Rushton, sent for me, to come to mass, at Sir Thomas Gascoigne's house; and, at confession, did charge me to give out, 'that I heard that Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was a melancholy gentleman, and, in a dis content, went into the fields, and there murdered himself with his own sword.' Which accordingly I did, as occasion offered, in all companies I happened into; but was contradicted by many; and by some, that it could not be, for that his neck was broke, which he could not do after he had urdered himself, nor be capable to do it, if his neck was broke before and, being thus run down in my assertions, I acquainted my said ghostly father (William Rushton) therewith, who told me, he had received new instructions, which he shewed me in writing, and were to this effect: That Sir Edmundbury Godfrey was a gentleman who had often attempted to destroy himself; that he did really hang himself in his own silk-girdle, in his chamber, at the bed's feet; which being discovered, two of his servants acquainted his brothers therewith, who, coming thither, contrived his taking down, and the carrying him to the place where he was found, where they run his corps through, on purpose to throw it on the papists, thereby to save the estate to themselves, and from being forfeited to the king; and that the two servants had fifty pounds apiece given them to keep it private. He also said, that one of them, which was a maid-servant, offered to discover this contrivance to his majesty and council, but that she was by them rejected: nevertheless, for all this, at the same time, Rushton owned to me, that he was murdered by the papists, but by what hands he knew not; and further, he seemed much concerned that it was done; wishing it had never been done, because it would make the murder of the king the more difficult to be performed. ROBERT BOLRON. A further Information by ROBERT BOLRON, Gentleman. I being sent down by an order of council, bearing date the seventeenth day of October, 1679, to search several papists houses in Yorkshire, Lancashire, bishoprick of Durham, and Northumberland; among other houses, searching the mansion-house of Richard Sherborn of Stony-hurst, in the county of Lancashire, esq; in the chamber of Edward Cottam, a jesuit, or popish priest, I found the paper hereunto annexed. This same Cottam, upon the death of Henry Long, mentioned in the said paper, was, by the said Mr. Sherborn, entertained as his domestick priest, in the stead and place of the other, who, as the papists gave out, drowned himself; but was rather made away by the Romish party, as being one that was discontented in his mind, and of whom they had a suspicion, that he would discover this damnable popish plot, carried on by the papists, who therefore, as I have heard from several understanding papists, engaged in the plot, procured his death. The original copy being in Latin, it was thought convenient to print it in that language: Celebrare quis astringetur. Postremo, ut evidenter testetur, quod omnes ad hoc opus pium assentiantur, has constitutiones propria manu subsignabant. Every one shall be bound to celebrate. Lastly, That it may be evidently testified, that all do unanimously assent to this pious work, they did underwrite these constitutions with their own hands. Quando omnes unanimiter consentierant his constitutionibus, die 28 Februarii, 1675, hi designabantur superiores. When all had consented to these constitutions, the twenty-eighth of February, 1675, these were designed superiors. D. Petrus Giffardus, Secretarius. D. Rogerus Anderton, collector pro sex hundredis pro Derbiensi, collector for six hundreds in Derbyshire. D. Ricardus Bartonius, for Layland. D. Henricus Long. } ForBlackburn hundreds in Lancashire. Having thus given the reader an account of this paper, how I came by it, and in whose custody I found it, I shall leave it to the consideration of any person of impartial judgment, what should be the design of so many priests and jesuits to make such orders and constitutions among themselves? And for what reason those orders must be confirmed by so many manual subscriptions? Certainly the orders of their society needed no such confirmations. This must be then some eccentrick business, for so many priests and jesuits to meet and cabal in the remote parts of the nation; and there also to appoint treasurers and collectors, not ordinary persons neither, but such as could not be named without the title of most reverend lord; which imports them not the treasurers of alms, but of contributions. Now, contributions signify sums; and sums, it cannot be imagined, should be collected in those parts for the Jesuits to build colleges in England. It remains then, that these collectors were appointed for the collection of considerable sums (the largesses of blind zeal and deluded piety, or the price of indulgences for fifty-thousand years, and exemptions from purgatory) to carry on the great work of their damnable plot, which, it is apparent, was hatching in the year 1675, and long before. And this, I hope, may, in a large measure, serve to prove and make good that part of my information already given; wherein I have declared, that, in the counties of York, Lancaster, Northumberland, and bishoprick of Durham, there have been no less than thirty-thousand pounds collected by the Jesuits and priests, which were, no question, the effects of such orders and constitution as these above-named, for the more speedy bringing to pass the destruction of his most sacred majesty, and the protestant religion. As for Long, Dalton, Thurston, Anderton, Tho. Eccleston, and Urmeston, I know them to be all Jesuits; therefore it is probable to believe the rest are of the same stamp.' London, December the 6th, 1680. ROBERT BOLRON. MAGNALIA NATURÆ: OR, THE PHILOSOPHER'S-STONE, LATELY EXPOSED TO Being a true and exact account of the manner how Wenceslaus Seilerus, the late famous projection-maker, at the emperor's-court at Vienna, came by, and made away with a very great quantity of powder of projection, by projecting with it before the emperor, and a great many witnesses, selling it, &c. for some years past. Published at the request, and for the satisfaction of several curious, especially of Mr. Boyle, &c. by John Joachim Becher, one of the council of the emperor, and a commissioner for the examen of this affair. Quid igitur ingrati sumus? Cur invidemus etsi veritas divinitatis (quæ per ea quæ sat intelligi potest, Rom. i. 20.) nostri temporis ætate maturuit. Minut. Felix. London, printed by Tho. Dawks, his majesty's British printer, living in BlackFriars. Sold also by La Curtiss, in Goat Court on Ludgate Hill, 1680. Quarto, containing thirty-eight pages. THE TRANSLATOR TO THE READER. There is no ingenious man, that is not unacquainted with the curiosities to be met with in the world, who hath not either seen some transmutation of metals, or, at least, heard so many witness that they have seen it, as to be persuaded that there is such a thing as the philosophers-stone, or powder of projection. Only there be some great men (as his highness Prince Rupert, who hath seen the projection at Frankfort, in Germany) who seem to question, whether such powder or tincture is prepared with profit? But this doubt is hereby now fully cleared and resolved, from the great quantity of this tincture left buried by the abbot founder of the church it was found in (as this relation informs you :) for it is not credible, that the abbot was master, before he had done the work, of such immense treasure, as he must needs have had to draw so much tincture from; which could not be extracted (if the preparation thereof is without profit) from a lesser quantity of gold, than it gives or yields again in the projection: so that the same quantity of gold, that it yields again, must have been spoiled to make it; which, it is not credible, an abbot of Germany was master of, as is said. And, for the truth of this relation, besides that it is attested by many men of great quality, good parts, probity, and modesty by the Emperor himself; by Count Wallestein, who was resident here, a year ago; and, by Dr. Becher, at present, in this city. It is so publickly known through all parts of Germany, chiefly about Vienna, where this was transacted, that to doubt, or deny it, were as absurd, as if one denied that the West-Indies have been found out of late years, or that there are ships at sea, because he hath seen neither. But, among the many remarkable passages in this relation, one thing is most worthy of observation, viz. the honesty of Friar Francis Preyhausen, who deserves to be chronicled for his faithfulness and truth to Friar Wenceslaus, the finder of this powder: for he wanted neither frequent opportunities, nor specious pretences, to effect what some princes could not forbear to attempt (i. e. to rob Wenceslaus of his powder), though without a certainty of success: and, though he was himself sure of success, for he was thrice, for a good while each time, entrusted with the box, and might find excuses enough for it, yet he not only did not yield to the tempta tion of getting all, as they did; but did not so much as deny, purloin, or withhold the least part of the powder from Friar Wenceslaus, even when (seeing how he squandered it away) he had a good pretence to keep back some for his use: and might justly have claimed and reserved some for his own use also, not only for his services, but for the great dangers he had exposed himself to for his sake; thus keeping true to the end, even against his own right, and so great a temptation. faithful man who can find? Prov. xx. 6. But here such a one is found, and that among the Friars! Whence I am glad to observe, that all the Friars are not quite so black as some make them; and to see, that among them, as well as among other sects, some good men are to be found, who make conscience of an oath, and keep it, though to their loss. Thanks be to Friar Francis's honesty, for so much as we know of this whole concern. I am sure, that, if he had what his honesty deserves, what the emperor hath done for Wenceslaus, had been bestowed upon him; and that Wenceslaus himself, whilst in the dungeon, would have said, with all his heart, that, if he should do for him what he hath done, he would deserve what he hath not had, I mean, the whole powder: But honesty meets seldom with what it deserves. A THE place where Wenceslaus Seilerus (who is the main subject of was at Vienna, yes, or no: but sure I am he was of the Austrian country; and his brother did wait upon the Count of Weissenwolf the unger. As for Seilerus himself, when he was about the twentieth year of his age, he was cast into a monastery of the Augustine friars, at Bruna in Moravia; where, after his year of probation, he took the habit upon him, and was admitted into the number of friars, though it were against his will, as he afterwards confessed, and as the event did make appear: for, having once made profession of the order, he did continually strive and study, how he might free himself from the monastery; and seeing that could not be done without money, and money in his circumstances, could not lawfully be obtained, he began to study an indirect way for the obtaining thereof; for his fellow friars having often muttered to him of some great treasure hid in their monastery, he had a great desire to find it out. And, in order thereunto, he did not scruple to learn the magick art, if any one had been ready to inform him therein, wherein for. tune seemed to favour his desires; for there was an old woman, a cow-keeper's wife, living before the gate of the town and fortress, who was skilled therein, and he came to be acquainted with her, upon this occasion: The younger monks and students, as they were called, are allowed some set days, every week, to walk out of the gates of the city, to enjoy the open air, and to refresh their minds, supposed to be wearied with study; in these relaxations, one company disperses itself here, another there, as they think fit for their divertisement. But Friar Wenceslaus, for so I shall hereafter call him, made use of this occasion, always to visit the said old woman, and, upon the pretence of drinking new milk, to interrogate her concerning her art. And, in a short time, he got so much into her favour, as to obtain from her a small wax-ball, marked with certain figures or characters, which was of that vertue, That, if it was laid upon the ground, it would presently run to the place, where any treasure was hid:' this ball I afterwards saw often in his custody, and handled it with my hands. It happened afterwards, that, as the custom is for the old fathers, when they grow weak, to have some young friars to assist them, so, Friar Wenceslaus was assigned to attend an ancient father, who was a cabalist, and a lover of magick, in which studies, at any vacancies, he spent his time. He often told Friar Wenceslaus, That there was a vast treasure hid in the church of their monastery;' to whom, Wenceslaus replied, That he had got à ball, which, he was assured, had the ver tue to discover hidden treasures; and, thereupon, he shewed him the ball, and the characters impressed thereon, which the old father did seri. ously consider, and much valued them. A while after, as they two were walking alone, in the church, before day, after mattins, they tried the ball, by laying it down in several places, but found no effect: at last, placing it near a certain pillar, old and ruinous, it began to shew its efficacy and vertue, by its often running thereto this they interpreted for a certain indication, that the treasure was there hid; but, how to come at it, was the question. They had neither leave, means, nor opportunity, to break down this stony structure, neither did they certainly know, at what heighth or depth thereof, the treasure was laid in it. So that, upon these discou ragements, they were forced to let it alone. But it happened afterwards, that, a great tempest arising, the whole church, and especially this decayed pillar, was so shaken and spoiled, that, to prevent its falling down, the abbot was necessiated to order it to be demolished. And, in regard the old father, whom Friar Wenceslaus attended, had skill in architecture, and by reason of his infirmities could not be otherwise serviceable to the monastery, he was therefore appointed to oversee the masons; which office he and his assistant |