WHere Lust takes up our desires, and Revenge and Murther seizeth on our resolutions, it is the true way to make us wretched in this life, and our souls miserable in that to come; For if Chastity and Charity, (the two precious vertues and Ornaments of a Christian) steer not our acti­ons on Earth; how shall, nay, how can he arrive [Page 4]to the Harbour of Heaven; or if we abandon those celestial vertues to follow and imbrace those In­fernal vices, what do we but take our selves from felicity to misery, and consequently give our selves from God to Satan; but did we seriously (and truly) consider that there is a Heaven ro Re­ward the Righteous; and a Hell to punish the ungodly? We would neither defile our hearts, and polute our souls with the thoughts, much less with the actions of such beastly and inhumane crimes: but in this sinful age of ours, there is two many lascivious nd invious wretches, who make it their business to debauch themselves and others. Among whom I here represent unto you a sad, but true History: (It's Bloody, and therefore mourn­ful) But if we derest the crime, we need not fear the punishment, for God is as gracious and pro­pitious to protect the innocent, as Just and Se­vere to chstise the guilty.

In the Town of Chattam in the County of Kent lately Lived one — Ruttle, a lascivious debaucht Young-man, being much adicted to com­pany-keeping, having thereby wasted almost all his portion; begins to take into consideration how he might raise his fortune, and redeem his credit: First, reforms his life; and having put on a civil garb, and Nature haveing endewed him with wit and comliness, he resolves to seek af­ter a Yoke-fellow, and such a one as might help him in this low estate which he had brought him­self into. He informs his friends of his intenti­ons [Page 5]to marty; Who inform'd him of a Person living near him, that had they were sure enough to supply his present occasions, (and would no doubt if he pleased to make his mind known unto her) be willing to accept of him. He having this incouragement resolves to give this person a visit, and that upon the next day, which he thought long e're it came; Now the Morning being ceme he puts his resolution into practice; Being come into her presence, and having fixt his eye upon her, saw she was worthy to be beloved, and proceeds to make his mind known unto her, and seek her for his Wife, by his own solicitations, promises, attain'd her good will to marry her, but not without sighs, rears, and Prayers, and Oaths; and by these false hypocritical tears and promises he gets the good will of this poor Widdow, be­ing the mother of two Children, and them both living, the one at Nurse, the other at home with her about six or seven years old; and now having got her good will for which he came, he doth proceed to confirm the business, and that by tel­ling her what she desired to know, viz. What he had, and in what way he was to live, and whe­ther able to maintain she and her two Children in case she should grant him her good will: He knowing that he could not if he sooke the truth give her full satisfaction; therefore as he now saith, he resolved to turn the best side outwards, and to tell her that he had a considerable living neer Canterbury which was morgaged, but if she [Page 6]had but so much money that would redeem it, then it would be worth so much a year, and that would be enough to maintain them, and if she had not so much, he did not doubt but he could borrow so much, and if she pleased but to go along with him he would shew her what it was, and the Writings, she gave credit to him, thinking his heart had been like his words, gave consent to go along with him, and not onely to see what he tould her he had there, but also to see his Friends, which dwelt there, he being born at Faulston: now the time being come that she was, according to promise to go along with him, in order thereunto she took Cloaths with her, and also her son, having none at home to leave him with, and with what Money she had, she goes with him, not thinking that her journey had been so short as it proved to be: for they were not gone a­bove a Mile, or their abouts, but he considered with himself, what he should do in case he should have her to the place he had told her, it being but a false and a meer forged story, that he had made to delude her, and being now in abundance of care and trou­ble, the Devil that Old Serpent, that lies in wait to devour, quickly laid hold of this Opportunity, and having strong hold, and good footing before, intends to bring this his servant into his own bosome, that had so long nd faithfully served him: tells him that his best an donely way was, if he could, to get get her to be kind to him before hand: this bait of the De­vils was very pleasing to him: he there puts it into practice, and finding a convenient passage out of the [Page 7]Rode-way, into a Copps or Wood, he intreats her to go with him: she readily follows him, like a poor innocent Lamb: where being come into a secret place, he desires one favour of her, and that was, that since they were both agreed, she would be pleas­ed to let him injoy some neerer familiarity then had formerly been between them, which she resused, be­ing always vertuously inclined: he finding he could not prevail in this, readily hearkened to what the Devil had before Insinuated: Who advised him to Kill her and her child, and told him that the place was so fecret that he vvould never be found out, and thereupon he is vvilling to try this unhumane Tra­gedy: vvhich he acted thus: he finding no vvay to bring his business about to the obreyning his vvill of her, was the more incensed against her, and there upon Dravvs his Knife, and Cutts her Threat, in several Ghastly formes; and then acts vvorse then a Beast, takes his vvill of her vvhen she could not help her self, before she vvas quite Dead, as he hath since resated to the Goal-Keeper of Canterbury, Mr. Henry Landman: and having performed this unnatural act, he takes vvhat Money she had, and seeks after the little Foy, vvho in this time of their Discourse, vvas rambled a little vvay off, further into the Copps, not minding vvhat they did: He having found him, cuts his throat, and so flyes to Dover, intending to pass over to France; about ten Days after comes to the Wood a poor boy to gather sticks, and with him was a Dog, and while the boy was busie a seeking fireing, the Dog was busie in [Page 8]running up and down; and as God had appointed this Dog was the first that revealed this horrid mur­ther; who when he had found would not wag from thence, but howled more and more till that the boy came to him, and no sooner was he come but he was frighted almost out of his wits, and in this manner runs as fast as his Leggs could carry him home to acquaint the town, which he quickly did, and many with speed as the boy directed them, went to see, where they quickly found it to be too true; and that which troubled them inost, that it was one of their Neighbours that had lived civily and honestly with them many years; they quickly send Hue and cry af­ter him, and take him at Dover; and after examination by a Justice of Peace, was committed to Canterbury Goal; Where several Ministers hath been with him, but as yet find him very little concerned, notwith­standing his acknowledging of his own guilt, but we must leave him to the mercy of the Jury, and to the Justice of God.