Fourtie articles in the High Court of Parliament, against William Lang, who was vicar in the parish of Bradworthy, in the county of Devon, but now prisoner in the city of London. With a petition to the Right Honorable House of Commons, shewing the odiousnesse of his life and actions, desiring that his triall may not be prolonged, nor his execution hindred, being one of the late tribe of lordly bishops.

Fourtie Articles exhibited against William Lang; humbly presented unto the High Court of PARLIAMENT.

1.THat the said Lang lived till he was about the age of 30. yeers, by day labour, and daily hedg∣ed, ditched, threshed, and car∣ried sand, in the same Parish and places adjacent, being never ad∣mitted of any Vniversitie.

2. That then he became a Sheriffes Bayliffe, and arrested divers in his own person.

3. That about 20. yeers since he forged severall Warrants, and the Justices of Assizes having notice thereof, gave order for his apprehension, where∣upon he fled into Ireland.

4. That about 4. yeers after he returned, and pretended he had taken Orders in Ireland, and did officiate as a hirelings Reader, untill by Cary Bishop of Exeter he was suspended for foule misdemenors.

5. That he procured his Vicarage of Bradworthy for money, by unlawfull Symonie, by the meanes of one Robert Yee, who being demanded by some

how he could make a Common Bayliffe (naming Lang) Vicar of Bradworthy, who answered that he had then such friends, that if his horse head could but speak, he could have made him Vicar of that place.

6. That the said Lang being desirous to be licen∣ced to preach, and being conscious of his own in∣sufficiencie to undergo examination, procured one Nicholas Hunny to be examined for him by the name of William Lang, and so goes for a preaching Minister.

7. That ever since he hath been Vicar, he hath taken upon him to be a common Soliciter of causes in the Courts at Westminster, and frequented Lon∣don Tearmly, and taken money for Solicitations.

8. That he hath commenced causelesse suits a∣gainst his Parishioners in the Courts of Star-Cham∣ber, the Court of High Commission, the Court of Audience, the County Court of Devon, and the Consistory Court at Exeter, all at once, and hath had above fourtie severall Suits at one time, and above eightie of his Parishioners and others in suite at one time, and having by vexatious suits utterly undone divers of them, their wives and children.

9. That he hath had 4. Bills in the Star-Chamber depending at one time against fourty of his Parishi∣oners, whereof some have depended 12. yeers, and thereby compelled his Parishioners to travell to London, tearmely from Bradworthie, being two hundred miles distant.

10. That he never brought any of their Causes to hearing in the Star-Chamber, but after they have

been set down (fearing that his foule misdemeanors should there be made manifest, as indeed they are upon depositions) hath procured his own Causes to be dismissed before publica∣tion, whereby his misdemeanors have escaped unpunished.

11 That he usually hath served his Parishioners with paper Tickers, of his own making, into the Court of Star Chamber, and High Commission, and exhibited neither Articles nor Bill against them.

12 That divers of his Parishioners have severall times been enforced to give compositions to him, whereof some have payed to him fourty pounds, some ten, some foure pounds, some lesse, as his pleasure to redeem them from oppression, and causelesse suits.

13 That he hath prosecuted Nicholas Eliot with unjust and causelesse Suits this 20. yeers and upward, to his damage above 500. l. and hath utterly undone him his wife, and chil∣dren, and hath kept him excommunicate for these 2. yeers last past.

14 That he hath of meere malice without any just cause utterly undone Robert Judd, his wife and children, by taking wrongfully from him his lands and goods, to the value of a∣bove 300. l. not leaving him worth one mouthfull of bread; And in this his extreme povertie did (in a most unchristian and cruell manner) cast into prison the said Robert Judd, and exoommunicated him this 8. yeers last past: and the said Judd doth still stand unabsolved, notwithstanding there is no cause against him. Nor did his malice cease there, but he hath pro∣secuted the children of the said Robert Judd most unjustly to their imprisonment and ruine also.

15 That he having about 6. or 7. yeers since agreed with Anthony Nicholl, one of his parishioners, for 14. s. per annum, in liew of the Tithes of his Tenement, did notwithstanding shortly after sue the said Nicholl, and threaten him, that unlesse he would give him 20. s. per annum, and 5. l. for so quiet a com∣position he would make him spend more yeerly then the rent of his Tenement, and so forced Nicholl to a new agreement, and gave him a note under his hand, that for 20. s. per annum it was agreed betwixt them from 5. yeers to 5. yeers, during their lives if Nicholl so pleased: yet 2. yeers after the latter

agreement, he sued the said Nicholl for tithes, and threatned him the second time, that unlesse he would compound with him again, and give him 24. s. per annum, and 5. l. for his love, he would yet make him spend more then his Tenement was worth yeerly, whereupon the said Nicholl being unable to tra∣vell to Exeter, to prevent excommunications, and being threa∣tened with the High Commission Court yeelded to give whatsoever he demanded.

16 That for three pence (which was all he demanded, and which was tendred to him) he sued Richard Snowe in the Con∣sistorie at Exeter; and put him to 4. or 5. l. charge about it.

17 That he caused Samuel Chappell to be arrested at the suit of Andrew Speed, who disavowed the Suit.

18 That he used the name of Gabriel Williams of Torriton in the Court of High Commission to inform against his Pa∣rishioners, and gave money to the said Williams to counte∣nance the said Articles.

19 That William Lang served letters missive upon William Cann, John Bishop, Richard Lile, Lewis Dennis, Robert Terdrew, John Yee, and when he could not prevail with them to give him composation for to cease the suit, he used means to the Examiner Greenhill, that upon their appearance they could not be examined for 7. weeks, and at last foure of them were forced to give 30. s. a peece to be examined. Which cause lay dead almost a yeer, then they moving to be dismist with costs, Vicar Lang served them with Processe never seen in Court to bring in their Answers: whereupon they came, and produced the Processe, which were Langs own hand writing, where∣upon the Examiner being Clark, confessed he did it at Langs perswasion. So the Court fined Greenhill 20. s. But Lang esca∣ped unpunished, or reproved.

20 That he hath lately got himself made an Officer (by some unjust way as is conceived) of purpose to vex and op∣presse his Parishioners with causelesse Suits in the Stannery Court and hath already done so.

21 That he hath affirmed, that if his Chancell were full of gold and silver, he would spend it all to be revenged of his enemies, and that he would never give over his Parishioners with suits, untill he lay down like the Ha re before the hounds.

22 That during his suits with his Parishioners he dealt with one Christopher Pugsl••y, to poyson 4. of his Parishioners, viz. Thomas Vigers, Richard Facye, Robert Bishop, and Thomas Boun∣dye, and did give 20. s. 6. l. to the said Pugsl••y to buy Ratsbain with promise of a certain sum of money upon the fact com∣mitted, which Pugsl••y attempted three times. And besides there is more then suspicion, that he poysoned his predeces∣sors wife, whose estate he had, and was tied to maintain her for the same during her life.

23 That the said Lang did conspire the death of his prede∣cessor M^r. Twiggs, and in all probability poysoned his widow dying suddenly, whose estate he had, and was bound to main∣tain her during his life, for to that purpose the said Lang pro∣cured a Potion as can be proved.

24 That he carried a Pistall to kill M^r. Thomas Vigurs, one of his Parishioners, and there in suit with him, and did threa∣ten Thomas Wondroffe a Minister, who revealed the same to the said Thomas Vigurs, that unlesse he would deny before a Justice the words that he had told Thomas Vigurs, he would lay Felo∣nie to his charge, and his man Jewell should sweare it.

25 That he dealt with the aforenamed Pugsley to burne the Barn and Corn-mowes of Samuel Chappell one of his Parishi∣oners, and at that time in suit with him.

26 That he hath committed divers forgeries since he hath been Vicar of Bradworthie.

27 That he farmeth the Tythes of two Parishes to the great oppression of the Inhabitants, in forcing them to pay much more then formerly they did, for fear of Law suits, and London journeys.

28 That he hath left his Cure to follow Suits, whereby there hath been neither Sermons nor Service in the Parish Church, many times for a moneth together, And in his ab∣sence above 7. yeers since, he left Matthew Lile a Miller, and using that Trade, and no Minister to read prayers in the Church, who hath severall times by his appointment pub∣liquely read Divine Service in the Church there; And since that Philip Natt a Taylor hath by the appointment of Lang, and in his absence publiquely read Divine Service as well on the Sabbath as other holy dayes.

29 That he causeth Dorothy Lang his daughter to catechise

the Parishioners publiquely in the Church, which she hath done severall Sundayes together by the appointment of the said William Lang.

30 That he being required to baptize a childe, bade the woman that required him to cast a dish of water in the face of it, and call it John or Joane (as it was) in the name of the Fa∣ther, &c. and that would be well enough. Which childe lived nine or ten weeks after, and died unbaptized.

31 That he obtained licence to sell wine, and hath kept a Tavern in the Vicaradge house for 4. yeers last past.

32 That a childe being at the Font to be baptized, the wo∣man that held the childe softly and modestly asking the said Lang whether she should put back the childs head-clothes, he answered, Go thy wayes home, and teach thy maid to whip her Cat.

33 That the said Lang being requested by one of his Pari∣shioners to christen his childe, answered him thus, What wilt thou have me to christen thy old Sow.

34 That the said Lang caused the Body of Roger Neile of his Parish deceased to be kept unjustly ten dayes unburied, and the same to stand open two Sabbath dayes to the great an∣noyance and grief of his Parishioners.

35 That the said Lang doth affirm that the Book of Can∣ticles in the old Testament was but a kind of baudy Song, My Love, my Dove, my faire one, &c.

36 That the said Lang said in a Sermon, that the holy Ghost was a created corporall substance, or words to that effect.

37 That the said Lang went up into the Pulpit, and told them he was not able to discharge the Office of a Minister amongst them, because the people were so sinfull, and that God had sent him for a scourge amongst them.

38 That the said Lang doth make infamous Libels against his parishioners, to their great scandall and unjust vexations.

39 That he never preacheth or catechiseth in the afternoon on Sabbath dayes, but goes constantly to the Alehouse, and makes himself so drunk, that he could not go nor stand.

40 That the said Lang doth usually serve Writs and Cita∣tions upon his parishioners upon the dayes of Easter, and other generall Communions, which he might conveniently do on the week day with lesse breach of charitie.

FINIS.