at the Head of 8 or 9000 Men. That the Lady Rochester having ask'd him (Mr. Gascoigne) where Sir William was?· the Prifoner reply'd, Whether if he fhould tell her Ladifhip, fhe would not make use of it to perfwade him to furrender? but if it were only to give Sir William Notice of the Proclamation, he told her, that he had alrea dy fent him one. Mr. Wye farther declar'd, That when he was in her Grace's Closet, he faw a Gentleman drefs'd very fine in lac'd Scarlet Cloaths, which he understood was one of the Cottons, and having fince feen Mr. Cotton, knows it to be the fame Perfon. There were fome other Circumstances which Mr. Wye faid Mr. Gascoigne told him; particularly that the Prifoner faid, That he came to London to learn whether Sir William Wyndham made any Difcovery.

The Prifoner deny'd what this Witness had faid, and afk'd him feveral Questions, which Mr. Wye answer'd, and stuck clofe in general, with great Affurance, to what he had fworn. On this Occafion Mr. Gascoigne defir'd the Dutchefs of Ormond and Lady Emily Butler might be call'd, which was accordingly done, and Chairs were plac'd for them in Court. They were both fworn, and her Grace being ask'd to give the best Account she could of what pafs'd at the Time that Mr. Wye and Mr. Gafcoigne were in her Clofet, fhe faid, That there was indeed fome Difcourfe of Sir William Wyndham at that Time, about the Proclamation iffu'd against him. Being ask'd, Whether there was not at that Time fome Talk of the Pretender, or of Bayonne? fhe faid, She thought there might be fomething faid of Bayonne; but as to the Particulars of the 8 or 9000 Men, or the Signal to the hundred Gentlemen, he did not remember any fuch Thing; nay, (upon being more nearly queftion'd) the faid, the could almoft be pofitive there was no fuch Thing faid. Lady Emily Butler faid, That what the Dutchefs had related, was true, and she knew nothing else.

Mr. Wye being again call'd, perfifted in his former Evidence very pofitively. The Prifoner defir'd some Questions might be put to him, which tended to call his Reputation in question, as to the Course of his Life; which Mr. Wye answer'd in the following Manner; That indeed he had been fomewhat extravagant in his Youth, and spent his Father a pretty deal of Money. That he had ferv'd as a Voluntier in the Army in Spain; and all those that knew him there, would give him a good Character. He call'd fome who had known him for about fix Months

past,

paft, who faid he had the Character of a very honeft Man, and behav'd himself very well. He faid he could have brought many others to his Reputation, but did not imagine he should have had any Occafion; and that he could have added many Particulars to, difcredit the Prifoner's Reputation, but he chofe to omit them, because he would not aggravate Things against him.

Another Evidence was Nathan Wilcox, one of his Ma jefty's Meffengers, who fwore he had a Warrant on the ad of November laft, to go to the Bath to feize the Prifo ner; but when he came there, he heard he had been gone from thence about a Fortnight; and that fome Chefts of Arms, which had been feiz'd there, were directed to R. Gor G. R. Mr. Calderwood, the Quarter-Mafter among the Rebels, depos'd, That he faw the Prifoner at Preston on the Friday, and afking who he was, was told, he was come from the Bath, a Warrant being out against him; that he was a true Friend to the Caufe, and would do 'em good Service. That on Saturday, the Day the King's Forces came up, he faw him feveral times on Horseback, and fometimes on Foot, with his Sword drawn, very active in aflisting to defend the Town; and that he was prefent where the Council of War was held. Another faid, He faw him drawn up in Rank with the Rebels that Day; that he had particular Reafon to remember it, for he came fix Times with Brandy; and that two Persons who collected the Excife for the Pretender, call'd to Mr. Gascoigne, and afk'd him to drink. He repeated this Circumftance two or three Times; and added, that Mr. Gafcoigne refus'd to drink.. It was by all agreed, that, he did not appear among the Rebels as a Prifoner, but quite otherwise.

He faid in his Defence, That the Warrant iffu'd against him on Wye's Evidence, was the fole Occafion of his Mif fortune; for the Dread of that Warrant drove him to wards the North, after he had fought Shelter in Staffordfhire and Derbyshire; and that he went after to Sir Roger Bradfhaigh's, near Wigan, and defir'd the Protection of his Houfe; but Sir Roger refus'd him. He then afk'd Six Roger to direct him to fome Tenant of his; but he refus'd that alfo, faying, it was the fame Thing; but told him, there was an Inn hard by where he might lie. That he was feiz'd on at a Place call'd Heflington, and carry'd before Juftice Noel of Reed, and, after Examination there, difcharg'd. He told Sir Roger, that he was going towards Yorkshire, and afk'd if Bolton was not in the Way? That

from Reed he borrow'd Mr. Townley's Man to fhew him to Leverpoole, where, by the Way, he was feiz'd and carry'd Prifoner to Preston.

He call'd Sir Roger Bradfhaigh, and fome other Witnef fes, to fupport his Allegations, efpecially the Person who he faid was to be his Guide to Leverpoole. This Perfon depos'd, That he was fent by his Mafter to fhew the Prifoner to Leverpoole, and coming near Ribble-Bridge, a Party of the Rebels ftopp'd him, and afking where they were going, he faid, to Leverpoole; but they faid he fhould go along with them, and fo carry'd him and the reft to Prefton. That there were three or four others with 'em, but he knew not who they were. Being ask'd, if they difarm'd em, he faid, He did not fee they did. That when he came to Preston, he went to his Mafter's Houfe there, and the reft went farther into the Town. He was afk'd, Who they were that were with the Prifoner? but he faid, He did not know. One of the Witneffes had faid, That he heard one or two of them were call'd by the Name of Cotton; but this Witness infifted he knew not who they were: Nor did it appear by him, that either the Prifoner, or thofe with him, were us'd in the leaft like Prifoners. This Witnefs being crossexamin'd, feem'd very backward to explain fome Parts of his Evidence; particularly, he could not remember that he faw any Body at Reed, but the Prifoner, tho' there were near 100 Men that brought Mr. Gafcoigne. He pretended he did not know Yorkshire, tho his Master had an Eftate there, and he had been at it, but did not know it was Yorkshire; and, in fine, anfwer'd very indirectly to many plain and neceffary Questions the Court afk'd him. Moreover, it feem'd that Mr. Gafcoigne's Talk of going into Yorkshire, was only that he was ignorant till then where the Rebels were; but this being two Days after the Rebels arriv'd at Prefton, it feem'd really probable that he had Notice thereof, and fo chang'd his Rour, and travell'd in the Night, taking the direct Way to Prefton, where he was receiv'd and refpested by General Forster. 1:5.11

It was obferv'd farther by the Court, that he complain'd all his Misfortunes were owing to the Warrant u'd on Wye's Information, which forc'd him to quit the Bath, and go towards the North, having fhelter'd himfelf three Weeks in Staffordshire and Derbyshire ; whereas it appear'd, that the Warrant was not granted 'till the 2d of November, and he was at Sir Roger Bradfhaigh's the

7th.

7th. It was likewife very strange,nor did any of the Evidence on either Side make it out, how Mr. Gascoigne came to be difcharg'd before Juftice Noel, he being a fufpicious Perfon, and in hofe troublesome Times; nor, indeed, how the other Perfons who were with Gascoigne, travelling to Prefton, (one or two of whom, one of the Witnesses faid he heard were call'd Cottons) came to Mr. Noel's Houfe, or fell into Gascoigne's Company; then, that they travell'd in the Night, fetting out, according to their own Evidence, about one or two in the Morning; and had a Servant fent with them from that very House, towards Leverpoole, as they pretended, tho' indeed the direct Road to Prefton, feem'd very ftrange: But grant it otherwife, he had before faid he was going towards Yorkshire, from which Leverpoole was the direct contrary Way; and, in Truth, the Defign of the Rebels, when they enter'd Lancashire, was at first to have gone to Leverpoole; but 'tis likely the Prifoner got other Intelligence, and fo turn'd towards Prefton. After a long and full Hearing, he was found guilty, receiv'd Sentence of Death accordingly, and a Rule was made for his Execution on the 25th of that Month.

This Gentleman was born in Ireland, and defcended of a good Family, that had well merited of the Crown in the Time of Oliver Cromwell's Ufurpation; he was on all Occafions zealous for the Intereft of the late unfortunate King James and his Family, and a declar'd Enemy to the Revolution. Upon the Lofs of his Father, who was in the Service of the faid King James at the Siege of Limerick, and dy'd foon after it, he fucceeded to an Estate of about 2001. per Annum, upon which he might have liv'd comfortably in Ireland; but that Kingdom being totally reduc'd to King William's Obedience, he fold his Eftate, and return'd the Purchase-money to London, which he chofe for the Place of his Abode. Being a tall handfome Man, and brought up to no Profeffion, he foon got acquainted with moft of the Rakes of the Town, and with them indulg'd himself in all the Vices and Follies of ungovern'd Youth. He had a natural Inclination to Gaming; and his Fortune not being equal to his extravagant and luxurious Way of Living, he indeavour'd to augment what he was already poffefs'd of, that he might appear with greater Splendor; which, together with his good natural Parts, and civil Behaviour, brought him into the Converfation of Perfons of Quality, and, by 3 degrees,

D

degrees, procur'd him an Intimacy with the Men in Power and Intereft in the late Reign.

During his Continuance in Prifon, after Sentence, he gave himself wholly up to his Devotions, and was very exemplary in his Endeavours to make his Peace with God. He made it always his Requeft to thofe few Friends that vifited him, (for none but chofen Acquaintance were admitted to him) to join with him in Prayer for the Forgiveness of the many and great Sins he had committed: Nor did he once go out of his Chamber in the Prefs-yard, tho' he had the Liberty of doing it, from the Time of his Arraignment. But the Sentiments of his Mind may be discover'd beft by the following Letter, which he fent,' the Night before his Execution, to a Perfon of Emience, of the fame Religion with himself. It runs thus;

1

I

Dear Sir,

Cannot leave the World without fome Tokens of Gra titude for the many and undeferv'd Favours which I have receiv'd from you: Therefore I fend this by the Hands of this Reverend Father, with my Prayers to the Divine Being, that he will shower down fuch Bleflings upon you, in his good Time, as may return the many good Offices you have done me, fevenfold. What you have done for the Support of my Body, under a crazy State, and the Wants that are generally attendant upon Prifoners, divefted of all Neceffaries of Life, requires more Acknowledgments than I am capable of paying; but the Care you have taken in making Provision for the Welfare of my poor and immortal Soul, by fending this Holy Man to aflift me with his Prayers and Advice, is beyond Expreflion. Tis to this Act of Compaffion that I owe the Recovery of my felf from a State of Perdition; than which, nothing could have been more ruinous and miferable. To this, that I am refcu'd out of the Jaws of eternal Death, and can fay with the blessed. Apostle, O Death! where is thy Sting? 0 Grave! where is thy Victory? Nor can I leave the World without due Acts of Acknowledgment for fo endearing, fo invaluable a Favour.

Be pleas'd then to accept this last Testimony of Gratitude, which it is not in Words to exprefs, and to be-lieve that I am ready to pafs through the Vale of Death with all Chearfulness, being well affur'd of eternal Bliss and Salvation through the Merits of Chrift Jefus our