Articles ministred by His Majesties commissioners for causes ecclesiasticall, presented to the high court of Parliament against John Gwin, vicar of Cople in the county of Bedford wherein is discovered his lascivious wenching, drunkenesse and wanton life and most vild and unbecoming courses, most unfit for his function.

Articles ministred by His Majesties commissioners for causes ecclesiasticall, presented to the high court of Parliament against John Gwin, vicar of Cople in the county of Bedford wherein is discovered his lascivious wenching, drunkenesse and wanton life and most vild and unbecoming courses, most unfit for his function.

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Title page

ARTICLES Ministred by his Majesties Commissioners, for causes Ecclesiasticall: presented to the High Court of Parliament, against Iohn Gwin, Vicar of Cople, in the County of Bedford.

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ARTICLES Ministred by his Majesties Commissioners, for causes Ecclesiasticall: presented to the High Court of Parliament, against Iohn Gwin, Vicar of Cople, in the County of Bedford.

1. THat the said Iohn Gwin hath bin, and is a common frequenter of Alehouses, Taverns, and other tipling houses, and a man given to immoderate, and excessive drinking, and hath beene divers times so distempered, and overcome therewith, that he hath beene scarce able to stand or goe, but like a drunkard, hath reeled up and downe, and having necklected his stody in Divinity; hath spent his time in carousing and drinking Ale, Beere and Tobacco the most part of the wecke in tipling houses, and upon the Lords day hath there sat untill 10.11.12. or a clock at night.

2 That the said Iohn Gwin is much given to quarrelling, and brawling, especially at the alehouse, and in such quarrelling hath hurt his owne brother, Henry Gwin; with his weapon.

3. That he hath committed the hanous crime of [Page] Adultery with the wife of Robert Purser, and had the carnall use of her body.

And hee hath divers times gloryed and boasted of such his wickednesse, and incontinency with the said Pursers wife, and hath reported it to divers persons, that he hath had the carnall use of her body in the said Pursers Hall, where her husband himselfe sate by the fire side in the Kitchin, or to that effect.

4 Vpon the Lords Day in the morning, the said Iohn Gwin went from his owne house, to the Parish of Wootten, to one Fowcks his house: where hee continued in company with the said Foowcks his wifes sister, the most part of the said day, and did not goe to Church at all that day:

And he then, and there, and at other times also, had the carnall use of her body, and did commit Adultery with her.

And he hath in a glorying manner boasted divers times, that he hath layne with her, and that he had given her all the money that he sold his Corne for, which grew in Brooks field, or to that effect.

5. Upon the Fayre day held at Bedford, he the said Iohn Gwin, being at one Peries house, and there espying Mary, and Dorathy the daughters of Iohn Davy standing in the street, did send for them, to come to him, and he did drink [Page] with them 4. s. or 5. s. in wine, and having so done, he tooke occasion to send away the said Mary and all other company, save onely the said Dorothy and then, and there, not having the feare of God before his eyes, he did commit the hainous crime of Adultery incontinently with her, the said Dorothy Davis, in the said Petties house, and immediately after the said Mary came back againe into the roome to him, and then he took occasion to send away the said Dorothie, and all other, save onely the said Mary, and then, & there he did attempt the chastity of the said mary, and pulled up her cloathes, and offered to commit the hainous Crime of Adultery, incontinently with her, and forced her to cry out for helpe.

And he hath divers times boasted in a glorying manner, that he hath laine with the said Dorathy the time aforesaid, and that he attempted to have laine with the said Mary, and to be naught with her, but that he could not enter her body.

And that the said Mary cryed out and sayd, ah master, what will you doe, will you undoe me: or to that effect.

6. One of good quality came to his house in a morning; (his wife and he being then in bed together) and the said Gentleman being come into his chamber, desiring him to arise, and goe with him a little way, then the said Iohn Gwin made answere that he must stay a little for him, for I must have a bout with my wife quoth he, meaning he would first have the use of her body. Then and there in the presence of that person the said Iohn Gwin did in a shameles [Page] & in an impudent maner get up upon his wife, & had the carnall use of her body in the presence of the said person, who was a gentleman of good quality, and ashamed thereat; and he hath divers times since (in a glorying manner) boastingly reported, that hee then lay with, and had the carnall use of his wives body.

7 He hath so heynously committed the heynous crime of adultery with divers women, that hee got the loathsome Disease of the French Pox, or at least, the running of the reyns, which he hath divers times confessed that he got with lying by a whore at Bedford: but he said, that hee would tell his wife, he got it some other way.

8 He hath indeavoured to be a Bawd to his own wife, and hath given way, that a gentleman of his acquaintance should lye with his wife, and have the carnall use of her body. And upon a morning he put on a red coat, & a culler'd hat belonging to a gentleman, and went with the same upon him a good distance from his own house; and at one John Braces in Cople aforesaid, cocked his hat, and asked the said Brace how he liked him in that habit: and hee said to him that he had left the gentleman (whose cloaths he had then on) at home in bed with his wife, and that his wife was giving him a posset (meaning thereby that she was committing the act of Adultery with him.)

9 That the said Iohn Gwin, together with one Iohn Patman being the house of one Brace in Cople aforesaid sitting by the fire side, and hoving their drinke about them, did sing lascivious prhfaine, and drunken catches; and after in a profaine manner did sing the Lateny or part thereof with a loud voyce: beginning, O [Page]God the Father of Heaven, have mercy upon us miserable sinners. &c.

And so went on his companion Patman, answering every versicle, as the Clarke useth to doe in the church: after that, he sung other prophane, & idle caths, to the scandal of the profession of his calling, and the evill example of others.

10 That the said Iohn Gwin did write foolish scorrilous lines against authority, and went forth of the church, whilst the people was in singing of a Psalme, to the whipping post, and there fixed the said verses to the said whipping post.

11. He hath divers, and sundry times, both publickly, and privately, and in his Sermons, and elsewhere, without any just cause, inveyed, and rayled against divers of his Parishioners.

12 He hath changed and altered, both the Form and sense of the Psalmes, at divers times, when hee hath read them to the people to sing, turning them to his owne purpose, at his owne pleasure.

13 That all, and singular, the premises mentioned in the precedent Articles, were, and are true, publick, and notorious: and thereupon, rhere hath bin, & is, a publick voyce, fame, and Report, both in the Parish of Cople aforesaid, and other Parishes & places, thereunto neere adjoyning, and that by reason of the premises; and especially, of his wicked, deboyst, lascivious, and incontinent course of life▪ he hath bin, and is a shame, and scandall to the Ministry, and to his profession and calling. And so generally accounted, reputed, and taken to bee,

FINIS.

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ARTICLES MINISTRED By His MAJESTIES Commissioners. For Causes Ecclesiasticall. Presented to the High Court of Parliament against John Gwin, Vicar of Cople in the County of Bedford. Wherein is discovered his lascivious wenching, Drunkennesse, and wanton life, and most vild, and unbecomming courses, most unfit for his Function.

Hush, Hush,

Cuckoo.

Gwin, guin,

London Printed for Ʋ. Ʋ. 1641.

Information about this book

Title statement

Articles ministred by His Majesties commissioners for causes ecclesiasticall, presented to the high court of Parliament against John Gwin, vicar of Cople in the county of Bedford wherein is discovered his lascivious wenching, drunkenesse and wanton life and most vild and unbecoming courses, most unfit for his function.

Gwin, John, b. 1605, defendant.

Edition statement

1641

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2009-03 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A42368

ID [STC]

Wing G2281

ID [STC]

ESTC R8247

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

12817044

ID [OCLC]

ocm 12817044

ID [VID]

94163

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Early English books online.

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(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A42368)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 94163)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 256:E177, no 20)

Source

— Articles ministred by His Majesties commissioners for causes ecclesiasticall, presented to the high court of Parliament against John Gwin, vicar of Cople in the county of Bedford wherein is discovered his lascivious wenching, drunkenesse and wanton life and most vild and unbecoming courses, most unfit for his function., Gwin, John, b. 1605, defendant..

Extent

[7] p.

Printed for V. V.,. London :: 1641.. (Title vignette.) (Reproduction of original in Thomason Collection, British Library.)

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