WHen the foresaid Samuel Massey caused an assault to be made upon, and wounded the person of the said George Chamberlaine in the quiet possession of his said Wife in Chancery Lane, in Trinity Terme, 1652. by which meanes hee the said Massey gained away the Wife of the said Mr. Chamberlaine, and conveyed her to a private Lodging, to the house of one Mr. Halsey, unknown unto the said Mr. Chamberlaine, shee the Wife of the said Mr. Chamberlaine did then and there say and acknowledge, that shee should never injoy any comfort or happinesse in this world, unlesse shee might enjoy the Company and society of the said Mr. Chamberlaine, who [Page 8] was then her lawfull Husband; as then, and as divers other persons of worth and quality that will depose the same, or words to the like effect, both at that, and at severell other times spoken by her selfe, and upon her owne accord and free will.

BY all which the foregoing premisses you see a lawfull marriage, fair­ly gained by the full and free consent of the said Jone, her naturall Mother, and of her father in law, the said Massey her Guardian, and as truly proved by the forgoing depositions, by honest persons of quali­ty, and known honesty and integrity, who were at the foresaid marriage, and who also well know that after the said marriage, the said George Chamberlaine was at a great charge, for the apparrelling of his wife with rich attire, as Satten Gown and Peticoats, and the like, and that they lived in the Country as man and wife together, for about ten weekes time, or a [Page 10] quarter of a year, and his said wife accepted of a Watch from him, and all other necessaries as her lawfull Husband: and so owned him in all points, untill the said Samuel Massey and his said wife, for their own base sinister ends, and for filthy lucre sake, did most wickedly and unjustly de­taine my said lawfull wife from me, contrary to the laws of God and man; Since which time of their wicked seperation, the said Massey and his wife have confederated themselves with one Colonel Gravenor, who liveth at the Mewse neer Charen-Crosse, who now do go about to that horrid act of nulling of the said lawfull marriage, and so consequently the cursed seperation of that my dearly beloved wife, in whom my soul de­lighteth, with a resolution to rend my said lawfull wife from me by the hand of power, intending to marry her to some other person, to inrich themselves, because my said wife is in a capacity to recover a valuable e­state in law, which if ever recovered, I hope to manage it with prudence, if the Lord will allot it to me, in providence, so that in the next place I am (although very unwilling) yet vastly necessitated to make this my De­claration publique to the world, thereby not only to cleare my Innocencie from any fraud, or force, by me intended or acted, in the obtaining of the said lawfull mariage, but also to unmask to the publique view, all those hell-hatcht, black, and horrid practises, and unparraleld, Insufferable, In­juries, oppressions, cosenages, and frauds that the said Massey the father in law and his wife, with their horrid adherents have practised, and do dai­ly put in action, to rob and disrobe me of my lawfull wife, whom God by his holy ordinances hath lawfully made my wife, and that if by the power of the potency, and the arme of flesh rended from me, will make me cry out with David, Iudge and revenge my cause O Lord; and I am confident, that if God shall be pleased to suffer them to prevaile against me, to deprive me of my lawfull wife, yet the Lord for that fact will shower down the Viols of his Just vengeance upon the pates of them, their wives and children, that shall act, though never so secret, for such a horrid seperation of man and wife.

Here followeth the true and perfect discovery of what will be made manifest, and evidently proved against Samuel Massey and his wife, and others their hellish abettors of his black conspiracies, against my innocent selfe and wife, only to ruine me, and to inrich himselfe, and those his conspirators, that take part with him in this hellish designe, &c.

THat the said Samuel Massey, before the said marriage between the said Master Chamberlaine and his now wife did take effect, did invite one John Titus Gent. to be a suitor for marriage unto the now wife of the said George Chamberlaine, by which meanes he the said Massey defrau­ded the said John Titus, of a rich Watch, a rich Sword and Belt, and a Gilded Dagger, and severall other valued things, besides the expence of much money, And that the said John Titus travailing beyond the Seas, and [Page 11] in the interim, the said marriage between the said George Chamberlaine and the said Ioane Hele taking effect, And the said Master Titus, after the said marriage returning into England, the said Massey most fraudulently and wickedly, perswaded the said Master Titus that the said Ioane Hele was not legally married unto the said George Chamberlaine, but that it was only a drunken contract that might easily be avoyded; and the said Massey did perswade the said Iohn Titus, that the said Ioan Hele did passionately love him, and that he had oftentimes heard her declare, that Master Titus was her first love, and that shee could never have any hearty affection for any other person in the world besides himselfe, and therefore with all strong and delusive perswasions, invited the said John Titus to be a suitor for mar­riage unto the said Jone Hele, which in truth the said Massey well knew to be the lawfull wife of the said Master Chamberlaine; by which wicked and undue practise, the said Massey defrauded the said John Titus of, and drew the said John Titus to expend above the sum of two hundred pounds cur­rant money; and that when the said John Titus discovered the frauds of the said Massey, and that the said Jone Hele was very lawfully married unto the said George Chamberlaine. And then the said Massey did use meanes to poyson the said George Chamberlaine, unto which horrid plot and practise he the said Massey did invite the said John Titus, and one John Bishop Gent. with all secrecie, to consent, and to prepare the said poyson, and he the said Massey affirming that he would give the said Master Chamberlaine the said poyson with his own hands.

THat since the foresaid marriage took effect, between the said George Chamberlaine and the said Jone Hele, the said Massey hath willingly, falsely, fraudulently, and corruptly, had divers conferences and communications, with divers persons and their agents, both in the Counties of Devon. and Cornwell, and other places, and also with divers other per­sons, in and about the City of London, for, and concerning a marriage for the selfe same Jone Hele, now the lawfull wife of the said George Chamber­laine, and the said severall persons of quality, to the great damage and oppression of the said Master Chamberlaine.

That the said Massey, since the foresaid marriage, so had, and solemni­sed between the said George Chamberlaine and the said Jone Hele, that is to say, in the moneth of February last past, did enter into some Articles of A­greements, or Covenants in writing, that the said wife of the said George Chamberlaine, should within convenient time, Intermarry, and take to be her husband, one John Nelson Gent. as in and by the said Articles remain­ing in the hands of the said Nelson and Massey, or one of them may at large appeare: and that the said Massey in Hillary Tearme last past, did enter into one Judgment in the Court of upper Bench at Westminster, of the penalty of ten thousand pounds to the said Nelson, to performe the said Articles: By which horrible and wicked practises, the said Massey having the said Master Chamberlaines wife in his keeping, and hiding her from place to place where the said George Chamberlaine cannot finde her, nor have accesse unto her, ei­ther by word or letter, hee the said Massey by adulation, and base flattery, [Page 12] hath alienated the heart and affection of the wife of the sayd George Cham­berlaine, and hath and still doth offer and expose her to no better then pub­lique sale for marriage unto divers persons, to the great damage, wrong, and heavy oppression of the sayd George Chamberlaine.

That the said Massey and his said wife, by their practise and conspiracie with Mr. Dike, the Master Keeper of Newgate, and other Confederates since the Month of February last past, did conspire to hide, keep and detaine the lawfull wife of the said George Chamberlaine from him, and to effect their wicked and unlawfull purposes, they the said Confederates did hide, de­taine, and keep the wife of the said Mr. Chamberlaine, in secret manner in the dwelling house of the said Mr. Dike, at or neare Newgate, London, and when the said George Chamberlaine had discovered his said wife to be there, then the foresaid Conspirators, Massey, and Dike, with much subtilty and secrecy, caused the wife of the said Mr. Chamberlaine to bee conveyed unto Vintners Hall, and to be put in the custody of some friend of the said Mr. Dikes, and being there not long before she was discovered to bee there, then the wife of the sayd George Chamberlaine, was by the conspirators conveyed away from thence unto the golden Suger-loafe in Holborn; and not think­ing her to be hidden safe there from her lawfull husband, shee was thence conveyed and hid and kept at Wimbleton, at the house of one Mr. William Massey, a kinsman of the sayd Samuell Massey, and all to the great wrong and heavy oppression of the sayd George Chamberlaine, and contrary to the Laws of God and man.

You are to take notice that under the colour of Mr. Chamberlaines wife, being a reputed great heire to about 2000l. Lands per annum, and so decla­red by that black-sould, treacherous, false father in law Samuell Massey, all these horrible plots, practises, and unheard of villanies doe proceed; The first cause and ground of his villany arising because Mr. Chamberlaine would not suffer hims [...]lfe to be cozened of 250l. more in money, over and above the foresaid five hundred pounds before paid unto the said Massey by the said Mr. Chamberlaine, which 250 l. being refused to be parted withall by the said Mr. Chamberlaine, to the said Massey, he the said Massey for that and for no other cause at all, did settle upon a resolution, and did protest and declare, that the said Mr. Chamberlaine should never have his said wife, but that the said Massey and his said wife would keep and hide her from him, and would utterly disswade her against the said George Chamberlaine her law­full Husband, which will be proved upon Oath by sufficient and good wit­nesse.

But now to returne where the old Kennell of Foxes have left the young one, at VVimbleton; for by this time it must be believed, that at the Ac­cademy and University of Newgate, in the Jawes of a Jaylor, there must needs be infused into her tender eare such sordid literature and learning, as is able to separate man and wife, and so consequently to undoe body and soule, to bring about the wicked ends of those Conspirators.

Being now lodged at VVimbleton, notice thereof is given unto the said Mr. Chamberlaine that she is there, and that a person of Honour, a Lord of this Nation, by the false information of her Father in Law, is invited to believe her a great Heire, and not married, is to give her a visit for mar­riage, [Page 13] and that if the marriage take effect, the conspirators shall have 12000 l.

Then Mr. Chamberlaine her Husband is advised and doth apply himselfe to the Lord Chiefe Justice, who grants his Warrant to take the said M [...]ssey for his misdemeanors; Mr. Chamberlaine with the Warrant takes a Coach and goes with the Warrant to Wimbleton, takes a Constable with some other friends, and in a peaceable manner searches the house of William Mas­sey for the body of the said Samuel Massey, and in that search findes his law­full wife, courts her into the Coach, and brings her to London, as was just and lawfull so to doe; the perfidious Father in Law, and the rest of the Conspirators have notice of this suddaine change, they use instruments to be in the Chamber with them, to keep man and wife from lying together, or from having any private conference; the Conspirators pretend a force and a Riot, and charge the husband and the wife before a Justice of the Peace, one Mr. Peter Bradshaw; this Justice, it being Sessions time at Hicks Hall, directs a Constable to bring Mr. Chamberlaines wife in custody to that Sessions, which was the very last Sessions held in July 1653. there the said Jone is brought, and her husband goes in voluntarily, expecting good justice to be done; and for that it did appeare to that Court, and for all there were divers witnesses to prove that the said Master Chamberlaine and the said Jone were lawfully married together, and so became lawfull man and wife, yet by the strong influence of one Colonell Gravener, who now liveth in the green Mewes by Charing-crosse, and who formerly did live in Pater no­ster row, London, I say by this Colonels procurement, the said Mr. George Chamberlaine was taken from his lawfull wife, and committed to the New Prison, when if there was any force or Riot at all, the fact was committed in Surrey at Wimbleton, and not in Middlesex

So that the said Colonell G [...]avener taking part with the said Massey, the father in law, having gotten the lawfull husband of the said Jone in the Goale, being a courteous, kinde Gentleman, doeth take away the lawfull wife of the said Mr. Chamberlaine from him, and in his Coach carries her away, without any lawfull Warrant or Authority whatsoever, to his house at the Mewes, where she is now mewed up from her husband: my consci­ence tells me that there is not such another courteous person in this Com­mon-wealth, that hath such a conscience to take away a mans lawfull wife from him, and to imprison him, and to measure out so much and so large London measure of oppression; and although hee bee reported to be Quarter-Master Generall to this noble Army, yet that ever Heroick, and honoured Lord Generall, nor all, nor any his worthy Officers of the Army will bee pleased to think it fit or reasonable, that Quarter-Master Generall Grave­ner should be so wanton with his wits, or so far to go beyond his Commis­sion, as to rend man and wife asunder, and then to take up quarters for another mans wife, whether her husband will or no; it is not the way to be Quarter-Master, but to be whole Master of another mans wife; there­fore every man had need have a care of his wife, if the Col. go on with such a trade, and if he go so far beyond his Commission, it may please the no­ble Governours of this Nation to give him a Writ of ease.

But to take a mans Wife from him in the face of a Court, under the co­lour [Page 14] of Justice without any Warrant, and when a noble Parliament and ho­nourable Councel of State is sitting, nay when this Nation and all the eyes of Christendom are upon our Supream Authorities, expecting Justice to be done to every man, poor and rich; and Judgment to flow like a mighty stream; at this time that is expected, that the weary and heavy laden should be eased, & the wrongs of the oppressed should be righted; tis strange that at this time, and so near the Supream Authority, the Parliament of England, the said Col. Gravener should attempt to doe so irreligious an act, as to part man and Wife.

Now the said wife of Master Chamberlaine, being at the whole Master Generals house at the Mewse, it is fit the lawfull husband of her, Master Chamberlaine should know of her welfare, and how she doth do, or how, or by what way he may enjoy her, to live in the fear of the Lord com­fortably together, as man and wife ought to do, and upon a strict inquiry, Mr. Chamberlaine hath discovered that the Master Goalor of Newgate, the said Massey the father in law of the said Master Chamberlaines wife, this noble Colonel Gravener, and a blunt, rich, able person, well friended and well monyed, and well reputed, whose name shall go free, and be yet and at this time exempted, if he prove to be a peace-maker, have all of them together, with some other persons that may be named and shamed in time, set up a resolution in a contentious way, as they call it, to bring the said Mr. Chamberlaine and his miswandred wife together, or at least some what near unto one another, and in order thereunto the foresaid confede­rates by their foresaid confederacy having gotten the said Master Chamber­laines said lawfull wife into the power of the Army (as the said Massey reports) (and which no wise man will beleeve, that the noble Army will patronise or protect any such horrid thing) and in order to this their new designe they the said conspirators have framed penned, contrived, abetted, and fomented a false, untrue, and scandalous Petition, in the name of the said Mr. Chamberlaines wife, to the honourable Councel of State against her foresaid lawfull Husband the said Master Chamberlaine, and against divers other innocent persons, and by the insinuating power of some or one of the aforesaid conspirators, that transcendant and incompa­rable Col Gravener, did procure a Warrant from the said honourable Councell of State, for to apprehend and secure the person of the said George Chamberlaine, and other innocent persons, as namely Robert Chamber­laine, Minister of Gods word, which was that Minister that did marry the said Mr. Chamberlaine and his said wife together, William Prescot the Parish Clark, John Samine and his wife, George Lambert, and all others that were at the foresaid Solemnity, or which could prove the lawfull marriage of the said Mr. Chamberlaine and his lawfull wife together; but it is to be noted, that the name of that Fox Massey must be also put into that Warrant, and it must be contrived to avoid suspition, or that the plot may not be discovered, but that it may be so carryed on, that the said Massey may draw in the said Mr. Chamberlaine, and all his foresaid friends together at some known place of meeting, and that then he the said Massey might betray them all, and that then a file of Musketteres might come in and take the said Massey, and all the rest together.

Now the Warrant is under Seale, the Marshall Generall, that gallant [Page 15] clear honest hearted man, is prepared to execute the said Warrant with some Souldiers, Although no person named in that Warrant had any relation, as being a souldier or capable as being a prisoner of war, but to make it the greater terror and bugbear, nothing is wanting but that Judas part of Massey to be acted, Massey as being set on by the fury of his thirsty, villanous re­venge, Clokes his knavery under the species of a faire pretence, Courts Mr. Chamberlaine and his friends to a faire compliance of the ending of all dif­ferences between them by indifferent men; Mr. Chamberlaine assents thereun­to, a meeting of all parties is had, for the end of setling peace and unity be­tween both parties the third of August 1653. at the Paul head Taverne neere Doctors Commons, Mr. Chamberlaine by himselfe and friend Ingage that no affront or surprisall either by Sarjeant, or by souldiers shall be of­fered, to Massey, Massey and his friend one Mr. Leigh doe ingage, that Mr. Chamberlaine nor his friends should come by any damage, nor surprisall by any Officer, Sarjeant, or souldier during the time of that treaty, Massey, binds up his Ingagements by many execrable oathes, wishing that his flesh might rot from his bones, and that his Wife and Children might for ever perish, &c. If he meant any ill, or if any Sarjeant or Souldier should interrupt that Treaty for peace; the Treaty for that peace thereupon proceeded, and all parties being met for that purpose, then, and not till then did that black Villany of the said Massey and the rest of the conspirators appear, for in the debating of the business, in comes the Marshall Generall, with Grave­ners man, who pulled the Warrant out of his pocket, & six Souldiers, mus­ketteers, with a Warrant from the Councel of State, obtained by the said Gravener, and the consent of Massey, and the rest of the conspirators, and the Warrant not mentioning any crime at all, the said Marshall and the said Souldiers, forced the said George Chamberlaine and others his friends to the Marshalls prison at the Muse, where they have remained prisoners ever since the third day of this present August 1653. And being there restrained, and kept prisoners by the Marshall General, and by the souldierie, the said Massey again insinuated himselfe into the society of the said Mr. Chamber­laine, he being a prisoner, and offerd unto him, that if he would pay unto the said M ssey the sum of one hundred pounds in money, that then he the said Mr. Chamberlaine should have, & injoy his said wife, and that he, the said Massey and his wife, would joyne together and would reduce her out of the hands of the said Gravener, and deliver her to the said Mr. Chamberlaine, that they may enjoy each other, and live as man and wife together; and the said Massey having made the said offer at the house of the said Marshal General, whilst he was a prisoner, he the said Massey did send for a quart bottle of Sack at his own charge, and did there with drink unto the said Mr. Chamberlaine by the name of his sonne Chamberlaine, and to his wife, be­ing the daughter in law of the said Massey, whereby it is evident that Mr. Chamberlaine is deprived of his said wife by a strong hand only, and for no other cause but for that the said Mr. Chamberlaine will not suffer himselfe to be defrauded of any more money by the said Massey, Mr. Chamberlaine, upon all Masseys flatteries, will not be defrauded of any more moneys by the said Massey, Massey he works by Gravener to continue Mr. Chamberlaine prisoner, Mr. Chamberlaine, indeavours to send letters to his lawfull wife, Gravener denies the reception of them or the delivery of any letter unto her, [Page 16] yet acknowledged that the said Mr. Chamberlaines wife by the name of Joane Hele is in his house: Mr. Chamberlaine Courts Gravener with severall Letters, one whereof he receiveth, the other he denieth to receive; both Letters are herewith printed, together with the said Mr. Chamberlaines Letter to his Wife, at Graveners house, that the world may know, that the said Mr. Chamberlaine hath left no faire way unacted, unattempted, or undone for the reducing, and regaining of his said lawfull Wife, unto the cohabitation of the said Mr. Chamberlaine her husband; all which applications proving fruitlesse, the said Mr. Cham­berlaine was enforced to set forth to the view of the world this modest following Declara­tion, wherein Col. Graveners name was not at all mentioned.

YOU are to understand, that during the time of this Controversie, there hath been used by Massey, and the rest of the Confederates, all those knacks of Knavery that mortals can invent to null this law­full marriage, and to defraud that honest Mr. Chamberlaine of his lawfull Wife, as namely the said Massey, and those his hell-hatch'd Conspirators did lately cause a Petition to bee preferred by and in the name of the said Mr. Chamberlaines Wife, by the name of Joane Hele, against the said Massey, and his Wife; by which Petition there was a Commission under the great Seale obtained for the [...]voyding and dissolving of the said marriage, if good witnesses could have proved any thing materiall for to have ground equitie for the Lords Commissioners to have decreed the avoyding of the said marriage; but that tricke, although cunningly and strongly car­ried on by power was quickly discovered, so that they durst never execute that Commission, for feare it would make for their greater condemnation; so that, that Commission is now out of date, and will not be owned.

The next plot set on foot was, that Massey and his Wife alledged, that Mr. Chamberlaine had never laine with his Wife nor knowne her, as her Husband; to this Mr. Chamberlaine answereth, that hee hath knowne his Wife carnally, as a Husband ought to doe, and doth offer for the deciding of that controversie, by putting it to the triall of Midwives, or a Jury of Women: this (propose) did very much trouble Massey and his Wife; for if Mr. Chamberlaine her Husband had not been there, the question would bee who had been there.

This stabbing question puts Massey to advise with the best of his old fe­mall acquaintance and Counsell about London and the Covent-Garden, where he did finde advice to deceive a whole Jury of Midwives, as he conceived; which advice was, to make surfling or restringent water with Alome, and some other ingredients, and to make application by injection thereof unto and into the secret parts, as per direction, &c. and that without doubt will so contract her body, as that it shalbe hardly discernable whether she had [Page 24] ever known man or not, probatum est, ut dicitur: This will be proved by good witnesse.

Thus you see that Massey and his Conspirators have been traced out in all their severall unheard of frauds and villanies; and it is desired, that all things herein set forth and declared, may be by authority drawne into ex­amination and proofe, that the Practisers, and Actors therein may be made exemplary, and that the Noble and Supreame Authority, the Parliament of the Common wealth of England will provide remedy against such practi­ses and oppressions for time to come, and that no person whatsoever shall hereafter dare to make use of the Authority of the honourable Councel of State, and of their Warrant, to imprison mens persons by the Souldiery, or otherwise to bring about their owne ends, and unjust designes, as the said Col. Gravener hath done in this Case, by imprisoning the person of the said George Chamberlaine and others upon his businesse and accompt, ever since the 3. of August 1653. untill this present of they being all free-borne persons of this Nation, and ought not so to be imprisoned by the Lawes of this Common-wealth, which is their right and inheritance, and that the Justice of those Lawes ought not to bee denied to any free-borne man of this Common-wealth of England.

Thus have I declared the sad Case and Condition of me the said George Chamberlaine, who have patiently (through the Lords Mercy) hitherto un­der gone all those heavy oppressions formerly related, with as much brevity, and through the mercy of my God, notwithstanding this my hard imprison­ment at the Mewes, do expect and hope for a speedy and happy deliverance, to the comfort of my soule, and to the shame of those Conspirators that se [...]l thy ruine. Dated from my Prison in the Mewes, neare Charing-Cross this day of August [...].