CAptain Walcot denied any Design of killing the King, or of engaging the Guards, whilst others killed him; And said, That the Witnesses invited him to Meetings, where some thing were discoursed of, in order to the asserting our Liberties and Properties; which we look'd upon to be violated and invaded: — That They importuned and perpetually solicited him, and then deliver'd him up to be hang'd— That They combined together to swear him out of his Life, to save their own; and that they might do it effectually, They contrived an Ʋntruth.— That he forgave them, though guilty of his Blood; But, withal, earnestly begg'd, That they might be observed, that Remarks might be set upon them, whether their End be Peace: And he concluded (with what made Sir Roger L'Estrange a great deal of Sport, but yet Heaven has made it good) That when God hath a Work to do, he will not want Instruments.
With him was try'd Rouse, who was charged with such a parcel of mad Romance, as was scarce ever heard of; and one would wonder how Perjury and Malice, which use to be sober sins, could even be so extravagant as to hit on't. He was to seize the Tower, pay the Rabble, uncaese the Aldermen, to be Pay-Master, and Flea-Master General, and a great deal more to the same Tune. In his Defence, he says no great Matter, but yet what looks a Thousand times more like Truth than his Accusation; That the Tower Business was only Discourse of the feasibleness of the thing, (as Russel's about the Guards) but without the least intent of bringing it to Action; That all he was concern'd in any real Design, he had from Lee, and was getting more out of him, with an intention to make a Discovery. But it seems Lee got the whip-hand of him; they were both at a kind of Halter-Combat; Rouse's foot slipt, and Lee turn'd him over, and saved his own Neck.