being asked, what he intended by so doing? said, he did it, that it might be believed his master had been there robbed and murdered; and, having thus disposed of his hat, band, and comb, he went towards Charringworth, &c. as hath been related."

Upon this confession and accusation, the justice of peace gave order for the apprehending of Joan and Richard Perry, the mother and bro ther of John Perry, and for searching the sink where Mr. Harrison's body was said to be thrown, which was accordingly done, but nothing of him could be there found; the fish-pools likewise, in Campden, were drawn and searched, but nothing could be there found neither; so that some were of opinion, the body might be hid in the ruins of Campden-house, burnt in the late wars, and not unfit for such a concealment, where was likewise search made, but all in vain.

Saturday, August the twenty-fifth, Joan and Richard Perry, together with John Perry, were brought before the justice of peace, who ac. quainting the said Joan and Richard with what John had laid to their charge, they denied all, with many imprecations on themselves, if they were in the least guilty of any thing, of which they were accused; but John, on the other side, affirmed, to their faces, that he had spoken nothing but the truth, and that they had murdered his master; further telling them, that he could never be at quiet for them, since he came into his master's service, being continually followed by them, to help them to money, which they told him he might do by giving them notice when his master went to receive his lady's rents; and that he, meeting his brother Richard in Campden town, the Thursday morning his master went to Charringworth, told him whither he was going, and upon what errand: Richard confessed he met his brother that morning, and spoke to him, but nothing passed between them to that purpose; and both he and his mother told John he was a villain to accuse them wrongfully, as he had done; but John, on the other side, affirmed, that he had spoken nothing but the truth, and would justify it to his death.

One remarkable circumstance happened in these prisoners' return from the justice of peace's house to Campden, viz. Richard Perry, following a good distance behind his brother John, pulling a clout out of his pocket, dropped a ball of inkle, which one of his guard taking up, he desired him to restore, saying, it was only his wife's hair lace; but the party opening it, and finding a slip-knot at the end, went and shewed it unto John, who was then a good distance before, and knew nothing of the dropping and taking up of this inkle; but being shewed it, and asked, whether he knew it, shook his head and said, yea, to his sorrow, for that was the string his brother strangled his master with. This was sworn upon the evidence at their trial.

The morrow being the Lord's-day, they remained at Campden, where the minister of the place designing to speak to them (if possible to per. suade them to repentance, and a further confession) they were brought to church; and in their way thither, passing by Richard's house, two of his children meeting him, he took the lesser in his arms, leading the other in his hand; when, on a sudden, both their noses fell a bleeding, which was looked upon as ominous.

Here it will be no impertinent digression, to tell how the year before Mr. Harrison had his house broken open, between eleven and twelve of the clock at noon, upon Campden market-day, whilst himself and his whole family were at the lecture; a ladder being set up to a window of the second story, and an iron bar wrenched thence with a ploughshare, which was left in the room, and seven score pounds in money carried away, the authors of which robbery could never be found.

After this, and not many weeks before Mr. Harrison's absence, his servant Perry, one evening, in Campden-Garden made an hideous outcry; whereat, some who heard it, coming in, met him running, and seemingly frighted, with a sheep-pick in his hand, to whom he told a formal story, how he had been set upon by two men in white, with naked swords, and how he defended himself with his sheep-pick; the handle whereof was cut in two or three places, and likewise a key in his pocket, which, he said, was done with one of their swords.

These passages the justice of peace having before heard, and calling to mind, upon Perry's confession, asked him first concerning the robbery, when his master lost seven score pounds out of his house, at noonday: whether he knew who did it? Who answered, yes, it was his brother. And being further asked, whether he were then with him? He answered no, he was then at church; but that he gave him notice of the money, and told him in which room it was, and where he might have a ladder that would reach the window; and that his brother after told him he had the money, and had buried it in his garden, and that they were, at Michaelmas next, to have divided it; whereupon search was made in the garden, but no money could be there found.

And being further asked concerning that other passage of his being assaulted in the garden; he confessed it was all a fiction, and that, having a design to rob his master, he did it, that, rogues being believed to haunt the place, when his master was robbed, they might be thought to have done it.

At the next assizes, which were held in September following, John, Joan, and Richard Perry had two indictments found against them; one for breaking into William Harrison's house, and robbing him of one hundred and forty pounds, in the year 1659; the other for robbing and murdering of the said William Harrison, the sixteenth day of August, 1660. Upon the last indictment, the then judge of assizes, Sir C. T. would not try them, because the body was not found; but they were then tried upon the other indictment for robbery, to which they pleaded, not guilty; but, some whispering behind them, they soon after pleaded guilty, humbly begging the benefit of his majesty's gracious pardon, and act of oblivion, which was granted them.

But though they pleaded guilty to this indictment, being thereunto prompted, as is probable, by some who were unwilling to lose time, and trouble the court with their trial, in regard the act of oblivion pardoned them; yet they all afterwards, and at their deaths, denied that they were guilty of that robbery, or that they knew who did it.

Yet at this assize, as several credible persons have affirmed, John Perry still persisted in his story, that his mother and brother had mur

dered his master; and further added, that they had attempted to poison him in the jail, so that he durst neither eat nor drink with them.

At the next assizes, which were the spring following, John, Joan, and Richard Perry were, by the then judge of assize, Sir B. H. tried upon the indictment of murder, and pleaded thereunto, severally, not guilty; and, when John's confession, before the justice, was proved, viva voce, by several witnesses who heard the same, he told them, he was then mad, and knew not what he said.

The other two, Richard and Joan Perry, said they were wholly innocent of what they were accused, and that they knew nothing of Mr. Harrison's death, nor what was become of him; and Richard said, that his brother had accused others, as well as him, to have murdered his master; which the judge bidding him prove, he said, that most of those, that had given evidence against him, knew it; but, naming none, not any spoke to it, and so the jury found them all three guilty.

Some few days after, being brought to the place of their execution, which was on Broadway-hill, in sight of Campden; the mother (being reputed a witch, and to have so bewitched her sons, they could confess nothing, while she lived) was first executed; after which, Richard, being upon the ladder, professed, as he had done all along, that he was wholly innocent of the fact for which he was then to die, and that he knew nothing of Mr. Harrison's death, nor what was become of him; and did, with great earnestness, beg and beseech his brother, for the satisfaction of the whole world, and his own conscience, to declare what he knew concerning him; but he, with a dogged and surly carriage, told the people, he was not obliged to confess to them; yet, imme. diately before his death, said he knew nothing of his master's death, nor what was become of him, but they might hereafter possibly hear.

IN

HONOURED SIR,

For Sir T. O. Knight.

N obedience to your commands, I give you this true account of my being carried away beyond the seas, my continuance there, and return home. On a Thursday in the afternoon, in the time of harvest, 'I went to Charringworth, to demand rents due to my Lady Campden; at which time the tenants were busy in the fields, and late before they came home, which occasioned my stay there till the close of the even'ing. I expected a considerable sum, but received only three and twenty pounds, and no more. In my return home, in the narrow passage amongst Ebrington furzes, there met me one horseman, and said, "Art thou there?' And I, fearing that he would have rid over me, struck his horse over the nose; whereupon he struck at me with his sword, 'several blows, and run it into my side, while I, with my little cane, 'made my defence, as well as I could; at last another came behind me, run me into the thigh, laid hold on the collar of my doublet, and drew me to a hedge, near to the place; then came in another they did not take my money, but mounted me behind one of them, drew 6 my arms about his middle, and fastened my wrists together with some

thing that had a spring-lock, as I conceived, by hearing it give a snap ' as they put it on; then they threw a great cloke over me, and carried me away in the night they alighted at a hay-rick, which stood near to a stone pit by a wall-side, where they took away my money; about two hours before day, as I heard one of them tell the other he thought it to be then, they tumbled me into the stone-pit; they staid, as I 'thought, about an hour at the hay-rick, when they took horse again; one of them bade me come out of the pit, I answered, they had my ' money already, and asked what they would do with me; whereupon 'he struck me again, drew me out, and put a great quantity of money ' into my pockets, and mounted me again after the same manner; and on the Friday, about sun-setting, they brought me to a lone house ' upon a heath, by a thicket of bushes, where they took me down almost 'dead, being sorely bruised with the carriage of the money. When the ' woman of the house saw that I could neither stand nor speak, she ' asked them, whether or no they had brought a dead man? They an'swered no, but a friend that was hurt, and they were carrying him to a 'surgeon; she answered, if they did not make haste, their friend would be dead before they could bring him to one. There they laid me on 'cushions, and suffered none to come into the room but a little girl; 'there we staid all night, they giving me some broth and strong-waters: ' in the morning, very early, they mounted me as before, and on Sa'turday night they brought me to a place where were two or three 'houses, in one of which I lay all night, on cushions, by their bed-side: ' on Sunday morning they carried me from thence, and, about three or 'four o'clock, they brought me to a place by the sea-side, called Deal, 'where they laid me down on the ground; and, one of them staying by 'me, the other two walked a little off, to meet a man, with whom they 'talked; and, in their discourse, I heard them mention seven pounds; ' after which they went away together, and about half an hour after re' turned. The man (whose name, as I after heard, was Wrenshaw) 'said, he feared I would die before he could get me on board; then pre. *sently they put me into a boat, and carried me on ship-board, where my wounds were dressed. I remained in the ship, as near as I could reckon, about six weeks, in which time I was indifferently recovered ' of my wounds and weakness. Then the master of the ship came and 'told me, and the rest who were in the same condition, that he disco'vered three Turkish ships; we all offered to fight in the defence of the 'ship and ourselves; but he commanded us to keep close, and said he 'would deal with them well enough: a little while after he called us up, and, when we came on the deck, we saw two Turkish ships close by us; into one of them we were put, and placed in a dark hole, where how long we continued, before we landed, I know not: when we were landed, they led us two days journey, and put us into a great house, or prison, where we remained four days and an half; and then came to us eight men to view us, who seemed to be officers; they called us, and examined us of our trades and callings, which every one answered; one said he was a surgeon, another that he was a broad-cloth weaver, and I, after two or three demands, said I had some skill in physick: ' we three were set by, and taken by three of those eight men that came

to view us: it was my chance to be chosen by a grave physician of eighty-seven years of age, who lived near to Smyrna, who had for'merly been in England, and knew Crowland in Lincolnshire, which he "preferred before all other places in England: he employed me to keep his still-house, and gave me a silver bowl, double gilt, to drink in; my business was most in that place; but once he set me to gather cotton-wool, which I not doing to his mind, he struck me down to the 'ground, and after drew his stiletto to stab me, but, I holding up my hands to him, he gave a stamp, and turned from me, for which I ren'der thanks to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who staid his hand, and preserved me. I was there about a year and three quarters, and then my master fell sick, on a Thursday, and sent for me; and, calling me as he used, by the name of Boll, told me he should die, and bade me shift for myself: he died on Saturday following, and I pre. sently hastened with my bowl to a port, almost a day's journey distant ; the way to which place I knew, having been twice there employed, by 'my master, about the carriage of his cotton-wool: when I came thi ther, I addressed myself to two men, who came out of a ship of Hamborough, which, as they said, was bound for Portugal within three or four days; I inquired of them for an English ship, they answered there ❝ was none; I intreated them to take me into their ship, they answered they durst not, for fear of being discovered by the searchers, which 'might occasion the forfeiture, not only of their goods, but also of their lives: I was very importunate with them, but could not prevail; they 'left me to wait on providence, which, at length, brought another out ' of the same ship, to whom I made known my condition, craving his 'assistance for my transportation; he made me the like answer as the former, and was as stiff in his denial, till the sight of my bowl put him to a pause: he returned to the ship, and, after half an hour's space, he came back again, accompanied with another sea-man, and, for my bowl, undertook to transport me; but told me, I must be contented to lie down in the keel, and endure much hardship; which I was con'tent to do, to gain my liberty; so they took me aboard, and placed 'me below in the vessel, in a very uneasy place, and obscured me with 'boards and other things, where I lay undiscovered, notwithstanding the 'strict search that was made in the vessel; my two chapmen, who had my bowl, honestly furnished me with victuals daily, until we arrived at Lisbon in Portugal; where, as soon as the master had left the ship, and was gone into the city, they set me on shore money-less to shift for 'myself: I knew not what course to take, but, as providence led me, I went up into the city, and came into a fair street; and, being weary, 'I turned my back to a wall, and leaned upon my staff; over-against 'me were four gentlemen discoursing together; after a while, one of them came to me, and spoke to me in a language that I understood 'not. I told him I was an Englishman, and understood not what he 'spoke; he answered me, in plain English, that he understood me, and was himself born near Wisbeech in Lincolnshire; then I related to him my sad condition, and he, taking compassion on me, took me with him, provided for me lodging and diet, and, by his interest with a master of a ship bound for England, procured my passage; and bring