The Murther was in this manner committed.

Master Scot who had preached in the forenoone, and in the afternoone about two of the clocke comming to­ward St. Peters Church to performe the exercise of that [Page 2]day, was accompanied with his brother Master William Scott, (that was come but 7. dayes before out of England to see his brother) and with his Newhew Thomas Scott. Master Scott comming betwixt them both, & approach­ing neere vnto the Church yard; Lambert who had fea­ted himselfe by 12. of the clock at the Churchyard gate to attend his comming, espying him draw nigh, rose vp from his fear, and made towards them, drew his Rapier (which he had purposely sharpned) & put in a thrust to­wards his heart. But his brother perceiuing the thrust so neere, which the lappe of his cloake beat it a little downewards: and it entred through a skirt of his doub­let, and wastband of his hose into his be ly. Whereupon falling downe hee was raised vp againe by his brother, and nephew, betwixt whom he was.

This being done, Lambert sought by flight to haue escaped, but he was presently apprehended, & brought backe to Master Scott; who told him he had neuer of­fended him, and asked him what reason had moued him to so wicked a fact.

Lambert very audaciously and insolently replyed; that what he had done, he would answer; And that he was a Traitor to his Soueraigne, and had iniured him by hindring his preferment to the Queene of Bohemia. Master Scott replied, I know thee not, God forgiue thee and I doe from the bottome of my heart.

The rumor hereof was presently brought into the Church, by the Readers wife cōming in with an open exclamation; Whereupon all the people ran forth much amazed and confused, and some of them drawing their swords, would haue slaine Lambert. But Mons: Van Hilton Secretarie of the States, and others there present perswaded them to put vp their swords, and to let Iu­stice passe vpon him. Lambert was presently brought to prison; and Master Scott, went himselfe to Mr. Iames Nelthorpe the Chirurgian his house, and all this while [Page 3]was of good courage. After his wound was searched he said, Master Iames what thinke you? I hope it will soone be healed; but Master Iames shaked his head, and replied nothing to him, which Master Scott perceiuing answered himselfe, Then must I prepare my selfe for God, and for death. And these were the last words hee spake, who was presently caried home in a chaire, vn­clad, laid in his bed, and about one houre after dyed, which was about foure of the clocke in the afternoone.

Lambert all this while made no shew of any sorrow; but most impudently affirmed (as it were triumphing­ly) That if it were to be done, hee could yet doe it a­gaine; making a fond and vaine shew of hope of deli­uerance, which hee perswaded himselfe of, by an ap­prehension, or rather a Satanicall illusion, which had thus blinded & seduced him thereunto. For, after-wards very often hee publiquely affirmed vnto all that con­ferred with him, and more especially to the Comman­der of the garrison, and the Preacher that went vnto him to stir him vp to repentance: That hee knew they all could not hurt him; For, saith he, my heauens, my Mistris, the spirits of my Soueraigne in the Queene of Bohemia will free me presently. And calling for pen and inke to write vnto her, hee there write something to no purpose, and then the penne and inke was taken from him.

In this blinded and seduced opinion of his owne worth, of that good deed, (as he termed it) and of the insurie which Master Scott had done vnto him, he con­tinued all the next day: adding other circumstances thereunto, how that the resolution to doe this damna­ble fact, had beene taken about eight weekes before: And that his spirits had vrged and enforced him there­unto. And he confessed that the Sunday before hee had feared himselfe in the same place thinking then to haue killed him; but hee was by an euill spirit caried [Page 4]vnto the towne walls, and with that spirit guarded to his lodging where it left him, and that presently after in his lodging he was assaulted by many good spirits, (as he called them) who would giue him no ease night nor day, vntill that deed should be performed; and as­sured him that Master Scott alone was the cause of the hinderance of his preferment, and aduancement; And that as soone as he should be slaine, then his aduance­ment should presently follow.

With these, and many other fond reasons, he harde­ned himselfe, and to the Sergeant Maior of the Garison, hee affirmed that the fact was iust, lawfull, according to Gods word, and the law of Moses, which by Scrip-he would iustifie; For, (saith he) confirme that law of Lex talionis, he might recompence one euill deed with another, as an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and then he had done but Iustice, for which no law could conuince or condemne him.

In this seduced and blinded obstinacie, he continu­ed till Tuesday at night: For, all the exhortations and admonitions that could be vsed to him could nothing at all preuaile with him. Now the next day after the fact was done, hee being onely examined, and hauing answered as is aforesaid: his examinations were by the present commander of the garrison (Cap­taine William Droumownd Segeant Maior of a Scot­tish Regiment, sent vnto Vienna, to the Gouernour, the Baron of Brederode, who by poste sent them to the Prince. from whom came answer backe againe vpon the tuesday following to proceed in Iustice against him according as the nature of his fact did require. Which by sharpe examination vpon the racke was effected on Wednesday following.

A little before which time he began to haue some fee­ling of the fact, and a kind of sorrow for the same; de­siring the ayde of the Officers to labour for his release, [Page 5]and said to be well contented to offer his right hand for sais faction for the deed, so that his life might be spared. And yet euen at the very instant of his torture would not bee perswaded but that his heauens, and his Soue­raigne (who daily and hourely had termed him one of heauens worthies, and heauens elect, and many the like epithites) would free him, and not suffer him to bee hurt, but found the contrary.

Afterwards he confessed further, that hee entended often to haue acquainted Master Scott with these temp­tations, to haue reuealed the same, but considering that by some meanes or other it might be knowne; and for which the souldiers would haue raised iests, & mocked and leered him there with, he therefore held his resolu­tion. And moreouer vpon the racke, and afterwards being charged, that he was hired to doe this deed, and desired that he would reveale the truth, who they were that had set him on in this action: Hee very seriously protested, that although he had serued the en emie for the space of three moneths or thereabouts vnder a Scotch Captaine before Bergenvp Zome the time of that siege, and afterwards a while in garrison in Flanders; yet he himselfe was neuer any Papist; And that hee was not set on, nor hired, by any Priest, Iesuit or other whatsoeuer; But that the spirit had perswaded him of the iniuries as is aforesaid, and that hee could haue no rest vntill that fact was performed.

He affirmed likewise that hee neuer missed the hea­ring of Master Scotts Sermons; and that very often hee had heard him preach vnto his good content, with de­light and comfort.

The same wednesday was Master Scott buried in Ʋ ­tricht, after a very honourable manner; accompanied with all the Ministers, Elders, and Deacons of the seve­rall Congregations; with the Deputies of the States of [Page 6]the Prouince, and most of the Magistrates of the towne in mourning cloakes; with a traine of Burgers, and the Commanders, Captaines, Officers and Souldiers of the Garrisons, the like hath not beene seene, nor knowne in Ʋtricht; with a generall lamentation of all men for the losse of so worthy a man.

The day following, the Councell of Warre assem­bled to determine the sentence, who there a greed that the offender should bee Raiebracht, that is, to haue his bones broken vpon a wheele, and so to be set vp by the ordinarie place of Iustice; which, when Lambert vnder­stood, with an earnest desire he intreated that his body might bee buried. Vpon this his intreatie, that sen­tence was altered, and it was resolued, that the next day his right hand should be cut off, and nailed to the gal­lowes, then he to be hanged, and his dead body to bee laid vpon a wheele without any buriall.

The same euening the Preacher, and other godly men being sent vnto him, to giue him warning and to prepare him for death: They found him as vncapable of instruction, and as full of his fond and imaginarie con­ceits as before; Then likewise affirming that his Soue­raigne, who daily and hourely appeared vnto him as the spirit of the late Queene Elizabeth in the Queene of Bohemia, the spirit of his Soueraigne King Iames, and of his Excellency the late Prince of Orange; by whom he was intituled one of Heauens Worthies, Heauens Elect, &c. And from these vaine fantasies he could not bee brought neither by threatning of his temporall death, nor of his soules damnation hereafter. Hee continued in this obstinacie, and obduratenesse, 09 notwithstanding whatsoeuer promises, or threat­nings could bee spoken vnto him concerning his salua­tion or damnation. In all other discourses, whereof there were sundry both in English and in good French, [Page 7]he was very sensible, able enough, & prompt, and held a good formalitie therein, to the admiration of many that were sent and heard him.

At the place of execution there was no alteration in him, His right hand was first cut off, and nailed to the gallowes; And after that the Preacher had exhorted him, and prayed with him, he was hanged. And very seldome hath it beene seene that a man should liue so long as he did hanging, though the Executio­ner did the best he could to helpe to rid him out of his paine.