THAT your Petitioner in the Year 1678, diſcovered a horrid Popiſh Conſpiracy for the Deſtruction of the late King Charles the Second, his preſent Majeſty, and the Proteſtant Religion within theſe Kingdoms; and prov'd it ſo fully, that ſeveral Parliaments, and Courts of Juſtice, before whom he gave his Teſtimony, declared their Belief of it by publick Votes, and the Condemnation of ſeveral of the Conſpirators. For which Reaſon and becauſe your Petitioner would not be terrified by their Threats, nor ſeduced by their Promiſes of great Rewards (with both which Temptations they often aſſaulted him) to deſiſt in his Diſcovery; the Jeſuits and Papiſts purſued him with an implacable Malice, and endeavoured to take away his Fame and Life, by ſuborning Witneſſes to accuſe him of Capital Crimes; but being defeated in that Villanous Attempt, they firſt procured King Charles the Second to withdraw that Protection and Subſiſtence his Majeſty had, at the Requeſt of ſeveral Parliaments, allowed to your Petitioner; and then inſtigated his Royal Highneſs the Duke of York to proſecute your Petitioner in an Action of Scandalum Magnatum, for ſpeaking this notorious Truth, viz. That he the ſaid Duke of York was reconciled to the Church of Rome; and that It is High Treaſon to be ſo reconciled wherein a Verdict and Judgment for one Hundred Thouſand Pounds Damages were obtained againſt your Petitioners and your Petitioner was committed to the King's-Bench-Priſon.

After this, the ſame Popiſh Party obtained leave from King Charles the ſecond, to prefer two ſeveral Indictments againſt your Petitioner, for two pretended Perjuries in his Evidence concerning the ſaid Conſpiracy, which they brought on to Tryal in the Reign of King James the ſecond; and your Petitioner was upon the Evidence of thoſe very Witneſſes, who had confronted him in three former Tryals, and were disbelieved; and through the Partial Behaviour of the Chief Juſtice Jeffreys, in brow-beating his Witneſſes; and miſleading the Juries, convicted of the ſaid Pretended Perjuries, and received this inhumane and unparallel'd Sentence following, viz. To pay two thouſand Marks to the king; To be deveſted of his Canonical habit: To be brought into Weſtminſter-Hall with a Paper upon his Head, with this Inſcription, Titus Oates convicted upon full Evidence of two horrid Perjuries: To ſtand in and upon the Pillow two ſeveral days, for the ſpace of an Hour: To be whip'd by the common Hang-man, from Aldgate to Newgate on Wednesday, and to be whip'd again on the Friday following from Newgate to Tiburn: To ſtand in and upon the Pillow five times in every Year of his Life; and to remain a Priſoner during his Life. Which Sentence being intended, as your Petitioner hath juſt reaſon to believe, to murther him, was accordingly executed with all the Circumſtances of Barbarity; he having ſuffered ſome thouſands of Stripes whereby he was put to unſpeakable Tortures, and lay ten Weeks under the Surgeons Hands. Neither did their Cruelty ceaſe here, but becauſe your Petitioner, by God's Mercy miraculouſly ſupporting him, (and the extraordinary Skill of a Judicious Chirurgion) outlived that Bloody Uſage, ſome of them afterwards got into your Petitioner's Chamber whilſt he was weak in his Bed, and attempted to pull off the Plaiſters apply'd to cure his Back, and threatned to deſtroy him: And that nothing within their Power or Malice might be wanting to compleat your Petitioner's Miſery, they procured him to be loaded with Irons of exceſſive Weight for a whole Year, without any Intermiſſion, even when his Legs were ſwoln with the Gout; and to be ſhut up in the Dungeon, or Hole of the Priſon, whereby he became impair'd in his Limbs, and contracted Convulſion Fits, and other Diſtempers, to the great Hazard of his Life. All which illegal Proceedings, and barbarous Inhumanities, your Petitioner humbly conceives were not only intended as a Revenge upon him, but likewiſe to caſt a Reproach upon the Wiſdom and Honour of four ſucceſſive Parliaments who had given him Credit, and upon the Publick Juſtice of the Nation. And your Petitioner humbly hopes that ſince the Papiſts themſelves have verified and confirmed his Evidence by their late open and avowed Violations of our Religion, Laws, and Liberties, this Honourable Houſe will vindicate the Proceedings of former Parliaments, and diſcharge your Petitioner from thoſe Arbitrary and Scandalous Judgments, and the unjuſt Impriſonment he lies under.

Your Petitioner doth therefore moſt humbly beſeech your Lordſhips and your Honours, to take his deplorable Caſe into your generous and tender Conſideration, and to give him ſuch Redreſs therein as to your Lordſhips and your Honours great Wiſdom, Juſtice, and Goodneſs, ſhall ſeem meet: