The Cry and Revenge of Blood, Chapter 4
CHAP. 4.
Where first of the Reason why, howsoeuer other sinnes come after Iudgement, yet this sinne of Murther is seldome left vndiscouered. 2. Of the Many wayes whereby the Lord hath discouered Murther from time to time, with diuers instances thereof. 3. That it was the Finger of God, that detected this blood. 4. Of the Manner and Instruments imployed herein. 5. And the seuerall Vses to bee made thereof.
HJtherto of the first part of this Tragedy, concerning the parties that were murthered, and that exibited in three seuerall Scoenes, according to the seuerall degrees whereby this murther was committed.
Th… second part of this Tragedy now followeth, concerning the discouery and iudgement of the murtherers. And this also is enlarged in foure seuerall Scoenes. The first whereof containes the discouery of the murther, and murtherers.
The second expresseth their Iudgement and Conuiction.
The third, their Iudgement and Condemnation.
The fourth, representeth their righteous Execution.
As in the little world, the soule of Man, the vnderstanding leads the Conscience; and the Conscience leads the Affection. So is it in the soule of the greater world, I mean Iustice, Plato in Timeo.and the due execution thereof: There must bee first a discouery of the Crime, before it be conuicted, and it must be conuicted, before it be censured. For as Conscience without Knowledge is blind, and erronious, so the will and affections without conscience, are peruerse and exorbitant: Euen so conuiction of sinne, before it be discouered, produceth erronious Iudgement, and sentencing of sinne before it be conuicted, is no better then to peruert Iustice, and condemne the innocent: And yet as it cannot be denied, but as the thunder breakes out before the lightning, so where Case of the Guise iustified, and Marquesse D'ancre.the party delinquent is of that exorbitant power, that it cannot stand with the safety of a diseased state, to question him Iudicially, because his greatnesse may either outbraue or suppresse Iustice: If in this extremity sentence and execution, anticipate legall triall, as this is to be ascribed to the necessity of the state, so it may well stand with the prerogatiue of the Prince, who in such exigents, may performe Martiall Law: And this also answerable to the diuine Iustice, who in such like cases, vponupon it Prerogatiue royall hath executed vponupon exorbitant sinners, before their legall As in the case of Nadab and Abiu, Cosbi and Zimri.conuiction, & iustified his Ministers in the like executions. But as these extraordinary cases, may not prescribe to such persons, and offences as are ordinary, so we may obserue, that the wise Lord in al ordinary trials, hath kept this ordinary course: As first to discouer, though not so much for his owne information, (vntounto whom all things past are present, nothing so hid as is not knowne before it is done, much moreafter) as for our satisfaction: so also in the second plate, to conuince sinne being discouered, and then to execute vponupon the same. And euen the same course hath our wise and glorious God taken, in méeting with bloudy and crying sinnes. Long hath the bloud of these slaughtered soules cryed for vengeance from the bottome of the pond: Long had the Lord deserted the answering of their crie: but when he saw a conuenient time, he rowsed vp himselfe, He put on righteousnesse as a brest-plate, and an Helmet of Saluation vponupon his head, and he put on a garment of vengeance for a clothing, and was clad with Zeale as a cloake: and so according to their deedes he repayed fury to the murtherers, recompenee to his enemies. If wee doubt that it was the Lords doing, that his onelyonly hand, discouered the Murther, and detected the murtherers, harken I pray you to the discourse that followeth: and if we shal not herein acknowledge the immediate finger of God, it is because there is no true knowledge of God in vsus. You hauehave hitherto heard the rase of the Murthered, how they were brought to their end, how disposed in their end, the bottom of the pond was their Graue, and obliuion was their Motto, and there I hope was an end of their part of the Tragedy. Now harken, I beseech you, to the second part of the Tragedy concerning the Murtherers.
And here first are presented vntounto you, as in a dumbe shew, the carcases of the Murthered raised out of the Pond by a Diuine Instinct, and in a strange and wonderfull manner, discouering and fastning vponupon the Murtherers, and these be the Actors in this first Scoene. Will you heare the truth thereof confirmed by the story, then hearken I say againe vntounto that which followeth, and conclude with the worthy Iudge, that it was Digitus Dei, the immediate Finger of God.
The Pond wherein these bodies lay (you must imagine had a Maister) that occupied the Farme and ground wherein it was, vntounto whose custody the Lord hauing committed in trust these slaughtered soules, doth now require of him the discouery and restoring of them, for the satisfying of his Justice. But would you know the manner how the Lord required them of Him? marke I beséech you, and wonder at the wisedome and Power of God herein. Because the bloud of the slaine could not cease crying for vengeance, till they were recompenced: Therefore the Farmer can hauehave no Peace in his mind, till he clense the Pond, that so their blood may be discouered. Wil you sée the Hand of God more cléerly in reiecting the wisedome of the flesh, and subduing all oppositions, to serue his will? Consider then I pray you the sequell hereof. The Farmer cannot rest till the Pond be cleased. Why? His owne profit was against it, because it would be great charge and no benefit to him, that had but a short time to enioy it. And therefore his Wife and Friends are also against it, as consulting no Further then with flesh and bloud. But God was for it, and therefore he must be for God, or else he shall not be for himselfe, nothing will go gowne well with him, till this be done. And therefore he is resolute, it shall be done. Well at length, with much ado, he sets workemen about it, but God will not be serued by deputies in so glorious a worke: he that had the sowre, while it was not done, shall hauehave the sweete and comfort in doing it himselfe. And therefore when workemen giuegive ouer, as dispairing of the successe, or being happily discouraged by friends, Himselfe, with his Brother, sets vponupon the clensing of the Pond. Surely we must imagine, not for any profit he expected thereby, for he could not finish it without great cost and losse too: but the maine ground was, his mind must be satisfied, nay to looke vp higher, Gods iustice must be satisfied, that so the glory thereof may be reserued intirely to himselfe alone: and therefore when that is satisfied, his mind is at quiet, and his labour is at an end: and so the feare of his charge, and losse graciously preuented. Shall we obserue how the Lord brought all this about, and that with great speed, and wisdome for his glory. Oh consider and wonder at the Wisedome of God herein. The worke is begun in the likeliest place for labour and carriage, but the Lord will spare the poore mans labour, he meanes not to put him to that cost, as to lade and clense the whole Pond; but onelyonly to discouer the Murthered therein. And yet he meanes to abase Him, in this discouery, euen by the bruit beasts that hath no vnderstanding. Will you see the proofe hereof in the sequell of the Story, Oh marke againe, and wonder at the wisedome of God herein. Our workmen by this time had made worke for the Teame: The Horses they are brought to the place of their loading. But this is not the Loade the Lord will hauehave carried out: and therefore the Horses will not stay here, howsoeuer they smart, but away they must, where God will hauehave them: Man now must bee lead by them, because they are lead by God, that so the glory of the discouery may be taken from man, and ascribed wholly vntounto the Lord. And so after much triall and leading them about the Pond, they stay at length against the Place where the Bodies lay, & so gaue ayme to the workmen to renue their labour. And did they find it lost labour, to attend the Lord? No surely, they had not labored many houers, vntill they light vponupon the Bodies that made amends for all. The Carcases are found, Time and corruption hauing lest nothing else, and so the Murther being discouered, the mind is at quiet, and the labour is at an end, farther cost is spared, and God hath the glory, in the vse of foolish and brutish meanes. Thus of the first part of this first Scoene, namely, the discouery of the Murther.
Proceed wee now vntounto the second part hereof, namely, the discouery of the murcherers. And herein also obserue with me a wonderfull and immediate hand of God.
Had these Parties bene newly slaine, their blood is vsually a meanes to peach their murther; or had their flesh not bene wasted, and countenance remayned, this might hauehave giuen some light to discerne their qualitie and condition; and so to hauehave made some way for the finding out of the murtherers, but that carkases onelyonly of bare bones, and those haply disordered, should hauehave any remaindures left, whereby they might be knowne what they were from others, and so bee meanes to make knowne the murtherers, seeing this is contrary to all sense, and reason, it must needs be ascribed to to the finger of God, euen in such impossibility yeelding some light to the discouery both of the murthered, who they were, and also of the murtherers. Will you see the proofe hereof in the sequele of the story, oh then stir vp your harts to wonder at the prouidence of God. The carcases being thus found, and so murther being discouered, yet the great matter still remained, that Gods iustice must bee satisfied in finding out the offenders; and that these may be discouered, it is very fit to know who the murthered were, that so from them and theirs, matter may be gathered to sent out the murtherers. The next thing therefore now to bee done, is to find out who the murthered were. And because this neither concernes, nor indeed is …astly to be compassed of a priuate braine: therefore the Magistrate next adioyning, is acquainted therewith, whose paines and wisedome in this bustnes may with honour be remembred.
He taking notice of this discouery, causeth the carcases to be taken charily out the mud, and vsing the helpe of a Chyrurgeon herein, caused each carcase to bee layd out seuerally by it selfe, in it proportion, to farre as the bones would afford it, and so making speciall fearch into each carcase, concerning fractures, or any such defect, that might giuegive any light for the particular knowledge of them, somewhat here appeared that by the helpe of further intelligence, gaue some inkling hereunto. To this end the inhabitants thereabout were called vntounto this spectacle, and so inquiry made amongst them concerning such parties, as were missing within compasse of remembrance: amongst these the mother of these children calls to minde hers, that hauehave beene missing, and with all remembers, what hath bene formerly related to her concerning the same, both how they were gone for Ireland, which was the generall voyce, but especially she remembers what Worlich, one of the Accessaries (if not a Principall) had told her many months before, that he had seene her sonne in the Low countries, and was the last man that had him by the hand aliue and dead. Hereupon suspition, and so much the rather, because vponupon the discouery of these in the pond, Worlich playd least in sight, and flying to Londō, was there apprehēded vponupon this euidence: but yet the day was but dawning, more light shortly appeared, by the wisedome of the Iustice, the carcases were searched, and measured: And hereupon question made to the Mother what markes she could discouer to own them. See the wisedome of God herein: all outward tokens might seeme to fayle, yet one remayned; her sonne Iohn was high of stature, sixe foote long, this she calls to minde, and ownes him thereby, and so the measure of the carcase giues him her. And so one sparke begets another. Now the remembers againe, that her sonne Iohn had two teeth broken out of his vpper iaw by a former accident, and the scull being searched approues the same: and so both markes concurring vponupon the same carcase, the length and iaw marke: hereby vndoubted conclusion was made, that, that carcase was her sonne Iohns, and thus by the one discouered, the other were gessed also to be hers, the brother and sister that 2 yeares after were cast into the pond, because they lay in one graue together, and therefore were like to lie in one belly: and so collected, that they that murthered the former, made also these latter away, as vsing one common graue to burie them in. Now all the mistery was, who should be the murtherer of the first: suspition there might be in regard of Norton, and his dealings with them formerly, as also of such instruments imployed by him to molest and oppresse them. Emong whom the speciall was Land the weauer, a man obserued not onelyonly to bee imployed in busines to molest them, but also to insuiuate himselfe often in to their companies, and to draw them to much excesse of riot in gaming and drunkenes. These things were now called to minde by many, to nourish suspicion: but yet this was not sufficient directly to chalendge the partie. Behold then the wisedome and power of God, in making the Partie to chalenge himselfe: and that by that meanes, whereby he sought to hide his sin, and elude iustice. For hearing that such a scull wanted such teeth, and so was thereby owned by the mother, his guilty conscience drawes him to the pond, and yet in a shew of wisedome, to bewray him the more: he hopes if that marke bee defaced, the euidence wilbe confounded: and therefore he takes away the scull with him, and foole as he was, that might hauehave knockt them out himselfe, yet first goes to a barbar to plucke out more teeth, that hee might bee a witnesse against him: and that out of the mouth of two or three witnesses the truth might be confirmed, loe the barbars toole shall not do the feat: and therefore vengeance sends this murther to the smith, and he at length serues his turne, to witnesse against him. And yet the sort must heape more coales one his head, and that in a shew of wisedome to bewray himselfe further: he comes to a woman thereby (that knew him well enough & had obserued his comming & going from the Pond and doings there) yet I say he comes like a stranger, as hearing of such strange newes, and desirous to satisfie his curious eye therewith, enquires of her, where these carcases lay, she replies vntounto him, that hee need make no such enquiry, he was better acquainted therewith, and charges him with what had formerly passed: his deniall hereof confirmes the suspition, and conuinceth him of the fact. And so hereupon being layd hold one by iustice; diuers speeches and accidents formerly passed long before, are now reuiued, tending to his further chalenge and conuiction. Now it is euidenced that 2 dayes after the murther, Land meting with one of his consorts, asked him when he saw Iohn Leeson: marke saith the worthy iudge, the murtherer askes the other, the other doth not first enquire of him: a manifest token of his guilty conscience, and apparant euidence accusing himselfe. Now it is proued that he and Worlich were in the company of Iohn Leeson at the Mill-hill, after which Iohn was neuer seene againe. Now many other speeches are remembred, that had formerly passed betweene Land and others in their cuppes, tending to the particular fact, of casting them into the Pond, & condemning them by their own mouthes. One special among the rest I may not omit that in a dry summer they talking of casting of Ponds, and ditches, bolted out such words, that if such a Pond were cast (mentioning that where ye murthered lay) it would go hard with three or foure of them: to passe ouer others, materiall hereunto. Their examinations are manifest, that no lesse then 28 witnesses gaue in euidence concerning the fact, chalendging Land by circumstance to bee the Murtherer. But in so cleere a light, what need their many? nay indeed any witnesses, when Lands one actions and words are sufficient to conuince him: so iust is the Lord, to cause the tongues of the wicked to fall vponupon them, so wise hereby to satisfie the world, and gaine himselfe the glory of this discouery by taking the wicked in their owne craftines.
Well, thus we hauehave found out one of the Murtherers, or rather he hath offered himselfe vntounto vsus vnsought for, or rather indeede, the Lord hath brought him to the Barre, euen by his owne wisedome. And so we may also conclued of Worlich, faine would he hauehave béene gone, but the Lord arrested him at Yarmouth, with a fearefull sicknesse, and brought him backe againe, and his owne mouth must bewray him, to be priuy, at least, to the murther, when he told the Mother, that hee was the last man that had Iohn by the hand aliue and dead, in the Low-Countries: It being prooued that he was neuer there, and expounded wisely, by the Reuerend Lord Chiefe Justice, that he meant by the Low-Countries, the bottome of the Pond. So now we hauehave two of the Actors, or at least, Accessaries, time will shortly (God willing) discouer others that are in hold.
Meane while, blesse we the Lord, for this discouery hitherto, And iustifie we his prouidence in méeting with sinners in their kinde, euen by their owne mouthes. And aboue all, take we heede of wisedome in sinne, because it will prooue greatest foolishnesse in the end. Blesse we the Lord for good Magistrates, that will sift and bolt out hidden wickednesse: and pray we heartily for their liues and welfare, by whose meanes we enioy our liues and liuelihoods: yea, that which is most precious aboue all, the hope of life to come, in the liberty of the Gospell, being wise in our seuerall places, to shame and discouer sinne, that so wee may bee kept from participation and danger, there-from, and yet charitable in couering the infirmities of our Brethren, least otherwise casting them off by our rigor and indiscretion, wee force them to breake out through despaire, into desperate wickednesse.
Thus of the first Scoene of the second part of this Tragedy, concerning the discouery of the murther and Murtherers.