THE EXPERIMENT: OR, THE
Shortest Way with the Dissenters
EXEMPLIFIED. Being the CASE of Mr.
Abraham Gill,
a Dissenting Minister in the Isle of
Ely,
AND A Full Account of his being sent for a SOLDIER, by Mr.
Fern
(an Ecclesiastical Justice of Peace) and other CONSPIRATORS.
To the Eternal Honour of the Temper and Moderation of High Church Principles.
Humbly Dedicated to the QUEEN
London,
Printed: And Sold by
B. Bragg,
at the
Blue-Ball
in
Ave-Mary-Lane.
MDCCV.
TO THE QUEEN.
MADAM,
THis Dedication is not so much a Compliment to your Person, as an Appeal to your Justice.
Your Protestant Dissenting Subjects have your Sacred Promise of Protection, they behaving themselves Dutifully and Peaceably to your Government, and Obedient to the Laws: And,
Madam,
as they cannot be so ignorant of their own Happiness under your gentle Government, or so blind to their own Interest as to forfeit your Favour by any breach of their Duty; so they cannot doubt of the full Performance on your Majesty's part, of all that your Majesty has been graciously pleas'd to assure them of under the Sanction of your Royal Word.
The Toleration of their religious Liberty has been secur'd to them by Law; and your Majesty has been pleas'd to add to the Force of that Law your Royal Word, that it shall be inviolably preserv'd.
Your Majesty's Protestant Dissenting Subjects lay at your Feet the following Relation, with all Humility appealing to your Royal Judgment, whether both their Toleration is not herein violently invaded, and your Majesty's Honour and sacred Promise at least attempted to be violated in the illegal arbitrary Methods made use of to oppress one of their Ministers, and suppress an Assembly of several Hundreds of your Loyal and Peaceable Dissenting Subjects.
They remonstrate, and in the humblest manner Complain to your Majesty of the Violence and horrid Practices made use of to Defame, Persecute, Imprison and Ruin a Man, whose principal visible Crime is Serving God according to his Conscience, and Teaching the same to others. They humbly present themselves at your Royal Feet, as wounded through the sides of this injur'd Person, and are your Majesty's humble Petitioners, that you will be graciously pleas'd to testifie your Dislike of the Oppressions and Injustice of their Enemies, in such manner as to your great Wisdom shall seem meet.
In your Majesty's Favour and Justice they hope for exemplar Animadversions on these unchristian Practices, and have a full Confidence in your Royal Promise, that they shall not be abridg'd of nor ill treated for that Liberty, which being settled first by the Laws of God and Nature, and since that by the Laws of this Land, is their legal Right, and which your Majesty's just Sence of its Reasonableness has mov'd you to resolve to maintain.
They humbly commit themselves and their Cause to your Majesty's Protection, imploring your Royal Regard so far and no farther as every Article advanc'd in their behalf in this Book is positively and exactly conformable to Truth and direct Meaning, being at all times ready to come forth and confront, even in your Royal Presence, all the Allegations to the contrary.
Having thus publickly appeal'd to God and your Majesty, they can no longer Doubt either of the Blessing from above, or the Protection and Assistance of your Majesty below: and as your Throne has been a famous Refuge to apprest Innocence and Virtue in all Nations, so they doubt not but your own Subjects shall yet have the Honour and Happiness of your powerful Protection as far as Justice and Law is on their side.
Nor are they the less confident of your Majesty's Protection for their differing in Judgment from some few Points profess'd and practis'd by the Church of
England
of which your Majesty is the glorious Head, since the Evils they complain of are suffer'd not from the Church of
England
as such, whom they honour, and with whom they covet to live in Charity, Union, and Peace, but by ill Men, who making the Church, Religion, and the Honour of God their Pretence, have broken all the Laws of God, Nature, Humanity, and their Native Country, in a most unheard-of and unaccountable manner, to the Reproach of the Protestant Religion in general, and to the Scandal of the Church they pretend themselves Members of.
Neither your Majesty nor the Church of
England
will be offended at us for endeavouring to bring our Actions to the Test of the Law, and for seeking the Protection of your Royal Justice.
Your Majesty oppresses none of your Subjects, the Doctrine of the Church of
England
has been declar'd to be inconsistent with Persecution; the Actions of these Men therefore, however shelter'd under your Authority and the Wings of the Church, will appear to your Majesty affrontive of your Goodness, and highly derogating from the Christian Spirit the Church of
England
professes: the Truth of which, we humbly submit to Your Majesty's. Wisdom to Discover, and to your Justice to Resent, as you shall find Cause,
And are,
&c.
Lately Published,
THE Double Welcome:
A Poem to the Duke of
Marlborough.
By the Author of
The True-born English-man.
Sold by
B. Bragg,
at the
Blue-Ball
in
Ave-Mary-Lane.
INTRODUCTION.
IN the unhappy Differences between the High-Church Party and the Dissenters, it has happen'd, as it generally does in all Heats and Animosities of Parties, that both Sides pretend to be in the right, and both pretend to be abus'd by the other.
The warm Men of the Church have charg'd the Dissenters with Associating to Destroy and Undermine the Church. How they have made good their Charge, is not the business of this Paper, and has been examin'd elsewhere.
The Dissenters charge the other with Insulting them, Persecuting them, and Invading their Toleration.
Great Endeavours have been us'd to defend the Occasional Bills from a Charge of Persecution: and whether they have done that or no, we need not dispute, but refer to the Conferences on that Head between the Houses, and which are publish'd in Print.
But to leave all doubtful Cases to stand and fall by the Force of their own Truth, I cannot think the World ought to be ignorant of the following Story; that all unbyass'd People may see, by this Specimen, what these Gentlemen would do with the Dissenters if it lay in their power, and how justly they have been charg'd with designs to Hang, Banish, and Destroy the Dissenters, and reward their Ministers with the Gallows and the Galleys.
And because I am going to present the World with a new
Devil of Loudon,
with a Story so black in all its Parts, so much the Picture of Hell, and so aggravated with inhumane and unchristian Circumstances, that all that read it must blush for their Native Country, to think such unheard-of Villanies could be acted in it, Crimes so abhorr'd by Mankind, that tho' they call themselves of the Church, we shall find all the true Members of the Church, whether Judges, Justices, Bishops, yea even Jaylors themselves, abhorring it: while, I say, I have such a Scene before me, and knowing what sort of People I have to do with, I shall take such an exact care to have every thing that is here advanc'd so attested with undeniable Evidence, that Impudence it self, not the hellish Actors, not the blindest Advocates, not the Devil himself, shall dare to Reply to it.
Slander and Lies fly befoe Truth as Mist before the Sun; and this hellish Association, form'd against an innocent Man, tho' laid as deep as Hell, and prosecuted thro' all the barbarous Extremes of Forgery, Perjury, Violence, Subornation, Insults, and Revenge, yet at last all dwindles away before Truth: Innocence breaks out like the Sun thro' a dark Cloud, the Light of Truth is so clear, that Devils shun it, Monsters fly from it, and Men of Guilt and Blood hide their Heads at its appearance.
And as I should not have attempted this Relation, had I not had good and undoubted Testimony of the Truth of every Article, so I write with the greater Assurance, since I can frankly defie the most harden'd Advocate of such a wretched Cause to confront the least or minutest Circumstance.
Such direct Testimony, such just Authorities, such authentick Proofs of every Article, are before me, that no Man could ever desire to have his Reputation vindicated with more. Clearness in the Face of the Sun.
As for the Treatment this poor injur'd Man has met with, I would be glad the worst Enemy in the Nation would give it a Name, and tell us, wiht some little Reason at the same time, what to call it.
I would have them rummage
Fox
's History of the Popish Persecutions, and tell us where they can match the Usage this Man has met with; and let us know where ever Bishop
Gardiner,
or bloody
Bonner,
acted like These Men.
Let them shew us such an Ecclesiastical Magistrate as Parson
Eern,
and where ever English-men have been thus treated.
Well might the Parliament pass a Bill to qualifie Justices of the Peace. If this be the fruit of putting Church Parsons into Commissions of the Peace, never let
Hudibras
tell us of the Cobler of
New-England,
who
Serv'd his Country in a double
Capacity, to Preach and Cobble.
To let the Reader gradually into this black Story, it is necessary to inform him, that in several publick Printed Books, as well as in common Discourse, the Town has been possess'd with a Story of a Dissenting Minister in the
Isle of Ely,
who first forg'd Episcopal Orders, and preach'd in the Church; but being detected in that, pretended Classical Ordination, and set up a Conventicle; but being prosecuted as a scandalous Fellow, having two or three Wives, four or five Bastards, having once broke out of
Derby
Jayl, play'd a great many villainous Pranks, and being a common Drunkard and Swearer, the Justices took him up as a Vagabond, listed him for a Soldier, and sent him away to
Cambridge,
where having been Arrested for Debt, and thereby got out of the Officer's hands: some Complaints being made by the Dissenters at the Injustice of this—The Party greet them, by way of Answer, with prodigious Calumnies, and insolent Reproaches of the Man himself, to vindicate the most villainous unheard-of Proceedings that ever this Nation knew.
And as the abominable Insolence of their Actions happen'd to receive a due Censure from the best Lord Chief Justice, and of the most unspotted Character this Age has known; let us see how this Person, as well as the poor Sufferer, is treated on this account by that Man of Fury and Satyr, Mr.
D
in the Preface to his Lampoon, call'd,
Moderation Display'd.
Inveighing against our Men of Moderation in the Church, he says,
"Nay, so tender are they of their Dissenting Brethren, that I am told it has lately been delivered as Law by a great Man in
W
hall,
That a notorious perjur'd Vagabond, with two Wives at once, being possest of a separate Congregation, tho' without any Licence or legal Qualification to preach to them, shall, for that reason only, be exempt from the late Act for Listing Vagrants."
Now if, upon reading these Sheets, it should
so fall out,
that after all that has been done or said to or of this poor injur'd Man, it should appear too plain for the most harden'd Lampooner or most impudent Church-Justice to deny, that this is all Malice, Forgery, and Injustice, and, as all the Judges of the Queen's-Bench exprest it, the deepest Track of Villainy that ever came before them; What will these Men say for themselves, and how will they make Satisfaction to God or Man, to the affronted Dissenters, to their own expos'd Party, and to the poor injur'd Man that has been inhumanely treated?
If, after all their Clamour and barbarous Orders, I make it appear, that this Man never broke out of
Derby
or any other Jayl, never forg'd any Orders, but was fairly ordain'd by a Church of
England
Bishop, ws never Perjur'd, or a Vagabond, had never two Wives at once, nor any Bastards, was never seen to be Drunk, or known to Swear; but that, on the contrary, has been always a sober, vertuous, and peaceable Liver, a constant Resident at his Cure for eleven or twelve Years together, a Man of Charity and good Conversation, and, in short, not in the least guilty of one of the Crimes charg'd on him, but that it has been all Forgery, Malice, and Conspiracy to ruin him, meerly for his quitting the Church, and turning to the Dissenters.
If this should happen to be made out, as I fairly undertake it shall, I crave Leave to draw these two Inferences;
1. Those Dissenters who too hastily believ'd, and too readily handed on the Clamours and Slanders against an innoceut Man, through whose Sides they were all wounded and aim'd it, ought to acknowledge their want of Consideration and Caution. 'Tis true, it may be said, in their Excuse, they could not have imagin'd the Earth had borne such Monsters, and that such a Cloud of Clamours could never be all forg'd; and therefore, in Charity to the Church-men, they were drawn in to Censure an Innocent Man, for which they ought to ask his Pardon; and restoring him to their just Opinion, more diligently guard, for the future, his injur'd Reputation.
2. As to the Forgers of all this, and the Authors of a Treatment too foul to relate, and blacker than the Ink I write it with, I leave their Character to season the Pallate of the Reader, after he has been fill'd with Horror at some of the most villainous Actions the World ever heard of. The Matter of Fact is as follows.
The CASE of Mr.
ABRAHAM GILL, &c.
ABraham Gill,
the Subject of the ensuing Tragedy, was a Minister of the Church of
England
; He was born in
Rivington
in the County of
Lancaster,
had his Education partly among the Dissenters, but last of all in the University of
Oxford,
where he commenc'd Batchelor of Arts of
Brazen-Nose
College.
From whence Conforming to the Church of
England,
he entred into Holy Orders, and was admitted by the present Right. Reverend the Bishop of
Chester.
And because his Enemies have had the face to Charge him with forging the Bishop's Orders, We think it necessary, that we may clear every thing as we go along, having abundance of dark things to expose and Hellish Conduct to lay open, to draw this Scene before we proceed, and to tell them, that the very Original Orders, Signed by the Bishop of
Chester
's own Hand, and Seal'd with his Seal, is left with the rest of the Vouchers of this horrid Transaction, at Mr.
John Skey
's Tobacconist, at the
Black-boy and Three Tobacco-pipes
at
Queenhithe,
where all the World, Friends or Enemies, are promised a free and uninterrupted Opportunity to see them, and detect the Forgeries if they are to be found.
And that it may not be alledg'd, this Freedom of offering a sight of the Originals is but a presumptive Proof, supposing no Man will trouble himself to examine them, (
tho' the Willingness of some Gentlemen to expose the Dissenters in this honest Man's Cause suggests otherwise
) yet eternally to stop the Mouth of the most prepossess'd Malice, a Reverend Clergy-man of their own Church is to be found, honest enough to do Justice to an injur'd Man, and give a Sanction to the Truth.
This Gentleman is one who entred into Orders with Mr.
Gill,
and five Ministers more at the same time, and has honestly sworn it: which Affidavit is left also with the rest of the Vouchers at the Place aforesaid. And now if these Orders are Counterfeit or Forg'd, it may fairly be seen, and Mr.
Gill
be expos'd; but if not, let the World match the villainous Usage this poor Man has met with, if they can.
After this Demonstration of the Certainty and undoubted Truth of his Orders, 'tis humbly desir'd of all those Gentlemen that shall for the future charge him with forging Episcopal Orders, that they would be pleas'd to shew their Faces, that we may see if they do not blush; and that they would tell us their Names, that after some few Examples of this sort made for Satisfaction to Justice and the Law out of the great Number of those that are already detected, they may be recorded, as they deserve, among those that
bear false Witness against their Neighbours.
To proceed to the History of Mr.
Gill:
After he had thus enter'd into Orders, he preach'd as Curate at
Maney
in the
Isle of Ely,
about 12 Miles from
Wisbich.
While he Officiated in this Place, he was well receiv'd and belov'd of his Congregation; and we never find any Complaint made of him, save that he set an ill Example to his Neighbours of the Clergy, by invading the Custom of the Country, and Preaching twice a day to the People.
Having been two Years in
Maney,
he received an Invitation from the Inhabitants of
Welney,
or
Welneth,
a Hamlet in the Parish of
Upwell
in the same County, to preach in a certain Privileg'd Independent Chapel in this Parish; the Right of the Place empowering the Inhabitants to choose their own Minister.
After long and earnest Sollicitations from the Inhabitants of
Wilney,
and with the Consent of his former Hearers, he agreed to go to
Wilney,
and accordingly went and settled with his Family in the Parsonage-house or Tenement belonging to the said Chapel.
The Freedom with which the Inhabitants of
Wilney
invited Mr.
Gill
to be their Curate, appear'd in their chearful assisting him in his Removal thither, and preparing a Feast for his Reception; all the Neighbours in general meeting him to bid him Welcome.
About a Fortnight or Three-weeks after his Settlement at
Wilney,
the Reverend Dr.
Gregg,
Rector of
Upwell,
came to pay him a Visit, thank'd him for coming to the said Chapel, and declared that he was glad his Parishioners were like to be so well serv'd.
In this Chapel Mr.
Gill
continued about seven Years,
viz.
from the Year 1695 to the Year 1702, Preaching twice a day, and Conforming in all things to the Usage of the Church of
England.
But in process of Time being dissatisfied in his Conscience at the Use of the Liturgy, he began at several times to omit such part of the Service as he dislik'd; till at last his Scruples encreasing, he wholly omitted the Common Prayer, applying himself only to the Pulpit, and conceiving he was not under equal Obligation as if Preaching in a Parish-Church, the Chapel he preach'd in being wholly Independent, a Privileg'd Place, and in the Power of the People.
As this was the Original of all the subsequent Malice of the Church-Clergy, and of the barbarous Proceedings of which we are to give an Account; so they are hereby fairly challeng'd to produce one Shadow of a Crime in his Behaviour, which, Humane Frailty excepted, appears wholly blameless, and which we shall produce such Testimonials to justifie, as few of the Clergy of the Church can produce more, and such as indeed no honest Man need desire better.
If this Offence were as great as they would suppose it to be, it yet admits of much to be said in Extenuation; as, I. His Scruples of Conscience, which would not permit him to continue the Exercise of the Common Prayer and Ceremonies, at least not in all parts; 2. His officiating in a private Independent Chapel, in which, as before, he thought himself not oblig'd to an exact and compleat Conformity.
But, to oblige our Adversary, we'll suppose it as heinous a Crime as they can pretend to, yet they will have enough to do to make it out that their Proceedings with him have been legal, rational, just, or humane: And for the Truth of this Suggestion, we refer to the Particulars, and freely make all unprejudic'd Members of their own Church the Judges: this Independency of the Chapel of
Wilney
will in some measure appear as follows.
Dr.
Gregg,
the Rector of
Upwell,
understanding that Mr.
Gill
omitted the Common Prayer, came to him, and told him, he was sorry he (Mr.
Gill
) did not hold to his Principles,
&c.
and that he must therefore dispossess him, and put in another Curate.
But Mr.
Gill
replied, He was not, nor ever had been, his Curate, and that it was not in his (Dr.
Gregg
's) Power to dispossess him; and therewith Mr.
Gill
shew'd the Doctor
his Authority for holding
the Place, which satisfied Dr.
Gregg,
so that he never offer'd him the least Disturbance afterward.
After some time Dr.
Gregg
died, and the Rectory of
Upwell
was given to one Mr.
Hubbart
; but he being a weakly Man, and in a deep Consumption, he put in a Curate to Officiate;
viz.
one Mr.
Hugh James.
This Mr.
James
finding his Parishioners flocking after Mr.
Gill,
and but few caring to hear him, he exprest his Displeasure frequently in threatning and malicious Speeches against Mr.
Gill
; but the Incumbent Mr.
Hubbart
being a pious and peaceable Man, would not permit him to molest Mr.
Gill
during his Life: but this was not long; for, in about a Year and a half the said Mr.
Hubbart,
the Rector of
Upwell,
died, and the Living was then given to the said Curate, Mr.
Hugh James.
As this Mr.
James
was a Man both of a different Temper and Character from his two honest Predecessors, he resolv'd to strain his Authority to the utmost, in order to dispossess Mr.
Gill.
The first Step he took in this Undertaking, was that about the
He comes to
Wilney
on a Lord's-day, and demands the Pulpit for the morning: Mr.
Gill
quietly permitted him to Preach; which he did, or rather Rail, at an uncommon rate, against Mr.
Gill,
bending his whole Discourse to set out the heinous Sin of Omitting the holy Ceremonies, and telling Mr.
Gill,
from the Pulpit, that he ought to lie at the Chapel-door for three or four Months in Sackcloth, not daring to tread upon that Consecrated Ground, begging the People to pray to God for him to forgive him that Sin: and to prove this, quoted, as we are told, several Popish Writers, but not one Text of Scripture as can be remembred; running on in such a virulent Stile and unsuitable manner, that many of the Inhabitants could not bear to hear him, but went out of the Chapel.
In the Afternoon there was no Sermon; for the said Mr.
James,
Rector of
Upwell,
gave notice to the People to meet him after Dinner at an Alehouse, where he Treated them with Liquor, and, as a place more proper for the Subject, preach'd the Second Part to his Morning Sermon, and bestow'd another plentiful storm of ill Language on Mr.
Gill,
desiring the Inhabitants to set their Hands to a Letter, Petition, or Paper written to the
Bishop,
in order to get Mr.
Gill
turn'd out: But they all unanimously refus'd him.
Being disappointed in his Expectations, and having spent his Breath, as well as Ale, to no purpose, he went, as is reported, that very Night to
Ely,
and the next Week to
London,
to complain against Mr.
Gill
to the
Bishop
of
Norwich.
The Inhabitants of
Wilney
having discovered the Design, and being very loth to part with their Minister, importun'd Mr.
Gill
to draw up a Petition to the Lord
Bishop
of
Norwich,
in order to prevent Mr.
James
from obtaining his malicious Design.
Mr.
Gill,
at the Desire of his Congregation, did draw up the said Petition, which was Sign'd by near 80 Hands of the Inhabitants of
Wilney,
and sent up to the Lord
Bishop
of
Norwich
(by the Post) who receiv'd it, as is supposed, before the said Mr.
James
got thither.
Soon after the Arrival of the Petition, the Rector Mr.
James
came up to the
Bishop,
and makes his Complaint against Mr.
Gill,
desiring he might be dismist: but his Lordship (as Mr.
James
himself has reported) answer'd, That he had heard a very good Report of the said Mr.
Gill
from his Neighbourhood, That by the Right of the Place the Choice of a Minister was in the Inhabitants, and they testifying to his Behaviour, he could not dismiss him, or credit the Accusation of one Man against the unanimous Voice of the whole Town, or Words to that effect. But, in short, he rejected the Request of Mr.
James,
and refus'd to Censure or Dispossess Mr.
Gill.
Mr.
James
finding himself disappointed here, applies himself to the Spiritual Court at
Norwich,
and about
May
1702 procures a Citation against Mr.
Gill,
to appear at
Norwich.
Mr.
Gill
obey'd the Citation very readily, appear'd at
Norwich,
and retain'd one Mr.
Batchelour
as his Proctor to manage his Defence.
Mr.
James
finding himself still defeated, and not venturing to proceed in the
Bishop
's Court at
Norwich,
let drop his Citation, and ceas'd his Prosecution till about
August
1702, when he serv'd Mr.
Gill
with another Citation.
While this was depending, Mr.
Gill
going to
Cambridge
to Vote in the Election of Knights of the Shire, being possest of a Glebe to the Chapel as a Freehold, came into the Company of Sir
R
Jen
gs
Knight, who pretending Friendship to Mr.
Gill,
and his Neighbours who were there present, began to perswade them to part quietly and lovingly; and to avoid continual Fewds, perswaded Mr.
Gill
to quit the Chapel of
Wilney,
as a Place not worth so much Fewd and Contest; and upon his doing so, he promis'd
he would engage on the behalf of Mr. James,
the Suit in the Spiritual Court should go no farther.
Mr.
Gill
consented, and tho' much against the minds of the Inhabitants, agreed to leave
Wilney,
and depending on the Promise of Sir
R. Jen
gs,
omitted any regard of the Suit at
Norwich
; where, for want of his appearing, and
that worthy Knight breaking his word with him,
they proceeded to Excommunication against him.
Mr.
Gill
having thus quitted his Charge, had a Call from
Lincolnshire
to a Dissenting Congregation; which Call, after some time, he accepted, and accordingly remov'd to go thither. And here 'tis necessary to advertise the Reader; that Mr.
Gill
was so far from a hasty Flight, or any precipitance in his Remove, that he was near ten Weeks resolving, removing, and settling his Family in
Lincolnshire.
In this Interval, and when it is plain these Gentlemen themselves knew every day where to find Mr.
Gill,
and that he was frequently in the Town of
Wilney,
and never conceal'd himself or absconded from any body, yet even then one of the most impudent Forgeries that can be paralell'd in this Age, was practis'd upon him;
viz.
To publish in the
Gazette
that the said Mr.
Gill
was fled from Justice, having been detected of Forgery,
&c.
And because the bare-fac'd piece of Villainy shall admit no Misconstruction, we have here transmitted it to the World Word for Word as it stands in the
Gazette,
and as Care will speedily be taken to make the proper Persons account for it—as follows:
Gazette,
Thursday Nov. 22. 1702.
Advert.
WHereas
Abraham Gill,
aged upward of 30 Years, middle-statur'd, having some grey Hairs, sometimes wearing a light Wig, of a sanguine Complexion, bold and confident in Conversation, of a strong Voice, and a North-country
Pronunciation, writing a tolerable Clerks hand
(as having been sometime employed under an Attorney) but lately officiating as Curate at
Welney
in the Isle of
Ely,
belonging to the Rectory of
Upwell
in
Norfolk,
has been detected of Forging Letters of Orders under the Hand and Episcopal Seal of the Right Reverend Father in God
Nicholas
Lord Bishop of
Chester,
and being for that and other wicked and scandalous Practices prosecuted in the Lord Bishop of
Norwich
's Consistory Court, is fled from Justice; all Clergy-men are to take notice not to entertain the said
Gill
as a Curate, or suffer him to perfom any holy Office. And whoever gives notice of him, so as he may be Prosecuted, either to Mr.
Hugh James
Rector of
Upwell,
or to Mr.
Robert Clark
at the Consistory Court aforesaid in
Norwich,
shall have a good Reward for the same.
Gazette,
Monday, March 22. 1702.
ABraham Gill,
(aged upwards of 30 Years, middle-statur'd, some grey Hairs, wearing sometimes a light Wig, sometimes a darker, sanguine Complexion, bold and confident in Conversation, strong Voice, a North-Country Pronunciation, writing a Clerk-like Hand, as having been sometime employed under an Attorney, travelling the Country with a Woman and three or four Children) some time since forged Letters of Orders under the Hand and Episcopal Seal of the Lord Bishop of
Chester,
and for some time Officiated as Curate at
Welney
in the
Isle of Ely,
belonging to the Rectory of
Upwell
in
Norfolk,
until the Forgery was detected: for which, and other wicked and scandalous Practices, being Prosecuted in the Consistory Court at
Norwich,
he fled from Justice: Since which time he hath forged other Letters of Orders under the Bishop of
Ely's
Hand and Episcopal Seal, which were discovered to be Counterfeit upon his producing them at
Bollingbrook
in
Lincolnshire,
where he offered himself to be Curate; upon which, being again taken into Custody, he hath again made his Escape. All Clergy-men are therefore desired not to entertain the said
Gill
as a Curate, or suffer him to perform any Holy Office. And whoever gives notice of him (so as he may be secur'd) to Mr.
Hugh James,
Rector of
Upwell,
or to Mr.
Robert Clark,
Proctor in
Norwich,
shall have a good Reward for the same.
Mr.
Gill
has been inform'd, this black piece of Malice had its birth in
Jesus College
in
Cambridge,
concerted there between Dr.
Cook,
Dr.
James,
Mr.
Lateward,
and their Confederates; but as he is not positive in that, he shall be glad of an Occasion to ask their Pardon for the Suggestion when they shall have purg'd themselves honourably from the Suspicion; and till then, thinks the Grounds he has for his Opinion are sufficient to clear him of any breach of Charity in believing it.
Mr.
Gill
was with his Family upon the Road from
Wilney
into
Lincolnshire,
when this Publication was first made; and coming to
Boston
on a Thanksgiving-Day, he rested, and went to the Dissenting Meeting to hear the Sermon; when, after Sermon, Mr.
Keeling
the Minister took him home to his House, and shew'd him the
Gazette
with the aforesaid Advertisement in it.
Mr.
Gill,
surpriz'd at the Reading of this
Gazette,
as he well might, immediately took Horse, leaving his Family in
Boston,
and resolv'd to go to
Cambridge,
where he expected to find out the bottom of the matter.
In this place it will be necessary to leave Mr.
Gill
a while, and the Reader may suppose him Travelling to
Cambridge,
with a Heart full of Trouble to see himself persecuted with so much Malice, and in hopes to find out his Enemies and their Design. And while he is on the Road, let us enquire upon what sorry and sandy Foundation all this Fabrick of Malice and Folly was erected, which will at last tend to lessen the Wonder at the Authors being confounded in their own Devices.
There had been a Man in
Derby
Jayl whose Name was
Gill
(
but, to avoid all possible Cavil, 'tis noted his Name was not
ABRAHAM GILL,
but
Stephen Clifford
alias
Gill. This Man having been Committed for Forging Holy Orders, and Counterfeiting the Coins, and Convicted of both, had broke out of the County Jayl at
Derby,
and was fled from Justice.
Mr.
James,
the Rector of
Upwell,
having been inform'd of this by his Attorney, immediately fixes it upon Mr.
Gill, and he must be the Man:
And to bring this Plot to a Head, takes the pains, about
June
1702, to send to
Derby,
and informing the Jaylor there that his Prisoner was found, procures two Men to be sent from
Derby
to seize him, and so sure was he of his Game, that he openly gave it out that Mr.
Gill
had broke out of Jayl, and he should be hang'd.
Accordingly, the two Men sent by the Jaylor came over to
Wilney,
and pretending extraordinary Business with Mr.
Gill,
sent for him to an Ale-house in
Wilney.
Mr.
Gill
went boldly, as innocently, to them; and as they were Strangers, and had pretended Business, he wonder'd they discours'd with him of several Things, treated him courteously, paid the Reckoning, but never spoke a a word of any Business to him, only frequently whisper'd together, and left him.
The Truth of this after came out, and Mr.
Brookhouse
Jaylor of
Derby
discovered the whole Affair to Mr.
Gill,
how and on what Pretence the two Men were procur'd to be sent from
Derby,
whose Business with him was
to have apprehended him
; but the reason of their leaving him as they did, was, because they found
he was not that Man.
By this Discovery Mr.
Gill
came to know that Mr.
James
's Assistant in this new Plot was one
Thomas Johnson
an Attorney of
Outwell,
a Man of ill Fame and foul Practice, who positively affirm'd to the two Men that came from
Derby,
that Mr.
Gill
was the same Man that broke out of
Derby
Jayl.
This Delusion might in some measure have pleaded in Excuse of Mr.
James,
if his next Scene had not put him out of the reach of any rational Shelter or Defence; for, not content with this Defeat, he joyn'd with this infamous Attorney and one
Tho. Beart,
who since died in a most horrible manner, rotting away above ground. These three went to one
John Marriot
of
Upwell,
and offer'd to give him 10 Pounds, or to Guineas, if he would swear that Mr.
Gill
was the same Man that had broke out of
Derby
Jayl for Forgery and Counterfeiting.
But here they were defeated again, and Heaven, the only Protector of Innocence, so blinded their Understanding, that they always made an ill Choice of their Instruments. Honest
John Marriot
told them plainly, he knew Mr.
Gill
was not the same Man; and ask'd them with what face they could desire him to burthen his Conscience with a false Oath, or fell his Soul for 10 Guinea's?
By this time the Reader is to suppose Mr.
Gill
arriv'd at
Cambridge,
where having been above 14 Days, and all that while walking publickly about the Streets, and openly enquiring about the Notice in the
Gazette,
he receiv'd a Message from the Vice-Chancellour of
Cambridge
to come to him to
Jesus College
; whither, confirm'd and assur'd of his own Innocence, he freely went.
Coming to the College, Dr.
Cook
demanded his Name, which Mr.
Gill
readily told him, and the Place of his last Residence and Preaching;
viz.
at
Wilney.
Dr.
Cook
told him that he was describ'd in the
Gazette,
and upon the Advertisement therein he must send him to Jayl; which he accordingly did on the 24th of
March
to the
Tolhooth
in
Cambridge,
by a
Mittimus
in the following Words, or to that effect:
To the Keeper of the
Tolbooth Goal
at
Cambridge,
these.
I Send you herewith the Body of
Abraham Gill,
whom I charge you to keep till discharg'd by due Course of Law.
Sign'd
Will. Cook.
Thus, without any Proof that he was the Man mention'd in the
Gazette,
without any Oath, or any Crime alledg'd, Mr.
Gill
was Committed to Prison by the worthy Dr.
Cook
; of which 'tis presum'd he may hear again in a different manner than this.
Nor was the sending him to Prison the End of their Malice, but as soon as he came thither he had heavy Irons laid upon him, and was fetter'd like a Fellon or a Highway-man.
At the General Quarter-Sessions Mr.
Gill
being call'd, and Dr.
Cook
sitting on the Bench, the Dr. told him, Mr.
Gill,
they had nothing to charge him with: He told them, Then they had done him a great deal of Wrong to keep him in Custody so long, and treat him so hardly, and loading him with Irons: And as they had now nothing against him, he hoped they never would; and therefore pray'd they would Discharge him.
Notwithstanding all this, they remanded him to Prison. Dr.
Cook
alledg'd he had a Letter from Mr.
James,
Rector of
Upwell,
full of Crimes against Mr.
Gill
; in which Letter, it seems, he desir'd Mr.
Gill
might be kept close Prisoner till the next Quarter Sessions.
In Obedience to this Command of Mr.
James,
Dr.
Cook
endeavour'd to keep Mr.
Gill
in Prison: but the Barbarity of this Treatment appearing so exceeding great, and the Action so foul that the Country began to talk of it, some Gentlemen of the Country having spoken of it to Dr.
Cook
's Disadvantage, which coming to his Ears, he was at last prevail'd upon to accept of Bail for Mr.
Gill,
two eminent Freeholders of that Conuty of 80
l. per ann.
each offering to be his Bail.
The Bail being such as could not be objected against,
The Dr. let him go,
binding his Bail in 60
l.
each, and himself in 120
l.
to appear at the Quarter-Sessions.
This Usage of Mr.
Gill,
with the Fury and Barbarity of their Curate and Rector, had so wrought upon the Inhabitants of
Upwell,
together with the known Innocence of their Minister, that it fill'd them with just Prejudices, and they unanimously invited Mr.
Gill
to come and Preach to them as a Congregation Dissenting from the Church; which he did, duly Licencing the Place in the Archdeacon's Court at
Norwich,
and duly Qualifying himself according to Law.
From whence the Author of these Sheets humbly observes, and recommends it to the Consideration of the Clergy of the Church of
England,
Whether such unjust and cruel Treatment of their Fellow-Christians, Neighbours and Brethren, is the Way to confirm the People in their Adherence to the Church of
England
; or whether they do not rather Wound the Church, drive their Parishioners from her, fill them with Prejudices, and encrease the Number of the Dissenters in this Nation.
Mr.
Gill
being thus settled among his old People, and knowing that he was to appear at the Quarter Sessions, where he had good reason to expect all the foul Usage his Enemies wer capable of, and where he saw their Power was but too great, was advised to remove it by
Certiorari
to the
Queens-bench
; which he did accordingly, the
Certiorari
being allow'd in Court, and the Fees of it paid by Mr.
Gill.
But Mr.
James,
and Mr.
Lateward
the Curate hearing of this
Certiorari,
they, or one of them, went to
Cambridge
at the Assize; and applying themselves to my Lord Chief Justice
Holt
by the means of Dr.
Cook
and Dr.
James,
they procur'd a
Habeas Corpus
to remove Mr.
Gill
to
Norwich
Jayl, pretending they could prove Matter of Fact against him there.
Accordingly he was Committed to
Norwich
Jayl for Felony, Forgery, Trespass, Contempt, and other high Crimes and Misdemeanours.
Here the said Mr.
Gill
lay till the Assizes; and still his Enemies being able to bring nothing against him, he mov'd, by his Conncil, to be Discharg'd, and was Discharg'd accordingly, by Order of the Court; which Order is there to be seen upon Record.
Here he was credibly inform'd Mr.
James
and Mr.
Lateward
striving by some other Machinations and Conspiracies to have continued Mr.
Gill
in Jayl to the next Assizes, receiv'd a severe Reprimand from the Lord Bishop of
Norwich
for their unjust and inhumane Treatment of Mr.
Gill
; and that his Lordship threatned them with Suspension upon that account.
Also that Mr.
Clark,
the Register of the Spiritual Court at
Norwich,
being enquir'd of concerning his Name being put into the Advertisement in the
Gazette,
as, that he would give a Reward for the Apprehending Mr.
Gill
; declared it was done without his Privity or Consent, and that it was a meer genuine Forgery; that he knew nothing of it, but that it was as strange and surprizing to find his Name there, as it could be to Mr.
Gill
to see his there.
Thus being return'd to his People, Mr.
James
and Mr.
Lateward
whom henceforward, in Charity to them, I shall conceal under the Title of the Conspirators, theratned him, that if he presumed yet to Preach there, he should be sent to Prison again: But he continuing to do his Duty, it remains to examine how punctual they were to their Words with him.
About the 13th of
April
1704, one
Thomas Pitchford,
Constable of
Wilney,
serv'd a Warrant on Mr.
Gill,
under the Hand of
Tho. Edwards
Esq
a Justice of the Peace for the
Isle of Ely
; the Warrant requiring the said Constable to bring Mr.
Gill
before him
&c.
the 20th of the same Month at
Wisbich.
The Constable having serv'd his Warrant, took Mr.
Gill
's Word for his Appearing; but Mr.
Lateward,
one of the Conspirators, came in a great Passion, and railing at the Constable, told him he must keep Mr.
Gill
close Prisoner till his Appearnce, for that then he should certainly go to Jayl; and if he went away from him, he
the Constable
should go to Jayl in his room, and more ill Language to the like effect: however, the Constable still took Mr.
Gill
's Word for his Appearance.
On the 20th of
April,
being a Sessions, the said Mr.
Gill
appear'd, according to his Promise, at
Wisbich,
where was present 7 or 8 Justices, several Gentlemen, some Clergy men, and the Conspirators.
Mr.
L
one of
the Conspirators,
call'd the Constable to bring up
Gill
his Prisoner: upon which Mr.
Gill
readily appear'd. The
Conspirators
immediately told their Tale, and giving Mr.
Gill
base and scurrilous Language, according to their particular Talent, which abounds that way, they inform'd the Justices that Mr.
Gill
bred great Disturbances in the Parish by a Conventicle, as Conventicles did all
England
over.
Which, by the way, might be the only Truth they spoke:
for it seems by these very Words he bred no more Disturbance with his Conventicle than other Ministers did with theirs;
ergo,
they should be all serv'd so.
Shortest Way for that.
Mr.
Edwards,
one of the Justices, taking up the Cause, told Mr.
Gill
he was inform'd he kept an unlawful Assembly or Conventicle at
Upwell,
and gave him a great deal of rough and threatning Language.
Mr.
Gill,
with Calmness and Respect replied, He own'd he kept a Meeting for Religious Worship at
Upwell
in the County of
Norfolk,
but, that it was no unlawful Assembly; for the Place was Licensed according to Law, and he had qualified himself as the Law Directs: and therefore hoped he did not deserve to receive such Abuse in that place.
The Justice then Demanded to see the Licence by which the said Mr.
Gill
held the Meeting; which he producing, both the
Conspirators
said in open Court it was Forged: and whether the Court believed them or no, is uncertain, or what other reason they had for it will be enquir'd in another place, but they immediately made a
Mittimus
and Committed Mr.
Gill
to the Jayl in
Wisbich
—for Forging a Licence, and Preaching in a Conventicle. And taking the Licence from him, they refus'd to restore it him.
They demanded indeed Bail, but gave him no leave to find it, refusing to let him stir out of the place: But Mr.
Gill
may, without Detriment to his Cause allow all their Pretensions of Bail for his Behaviour, since the Treatment he had received from them was such, as he might be sure whoever he had brought to be his Bail should be brought into equal Trouble; and for that Reason he resolv'd to embroil none of his Friends.
And being sensible of no Crime for which he ought by the Law to be bound to his Behaviour, he was advis'd not to offer any Bail, and refer it to the Law still to decide whether—it could be justly demanded.
The Wisdom as well as Justice of these Magistrates is very remarkable also here, that they should know no better than to Commit a Man in the
Isle of Ely
for a Fact pretended to be committed in the County of
Norfolk
; all which will help to their Consolation when they shall come to answer for it before a Court and Judges that understand the Law.
And as I undertook at first to prove every thing as I went along, the following Affidavit is an undoubted Testimony of the Truth of this last part of the Tragedy;
viz.
of the
Conspirators
charging him with Forgery, which they could not pretend to prove, and their treating him with base scurrilous Language, tho' all of them are pleas'd to deny it upon Oath.
Mr.
Cole
's Affidavit.
JOseph Cole
of
Upwell,
in the County of
Norfolk,
Gent, maketh Oath, That
Abraham Gill
of
Welney
in the
Isle of
Ely
and County of
Cambridge,
is a Preacher to a Congregation of her Majesty's Protestant Dissenting Subjects in
Upwell
aforesaid, having been a Preacher in the said Parish of
Welney
for several Years last past, and that he is now, and hath all the time, been well approved of his Congregation. And this Deponent farther saith, That on or about the 20th day of
April
last past, he saw the said Mr.
Gill
brought before Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace at
Wisbich
in the said Isle of
Ely,
by vertue of a Warrant to answer the Complaint of Mr.
Hugh James
Rector of
Upwell
aforesaid; and that at that time there was one Mr.
Lateward,
Curate to the said Mr.
James,
and Mr.
James
in presence; and that the said Mr.
Lateward
commanded the Constable (who then had the said Mr.
Gill
in Custody) to bring up
Gill
his Prisoner, which the Constable did; when and where Mr.
James
and Mr.
Lateward
alledged, That the said Mr.
Gill
kept an unlawful Conventicle. And Mr.
Gill,
to justifie the keeping of a lawful Meeting for Worship of
God,
produced his Licence; whereupon the said Mr.
James
and Mr.
Lateward
affirmed, That the said Mr.
Gill
had forged the Licence, and they gave the said Mr.
Gill
very base, unbecoming, and scurrilous Language, which Mr.
Gill,
to my Knowledge, did not deserve, nor did it become them to utter; and afterwards, upon this way of Complaint, Mr.
Gill
was committed to the Jayt in
Wisbich
aforesaid. And this Deponent verily believes, That the said Mr.
James
and Mr.
Lateward
have maliciously designed to ruin and undo the said Mr.
Gill
and his Family, consisting of a Wife and four small Children; for they have, by several barbarous ways of Prosecution, utterly reduced the said Mr.
Gill
and his Family to Poverty. And this Deponent verily believes, that the said Mr.
Gill
never gave either Mr.
James
or Mr.
Lateward
any cause of Offence, nor did they, or ever could they, prove any cause of their malicious Prosecution. But this Deponent verily believes, that the cause of this Malice of Mr.
James
and Mr.
Lateward
against Mr.
Gill,
was because Mr.
Gill
Preached twice every Lord's-day, and they but once; and Mr.
Gill
was more diligent in his Ministry, and more charitable to the Poor, and better approved of in his Place than they the said Mr.
James
and Mr.
Lateward
are. And this Deponent farther saith, That Mr.
Gill
hath been a Freeholder in the said Parish for several Years till about the 29th of
September
1702, and that
James Holms
of
Welney
(since deceased) held in Farm under Mr.
Gill
for several Years, a parcel of Land of Mr.
Gill
's Freehold of the yearly Rent of 4
l.
10
s.
or thereabouts; and that Mr.
Gill
had other Lands besides, and lived in good Fame and Plenty amongst his Neighbours; and he the said Mr.
Gill
is greatly beloved in the whole Parish by all but a few that dare not displease the said Mr.
James
and Mr.
Lateward.
Joseph Cole.
In this Condition Mr.
Gill
remain'd a close Prisoner without Bail till the General Quarter-Sessions, which was about five Days; when, he expected to be call'd and lawfully charg'd with some matter of Misdemeanour, or else to be discharg'd.
But now the Plot was ripe for Execution, and at the Quarter-Sessions he was omitted, and never call'd at all.
The Assizes follow'd in two Days more,
viz. April
26. 1704. when he design'd to move for his Discharge, not doubting but he should find Justice there, as he had before at
Norwich.
But the Design was calculated
to disappoint him here too,
and now the black Scene opened; for on the said 26th of
April,
being the first Day of the Assizes, the
Conspirators
had procur'd two Justices, in Concert with themselves, to come to
Wisbich, tho' above
20
Miles out of their own Division.
The Names of these worthy Gentlemen are, (
for they deserve to be recorded
)
David Rowland
Esq
and
Francis Fern
Esq
and Clerk; for this Gentleman is both Clergyman and Magistrate, of whom we shall say no more, till Justice thinks fit to take Cognisance of them, and treat them as they deserve.
These Gentlemen, who now made up the number of the
Conspirators
to be four, brought with them one Captain
Marshal,
an Officer in Colonel
Lutteril
's Regiment of
Marines,
in order to Impress, List, and Carry away this innocent Man as a Souldier, by Virtue of the Law for Listing Vagabonds.
There were several Officers in the Town who wou'd have been very willing to have rais'd Men, and who stay'd there for that purpose; but the Country had rung too loud of the Injury done this poor Man, so that no Officer that knew the Circumstance, could be imagin'd
Villain enough
to confederate; but this Gentleman having the Word of a Justice of Peace, and
a Man of God made a Magistrate,
might the more easily be imposed upon.
Upon the Arrival of these Gentlemen, Mr.
Gill
was sent for out of Prison to the Sign of the
Bell
in
Wisbich.
All the
Conspirators
being present, the Church Justice began with him in base and villainous Language, as unbecoming his Commission as his Gown, calling him
Disturber of the Country,
and
Sawcy Fellow
for answering for himself; told him he was
a Drunkard, a Swearer,
and a great deal to the same purpose; that he rais'd a Conventicle in Mr.
James
's Parish, Impair'd the Congregation at the Church, which was a thing of bad Consequence, and
ought to be supprest
; and that he was not fit to live in the Country, but to Serve Her Majesty, and that therefore he should go for a Souldier.
This Justice
Fern,
being justly asham'd of this Treatment, is pleas'd upon his Oath to deny giving any ill Language: and therefore, to make out that Particular as we go, take the following Affidavit of an honest Inhabitant of
Upwell,
who heard it.
Cornelius Neale
's Affidavit.
COrnelius Neale
of
Upwell,
in the Isle of
Ely,
and County of
Cambridge,
Carpenter, maketh Oath, That he, at the time of
Abraham Gill
's being Imprest for a Soldier, to wit, on or about the 25th day of
April, A. D.
1704, did see the said
Abraham Gill
in Custody in a Room at the Sign of the
Bell
at
Wisbich,
where was
John Bellamy
Esq
and
Francis Ferne,
Clerk, Justice of Peace for the said Isle, and another Gentleman, who, as this Deponent was informed, was
David Rowland
Esq
another Justice of Peace for the said Isle, who, after some base, scurrilous, and hasty Words by them given to the said
Abraham Gill,
then right or wrong ordered that he should go into Her Majesty's Service for a Souldier; and then caused the Officer to tender him Listing-money; after which, they ordered the said Officer to read the Articles of War to him: and this Deponent did see the said
Abraham Gill
some time after with the rest of the Imprest Men.
Cornelius Neale.
There was present another Justice of the Peace, one
John Bellamy
Esq
who at first vigorously oppos'd these Gentlemen; told them he found Mr.
Gill
had a Licence, and he verily believ'd it was a good one; that if he (Mr.
Gill
) was guilty of any Crimes, he ought to be Tryed for them; and, that now was a good time to do it in, the Judges being in Town, and the Assizes begun, and advis'd them to consider if their Authority extended to Pressing him for a Souldier.
This wholsome Advice (
which they may have leisure to repent they did not accept of
) they over-rul'd: They flew into some Heat at Mr.
Bellamy
's arguing for him, and told him, tho' they were not in their own Division, yet they were Justices there as well as he, and expected that they had a Power to act all over the Isle; and if they had any Power they would try it, for
the said
Gill
should be Imprest,
and sent for a Souldier, and they would answer it—At which Mr.
Bellamy
was over-ruled, and joyn'd with them.
Mr.
Gill
told them, That besides his Profession, which he suppos'd exempted him from such an Insult as that, he had two Qualifications expresly excepted in the Act, and which legally forbid them what they now purpos'd to do—First, That he was
a Freeholder of England
; and Secondly, That he was
a Freeman of a Corporation
; both which were expresly nam'd in the Act of Parliament, as Qualifications excepted.
Justice
Bellamy
urg'd again, That these were material Objections, and ask'd him, Where he was a Freeholder, and for How much? He told them he was a Freeholder to the Value of 10
l. per Ann.
Land of Inheritance in the County of
Lancaster,
where he was born, and a Freeman of the Corporation of
Wigan.
Mr.
Bellamy
urg'd again, that he should be remanded to Prison till they could send to the Place to be inform'd—. But the Plot was otherwise laid, and they resolv'd he should go; so they call'd Captain
Marshal,
and order'd him to give him 20 S. which Mr.
Gill
refus'd: then they order'd his Name to be entred in a Certificate for Imprest Men, and the Justices Sign'd it, and Delivered him over to the Capt. and Mr.
Fern
in particular call'd to the Souldiers, and bid them tear his Band off, and take him along with them, and use him
Severely,
(
in so many Words.
) Which Command the Souldiers took care to execute; for they carried him into a large Room crowded with Prest Men, where he had nothing but Straw to lie on. And in this Posture and Place he remain'd, sitting up in his Cloaths and Boots for six or seven days, and then was oblig'd to march on foot in his Boots, Riding-Coat,
&C.
to
Downham
12 Miles, and from thence to
Ely
16, and thence to
Cambridge
10 or 12.
For the Proof of this Matter, and how cunningly and industriously these Men acted, some to get out of the Room, and avoid signing the Certificate of his Impressing, and others to sink and conceal the Certificate it self, in order to smother an Action they were justly asham'd of, the following Affidavits are necessary to be examin'd.
CApt.
Henry Marshal,
of Col.
Alexander Lutterel
's Regiment of Marines, maketh Oath, That in pursuance of a late Act of Parliament,
John Browne, Thomas Gibson,
and
Abraham Gill,
on the twenty sixth day of
April
last past, were brought before Mr.
Rowland,
Mr.
Pearson,
Mr.
Bellamy,
and Mr.
Fern,
four of Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the Isle of
Ely,
in the County of
Cambridge,
who thought them, the said
Browne, Gibson,
and
Gill,
to be proper Persons to serve as Soldiers under Her Majesty Queen
Ann
: Thereupon (as the said Act directs) a Tender was made by this Deponent to them, the said
Browne, Gibson,
and
Gill,
of twenty Shillings each, in the Presence of the aforesaid Justices, which the former accepted, and the last refused: And this Deponent farther saith, That the Certificate for the said three Soldiers, was lodged in the Hands of one of the Clerks, belonging to one of the aforesaid Justices, in order to be registred, but is since lost or mislaid. And the said Clerk, in whose Hands it was so lodged, alledgeth, That he left it with the said Mr.
Bellamy,
who owned to this Deponent that he had a Copy of the said Certificate, but deny'd that he had the Original.
H. Marshal.
This Affidavit charging some of the Clerks the Certificate, we shall trace it thither; and first Justice
Bellamy
owns he had a Copy, but denies that he had the Original.
In the next place, the Clerk to Justice
Colvill
swears, That in his Presence all the Justices agreed Mr.
Gill
should be listed, and that he should be delivered to Capt.
Marshal
; and ordered him to draw up the Certificate. which he did, but did not see it sign'd: the Copy of which is as below,
JOHN Rawlett
of
Thorney,
in the Isle of
Ely,
and County of
Cambridge,
Clerk to
Ralph Peirson,
Esq
one of Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the- said Isle, maketh Oath, That at a Meeting of several Justices of the Peace for the said Isle, and in particular of this Deponent's Master,
Josiah Colvill,
David Rowland,
Esquires,
Francis Fern,
Clerk, and
John Bellamy,
Esquires; on or about the seven and twentieth Day of
April
last, it was agreed by the said Justices, That
Abraham Gill
of
Welneth,
in the said Isle of
Ely,
who was then examined before the said Justices, should be lifted for a Soldier, as being a Person (according to their Opinion) liable thereto, according to the late Act of Parliament for raising Recruits for the Land Forces and Marines; and that the said
Gill
should be delivered accordingly to Capt.
Henry Marshal,
of the Honourable Col.
Lutterel
's Regiment of Marines, who was then present, and tend'red the said
Abraham Gill
twenty Shillings for Listing Money, in this Deponent's Presence: And this Deponent saith, That the said Justices ordered this Deponent to draw up a Certificate of the same, according to the Directions of the said Act of Parliament: The Articles of War against Mutiny and Desertion being also then read by the said Capt.
Marshal
to the said
Abraham Gill.
And this Deponent did accordingly draw up a Certificate; as also of the listing of
Thomas Gibson,
and
John Browne,
both of
Well,
in the same Isle; which at the Desire of the said Capt.
Marshal
was not sealed that Night, because he expected more Soldiers, and designed to put them all into one and the same Certificate the Day following. And this Deponent saith, that the Paper hereunto annexed is the Draught of the said Certificate; but this Deponent going away in the Morning following is not acquainted with what was farther done on the Premises, only that he left a Copy of the said Certificate behind him with the said Mr.
Bellamy.
John Rawlet.
IN Pursuance of an Act of Parliament made in the Second and Third Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lady
Anne,
by the Grace of God, of
England, Scotland, France,
and
Ireland,
Queen, Defender of the Faith,
&c.
for raising Recruits of the Land Forces, Marines,
&c.
We, whose Hands and Seals are hereto set, three of Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the said
Isle,
do hereby certify, That the following Persons we listed according to the said Act by Captain
Henry Marshal,
in the Honourable Colonel
Lutterel
's Regiment of Marines; who did make Tender of twenty Shillings to the Persons hereafter mentioned, which they accepted of; and that the said
Captain
did read the Articles of War against Mutiny and Dissertion to them in our Presence.
Tho. Gibson
of
Well
in the said
Isle.
John Brown
de eadem.
Abraham Gill
late de eadem.
These three Men above written were listed before us.
To return to Mr.
Gill.
The Fateagne of this violent March reduc'd him to a very miserable Condition; his Feet and Legs gall'd and swell'd with his Boots, and his Blood, as may be supposed, surfeited and heated with unusual Force beyond his Strength.
Thus you have the History of his Delivery over to the Soldiers; with whom, and in the Condition as above, he came to
Cambridge
; where he was arrested for Debt, and so by one Misfortune delivered from another.
They used some Attempts to clear him from this Arrest; but the Debt appearing to be real, and too much for them to discharge, being 27
l.
9
s.
6
d.
they were forc'd to leave him in the
Tollbooth
Prison at
Cambridge.
The Conspirators, who concluded their Work was done, and Mr.
Gill
carried clear off, were under no small Disappointment when they heard he was gotten out of their Hands: and tho' they could not but know where he was, yet, in pursuit of their old Design, they issued Hue and Cry to apprehend him as a Deserter from the Queen's Service, and Mr.
Fern
the
Church-Justice
sign'd the Hue and Cry. This failing, they issued a special private Warrant to Constables at
Upwell, Wilney,
and
Maney,
to make search for him, and still
the reverend Mr.
Fern'
s Hand was to this also,
as by the Warrant now secured and remaining with the Constables of
Wilney
will appear.
It was now high time for Mr.
Gill
to take Sanctuary in the Law; and going to Counsel in the Case, he was advised to move in the
Queen's Bench
for a
Habeas Corpus,
to discharge him from enrolling or listing in the Army: which he did, and obtain'd it accordingly; and also a Rule of Court for all the
Conspirators
to show Cause,
&c.
And now these Gentlemen having run their Length, the Tables were turn'd, and the Time began to come when they must render an Acount to her Majesty and the Law for all this Oppression of her Subjects, Contempt of her Authority, and Abuse of the Power put into their Hands by the Laws.
The
Conspirators
appear'd at the
Queen's Bench
Court in
Westminster,
and mov'd for Time, and several Motions being made alternately, in order to bring in Affidavits; at last they found themselves so press'd by the Course of the Law, that they were obliged to have Recourse to their old stock of Villany they had work'd upon before, and form'd a second Conspiracy to bring Mr.
Gill
into Contempt of the Court; the detecting whereof will conclude this part of our History: and the future Rewards Justice will bestow upon them for these things, are reserv'd to their proper Season; and may serve for a Second Part of this Account.
After seven Weeks Imprisonment at
Cambridge,
Mr.
Gill
having made up matters with his Creditor was releas'd, and went home to his Family at
Welney,
showing himself publickly, and Preaching every Week to his Congregation as usual; for now the
Conspirators
saw he was out of their power, and whatever they did they must expect to account for.
At last they mov'd the Court that Mr.
Gill
might appear in Person to accuse them, which was granted, and appointed to be on the 4th of
July
last.
Mr.
Gill
's Attorney sent him Notice of this Order, and he immediately went for
London
; and setting out on the 3d of
July,
in order to his appearing in the Court, with one Mr.
Tokelove
in his Company, he was arrested on the Road about 6 Miles from his own House, by one
Betts
a Bailiff, in an Island Warrant, at the Suit of one
John Smith
of
Downham.
Betts
the Bailiff holding him to Bail, carry'd Mr.
Gill
to
Maypole,
a little Village, 10 Miles from his own House, Mr.
Gill
being exceedingly surpriz'd at this Arrest, knowing the Consequence of his Disappointment, perswaded the Bayliff to go back with him, 5 Miles to
Maney,
where he got some Friends to be his Bail.
This ended the Trifle of the Arrest; but the
Conspirators
End was answered by it; for by that time Bail was given it was Afternoon, and there was no possibility of Mr.
Gill
's being in Court at the time appointed, which was the next Morning, being not able to ride all night, nor to ride so hard as to reach to
London
time enough, (sending Mr.
Tokelove,
who was then with him, forward to
Cambridge,
to make Oath of what had pass'd, which he did accordingly, as will appear by his Affidavit) being above 60 Miles,
so he went back to his own House.
The Court resented his Default, and the
Conspirators
took Care to have it improv'd to his Disadvantage: But before we come to relate the Consequences of the Contempt in Court, 'tis proper to examine the Contrivances of this Arrest, and some subsequent Management of the
Conspirators.
When
Betts
the Bayliff first arrested Mr.
Gill,
he told him, That this was a Choak Pare for him, and was procur'd by Mr.
Lateward,
one of the Conspirators,
to prevent his appearing at
London.
This was spoken in the hearing of Mr.
Tokelove,
who was then with Mr.
Gill,
as appears by the following Affidavit.
RIchard Tokelove,
of
Upwell,
in the County of
Norfolk,
Yeoman, maketh Oath, That he, this Deponent, came to Mr.
Abraham Gill
's House at
Wellney,
in the Isle of
Ely,
and County of
Cambridge,
on the third Day of
July, Ann. Dom.
One Thousand Seven Hundred and Four, very early that Morning, and found him at home; and that the said Mr.
Gill,
nor this Deponent, did not that Day Morning see nor speak with
John Betts
the Bayliff, till he overtook and arrested the said Mr.
Gill
on the
Bank Road,
six Miles from home, or thereabonts, he this Deponent, and the said Mr.
Gill
being going for
London:
And this Deponent doth farther say, That the said
John Betts
did then declare, That the said Mr.
Gill
was arrested by the Procurement of one Mr.
Lateward,
intending for to stay his Journey from attending the Court.
Richard Tokelove.
Betts
the Officer, a Man capable of being moulded for the purpose of the
Conspirators,
not remembring what he had said at the time of the Arrest, chang'd his Note quickly after.
For the
Conspirators
finding the Plot had taken Effect, and that they had effectually prevented Mr.
Gill
from appearing at the Court; the next Step was to make the World believe this was a Contrivance of his own, and so throw their own Villany upon Mr.
Gill.
Accordingly they report, That Mr.
Gill
had caused himself to be arrested, in order to get an excuse for his not going to
London,
not daring to appear at the
Queen's Bench Bar.
And now that their Engine may appear as black as themselves, this Mr.
Betts
the Bayliff is made to swear.
1. That he
Betts
had a Letter from Mr.
Smith
the Plaintiff at
Downham,
to him with Orders to arrest Mr.
Gill
; and that this Letter was of Mr.
Gill
's own writing, but sign'd by Mr.
Smith.
2. He swears, That he received two several Letters from Mr.
Gill,
directed to himself, desiring him to arrest him that
Monday
Morning that he was to go to
London,
in order to stop his Journey.
3. He swears, Mr.
Gill
call'd him up that Morning, in order to be arrested by him; and that he brought him a blank Warrant,
&c.
Tho' this
Comi-Tragedy
will be best related after this Wretch has been brought to Justice, with his Procurers, the
Conspirators
; yet to finish this Relation, 'tis necessary to acquaint the World how this
hard-mouth'd Swearer
is confronted.
Mr.
Tokelove
swears as before, That he
Betts
voluntarily declared at the time of the Arrest, That it was
procur'd by Mr. Lateward
; but this, 'tis supposed, was before he was made privy to the Conspiracy; and being afterward let into the Secret, forgetting what he had said, confirm'd the World in his own known Character; and verify'd the Truth of that old Saying,
Opportet Mendacem esse Memoriam.
2. Mr.
Smith
of
Downham
the Plaintiff owns, He gave leave to Mr.
Lateward
to order Mr.
Gill
to be arrested; but swears, He was desir'd so to do by an importunate Letter from Mr.
Lateward
as
per
his Affidavit appears, and being threatn'd in Case of Refusal.
JOHN Smith
of
Downham,
in the County of
Norfolk,
Yeoman, maketh Oath, That he this Deponent received a Letter by a Messenger from Mr.
Lateward,
Curate-at
Welney
; to the best of this Deponent's Remembrance the Letter bares Date about the latter end of
June
last: The Purport and Meaning of the Letter was to desire, and indeed strongly to urge, him this Deponent to give the said Mr.
Lateward
Orders to arrest Mr.
Abraham Gill,
Minister to a Dissenting Congregation at
Upwell
; and the Letter urged, That Mr.
Gill
must be arrested
Monday
Morning next after the Date thereof, by one or two a Clock in the Morning, to prevent Mr.
Gill
's attending at
London,
at a Hearing between Mr.
Hugh James,
Rector of
Upwell,
and Mr.
Gill,
and then Mr.
James
could have an Advantage against Mr.
Gill:
The Letter promised, That his this Deponent's Kindness should be well gratify'd if this Deponent answered the Request, else Mr.
Lateward
and his Interest would take it unkindly, and this Deponent should loose their Respect; upon which this Deponent gave order in writing by Mr.
Lateward
's Messenger to arrest Mr.
Gill,
and use their Pleasure according to Law; and this Deponent is well satisfied they did order Mr.
Gill
to be arrested, and kept in Custody about ten Miles from home, in his Journey towards
London.
And this Deponent is credibly informed, That the Bayliff, one
Betts,
hath been often feasted, and well fed by Mr.
Lateward
; and hath constantly kept Mr.
Lateward
Company, and rode about with him ever since. And this Deponent farther saith, That he saw Mr.
Gill
upon the six and twentieth of this instant
October,
who is very sick, and hath been so for a long time, and is very weak, unfit for going abroad, and liker for Death than Life.
John Smith.
3. Mr.
Tokelove
swears, He was with Mr.
Gill
early in the Morning the same Day he was arrested, and found him at Home, and never parted with him till he was arrested; and that therefore it was impossible he should call at
Bett's
House, as
Betts
swears he did, to have him arrest him: And because Mr.
Tokelove
's Affidavit is very full, and a Confirmation of several things already advanced here, we refer to the Copy of it duly attested, as follows.
RIchard Tokelove
of
Upwell,
in the County of
Norfolk,
Yeoman, maketh Oath, That Mr.
Abraham Gill
of
Welney,
in the Isle of
Ely,
and County of
Cambridge,
did never serve at
Welney
Chappel as Curate to Dr.
Gragge,
or to any one else, to his this Deponent's Knowledge; but was a Preacher elected and chose by the Congregation and Feoffees, in a time when the Chappel was vacant; and this Deponent's Opinion is, That it was in the said Feoffees and Congregation's Power to elect their Minister. And this Deponent farther saith, That the said Mr.
Gill
was a Freeholder for several Years in
Welney,
and lived in good Fame and Plenty all the time of two pious and sober Rectors of the said Parish; and was well approved of both for Doctrine, Charity, and Behaviour. And this Deponent farther saith, That since Mr.
James
and Mr.
Lateward
have been so malicious against Mr.
Gill,
he is elected and chosen a Preacher to a Dissenting Congregation of Protestants in
Upwell
aforesaid; and is able in Doctrine religious, and of sober Life and Conversation, and highly approved of with his Congregation, and most of his Neighbours, and with most his Acquaintance; but Mr.
James
our present Rector at
Upwell,
and Mr.
Lateward
his Curate (as this Deponent very believes) envying the said Mr.
Gill,
and maliciously designing to ruin him and his Family hath scandalously, maliciously, and without Cause, spread abroad evil, unjust, and undeserving Characters of the said Mr.
Gill,
which, by Strangers and Persons remote and Ill-wishers to the Dissenting Party, may perhaps be believed as coming from such Authors; and this Deponent farther saith, That it is his Opinion that by insinuating Speeches and Threatnings the said Mr.
James
and Mr.
Lateward
have caused the Clerk, one
Thomas Fewlis
(who is a loose, idle, and wicked Person) to swear contrary to his Knowledge, and to the Truth, and that only for fear of losing his Clerk's Place and their Favour; and this Deponent the rather believes this, because he hath heard the said
Fewlis
commend the said Mr.
Gill,
and set forth a quite contrary-Character of him. And this Deponent farther saith, That the said Mr.
James
and Mr.
Lateward
have given Mr.
Gill
very unjust Prosecution which hath reduc'd him to Poverty, Mr.
Gill
having been imprisoned at their Complaint in several Goals, (
viz.
) at
Cambridge,
in
March
1702, and
Aprill, May, June,
and
July
1704, and removed to
Norwich
Goal, and kept Prisoner all the Assize Week, till discharged the last Day according to Law; and believes that he was entered in the Goaler's Calender
July
1703: And after their Threatning to imprison him again if he presumed to serve and preach to our Congregation any more, they have this last
April
persecuted and imprisoned the said Mr.
Gill,
and (without shewing Cause of the Imprisonment, or giving any Prosecution at Sessions or Assizes, which was at the same time of his Imprisonment at
Wisbech
) they caused him to be Imprest out of Goal for a Soldier, without Liberty to make any Defence, when at the same time he was our Minister, and well approved of, and highly beloved, having (as he may have still) a very plentiful Allowance for his Maintenance, that way of Preaching (as this Deponent doth apprehend) being a lawful Employment for a Maintenance; and his Congregation is large, consisting of Gentlemen, and very substantial Freeholders, as well as Farmers: So that by the way of Prosecution, not only Mr.
Gill,
but also this Deponent, and all the said Congregntion are Sufferers; and in truth Mr.
James
did not only threaten and prosecute Mr.
Gill,
and procured him sent to Goal, and imprest for a Soldier, as aforesaid, but positively sent to the Meeting-place (though qualified according to Law) and threatned some of the Congregation, and especicially him this Deponent; and apprehended five several Men by a Warrant from Mr.
Upwood,
a Justice of the Peace, and carried them like Felons before the said Mr.
Upwood
; which Persons (although Mr.
James
is pleased to swear they were idle Persons) yet some were very substantial Freeholders, and the rest substantial Farmers, and very honest Men: And altho' Mr.
James
and Mr.
Lateward
pretend no Malice in their Prosecution, yet it is a real Truth they have highly abused both Mr.
Gill
and his Congregation, and constantly preach railing Sermons, as this Deponent hath heard and believes; and they are reputed very malitious and troublesome Men in the Parish, having excommunicated several Men, and totally ruined one Mr.
Whitworth,
our School-Master; and in carrying on that malicious Design against him, both Mr.
James
and his Curate did swear falsly against him at
Swaffam
Sessions, as one of the Grand Jury hath declared and affirmed; and prosecuted the said Mr.
Whitworth,
till they banished him the Town, causing him to be imprest for a Soldier, as they did Mr.
Gill.
And this Deponent saith, That it is credibly affirmed by one
John Marriot,
that they would have had him to have sworn, That our Minister Mr.
Gill
was one Mr.
Gill
a Minister who escaped out of
Darby
Goal about six Years since, being convict for forging of Holy Orders, and counterfeiting the King's Coin; (altho' Mr.
Gill
had been in this Country about us nine or ten Years) but the said
John Marriot
refused to go contrary to his Conscience. And this Deponent farther saith, That Mr.
Gill
was never reported to be a Swearer or Drunkard, as is alledged in their Affidavits; and he verily believes he was never once seen to be drunk, nor heard to swear one Oath since he came into our Country: And this Deponent is very positive that neither Mr.
James
nor any that made Affidavits at present against Mr.
Gill,
have any intimate Acquaintance or personal Knowledge of the said Mr.
Gill,
excepting
Nicholas Scott, Tho. Beart,
and
Tho. Fewlis
; which said
Thomas Fewlis
is overawed to swear to carry on and vindicate their unjust Prosecution, as this Deponent believes; and this Deponent verily believes he would for a Reward swear twice as much on Mr.
Gill
's Behalf, if requested. And this Deponent farther saith, That Mr.
Gill
was coming the Morning towards
London,
being the third Day of
July,
about three a Clock in the Morning, and was arrested upon the Road in an Action of Debt at the Suit of one
John
Smith,
and is now in Custody, and held to Bail; and that the Bayliff says, the Plaintiff was urged to arrest Mr.
Gill
to prevent his attending the Court, that so Mr.
James
and Mr.
Lateward
might obtain an Advantage against him: he is in Custody at
Maypole,
ten Miles from home.
Richard Tokelove.
4. Mrs.
Gill,
Mr.
Gill
's Wife, swears, That her Husband came home from the Meeting on the Evening before, and did not stir out of his House till about two a Clock
Monday
Morning, when Mr.
Tokelove
and he took Horse together to go to
London
the same Day he was arrested.
Elizabeth Gill
's Affidavit.
ELizabeth Gill,
the Wife of
Abraham Gill,
of
Welney
in the Isle of
Ely,
and County of
Cambridge,
maketh Oath, That upon
Sunday
the second Day of
July, A. D.
1704, last past, this Deponent's Husband came home at Evening from his Congregation at
Upwell
; and after his coming home was never out of his House all that Night, till about one or two of the Clock the next Morning; at which time
Richard Tokelove
of
Upwell
came to call him, in order to go on a Journey with him towards
London.
And this Deponent saith, That her said Husband did not see nor speak with
John Betts
a Bayliff at that time, nor with any other: And that this Deponent's Husband, and the said
Richard Tokelove
took Horse together, and went on their Journey, intending for
London.
Elizabeth Gill.
5. Mr.
Gill
himself
who in this Case is Evidence for the Queen
swears, That he neither wrote any Letters to
Betts,
or call'd him up, or ordered him to arrest him, or procur'd any one else to order him, or knew any thing directly or indirectly of this Arrest, till he was surprized by him on the Road.
Mr.
Gill
's two Affidavits.
ABraham Gill
of
Welney
in the Isle of
Ely,
in the County of
Cambridge,
maketh Oath, That he this Deponent hath seen two Letters, one dated the first, and the other the second day of
July
1704, sign'd
Abra. Gill
; and also a Letter dated
July
the 3d 1704, signed
John Smith
; as also a Writing purporting to be a Warrant for arresting this Defendant; and which said Letters and Warrant, when this Deponent saw the same, were annexed to the Affidavit of one
John Betts,
a Bayliff, produced in this Honourable Court. And this Deponent saith, That the said Letters or Warrant, or any or either of them, or any part of any or either of them, or the Name
Abra. Gill
so signed to the two first of the said Letters is not nor are of this Deponent's own Hand-writing; nor were the said Letters or Warrant, or either of them, or any part of them, or either of them writ by or with the Order, Knowledge, Privity, or Procurement of this Deponent. And this Deponent saith, That he was not in Company with or did see or speak to or with the said
John Betts
upon the said second Day of
July:
Nor did this Deponent call upon the said
John Betts
next Morning, or see him till he overtook and arrested this Deponent, as this Deponent was upon his Journey towards
London,
to attend this Court. And farther this Depenent saith, That the said
Betts
upon such Arrest held this Deponent to Bail, and this Deponent and one
Thomas Harrison
(as this Deponent's Bail) did seal and execute a Bail Bond accordingly, in the Presence of the said
Betts,
about one of the Clock that Day.
Abra. Gill.
ABraham Gill
of
Welney,
within the Isle of
Ely,
in the County of
Cambridge,
maketh Oath, That he was no way directly nor indirectly privy to nor concerned in procuring
John Betts
to arrest him this Deponent; neither did he this Deponent write any Letter or Letters to order it to be done (as the said
Betts
in his Affidavit doth falsly depose) but this Deponent was upon the Road coming to
London,
in Obedience to a Rule made in this Honourable Court to appear in the said Court; and was arrested by the said
John Betts,
who then affirmed to this Deponent, and one
Richard Tokelove
(who then was with this Deponent) that the said Arrest was by the Procurement of Mr.
John Lateward,
on purpose to prevent this Deponent's Journey; or Words to the like Effect. And this Deponent farther maketh Oath, That he hath Freehold Lands in
Rivington
in
Lancashire,
of the Yearly Value of eight or ten Pounds; and hath had the same ever since the time of this Deponent's Marriage, being about fifteen or sixteen Years last past.
Abra. Gill.
Now these four Persons must all be forsworn, or else this Fellow has both perjur'd himself, forg'd the Letters, and Mr.
Lateward
one of the
Conspirators
was the Procurer and Contriver of this Arrest; and Mr.
Gill
is very willing to wait the Conclusion the Law will give to this Affair, when the World shall not fail of an impartial Account of the Particulars, and Indictment of Perjury being ordered to be brought against the said
Betts
for this matter.
To confront this indeed, Mr.
Lateward
swears to the following Affidavit, full of
Negatives, Neithers,
and
Don't knows,
and all for himself too: but that they may not complain of Partiality, his Affidavit must not be omitted, as follows,
JOHN Lateward
of
Welney,
in the Isle of
Ely,
and County of
Cambridge,
Clerk, aged twenty five Years and upward, maketh Oath, That he this Deponent never saw knew or had Acquaintance with any such Person as
John Smith
of
Downham
in
Norfolk,
Yeoman; nor did at any time ever write any Letter, or send any Messenger to any such Person as the said
John Smith,
concerning Mr.
Abraham Gill,
either about arresting him, or any wise else however; nor did this Deponent ever consent, order, or procure any Person so to do in his this Deponent's Name: Neither did this Deponent ever hear of any such Person as the said
Smith,
until after the said
Gill
was arrested, or pretended to be arrested, and at Liberty again: Nor did this Deponent ever order the said
Gill
to be arrested, nor knew that he was arrested, nor knew
Betts
the Bayliff which arrested the said
Gill,
till after such Arrest, if any was made, and the said
Gill
was again at Liberty. Nor can this Deponent any wise imagine how any Letter should be wrote to the said
Smith,
or any Messenger sent to him in this Deponent's Name about arresting the said
Gill,
unless the same was done by the said
Gill,
or by some other in his Behalf, or by his Procurement; which he this Deponent has good Reason to believe and suspect hath been done, because as the said
Betts
the Bayliff who arrested the said
Gill
hath informed this Deponent, and also this Deponent doth believe hath deposed that the said
Gill
sent him a Note to arrest him the said
Gill.
John Lateward.
To corroborate this Affidavit, and being we suppose asham'd of what he had done, Mr.
L . . . . . . d
took some pains to make Mr.
Smith
of
Downham
to say back again what he had sworn for Proof of this Matter upon
Lateward
; which Attempt appears by the Oaths of three credible Persons of
Downham,
as follows.
GEorge Holt,
late of
Downham,
Gent.
William Pincher
of the same Town and County Taylor, and
Mary Smith
the Wife of
John Smith
of the same Town and County, do severally make Oath, That one who called himself
Hugh James
Rector of
Upwell
in the County of
Norfolk,
but, as we are informed, was Mr.
Lateward,
came to the said
John Smith
's House in
Downham
aforesaid, upon the 13th day of
November
now last past, and brought along with him one
Johnson
an Attorney of Her Majesty's Court of
Queen's-bench,
a Man of Tricks, and an unjust Practitioner; who together did intreat
John Smith,
the Husband of
Mary Smith
one of these Deponents, to own and swear that the Affidavit he had made in the
Queen's-bench
this Term was unjust and untrue: but he affirmed what he had done was just, and that he would stand by it; upon which they urged him to unsay it; and then said it would prove his Ruin if the said
John Smith
did not revoke the former Affidavit.
Geo. Holt.
William Pincher.
Mary Smith.
And against that part of Mr.
Lateward
's Oath and
Betts
's Oath, that it was wrote by Mr.
Gill,
besides the Affidavit of Mr.
Gill
already mention'd, we conclude this black Story with the following Affidavit.
THomas Wilson,
now of
Downham Market
in the County of
Norfolk,
Gent. maketh Oath, That he being at the House of
John Smith
in
Downham
aforesaid, saw and read a Letter there that was sent from Mr.
John Lateward
to urge him to give Orders to Arrest Mr.
Gill
; and having seen, and well knowing the Hand-writing of Mr.
Gill,
does verily believe and affirm, that the said Letter was not Mr.
Gill's
Hand-writing.
Tho. Wilson.
Only as the Conspirators have taken a great deal of pains to blacken Mr.
Gill,
and load him with Crimes, of all which we shall fairly and honourably clear him; we cannot but present the World with two Evidences to the Character of
this Knight of the Post,
Mr.
Betts:
and 'tis humbly recommended to the Reverend Mr.
James
and Mr.
Lateward,
to clear their worthy Agent of the Charge, lest the World should blame their Understanding for hugging such a Wretch, and caressing a Man of whom they ought to have been ashiam'd to have been seen in his Company.
1. Mr.
Martin,
Post-master of
Epping, where this
Betts
it seems liv'd till he could stay there no longer,
swears, That he (
Betts
) having given Mr.
Martin
Possession of some Goods for a just Debt, he broke open the Door in the Night, and carried them away; and that being carried before a Justice, he sav'd himself from being sent to Jayl by restoring the Goods again.
THomas Martin,
of
Epping
in the County of
Essex
Innholder, maketh Oath, That he this Deponent know
John Betts
late of
Epping
aforesaid Innkeeper, but now of
Chatteris
in the Isle of
Ely
and County of
Cambridge
as this Deponent is informed and believes, and saith, that the said
John Betts
being indebted to this Deponent, this Deponent about six Years since caused him to be Arrested; and thereupon the said
Betts,
to procure his Liberty, delivered certain Goods into Custody of anoter Person in trust for this Deponent: But the said
Betts
caused the Door of the Room where such Goods were, to be broke open in the night time, and conveyed the same away, and would not let this Deponent have the same again till this Deponent took him before a Justice of the Peace, who forced the said
Betts
to re-deliver the said Goods, or else said he would send the said
Betts
to Jayl.
Thomas Martin.
2. Mr.
Earl
of
Epping
swears,
Betts
is a Person of a scandalous Character, esteemed a Highway-man, so that few of his Neighbours care to be seen in his Company, believing him a Man that cares not what he says or swears.
RIchard Earl,
of
Epping
in the County of
Essex,
Yeoman, aged sixty Years or thereabouts, maketh Oath, that he knoweth
John Betts
late of
Epping
aforesaid, but now of
Chatteris
in the Isle of
Ely
and County of
Cambridge,
a Bailiff, and saith, that the said
Betts
is a Person of a very bad and scandalous Life and Reputation, and is esteemed no better than a Highway-man, insomuch that few of his Neighbours care to keep him Company; and this Deponent verily believes he cares not what he either saith or swears. And this Deponent farther saith, That the said
Betts,
when he lived at
Epping,
caused a Room, wherein he had put certain Goods in trust for one Mr.
Martin
a Creditor of the said
Betts,
to be broke open in the Night-time, and was taken before Justice
Wroth
on that account, who forced the said
Betts
to deliver back the said Goods, or said he would send him to Jayl, or used Words to that or the like effect.
Richard Earl.
All these Affidavits were, in behalf of Mr.
Gill,
produc'd in Court; and Mr.
Gill
being examin'd on several Interrogatories upon Oath, and under Recognizance, and having given the Court full Satisfaction, was disharg'd of the Contempt; and the rest of this black Story lies now before the Judges of Her Majesty's Court of
Queen's-bench,
where Mr.
Gill
doubts not to have Justice.
The Conclusion.
IT is enough,
and the Matter of Fact, as here truly related, is Mr.
Gill
's Satisfaction; he covets no Victories, and scorns to Insult them on the Conquest his Innocence and the Power of Truth made upon their procur'd Perjuries, he recommends it to them to consider of what they have done, and at least shew so much Penitence as becomes them to make their Appearance in their Cloth tolerable.
It remains only, to finish the Vindication of Mr.
Gill,
to reckon up a little the numerous Slanders and Reproaches which they have raised upon his Reputation, and by undoubted Testimony and positive Evidence confront their Calumnies, and clear up his Character to the Satisfaction of his Friends, who have been too much impos'd upon, (
and the Author asks their Pardon if he says, have been something too apt to believe
) and to the Conviction of his Enemies, who have Triumph'd in a bad Cause, and cry'd
Victoria
before they put their Armour off.
In order to this, 'tis necessary to set down, in their own Language and the blackest Terms they could invent, all the Calumnies and Abuses they have rais'd upon this poor Man in order to justifie their ill Practices, and make their Designs tolerable to the World.
And first, The Publication in the
Gazette
speaks for it self, and needs no Comment—
And here 'tis very observable, that it yet remains a Mystery who Convey'd this Advertisement to the Printer of the
Gazette,
no body having yet thought fit to own it, and the
at
Norwich
disowning it. And this, we presume, must be referr'd to the Second Part of this History; by which time Mr.
Jones,
no doubt, in his own Vindication, will produce his Voucher, and the Courts of Justice so come at the Author.
When the Justices, Clergy-men, and the rest of the
Conspirators
came to be call'd upon to shew Cause of all this Usage, after frequent Motions for Time, they bring up numerous Affidavits, partly in their own Justification, and partly Defaming the Man.
Of these Affidavits, some of them being too long to insert in the Compass of this Book, We have taken a faithful Abstract, and to shew our Impartiality in this Account, and that the World may see whether We have done them Justice or no, the Affidavits are all left at the Place aforesaid, for any Person that desires Satisfaction, to peruse.
"First,
Thurgood Upton
Esq
and Justice of Peace, swears, That Mr.
Hugh James
and
Thomas Beart, both frequently mentioned in this Book,
made Complaint of Mr.
Gill,
That he was a Person of a scandalous and debauch'd Life, a Frequenter of Alehouses and Houses of ill Fame, and did for several Months cohabit with a certain Woman as his Wife, whom he call'd
Elizabeth,
and by whom he had two Children; and that some time after the Birth of the first Child by the said
Elizabeth,
another Woman follow'd the said
Gill,
and pretended to be his Wife; that he did for several Weeks cohabit with both the said Women, and had also a Child by the second Woman, who some short time after dying, he continued to cohabit with the first Woman as his Wife—But this Gentleman being a Justice for the County of
Norfolk,
and the said
Gill
living in the Isle of
Ely,
he refus'd to grant his Warrant, having no Authority to act there—Mr.
Upton
also swears, that there was a farther Complaint against Mr.
Gill
by the said Mr.
Hugh James,
for keeping a Meeting in the Barn of one
Richard Tokelove,
and several others that were present at the said Meeting, who appearing and affirming that the said
Gill
had qualified himself, and the Place was duly Licensed according to Law, he dismist them. Mr.
Upon
adds his Belief that there is no Malice in Mr.
James
's Prosecution, giving him the Character of a sober Man, and of good Reputation, but Mr.
Gill
of a notorious ill Life and Conversation, and a Disgrace to Religion."
THurgood Upwood
of
Terrington
in the County of
Norfolk
Esq
one of Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the said County, maketh Oath, That in or about the Month of
January
1701, Complaint was made to this Deponent by
Hugh James
Clerk, Rector of
Upwell
in the said County, and also by
Thomas Beart
of the said Parish of
Upwell,
That one
Abraham Gill,
who had for some time past resided within the said Parish of
Upwell,
and had officiated at
Welney
a Hamlet of the said Parish of
Upwell
as Curate to
Dr. Grigg
since deceased, and afterward to
Talbot Hibart
likewise deceased, who were respectively Rectors of the said Parish, That the said
Gill
was a Person of a very scandalous and debauched Life, being a great Frequenter of Alehouses and other Houses of evil Fame, and did also for several Months cohabit with a certain Woman as his Wife, whom he called
Elizabeth,
by whom he had two Children during his abode there, and that some short time after the Birth of the first Child by the said
Elizabeth,
another Woman followed the said
Gill
to the said Parish of
Upwell,
who likewise pretended to be his Wife, and that he did for several Weeks cohabit with both the said Women, and had also a Child by the second Woman, who some short time afterwards dying, he did continue with the first Woman called
Elizabeth,
who hath ever since cohabited with him, as they informed this Deponent. But it appearing to this Deponent, that the said
Gill
was then an Inhabitant in that part of the said Parish that lies within the Isle of
Ely
and County of
Cambridge,
did refuse to grant a Warrant against him, he having no Authority to act there. And this Deponent saith, That there being farther Complaint made by the said
Hugh James
against the said
Gill,
and several others, in or about the Month of
March
last past, for that the said
Gill
had kept a Meeting in the Barn of one
Richard Tooklove
at
Upwell
in the said County of
Norfolk,
not having qualified himself, or given notice of the said House according to Law. This Deponent did grant a Warrant against the said
Tooklove,
and several others that were present at the said Meeting, whose Names this Deponent doth not remember. And the said
Tooklove
and the rest of them affirming that the said
Gill
had a Licence to Teach in the said Barn, and that the same was duly Licensed; thereupon this Deponent forbore any farther Prosecution untill he should receive farther Information of the matter charged against them: and farther deposeth, That he doth not know or believe that there was any Malice in the Prosecution made by the said
Hugh James
against the said
Gill,
the said
James
being a Person of sober Life and good Reputation: and, on the contrary, That the said
Gill
is very notorious in his ill Life and bad Conversation, and a great disgrace to the Christian Religion.
Th. Upwood.
Mr.
James
himself makes Oath at large.
Hugh James,
Rector of
Upwell
in the County of
Norfolk,
Clerk, maketh Oath, That at the time of his Institution and Induction to the Rectory of
Upwell,
he found
Abraham Gill
officiating as Curate in the Chapel of
Welney,
according to the Rites of the Church of
England.
And this Deponent being informed that the said
Abraham Gill
was a Person of notorious ill Life and Conversation, this Deponent went to the Hamlet of
Welney
to reprove the said
Abraham Gill
for his scandalous Practices, and to examine by what Authority and Licence he there officiated as Minister and Curate: But the said
Abraham Gill
denying to shew this Deponent his Orders and Licence; upon this, and for several other reasons, this Deponent made Complaint of the said
Gill,
and his wicked Practices, to the Lord Bishop of
Norwich
his Diocesan, and deliver'd in to his Lordship an Information against him, made by
Thomas Beart
before
Thurgood Upton
Esq
one of His Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the County of
Norfolk.
Upon which, and several other Informations, he was prosecuted in the Consistory Court of
Norwich,
where he was detected of Forging Holy Orders under the Hand and Seal of the present Lord Bishop of
Chester:
for which, and several other enormous Crimes, he had Excommunication read against him in
Welney,
from which he is not yet absolved. But some time after, as this Deponent is credibly informed, endeavour'd to impose upon one Mr.
Cooper,
Minister of
Bollingbrook
in
Lincolnshire,
by forged Orders under the Hand and Seal of the present Lord Bishop of
Ely,
desiring to be his Curate: but being detected there of this Forgery, the said
Gill
returned to
Welney
aforesaid, whither his Family had been sent from
Bollingbrook
aforesaid by Order of the Justices of
Lincolnshire.
And the said
Gill
still continuing in his scandalous Life, set up a set up a separate Conventicle in the Parish of
Upwell,
in the Barn of
Richard Tokelove
of the same Parish; and did in that Barn, on the Sabbath-day, preach to some Persons of no great Credit: Upon which this Deponent thinking it his Duty to take notice of such Disorders and unlawful Practices, especially by such an infamous Person, procured a Warrant from the said Mr.
Upton,
to bring before him
Richard Tokelove,
and four other idle Persons, who absented themselves from the Church to follow and encourage this
Gill
that they might shew legal Authority for his Conventicle, having no malicious Intent in the Prosecution. And these Persons affirming that their Teacher,
Abraham Gill,
had the Licence for their Conventicle, the said Mr.
Upton
returned the Warrant by the Constable to bring them back if they did not produce or send the Licence to him; and they not obeying this Order, he granted another Warrant for the said
Gill
and
Tokelove:
but
Abraham Gill
withdrawing himself into the Isle of
Ely
; this Deponent made Complaint to
Tho. Edwards
sen.
Esq
one of Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the Isle of
Ely
in the County of
Cambridge
; which said
Thomas Edwards
granted a Warrant to Apprehend the said
Gill
for his disorderly living, and preaching in a Conventicle, not being qualified for the same: By vertue of which Warrant he was brought before several of Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace in
Wisbich,
who for several Reasons Committed him to Jayl. And this Deponent farther saith, That he did not speak to the said
Abraham Gill
before he came into the Room where the said Justices were; and that there he gave him no scurrilous Language, but only spoke what was necessary to inform the Justices concerning his ill Life and illegal Practices. And this Deponent farther saith, That he did not move to have him sent to Goal, nor did he affirm that his Licence was forged, but only that there was great Suspicion of the same, it being only a blank Certificate of a Licence without date, and that it was not Mr.
Brown
's Hand, as other Gentlemen there likewise affirmed, who knew Mr.
Brown
's Hand. And this Deponent farther maketh Oath, That he believes that the Certificate under the Name of
John Arrowsmith
to be his proper Hand, and that other Certificate under the Name of
Nich. Brown
not to be his proper Hand, having seen both their Hands upon other Occasions. Neither Mr.
Nich. Brown
nor
John Jeffery
Clerk, having any Jurisdiction in that part of
Norfolk
where
Richard Tokelove's
Barn stands.
Hugh James.
THomas Edwards
of
Wisbech
in the Isle of
Ely
and County of
Cambridge
Esq
one of Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the said Isle of
Ely,
maketh Oath, That upon the Complaint of Mr.
Hugh James,
Rector of
Upwell,
against
Abraham Gill
of
Welney,
for divers ill Crimes and Misdemeanours, He this Deponent, on or about the latter end of
March
last, to the best of this Deponent's Remembrance, granted a Warrant to bring the said
Abraham Gill
before this Deponent or some other of Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the said Isle, to answer the said Complaint, with Directions to bring
Sureties
for his Good Behaviour along with him: and that on or about the 20th day of
April
following, the said
Abraham Gill
was brought before this Deponent and
Josiah Colvile
Esq
and several other Justices of the Peace of the said Isle, where were also present the said Mr.
James,
and Mr.
Lateward
his Curate, and several others. And the said Mr.
James,
amongst other Crimes, accused the said
Gill
of living very lewdly and wickedly with a Woman whom he kept when his former Wife was living, and had Children by the said Woman when his former Wife was living, and that it was highly probable he was not then married to her; as also of his setting up a Conventicle at
Welney
without any lawful Authority that the said Mr.
James
could find out or hear of; with his being accustomed to Swearing and other Immoralities. And the said
Abraham Gill
offering little or nothing in his own Defence as to his bad Life and Conversation, and being a Person obscure, and unknown from whence he came, and of a very infamous Character and Reputation on divers accounts; this Deponent, with the other Justices then present, required him the said
Abraham Gill
to give Sureties for his good Behaviour, as the least thing they would demand of him; which he not being able to do, although most of his substantial Neighbours were present, the said Mr.
Colvile
and this Deponent Sealed his
Mittimus,
and sent him to God till he should find Sureties accordingly. And this Deponent farther saith, That he did not hear of any scurrilous or ill Language which was given to the said
Abraham Gill
by any Person then present: but saith, That he the said
Abraham Gill
did then produce the Paper hereunto annexed, purporting a Licence from the Archdeacon of the Archdeaconry of
Norwich,
for holding Meetings in the House or Barn of one
Richard Tokelove
in
Upwell
aforesaid: which being without Date, and this Deponent and the other Justices present being well informed that
Upwell
was not within the Jurisdiction of the Archdeacon therein named, and although it had been so, yet that the said
Abraham Gill
was not duly qualified to preach or teach in the said Meeting-house, as being an Excommunicate Person as was then credibly affirmed, nor could he make it appear in the least that he had qualified himself by Law to be a Teacher in such a Meeting, at any Sessions of the Peace either in
Norfolk
or the Isle of
Ely
; and several Persons then present affirming also that the Name
Nicho. Browne
thereunto Subscribed was not the proper Hand-writing of Mr.
Nicholas Browne
; this Deponent and the other Justices did not look upon the same to be authentick, and had reason to suspect it to be forged, and therefore detained it till farther Enquiry might be made concerning it.
Tho. Edwards.
The following Oath is most remarkable, because the Person has been frequently heard to acknowledge his Ignorance of what he swore, and it being made upon publick Faith.
THomas Fewlis,
of the Hamlct of
Welney,
Clerk to the Chapel of
Welney
aforesaid, being in the Parish of
Upwell
in the County of
Norfolk,
maketh Oath, That he officiated as Clerk of the said Chapel during some part of the time that
Abraham Gill
served as Curate thereof; and hath received the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper at his hands as a Priest of the Church of
England
; who several times administred the same to other Persons in the said Chapel in this Deponent's presence. And saith also, that the said
Abraham Gill,
for some part of the time he officiated in the said Cure, did in a scandalous manner cohabit with two Women at one and the same time, one whereof, whom he more particularly owned as his Wife when alive, is now dead, and the other is still alive, and lives with him now as his Wife. And saith, that his said former Wife hath not been dead above four Years, to the best of this Deponent's Remembrance; and that by this present Wife the said
Abraham Gill
hath three Children which he owns, and one by the other Wife now at
Welneth
aforesaid; and that the eldest of the said three Children by this present Wife is about eight years old, and older than the other Child at
Welney
aforesaid which he had by his said deceased Wife.
Thomas Fewlis.
Mr.
Lateward
the other Conspirator's Oath is at large as follows.
JOhn Lateward
Clerk, and Curate of
Welney
in the Isle of
Ely
and County of
Cambridge,
maketh Oath, That one
Abraham Gill,
who some time past resided within the Parish of
Upwell
in the County of
Cambridge,
and had officiated at
Welney
aforesaid (a Hamlet of the said Parish of
Upwell
) as Curate to Doctor
Grigg
since deceased, and afterwards to
Talbot Hobart
likewise deceased, who were respectively Rectors of the said Parish, That the said
Gill
is a Person of a notorious ill Character, and that this Deponent upon the Lord's-day being the 22d day of
November
1702, did read in the Chapel of
Welney
aforesaid an Excommunication against the said
Gill,
wherein he was charged with several heinous Crimes, as Forgery, and the like. And this Deponent farther saith, That the said
Gill
hath and doth own a Child which he had by the Woman he now cohabiteth with, called
Abraham Gill,
which is older than a Child that he had by another Woman whom he pretended to be his first Wife. And whereas the said
Gill,
by his Affidavit in Writing made by him the 20th day of
May
last before
Richard
Penson
Gent. one of Her Majesty's Commissioners to take Affidavits in the Court of
Queen's-bench
at
Westminster,
amongst other matters and things in the same Affidavit mentioned, charged this Deponent of speaking these Words following (
viz.
) wishing his Body might rot in Goal, and his Soul perish eternally; This Deponent saith he did not speak the Words before recited, nor any Words to the same effect, nor ever made any Prosecution in his own Name, or upon his own Account, against the said
Gill,
and had no other end or design, than (in the due Performance of his Duty) to bring the said
Gill
to condign Punishment, he having highly dishonoured God and the Christian Religion by his vicious Life and Conversation. And this Deponent farther deposeth, That for the space of one Year last past, or thereabouts, the said
Gill
and his Family have been and are still a Charge to the Inhabitants living within the said Hamlet of
Welney,
they being frequently relieved by the Overseers of the Poor there.
John Lateward.
The following Affidavits are of the Justices who listed this Mr.
Gill
; tho' it appears both of them are glad to put in, that they did not set their Hands to the Order or Certificate.
DAvid Rowlands
of
Haddenham
in the Isle of
Ely
and County of
Cambridge
Esq
one of Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the said Isle, maketh Oath, That he this Deponent being at
Wisbech
in the said Isle at the last Assize, one
Abraham Gill
and some other Persons were there brought before this Deponent and four other Justices of the Peace for the said Isle, as Persons fit to be Listed to serve Her Majesty as Soldiers according to a late Act of Parliament for Raising Recruits for the Land Forces and
Marines.
And this Deponent assisted the said Justices in the Examination of the said Persons, and by all that was said on both sides, this Deponent doth upon his Oath declare, That he adjudged it agreeable to the said Act of Parliament, that the said
Abraham Gill
should be Listed as a Soldier, which also was the Opinion of the other Justices then present. And farther this Deponent doth declare, that he this Deponent going into another Room after the aforesaid Examination of the said
Abraham Gill,
did not Sign or Seal any Order or Certificate for the Listing the said
Abraham Gill
as a Soldier. And this Deponent farther saith, That neither he, nor any other Justices of Peace then present, to the best of the Deponent's Remembrance and Belief, did say or so much as mention that a Conventicle was of bad consequence, or the Fanaticks ought not to be countenanced, or that the generality of the Parish of
Upwell
flocked after the said
Gill,
or that the Conventicle which the said
Gill
had in
Upwell
ought to be suppressed, or any words to that or the like effect. And this Deponent farther saith, That the said
Gill
did not then pretend (as this Deponent verily believes) to be a Freeman of any Corporation that sent Burgesses to Parliament; but this Deponent doth remember, that the said
Gill
did pretend to be a Freeholder in
Lancashire,
which neither this Deponent, nor the rest of the Justices then present, did believe, for that they had been credibly informed of several Forgeries and ill Practices of the said
Gill.
And this Deponent farther saith, That a Warrant of
Hue and Cry,
some days after, coming to the Parish where this Deponent lived, against the said
Gill
and others, this Deponent, according to his Duty, caused the same to be sent forward.
David Rowlands.
FRancis Fern,
Prebendary of
Ely,
and one of Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the Isle of
Ely,
maketh Oath, That
Abraham Gill
of
Welney
was brought before him and four other Justices of the Peace for the said Isle, and upon the hearing of what was said concerning the said
Abraham Gill,
and what the said
Abraham Gill
said for himself, this Deponent was of Opinion (as also the four other Justices of the Peace) that the said
Abraham Gill
might and ought (according to the late Act of Parliament for Raising Recruits for her Majesty's Forces) be Listed in Her Majesty's Service: But notwithstanding this his Opinion, this Deponent saith, That being called into another Room in the Inn about other business, He this Deponent
did not Sign or Seal any Certificate,
Order, or Warrant, to adjudge the said
Abraham Gill
to be a Soldier Listed according to the said Act. And whereas the said
Abraham Gill,
in his Affidavit, affirmeth that he is a Preacher to a Congregation of Protestant Dissenters, Licensed according to Law, this Deponent saith, That the said
Abraham Gill
did not, in the Hearing of this Deponent, make any Proof, or so much as offer to make any Proof, that he had qualified himself as the Law directs to be a Preacher or Teacher in any Congregation of Protestants Dissenting from the Church of
England.
And whereas the said
Abraham Gill
did alledge in his Affidavit, that this Deponent did say, that a Conventicle was of bad Consequence, and that they ought not to be countenanced, and that the generality of the Parish flocked after
Abraham Gill,
which would breed great Disturbances in
Upwell,
as it did all over
England
; this Deponent saith, that he this Deponent did never speak those Words, or any Words to that effect.
Fran. Fern.
JOhn Bellamy
of
Wisbech
in the Isle of
Ely
and County of
Cambridge
Esq
one of Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the said Isle, maketh Oath, That
Abraham Gill
of
Welney
in the said Isle of
Ely,
is, and has been all along, a Person of a very infamous Reputation by the Accounts this Deponent has received of him, being under the Character of cohabiting with two Wives or Women at the same time, and having Children by them both; and of being a drunken and debauch'd Man: and saith, that He the said
Gill,
amongst others, was brought before this Deponent, as a Person fit to be Imprest into Her Majesty's Service, according to the late Act of Parliament made for that purpose, where were present at the same time
Josia Colvile, Ralph Peirson,
and
David Rowlands
Esquires, and
Francis Fern
Clerk, all of them Justices of the Peace for the said Isle of
Ely,
when this Deponent made no Objection to the said
Gill
's being Inlisted according to the said Act, any more than the said other Justices, saving that the said
Gill
alledged that he had a Freehold at
Wigan
in
Lincolnshire
of 12 l. per Ann. to the best of this Deponent's Remembrance. He this Deponent believes he might desire some time might be given him to make that appear, if it could be done. But this Deponent doth deny that he ever had any account from
Norwich
that the said
Gill
's Licence was good, or that he knew any thing certain of that matter. And saith, that to the best of his remembrance, the said
Gill
was at the said Meeting ordered to be Imprest by all the said Justices (excepting the said Mr.
Colvile,
who, as this Deponent remembers, went home before the matter was ended) and that the Articles of War were read, and the Listing money tender'd to him as he doth believe; but withal the said
Gill
was told, that if he could make it appear he had a Freehold of forty Shillings a Year, or a Right of Voting in the Election of Members of Parliament, or to that effect, he should be forthwith discharg'd. And this Deponent saith, that he knoweth of no Freehold the said
Gill
hath at
Welney
aforesaid, or any where else, or had at that time.
J. Bellamy.
These are the principal Affidavits, and indeed, all that pretend either to excuse their Crimes or to prove his.
In which the Reader is deir'd to observe, That here is abundance of Recourse to—
Evil-fame,
being
Credibly informed,
Complaint
having been made,
and the like, referring to the Morals and Conversation of this Man: and who that has Enemies of like Qualifications may not come under
all that? But
'tis humbly recommended to all impartial Enquirers that are willing to be truly inform'd of this matter, and who would rather hear the Truth of a Case than be Impos'd upon, to consider,
Here is not one positive Oath, no not among all his Enemies, to any of these Facts.
No Man makes Oath that he ever saw him Drunk.
Or, That he ever Heard him swear. [
'Tis strange they should not, if it was so Common.
]
Or, That he Broke out of Jayl.
Or, That he Forg'd his Orders.
Or, That his Licence was Forg'd.
Nay, The very Particulars in the
Gazette
are not so much as attempted to be Prov'd in any of these Affidavits:
That he was ever Employ'd under an Attorney.
Forging a second time Orders under the Hand and Seal of the Bishop of
Ely.
This Forgery being Detected at
Bullingbrook
in
Lincolnshire.
His being taken into Custody upon the same.
His making his Escape, and flying from Justice.
And 'tis fairly offer'd to Mr.
Jones,
who we believe has been unwarily drawn into this Snare, That if but any one of the abovesaid Articles can be prov'd by him, Mr.
Gill
will cease giving him any Trouble on account of all the rest.
'Tis very hard Mr.
Jones
on the bare Recommendation of any Man, tho' never so great, should allege such black Things as these upon an innocent Man, and neither he nor his Authors be able to make out one Clause of it: from which we wish him a good Deliverance, and leave that part to the Issue of the Law.
Indeed we have two hard-mouth'd Fellows that swear heartily; but these discover so little Wit with their Good-will, that the easiness of proving them Perjur'd will be as much a Scandal upon their Senses as their Honesty; we mean Mr.
Lateward
and Mr.
Fowlis
Mr.
Gill
's Clark.
Wherefore we shall begin with this swearing Curate, whose Oath is, That Mr.
Gill
owns a Child by the Name of
Abraham Gill
which is elder than a Child he had by his first Wife.
No Man but Mr.
Lateward
would ha' been caught in such a
Fool-Trap,
and have sworn what is so exceeding easie to be detected, the Children being to be produc'd, and their Ages prov'd.
Now 'tis plain and known to all the Neighbourhood, and a thing in which 'tis impossible the Truth can be conceal'd, that Mr.
Gill
's first Wife has been dead upwards of seven Years, and the eldest Child he has by his present Wife is but five Years and half old, or thereabout.
The necessary Proof of this is omitted here, not that it is not the most easie of all this Affair to make out, but because it being to come before a Court of Justice as matter of Evidence, 'tis referr'd to the genuine Proof of fact, and the Issue on a Tryal, when Mr.
Lateward
will do well to produce this little
Abraham in nubibus,
and prove his Age, and the Time of the Death of the first Wife, and Marriage of the second, and see how he can make these things out.
As to the Clerk's Affidavit, he has frequently own'd in Mr.
Gill
's hearing since, that he was drunk when he made it, and that he knew not what was in it, and that if he had known there had been any such thing in it, he would not have offer'd to ha' sworn it.
'Tis a most unaccountable thing, that Mr.
Lateward
should so far expose himself in his Affidavit, when the Children are all alive, born in the same Place, their Age register'd in the Parish-book, and so many living Witnesses of the Time of their Birth; and we blush for him to think, if he is not hardned beyond the very Father of Lyes himself, what Confusion he must be in, when he shall be ask'd to produce this Child of Mr.
Gill
that must be above nine Years old, or to name where it was Born, when Registred, or any Circumstances of the matter.
So much is Malice frequently forsaken of its Sence, that the just regard Providence always shews to Injur'd Innocence, is the Safety of all honest Men, causing the Subtilty of wicked false Accusers to abandon them, and their Folly as well as Wickedness to go hand in hand, that Sin and Shame might come together, and their false Accusation carry its Detection in it self.
If these Gentlemen have any farther Defence to make, any more Affidavits to bring into Court, the Editor of this promises them to give them their full and free place in the second part of this History; but humbly desires them, whether Clergy-men or Magistrates, that, for the Honour and Dignity of their Offices and Character, and the Justification of their Understandings, that they would either more nicely adhere to the Matter of Fact, or more politickly conceal the vicious part, that they may not expose themselves, and force their humble Servants to detect them, to avoid the Scandal of Blindness and Stupidity: that they would leave Trifling, Circling, and going Round-about Mr.
Gill
's Character with
Supposes,
we
have Heard,
and we
are Inform'd,
and Says that
he is inform'd,
and the like; but, that they would rather tell us plainly, and make it out, When he was Drunk, or Swore, or Broke Jayl, or Forg'd Orders, or Liv'd Scandalously; for certainly, Gentlemen, these things ought to be made out, or else to suggest them is a most barbarous Treatment, and a Slander that redounds to the Infamy of the Contrivers.
AND now we come to present the World with the Account Mr.
Gill
gives of himself, not from his own Mouth, but from the Mouth of numerous Throngs of Neighbours, Inhabitants, and Persons both knowing his Character and willing to do Justice.
And first, to obviate the Scandal of his having Forg'd the Hand and Seal of the Bishop of
Chester,
and only pretended to have enter'd into Holy Orders, besides the Original Orders left as aforesaid, take the Testimony of a Minister of the Church of
England
who was Ordain'd at the same time, as follows:
RIchard Tod
of
Bonwick
in the Isle of
Ely
and County of
Cambridge,
Clerk, maketh Oath, That
Abraham Gill
of
Welney
in the said Isle and County, Clerk, now a Preacher to a Dissenting Congregation at
Upwell
in
Norfolk,
was Ordained by
Nicholas
Lord Bishop of
Chester,
upon the same Day that this Deponent and five other Young-men was Ordained; that is to say, at
Trinity,
in the Year of our Lord 1692: and received his Letters of Orders, as we all did, under the Episcopal Seal of the Lord Bishop of
Chester
aforesaid.
Rich. Tod.
This honest Gentleman is unhappily dead since the making this Affidavit, or else we had received a larger Account of the Particulars of Mr.
Gill
's Ordination, and the Names of the five other young Ministers Ordain'd at the same time: but the Authentick Affidavit, together with the Original Orders under the Episcopal Seal, left as before with Mr.
Skey,
is Testimony sufficient to clear Mr.
Gill
; and all that cavil at it, are challeng'd to do their utmost to detect any Forgery, Collusion, or Crime whatsoever.
From clearing up this Point, we come to his Character, as well in
Lancashire
from whence he came, where he was born, and liv'd several Years, as in
Norfolk
where all this Tragedy has been acted. And first, from
Rivington
where he was born, and where his Father yet lives, the following Certificate has been sent up Sign'd by the Reverend Mr.
Bradly
and the principal Inhabitants, the Original whereof is left as before, with the rest of the Papers relating to this Story.
THis is to Certifie all Persons whom it may concern, That
Abraham Gill,
Son of
Robert Gill
of
Rivington
in the County of
Lancaster,
lived many Years in our Neighbourhood, both before and after he was married; and that in all that time he lived soberly, free from any Aspersion of Drunkenness or profane Swearing, that ever we knew or heard of; and that he married a Woman of good Reputation, for Modesty, Sobriety, and Chastity, as far as ever we know, by whom he had a Daughter in these Parts, yet living, and some other Children departed this life some Years ago. We never knew, nor credibly heard, that he had any other Wife, either in
Lancashire
or any other place, during all the time of her life; who, as we have heard and do believe, lived with him at the time of her Death. This We, sometimes his Neighbours and Acquaintance, do hereby Attest, witness our Hands the 18th Day of
November
1704.
School-masters at
Rivington.
John Bradley
Edm. Sweetlove
James Hart.
Adam Turner.
Henry Ainsworth.
Thomas Whalley.
John Horrobin.
James Worsley.
Thomas Entusles.
Rich. Foster.
Thomas Balshaw.
Robert Foster.
Tho. Mother.
George Lee.
John Shaw.
John Alatt.
Tho. Nightingall.
William Breres.
Rich. Brownlow.
It seems while Mr.
Gill
was in
Lancashire,
and before he was entred into Orders, he serv'd my Lord
Will
by
of
Parham
as his Chaplain, Steward, or Attendant.
The Enemies of Mr.
Gill
have been, as he is informed, so diligent to attack this noble Lord, in order to obtain a Complaint against Mr.
Gill,
there having been some Difference, as they said, between them at parting: but being not able to obtain any Certificate from his Lordship against Mr.
Gill,
they became Petitioners to his Lordship, that as he would give them nothing under his Hand against Mr.
Gill,
so he would refuse to grant Mr.
Gill
any thing under his hand in his Justification. We shall not examine into the Justice of this Proceeding; his Lordship, no doubt, had his Reasons for it: but the Attempt, either way, is a manifest Proof the Enemies of Mr.
Gill
have rummaged the Nation for his Character, and left no Stone unturn'd in order to fix the Scandals they have endeavour'd to raise on his Reputation.
But tho' this noble Lord declin'd meddling on one hand or other, Mr.
Gill
has obtain'd more Justice from his Brother-in-law; who, at second hand from my Lord's own mouth, has given an honourable Testimony of Mr.
Gill
to Mr.
Gill
's own Father, and sent up under his Hand, as follows.
Mr.
Gill
's Father's Letter is thus:
Rivington,
Nov. 30. 1704.
Loving Son,
I Am sorry to hear that you are in trouble. I sent to my Lord
Willoughby
for his Certificate, but I heard that your Adversaries had prevented him; but I did not hear it from my Lord: But I thought that Mr.
Grenehalgh
's Certificate would not be much inferior, because he married my Lord
Willoughby
's Sister, and that you were both Boarded at his House. And if you will have any Certificate from the Neighbourhood, I question not but they will all Certifie for you. So hoping you are in good health, as we are all at present, praised be God, I remain
Your ever Loving Father whilst ROBERT GILL.
The Certificate thus:
Adlington,
Nov.
30. 1704.
THese may Certifie whom it may concern, That my Lord
Willoughby
and Mr.
Abraham Gill
were Boarded at my House together for two Years and upwards; and since Mr.
Gill
left my Lord's Service, I have heard my Lord commend Mr.
Gill,
saying he was the best Servant he ever had; and I have known Mr.
Gill
from a Child, and he being in my Family as aforesaid, was faithful and just all the time, and was a Man of sober Life and Conversation. As witness my Hand,
Sa. Grenehalgh.
Next to this, and besides Mr.
Gill
's Affidavit already mentioned of his being a Freeholder in
Lancashire,
which the Justices will find they ought to have considered, here follows an Affidavit of the same, and of his being a Freeman or Burgess of a Corporation; and by both these he had a Right of Voting in the Election of Members of Parliament, and consequently was exempted by the very Act of Parliament by which they pretended to send him for a Soldier.
OLiver Greenhalgh
of
Horwich
in the County of
Lancaster,
maketh Oath, That he this Deponent very well knows
Abraham Gill
the Son of
Robert Gill
of
Rivington
in this County. And this Deponent farther saith, That the said
Abraham Gill
is now legally intitled for the term of his natural Life of and in several Closes or Parcels of Land lying in
Rivington
aforesaid, of the clear yearly value of forty Shillings
per Ann.
and upwards. And moreover this Deponent saith, That Mr.
Ralph Banks,
Town-Clerk for the Borough of
Wigan
in this County, shewed him this Deponent his Record or Roll kept for the said Burrough, wherein was mentioned, that on the 18th Day of
September
1688, (to this Deponent's best remembrance) the said
Abraham Gill
was Sworn a Burgess within the said Borough of
Wigan.
Oliver Greenhalgh.
From
Lancashire
we are to trace him into the Isle of
Ely,
whither he came with his Family, and settled, as has been already noted, in the Parish of
Maney,
where he Preach'd two years: Of which and his Behaviour there, take the following Certificate, Sworn to by Ten of the Inhabitants of that little Town.
THomas Harrison
of
Maney
in the Isle of
Ely
and County of
Cambridge
Yeoman,
Richard Bellamy, William Cross, Thomas Benn, William Curtis, William Hales, William Page,
and
Thomas Neale,
all of
Maney
aforesaid,
Richard Finch
and
Edward Newborne
of the same, maketh Oath, That they have known Mr.
Abraham Gill,
now Minister of a Dissenting Congregation at
Upwell,
this ten or twelve Years, or thereabouts. He was our Minister for about two Years, and well settled in our Parish with his Wife, who lived together very conformable and peaceably. He was Able and Diligent in his Teaching, he was no Drunkard nor Swearer, but lived a pious Life and Conversation amongst us. And these Deponents do farther say, that, to their knowledge, the said Mr.
Gill
never had two Wives living at one time, but that he married his now Wife after his former Wife's Decease.
Tho. Harrison.
Rich. Bellamy.
Will. Crosse.
Tho. Benn.
Will. Corties.
Will. Hales.
Will. Page.
Tho. Neale.
Rich. Finch.
Edw. Newborn.
For his Behaviour in
Upwell,
where he has since resided, and which has been the Scene of this Tragedy, take the two following Affidavits.
Edward Birch
of
Wimblington
in the Isle of
Ely
and County of
Cambridge,
Gent. maketh Oath, That
Abraham Gill
of
Welney
in the Isle and County aforesaid, is a Preacher to a Congregation of Protestant Dissenting Subjects in
Upwell
in the County of
Norfolk,
and that the said Mr.
Gill
hath been a Preacher in and about
Welney
aforesaid for several Years last past, and that he is now, and all the time hath been, well approved of for a Teacher, and very charitable to the Poor, and hath lived well in Fame and Plenty amongst his Neighbours. But this Deponent farther saith, That he believes Mr.
James
Rector of
Upwell,
and Mr.
Lateward
Curate at
Welney,
have maliciously designed to ruin the said Mr.
Gill
and his Family, consisting of a Wife and four small Children, for they have been very troublesome to the said Mr.
Gill
for near two Years, having caused him to spend very much Money in defending himself from their unjust and malicious Prosecution; so that they have now reduced him to Poverty, and at last would force him away for a Soldier from his Congregation, where he is beloved, and may have very good Maintenance. And this Deponent farther saith, He was with Mr.
Gill
at
Cambridge
in the Months of
March,
April,
and
May,
in 1703, where Mr.
Gill
was a long time kept Prisoner at the Complaint of Mr.
James,
without any Cause shewed at all: and at the Request of Mr.
Gill
and several of his good Friends, he this Deponent and one Mr.
Thomas Neale
Bailed Mr.
Gill
out of Jayl, Mr.
Gill
being bound in 120l. and this Deponent and Mr.
Neale
in 60l. each of them: and Mr.
Gill
appeared the next Sessions then after; and as there had been no Cause of his Imprisonment before, so nothing appeared against him still, as the Court declared; but they removed him to
Norwich
Assizes from thence, where this Deponent hath heard and believes, that upon Mr.
Gill
's staying all the time of Assizes
July
last, and nothing could be brought against him, he was discharged by my Lord Chief Justice
Holt
and my Lord Baron
Smith,
or one of them. And this Deponent believes, that Mr.
Gill
never gave any Cause of Offence to Mr.
James
and Mr.
Lateward,
except it was by being more charitable to the Poor, and more diligent, and better beloved and approved in his Place than they are.
Edward Birch.
JOhn Johnson
of
Upwell
in the County of
Norfolk
Yeoman, maketh Oath, That
Abraham Gill
of
Welney
in the Isle of
Ely
in the County of
Cambridge,
is a Preacher to a Congregation of Her Majesty's Protestant Dissenting Subjects in
Upwell
aforesaid, and that the said
Abraham Gill
hath been a Preacher in the said Parish of
Welney
for several Years last past, and that he is now, and all the time hath been, well approved of by his Congregation. And this Deponent farther saith, That about the latter end of
April
last past, it was reported at
Upwell
aforesaid, That Mr.
Gill
was Impressed and sent away for a Soldier, to the great sorrow and grief of the greatest part of the Parish; and that he this Deponent about that time going to
Wisbech
aforesaid to see Mr.
Gill,
found him an Impressed Man, and guarded amongst others that were Impressed Men, and kept as Prisoners in a Room in an Inn in
Wisbech
aforesaid. And this Deponent verily believes, That Mr.
Hugh James
Rector of
Upwell,
and Mr.
Lateward
Curate at
Welney,
have maliciously designed to ruin and undo Mr.
Gill
and his Family, consisting of a Wife and four small Children; for they have by several barbarous ways of Prosecution brought the said Mr.
Gill
and his Family to Poverty, notwithstanding Mr.
Gill
hath been a Freeholder in the said Parish, and lived in Plenty amongst his Neighbours, and is now generally beloved, except with a few that dare not displease Mr.
James
and Mr.
Lateward.
And this Deponent verily believes all the Cause of Mr.
James
and Mr.
Lateward
's Malice against Mr.
Gill,
is because Mr.
Gill
Preached oftner and better, was more diligent in his Ministry, and more charitable to the Poor, and better approved of in the Parish than they are.
John Johnson.
From hence let us follow him in his Afflictions; and in the very Prison we find the Jaylor (
who was a Woman
) testifying to his Sobriety, his Piety, and his Charity.
ELizabeth Heylock,
Keeper of the
Tolbooth
in the Town of
Cambridge,
Widow, maketh Oath, That
Abraham Gill
of
Welney
in the Isle of
Ely
and County of
Cambridge,
Gent. hath been in her Custody, as a Prisoner, for some time: and during all the time of his Imprisonment, he lived Soberly, Honestly, and Religiously; insomuch that by his Christian-like Behaviour and Conversation, from his coming into Prison till the time he was released, he so prevailed upon the other Prisoners, that there was a Reformation amongst them. And this Deponent farther saith, That when any Money was given to the Prisoners to Drink, he the said Mr.
Gill
shunned Drinking to Excess, and constantly advised others against Drinking more than was necessary to refresh Nature, and carry'd himself soberly and honestly towards all the People in Custody, and others also.
Elizabeth Heylock.
We next bring you a Tradesman of
Cambridge,
one of his Creditors, and a Person that has reason to know him, both while he was a Prisoner there, and before; who Testifies, both from personal Knowledge and publick Enquiry; and by him you have even the Voice of Common Fame: So that this Affidavit seems to contradict those Gentlemen who say he was a Man of ill Fame amongst his Neighbours, turbulent and disorderly, or bred a Disturbance in the Parish, as in Mr. Justice
Upwood
's and other Affidavits.
RIchard Jardine
of
Cambridge
in the County of
Cambridge,
Linnen-Draper, maketh Oath, That for this six Years last past he has been intimately acquainted with
Abraham Gill
of
Welney
in the Isle of
Ely
and County of
Cambridge,
Gent. And that during all this Deponent's Acquaintance with him, he has had the Character of an honest, sober, peaceable Man. And farther saith, That he this Deponent has had frequent occasion, by means of his Trade and other Business, to be in the Country where the said
Abraham Gill
did formerly live, and doth now live, and has been oftentimes in the said Mr.
Gill
's Company, and never at any time found him disorderly, irreligious, or any ways vicious in his Conversation. And this Deponent hath heard among the Neighbourhood where the said Mr.
Gill
lived, That if any Controversies, Quarrels, or Suits of Law did happen in his Neighbourhood among the Neighbours, he always offered his Mediation, and recommended Peace amongst them, and has by that means ended several Differences and Disputes between his Neighbours. And farther saith, That the said Mr.
Gill
is very well beloved by the Parishioners of
Welney
and the neighbouring Parishes, and gives good Content and Satisfaction amongst them, and hath been charitable to the Poor, and obedient to the Late as well as this Present Government. And saith, That within this twenty Days his this Deponent's Business called him to
Welney,
where he made a Visit to the said Mr.
Gill,
and found him in a very weak and poor Condition, having been afflicted with Sickness for a considerable time, as he and the Neighbourhood told this Deponent.
Richard Jardine.
And yet more effectually to settle this matter of Character and Reputation among Neighbours, we conclude it with the Affidavit of fourteen more of the Inhabitants of his Parish and Neighbours; and when all is done, let any of his Antagonists produce better Vouchers for their Reputation, if they can.
WIlliam Gibson of
Upwell
in the County of
Norfolk
Yeoman,
James Seaman
of the same Town and County,
,
Robert Macum, Robert Gill, Richard Tokelove, George Slacksbe, Joseph Sampson, Thomas Watson, Peter Sumers,
John Marriott, Benjamin Silke, Valentine Smith, William Mann, Robert Macum
jun. do severally make Oath, That Mr.
Abraham Gill,
a Preacher to a Congregation in
Upwell,
hath for seven or eight Years last past been a Preacher in the said Parish, and was never, to our Knowledge, a common Drunkard nor Swearer, nor had two Wives at once, but had one Wife, and after her Decease married another. And that the said Mr.
Gill
hath been and is a Man of very sober pious Life and Conversation, and such a one as we desire may still be our Minister.
William Gibson.
James Seaman.
Robert Macum
sen.
Robert Gill.
Richard Tokelove.
George Slacksbe.
Joseph Sampson.
Thomas Watson.
Peter Sumers.
John Marriott.
Benjamin Silke.
Valentine Smith.
William Mann.
Robert Macum.
And to finish these Vouchers, here is the Licence for the Meeting affix'd; which they have never attempted to prove Forg'd, any more than they have Mr.
Gill
's Orders.
By vertue and in pursuance of a certain Clause or Proviso in this behalf mentioned and contained in an Act of Parliament or Statute made in the first Year of the Reign of King
William
and Queen
Mary,
intitled,
An Act for exempting Their Majesties Protestant Subjects dissenting from the Church of
England
from the Penalty of certain Laws
; These are humbly to Certifie, and it is hereby Certified unto the Worshipful
John Jeffery
Clerk, Master of Arts, Archdeacon of the Archdeaconry of
Norwich,
That the Dwelling-house or Barn of
Upwell
in the County of
Norfolk,
is a Place used, and to be used, for holding and keeping Meetings and Assemblies of divers Persons of Her Majesty's Protestant Dissenting Subjects Dissenting from the Church of
England,
for the Exercise of Religious Worship.
In Witness
whereof, I have hereunto set my Hand this 24th Day of
March Ann. Dom.
1703.
Richard Tokelove.
And
, Gentlemen, to go farther with our Adversaries than they can expect we should—what if we should suppose for once that this
Abraham Gill
was this immoral Man they speak of, if he was such a refin'd Cheat as to have Deluded all the
Many, many honest People
who have Sworn to his Character, for who knows how far the Wit and Subtilty of Man, under the Agency of a hardned Mind, may furnish a Man; and what Mists the Devil may have laid before the Eyes of Mankind, that this Man should be a Common Drunkard and Swearer, and Cohabiter with two Women at once, and a Congregation of several Hundreds of his Hearers where he liv'd all the time know nothing of it, nor his Enemies be able to produce one Affidavit of any Man that ever saw him Drunk, or heard him Swear.
But suppose these strange things come to pass, for the World is full of strange things, what can be Inferr'd from hence to justifie the Treatment he has receiv'd, and all the Dissenters through his Interest?
But on this premis'd Supposition I crave leave to draw a few Inferences, which shall serve to the Close of this Work.
1. All the Forgeries, all the Swearings, Drunkennesses, and Lewdness they pretend to charge upon him, are antecedent to his being a Dissenter; and we do not find he receiv'd the least Disturbance in the Execution of his Function on account of these known Immoralities, and might to this day have kept his two Women and his Cure of Souls both together, as too many of his Brethren have done before him, and are like to do after him, for any great Care we see taken to prevent it, had he but continued to read the Common Prayer.
I forbear to discant upon this unhappy Truth; and of the many known Instances of an immoral Clergy, shall repeat none, but rather cover the Infirmities of our Guides, that the Obligation, if possible, may move them both to reform, and to hide those of their Neighbours.
2. Were all the Immoralities he is charg'd with True, they are not comparable to those committed in his Prosecution: the Perjuries, Subornations, Cruelties, Injustice, and illegal Proceedings, are intolerable. This is Casting out Devils by
Beelzebub
the Prince of Devils: This is the Devil turn'd Reformer.
3. What's all this to going for a Soldier? If every Clergy-man must be Listed that will be Drunk, if Swearing an Oath will pull a Man's Band off and send him to the Army, if every Clergy-man that keeps a Woman more than he should do must go into the Army,
Lord have mercy
and
a Cross
ought to be set upon the Doors of a great many Church-Tenements, and perhaps we need not have so many severe Acts of Parliament for raising Recruits.
Wherefore, upon the whole matter, we are not so concern'd to Vindicate Mr.
Gill
's Character, since were he all they could alledge, it does not in the least palliate or excuse their Dealings with him, nor will it be any Extenuation of their illegal Practices when it comes to be Examin'd before a Court of Justice.
'Tis therefore enough: Let them rummage Mr.
Gill
's Character to the bottom, let them confute the many Affidavits we have produced, perswade the World to believe him an ill Man, a Drunkard, a Swearer, a Whoremaster, or any thing, we humbly conceive it is all against them still; for they do not Persecute him as an Immoral Man, if they had, why did they not do it long before? for it must have been known then: but they Persecute him as a Dissenter, a Disturber of the Neighbours with a Conventicle, Preaching in
Welney Chapel
without Reading the Common Prayer: these were the Crimes. All his Vices, if they were true, (
which nevertheless we do not grant
) were committed while he was
Mr.
Gill
the Curate,
not since he was
Mr.
Gill
the Dissenter.
He was
Their Mr.
Gill when they say he kept an ill Woman: he is unaccus'd of the least Immorality since he was
Our Mr.
Gill. What will they say to this part of it? This makes it a peculiar Pique at a Party, a Push made at the Dissenters, a Sally of the Method call'd
The shortest way,
sending our Ministers
a Colonelling,
Voting them a sort of People that do not live by a lawful Calling, and can give no good Account of themselves; and therefore, in the Eye of the Law, are Vagabonds, and may all be Listed for Soldiers,
&c.
We have therefore nothing more to say for Mr.
Gill
; we need not undertake the Vindication of his Morals, we have the Inhabitants where he was Born, and Married his first Wife; we have the Inhabitants of
Maney,
and of
Upwell
; All these Sign to his Morals, and the People Swear that he is such a Man as they desire to be their Minister. If his Morals are bad, the Morals of the People should be question'd that desire a Common Drunkard and Swearer to be their Minister. We leave the rest of the Case therefore upon them: if he is an ill Man, they will, no doubt, make the Discovery, and dismiss him, in Vindication of their own Character; if not, but he continues to be their Minister, and they desire he should be so, 'tis a better Testimony of his Character than some Hundreds of the Vicious Clergy of the Church of
England
can produce, whose Hearers and Parishioners would turn them out for their Debaucheries, if they knew how: And of this I do not desire to be forc'd to enter into the Particulars.
FINIS.