To the Right Honourable, the Councell of State
The Humble Petition of Elizabeth Worsopp, and Frances Clarke, the disconsolate Sisters of Harcourt Greenway, late of Leckhamsteed, in the County of Bucks, Esquire, deceased.

THAT on Tuesday the 22. of November the Portugall Ambassadours Brother, and divers others his Servants with Swords and Pistols came upon the New-Exchange, in a most insolent and riotous manner, where their said Brother civilly, and peaceably then being, was most barbarously (no provocation given them by him) set on by the said Portuguez, and pistoll'd in the head: of which wound (the very braine flying out there­at) within twelve houres after, in extreame anguish and tor­ture he most miserably dyed.

That he was their only Brother, and by whose untimely death (as not exceeding the age of 24 years, and unmarried, their whole Name and Family is become utterly extinct, and they be­reaved not onely of the present comforts of a deare Brother, but faire hopes also of much future emolument, in the Right and Title which was in him for the recovery of his Fathers Estate, neare 1000 l. per annum aliened from him.

It is therefore most humbly desired, that the cry of their said Brothers bloud might bee heard in them, and that your Honours would be pleased to take into your Christian con­sideration [Page 3](none of your owne persons being secure from so bold an assassination) the foulnesse of so horrid a Mur­ther with all its due circumstances and aggravations: whereby Justice, according to the Lawes of God and the Nation, may bee impartially done on the Murtherers, and such other reliefe conferred on your Petitioners, as shall seeme to your Wisdomes most meet and proper for them in this their most sad and miserable condition.

And your Petitioners shall ever pray, &c.

NOw whereas by a late Printed paper, subscribed by the name of Pantaleon Sa, the world is in some danger to bee imposed on to an erroneous faith, that the persons against whom we have petition'd have been too violently prosecuted by us, and (though in order to a legall triall) too rigorously treated by the Justiciaries of our Common-wealth, I conceived it most imported mee (my sisters sicknesse indisposing her otherwise) then by assent to joyne with mee in some Animadver­sions on the said paper, to vindicate to both Nations, English and Portuguez, at least those who understand English, the onely tongue I know to expresse my self in, as well the honour as the legality of the proceedings; and withall, that by those the English Nobility, and the Citie of London, whom this paper endeavours to Cajole into such a commiseration of his Person, and opinion of his innocency, that the horrid and barba­rous murther of an English Gentleman, in every thing [Page 4](as to the Murtherers) a most innocent person, and one who (let mee without envy since hee is dead, affirme) had known valour and bravery enough to have rende­red him not only serviceable, but an honour to his Na­tion, might be forgotten, and out of a foeminine, and in matters of bloud, unmanlike, and unchristian pitty a prosecution of Justice against the Offenders might be remitted.

To the Relation of the first dayes passages I shall say little, nothing being more in my abhorrency then inci­vility, and especially to strangers, and yet unlesse re­port bee very false, if any of our English Gentlemen shewed themselves ill disciplined in the Ethicks, they found the Portuguez but uncivill Tutors: For un­lesse for a word (perhaps too provoked) a blow, yea a stab be (what I have more noble thoughts of them then to believe) Portugall Justice, and foure afterwards upon one Portugall fortitude, they themselves must needs conclude Morality to have been as fouly transgrest by some of their owne Nation.

But supposing an affront beyond a Gentlemans suffe­rance, and a complaint to that Power under whose protection hee was, beneath his honour, was there no nobler way of vindication then by a Riot? Street combates, and popular engagements were never held to have much of the Cavalier in them: But Don Pantaleon (whom were not his hands red with my Brothers bloud) I should equally honour with his [Page 5]height of birth and minde professeth that hee feared none, nor suspected in the least that any would assault him when they saw him unarmed: I shall not question how unarmed he came on the Exchange, though (if report be true) hee had defensive Armes enough for more then one person; but if the evidence which hath been given in this businesse be true, it will sufficiently appeare, if he had no sword himselfe, his servant who was at his heeles had two; and that when the Ex­change was cleared (I cannot but believe more through the civility then feare in the English that were on the place, or valour of the Portuguez) he was one of those who when my dear Brother lay wallowing in his bloud and braines, in a triumphing, and braving manner, both of jesture and language, went slashing their swords against the stones.

But who that will not against Justice it selfe be par­tiall, can beleeve that the Exchange mens shutting up their shops began this second unhappy broyle? especi­ally if he consider indeed the warlike preparations to it: doth Gunpowder and Granadoes, and I know not what, use to be carried about for defence? Indeed I am none of those that think there was a design of besiege­ing or blowing up the Exchange, but that their Design was revenge, I not only believe, but am very confident the proofe of their preparations all that day of all sorts of Armes, and invitation of others to their assistance, besides their own Family will make apparent enough.

Or who that were not so nearely concerned could chuse but smile at the vanity of that insinuation that it might bee an English man as well as a Portugall, that [Page 6]shot that disastrous Pistoll, and that it was shot from the ascent of the lower walk to the higher, but I shal say little of this at the present; I hope that their just triall will not be long deferred, when I doubt not but it will be enough proved, that the bold murderer was a Por­tugall, that hee did that cruell and base action upon an innocent and unprovided person, not by accident but by aime and designe, directing his Pistoll to his head which fell at the feete of the bloudy murtherer.

But surely to have ceased that needlesse terrour it had been more proper to have fairely retreated, or at least repelled the irruption of his servants then to have head­ded them to the driving off of the English on the place, and to have cleared himselfe of the murther of my Brother: to have exprest a sorrow for it, if not a care for him rather than a triumph: but his sorrow since now I beleeve he may have reason for it, I beleeve and blame him not, in this condition which I can hartily even for him as a Gentleman and a Christian grieve, for to tell the fairest tale he can for himself, but if in criminall acts the delinquents Rhetoricall envying against the unrea­sonablenesse of them may argue the improbability of his commitment of them, I would wonder to heare in [...]n age of any one person guilty; and if the being a stranger may excuse bold assassinations and murders, His texts of Scripture, and Polyanthea may befreind him, but then what magistracy, what government is secure from the blodiest and yet unpunishable assaults? yet I hope neither the persons concerned, nor any other will beleeve this from me to be the production of malice, or unchristianlike revenge; since I think it is no more then [Page 7]what the rights of my most unfortunate deare Brother extort from me. For I can, if my griefs may receive an addition, adde to them a harty sorrow for every unfor­tunate person (that neverthelesse I cannot but hope) must suffer for this bloudy murther: I can heartily be­waile that a Gentleman of so noble and illustrious an extraction, should amongst strangers, from whom his owne King (I may I thinke say by him) required amity and friendship, premeditatedly run himselfe into so dis­astrous and ruinous an action, though I do professe to all the world that neither my sister or my selfe who are the only neerly concerned persons do know that he hath afforded us a pitty or condolement in our unspeakable griefes, nor oblieged us to any such commiseration by a civill message that he was sorry for our misfortunes, notwithstanding his flourish of comfort and satisfacti­on at the end of his narration; but the comfort and sa­tisfaction I begge in the behalfe of myselfe and sister is justice, which I humbly implore from God, the Magi­strate, and all who may give it us, or assist us in the procuring of it, and which I doubt not but the unpar­ralleld equity of our Laws, and adhering of our Justicia­ries to them will give us.

I shall therefore say nothing more to those insinuati­ons of his kindnesses or civilities to the English Gentry, since I cannot but believe every one of them will re­member my Brothers unhappy fate might have beene his owne.