IT is unknowne to very few in England, what plots by Pa­pists have been hatcht, but by the assistance of our great God, never have taken effect, but have beene broken in the egge, and the setters of them utterly destroyed: to make re­petition of them at this present, I shall not need; Campian that eminent Saint now canonized a­mongst the popish crew, whose learning, the best learned men of England have admired, and had it been employed to a right use, would have beene registred amongst the works of those Scholers which have beene esteemed of greatest account, but it was too manifest approved that the em­ployment of it was to blinde ignorant men, that the Devill with the more ease might have led them to his Kingdome; but what was Campians reward, the Gallows? for hee was condemned for a Traytor, and was hang'd, drawn, and quar­tered, in the most happy Raigne of Queene Eliza­beth, of blessed memory. O what a damned plot [Page 2] was there invented also, in the Raigne of the most wise second Salomon, King Iames; the powder plot I mean, which was intended for the destruction of King, State, and Communalty, in the time of sitting at Parliament; but God, Englands sole De­fender, revealed it, and the Conspirators caught in their owne net, Faux going to give the fatall blow was apprehended, and hee with the rest of his hellish company paid that which their trea­cherie did deserve. What the Papists intents have been in these our times, may be judged, by their late presumption and pride, which was fea­red to be maintained by some of the Clergie, which should rather have bin piercing swords to wound them, then chief actors in spurring them on: for when Shepherds goe astray themselves, how shall the flock live in safety? how shall the sheep feed upon the wholsome plains, when the Sheepherd leads them into unknowne Wilder­nesses? but this soare also, by Gods assistance, and the Parliaments wisdome, of late hath bin indif­ferent well cured; but yet still doe some scab­bed sheep remayne amongst the pure flocks, two of them lately were separated from amongst them, those Jesuits, I meane, which were lately apprehended, who for the ambition they had to be canonized Martyrs, after their exile, notwith­standing the Kings command, presumptuously re­turned back again, to follow their old practice, in which they had spent so much studie, seducing the Kings liege people: one of them is alreadie executed, the other now lies in Newgate: but the [Page 3] plot which was intended to rescue that old Priest William Waler, is the Theame which I am to treat on, which thus begins.

Upon Saturday, being the foure and twentieth of July, was this Priest condemned, which being divulged amongst his fellow Recusants, upon Sunday they a great number gathered together to the summe of threescore, neer Cursitors Ally in Chancery Lane, a place, where the now dead Priest lodged, to finde out some way to deliver him out of the hands of his enemies, the bloudy Heretikes; they long did hold counsell, one said hee would goe as to visit him in Newgate, and change apparell with him, and so let him escape, and take his punishment himselfe, for hee said it was piety to redeem a Priest, though with the losse of his own life, they all condiscended to his proposition, and after Masse being sung, and a company of papisticall prayers said over him, they bid him goe and be resolute, not fearing the malice of Heretikes, which could never be able to do him any harm, in so much as he was innocent of those crimes which the Priest was condemned for, and by so dying he should be quitted of pur­gatory, and go presently to Heaven, and enjoy the presence of the blessed Virgin Mary, which words being said, they gathered money amongst them­selves and gave it unto him, charging him to be charitable to his brother prisoners; having recei­ved the money, away goes this fellow whose name was Ward, one of Wallers by-names, by which sometimes he was called: this Ward being [Page 4] come nigh Newgate, hee began to question with himselfe, why hee should run resolutely unto death before hee had deserved it, the Priest said hee is fourscore yeers of age, and I scarce forty, long hee cannot live, as for my part I may doe Rome much service yet: poore I was, which my brethren have remedied, by furnishing mee with this money, they bid me be charitable to my fel­low prisoners, so I will, when I go to prison, in the mean-while, Charity begins first at home: thus meditating with himself, he goes to a friends house and writes a Letter to his brethren what thoughts came unto him, and sure hee was that they were sent from above, for an Angell hee said stood by him, and bade him flie speedily to Rome, and make the brethren acquainted with the Martyrdome of their brother Waller, who in time should sufficiently revenge his death; the Letter being writ, hee met with one John Hodgskins 2 Porter, whom hee knew very well, and gave him sixe pence to carrie the Letter to such a place, the Porter told him hee would; away went the Papist, and away went the Porter, the porter had not gone far but hee forgot the place, no superscription being wrote, for feare of the discovery of their meeting, upon the Letter. And the porter being greedy to get somewhat of him to whom the letter was to be delivered, very cunningly broke up the Letter, to seeke for his name if it were there, which to find he read the whole letter, which being done hee closed it up again, and makes directly towards the place of [Page 5] their meeting, thinking to reveal them all, or else receive a good reward for the concealement of them. But when hee came to the place his hopes were frustrated, for they were all gone before he came, their walking place was empty, wherefore he went home and to a gentleman shewed the letter, from whose mouth upon Tuesday being the 27 of July, I had the relation, which I thought fit gentle reader to commit to the presse, that all might know with what policy the Devill deludes such simple men, by crossing their ex­pectations. It was a very likely matter, was it not? that any one should, being a stranger, have admittance to the presence of a Traytor having scarce a day to live; and then was it not an honestly for Ward to write to them that an Angell had commanded him to fly to Rome,

His Letter consisted of that which all their Re­ligion doth, falsehood, for were I but intended to write more then a pamphlet, I would declare such damned fictions which are holden as a truth amongst them, would strike the Reader in asto­nishment, which to doe at this time I shall not, Farewell.