I perceive this is (through Mistake) generally misapply'd; for last Night meeting with some, who (had been ever prejudic'd against the belief of this Murder, and) had often heard me say, That I doubted not, but that un­fortunate Earl was treacherously taken off, and that I was therein confirm'd upon reading a late Letter to a Friend, written by Mr. Braddon upon that deplorable Subject. These Gentlemen believing, that by this Gazette they had got an Objection, which at one Stroke intirely defeated the whole Power of the Proofs in that Letter, (which they confess'd they had not read) imme­diately very warmly accosted me herewith; and upon this occasion very scur­rilously reflected upon Mr. Braddon, for imposing upon the World, such (as they call'd them) villanous and false Proofs for that (pretended) Murder — I (not then remembring that particular part of the Book, to which this deny­all had Relation) did immediately fetch the Discourse, and I then found, that this Vindication was so far from denying any of the Proofs which had been brought to testifie that Treachery, that on the contrary, it intirely disavow'd the most material Argument, I could ever yet hear brought to justifie the Belief of the Self-murder, which that Letter mentioneth in pag. 54, & 55, where Mr. Braddon (after he had given numerous Evidences in many Parti­culars, which put together, almost demonstrate the truth of that complicated Cruelty) saith, by way of Objection against the Murder, as followeth, (Viz.)

I shall now mention one or two more Objections against my Lord's being murther'd and then draw to a Conclusion. The first is this, (viz.) the Right Honourable the Lady Gou [...]ess-Dowage of Essex, having heretofore declared (whether lately, I cannot say) That she did believe her Lord cut his own Throat; and being so possessed, some time after this Committee had several times sate, she desired several Lords (amongst which some were of this Right Honourable Committee) to meet at her House; and after her Honour had ac­quainted their Lordships with the occasion of her request, an eminent Divine (and now Bishop) did inform their Lordships what were the Reasons that mo­ved her Honour to believe that her Lord did indeed lay violent hands on him­self, the Chief, if not the Only where of, was, That some sho [...] time before my Lord's Commitment to the Tower, his Lordship seemed to be under a great concern of mind; but then declared, That the trouble he was in did not arise from any thoughts of Self-preservation, for Himself was the least of his Care; but the thoughts of his Fa­mily, what would after his Death become of them, was what did indeed trouble him: As for himself, be was resolved what to do; SEVERAL TIMES VERY RESOLƲTELY REPEATING THAT EXPRESSION, AS FOR MY SELF, I AM RESOLVED WHAT TO DO. This I was told by a Gentleman then present, who (as I have great reason to believe) would have represented every thing to the best advantage (as far as Truth would permit) on the behalf of such Objections— So far that Letter.

This you find is not brought by Mr. Braddon as an argument to prove my Lord's being murther d [...] but on the contrary, rais'd by way of Objection against the Belief thereof; which Objection Mr. B. here saith, he received from One then present, but if that Gentleman (who is said to have given the Informati­on) was mistaken in his relation, the Author of the Letter for that deserves no reflexions, and it can hardly be supposed that Mr. Braddon would (without some grounds) have rais'd such a material objection (as this would have been, had it been true) against the proof of that Murther, for endeavouring the Detection whereof he hath been so barbarously treated by the Corruption of the late Mis­government: neither hath the substance of what is here objected, been discredi­ted, (or at least rejected) by those who are and have ever been most zealous for stifling this Discovery. For how often have these Gentlemen in all publick Pla­ces, urg'd (in effect) the same ( viz. the Countess and the Bishop of Salisbury's Belief of the Self murther, and their satisfying several Honourable Lords in the Truth thereof) as what should convince all men of the reality of that Self-violent—. But this common, and (as these Men thought) unanswerable Argu­ment for such satisfaction, is now struck dumb, being stript of its Credit, when thus solemnly and publickly entirely disavow'd, and NOTHING TO THAT PƲRPOSE having been upon that occasion mentioned by either of those two Honou­rable Persons—. The Gentlemen who at first so hotly assaulted me upon reading this denyal, and the things deny'd, finding this to be the TRƲE State of the Case, soon became more cool and ingenuously confess'd they had been impos'd upon, and before we parted did frankly acknowledge their rashness in their re­flexions—wherefore they protested they began to doubt of the Truth of the Self-murther in the Belief whereof they before thought themselves upon good grounds well convinced—. And hereupon they did desire me to lend them that Discourse, promising that they would read the whole, and without prejudice weigh what is therein said to he prov'd—after they have done this, I doubt not but some, if not all of them, will be satisfy'd of the Truth of that most barbarous State-treache­ry a more cruel Murther than which (in all its relations consider'd) this King­dom never saw. And that we never may see the like part acted over again, but that the Actors, Aiders, Abetters, and Concealers of this, may in this World receive their just Reward is the hearty Prayers of,