Earl of Not. My lord, we have some few questions to ask you, and therefore pray repose yourself. Bishop of Roch. If you please to permit me, I had rather answer what your lordships have farther to say, standing thus as I am at the table. Earl of Not. Then, my lord, we shall ask you: have you ever written to the Earl of Marlborough within these three months? Bishop of Roch. I think I may safely affirm, I never writ to my lord Marlborough in my life; but I am certain, and upon the faith of a bishop I declare, I have not written one word to him these three months. Earl of Not. Have you received any letter from my Lord Marlborough within these three months? Bishop of Roch. I protest solemnly I have not received any. Earl of Not. Have you received any written or printed papers from my Lord Marlborough, within that space of time? Bishop of Roch. As in the presence of God, I declare, I have not. My lords, I have had some acquaintance with my lord Marlborough, both in King James's court, and in the parliaments since; but I cannot call to mind, that ever I wrote to him, or he to me. Earl of Not. Then, I think, my lords, we have nothing more to do, but to wish my lord bishop a good journey to Bromley. With that, they all rose up and saluted me, testifying their great satisfaction that I had so well cleared myself, and confounded my adversary: more especially, two noble lords of the company, to whom, I said, I would now particularly appeal, gave me an ample testimony of their belief of my innocency in this accusation, and of my dutiful disposition to the government. My Lord Nottingham then told me, in the name of all the rest, they had no farther trouble to give me. I intreated them to suffer me to add a few words; they permitting me, I said: My lords, I heartily thank you for confronting me with this fellow; else I could not so well have made out my innocency, but I might still have lain under a suspicion, whereof I had not known the least ground. Had this been a trial for my life, I should have been glad to have such honourable persons for my judges; but now I have much more reason to bless God, that you have been my compurgators; that you are witnesses, as well as judges, of the detection of this villainy against me; whereof, I must acknowledge, as yet I do not fathom the bottom: wherefore I must intreat, that I may put myself under your protection for the future; for, although this fountain of wickedness has been now stopped in this particular, as to myself, yet it seems to run under ground still; and, unless especial care be taken, it may break forth again in some other place, on some other occasion, to the ruin, if not of me, yet of some other innocent person. Earl of Devonsh. No, my lord, you need never fear this fountain can break forth any more, to do you, or any other good man any prejudice, he having been so palpably convicted of knavery and lying. Bishop of Roch. My lords, I hope so: as for myself, I take my own innocency to be abundantly vindicated by this your general declaration in my favour. I make no question, but your lordships will next vindicate yourselves, and the justice of the government, by bringing this wicked man to condign punishment, and by examining the main drift of his design, and who have been his accomplices. They all assuring me, I might rely upon them for it, I withdrew. All this while I had not the least conjecture or imagination who this Young should be, with whom Blackhead pretended I held so close a correspondence. But my next appearance before the committee of the council, will clear up what remains of the whole wicked mystery. In the mean time, returning home that evening to Bromley, I presently met with a plentiful concurrence of evidence from most of my servants, of their discourse with Blackhead, and their knowledge of his business, in reference to Dr. Hookes's letter. First, the butler, Thomas Warren, told me, that according to my order to use him kindly, he had done so both times he was with us: particularly the second time, he had entertained him with one of the petty canons of Windsor, who came thither by chance, in the parlour next the garden: that thence he brought him down into the cellar, where Blackhead drank my health with knees almost bended to the ground: that then he earnestly desired him to shew him my study; saying, I have heard your lord has a very good study of books: my master Hookes has a very good one: he often lets me go into it, and I doubt not but you have the same liberty: I pray let me see his books. The butler answered, my lord has but few books here, only such as he brings from time to time from Westminster, for present use, and they are locked up in presses, so that I cannot shew them if I would. I pray then, said Blackhead, let me see the room, I hear it is a very fine one. The butler said, he could not presume to do it without my leave. Then, said Blackhead, let me see the rest of the house. The butler excused his not being able to do it then, because there were some ladies with his mistress. The same request, he assured me, Blackhead repeated almost twenty times; but still he denied him. Then Thomas Philips, my coachman, and John Jewel, my gardener, confirmed most of what the butler had said: all of them agreeing, that both the times he was at Bromley, especially the second, he had talked publickly with them of the business he came about from his master Dr. Hookes: enlarging much in commendation of the said doctor, what a worthy man he was: what hospitality he kept; and how he would never rest till he had brought to punishment the knave that had forged my hand and seal for orders. They added, that, after I had dismissed him, he lingered about in the garden, the hall, and the great parlour a long time; and was full of such discourses. Moreover, the gardener, and William Hardy, the groom, and Thomas French, and one or two of the other servants, who remained at Bromley whilst I was in custody at Westminster, did all assure me, that this man, who brought first the letter, and then the message from Dr. Hookes, had been a third time at my house, whilst I was under confinement. That it was upon a Sunday, which by computation proved to be Whit-sunday, May 15th, that they found him in the midst of the house, before they knew he was entered. He told them, that passing that way, he came to condole for my mishap, and to inquire what the matter was; hoping it was not so bad as was reported at London. They answered, they knew nothing of particulars; yet doubted not but I was innocent. That he then again desired to see the house; but all the doors were locked, except the great parlour, which has no lock upon it. That he would have inticed them to town to drink with him; which they refused, but made him drink there; and he coming after dinner, they persuaded a maid-servant to provide him some meat: which she did, but unwillingly, telling them she did not like the fellow's looks; that, perhaps, he might come to rob, or to set the house, now so few servants were at home: that he rather looked (as indeed he did) like some knavish, broken tradesman, than an honest rich clergyman's bayliff, or steward, as he also called himself; and it has proved since, that her conjecture was true. All this, and more, my servants repeated to me, touching Blackhead's behaviour in my house, and his discourse concerning his master Dr. Hookes. And they offered to depose it all upon oath. And, above all, the next day, being Saturday, June the 11th, Mr. Moore coming from London, immediately found the original letter, that Blackhead had brought me from the pretended Doctor. Wherefore, being furnished with all these fresh materials, especially with the letter itself; and being not a little surprised to hear that the rogue had, the second time of his coming, been so earnest to get into my study, or any of the other rooms; and that he had the diabolical malice against me, to come to my house a third time, on pretence of condoling my misfortune, which I then thought it was probable had chiefly proceeded from his malicious perjury against me. All this considered, I resolved to go to London on Monday morning with these servants, and to carry the letter that he brought me as from Dr. Hookes, to lay the whole business before the lords of the committee, and to desire their farther examination of Blackhead upon these particulars. Accordingly on Monday, June the 13th, I went, and attended the meeting of the lords that morning in the usual place. When there was a full committee, I sent to them by a clerk of the council, intreating that I might have a short audience. After some time, I was introduced. There were present (besides most of the lords ber fore mentioned) three others, whom I had not seen there since my first appearance before them, the Marquiss of Caermarthen, Lord President, the Lord Godolphin, and Sir John Lowther. When I came into the room, and was just going to propose the business that brought me thither, my Lord Nottingham prevented me, and said: My Lord, do you know that person there? (pointing to a man who stood behind the privy-counsellors, near the door which leads into the publick room.) Bishop of Roch. My Lord, I do not know him. Earl of Not. My Lord, I pray observe him well. Bishop of Roch. Upon my credit I never saw this man before in my life, to the utmost of my knowledge. Then the person standing there looked boldly upon me, and said, do you not know me my Lord? do not you remember that I officiated some weeks at Bromley College, for Mr. Dobson, in King James's time? And that I preached in the parish church there once or twice? Bishop of Roch. My Lords, I solemnly affirm I do not know this man I never saw him before: I never knew that he officiated in Bromley-College: I never heard him preach in the church there : he is a mere stranger to me he may have served for the chaplain of that college, in King James's time; but I was not then concerned who officiated there. He may have preached in the Church, and I not have heard him; for about that time I was clerk of the closet, and was seldom or never at Bromley on Sundays, by reason of my attendance on the Princess Anne of Denmark, either at Whitehall or Windsor, or Hampton-Court, or Richmond. The same person presently took me up, with insolent confidence, you will know me better when Captain Lawe appears; I warrant you don't know captain Lawe neither. Bishop of Roch. My Lords, if any of your lordships please to ask me any thing, I shall answer with all respect. But I do not understand that I am bound to satisfy this saucy fellow's questions; yet, because he has asked me so familiarly, touching my acquaintance with one captain Lawe, I assure you I know not any such man in the world as captain Lawe. But, my Lords, by this person's discourse, I am induced to believe he may be the Young with whom the other knave, Blackhead, pretended the last time that I held a strict correspondence by his means. Earl of Not. This man's name is Young, Robert Young. Bishop of Roch. Then, my Lords, because my Lord President, and some of the other lords, were not here then, I must beg leave of those that were, that I may repeat what I then remembered concerning one Robert Young. Whereupon I recollected the substance of what I had said, of a letter I had received some years since, dated at Newgate, from one of the same name, who pretended himself to be a clergyman. I added, It seems, my Lords, by his own confession, that this is the very same Young. But, as I never saw him before he was in Newgate, so I declare, upon the faith of a christian, I never saw, or heard from him since that letter; however, I am very glad you have him now; I make no doubt but he will be found in the end such another villain as Blackhead was proved to be on Friday last. But, my Lords, said I, the business that brought me to wait on you now is to intreat you to take that same Blackhead into further examination, and to inquire a little more into his part in this wicked contrivance, whatever it is. My Lords, since I went to Bromley, my servant, Mr. Moore, has had the good fortune to retrieve the very original letter that Blackhead brought me from his counterfeit master, doctor Hookes. Then I delivered the letter in at the table, and my Lord Nottingham read it aloud. And to shew with what a treacherous insinuation, and plausibility of style it was written, to draw from me an answer under my own hand, I here set down the very letter itself, word for word: My Lord, BE EING destitute of a curate, one Mr. James Curtis came to me, who produced letters dimissory (bearing date, March 13th. 91) and likewise letters of orders under your hand and episcopal seal. Now, my lord, willing I am to employ any that your lordship shall recommend, and give him all the encouragement imaginable; but being since, by his own words, suspicious that his in'struments are forged, I have therefore on purpose sent my man to 'know the truth thereof, and, in order thereunto, I humbly beg your 'lordship to give an account in yours by this bearer, promising, for 'the church of England's credit, and likewise your lordship's honour, 'that, if he be an impostor, I will see him brought to condign 'punishment for such his forgery; but, if he be not, I beg your lordship's pardon for this trouble, occasioned by my candid af'fection for your lordship, and all clergymen, being not willing to ' have them imposed upon. ' Windgrave, 'I am your lordship's 'most obedient servant, • ROBERT HOOKES, D. D. Now, my lords, proceeded I, I thought it would be for your service to acquaint you, that I have received, from divers of my servants, a farther account of all Blackhead's demeanor, the first, second, and third time he was at my house at Bromley; for he was there a third time also, which I knew not of, before I went home on Friday. Then I summed up what has been said before, my servants were ready to depose to that purpose: concluding thus, my lords, my servants are attending without; I pray that Blackhead may be brought before them face to face, and that they may be admitted to give it upon oath, what they have to say concerning him. Upon this several of the lords said, send for Blackhead; and he was sent for. |