A true narrative of the proceedings at the Sessions-house in the Old-Bayly at a sessions there held on Wednesday the 17th of January 1676/7. Giving a full account of the true tryal and sentence of Lodowick Muggleton for blasphemous words and books. As also the tryals and condemnation of a vvoman for killing her bastard-child; and of a man for personating another person in giving bayl before a judge. With an account how many are condenmed, burn'd in the hand, to be whipt, and transported. With allowance. Roger L'Estrange.

A true narrative of the proceedings at the Sessions-house in the Old-Bayly at a sessions there held on Wednesday the 17th of January 1676/7. Giving a full account of the true tryal and sentence of Lodowick Muggleton for blasphemous words and books. As also the tryals and condemnation of a vvoman for killing her bastard-child; and of a man for personating another person in giving bayl before a judge. With an account how many are condenmed, burn'd in the hand, to be whipt, and transported. With allowance. Roger L'Estrange.

Table of contents

Title page

The Proceedings at the Seſsions in the Old bayly, on Wedneſday the 17th of this Inſtant January 1676/7.

The Proceedings at the Seſsions in the Old bayly, on Wedneſday the 17th of this Inſtant January 1676/7.

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NOt to trouble the Reader with a tedious Relation of things trivial or impertinent, the moſt conſidederable or remarkable Tranſactions of this Seſſions were as follows.

Firſt, the tryal of that grand and notorious Impoſtor Lodowick Muggleton, of whom to give the world a brief Account, we muſt acquaint you, that he was originally a Journyman-Taylor, and (ſome ſay) afterwards kept a Botchers ſtall; but having a ſtrange enthuſiaſtick head, began about the year 1651, to enter into Confederacy with one Reeves (another Brother of the Sheers) who reſolve to cut out a new Scheme or Faſhion of Religion; and to that purpoſe declare [Page] themſelves, The two laſt VVitneſſes of God that ever ſhould be upon the Earth; and that they had abſolute and irrevocable power to ſave and damn whom they pleas'd; to which end one call'd himſelf the Bleſſing, the other the Curſing Prophet. And the ſaid Reeves dying ſome years ſince, Muggleton pretends his Spirit was left with him, and the whole power of Witneſſing, Bleſſing, and Curſing, devolved into his hands, which he as impiouſly practiſed upon the leaſt affront or oppoſition; pronouncing perſons damn'd by their particular Names, blaſphemouſly adding, That God, Angels, or Men could not afterwards ſave them. And as all Hereticks covet to be Authors and Ring-leaders to a Sect, ſo by divers printed Books and Corner conferences, he eaſily ſeduced divers weak and inſtable people (eſpecially of the Female-Sex) to become his Proſelytes, who from him call themſelves Muggletonians: So impoſſible it is for the wildeſt and moſt ſenſeleſs, as well as moſt impious Notions, when broached with impudence among the Rabble, not to meet with ſome heads ſo irregular as to embrace them for ſerious Truths, or divine Revelations.

[Page] This Muggleton's houſe being ſearched about Auguſt laſt, a great quantity of his books were ſeized, ſome of which, it was now proved, he owned the writing of, and that he had caus'd them to be printed; for which he was now indicted, many wicked Paſſages out of them being recited in the Indictment, but ſo horrid and blaſphemous, that we think fit to ſpare the Chriſtian modeſty of each pious ear, by not repeating the ſame here, where there is no neceſſity for it. The Priſoner pleaded not guilty, but fruſtrated the general expectation, by ſaying nothing further either to excuſe or juſtice himſelf, but had a Counſel appear'd for him, who ingenuouſly declar'd himſelf aſham'd to ſpeak a word in favour of ſuch a Cauſe; onely deſired the Court to take notice, that the Books were dated before the laſt Act of Grace; but it being uſual to Antedate or Poſt-date Titles of books, as beſt ſuits with the Publiſher's intereſt, and that he had ſince that Act owned and publiſhed the ſame, that Plea was overrul'd; and the ſaid Muggleton being found guilty by the Jury, was afterwards ſentenced by the Court to ſtand three days in the Pillory [Page] at three the moſt eminent places of the City, with Papers ſhewing his Crime; and his Books ſo ſeized, divided into three parts, to be burnt over his head upon the Pillory: And beſides, to be fined Five hundred pound, and to continue in Goal till the ſame be paid, and afterwards for his life, unleſs he procured good Bail, ſuch as the Court ſhould accept of, and not of his own Gang, Faction, or Sect, for his being of the good Behaviour.

The next was a woman of about Forty years of age, and one that had ſix Children by a Husband ſince dead, but was, it ſeems, ſtill of too Youthful a temper; for being lately deliver'd, by her ſelf, of a Baſtard-child on a Wedneſday-morning, ſhe moſt barbarouſly murthered it by cruſhing the head, and wounding it both in the ſcull and eyes (as is ſuppoſed) with a pair of Sizzars, and then fairly puts it into a Platter and ſets it upon a ſhelf, where it continued till Saturday-morning, when a woman lodging above her in the ſame houſe, coming down to viſit her, and examining her more ſtrictly, by reaſon [Page] of ſome ſymptoms the obſerved, ſhe now Priſoner confeſs'd ſhe had miſcarried, and looking for the Embryo they found a perfect Child murthered, as you have heard. She pretended her ſelf diſtracted when the fact was done; but it appearing that ſhe had ſenſe enough to endeavour to conceal it, ſhe was Convicted and Condemned

A man was likewiſe Condemned to die for a kind of unuſual Crime, but ſuch as the Law, by reaſon of its bad example and miſchievous tendency, has thought fit to reſtrain with capital Puniſhment; which was, that there being a Suit at Law depending between two perſons, the Priſoner comes and perſonating another man, is Bayl for one of the parties before a Judge; upon which afterwards the man whoſe name he had aſſumed knowing nothing of the buſineſs, was taken up, to his great damage, &c. He begg'd heartily for Tranſportation, but it could not be granted.

[Page] Four Bayliffs and Followers were arraigned by one they went to arreſt, who pretended to have loſt ſome odde Trifles; but they were not found guilty.

Two perſons were Condemned to die, two Burn'd in the hand, and two ſentenced to be Whip'd: And ſo the Seſsions ended with the day.

FINIS.

§

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A true NARRATIVE Of the Proceedings at the Seſſions-houſe IN THE OLD-BAYLY, At a Seſſions there held On Wedneſday the 17th of January 1676/7. Giving a full Account of the true Tryal and Sentence of LODOWICK MUGGLETON For Blaſphemous Words and Books. As alſo the Tryals and Condemnation of a VVoman for Killing her Baſtard-Child; and of a Man for perſonating another perſon in giving Bayl before a Judge. With an Account how many are Condemned, Burn'd in the Hand, to be Whipt, and Tranſported.

§

With Allowance.

Roger L'Eſtrange.

LONDON: Printed for D. M. 1676/7.

Information about this book

Title statement

A true narrative of the proceedings at the Sessions-house in the Old-Bayly at a sessions there held on Wednesday the 17th of January 1676/7. Giving a full account of the true tryal and sentence of Lodowick Muggleton for blasphemous words and books. As also the tryals and condemnation of a vvoman for killing her bastard-child; and of a man for personating another person in giving bayl before a judge. With an account how many are condenmed, burn'd in the hand, to be whipt, and transported. With allowance. Roger L'Estrange.

Edition statement

1677

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2007-01 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A63590

ID [STC]

Wing T2820

ID [STC]

ESTC R222543

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

99833702

ID [PROQUEST]

99833702

ID [VID]

38180

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Early English books online.

Notes

(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A63590)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 38180)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 2220:13)

Source

— A true narrative of the proceedings at the Sessions-house in the Old-Bayly at a sessions there held on Wednesday the 17th of January 1676/7. Giving a full account of the true tryal and sentence of Lodowick Muggleton for blasphemous words and books. As also the tryals and condemnation of a vvoman for killing her bastard-child; and of a man for personating another person in giving bayl before a judge. With an account how many are condenmed, burn'd in the hand, to be whipt, and transported. With allowance. Roger L'Estrange., England and Wales. Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace (London).

Extent

8 p.

printed for D.M.,. London :: 1676/7.. (Copy has print show-through.) (Reproduction of the original in the Guildhall Library, London.)

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