The Deposition, and farther Discovery of the Horrid Plot, &c.
STill tho' the Plots of wicked and Pernitious are secretly contrived, yet Heaven Sifts them out tho' lodg'd in ayr upon a Dragons Wings, or in the Cave of Everlasting Night; no private Fate can lurk beyond its view in obscure Caverns and the darkest Cells; its Penetrating lustre comes: and as the Princely Prophet does confess, Not Heighth nor Depth, nor Rocks nor Caves, nor Hills, no nor the Wings of Morning in the utmost parts of earth, can e're secure from an all seeing God; and can the Roman cruelties designed and laid by Fiends and Men against a Sacred Prince, his Vice Roy here below, e're take effect, when in his wrath he to untermands the same. Oh! no, as soon may Stars drop from their chrystial Sphears, or all this Fabrick cringe into a Chaos, for in his defence will he make bare his arm, [Page 2]and arise like a mighty Man to break the Teeth of his conspiring Foes; the which in part we have already seen, and in part his [...] that durst to stretch an arm against annointed Power, or bend an evil thought) have felt, since first their cruel Practices were brought to [...]g [...]t among which take this N [...] Discovery of a later Stampas, as followeth.
ON Thursday the 3d. of this Instant July, 1679. came a certain Man to Town, and coming into an Inn in Bishops-Gate-Street; after he had some time refreshed himself, desired to speak with the Master of the Inn, who being called, in a short time came to him and requested his business? the aforesaid Person, Clement by name, told him he desired some private conference with him about a Business of great importance: to which the Inn-keeper readily condescended: Whereupon they being in private, the aforesaid Clement told him, That he was Servant to one Sir Tho. Glascoone in Yorkshire, and that he had been for some time Privy to the carrying on of the late Plot, and that his comming up to London was to make a Discovery and farther Deposition of great Importance, touching his Majesties Sacred Person. The Inn-keeper hearing this, advised him to go to [Page 3]Sir Robert Claton, who was a very Worshipful and well affected Gentlemen, and before him upon Oath to declare what he knew, and that he ought not to conceal any thing that might turn to the prejudice of his Soveraign: whereupon he taking the Inn keepers advice, immediately went, and before his Worship made his farther Discovery as his knowledge led him of the emenent Danger that was threatned, the substance of which was as follows: First, That his Master relying upon his fidelity (the which in other affairs he had always preserved invocable) offered him if he would undertake for the Romish Cause to Assessinate and Murder his Majesty, (a thought which no Pious Christian could conceive without horror) that for so doing he should receive the summ of 1000 l. gratuety or reward from the Fathers of the Romish Church, with many other Graces and Priviledges: Secondly, That he had a certain account of Twelve (or thereabouts) Jesuits, lately come over from St. Omers, and other places adjacent, on purpose, and with a diabolick resolution to destroy his Majesty, seeing (as they most impiously sugested) that the extreamity of occasion required it, for that they understood the Parliament were preparing a Bill to bar any Roman-Catholique from possessing this [Page 4]Crown, therefore they had but one Card to play, the which they resolve by one means or other to effect before the Prorogation of the Parliament was expir'd; by the effecting of which: they might place the Crown upon his head they had [...]o long designed, and put a period to all objections that in that nature might hereafter rise: This Deposition thus taken, Sir Robert (out of the abundance of his tenderness and Loyal care for the preservation of his Majesties person, upon which the welfare of Three Kingdoms do depend) went immediately and Communicated it unto the Lord High President of his Majesties Privy Counsel, who being advertised thereof, called a Counsel, at White-Hall, on Fryday the 4th. of this Instant; and dispatcht an Express to his Majesty to acquaint him therewith, and of the Circumstances aforesaid, and to intreat his Majesty to have an especial care of his Royal Person, upon which the good of all his faithful Subjects did depend. This Deponent farther affirms, That he can produce Four other credible Persons that will confirm the Truth hereof, and as Coherent evidences joyn with him, &c.
These are farther to inform the Reader, that Mr. Richard Langhorne late Counsellor of the Temple, and now Prisoner in Newgate, who received [Page 5]Sentence for being a Conspirator in this Plot; was upon Thursday the 3d. of this Instant, carried before his Majesties Counsel, then sitting at Hampton-Court; where after some Examination and promises of Grace, he delivered up certain in Papers, wherein was specified, that the Jesuits Lands, Houses, and other Personal Estates here in England, amounted and were of greater Value, per Annum, then the Revenue of both our Universities, viz. Oxford and Cambridge put together: And that he himself had purchased for them, and in their Names, with Monies they ordered to be returned him within these few years, to the value of 68000 l. per Annum: and this is credibly thought to be great part of it Expended yearly in hiring Villains to fire the City and Suburbs, to Murder those good affected Subjects, who most resist their damnable practices.
His Majesty, as is supposed, upon his humble request, has sent his Royal Order beyond Sea, to command the said Langhornes Sons (who have been for a long time at the English Seminary in St. Omers,) that they forthwith repair into England, whose absences it is thought have so long hindred his Confession, for he not being ignorant of Popish cruelty, may paradventure expect that if he should Impeach any one there, or as the Jesuits term it, [Page 6]break the Holy League by a free Confession, that they would use in revenging some cruel extremity upon his Sons, the which he has always, according to a Fatherly Inclination been tender of: but when they are Arrived a further Confession is expected:
POSTSCRIPT.
THese are also to acquaint the Reader, that there has lately happened a great Fire at Cottering in Northampton shire; the which lasted very vehement for the space of three or four hours, in which time the raped Flames consumed about Twenty (if not more) Houses: the Fire began upon a very strong substantial House, in which house it is credibly reported that no Fire had been made that day, no candle lighted, therefore it is strongly conjectured to have been set on Fire by some Popish Agents, those Harbegars of ruine, whose contagious Nostrils belch quotidian Flames. But the truth of its being set on Fire as yet remaiteth in dispute.