"his Son, and that most of the Ladies, Lords, and 1688. "other Perfons who were prefent, were ready to "depofe upon Oath the Knowledge of this Mat"ter. Befides, the Declaration of the Queen-Dowager, who only faid that fhe was in the Room when the Queen was deliver'd of the Prince of Wales, the Depofitions of Forty Perfons more were Depofitions taken in Form. Of these Witneffes Seventeen were in Favour Roman Catholicks, viz. the Dutchefs of Richmond, of the the Marchionefs of Powis, the Counteffes of Peterbo- Prince of Wales. rough, Fingal and Litchfield; the Lady Bulkeley, the Lady Waldegrave, Mrs. Mary Crane, Mrs. Ifabella Waldegrave; Mrs. Pelegrina Turini, an Italian Mrs. Anne Cary, Mrs. Mary Anne Delabadie, a French Woman, dry Nurse to the Prince; Mrs. Judith Wilks, the Queen's Midwife; the Lady Arundel of Wardour; the Earls of Murray and Melfort; and Sir William Waldegrave, firft Phyfician to the Queen; and Three and Twenty Proteftants, to wit, The Counteffes of Arran, Sunderland, Rofcommon, and Marifchall; Sufanna Lady Bellafyfe, the Lady Isabella Wentworth, Mrs. Catharine Sayer, Mrs. Margaret Dawson, Mrs. Elizabeth Bromley, Mrs. Elizabeth Pearfe, the Lord Chancellor Jeffreys, the Earls of Sunderland, Mulgrave, Craven, Feverham and Middleton, Sidney Lord Godolphin, Sir Stephen Fox, Lieutenant Colonel Edward Griffin; Sir Charles Scarborough, firft Phyfician to the King; Sir Thomas Witherley, fecond Phyfician to the King; Dr. Robert Brady, one of His Majefties Phyficians in Ordinary; and James St. Amand, Their Majefties Apothecary. The most material and poffitive Evidence that was given in relation to the Queen's Bignefs, Delivery and Lying-in, was as follows: The Countess of Peterborough depos'd, That The was often with the Queen while Her Majefty was last with Child and faw the Milk often upon Her Majefties Smock, when she took it off from the Queen; and often faw Her Majefties Belly, fo as it could not be otherwife but that he was with Child. Countefs of Sunderland: That she stood at the Queen's Bolfter on that fide of the Bed where the Queen was deliver'd; That after Some lingring Pains, the Queen The Jaid, 1688. faid, She fear'd fhe could not be brought to Bed a good while; but enquiring of the Midwife, the afJur'd Her Majefty, That the wanted only one thorough Pain to bring the Child into the World: Upon which the Queen faid, It is impotlible, and commanded this Deponent to lay her Hand on Her Majetties Belly, to feel how high the Child lay, which the Deponent did, but foon after a great Pain cam mand the Queen was deliver'd. The Lady Isabella Wentworth, one of the Ladies of the Bed-Chamber to the Queen; That the often faw the Milk of Her Majefties Breaft upon bir Smack: That she did once feel the Child stir in the Queen's Belly; and that She was prefent when the Child was born, and fiaid till She heard it cry, and then went to fetch Vinegar for the Queen to Smell to; That he hard the Queen command the Midwife not to tell her of what Six it was, for fear of furprizing Her Majesty; That she did defire to fee the Child, Mrs. Delabadie having it in her Arms; That the Child look'd black, whereupon the Deponent defir'd Dr. Waldegrave to look to it, believing it was not well; and lastly, That the faw the Navel-string of the Child cut, and Three Drops of the Blood which came fresh out, given to him for the Convulfion-Fits. Mrs. Margaret Dawfon, another Lady of the BedChamber, faid, That coming up into the Queen's Chamher, he found her fitting all alone upon a Stool by the Bed's-Head, when the Queen faid to her, she believ'd her felf in Labour, and bid her get the Pallate-Bed, which stood in the next Room, to be made ready quickly for her; but that Bed never having been aired, the Deponent perfuaded the Queen not to make use of it; After which the Queen bid the Deponent make ready the Bed he came out of, which was done accordingly; That he far Fire carried into the Queen's Room in a Warming-pan to warm the Bed; after which the Queen went into her Bed, and was deliver'd of a Son. Mrs. Bromley, another Lady of the Bed-Chamber; That the faw the Queen put on her Smock every Morning, by which Means fhe faw the Milk conftantly fall out of Her Majesties Breafts, and obferv'd the Bignefs of Her Majefties Belly, which could not be counterfeit. Mrs. Wilks faid, That being the Queen's Midwife, The The came often to her, especially when Her Majefty 1688. was in any Danger of mifcarrying, and many times felt the Child Stir in her Belly, and Saw the Milk run out of Her Majefties Breafts; That on Trinity-Sunday laft in the Morning, the Queen fent Mr. White, Page of the Back-Stairs, to call her, believing her felf in Labour, when the Deponent came, he found the Queen in great Pain; That whilft Her Majefty was fitting trembling, ber Water broke, and immediately the fent for the King; That about Ten a Clock that Morning the Queen was deliver'd of the Prince of Wales by ber Affiftance; That afterwards the fhew'd the AfterBurthen to the Phyficians, and before them cut the Navel-ftring, and gave the Prince Three Drops of the Blood to prevent Convulfion Fits, according to their Order. That when the Child was born, it not crying, the Queen faid, She thought it was dead; This Deponent affur'd Her Majefty it was not, and defir'd Leave to part the Child from the After-Burthen: Which the Queen was unwilling to have done, thinking it might be dangerous to her felf; but the Deponent affuring Her Majefty it would not, Her Majefty gave Confent; whereupon the Child prefently cry'd, and then the Deponent gave it to Mrs. Labadie. Mrs. Pearfe, Laundrels to the Queen, depos'd, That she faw the Prince of Wales given by the Midwife to Mrs. Labadie; That immediately after the faw the Midwife hold up the After-Burtben, fhewing it to the Company, and then the Deponent fetch'd her Maids,and with them took away all the foul Linnen hot, as they came from the Queen; That for a Month after Her Majefties Lying-in, The well knew by the washing of her Linnen, that the Queen was in the fame Condition that all other Women ufe to be on the like Occafion; And that fome time after her Quickning it appear'd by her Smocks that Her Majefty had Milk in her Breafts, which continued until he was brought to Bed, and afterwards, during the usual time. The Lord Chancellor faid, That he faw Mrs. Labadie carry the Child into another Room, whither the Deponent follow'd, and Saw the Child when the first open'd it, and faw it was black and reaking; fo that it plainly feem'd to him to have been newly come from the Womb; And that he did fted 04 faftly 1688. fastly believe the Queen was deliver'd of that Child that very Morning. The Earl of Middleton, Secreta ry of State, depos'd, That he stood near the Bed's Feet on the Left Side, where he heard the Queen's Groans, and feveral loud Shrieks; the last the Dep nent remembred continued fo long, that he wondred how any Body could hold their Breath fo long; Tha prefently after the Depment heard them fay, the Queer was deliver'd, whereupon be stept up to the Bed-fide. and faw a Woman, he fuppos'd the Midwife, kneeling at the other fide of the Bed, who had her Hands and Arms within the Bed-Cloaths for a pretty while, That the Deponent far her Spread a Cloth upon ber Lap, and lay the end of it over the Bed-Cloaths, and thin fetch a Child out of the Bed into that Cloth, and gave it to Mrs. Labadie, who brought it round to the Side where the Deponent ftood, and carry'd it into a little Room, into which the Deponent immediately fo low'd the King, and faw that it was a Boy. The Earl of Craven faid, That he took that particular Mark of the Child, that he might fafely averr, that the Prince of Wales was that very Child that was brough out of the Queen's great Bed-Chamber, where the Depohent and others were prefent at Her Majefties Labour and Delivery. Sir Charles Scarborough, Sir Thomas Witherly, Sir William Waldegrave, and James St. Amand, confirm'd the Midwife's Depofition, and faid, They faw the After-birth reeking warm and entire, and that fome Drops of Blood from the Navel String being mention d among the Ladies for a Remedy against Convulfions, they confulted together, and allow'd of it, to fatisfie the Women, there being, as was conceiv'd, no Danger in it. As for the time of the Queen's Conception, Dr. Scarborough faid, That the often told him and others that he had Two Reckonings, one from Tuesday the 6th of September, when the King Teturn'd from his Progrefs to the Queen at the Bath, and the other from Thursday the 6th of October, when the Queen came to the King at Windfor; but for Tome Reasons the Queen rather reckon'd from the latter, tho afterwards it prov'd just to agree with the former. Moreover, Sir William Waldegrave affirm'd, That Her Majefty took, fuch Aftringent Medicines during the the most part of her being with Child, in order to avoid 1688. Miscarriage, that if he had not been with Child, they Ri must have been Prejudicial to her Health. After 3 thefe Depofitions were taken, His Majefty acquainted the Lords, that the Princess Anne of Denmark would have been Prefent; but that the being with Child likewife, and having not lately tirr'd abroad, could not come fo far without hazard : Adding further, That though he did not queftion but every Perfon there Prefent was satisfied before in this Matter, yet by what they had heard, they would be better able to fatisfic others; That, befides, if he and the Queen could be thought fo wicked as to endea vour to Impofe a Child upon the Nation, they faw how Impoffible it would have been; neither could be himSelf be impos'd upon, having constantly been with the Queen during her being with Child, and the whole Time of her Labour. That there was none of them but would eafily believe him, who had fuffer'd so much for Confcience Sake, uncapable of fo great a Villany, to the Prejudice of his own Children; and that be thank'd God that those that knew him, knew well, that it was his Principle to do as he would be done by, for that rvas the Law and the Prophets, and he would rather Dic a Thousand Deaths, than do the leaft Wrong to any of his Children. On the 27th of October, the Declaration made by the King, and Queen Dowager, together with the feveral Depofitions, were enroll'd in Chancery, pursuant to an Order in Council; and because the Earl of Huntingdon, a Proteftant, and the Earl of Peterborough, a Romanift, who were able to depofe to the Queen's Delivery, had not been examin'd at the Council-Board, they brought their Depofitions into Court, which the Lord Chancellor order'd to be read, and afterwards enroll'd with the reft. All these Teftimonies were not able either to destroy the Negative Proofs, or remove the Sufpicions of thofe who pretended that a fuppofed Child was convey'd into the Queen's Bed, in a Silver Warming-Pan made for that Purpose, and who grounded this Suppofition of a Prince of Wales |