WHereas several Imperfect Relations and hearsay Reports may have been spread abroad concerning this un­happy woman, and that Barbarous and Wicked Fact by her committed, in Murdering her Husband: for the full discovery of the Truth thereof in all Circumstances, 'tis thought convenient to publish this compleat and Impartial Narraaive and Account of the same.

THis womans dwelling was lately, and for some Years had been, neer the Minories, [Page 2] between that and Goodman's-fields in the sad time of Londons Calamity, by the terrible Sickness, 1665. She was very busie a Nurse-keeping, or tending persons Visited with the Plague, and as 'tis supposed, got then enough to help maintain her since: for though she were from thence-for­wards generally called Nurse, & pretended some­times to take in Cloaths to Wash, yet she did not do any considerable matter of work, but lived a life somewhat extravagant and expensive for one of her condition; This man, on whom she com­mitted this horrid murther, being the sixth that she had had.

She was Married to him somewhat above a year last past, who was a civil honest laborious person, by name William Lilly-man, and by profession a Cooper belonging to a Brew-house, a lusty comely man, and not above thirty years of age or therea­bouts, which made her at first extreamly dote up­on him, but being her self near threescore she was not a little tainted with the poison of jealousie, which often is the disturber of the discreetest mar­riages, and therefore might without matter of wonder prove the bane of this lascivious heart.

Baiting her controversies sometimes on that ac­count (for which 'tis generally believ'd by their Neighbours she had indeed no occasion) till Satan takeing the advantage of her being in one of these Jealous moods (in which she used often to threa­ten she would do him a mischief) prevailed on her barbarously to imbrue her hands in his blood, and [Page 3] bring her self by takeing away his life to a shame­ful and untimely yet most just and deserved death. The manner and circum [...]ances of which bloody Fact were as follows, and so appeared to the court by the Evidence on the tryal, viz:

On Tuesday the — of June last, the said Willi­am Lilly-man comeing home in the afternoon from work to the house where they lodg'd in Swan-Al­l [...]y, leading out of the Minories into Goodmans Fields, and finding his wife absent, understood she was at an Ale-house hard by in Glass-house-Yard at Nine-pins; VVhereupon having occasion to have his shooes mended he carryed them to a cobler a friend and country-man of his whose stall was just by that house where his VVife was, and took with him a peice of cold mutton, and a dryed Mackerel, intending to eat his supp [...]r there, when he came to the Cobler and had given him directi­ons he asked him to go drink; which he consented to, promising to come very quickly, as soon as he had dispatcht a little jobb he was about; before Lillyman vvent into the Ale-house he asked the Cobler for a knife to cut his victuals, he having left his ovvn at home, vvho lent him a very sharp long one, which their trade commonly use to pair heels vvith; as soon as he vvas come into the ale-house he sent into the yard for his vvife, very lov­ingly d [...]siring her to come and sup and drink vvith him; as she vvas coming in a Servant-maid (un­luckily as it prov'd in the consequence, but very in­nocently intending it only for j [...]st and merriment) [Page 4] said to her: Ah Mistris Lillyman, little do you think that your Husband and I have been together and that he gave me a bottle of Ale at your house, or vvords to that effect, and indeed there vvas lit­tle reason for her to think so, for in truth there was no such thing done, nor any thing like it.

However the woman according to the nature of jealousie, takeing it in the worst sense, fell into an angry passion, possibly the sooner rais­ed for that she was before elevated with drink, so that coming into the room where her Hus­band was, she was heard to say, Do you send for me to supper, you Rascal; (or some other ill name) I will give you a Supper; and presently after­wards being all alone with him (the Woman of the house being gone for a pot of drink, and the Maid for a Loaf for him) the said Elizabeth his Wife took up the aforesaid long knife which he had borrowed of the Cobler, and therewith stab'd him under the lest papp, so that as the Surgeons afterwards testified, it pierced his ve­ry heart, and the Maid immediately returning he told her his Wife had stab'd him, and de­sired her to call in his countrey-man the Cob­ler; she hearing him talk of being stab'd, thought at first he had been but in jest, but seeing him look ill, with his hand fast on his breast began to be afraid, and called the Cobler, but before he could get in, the wounded man was got up from his seat, and coming out met him, saying, Ah Countrey-man! this wicked Woman my Wife has stab'd me with the knife which I bor­rowed [Page 5] of thee; all this while his Wife stood by, and hearing this came up to him, and said, I stab thee Love? why wilt thou say so? I have not toucht thee? and thereupon proffered to kiss him, but he with his hand putting her back said again: Ah wicked woman thou hast kill'd me: By this time, he fainting, the Cobler taking him in his arms had put him into one of the drink­ing rooms, and askt him where his hurt was, for as yet they saw it not; Whereupon he point­ed to his left, and said, Here, here my Wife hath kill'd me; which was the last Words he was heard to utter in this world, for presently after he fainted quite away, and in short time dyed; his Wife when she saw him so very bad would have made her escape and gone out at the back door, but neighbours stopt her and sent for a constable, who carried her before a justice of peace.

At her Examinatīon there, she behaved her self very strangely, seeming altogether unconcerned at what she had done, and laughing at it: amongst many other her silly answers, this was one, I wish my hands may never see my eyes, if I killed my husband; the Magistrate gravely admonished her to be seri­ous in so sad a case, but she took little notice of it, but stiffly denyed that she murthered him, however the person being then quite dead, she was com­mitted to Newgate in order to her Tryal.

And accordingly at the last sessions held at the Old Bayly begining on the 7 th. of this instant July, 1675. She was Arraigned for Petty Treason, for Killing her Husband: After the Endictment was [Page 6] read, and she required to plead to it, she fell into a kind of raveing, crying out, she must see her Husband, and she would not plead till she had him there: But this vvas but a faigned Artifice or piece of Dissimulati­on, and she vvas at last brought to plead in form: vvhich she did, by saying, Not Guilty: The VVit­nesses against her, vvere the before-mentioned Cobler, the VVoman of the house, and the Maid, at the sight of vvhich last she fell into another pas­sionate fit, calling her, many base, scurrilous names in open Court; The Evidence vvas plain, as you have heard in all Circumstances, and the Prisoner had nothing to say for her self, but impudent De­nials of the Fact, and yet confessed that she had a vvicked intention to have done the said Maid a Mischief at the same time vvhen her Husband vvas Killed. So that the matter being evident, the Jury brought her in, Guilty of the Endictment: And accor­dingly she received the usual Sentence for persons of her Sex, in Cases of petty Treason, that is to say, To be Burned until she be Dead.

The first night after her Condemnation, she seemed scarce at all sensible of her condition, but on the next day, being the Lords day, she began to have some re­morse, confessing then to some friends that came to visit her, that she had been a grievous sinner for many years, naming several particular sins that she had been guilty of; yet still denyed her self to have ever been guilty of Murther or Theft; nor would confess the killing of her husband; since that several Ministers have visited her, and have at last brought her to ac­knowledge the Fact, and now she seems exceeding Pe­nitent for the same, being come to the place appointed for her execution on Towerhill, on M [...]nday the 19 th. of July, instant.