old man was fo ftruck with grief and forrow, that he could hardly prevail with himfelf to enter her apartment; but at length, being defirous of having the truth, he ventured to go in, and in the most tender manner imaginable conjured her to tell him the truth of the whole matter; for he fhould never reft, unless the difclofed what she knew concerning the murder of her aunt. She faid in the moft folemn manner, Dear Father, I am not guilty in any degree of this murder, as I hope for falvation from God Almighty: It was four men that broke into the houfe backwards, and dragged my aunt out of the wash-houfe, and cut her throat; the bruites on thefe poor fingers I got by fhutting the street-door after me when I ran out to call the neighbours; as for the cut on my wrift, that was done by one of the men in the struggle. I would fcorn to tell you a lye, and, was I to die this night for it, I could fay no more.'

Her father vifited her the day following, with two clergymen, who prayed with her for fome time, and the made the fame declaration to them as she had to her father. She was afterwards daily vifited by her father, fo long as his business would permit him to tarry in London; and fle, by many affeverations, denying the murder, the old man at last was inclinable to think her innocent; though he faid it was very extraordinary that his daughter fhould deny the murder, when fo many concurring circumtances appeared against her, and not one in her favour.

When the father took his laft farewel, the appeared in fome agony on his departure, but in a very short time recovered herfelf. She always lived very fparingly, and could not be prevailed on to drink any thing with the people who came out of curiofity to fee her.

The tenth day of her confinement she had an iron put on her left leg, to try if that would make any impreffion upon her; but it had no manner of effect, the appear. ing and behaving juft the fame as the had done from the beginning; and said she did not mind her fetters, as the was an innocent woman, and hoped it would be found out in a very short time who were the perfons that were the caufe of the misfortunes and forrows that the suffered.

About a fortnight after her commitment fhe was feized with a flight indifpofition, which continued a few days: During her illness, a Gentleman belonging to the gaol carried up to her a piece of cake and a glafs of wine; but the refused to taste any thing; and, the Gentleman offering to falute her, the pushed him from her, faying,

You

shall not kiss me now; you shall stay till 1 come under the gallows.'

When a fetter was first put upon her leg, fhe pretended to faint away, but foon recovered herself; a relation of her's, ftanding by, told her, if she had well confidered of what he was about to do, and not liftened to the feducements and inftigations of the devil, he would not be under fuch affliction.

Well, Sir, faid the, let me hear no reflection from you; I think I am already sufficiently punished, and, God knows my heart, I do not deferve it.'

This night he went to bed, seeming to be greatly difcompofed, but in the morning her forrows feemed to diffipate; for, when the turnkey went up to unlock the apartment where she was confined, she told him that he had nurfed a pretty baby all night, and hoped he would ftand goffip to it, for the intended to name it Tommy, in regard to an old fweetheart of her's. The man imagined her frantic, and asked her what he meant. She then fhewed him her iron, and faid that was the baby she had been hugging all night.

The turnkey told her, that he was forry to hear such loose and ludicrous expreffions from a woman in her circumstances; at the fame time urging her to have more ferious thoughts, and to confider what a woeful scene fhe had to undergo, and in a very short time too. She paid very little regard to his remonfrances, as he did to all the good advice that was given her. In fhort, fhe was the boldest of any one of the women prifoners that were confined in the gaol.

Some time before the affizes fhe ordered a fuit of mourning to be made, in which the intended to take her trial; but did not make the lealt preparation for it, well knowing fhe could fay but little in her defence that would avail her.

On Wednesday, the 29th of March, she was carried in a common waggon, with the other prifoners, from the New Gaol to Kingfton upon Thames; and it was expected that her trial would come on the Friday following; but, the King's Council being engaged in caufes on the Nifi prius fide, the trial was deferred till Saturday morning, and fhe was put to the bar a little before eight, and convicted and condemned between twelve and one at noon.

It is remarkable, that during the whole time of her trial fhe never changed countenance, or feemed in the leaft affected before that awful Court of Justice; in which many perfons of fashion were affembled. When the bloody knife, apron, cap, and watch were produced, though the whole Court feemed greatly fhocked, and tears

trickled

writings afterwards published against it, to demonstrate its falfhood.

While there things were tranfacted, the King was by no means at ease. The plot (of which he was fufpected to be the author, at least in what concerned the government and religion) and the impeachment against the Earl of Danby, which intirely reflected upon him, could not but greatly perplex him. To divert a little these fufpicions, he published, the beginning of January (1678-9) feveral proclamations against the Papifts, who, immediately after the prorogation of the Parliament, were returned to London and Westminster. By another proclamation, he recalled all his fubjects from the foreign feminaries; but these were remedies little capable of curing the people's fufpicions and fears.

About this time, was discovered a college of Jefuits at Lower-Come, in Herefordhire. Moreover, a fresh witnefs appeared, one Stephen Dugdale, who pretended to make new difcoveries in the plot, and accufed five Jefuits and one prieft. This obliged the King to publish a new proclamation against Evers, Gawen, Vavafor alias Gifford, Levifon, Jesuits, and Broadstreet, a priest; with a promife of a hundred peunds to any that should apprehend Evers, and fifty pounds for each of the reft.

Mean while, as the time for the meeting of the Parliament approached, the King, perceiving that, in the prefent difpofition of The Commons, he fhould receive no advan. tage from them, but rather new mortifications, on the 24th of January diffolved this Parliament by proclamation, promising withal to iffue out writs for the calling of a new Parliament the 6th of March following. Thus ended the Long Parliament, which had continued almost eighteen years, and had been, for twelve years, fo favourable to the King. Never Parliament had been fo liberal to any King, or carried the prerogative higher. If Charles II. had not purfued methods fo contrary to the interefts of the Kingdom, he would never have lost the affection of this Parliament, which ftudied only to please him, and give him the most effectual proofs of their zeal. But when, in procefs of time, they difcovered, that the King had ill defigns against the government and the established religion; which he had fufficiently fhewn by his two wars against Holland, and his intimate union with France; they began to contider him as an enemy to the State, whofe defigns and mea. fures were to be broken. The letters, produced by Mr. Montague in the Parliament, fully convinced the most incredulous, thạt

the King was a penfioner of France, facrificed the intereft of England to Crown. It is therefore no wonder, the Parliament credited the difcovery plot, which, as fo natural a confequenc the King's defigns, was now intirely belie Indeed, the firft article of this plot, cerning the killing of the King, migh doubtful and uncertain; wherefore Parliament willingly left it to the deci of the Courts of justice. But the two relating to render the King absolute, fubverting the established religion, net no other proofs than thofe the King given. Befides, the Duke of York b a profeffed Papist, and having a great fluence in the King's counfels, it was difficult to conceive, that, he being fu zealot for his religion, he would lofe no cafion of promoting it; and this his Sec tary's letters plainly demonstrated. Ind this Parliament was composed chiefly of r Epifcopalians, who, perhaps, cannot be dicated in their perfecution of the Presby rians; but, however, they were not i ling to facrifice the Proteftant religion, the liberties of the nation, to their paff against Presbyterianism. From hence fl ed the quarrels between the King and Parliament, the mortifications fo frequer given him, and his diffolution of it at l though he had in it fo many creatu purchased either with ready money or p fions. It is not therefore strange, that King fhould defire to be rid of a Par ment, from which he could expect no i ther benefit; but he flattered himself in v with having another more favourable, will hereafter appear.

Upon the 25th of January, the King fued out writs for the new election, wł put the whole nation into a ferment. It h pened to the King, on this occafion, a had happened to his father: The peop being difcontented with the Court, and of fufpicions and fears, affected to chufel prefentatives the most averse to Popery arbitrary government; and as the Hi church-men had been, for feveral year: little too strongly attached to the King, had, in the last Parliament, passed acts raise the Royal power higher than ever, people in general were not for trusting t interefts in fuch hands. On the other f the Prefbyterians, though long oppre were ftill numerous in the corporations that, by the fuperiority of their votes, t commonly carried the elections in favou their own party, or, at least, of men who only outwardly conformed to the Churc Eugland. In a word, when the rent

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