A true reporte or description of an horrible, wofull, and moste lamentable murther, doen in the citie of Bristowe by one Ihon Kynnestar, a Sherman by his occupation, declaryng howe wickedly he murthered his owne wife, in the monethe of August laste paste, and beying taken, was hāged the same moneth 1572 and now newly set forth in print the .xxv daie of the monethe of Ianuary. 1573.
¶At London By Henry Kirkham.
¶These bee the witnesses that this is true.
- Thomas Pepper
- Dauie Floyde,
- VVillyam welche.
- Richard Barwicke vicare of the Temple in Bristowe.
AS I a slepe in bedde did lye,
In a stormie and windie night:
I hard a voice full loude did crie,
Beholde a dolefull sight.
A woman here lieth dedde on grounde,
God knoweth here I dead haue her found,
Drawe nere and see her deadly wounde,
Whiche greuous is to me:
Beholde he saied, and cried faste,
She is out of a windowe caste,
The people then in all the haste,
Drewe nere that facte to see.
And I drewe nere emong the reste,
This vglie sight to vewe:
Alas I sawe it was no geste,
His saiynges was to true.
For there the corps of one laie dedde,
At night she merie went to bedde,
But now the peoples eyes she fedde,
As she laie on the grounde,
I musyng how this facte might bee,
One saied, O man doest thou not see,
It is her husbandes worke truely,
That hath giuen her deathes wounde.
Then for her husbande I did call,
And asked where he might bee:
No newes of hym there was at all,
For no man did hym see.
Then to his doore I did procede,
In all the haste I knockt with spede,
Then came he forthe that did the deede,
He knewe it was not well,
And when he came he was agaste,
Because he heard me knocke so faste,
Where is thy wife, I askte at laste,
Saied he I can not tell.
I tooke hym then faste by the arme,
His wife to hym did showe:
I askte of hym who was the same,
Saied he, I doe not knowe,
O man saied I, were thou distracte,
When thou committest this wicked facte,
If thou haddest tolde, what was thy lacke,
Or opened once thy mynde,
If thou to God haddest often praied
On thee had neuer come this daie,
Come man with me, thou must awaie,
Leaue house and gooddes behynde.
Then to the Sherief I hym brought,
Within a little space:
And by the waie I hym besought,
To call to God for grace.
Saiyng thou hast not long to leue,
Wherefore the self to praier geue,
From God see nothyng thee remeue,
But in hym put thy truste,
The Sherief beyng scarcely raied,
To here this facte, was halfe dismaied,
Game forthe, and to this man he saied,
To prison now thou muste.
I tooke hym then faste by the hande.
Awaie with hym I went:
Thou kildest thy wife, I vnderstande,
Tell me for what intente.
Was there betwene you suche debate,
That in thy harte sprong mortall hate,
For to kill her that was thy mate,
The deuill was greate in thee.
His wordes thei were to me againe,
This mynde in me did long remaine,
She is now rewarded for her paine,
That she hath doen to me.
But yet I askt hym this before,
Saiyng, some doeth beare in hande,
Thou haste money, and that good store,
Let me it vnderstande.
That parte of it maie now thee helpe,
While thou art in this miserie,
Where it doeth lye, therefore tell me,
Giue some before thou dye,
If I should neuer goe here hence.
I haue no more but one fiue pence,
That God doth knowe, who is my defence
I speake vnfainedly.
Vnto the place I brought hym then,
Imprisoned for to bee:
And this I saied to hym againe,
Loe here now thou maiest see.
In prison here thou shalbe caste,
In yron colde thou shalbe faste,
Cause of the deede that doen thou haste,
Whiche greuous is to see.
But how that thou diddest kill thy wife,
Was it with dagger or with knife,
Or how thou tookest awaie her life,
I praie thee tell it me.
Seyng you request so earnestly,
The truthe of me to knowe,
I will it tell you certainly,
And all thyng to you showe.
This night before we were merie,
As any man and wife could be:
And that the neighbours did vs see,
Betwene vs was no strife,
And after I had slept a while,
I did not thinke her yet to spoile,
Till in my head was put this stile,
A rise goe kill thy wife.
Then was I in a marueilous rage,
I could not long lye still,
Ther was nothyng my wrath could swage
But I must worke my will.
Then from my wife there did I goe,
Recountyng her to be my foe,
Wherefore I thought to worke her woe,
What meane you man she saied,
And if thou be a very man,
Tell me whether thou doest goe than,
My aunswere was, I will come anan,
It forceth not to thee.
Then doune I went immediately,
To the haule I did procede:
I knowyng where the knife did lye,
The whiche should doe the deede.
When in my hande I had it take,
I of her death accoumpte did make,
Came vp and sodainly her strake,
In bedde where she did lye.
And when she felt her fleshe so smarte,
Out of the bedde anone she starte.
O man saied she. you haue perced my hart,
That I am like to dye.
Yet for all that I did not leaue,
But wounded her in deede,
Her woundes I could not well perceiue,
But as I felte them bleede.
Alas she saied, no more, O man,
For Christes sake now holde thy hande,
I am nere death, I vnderstande,
Sweete man no more, she cried.
But when she sawe no remedie,
O man she saied, God forgeue thee,
And Christ take mercie vpon me,
And so fell doune and died.
A candle then in all the hast,
I went to light with speede,
For sorowes none my harte did taste,
For all my wicked deede.
If light I could haue gotte at all,
My neighbours in I would haue call,
To see what had betwene vs fall,
My wife there dedde should see.
But seyng that I no light could gette,
Into the bedde againe I lepte,
Thinkyng a while for to to haue slept,
Alas it would not be.
A thousāde thoughtes came in my minde
My wittes were not myne owne,
To seé how blouddely I was fedde,
With seedes whiche the diuell had sowen,
For then my wife on grounde laie dedde,
Before a slepe she was on bedde,
And yet my mynde was alwaies ledde,
Against her for to be.
For I no sorrowe yet did taste,
Rose vp againe in all the hast,
Out at a windowe I her cast,
Cause people should her see.
O what a harte man hadst thou,
To wound thy wife so sore,
A wound or twoo had bene enow,
If it had been no more.
But all the while she was aliue,
Thou neuer ceasest but still did striue,
Till she had twentie wounds and fiue,
Whiche one her all were tolde,
After that I had once begonne,
Greate hast I made till I had doen,
Thereby my death I haue now wonne,
That all men maie beholde.
Then was he brought vnto the hall,
For to receaue his meede,
And there by name they did hym call.
Touchyng his wicked deede,
One saide to hym holde vp thy hande,
Thou kildest thy wife I vnderstande,
How saiest, is it true, speake O man,
Art thou giltie, yea or no.
It was my deede I not deny,
Wherefore good people praie for me,
He to the iudge againe did saie,
Giltie the trouth is so.
The iudge then iudgement on him gaue
And saied now thou must dye:
Worse death thou hast deserued to haue,
But take this paciently.
From whence againe thou shalt retourne,
Vnto the place from whence thou come,
With these thy fellowes all and some,
That were so leudely ledde,
To Mighels hille, then thou shalt procede,
There for to receiue thy meede,
Because thou diddest a wicked deede,
Hang there till thou be dedde.
When to his death then that he went,
The preacher went hym by,
Exhortyng hym, saiyng repent,
Prepare thy self to dye.
This worlde now that thou must leaue,
And that thou seest and well perceiue,
God will thy soule no doubt receiue,
For all this wicked deede.
Trust then in Christ saued to be,
Beleue I saie, that onely he,
Thy wickednesse hath forgiue thee,
He hath it so decreed.
But when he came vnto the place,
In deede where he should die:
One saied, beholde the ende and race,
Of all thy miserie.
Anon thy soule in heauen shalbe,
Where thou shalt God beholde and see,
With greate ioye and felicitie,
Feare not to die therefore,
There sainctes and angels doeth still syng,
We praise the lorde our heauenly kyng,
And then with them thou shalt begin,
To praise hym euermore.
Finis.
ꝙ D. S.
¶An admonishment of the same.
YE that on yearth with liuely sence,
are now adorned right:
Perpende and notifie this facte,
expressed here in sight.
He bare the name of honestie,
as by his outwarde showe.
Appered no lesse, for but a fewe,
[Page] the contrarie did knowe:
Yet in his harte such deadly sinne,
for want of seruyng God.
There did remaine that vainly he,
did nought regarde his Rodde:
And as a stock whiche outwardly,
is trim bedeckt with Golde.
Beset with pearles and precious stones,
yea more then twentie folde:
But yet within is nothyng els,
but Timber rough and plaine:
Euen so was he a persone light,
and of opinion vaine.
As by his deades it doeth appeare,
the greater is my care:
That suche as Christians haue to name,
should so with sinne compare.
Therefore let al men take good heede
how they doe leade their life:
And how thei doe behaue them selues,
in liuyng with their wife.
If that thou canst not well agree,
with her and with her vse:
Or if thou doest perceiue and see,
her self she doeth abuse.
[Page] Admonishe her the contrarie,
if that will not preuaile:
Doe separate thy self from her,
suche grudgyngs for to quaile.
Tis better that thou liue alone,
in peace and so to rest:
Then for to greeue thee with thy wife,
or yet thy self molest.
If this vnrighteous persone here,
had followed this aduise:
To slaie his wife from out his bedde,
he would not seme to rise.
But Sathan who had hym subdued,
did egge hym to the same:
That he obliuious of the Lorde,
did nothyng waigh the shame.
That would ensue, nor yet the woe,
wherein he should remaine:
But rashly did put forthe hym self,
with Sathan for to raine.
A lamentable case it is,
for any christian harte:
To thinke that he a Christian should,
so rudely plaie his parte.
And yelde hym self as Sathans thrall,
[Page] who ought in deede by right:
To be his foe, and also vnder,
Christ his Banour fight.
For Sathan roareth vp and doune
as Lions for their praie:
Sekyng whom he maie deuour,
and bryng vnto decaie.
If we did well remember this,
or beare it in our braine:
We would not séeme to grée vnto,
such fancies fonde and vaine.
But we are so be witched still,
with diuelishe operation:
That in the end it bringeth nought
vnto vs but damnation.
Exāple well your selues with this
same tyraunts doyng here:
And iudge if any feare of God,
in hym there did appeare.
[...]f none, why then shunne you thesame
and learne to mende your misse,
That after death you maie remaine,
in comfortable blisse.
And serue the Lorde in holines,
and puritie of life:
[Page] That euery man maie [...]
his family and wife.
And that there maie suche vnitte;
appere betwine the [...] swaine:
That God maie still be glorified,
where glorious he doth raigne.
God graunt vs all to folowe this,
and then we maie be sure [...]
With God the son and holy ghost,
for euer to endure.
Vnto the whiche I saie amen,
and so let all the rest:
That loue the lorde and feare his name,
for so I thinke it best.
Psalme. xxv:
All the waies of the Lorde are verie mercie, and faithfulnes vnto suche as keepe hi [...] Testament and couenaunt.
Psalme. xxviij.
Recompence them after the workes of th [...] handes, and paie theim that they ha [...] deserued.
Finis
ꝙ Iude Smith.