IT is an Ordinary crime amongst the vulgar dis­contents of these times, to lay hold of the least hint of News which any way relates to their interest, and instantly cry it up, as if they were assured of future contingencies, and the successe thereof, but common­ly the hopes of such are built upon the deceitfull shal­low grounds of revengefulnesse and malice, which are seldome▪ seconded with a blessing, but successe answe­rable to the unreasonablenesse of their wishes: Nei­ther can I much blame such who know not the con­dition of the party they so much elevate, or his prin­ciples: if they did, sure no rationall men would ever betray their own judgements, and the cause they so much affect, as to place their confidence upon one who will appear like a flash of lightning, soone gone out, or an Ignis fatuis, without heat or influence, which frustrates the expectations of the beholders. Col. John Poyer, prētended Governour of Pombrook Castle, is the party herein charactered, and before we come to his matters of fact, we shall glance on some particulars following.

We will not much insist that he is the off-spring of [Page 2]mean parentage: Or that his beginning was in Mr. Megrieks Kitching of Pembrook, being a turn-spit boy there: Or that afterward he was a poore ragged boy, which was hired to run to and fro on errands: Or that he was bound Prentice to a Glover, by which he got a poore subsistance, untill about the beginning of the late warres: Or that about five years since he got a wench with childe, and after her delivery pre­tended he had been marryed to her, but did produce no witnesse to prove it, and since that, [...]a [...]h had two or three children more by her, she being commonly called, and reputed his Whore, and his Children ba­stards.

Or that Poyers Mother is generally famed in the said Town to be worse then &c. and in that regard Poyer by instinct of nature is possest with more then ordina­ry impudence.

Now we shall give you a clear Demonstration of part of his actions since the beginning of the warre in that County, about five years since, upon a disagree­ment between the Mayor of the Town of Pembrook and the Townesmen, Poyer with a loose rabble of the meaner sort of the Town, got into the Castle, having some Armes kept the Castle in opposition to the May­or and his party, the major part made choyce of Poyer, to be their Captain, and shortly after, he seized upon two Me [...]chants Ships of great value, which came into Milford Haven, kept them by force, made sale of the ships and their goods for his own use, & likewise seiz­ed the goods of divers Merchants, which came into Milford Haven, & gave them the publick Faith, he ha­ving no commission or power from the Parlia. or any under them, so cheated the people of their goods, to the [Page 3]undoing of severall persons that came up to complain here; by these means he became enabled to raise one other company of foot, and by force he raised a Troop of Horse on the Inhabitants of the said County, with­out Commission as aforesaid, for either Horse or Foot; with this force in a freeboting way, he oppressed all the well-affected to the Parliament, in that part of the County, in breaking open their houses, taking away their monies and provisions, plundering them of their Cattle, insomuch that Roger Lorte, & Tho. Bowen, Esq were forced to fortifie their houses with their Servants against him, for their own preservation, knowing the said Poyer was instrumentall with his lawlesse force to execute other mens malice against them, which Poyer accordingly did, by taking away Mr. Lorts, and Mr. Bowens Cattle, Corne, and Goods, to a great value, he imprisoned the persons of severall men in the Castle of Pembrook, untill they ransomed themselves, with monies, or pawns to the values, seized upon the Lands, Mills, Rents, Woods, Corn, & Cattle of Delinqu [...]nts, under Sequestration of the Committee of that Asso­ciation, and possest them by strong hand, to his owne use, enforced the Souldiers in time of warre to buy those provisions sent them by the Parliament, for the Garrison of Pembrook, he possest himself by force of the Demesne-Lands of Carew being the Lands of Sir Richard Phillips Barronet, a known well-affected man to the Parliament, worth about 300 li. per annum, for severall years made profits thereof, and where he un­derstood there were fat Cattle, in the pastures of any Gentlemen he bore a spleen to, hee instantly sent his Bullies, as he termes them, to fetch them off into the Castle, part of this was done before the Warres, but [Page 4]most of all done since the Enemy was beaten out of that County, and since all South-wales was reduced to the obedience of the Parliament.

And it is well knowne, Poyer had never any com­mission for Horse or Foot, during the said war, neither had he ever so much gallantry as to charge an enemy. And its proved upon Oath before the now Judge Ad­vocate, That Poyer is not so little accountable to the State, Country, and Strangers, as 6000 li. Being thus extreamly accountable, and having nothing re­sponsible but his Carkas, at his being here in Town was served with a warrant from the Committee of Cornhill, for stating the Accounts of the Kingdome to appeare before them, and answer to such particular Charges and Accounts as were given in there against him; But the day he was served as aforesaid, he took Horse went homeward out of Towne, and never appeared since: Now who can pretend Poyer hath Arreares due to him, when he durst not stand to the test of an account, and having never acted by Com­mission under the Parliament, and hee so much Ac­countable as aforesaid.

The substance of the most part of this before rela­ted lies upon record proved by the oathes of witnesses against him, at the Head-Quarters at Putney about September last, There were Articles also preferred against him to the Committee of safety about two yeares and a halfe since, And to the Committee of Glocester about two years since, the remainder of those Articles which are likewise proved, we shall in briefe give you the heads of them.

1 That Poyer is a great drinker and haunter of [Page 5]Ale-houses and seldome or never sober in the after­noone.

2 That he is a great Swearer & Quarreller.

3 That he hath beene most sottishly drunke upon severall Fast dayes.

4 That he hath been beastly drunke the very day he received the communion.

5 That An. Dom. 1643 The said Poyer and some of the townes-men of Pembrook subscribed an Instrument and fixed the towne seale to it, that they would keep the Castle for the King, against all such as should claime it, in the name of King and Par­liament.

6 That hee did beate two Orthodox Ministers, namely Mr. Nathaniel Cradock, and Mr. Evan Roberts, that the said Mr. Cradock lay afterward sick of the brusies, and beatings hee received from Poyer, about halfe a yeare, in the City of Lon­don.

Now let the impartiall Reader judge whether this wretched fellow who like a Prodigious Comet that threatens nothing but ruine and destruction to his na­tive Country, raised this rebellion out of affection to any publique interest now in being, or out of a sense of his base guiltinesse, which his said actions reflects upon him, set him upon this desperate course, knowing if there should be a settlednesse of peace in the King­dome, he being so much accountable to the State as [Page 6]well as particular persons, besides his fellonious acti­ons, it would inevitably bring him to condigne pu­nishment. And therefore this Viper hath endeavor­ed rather to involve the Kingdome in a new warre, That he might remain unquestionable in such troubled waters, then otherwise undergoe the sentence of his merits.

Heer let the Kings party who perhaps hath through ignorance applauded him, observe what a pure foun­dation they build their fond hopes on, sure by all probability if the structure of monarchy take its rise from such a well-spring of impiety as Poyer is, by all collections and symtomes the sequell can prove but fatall and destructive to this Kingdome, And the next newes, I am confident you will heare that this Catta­line being invaded on all sides, both by sea and land, and not being able to take the field, for want of a ge­nerall complyance from the neighbouring Countries, hee and his Sattalits will be cubd up to feed at rack and manger upon their purloined provisions, by the Parliament Forces, which by Gods assistance wil soon bring him and his Adherents to justice.