1670. Account what Number of Diffenters Meetings, of every fort, there were in each County; and where kept: what Number of Perfons frequented them, and of what Ranks; who amongst them were Perfons of Eftate, and where they lived: that when they fhould afterwards have troubled the Waters, they might the better know where, with moft Advantage, to caft their Nets. He, of these Emifaries, whofe Poft was affigned him in this County of Bucks, adventured to thrust himself upon a Friend, under the counterfeit Appearance of a Quaker: but being by the Friend fufpected, and thereupon difmift unentertain'd, he was forced to betake himself to an Inn or Alehouse for Accommodation. Long he had not been there, e're his unruly Nature (not to be long kept under by the Curb of a feigned Sobriety) broke forth into open Prophannefs: fo true is that of the POET,

Naturam expellas furcâ licèt, ufq; recurret.

To Fudling now falls he with those whom he found Tippling there before; and who but he amongst them! In him was then made good the Proverb, In Vino Veritas: for in his Cups he out with that, which was, no doubt, to have been kept a Secret. 'Twas to his Pot-Companions, that (after his Head was fomewhat heated with ftrong Liquors) he difcovered that he was fent forth by Dr. Mew, the then Vice-Chan cellor of Oxford, on the Defign before related, and under the Protection of Justice Morton, a

Warrant

Warrant under whofe Hand and Seal he there 1670. produced.

Senfible of his Error too late (when Sleep had restored him to fome degree of Senfe) and difcouraged with this ill Succefs of his Attempt upon the Quakers, he quickly left that Place; and croffing through the Country, caft himself among the Baptifts, at a Meeting which they held in a private Place: of which the over-eafie Credulity of fome that went among them (whom he had craftily infinuated himself into) had given him Notice. The Entertainment he found amongst them, deferved a better Return than he made them. For, having smoothly wrought himself into their good Opinion, and cunningly drawn some of them into an unwary Openness, and Freedom of Conversation with him, upon the unpleafing Subject of the Severity of thofe Times; he molt villanously impeached one of them (whofe Name was

Head

ach, a Man well reputed amongst his Neighbours) of having fpoken Treasonable Words: and thereby brought the Man in danger of lofing both his Eftate and Life; had not a seasonable Discovery of his abominable Practices elsewhere (imprinting Terror, the Effect of Guilt upon him) caufed him to fly both out of the Court and Country; at that very inftant of Time, when the honest Man ftood at the Bar, ready to be arraigned upon his falfe Accufation.

This his falfe Charge against that Baptift, left him no further room to play the Hypocrite in thofe Parts. Off therefore go his Cloak and

1670. Vizor. And now he openly appears, in his pro3 per Colours, to disturb the Affemblies of God's People which was indeed the very End, for which the Design at first was laid. 7

But because the Law provided, That a Conviction must be grounded upon the Oaths of two Witneffes; it was needful for him, in order to the carrying on his intended Mischief, to find out an Affociate, who might be both fordid enough for fuch an Imployment, and vicious enough to be his Companion.

This was not an eafie Task: yet he found out one, who had already given an Experiment of his Readiness to take other Mens Goods: being not long before released out of AlesburyGoal, where he very narrowly escaped the Gallows, for having Stolen a Cow.

The Names of thefe Fellows being yet unknown, in that Part of the Country where they began their Work; the former, by the general Voice of the Country, was called The Trepan : the latter, The Informer; and, from the Colour of his Hair, Red-head. But in a little time the Trepan called himself John Poulter: adding with al, That Judge Morton ufed to call him John for the King; and that the A. B. of Canterbury had given him a Deaconry. That his Name was indeed John Poulter, the reputed Son of one

Poulter, a Butcher in Salisbury; and that he had long fince been there branded for a Fellow egregioufly Wicked and Debauched, we were affured by the Teftimony of a young Man, then living in Amersham, who both was his Country

man,

man, and had known him in Salisbury: as well 1670. as by a Letter from an Inhabitant of that Place; to whom his Courfe of Life had been well known.

His Comrade, who for fome time was only called The Informer, was named Ralph Lacy of Risborough; and Sirnamed the Cow-ftealer.

These agreed between themselves where to make their firft Onfet (which was to be,and was, on the Meeting of the People called Quakers, then holden at the Houfe of William Ruffell, called Jourden's, in the Parish of Giles-Chalfont in the County of Bucks) that which was wanting to their Accommodation, was a Place of Harbour, fit for fuch Beafts of Prey to lurk in: for Affiftance wherein Recourfe was had to Parfon Philips; none being fo ready, none fo willing, none fo able to help them, as he.

A Friend he had in a Corner, a Widow-Woman; not long before one of his Parishioners. Her Name was Anne Dell; and at that time. fhe lived at a Farm called Whites, a By-place in the Parish of Beconsfield, whither fhe removed from Hitchindon: To her thefe Fellows were Recommended, by her old Friend the Parson. She, with all readiness, received them; Her House was at all times open to them: what she had, was at their Command.

Two Sons she had at home with her, both at Man's Eftate; to the Eldest of which her MaidServant, not long before, had laid a Bastard: which Infamy to fmother up proved Expensive to them. The younger Son (whose Name was John Dell) hoping, by the Pillage of his honest T Neigh

1670. Neighbours, to regain what the Incontinency of his lustful Brother had mif-fpent; lifted himself in the Service of his Mothers New Guefts, to attend on them, as their Guide, and to inform them (who were too much Strangers to pretend to know the Names of any of the Perfons there) whom they fhould inform againft.

Thus conforted, thus in a triple League confederated, on the 24th Day of the Fifth Month (commonly called July) in the Year 1670, they appeared openly, and began to Act their intended Tragoedy upon the Quakers Meeting, at the Place aforefaid; to which I belonged, and at which I was prefent. Here the chief Actor, Poulter, behaved himself with fuch impetuous Violence, and brutish Rudeness, as gave Occafion for Enquiry who, or what, he was.

And

being foon difcovered to be the Trepan, fo Infamous, and abhor'd by all fober People; and afterwards daily detected of grofs Impieties, and even Capital Crimes (fuch as Chrift'ning (fo the common Term is) of a Cat in contempt of that Practice which is ufed by many upon Children) naming it Catharine-Catherina, in derifion of the then Queen; And the Felonious taking of certain Goods from one of Brainford; whom alfo he cheated of Money. These things raising an Out-cry in the Country upon him, made him confult his own Safety; and leaving his Part to be Acted by others, quitted the Country as foon as he could.

He being gone, Satan foon fupplied his Place, by fending one Richard Aris, a broken Ironmon-,

ger