IT hath been always the Malicious Practice of that grand Slanderer Satan and his Instruments, since the first times of Christianity, when they could not resist the Power of Religion, to defame the Persons and Assemblies of all Christians, with foul and hateful Crimes laid to their charge; putting them into Skins of Beasts, that Dogs might devour them, as appears by the Apo­ligies of Tertullian, and other of the Ancients, who wrote in their behalf. By which it appears that those Defamati­ons fixed no lasting blot upon Men and Meetings, un­less with some Rash and very Credulous Persons.

But this unparallel'd Slanderer hath hatcht a Forgery beyond all Story, not only under the specious pretence of Piety (intitling God himself, his holy Word, and all that is sacred therein) but set forth with the formali­ties of Names, Speeches, Actions, Time and Place; Or­derly & most Pathetically discribing the most Execrable Murder that ever was known; Exceeding the Cruel­ties of the most Savage Heathen; And as his own words to the life expresseth it, such a villany which the Myrmi­dons, and Scythians in the midst of Barbarism it self never heard of, viz. of first Stripping and cruelly Whipping, then Unboweling and Fleying alive a Reverent Godly Minister in his own House, in the midst of the howling [Page 4]Grones and Scrichings of his dear Relations lying bound before him; And this by Anabaptists, and that for no other provocation, but being worsted by him in Disputation. And the better to create belief, this dread­ful Story must here be made publick by his pretended Mournful Brother, as a known Inhabitant in this City, and the real Stamp of Publick Allowance (suruptitiously obtained, to avow the truth thereof) put upon it.

That by so faining (yet credibly relating the Fiction of this unspeakable Villany perpetrated in New-England by such Anabaptists that never were) he might bring in­to Obloquy, Hatred, and Hazard, all of that name in other places, as accessary to a Murder done, which was never done.

And may it not be truly said that the Bounds of Chri­stian Profession are not wide enough to afford us an Ex­ample parallel to the prodigious Malice of this lying De­famer, pretending this horrid Fact as done by Anabap­tists, that he might the better expose the whole Pro­fession of them in all Parts, though never so Innocent, to the Hatred and Rage of the People in all places against them; the whole design of the Pamphlet being no o­ther than to put them into Sambenita's, that is, painting them like Devils, both in corrupt Doctrines, and wicked Conversations, that he might render them the more odi­ous and obnoxious throughout the World; concluding it in these words, viz. I have penn'd and published this Narrative in perpetuam rei memoriam, that the world may see the Spirit and Temper of these Men, and that it may stand as an Eternal Memorial of their Cruelty and Hatred to all Orthodox Ministers.

But thanks be to the God of Truth and Righteous­ness, [Page 5]who hath timously and seasonably discovered so horrible a Slander and Imposture, by the arrival of a Ship which came from New-England, above twenty dayes since this Murder was said to be committed; the Master of which Ship, and a Merchant living at Boston in New-England, the place where this Fact is said to have been acted, testifying upon Oath that they knew of no such Fact, no such Persons, either Murdering or Murdered; Nor any Causes or Circumstances, of any such deed done, in the place from whence they came, or in the whole Plantation of New-England; and that they hold it for a meer Fable and absurd Fiction, as appeareth by the Affidavit it self before the Lord Mayor, hereto annex­ed, viz.

Hereupon the Lord Mayor was pleased by his Offi­cers not only to interdict the vending the said scanda­lous Pamphlet, but to seize it in the hands of the Haw­kers and Mercuries that sold the same, and to suppress a second Impression thereof in the Press, committing also to Prison several of the Publishers.

And whereas this barbarous Murder is said to be pub­lished by Benjamin Baxter living in Fen-Church-street, the the mournful Brother of the said Josiah Baxter (falsly said to be murdered) whom after all our diligent search both in Fen-Church-street and elsewhere, we cannot find; as appears by the Testimony of the Churchwardens, Over­seers, and Beadles of Fen-Church-street here following, Viz.

It is true we find one William Baxter a Packer living in Fenchurch-Street, who declareth that he never had a Brother at Virginia or New-England; that he had never heard of this Josiah Baxter, a Minister, nor knew any thing at all of the Story or its writing or being pub­lished.

We have by diligent search, providentially found out the first Publishers of this lying Pamphlet, one of whom by name Seymer (a pretended Doctor of Phy­sick) we have met with; the other who is known by the name of Lawrance Savil (yet through guilt hiding his head) we have not met with; who confesseth himself (by a Letter to one of us) drawn in and cheated by this imaginary and supposititious Benjamin Baxter: but how likely a story he tells, and whether there is not good cause to conclude him the man himself, let the intelligent Reader judge by the perusal thereof, hereunto added, viz.

An address being made to the Council-Board; they, upon the Examination of the business, finds it False and Fictitious, and accordingly ordered the publishing the same in the Gazette, viz.

The Licenser being also made acquainted with the whole matter, confesseth his mistake, and too sudden Credulity in the Licensing so strange a Pamphiet, as ap­peareth by the Testimonial hereto inserted under his hand, viz.

BY all this, and what more we hope yet to find out of this wicked and inhumane design, (as cruel in the intention, as the fact is in the fiction, and both equally detestible) our Integrity and Innocency will the more appear.

And although to be falsely accused, directly or indi­rectly, is a great exercise; yet to be cleared, and timely acquited we look at to be a good providence of God to us. For what have we done, or what are our Principles in Religion, that men should think us any wayfitted or [Page 14]disposed to conceive, commit, approve, and not abhorr such abominable crimes as these are? what is in our Practice of being Baptized in Water upon the professi­on of Faith, that should incline us to such henious do­ings, above all others, in the thoughts of any sensible or rational men?

And although perhaps this Pamphlet hath wrought some prejudice in the minds of many men against us for a while, yet considering how seasonably it hath plea­sed God to detect and defeat the malicious and cruel design of this Diabolical Stratagem,

We have cause to acknowledge the goodness of God therein; and patiently to bear such slandrous Reports, especially remembring that what is now our Case, was the common Case of all Christians heretofore, to be de­famed and evil spoken of without cause, though it hath not befallen many to be so clearly and fully acquitted.

We leave this Record to posterity, as a signal example to future Ages, how injuriously and cruelly the Ma­lice of some men hath vented it self against us and our Profession, and how speedily and opportunely the Goodness and favour of God hath appeared in our time­ly and successful Vindication. When as that which this wicked Author hath boasted to the perpetual Me­mory of the Fact, will be found to turn upon him to his eternal Shame.