ON wednesdaie being the fourth day of March last 1590. there was a Se­minarie Priest brought forth of Newgate, who a few daies before had ben iustly condemned for high Treason, where according to his iudge­ment before past, and the qualitie of his of­fence, hee was laide vpon a hurdle, and from thence drawne into Holborne, & so through Fetter lane conuaied into Fléet stréet, where was a newe Iebbet set vp for that purpose, & people in great abundance resorted to sée the prisoner executed.

This Priest came thether apparelled in the habit of a Gentleman, in a dublet of blacke satten, cut with great cuts, & drawn out with white silke, he had on a paire of small round paine hose, & on euerie paine a faire gold lace, his neather stockes were of purple silke, and a paire of bootes ouer them, Gentleman like, turnd downe at the knée, and faced with vel­uet, he had a blacke felt hat on his head, & his haire was verie long, so that he could hardly be knowen from an ordinarie Gentleman.

Thus being apparelled and come to the place of execution, conducted thether by the shéerife of London, and the officers of the said [Page 2] Citie. For that the iebbet was not full ready, the sheerife did withdrawe the prisoner into a house hard by, where an ancient & worship­full Gentleman in office towards her Maie­stie, had some time of conference with the pri­soner. And when euerie thing was in a rea­dines, the prisoner was brought backe again to be executed. And first before hee went vp, his boots were pulled off, & his neather stocks also, whereby his feete and legs were naked, his other clothes hung loose about him, with his hands tied, & so went hee vp the ladder, the hang-man being then readie on the top of the iebbet to receiue him with the halter, which he put about his neck. Which done, the priest began to speake vnto the people, shewing thē y^t hee was a Priest, & after went about to de­fend the popish religion colorably, & seemed to [...]ie himselfe, by saying he had not offended hi [...] Maiestie. Whervpon the Gentleman be­fore mentioned spake vnto y^e priest, & shewed h [...]m wherein he had offended the laws of this l [...]d, in cases of high treason. First, by being a S [...]minarie Priest therby a sworne enemie to this land and hauing liued out of the lande among her Maiesties enemies, was agayne lately return [...]d onelie to persuade her Ma­iesti [...]s subiectes from their due obedience. The confession of this priest also taken before [Page 3] in writing, was read openly, where he sayde that the Pope hath authoritie to depose the Quéenes Maiesty of England, as though the Queenes Maiestie and the religion now vsed in England, had bin vnder the gouernment of the Pope, and therefore to bee disanulled at the Popes pleasure, whereby hee denied her Maiestie of her supremacie in the Churches of her dominions, which is high treason of it selfe. Last of all, he shewed vnto the people, & auouched it to the prisoners face, (which he coulde not denie) that this priest who was an Englishman borne, and therefore a subiect to her Maiestie, contrarie to his duetie, had betaken himselfe a long time a subiect & ser­uant to the Pope, with sundrie other, who to­gether were lately come ouer into England, to persuade her Maiesties subiects from theyr obedience, by becomming assistants and fa­uourers of a new inuasion, now speedily pre­tended by the helhounds of the Romish Sina­gogue, therby to become traitors to her Ma­iestie, in working the ruine of this lande, as hath bin lately pretended, yet their hope made frustrate by Gods prouidence, who stil doubt­les sighteth for this land, and defendeth all the true subiects thereof, for the sake of our holie Iudith, who swaieth the sword of iustice with great wisedome and mercie, whose person the [Page 4] God of heauen prosper and continue in this land, and grant vnto her long life, and a peace able raigne ouer vs, that during her life she may so quaile the hearts of all the enimies to this land, that none hereafter may dare to at­tempt the hurt thereof. This Popish Priest aforesaid, after a few Popish praiers mum­bled to himselfe, was turned from of the lad­der, and permitted to hang vntil he was dead, and after was quartered in seuerall péeces, to be set vp in seuerall places, to the example of al other hereafter. And ouer the Iebbet was written in great letters the cause of his death in these wordes, viz.
For Treason and sauoring of for­raine Inuasion.

In the forenoone of the same daie also, there were two hanged, the one in Smithfield, and the other in the fieldes at Graies Inne lane end, for secret harboring, receiuing and deny­ing this Priest & others such pernitious per­sons, by whose meanes great hurt may arise. The one died a very obstinate Papist, the o­ther a very penitent person, sorie that hee had transgressed her Maiesties laws in that case: which thing he onely did for worldly benefit. To conclude, let this their follie forewarne al others, how they enter into such actions, and [Page 5] refraine from secret harbouring, releeuing or succouring such leud persons, who seeke by all possible meanes to ruinate this lande, by de­priuing the Quéenes most excellent Ma­iestie, and bringing in forraine enimies: that by inuasion they may shedde the bloude of innocents, and roote out all her Maiesties louing subiects, which God grant may neuer come to passe, Amen.

A woman executed on the Thurs­daie following.

ON the Thursdaie following there was a rumour throughout Lon­don, that a maide seruant shoulde be burned in S. Georges fieldes, which but two daies before (at the Assizes holden in Southwarke for the Countie of Surrey) had bin found guilty, condemned and iudged so to suffer death for murther by her committed. Wherevpon a stake was set vp in the said fielde, and the réedes and faggots brought thether, but by reason of the throng of people which came thether out of London, they were constrained to defer the execution vntil after sixe of the clocke at night, at which time the greater multitude being departed, the prisoner was brought forth sodenly, and [Page 6] conuaied into the field, without anie notire giuen to anie of the people otherwise, then that she should be burned in the place where the stake before stood, to which place the peo­ple flocked in great abundance. Now the shi­refe and the warders that accompanied him, perceiuing the vnrulines of the people to bee great, sodenly cast themselues in a round, and vpon a faire gréene place in the waie as they came, digged a hole, and therein pitched the stake, and fastned the prisoner therunto, who came thether in this sort: shee being stripped out of her clothes in the prisō before she came forth, had nothing vpon her but a wide frocke downe to her foote, made of course canuas, gathered about the wristes, with an olde neckinger about her necke, and a faire ker­cher vppon her head, about her necke there was a long yron chaine fastned, whereby she was lead, and came wallowing like a Beare to the stake, according to her ordinarie vse of going when she was in seruice. And beeing fastned to the stake with two yron chaines, réeds were set round about her, and faggots of very day stickes planted by them, in which shee was wholy incompassed, and nothing to be seen of her roūd about, but only her face, on one side the reedes looking forth. And so with as much speed as might be, after the mi­nisters [Page 7] had persuaded her to call vppon God, and to arme her self with patience, and not to feare death, with other good admonitions for her soules health. Hauing saide the Lordes praier, & asked God & al the world forgiuenes, the reeds were set on fire first vnderneath hir with a Linke, & then round about her, wher­of the reedes and dry faggots tooke speedie hold, and so soone as she felt the force & fierce­nes of the fire to touch hir, she cried out twice saying, alasse, alasse, and hauing called vppon God, euen in short space the smoke and vapor of the fire choked hir, that she was soone dead, and so continued in the fire vntil she was con­sumed to ashes. Now forsomuch as the most part of people coulde neither see the prisoner, nor knowe the true circumstaunce of her of­fence, whereby her death iustly ensued, it is thought conuenient that the same be here ex­pressed, to the intent she may bee an example to others to auoide the like wickednes.

This person whome I can neither call by the name of maide, wife nor widowe, for that she was neuer maried, and yet hath had three or foure children, did remain in and about the Borough of Southwarke a long time, and was when she died about two & forty yeeres of age, and about two yeeres since came into the seruice of one Lewes Bell a Water-man [Page 8] dwelling on the banke side néere the Clinke, he beeing a man of good reputation & calling, and one that hath borne the most part of offi­ces to be borne among the inhabitants there­about, and before she came into this mannes seruice, she had dwelt with a Mistres within Chain-gate, whom she robbed of ten pounds, yet conuaied it so secretly, as she went vnsu­spected for the same: she heing new come into the seruice of the said Bell, who had an honest aged woman to his wife then liuing, which this wicked person soone dispatched with poi­son, wherof shortly after her mistres died, and nothing sayd nor suspected. This was about two yeres since. After this, as some saith, she perswaded her selfe, that her maister woulde haue married her, which he neuer promised to do, nor intended anie such matter towardes her, neither was there anie reason he shoulde so do, because she was ill fauoured, vnhand­some, and foolish, her looks were crabbed, her behauiour vnseemly, and in qualities sluttish: yet inwardly subtill, so that about Midsom­mer last her maister married a widow, being a very honest and comely woman, and of rea­sonable yeeres, whom as it seemeth, this bad creature secretly enuied for marrying hir ma­ster, and shortly after this woman sel sicke in verie grieuous sort, & lay languishing a long [Page 9] time of the saide disease, which in deede was poisoned potage, wherof she did eate but a lit­tle, wherevpon her eies watered grieuously, and her stomacke was very ill. This woman had two wenches in the house dwelling with her, the yonger of them séeing her mistres set by the potage, tooke them and did eate them, whereof soone after she swelled vpward in the throate and so died. This was about Saint Iames tide last. The bigger girle hauing had some tast of the same, sickned also, so that the haire fell off from her head, and broke out in verie ill fauoured sort, but being strong of na­ture escaped death. All which notwithstan­ding, there arose no doubte nor suspition of poisoning, by her to be attempted, vntil about Barthelmew tide following, at which time her mistres being recouered of her grieuous and strange disease, tooke occasion to put her awaie, willing her to prouide for her self, and so she did. Whereupon on the daie before, she should departe from her said mistres seruice, she hauing carried awaie all her apparell and furniture, promised that night to come and sup with her master and mistres, and to giue them a posset: she being departed, there was missed the summe of fifteene shillings, which by her had beene taken forth of a cubborde: Whereupon the good man sent his wife to [Page 10] séeke hir, whom with much a doe she brought home, where the good man in searching her, found the most part of his wiues monie, and besides, found a paper of poison in her bosom, which he did not know to be poison, vntyll one of his neighbours being a Surgion, was sent for to sée the same, who tolde him that it was poison, and although they did demand of her to what vse she bought or kept it, yet would she not confesse the same, vntill they brought her before a Iustice, to whom with much a do, & the secret working of Almighty God, who wold haue the truth of such wickednes come to light, she confessed as followeth. First, that she had with poison murdered her olde mistres, about Saint Andrews tide was twelue moneth. Item, that she had once at­tempted to murther her mistres now beeing, with poison, whereof she sel sicke, but recoue­red againe, by giuing her poison in a messe of pottage. Item, that her mistres eating but two or thrée spoonefulls of the said potage, did set them by and would eate no more, and then the yonger wench in the house did eate vp the rest of the sayd pottage, and soone after dyed thereof. Item, she confessed that she had ta­ken ten pounds from hir mistres that she ser­ued before within Chaine-gate, and that shee had dispersed the same, and lent it foorth to [Page 11] sundrie persons. She also confessed that shee had taken the sayde fiftéene shillings foorth of her mistres cubbord, by taking her key from vnder her beds head when she was a sleepe. And lastly being demanded what her intent was to do with that poison, which was found about her, she confessed that her intent and meaning was euen that night to haue poiso­ned her mistres, by putting the same poison into the posset which was promised to be ea­ten at her mistres house that night. Where­of must néeds haue ensued farre greater dan­ger both to her mistres, & to her master, with the rest of the householde, had not God verie miraculously, as you haue heard before pre­uented it.

Thus haue you hearde howe the deuill wrought with this wicked creature from time to time. First he allured her by idlenesse and fleshly desires to become incontinent, and to leade a verie loose and lasciuious life, by ha­uing one childe after another, and yet neuer married nor liuing satisfied, but liued lyke a dog that stil returned to his olde vomit. Here­vpon a couetous desire of wealth made her pilfer and picke from one mistres and then from another, so that for want of the feare of God, one sinne tooke hold of another, and for­ced her to murther an honest olde woman [Page 12] with poison, and so from her to another, see­king to worke confusion vpon confusion, vn­till God by his wonderfull prouidence did bring the same to light, and forced her owne heart and tongue to reueale her abhominable wickednes, onely to bring her selfe to shame and confusion, which by sentence of iustice was compassed, who awarded her due iudg [...]ment agréeable to her wicked deserts.