Murder will out being a relation of the late Earl of Essex's ghost appearing to my Lord Chancellor in the Tower.

Murder will out being a relation of the late Earl of Essex's ghost appearing to my Lord Chancellor in the Tower.

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Murder will Out: Being a Relation of the Late Earl of Eſſex Ghoſt Appearing to my Lord Chancellor in the TOWER.

Murder will Out: Being a Relation of the Late Earl of Eſſex Ghoſt Appearing to my Lord Chancellor in the TOWER.

[Page]

Chanc.

WHat means this thick ill-ſcented Miſt? What Noiſe is that? Who's there? Ah! Lightning, and at this Cold Seaſon! Confuſion! What's that I ſee? Bleſs me! I ſhall learn to Pray if this continues: Heavens! A Man in my Chamber at this time of Night! I am loſt! undone! 'tis my Executioner! Speak what! what want'ſt thou? Stay, ſure I ſhould know that Face, pale as it is! See! he approaches! he beckons! aſſiſt me this time, Hell and Impudence! I'll ſtand, ſince I am prepar'd for the worſt that Fare can offer! Ha! by that Razor it muſt be he, 'tis Eſſex! See! he knows his Name! he comes up! Speak! ſpeak! VVhat wilt thou?

Ghoſt.

Yes, 'tis I, the moſt Unfortunate Eſſex! VVell, reſtleſs Syſiphus, will thy unbounded Malice ne're have an end? Thou haſt bin the common troubler of Mankind all thy Life; and now thou art contriving a Legacy; which, like Pandora's Box, will leave them all in a freſh confuſion at thy Death,

Ch.

Your Ghoſtſhip takes a Liberty which your Lordſhip would have forbore: But why Syſiphus, pray Sir? have I, like him, roul'd my Stone in vain? Shall one little misfortune blaſt the Glory of all my former Triumphs? Have my Projects been uſeleſs, or my Malice ineffectual? VVhy, this very Minute am I upon a deſign ſhall not only re-purchaſe my loſt Liberty and Honors, but, like the Gordian Knot, ſhall puzzle the wiſeſt of their Heads to unfold it.

Gh.

Horror and Confuſion! Thou mak'ſt me, though a Ghoſt, tremble at thy Prodigious Impudence. Are not thy Eyes then, Curſt wretch, already ſatisfied with thy yet reaking Weſtern Cruelties, nor thy Ears tired with the hollow Groans of the Fatherleſs and VViddows? Could not thy boundleſs ſwelling Thoughts of falſe vain Glory, fix in the Enjoyment of Riches and Honors, without thy Prodigious Contrivances to diſturb the Peace of all the Chriſtian World? VVhat would'ſt thou have, or whether would'ſt thou tend? haſt thou no remorſe for thy poor Oppreſſed Country, nor care for thy own future welfare? VVill neither paſt Examples, nor preſent Dangers warn thee of the miſerable Eſtate of thoſe who ſerve the ends of wicked Men? Look here wretch, (ſhewing him his Throat) and tremble at the Fate of thoſe, who have forſaken God, Conſcience, and Reaſon to lay the bloody Foundation of an unſtable Glory: Remember Eſſex, wretch, remember Eſſex.

Cha.

This Advice, my Lord, runs very contrary at leaſt to all the latter Tranſactions of your Life. Is it poſſible then that the Grave can have ſuch a ſtrong Operation upon a Mans Fancy, and in ſo little a time alter his Opinion? You Dy'd, with Submiſſion to your Lordſhip, in the general Opinion, more apprehenſive of a ſhameful Puniſhment, than penitent for your objected Crimes.

Gh.

VVhat! dar'ſt thou then mock my Miſery? Art thou alone of all the Kingdom Ignorant of the bloody Circumſtances of my Death? Tremble, and think what Thou may'ſt yet endure. Beware thoſe means thou uſeſt for thy Safety, prove not thy utmoſt Danger. I fondly Dreamt, Confeſſion and Diſcovery would melt the Sword of Juſtice into Mercy: But ah! that Charm that lull'd the wrath of my Offended Maſter, waken'd the Fears and Malice of my more powerful Foes: An Iriſh Ruſſian, and a dread Command, ſoon let me know my Error Fear and Repentance are not ſafe to be truſted with a Prince's Secrets: Nor had Coleman bin ventur'd to the place of Execution, but that they found a way to ſend him off between Jeſt and Earneſt.

Cha.

I muſt confeſs, under the Roſe, my Lord, 'twas generally whiſper'd, more Hands than your own were employ'd to ſign your Paſs; but as the Circumſtances of Time and Perſons are altered, I have reaſon to hope for better ſucceſs. My Crimes are indeed every way Superiour, and my deſigns more Barbarous; I have had Murders, Fellons, and Treaſons as my Boſom Friends: I have Laught and Ridiculed all fear of God; and to my Ambition and Covetouſneſs; have, without the leaſt remorſe, Sacrificed the Laws and Liberties of my Native Country; nay, being not content with the preſent fraud and oppreſſion I encouraged, I have, (oh Prodigie!) endeavoured to entail Slavery and Popery on the Kingdom for ever. 'Twas I alone could ſwear the reaking Circumſtances of our Young Perkin; 'twas I alone promoted and ſet up that Antichriſtian Court of Eccleſiaſtical Commiſſion, to Scourge the Clergy and Haraſs the People; 'twas I alone could reſolve all the known Ancient, fixt and Fundamental Laws of the Kingdom into the Arbitrary will of the King: You may talk of Iriſh Ruſſians, and French Dragoons, Popiſh Conſpiracies, and Private Aſſaſſins, I think I have bid as fair for my Honor and Cauſe as any of them; If that Puny Raſcal that burnt a Heatheniſh Temple at Epheſus, could hope to be fam'd to Poſterity, What may not I expect, that have already ſorely ſhaken and endeavour'd the final deſtruction of the Church of God! I have out-done Nero or Ravilliac, Jacques Clement, or Maſſianello.

He was running on in an extravagant Deſcription of his Cruelties and VVickedneſs, had not the Ghoſt, with a frown full of Horror, (being as it ſeem'd diſpleas'd with his proceedings) put a ſtop to his diſcourſe, and being about to make anſwer, the Cock Crew, at which the Ghoſt ſeem'd affrighted, and without ſaying more, than Remember Eſſex, it vaniſhed.

Information about this book

Title statement

Murder will out being a relation of the late Earl of Essex's ghost appearing to my Lord Chancellor in the Tower.

Edition statement

1683

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2009-03 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A51612

ID [STC]

Wing M3091

ID [STC]

ESTC R2014

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

12369386

ID [OCLC]

ocm 12369386

ID [VID]

60525

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Early English books online.

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(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A51612)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 60525)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 872:1)

Source

— Murder will out being a relation of the late Earl of Essex's ghost appearing to my Lord Chancellor in the Tower.,

Extent

1 sheet ([1] p.)

s.n.,. [London? :: 1683]. (Reproduction of original in Huntington Library.) (Broadside.)

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