THIS old impotent decre­pit age wherein wee liue, the doating World lim­ping on hir last legges, whereas impieties, blas­phemies, iniquities, vil­lanies, and thousandes more of hell-hatched enor­mities haue gotten the vp­per per hand, where the sweet seeming baytes of Sathan leades men (like beares by the noses) to commit all horrid and damnable [Page]trespasses, and transgressions against the Deuine Maiestie of the omnipotent and eternall God. By which abhominations the wrath of the most high is oftentimes iustly kindled against miserable mis­gouernd mankinde. So that God in his iustice giues many ouer to a reprobate sence, that they haue no remorce or feeling of the breach or viola­ting of the sacred lawes of their immortall Crea­tor, and so (woe worth the while) As they liue dissolutely, they dye desperatly, and after all (that which is worst) they liue a dying life eternally, or dye a liuing death euerlastingly. What num­bers of execrable and inhumane murthers are day­ly committed by barbarous, and brutish minded men, on the bodies of their brethren, that Caine who was the first of that bloudy fraternitie, if hee were on the earth would blush to heare and see how farre he is out passed in butcheries? Amongst the number of numberlesse bloud-thirsty pa [...]irides and homicides: let this, which is heere following treated of, bee accounted and Recorded for none of the least which was effected, accomplished, and reuealed in this sort. In the Parish of Putney vpon Thames in the Countie of Surrey, fiue or sixe miles distant from the Cittie of London, there dwelt this Murdered Man, named Edward Hall, by his vocation a Miller, a man of good r [...]putati­on, hauing substance of money and moueables suf­ficient: now this aforesaid Hall (notwithstand [...]ng his sufficiency of all things needefull, yet his natu­rall inclination was to bee sparing, and in a man­ner miserable in his howse-keeping, which procu­red him the hatred of his seruants and familie, [Page]and in conclusion was a great mot [...]u [...] to his [...]e destruction; for it is Reported that his wi [...]e [...] ­ing bigge with Child, and that his p [...]r [...]ed the time of her deliuerance to draw neere, hi [...] to [...]e charges of hir lying in, did send his th [...] s [...]e miles into the Countrie to hi [...] Mothers, in [...]e meane space in hir absence, hee was thus trea­cherously, and inhumainly massacred and Murde­red; for vpon Thursday night the one and twen­tieth of Aprill last 1614. about tenne of the clock after supper, the said Hall sleeping in a Chaire by the fire in his Kitchin, his seruants (beeing three of them) namely Iohn Selling, Peter Pett, and Edward Streater, hauing (as they confessed) conspi­red their Master his death long before, now they perceiued him sleeping, thought it not fitte to let such an opportunitie slip to put their damnable practise in execution. Iohn Selling hauing proui­ded a pickaxe to giue the fatall blow, told the a­foresaid Pett that now it was a fitte time to doe it, and bade Pett strike the first stroake, and hee would second him with another: whereupon Pett tooke the pickaxe, and standing behinde his slee­ping Maister, lifting it vp with all his force (bee­ing strengthened by the inspiration of the Deuill, who was a Murtherer from the beginning) gaue his Master a violent blow on the back betwixt his shoulders, wherewith Hall beeing astonnied fell downe and gaue a great groane, where Selling presently catcht the pickaxe out of Pette handes stroake the second blow at Hall, and hitting him on the head, in most cruell and [...]ly manner, [Page]beate out his braines, the other (their third com­panion in this mischiefe) named Streater, being all this while grinding corne in his Maisters Mill, a little distant from the house, not knowing as then that the deuilish designe was acomplished, till at last Pett went to him and told him what was done, and bade him come and beholde their handy-worke: presently vpon this Streater left the Mill, and com­ming into the house where hee saw his said Mai­ster lye imbrued in his owne gore, with his braines most brutishly dasht out. Hee vpon the instant, and imporunate request or command of Pett & Selling, the said Streater tooke the pickaxe and stroke the said Hall a blow on the breast which split and shiuered his breast boane, Hall beeing thus dead, thése three Murtherers consulted amongst themselues what were best to bee done with the dead body, prote­sting and vowing that whosoeuer should reucale this their damnable deede, should haue his braines beaten out. Then they all tooke vp the dead carkas and caried it into a Stable, where they digged a hole and buried it. And afterwards deuising what were the best course for them to take to keepe this murther concealed, and to kepe themselues cleare from suspition thereof, at last they bethought them­selues of a gelding which was their Maisters (at that time standing in the stable) which gelding they (all three) tooke and sadled and bridled, and led him forth the same night into Wimbleton wood where they turned the Horse astray, loosly to wander vp and downe, that it might be thought that Theeues and robbers had assanited their aforesaid Maister in the [Page]wood, or that some mischance had there befalne him, of the which (as they imagined) the straying Horse would bee a manifest infalliable token: but (as I said before) these villaines hauing thus turned the horse loose, returned home to their Maisters house, where they searched, sought, and ransacked for mony, and at last they found the summe of betweene thir­tie and fortie poundes, which was the accursed wa­ges and pillage which these Murderers got for their inhumaine and hortible execution of the death of their Maister, which by the iust iudgement of God they enioyed not long, for notwithstanding that they had time to prouide for their safety, from the Thursday night (wherein they did this murther) yet they remained there till Thursday following, till it pleased the Lord that this bloudie fact was reuealed, which fell out in this sort following. Hall was missed amongst his neighbours, and it was giuen out, and reported by his seruants afore­said, that hee was gone a farre iourney into the Countrie, but Edward Streater beeing further ex­amined, vpon his examination confessed vnto the Officers and chiefe men of the Parish of Putney abouesaid, the whole order and manner of their deuising, complotting, attempting, proceeding, and executing, of this their wilfull cruell and blou­dy Murther, which God in his iustice will ne­ner suffer to bee hid or escape vnpunished, then Iohn Selling vpon this went into the contry to his Mistres, and told her that he had found his Maisters horse in the wood néere Wimbleton afore-said: but the other two, Pet and Streater, were brought before [Page]Sir Thomas Gardner Knight and one of his Maies­ties iustice of peace and quorum in the County of Surry, by whome they were examined, and there con­fessed that they had done this cruell fact to their Mai­ster, because (as they said) he did not loue his wife so well as he ought to doe, and because he did not allow them meat enough, but that which I thinke most is to be beleeued from them is, when they did affirme they did it by the inspiration and instigation of the Diuell. Then were these mallefactors commited to the common iayle of the white Lyon in Sowthwark, where till the sessions they are to abide, then to haue the recompence of their demerrits.

Thus haue I truely and faithfully set downe the true discourse of al this horible murder, with the man­ner of the takings and attaching of the murderers, wherein the blind world may perceiue to what a mise­rable estate it is brought, when as a man (for the val­lue of so small a sum) shalbe thus massacred and mur­dered by his owne seruants, whome hee best should trust. It is reported that Pompey (being a Hea­then) whose valiant deeds had purchased him the name of great, Iulius Caesar, Marke Anthony and hee contending for the Empire and domination of the whole world. Where many bloudy battels was sought betwéene them; yet at last there was a truce agreed vpon for a certaine time, in the which truce these thrée mighty commanders did feast and were merry together diuers times, and being once inuited to sup aboord of Pompeies Galley, as they were sate, one of Pompeies seruants whispered him in the eare, and asked him it hee would bee Maister of the whole [Page]world. Pompey fould him yes, if he knew how, then said his seruant againe, let vs cut Caesar and Antho­nies throates, and then all the world is thine. Pompey made answere, thou shouldst (quoth he) haue done it without my knowledge, but now it shal not be don, for in me it is villany, but in thee it had bin good seruice. Thus this Heathen man may bee a patterne to all Christians, that by his example they should abhor and detest murther, for Pompey would not basely take away the liues of his two mighty mortall and onely enemies, although he knew the doing of it wold haue gaind him the Monarky of the whole world. What brutish beasts are these then, that for triffles and a little cursed coyne will murder their friends? God himselfs saies that bloud shall haue bloud, and who­soeuer sheddeth mans bloud, by man shall his bloud be shed, yet notwithstanding how many horrible and execrable cruelties are committed daily by man, on man, that one diuell will not deale so diuelishly with another as men will doe with men. What numbers haue béene desperately stabd for taking the wall, of these Roaring boyes of the damned crue? (as they are fittly tearmed) how many haue bin kild for refusing to drinke their friends, mistris or some-times their whores healths? The numbers are numberies, and therefore I will let them alone vnnumbered. The God of mercy and peace, iudue the harts of men with feare of thy great and glorious name, with loue and brotherly affection one toward another, that they may all with one minde in vnity worship thée that art their good and merciful creator, preseruer & defender: Throgh Iesus Christ thy sonne our alone and onely [Page]Sauiour and Redéemer, to whom, with thée and the holy and blessed spirit be ascribed and rendred all honor, glory, might, maiesty, dominton and thanksgiuing of men and An­gells both now and for euer more. Amen.