yet behind, to the same Point, that makes the Bus'ness still more and more Suspi∣cious.

Mr. Wheeler Deposeth, That on Wednesday, Octo∣ber 16. 1678. being in Company with one Mr. Parsons, Mr. Monk, and others, he asked Parsons, What Discourse he had with Sir Edmundbury Godfrey in St. Martins Lane upon Saturday Last? [Parsons.] 'Tis no matter. [Wheeler.] What? a Justice Lost, and You the Last Man in his Company, and not declare what Discourse you had? [Parsons.] Let Mr. Monk tell. To which, Mr. Monk said, What have I to do to tell your Discourse? And thereupon, this Enformant said to Mr. Parsons, If you will not do it here, you shall do it somewhere else: And then Mr. Parsons said, That Sir Edmund asked him three times whereabout Paddington Woods were; And that he himself asked Sir Edmund if he were buying a Parcel of Land? To which, Sir Edmund replyed, No. This En∣formant asked the said Parsons, What other Discourse Pass'd? Who Answered him, None; For Sir Edmund was sparing in his Speech. This Enformant putting it fur∣ther to the said Parsons, Why he was so Loth to tell the Discourse: Parsons made Answer, because Sir Ed∣mund's Clark Desired him to say Nothing on't.

Upon the Whole matter, The Brothers Ty'd up Moor to Secrecy, and Moor Ty'd up Parsons, and there appears No other Reason in Sight, either for the one or for the other, then a Desire to keep it Private: which sounds just as much as an Vnwillingness to have it known what was become of him; only the Brothers took care that he should not be Miss'd at Home, and the Clark that he should not be found abroad; for his Question to Parsons, was the only Light they had so Early, which way to Enquire after him, and Moor took the Hint upon't.

After All This said and Prov'd, 'tis not for Any Man to Doubt, either that Moor Knew, or was like∣ly to know as much of This Private History as any Man: Or of the Brothers knowing as much as Moor Could Tell them: And This being taken for Granted, a Man Methinks might Fancy such Interrogatories to be put to Moor, as might Reasonably open the Way to a Discovery. As for Example now; Directing the Dis∣course To the Clerk.

Here's the Body of your Dead Master now upon the Table before us; And the Question is How he came by his Death: You have been Constantly near about him, and in his Business; Did You Observe Any Quarrel he had, or Any Desperate Discontent upon him, and for what Cause or Reason? Have You Observ'd him to be more out of Humour of Late, then he was formerly; And Since what Time, and upon what Occasion? Your Master went away from his House upon Saturday Morning Last: How was he the Day before? Did You observe any Bussle of People more then Ordinary about him? How did You find him the Morning that he went away? Did You Gather Any thing from his Looks, VVords, or Actions to give you an Ill-Boding of him? Mr. Parsons, it seems, Spake with him in St. Martins-Lane, That Saturday

Morning, and Sir Edmund asked him the way to Pad∣dington-woods: And Mr. Parsons told You of it, they say: VVh••n did he tell you This? And VVhat Did he tell you of it? Did any body Else tell you of it before? And VVhat did they tell You? And what did You Do up∣on their Telling it? Now we have reason to Believe that he went his Way to the Place that he Enquir'd for; be∣cause Mr. Collins here, one of the Iurors, Saw him after∣ward talking with a Milk-woman thereabouts: And here's Another of the Inquest, Mr. Mason, that Saw him after This too, going Back again; And he saw You Your Self too, on the Munday Morning following, go∣ing Thitherward to Look for him. The Talk is, that Parsons did not tell You of This 'till Tuesday Night: How came You then to look for him thereabouts upon Mun∣day Morning? But You did go to Look for him However, and it comes from Your own Mouth that You were within a Little of finding him. Where did You Look? And How Near were You to the finding of him? You did not Look for him among the Birds in the Bushes; and You could not expect to find him Picking of Sallads among the Cat∣tle; If You look'd for him in the Ditches, What made You look for him There? Did You find Any thing to make You Suspect he had made Himself away? Parsons told You that he Ask'd the Way to the Woods; but not to the Ditches: So that the Woods were No Light to Direct You to the Ditch, without some Dark reflection upon a Troubled Mind. Or if you Did Search the Ditches, how far did You go? And how came You to Stop Short, and leave the Closest Hiding-Places Yet Unsearch'd, Behind ye? But upon Your Oath, Did You Find the Body at Last, or Not? How came You to tell Pamphlin, You fear'd he was Murder'd? How Came Your Wife, and Pamphlin to Speak Familiarly of it; before the finding of the Body, as if they fear'd he had Kill'd Himself? Pamphlin would say frequently, If the Clerk were Ex∣amin'd

he could Speak Much. These Stories are All over the Town already; And that You Your Self own'd such Thoughts of the Business as You were affr••id to tell. Were You Enjoyn'd Secrecy by Any Body betwixt Your Masters going away, and the finding of the Body? By Whom? What were the Things You were to keep Private? And what reasons were given; Or what do You ••magine were the Reasons, of that Caution of Privacy? Was there Any thing of Saving the Estate in the Case? What was the True Reason of Your bidding Parsons to say Nothing of his Discourse with Your Master That Morning?

Here's a Great Deal of This that's known to the Jury, Already, The Brothers are able to say more; and You Your Self, without Peradventure, know Most of All. We Expect a Distinct Answer to Every Particular, So Help You God.

Now, These were Points Necessary to be Enquir'd into; and the Necessity of That Enquiry lay so Open, that a Man could hardly Miss a Great many of'em, Unless he would shut his Eyes, and go out of the way on purpose. They knew he went about to Search for his Master: and Certainly it was Worth the While to put the Quaere whether he found him or Not. Nay the very Silence, upon that Question, makes it Suspi∣cious that he had found him. I had almost forgot a Deposition that I have of a very Honest Gentleman upon this Subject.

Gabriel Cox Deposeth, That about the time when Mr. Fitz-Harris would have lay'd the Business of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey at the Door of the Earl of Dan∣by, Mr. Benjamin Godfrey came to this Enformant and spake to Him This Enformant about it. Upon This Occasion, the Enformant Enter'd into a Discourse about the Death of Sir Edmund; telling the said

Mr. Godfrey, that it was a strange Thing to bring in an Infamous Wench, as they did, for a Witness at the Tryal; and under the Countenance of a Servant in the Family, which she never was, but only did Iobbs of Chare-Work there; and to leave out Moor the Clark, that would have been a Witness of some Credit, and could have spoke much to the Matter: To which the said Mr. Godfrey made Answer, that Alas! the Old Fellow knew Nothing; And so they Parted. After which, This Enformant never heard any thing further from the said Mr. Godfrey.

And then it would not have been Amiss to have Summon'd the Milk-Woman Neither; but for Brevi∣ties sake (as the Matter was order'd) Three or Four Lines did the Whole Work, according to a True Copy of the Enformation here Under Following.

The Examination of Henry Moor taken and Acknowledged the same Day and Year upon Oath.

HE saith, That when Sir Edmund Godfrey went last from his House, which was on Saturday last about Nine of the Clock in the Morning, he had then a Lac'd Band about his Neck.

• ...Jo. Cowper Coroner.
• ...Henry Moor.

In One Word, the Logick of the Proceeding is This; Either Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was Kill'd with a Sword or Strangled with a Rope; But Sir Edmundbury Godfrey went out with a Lac'd Band, Ergo he was Suffocatus & Strangulatus; Anglice Choak'd and Strang∣led, cum una Pecia Funis, Anglice Rope. And so here's

a very Honest Account of the Premises and the Con∣clusion.

CHAP. XVIII.

A very Pertinent Evidence of Joseph Radcliffes made Worse then Nothing.

Mr. Ioseph Radcliffe was of the Neighbourhood and Acquaintance of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, and a Man of Substance and Credit in the Parish: It was his fortune to have Sir Edmund by the Hand be∣fore his own Door, about one of the Clock on the Sa∣turday when he went last from his House. From That time forward, no body could hear what was become of him; but by Flying, and Uncertain Reports, 'till the Thursday following, when his Body was found Dead, toward the Evening in a Ditch near Primrose-Hill. A Iury was hereupon Summon'd, which met the Next Day at the White-house; from whence, After some Hours Debate upon the Matter in View, and the Ex∣amining of Witnesses, they Adjourn'd to the Next day, and at the Rose and Crown in St. Giles's, they agreed upon their Verdict. Thither it was that Mr. Ioseph Radcliffe and his Wife were Summon'd to give Evidence upon the Matter in Question: and Such as it was, there was Great Stress lay'd upon it, for Clearing the Point in Issue. And there let it rest 'till we come to the Enformations Themselves.

The Town was at That Time full of the Discourse of Sir Godfreys Strange Carriage lately, at Mrs Gib∣bons's, and the odness of his Behaviour at St. Martins-Vestry the Day before: and in short, Considering the Familiar Conversation betwixt them; The Frequen∣cy

of their Meetings about Parish-Business; and Espe∣cially the Chance-Encounter in the Strand before Spo∣ken of, Mr. Radcliffe might appear a very Proper Witness to be Examin'd upon This Occasion; as a Person likely enough in many Respects to know some∣what of the Privacies of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey. Briefly, He and his Wife were Examined; but upon what Pretence, and to what Purpose, will be better seen in the Following Enformations.

Midd. ss. The Enformation of Joseph Radcliffe of St. Martins in the Fields taken upon Oath the 19th Day of Octob. 1678. before Me.

HE saith, that on Friday was Seven-night, there was a Vestry held for St. Martin's Parish, at which Sir Edmund Godfrey was, and after the Vestry broke up there was a perfect Account made up and Discharg'd be∣twixt Sir Edmund Godfrey and St. Martins Parish touching 4 l. received by Sir Edmund of Mr. Bradbury late Surveyor of the High-Ways, whereof 40 s. was paid back to Mr. Bradbury by Sir Edmund, by the Consent of some of the Vestry, and the other 40 s. he paid to this Enformant, whereof this Deponent paid Sir Edmund 13 s. which he had formerly laid out about the High-Way of St. Martins Parish, and the other 27 s. this Enformant hath in his Custody, for the use of the said Parish. And this Enformant further saith, That during the Time he was Church-warden in his last Year 1677. he Stated the Ac∣counts of St. Martins Parish and found the Parish Deb∣tor to Sir Edmund about 148 l of which he Paid him 100 l. and the remainder hath been Since paid by his Suc∣cessor Charles Monck; and on Friday was Seven-night, Sir Edmund was in This Enformants Company,

with Mr. Heames till about Nine of the Clock, and was in a Pleasant good Even Humor and Temper, and This Enformant verily believes that he saw him passing by this Enformants door, about One of the Clock on the Morrow, being Saturday the Twelfth of this Instant.

• ...Jo. Cowper Coroner.
• ...J. Radcliffe.

ss. Eleanor Radcliffe, Wife of the said Joseph, saith, that on Saturday Last about One of the Clock Sir Ed∣mund Godfrey pass'd by her House.

• ...Jo. Cowper Coroner.
• ...Eleanor Radcliffe.

Here's a Parish-Reck'ning brought in Evidence upon Oath, to Prove that Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was Strangled: No body knew When, Where, or by Whom: And an Argument drawn in Confirmation of it, from his being seen Alive at such an Hour of the Day: The First Day's Debate held a Long Tugg upon Kil∣ling Himself, or being Kill'd; and when they could not Carry it for the Latter, That Bout, they Ad∣journ'd, and This was the Evidence that did the Feat upon the Second Meeting: though not one Syllable of Force in it more then what was Testified at the White-House. It seems a Wonderful Thing, that to Questions, that were put so much Beside One Purpose, Answers should be given that lay so Pat for the Other, [He was in a Pleasant, Good, Even, Humour and Temper the Night Before.] That is to say, he was not in a Mind to Destroy himself. Brown Represents him lying Dead in a Ditch; As who should say, He did not do it Himself; Nay he Philosophizes upon the Clean∣ness of his Shoes too; And Reasons upon it, that he

did not Fling himself upon his Sword; for he should have Seen the Print of the Pummel then. Morgan was near the Pond, and Saw No Body. Brumwells and Walters Enformation is Worded, that his Sword Was Thrust through his Body, though Bromwell very lately made Exceptions to Those Words [Was Thrust] through his Body, at the Reading of it: And says fur∣ther, that they gave an Account also of the Posture they found him in, though here's No Mention of it at All. Now it falls out Unluckily, that Every Bowle should be made to carry the same Biass. But This Enformation yet before the Coroner under Such Cir∣cumstances, shall not Divert Me from Confronting it with Another of a Later Date from the Same Hand: Nay, And That shall be Back'd with Another too; and it will be Then time to pass some Reflections up∣on the Whole.

Midd. & West. ss. The Enformation of Joseph Radcliffe of the Parish of St. Martins in the Fields, Oyle-Man, Taken Vpon Oath May 11. 1686.

SAith, That there was a Vestry held in the Parish of St. Martins in the Fields, upon the 11th of Octob. 1678. being Friday, where This Enformant was present, and that a Little before the rising of the said Vestry, to∣wards the Evening, Sir Edmundbury Godfrey came Ha∣stily in, and took his Vsual Place; and as the Vestry was about to Rise, the said Sir Edmund went out of the Room, and Call'd to This Enformant to go along with him, which he did accordingly. As they were upon the Way, he told This Enformant that he fear'd he had done Harry Bradbury Wrong, and was resolv'd to Right him That Night, and so desired This Enformant to Assist

him therein. The said Sir Edmund then looking behind him, and seeing Mr. James Hemes, Another of the Ve∣stry, he took him along with him, This Enformant go∣ing along with them to Collonel Weldens.

And that being come to the said Collonel's, Sir Edmund desired This Enformant to help him off with his Coat, who Minded him that the Weather was Cold: Sir Edmund re∣plying, However he would have it off. This Enformant help'd him off with it, and Sir Edmund then took it, and threw it on to the Window, and then went and seated him∣self at a Table at the Other End of the Room: This En∣formant observing something Extraordinary in the Man∣ner of the Thing; and sitting down at the same Table next to him, Ask'd him what it was that Troubled him about the said Harry Bradbury? Sir Edmund Answer∣ing, that he had made Bradbury pay Forty Shillings for Another bodies Fault; and that if This Enformant would Agree to't, he should be Repay'd the Forty Shil∣lings: Whereupon, by Consent, Mr. Bradbury was sent for. And Sir Edmund did then tell This Enformant that he had some Parish-Mony in his Hand, and that he would put the said Mony into the Hands of This En∣formant, (who had been lately Church-Warden, and had some Parish Accounts in his Hands) Desiring This En∣formant to Pay Mr. Bradbury the Forty Shillings out of the said Mony; Sir Edmund thereupon Delivering the Mony he had in his hands, to This Enformant, who pay'd Mr. Bradbury, when he came, the Forty Shillings afore∣said. This Enformant hereupon said to Sir Edmund, You are in a very good Mind. Who Reply'd, Yes, I am resolv'd to settle All my Bus'ness to Night; and the Accounts shall be brought in Your Name, and Not in Mine.

This Enformant observing that he Pass'd from One Thing to Another; Ask'd him if he had done Now? Whose Answer was, that he had not done Yet; saying

thereupon, that he us'd to give Ten Shillings a Week to the Poor in Bread, and that he that had Bak'd it Hi∣therto should do it No Longer; Mr. Bradbury, upon That, (being a Baker) Ask'd him if he should do it? Sir Edmund asking This Enformant what he would Advise; who told him, that he was the Master of his own Charity; Sir Edmund saying then, that Mr. Bradbury should do it, and that he Would Charge, or that he Had Charg'd it by his Will, to be paid out of the Rent of some Houses that he had in Westminster. This Enformant asking him again, Sir Edmund have you done Now? Sir Edmund saying No, I have not done Yet; for the Parish is now in My Debt, and so Reckon'd an odd Summe which This En∣formant paid him upon the Place. This Enformant asked him a Third Time, if he had done Yet; Sir Edmund replying Yes: and Clapping his Hand upon his Breast, said, that Now he was at Quiet: After which, Sir Edmund rose up, and Desir'd This Enformant to Help him on with his Coat, which he did. The said Sir Edmund repeating that his Conscience was Clear.

And further; that as they were drinking a Glass of Beer, This Enformant Asked the said Sir Edmund, What News; Who made Answer, That in a short time, You will hear of the Death of Some-body, or the Murther, (This Enformant doth not remember which of the Two Words) Sir Edmund saying that he was Confident He Himself should be the First. Whereupon Mr. Hemes aforesaid Desired him if he fear'd any such Thing, that he would not go abroad without Company: Sir Edmund Answering, that his Conscience was Clear, that he Car'd for No Company, and that he Fear'd No Body.

And This Enformant being Interrogated concerning the Evening of so many accounts, whether he had had any Discourse with the said Sir Edmund about Those Accounts before? He This Enformant Answereth, that there had been no such Dis∣course,

and that he never knew any thing of that Nature done in so sudden a manner before.

And further saith, That about one of the Clock on the Next Day, being Saturday, the said Sir Edmund Passing by the Door of This Enformant, He this Enformant asked him to come in, and Dine with him; but he said he was in hast, and could not stay; and so having this Enformant by the Hand, he took away his Hand, and went hastily away, speaking very earnestly, insomuch that this Enformant won∣dred at it, he having been usually Freer, and Easier with This Enformant.

This Enformant referreth himself upon the Matters con∣tain'd in this Enformation, to the best of his Knowledge and Memory.

Jurat. die & Anno Su∣pradicto coram me.

Ro. L'Estrange.

J. Radcliffe.

The Reader will find little in This Enformation to the Tune of the Pleasant, Good, Even Humour and Temper, in the Enformation before the Coroner. There's too much on't, to be Natural, and the Synony∣mals one upon the Neck of Another, savour more of the Skill of the Clark, then of the Faith of the Reporter. In which Case, many times there goes but the Dash of a Pen to the Mending of a Short Evidence.

The Second Deposition of Mr. Radcliffe seems to me to have a great many Notable Passages in it. Sir E.G. had a Mind to make even with the World. The Fit took him at That Instant, and all must be done That Night. Brad∣bury was to have his Forty Shillings; The Parish Accounts to be Adjusted in All Hast; He told the Company what Care he had taken for the Continuance of his Charity: And now (says he, clapping his Hand upon his Breast)

I am at Quiet; Call'd for his Coat, and went over with it again; My Conscience is Clear. His Motions, and his Actions in the Room; The Vehemency of his Words; His Hudling of so many things over in such a Disorder; His Starting from one thing to Another, and all to be Dispatch'd upon That Point of Time: And then the Winding up of theConversation with a Foreboding of his Death or Murther; The Company might be well allow'd to Iudge, and to Observe, These Things Consider'd that there was somewhat very Extraordinary in his Mind.

Upon the Comparing of These Two Enformations it seems very remarkable, that the Former delivers it as the Opinion of Mr. Radcliffe, that Sir Godfrey was Last Night in a Pleasant Good Even Humour and Temper; when the Latter, in Fact, sets him forth to have been the Clean Contrary: So that the Whole Story of the Dis∣order is not only Omitted, but Apparently Contradicted by the Other Insinuation. The Question is, How Godfrey came by his Death; and what Radcliffe could say toward the Clearing of That Matter. Now the Iury being Divided whether he Destroyed Himself, or was Murther'd by Other People, it was a thing very much to their Purpose, to Enform themselves what Humour he was in, either soon before, or upon his going away. The Question was put to Radcliffe about the seeing of him That Saturday, and what he could say further to the Matter they had before them. The Coroners Enfor∣mation says, he verily Believes he saw him; In the Other, he Swears that he had him by the Hand, and Invited him to Dinner; Nay, and Mr. Radcliffe calls to mind that heObjected at that very Time to the Expression. Why, says he, 'tis More then Believing; for I Know it: And some body made Answer, If you Know it, you Believe it. It is observable again, that there was a most Indu∣strious Separation in the Examination before the Coro∣ner of some Parts of the Story from the Rest; and par∣ticularly,

that Those Passages were made use of, that were not one jot to the Purpose; and others left out, that in All Appearance would have given the Iurors the Best Light they had, toward the Governing of the following Verdict. What was the Account, or Discount among the Parish-Officers to the Question of Felo de se, or Not? That Account, Barely, I mean, without Godfrey's Part in the Disor∣derly Circumstances that Attended it. The Charge and Discharge, of it self, was utterly Impertinent; but the Other could not be well Vnderstood, but in Company with the Relation it had to the Bus'ness of the Reck'nings, Bradbury's Forty Shillings; The Setling of his Charity; And All must be Finished That Night too; which seems to Imply an Apprehension he had, that he should ne∣ver Live to Another Opportunity of doing it. Now This was the Point that should have been Pressed, Inculcated, and Insisted upon; and it would have done much bet∣ter to have lay'd the Fact at Length before the Iury, without any Gloss upon't, on the One Hand, then to Deliver a Partial, and an Vngrounded Opinion, without so much as one Syllable of the Plain Truth of Fact, on the Other. The whole Matter under Deliberation re∣solves shortly in to This; Was Sir Godfrey under any Trouble, and Distress of Thought, or Not? This is the Truth of the Story, says the One Side; And let the Iu∣rors Judge upon't whether he Was, or No. Now the Other side is for giving the Opinion, without the Story; And it was Prudently done; for the Naked Narrative of the Fact, and That Judgment of his Even Humour could never have stood together.

I was affraid least this Diversity of Countenance from the same Person, might prove Injurious, either to the Cause, or to the Witness, if I should let it go off Thus without something of an Explanatory Animad∣version upon it: Wherefore I communicated the Mat∣ter to Mr. Radcliffe Himself, who told me that he would

suddenly give me a Plain Account of the Whole Affair; and I received from him in his own Hand-Writing the Declaratory Enformation here following upon That Subject.

The Enformation of Joseph Radcliffe of the Pa∣rish of St. Martins in the Fields, Oylman, ta∣ken upon Oath, Jan. 10. 1687/8.

THAT when he was Examin'd by John Cowper, Co∣roner of Middlesex, concerning Sir Edmundbu∣ry Godfrey, on the 19th. day of October, 1678. He this Deponent did tell the said Coroner and his Jury All the Passages that he had observ'd in Sir Edmund Godfrey on the 11th. and 12th. Days of the same Month, which was as near as this Deponent can declare the very same. This Deponent did declare to Sir Roger L'Estrange, when he was Examin'd by the said Sir Roger concerning Sir E. B. Godfrey on the 11th. day of May, 1686. But Three or Four of the said Coroners Jury, did often Thwart and In∣terrupt this Deponent in his Enformation, and said it was too Long, and they would not stay, or could not stay, while that Long Discourse could be writ, and desired the Coroner to Abbreviate the Discourse, and take so much of it as he thought fit; which he did do, in Manner and Form, as it is to be seen under This Deponents Hand. But this Enfor∣mant remembreth withal, that at the same time, some of the Iurors were Earnest to have the Whole Evidence Taken; but were Over-ruled by the Persons aforesaid.

Now According to the way of Abbreviation in Those Days, they took That, which was good for Nothing, and threw out the Rest. But to say a Word now to the Reason of the Thing, as well as to the Evidence: A Man can very hardly Imagin, how Mr. Radcliffe

should give them the History of the Accounts, without the Connexion of Sir Edmund's Calling for This, and for That; and his Distracted Manner of Skipping from One Thing to Another: So that All the Extrava∣gances were Omitted upon Choice. Now if it be reaso∣nable to believe, that Mr. Radcliffe told the Coroner the Circumstances that Pass'd at That Meeting, it is hardly Credible, that he should conclude Sir Edmund's Pleasant Even Humour; from a Behaviour that car∣ry'd along with it so many Proofs of the Contrary: So that the Qualification might be Possibly the Clarks Com∣ment upon Mr. Radcliffe's Text. But there are Two Questions here that will Naturally Occur. First, Was that Mr. Radcliffe's Evidence, or Not? 2ly. Was it True, or Not True, that he was upon That Friday, so Easie, and so Well dispos'd? As to the Former, Mr. Radcliffe is too much a Man of Sense, to Describe a Person in the very Paroxisme of a Sickly Freak; and at the same Time to give Those Transports the Chara∣cter of a Pleasant Even Temper. And now for the Other Point of Whether True or False. His Distemper was so evident, and well known, that his Behaviour on That Friday was become Town-Talk: He put One Whole Family to their Wits End almost, at the Sight of him. That very Friday at Noon, Mrs. Birtby, Bless'd her self, at the very Walk, Action, and Looks of the Man that Af∣ternoon in Drury-Lane, when she knew not who he was. He was going from thence to a Vestry in St. Martins, and call'd at Mr. Bradburies, whose Evidence we shall here find Exactly to agree with Mr. Radcliffe's, in a Confirmation of his very Great Trouble and Discontent that Day.

Midd. & West. ss. The Enformation of Henry Bradbury of the Parish of St. Martins in the Fields, taken upon Oath, January 10. 1687/8.

SAITH, That upon Friday (the Day before Sir Edmund∣bury Godfrey was first missing from his House) about, or near Five of the Clock in the Afternoon, the said Sir Edmund came to the House of this Enformant, and said, he was going to the Vestry, and that he would make up certain Accounts Relating to this Enformant, telling him, that after the Vestry should be over, he would go to Collonel Wel∣dens, and send for this Enformant, to see that some Order might be taken about it.

He came through the House to this Enformant in a very Unusual Manner; And this Enformant observ'd such Signs of Trouble, and Discontent in him, that it made this Enformant at that present very much wonder what should be the meaning of it.

And saith, That the said Sir Edmund went his way (as this Enformant believes) to the Vestry; and about an hour after, one came to this Enformant, telling him, that the said Sir Edmund and Mr. Radcliffe desired to see him at Collo∣nel Weldens, whether this Enformant went, and there found Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, Mr. Radcliffe, and Mr. Hemes; and then the said Sir Edmund and Mr. Radcliffe set all the Accounts right before spoken of.

This Enformant was there (as he believeth) an Hour or two in the Company; and remembereth very well that he appeared to this Enformant in very Great Disorder still, and rather worse then at the House of this Enformant; the said Sir Edmund desiring Mr. Radcliffe, upon his going a∣way, to Help him on with his Coat.

Jurat' die & Anno Su∣pradicto coram me.

R. L'Estrange.

Henry Bradbury.

And then there was Mr. Wheeler, Captain Bridal (as will be seen in his Enformation) Mr. Herringman, and others, at a Vestry in St. Martins, where Sir Ed∣mund behav'd himself at such a Rate, that every Bo∣dies Eye was upon him: And it was in every Bodies Mouth after the Adjournment, What should Sir Ed∣mundbury Godfrey Ail.

Walter Bridal, Esq Deposeth, That upon the Fri∣day, next before the Saturday, when Sir E. Godfrey was said to go last from his House; This Enformant was present at a Vestry, then held in St. Martins Parish (being a Member thereof;) And that the said Sir Edmund (be∣ing likewise a Member thereof) came in, and sat down; and contrary to his usual Practice, said Little, or Nothing. This Enformant observing at the same Time something Ghastly in his Countenance, and Wonder'd what might be the Matter.

And that upon the Vestry breaking up, This Enformant with several Others of the Vestry withdrew to a Tavern, the said Sir Edmund being gone off another Way; And being together at the said Tavern, the Company fell into Discourse about him, and wondred at his Ghastly Looks.

From thence (according to Mr. Racliffe's Enformati∣on) he went to York Buildings: And it is not likely that he should leap all of a sudden out of so Dismal a Melan∣choly, as is Prov'd upon him, into that Pleasant Humour, as it stands before the Coroner. Nay, and he goes Home after this too, and burns as many Papers at Hap∣hazzard, as his Servant Pamphlins Apron would hold: But they kept Aloof still from the Argument of his Melancholy; And what ever Evidence struck in upon That Topique, was sure to be Cramp'd and Baffled.

There remains yet the Evidence of Mrs. Mary Gib∣bon, which in Truth does not stand so properly upon the File of the Enformations taken before the Coroner, though it comes to me for one of That Number. There's No Date to't, nor any thing to distinguish it from those that were sworn before the Inquest: But I find that it was Taken upon Sunday, October 20. 1678. After the Iury had Deliver'd up their Verdict. It would have done well however, if it might have pass'd for one of the Enformations that came in Due Season; be∣cause it look'd Ill-Favouredly to take in Iohn-a-Nokes, and Iohn-a-Styles, and I know not whom, to I know not what, and leave a Family so well known for Sir Ed∣mundbury Godfreys Intimate Friends; and in particular to leave so Material a Witness as this same Mrs. Gibbons wholly Vnexamin'd. But I shall find a Place for This Witness among those that were left Vnsummon'd; and, in Probability, could have said more to the Purpose then All the Rest.

We have had Ill Luck hitherto with these Enforma∣tions; for they run all the same way; All Suppressions and Misunderstandings are still in Favour of the same side; But it is One Thing not to Emprove the Means of finding a Truth; and Another Thing to Stifle, or to Oppose Those Means. As for Instance now in the Next Chapter.

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.

CHAP. XX.

Mrs. Gibbon's Enformation Compared with the Coroners Report, and the Matter submitted to All Indifferent Men, whether the Design through∣out was to Discover the Truth, or to Stifle it. With an Appendix for a Conclusion.

HEre's a Subject, a Magistrate, a Master, a Friend, a Relation, and an Acquaintance, Lost in the Per∣son of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey; and All these Circum∣stances are to be Consulted toward the finding out what is become of him: Now in Order to such a Dis∣covery, a Man Naturally Bethinks himself somewhat to This Purpose; What Confidences had he? What Haunts? What Persons were Most Privy to his Affairs, his Ways, and Humors? What Servants? Who saw him when he went away from his House? Who saw him Afterward? In whose Company was he Last? &c.

There's Nothing more Familiar, or Reasonable, then such Enquiries as These, provided they be made in the Proper Place, and Apply'd to the Right Persons: So that the Brothers were well advis'd, upon the First Missing of him, to go to Coll. Weldens; (his Common Baiting-Place) to hearken after him. His Servant Pamphlin goes the Next day to Mrs. Gibbons, upon the same Errand; and so did the Brothers on the Mun∣day, as one of Sir Edmunds Ancient, and Particular Friends. It is to be taken for Granted, that they did not Forget to Examine Sir Edmunds Domestiques, What They Knew; What they Thought; What they Ob∣serv'd; and it is as Little to be Doubted, that the Ser∣vants gave them All the Lights they could, upon such Questions. The reason of the Thing Carry'd them still forward upon the same Train of Likely-hoods, to Enquire of Parsons, Mason, Collins, and the Milk-wo∣man, to Learn what he said, What he Did, How he Look'd, Which way he Went, &c. and who knows but Such a Trayle might have brought them to the Ditch where he was found? But, to the Admiration of All People, we do not find that any One of All These Persons (Harry Moor only Excepted, with his Lac'd Band) was Formally, and Publickly Examin'd about This Matter; Nor so much as one Question put, with any sort of Tendency, or the Least Appearance of Good-will, toward an Effectual Discovery, as we have already Set forth, in an Orderly Series of Observations upon This Topique: And there Needs No Better Proof of This Assertion, then the Testimony of the Enformati∣ons Themselves.

I find ('tis true) an Enformation of Mrs. Gibbons among the Coroners Papers; but the Verdict was over before it was Taken. It was by Command, not by Choice; and how it was Manag'd, will appear upon a Collation of other Circumstances with the Enfor∣mation.

It was, it seems, by the Special Order of my Lord Chancellor Nottingham, that Mr. Cowper the Coroner took This Enformation of Mrs. Gibbon; and his Di∣rection (as he told her) was to Examine her upon Oath, what Sir Edmundbury Godfrey Said to her, about a Fortnight before his Death. (As we shall see by and by.) This gives to Understand that the Matter in Question was a Thing of very great Importance, for his Lordship would never have thought the Cause worth a Review, if he had not been told something very Extraordinary concerning That Encounter. Now to Expound the Story, there was a very remarkable Passage, upon a Visit that Sir Edmundbury Godfrey made to Mrs. Gibbons on Tuesday, the First of Octo∣ber 1678. And Thats the Busness the Coroner was now to take an Account of. But This Enformation has had the Fortune, I perceive, of the rest of it's Fellows, to come into the World Lame, and Imperfect; to the Degree of Defeating the very Intent of the Examinati∣on. But briefly, Whatever it was, the Coroner Un∣doubtedly Attended my Lord Chancellor with a Co∣py of the Enformation, and an Answerable Report upon the Whole Matter, as here under-follows.

Midd. ss. The Enformation of Mary Wife of Tho∣mas Gibbon Esq taken upon Oath be∣fore me.

SHE saith, That about a fortnight last past, in an Af∣ternoon, Sir Edmundbury Godfrey came to her House in Old Southampton Buildings, and upon Discourse with her, Ask'd her if she did not hear that he was to be Hang'd, for not discovering the Plot against his Ma∣jesty, for that He the said Sir Edmundbury Godfrey had taken the Examination of one Otes and one Tong,

touching the same, the 6th day of September, and had not Discover'd it to any Person living; whereupon this En∣formant asked the said Sir Edmundbury Godfrey why he had not acquainted the Duke of York, or the Lord Chan∣cellor, or the Lord Treasurer with the same; and Then This Enformant told the said Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, that she Suppos'd that what he then said was but in Jest, touching his being Hang'd; Whereupon he reply'd, that he had not told Sir William Jones thereof, although he had been at the said Sir William Jones his House Several times since; and then told this Enformant, that the King and Councel knew of the Plot, before his Majesty went to Windsor, which was about a Month before he took the said Examination. Whereupon this Enformant ask'd him if he thought there was Really any Plot intended against his Majesty? To which he reply'd, that surely there Was, but that Otes had Sworn Somewhat more then was True, and therefore the Papists would find so much favour as to have All things that Otes had Sworn, to be thought Lyes, and Then This Deponents Brother, Coll▪ Rooke, came into the Room, and then the said Sir Ed∣mundbury Godfrey took his Leave of This Enformant▪ saying, that he was to Go to the Lord Chief Iustice about Bus'ness, and said that he would Call on This Enformant some other Time, and Tell her More: and Since That Time she hath not seen Sir Edmundbury Godfrey; and farther saith not

• ...Jo. Cowper Coroner.
• ...Mary Gibbon.

There will be no great need of a Key to uncypher This Mystery, if the Reader shall but duly Consider the Matter before him, upon Comparing other Enfor∣mations of Mrs. Gibbons, with This before the Coroner. There's One that Speaks, Almost peculiarly, to This

Subject; and Another, that's more General, and at Large; but I shall take so much of'em as is for the Present purpose, and Begin with the Former.

Mary Gibbon Senior Deposeth, That she this Enformant being Interrogated about the Occasion, the Time, and the Subject Matter of the Enformation she Deliver'd to Mr. Cowper, one of the Middlesex Coroners, concerning Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, Answereth as hereafter Fol∣lows, to the Best of her Knowledge and Memory.

That upon the next Sunday after the finding of the Body of Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, the Coroners In∣quest having Already Deliver'd up their Verdict; the said Mr. Cowper came to This Enformant at her House in Old Southampton Buildings in the Afternoon, and spake to this Enformant to this Effect. Mrs. Gibbon, I come from My Lord Chancellors to take Your Examina∣tion, and you are to tell me upon Oath when you saw Sir Edmundbury Godfrey Last, and what he Said to You.

This Enformant told him, that the said Sir Edmund came to her House in a very strange Manner, upon Tues∣day last was Senight, in a Discontented, Melancho∣lique Humor as ever This Enformant Observ'd in Any Body: He took This Enformant into a Chamber Alone, Bolted the Door, Asked This Enformant if she heard the News, for it was All over the Town that he was to be Hang'd. This Enformant being in a Great Trou∣ble and Amazement at This Language, and Behaviour, said Something to him to This Effect, The Lord Bless us, Sir What d'ye Mean? For What? Whereupon, the said Sir Edmund told This Enformant, that he had Taken Otes and Tong's Enformations, and kept'em a Month by him without Discovery, but that Otes had Forsworn Himself.

This Enformant Saith in short, that she told the said Coroner the Story of Sir Edmunds Distracted Manner of Behaviour, in all the Considerable Passages, as she had formerly Deliver'd them to Sir Leoline Jenkins.

And This Enformant being further Interrogated, Whe∣ther she thought the said Sir Edmund was in Jest or in Earnest? Or if there was any thing said of the Papists being in favour; And what Questions the Coroner Ask'd her concerning Sir Edmunds Melancholy.

She this Enformant maketh Answer, That she was so far from thinking he Iested, that his Way of Behaviour Frighted her, as the very Relation of it Frighted the Bro∣thers but the Munday before: Whereof This Enformant gave a Particular Account to the said Coroner. And that This Enformant remembreth No Discourse at All of the Papists being in favour; and Moreover, that the said Coroner put No further Questions to This Enfor∣mant, about Sir Edmunds Melancholy, then a Gene••al Question, In what Humour he was, without shewing Any Particular Desire to be Enform'd That Way; but Repea∣ting to This Enformant, that His Order was to Examine her concerning what Sir Edmundbury Godfrey Said to her: the said Coroner Writing all the While that This En∣formant was Vnder Examination.

This Enformant being likewise Asked Whether or No she Sign'd the said Enformation taken by Mr. Cowper? She maketh Answer, that she remembreth that she was alone in the Parlour with Mr. Cowper, and that she had not her Spectales Below; her Mother being Just a dying in the same House; and she her self in Great Distraction. To the Best of her Memory, she This Enformant, being in Confusion, did not Read it, but upon the Coroners Reading of it that she Set her Hand to't.

This Enformant being also Asked if any Questions were put to her about the Manner of his Death, she This Enformant doth not remember any Questions that Pointed

That Way. But saith, That since the Heat, and the Talk of this Busness was over, This Enformant went one Day with one Mrs. Cross, and the Widow of Mr. Green that Suffer'd, to the White-house; This Enformants Husband being also in the Company, to see the Place where Sir Edmunds Body was found, and agreed before∣hand to Ask the Woman of the House some Questions by the By to find what she thought of the Matter. This Enformant said, to the Woman of the House, in Dis∣course, What! You have had a Justice Murder'd here hard by, by the Papists. To which the said Woman made Answer to This Effect, Do not you Deceive your Self: I believe he rather Murder'd Himself; How should the Bloud follow the Sword else, when it fell up∣on the Grass? And then when he was laid upon My Table, The Bloud ran down through the Floor upon the Bottles in the Cellar.

This Enformant well remembreth, that on the Next Day after the Body was brought home, a Gentlewoman, that is a Near Relation to That Family, and Yet Living, call'd upon This Enformant to go along with her, to see how Sir Edmund had been Murder'd by the Papists: And they took This Enformants Daughter Mary along with them; the said Gentlewoman saying, You may see here by the Wax that he was Murder'd in a House; Whereupon This Enformants Daughter, with her Thumb, Fillip't-it-off, and shew'd her that it was only Dirt.

Upon Comparing These Two Enformations, The Coroners will be found to be only the Shell of the other. That is to say, a Body may see the same Lines and Traces in't, but it Carries Quite Another Countenance. Upon Discourse with her, (says Mr. Cowper) he ask'd, &c. as if it had been a Question that fell in by the By, as who should say [Now I think on't, or so] Whereas Mrs. Gibbon tells us of his taking her Alone,

Bolting the Door; His being in much Trouble and Dis∣order; and then Asking-her the Question, and telling her what an Vproar the Whole Town was in about it: which First makes it more then a Iesting Matter, (as the Coroner Seems to take it) and Then shews that the venting of his Mind was the Chief Bus'ness of the Visit. But can Any Man Imagine that Mrs. Gib∣bon should take the Passion it Self from the Life, to be but in jest, when the Bare Story of it scar'd the Two Brothers well Nigh out of their Wits? Why, Mrs. Gibbon must have been the Madder of the Two, to tell the Coroner how much she was Amaz'd at the Extrava∣gance, and how the Brothers were Transported almost out of Themselves upon the Hearing of it, and yet at the same Time, that she took all but for Fooling: But the Coroners Enformation Takes a Singular Care all this while, either to Mince, or to Suppress what∣ever comes in his Way, that is not for his Purpose. Otes, he says, had Sworn somewhat More then was True; And that therefore the Papists would find so much fa∣vour as to have All his Stories taken for Lyes. Now This is a Passage that Skews toward the Colouring of the Pretended Plot, whereas the Other makes No Bones of Saying that Otes Forswore Himself, and Vtterly Denies any Such Mention of the Papists. And the Plot would come to Nothing. In the Coroners Enformation, Sir God∣frey goes his Way, Promises to come again, and tell her more, but that she never Saw him afterward. Now the other, as it refers to Another Enformation deliver'd to Mr. Secretary Ienkins, gives to Vnderstand that he Did come again, and went away in a Freak: So that in fine, the Coroners Enformation, as it is drawn, is only the Car∣cass of the Discourse, without any Soul or Meaning. And there's Not One Word Neither, of the Account Mrs. Gib∣bon gave of his very Ill Humour, and Disorder. We shall go forward now to her Depositions before the Sec••etary.

Mary the Wife of Captain Thomas Gibbon De∣poseth, That there was a Long and Particular Intimacy and Friendship betwixt the Two Families of Sir Edmund∣bury Godfrey and This Enformant; And that the said Sir Edmund made her frequent Visits at her House in Old Southampton Buildings; Acquainting her Many times with Things that Troubled him; and for some time before his Death, he came to her, at least, once a Week, and upon the Tuesday was Senight, before the Saturday when he went Last away from his House, he came to This Enformants, and desired to Speak with her alone; she be∣ing then in her Mothers Chamber with her Husband and her Brother (Coll. William Rook) her Mother lying at That Time upon her Death Bed, she went with Sir Ed∣mund into Another Chamber, when being Enter'd, the said Sir Edmund Bolted the Door, and appearing to be much Troubled, and out of Order: Ask'd her if she had not heard that he was to be Hang'd, for (says he) All the Town is in an Vproar about me. Then she Ask'd him for what? To which he replyed, That he having taken Otes's and Tongs Examinations, a Month a-go, and though he had been often at Dinner Since at My Lord Chancellors, and Sir William Jones's, Yet he never had Discover'd the Plot they had Sworn to; she ask'd him, what Plot? And he said, That Otes had forsworn him∣self, and it would come to Nothing. Iust upon This, Coll. Rook Call'd the Enformant away, and thereupon Sir Ed∣mund went his Way too; telling her at Parting, that he would come to her again the Next Day, and would tell her more. Sir Edmund came accordingly, when the En∣formant being Bareheaded, told him she would wait upon him Immediately, but before she could put on her Hood, and come back, he was gone his way. He sent to the En∣formant in the Last Week when he went away, (to the Best of her Memory,) to come to him; but her Mother

being Dying, she could not Leave her: but the Enformant however order'd her Daughter to go to him Early upon Sa∣turday Morning, and Invite him to Dinner: who brought word back that she was there by Eight, but Pam∣phlin told her he was gone out an hour before.

We are now got over the Question of the Means, and the Witnesses that the Coroner had before him; the Competency of Those Means, and how far they were Emprov'd toward the Clearing of the Truth. The Next and Last Point will be, to Enquire, Whether there were not as Good Witnesses left out, or perhaps Better, and More Likely to Bolt out the Truth, then any of Those that were Taken in, saving Harry Moor only, who though Qualifi'd by his Station, and Employment, for a Probability of knowing More then Another Man; was Yet so Crampt by Restraining his Evidence to the Nonsensical Question of his Masters Lac'd Band, that he was as good as No Witness at All.

There are Certain Main Points, that in a Course of Reason, and Method, are properly to be taken into Consideration upon the Matter that we have now be∣fore us. First, What was the Question? Secondly, What were the Points Necessary to be Known, toward the resolving of That Question? Thirdly, What Sort of Men were the Most Likely to give Light to a Re∣solution upon it? Fourthly, Who were the Persons that to the Certain Knowledge, or Reasonable Presumption of the Brothers, or of the Coroner, were able to Speak Effectually to This Matter? And so by Degrees, were Those People Summon'd to give Evidence? Or if not, Why was it Omitted?

To the First Point, Felo de se, or Not? was the Question. Secondly, Was there Any Bloud follow'd the Sword? If so, 'tis Concluded that he Dy'd of the Wound: And not of Suffocation. Was he in Any Dan∣ger;

In any Fear, either of Others, or of Himself? Had he any Quarrel, or any Desperate Melancholy up∣on him? Thirdly, As I have said Formerly, his Do∣mestiques, his Relations, his Familiar Friends and Ac∣quaintance, and other Chance-Witnesses, that either out of Curiosity, or by Accident, came to the Knowledge, and Observation of any thing concerning him by the By. These were the Men, in General, that were pro∣perly to be Examin'd. And then Fourthly, in Parti∣cular, as to the Persons, who but Mrs. Gibbons in the First Place? a Person to whom the whole Family ap∣ply'd themselves in Private for Enformation. The Per∣son that they desir'd would Speak Sparingly, when she came to be Examin'd. The Person that told the Bro∣thers such a Story of him, the Fourth Day before the Body was found, as Manifestly gave them a Foreboding of what was become of him. The Brothers were at their Wits End for fear of his Desperate Melancholy; An Apprehension that was Nothing a-kin to the Dread of a Violence from any Other Hand. The Brothers knew well enough the Impression that the Conceit of his Fa∣thers Melancholy had upon him; and that Captain Gib∣bon and the Daughters of the Family, were Privy to Several Fits of his Distemper: And what Opinion, Col∣lonel Welden, and his own Servants had, of his Deep, and Inconsolable Discontents. The Brothers had all a∣long the Secret History of Moor's Discoveries, and Intel∣ligences; Contingent Evidences, and Enformations, over and above. There was not One, in fine, of These Per∣sons Summon'd; And I cannot find any One Reason in the World for the Omission; but what I am very Vnwilling to Believe, That is to say, the Smothering of the Truth; for the Managers, I perceive, have Industriously either Avoided, or Disguised the Two Certain Ways of Deciding This Question. First, The Discovery of the Bloud, which is already made Manifest as the Light. 2ly. There

has not been so much as One Question put about his Me∣lancholy, on the One Hand; Nor One Syllable of Enfor∣mation concerning that Melancholy that has not been Dis∣countenanced; And (if not Punished) at Least, Ridi∣cul'd, on the Other. Now to Conclude, If These Two Points, well-prov'd, would have brought it to a Clear Issue; it is, beyond all Controversie, that the Bloud has been made out past Contradiction already; and that what These People could have said, to the Evidencing of a deep, and a dangerous Discontent, would have as Amply made out the Other: These Things they did Certainly KNOW, and Would not Know; and This was the Blindness, undoubtedly, of those that Would Not see.

I have here Discharged my Conscience, and my Du∣ty, with a most Affectionate, and Impartial Respect to Truth, and Iustice; And I have done it according to the Best of my Skill, and Vnderstanding; without Gra∣tifying any Passion, or Interest; and without Leaning either to the Right Hand, or to the Left; as I shall Answer for't at the Last Day.

The Two Main Points in the Case of This Discourse, are These: First, Was Sir E. B. Godfrey Murther'd at Somerset-House, according to the Evidence of Bedloe and Prance, or was he Not? Whoever says, or thinks he Was, must Remove Forty Contradictions and Impossibi∣lities out of the way, before any Man can pretend to Believe it. If he was Not, there's the Bloud of Three Innocent Men to Answer for, that was Shed upon That Perjury. Now if he Was again, There's the King, the Queen Consort, that then was, and now Queen Dowager, the Lord Bellassis, &c. These were All Ex∣presly in't; but then by Complication, and Confederacy: Whoever was in the Plot, was more or less a Friend to the Murther; And Bedloe Swears that Every conside∣rable Papist in England was under an Oath of Secrecy to

Conceal it. But once again now; If he was Not Murther'd there, as they swore he Was; What Repara∣tion for the Honour of so many Illustrious Names as will be deliver'd over to After-Ages in Depositions, Iournals, and other Records, under the Blot of This Infamy?

To Obviate These Two Questions, I have Divided This Tract into Two Parts. In the Former, the Forgery is layd so Open, that I dare Defie the History of the whole World, to produce Any One Cause, where-ever a False Oath Impos'd an Abuse upon a Court of Iustice, which was Afterward so Vnanswerably Disprov'd, and by so many several Ways. The First Part, in short, Dis∣charges Somerset-House of the Murther. The Question of the Second, is, Felo de se, or Not? And if Sir Wil∣liam Iones's [Circumstances] and [Concurrent Te∣stimonies.] Greens Tryal, pag. 72. may but pass for as Good Evidence on the Behalf of Truth, as for the Support of an Imposture, the Felo de se is much clearer in This Case, then the Popish Murther was in the Other.

I have not pass'd over Any Thing hitherto, that I found worth a Notice; but in regard that Men that have Least to say, are apt to make the Most of a Lit∣tle; and that there are yet remaining Vntouch'd some Popular Stories, that have obtained among the Multi∣tude: I shall Subjoyn an Appendix, upon Those Points to what I have said Already, and so Conclude.

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.