IN Water-Lane near the Custom-House London, on Friday the 8th. day of August, 1684. in the open street between the hours of 11 and 12 of the same day.

As also The Relation of a Gentleman of Qualities Groom, who was Shot by a Life-Guardman upon Munday the 4th. of this Instant in the Town of Kensington.

TOGETHER With the further Account of a Lamentable Fire that happened in a Town call'd Church-Hill, within two Miles of Chipping-Norton, in Oxfordsheire, on Wednesday the 30th. of July, last.

THe depravity of Mans Nature is such, that if God once Withdraws the assistance of his Grace and Spirit from him; No Action, tho the same in it self be never so Horrid and Unnatural, but he is too prone to undertake, and go through with. An Instance of this kind, as rare perhaps, as any, the present or past Ages could afford; the Reader shall be satisfied with in the ensuing Page.

On Friday the 8th. Day of August, 1684. William Cullifiord Esq; a Gentleman of known Loyalty and Integrity to his Prince and Country, having had some Busi­ness at the Custom. House in London, as he came thence, and was going up the Hill in Water-lane, not far from the Post and Chain; he was followed by one George Cruffe (formerly in some Office belonging to the Custom-House, and since turned out for Misdemeanours) till he came just against the Plummers Shop in the same Lane; where unperceived, the said Cruff came up to him, and drawing out a Pistol, sud­denly Discharged upon him, and shot a brace of Bullets into his Body. The strangeness of the Attempt, the same being at Noon-Day, and in so Publick a Place, was the Astonishment of all such who beheld it; who came in Immediately to the Apprehension of the Criminal, but he seemed not at all Concerned thereat: and never so much as endeavoured his Escape: declaring that if the Action were a second time to have been Committed, he would willingly and readily have undertaken the same. The Audacious Villain being thereupon taken into Custody: Squire Culliford was carried into the Dolphin-Tavern, at the end of Mark-Lane; where likewise they brought the Malefactor.

Soon after which notice being givein hereof to the Worshipful Sir John Buckworth, Knight and Alderman of the City of London, who was at the same time sitting as Commissioner, in the Custom House he came to the Dolphin, and being one of the Justices of the Peace for London, he took the fellow nto Examination inquiring into the reason of so Barbarous an Attempt, which the fellow would not in the least ex­tenuate, but boldly declared that he did and had long since intended the Fact, which he was not at all sorry for, pretending that the Squire had wronged or otherwise injured him in the Displacing him from his former Imployment and Lively-hood, in the World: carrying it all the while so unconcerned, that all Persons stood amazed thereat: Nay such a Monstrous height of Impudence possest the execrable and abomi­nable wretch, that he declared if any other person had done him the like injury, and his liberty were restored him he would in like manner take revenge upon him for so doing, adding, that nothing troubled him but that he had not seen the Gentleman Dead before his Confinement in Newgate, whether he was forthwith Committed and where he now remains, to consider of the Villany he stands Guilty of; which certain­ly is one of the most Bare-Faced and audacious Crimes we have read or heard of: Not only in that the same was done at Mid-day but also in the Publick street without either hope or intention of Escape or Pardon, so that we may justly reckon this a second Felton, who out of a like Spirit of forethought Malice and revenge Murdered the late Duke of Buckingham, and who in Point of Honour owned and bragg'd of his Villany to the very place of Execution: whether in due time the justice of Nation, will undoubtedly bring all such Criminalls.

But tho the Example of such Mens Faults are every Day set as a Warning to others, yet is the Temptations of the Devil so prevalent on too many; that seldom a Week but affords us more than one Instance of this kind, as this hath done. For that one Monday last at Kensington in the County of Middlesex, a Person of Qual­lity's Groom being Rideing out of Town, he wrs met by a Lifeguard-Man, in the middle of the Town, near the Red-Lyon-Inn, and some Difference hapning between them about the Way, they Quarreled, and several Blows were exchanged between them, till at last the Groom struck him over the Face with his Whip so severe a Blow that the Blood gush't out, which put the Lifeguard-Man into so great a Passion that immediately drawing out one of his Pistols, he clap'd the same to the Temples, of the Groom: and tho as some believe the same was only Charged w [...]th Powder, yet the same had such effect upon him that, both his Eyes were Shot out, and made so great a Wound in his Head that when the Chyrurgeon came to Probe it, he could turn his Fingure therein; so that all People looked on the same as Mortal. The Groom that was thus Wounded was carried into the Red-Lyon-Inn aforesaid: But the Lifeguard-man seeing him fall, being well Mounted, made away with all the speed he could; and tho several People pursued him, Escaped as far as Chertsea, on the otherside of the Water, in the County of Surrey; where it was found that he had left his Horse, and had beta [...]e [...] himself either to some private reception in the Town, or gone further a field, out of the reach of the Hue and Cry: so that he is not taken, nor hath as yet Rendred himself up to Justice. But when Blood Crys for Vengeance, as in this case, rare it is but Providence in due time regards the voice thereof, and brings a due and Condign Punishment on his Head, that unlawfully and Murderously sheds the same,

Having given you these 2 Relations, I thought fit to subjoyn the further account of a certain Fire, that hapned at a little Town call'd Church-hill, near Chipping-Norton in Oxford-sheire; which fell out by the Covetuosness of an Old Woman, who to save the expence of Chimney-Money: and being by Trade a Baker: had made a Funnel from her Oven into another Chimney: which tho she had notice of, and twice before had like io have Burnt the House; yet did she not alter the same; till on Wednesday the 30th. of July last, about four or five of the Clock in the After­noon a Fire Broke out, which continued so fierce, that in the space of four Hours the same Consumed Twenty Habitations, besides Barns and out Houses in the stop­ping whereof, four People were Kill'd two by falling of the Ruines, and two Burnt.