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<DATE>2011-12-05</DATE>
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<NAME>Pip Willcox</NAME>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch Z111010.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<VID>173811</VID>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<P>THE COPIE OF A LETTER WRITTEN from Ma&s;ter <HI>C. S.</HI> neere Salisbury, to Ma&s;ter <HI>H.A.</HI> at London, concerning the <HI>proceeding at VVinche&s;ter; VVhere the late L. Cobham,</HI> L. <HI>Gray,</HI> and Sir <HI>Griffin Marckham,</HI> all Attainted of hie Trea&s;on, were ready to be executed on Friday the 9. of December 1603:</P>
<P>At which time his Maie&s;ties Warrant, <HI>all written with his owne hand, whereof the</HI> true Copy is here annexed, was deli|uered to &s;ir <HI>Beniamin Tichbourne</HI> high Sheriffe of Hamp&s;hire, commanding him to &s;u&s;pend their execution till further order.</P>
<P>&leaf; Imprinted at London by R. B. ANNO DOM. 1603.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="copy of letter">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>THE COPIE OF A LETTER WRITTEN from Ma&s;ter <HI>C.S.</HI> neere Salisbury, to Ma&s;ter <HI>H. A.</HI> at London, concer|ning the proceeding at Winche&s;ter, &amp;c.</HEAD>
<P>_SIR, I haue recei|ued a Letter from you by which I per|ceiue, howe much you de&s;ire to be par|ticularly enfourmed of the cau&s;e and ma|ner of the &s;tay of the late Lord <HI>Cobhams.</HI> Lord <HI>Grayes,</HI> and Sir <HI>Griffin Marckhams</HI> Execution, appoin|ted at Winche&s;ter: wherein, although there are many better able to di&s;cour&s;e at large of &s;uch an Action then my &s;elfe; yet I conceiue (when you haue peru&s;ed this plaine and true Relation, of that
<PB REF="3"><GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="1" REF="3"><GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="2" REF="4">which all men there behelde that day, and many more &s;ince haue heard from per&s;ons of be&s;t quali|tie and knowledge) you will thanke me more, for &s;uffering the trueth to &s;hew it &s;elfe vnclothed, then if I had laboured to haue deliuered you a Tale well painted with curious words and fine phra&s;es.</P>
<P>You mu&s;t therfore vnder&s;tand, That as &s;oone as the Arraignme~ts were pa&s;&s;ed at <HI>Winche&s;ter,</HI> his Ma|ie&s;ties priuie Coun&s;el (to the number of fourteene or fifteene, of which companie all of them had ei|ther bene tryers of the Noble men as their Peeres, or &s;itten as high Commi&s;&s;ioners vpon the Gentle|men) were called before his Maie&s;tie (in his priuie Chamber) at <HI>Wilton,</HI> where hee commanded them to deliuer (without re&s;pect to any per&s;on) the true Narration onely, of the order in the Triall of the&s;e per&s;ons that had beene condemned by the Law, of the manner of their behauiour at Barre, and of the nature <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> degree of their offences, as had appeared in euery one of them by their &s;euerall an&s;weres.</P>
<P>All which being cleerely and iu&s;tly reported by them, (each &s;peaking in the hearing of the re&s;t) his Maie&s;tie (for his part) v&s;ed him&s;elfe &s;o grauely and &s;o re&s;eruedly in all his &s;peeches, as well to them&s;elues at that time, as al&s;o to all other per&s;ons after in priuate or publique, as neither any of his priuie Coun&s;ell, Nobilitie, or any that attended neere&s;t to his &s;acred Per&s;on, dur&s;t pre&s;ume to me|diate for any, or &s;o much as to enquire what &s;hould bee the conclu&s;ion particularly, of this procee|ding.</P>
<PB N="3" REF="4">
<P>In the meane time, while the Court was full of varietie of di&s;cour&s;e, &s;ome &s;peaking out of proba|bilitie, others arguing out of de&s;ire, what was like to bee the fortune of all, or of any of the&s;e offen|dours; His Maie&s;tie hauing concluded onely in his owne &s;ecret heart (which is the true oracle of grace and knowledge) in what manner to proceed, (and that without asking coun&s;ell of any earthly per&s;on) It plea&s;ed him to re&s;olue (betweene God and him|&s;elfe) that their Execution &s;hould be &s;tayed, euen at the in&s;tant when the Axe &s;hould be layde to the Trees rootes. For the &s;ecret and orderly carriage whereof, his Maie&s;tie was carefull to preuent all cau&s;e or colour of &s;u&s;picion, of that Iudicious, Royall, and vnexpected cour&s;e which followed. And therefore, after the two Prie&s;ts were execu|ted on Tue&s;day the 29. of Nouember, and Ma&s;ter <HI>George Brooke</HI> on Munday following, his Maie&s;tie on the &s;ame day, being the fifth of December, &s;ig|ned three Warants, for the Execution of the late Lord <HI>Cobham,</HI> L. <HI>Gray,</HI> and Sir <HI>Gryffin Marckham</HI> Knight, with particular direction to the Sheriffe, to performe it on Friday after before ten a clocke in the morning.</P>
<P>All the&s;e directions being now become noto|rious, both by the Writs of execution (which pa&s;|&s;ed vnder the great Seale) and by the making rea|die the Scaffolds at <HI>Winchester,</HI> His Maie&s;tie very &s;ecretly (as now appeareth by the &s;equele) drewe him&s;elfe into his Cabinet, on Wedne&s;day before
<PB N="4" REF="5">the day of Execution, and there priuately framed a Warrant written all with his owne hand, to the Sheriffe, by vertue whereof, hee countermaunded all the former directions, alledging the rea&s;ons therein mentioned: Of which &s;eeing no mans Pen can &s;o well expre&s;&s;e, as his owne, I &s;end you the Copie <HI>verbatim,</HI> as I tooke it out of the Originall, which many read in my Cou&s;en Sir <HI>Beniamin Tichbournes</HI> hand.</P>
<P>And now to come to the ordering of this bu&s;i|ne&s;&s;e; among many other circum&s;tances, It is very remarkable, with what di&s;cretion and fore&s;ight, that per&s;on was elected, which mu&s;t bee v&s;ed in carriage of the Warrant. Fir&s;t his Maie&s;tie re&s;ol|ued, it &s;hould be a Scotti&s;hman, being thereby like to be free&s;t from particular dependancie vpon any Nobleman, Coun&s;ellours, or others, their friends or Allyes. Next hee re&s;olued, to &s;end a man of no extraordinarie ranke, becau&s;e the &s;tanders by &s;hould not ob&s;erue any alteration, nor the delin|quents them&s;elues &s;hould take any apprehen&s;ion of &s;uch a mans being there at that time: This being his Maie&s;ties &s;peciall de&s;ire, that euery one of them (being &s;euerally brought vpon the Scaffold) might quietly breath foorth their la&s;t wordes, and true confe&s;&s;ion of his &s;ecrete&s;t con&s;cience. And &s;o (to be &s;hort) his Maie&s;tie made choi&s;e of M. <HI>Iohn Gibb,</HI> a Scotti&s;hman (as afore&s;aid) a man that had neuer dealt with any Coun&s;ellor, or other, for &s;uite or bu|&s;ine&s;&s;e, but one that had (within &s;hort while after
<PB N="5" REF="5">the Kings fir&s;t entrie) beene &s;ent backe into Scot|land, from whence he was but now fre&s;hly arriued at <HI>Wilton</HI> &s;ome fewe dayes before.</P>
<P>This party being by the King approoued for an ancient, tru&s;tie, and &s;ecret &s;eruant (as a Groome of his Maie&s;ties bed-chamber) receiuing the war|rant &s;ecretly on Thur&s;day from the Kings owne hand, &amp; telling his fellowes (who would otherwi&s;e haue mi&s;&s;ed him) that he mu&s;t lie that night at <HI>Sa|lisburie</HI> vpon &s;ome priuate bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of his owne, he rode directly to <HI>Winche&s;ter,</HI> and there, keeping him|&s;elfe priuate all night, ro&s;e earely in the morning on Friday, and went ob&s;curely to the Ca&s;tle greene, where the people flocking in all the morning, as the time drewe neere, hee put him&s;elfe with the throng, clo&s;e by the Scaffold, and there leaned till the Sheriffe brought vp &s;ir <HI>Griffin Markham</HI> to the place, who was the man appointed fir&s;t to die.</P>
<P>There the &s;ayd Sir <HI>Griffin Markham,</HI> hauing ended his praier, and made him&s;elfe ready to kneele downe, M. <HI>Iohn Gibb</HI> finding it fit time, while the Axe was preparing, to giue &s;ome &s;ecret notice of his charge, called to my co&s;in <HI>Tichborne</HI> the She|riffe, to &s;peake with him, and then deliuered him (priuately) his Maie&s;ties warrant, with further di|rections verbally, how he &s;hould v&s;e it.</P>
<P>Hereupon the Sheriffe perceiuing fully his Maie&s;ties intention, &s;o warily and di&s;creetly mar|&s;halled the matter, as hee onely called Sir <HI>Griffin Markham</HI> vnto him on the Scaffold, and told him,
<PB N="6" REF="6">that he mu&s;t withdraw him&s;elfe into the Hall, to be confronted (before his death) before tho&s;e two Lords, that were to follow him, about &s;ome points that did concerne his Maie&s;ties &s;eruice: and &s;o ca|rying <HI>Markham</HI> into the Hall, he left him there, and went vp ha&s;tily for the Lord <HI>Gray</HI> to the Ca&s;tle, who being likewi&s;e brought vp to the Scaffold, and &s;uffered to powre out his prayers to God (at great length) and to make his la&s;t confe&s;&s;ion, as he would an&s;were it vpon his &s;oule, when he was readie to kneele downe, to receiue the &s;troke of death, Ma|&s;ter Sheriffe cau&s;ed him to &s;tay, and told him that he mu&s;t goe downe for a while into the Hall, where finding Sir <HI>Griffin Markham,</HI> he willed him to tarry there till he returned.</P>
<P>La&s;t of all, he went for the Lord <HI>Cobham,</HI> who ha|uing al&s;o ended his deuotion to God, and making him&s;elfe ready to receiue the &s;ame blow, the She|riffe finding the time come to publi&s;h the Kings mercie to the world, and to reuea&s;e his my&s;terie, he cau&s;ed both the Lord <HI>Gray,</HI> and Sir <HI>Griffin Markham,</HI> to be brought backe to the Scaffold, and there, be|fore them all three that were condemned, and in the hearing of all the company, notified his Ma|ie&s;ties warrant, by which he was authori&s;ed to &s;tay the execution. Which &s;trange and vnde&s;erued Grace and mercie proceeding from a Prince, &s;o deeply wounded without cau&s;e, or colour of cau&s;e giuen by him&s;elfe towards them in any thing, but meerely contrary (to both the Lords e&s;pecially) bred in the hearts as well of the offenders, as of the
<PB N="7" REF="6" MS="y">&s;tanders by, &s;uch &s;undry pa&s;&s;ions, according to the diuers tempers of their minds, as to tho&s;e that mu&s;t receiue tho&s;e things by report, which others did behold with their eyes, it may rather &s;eeme to be a relation of a well acted Comedie, then that it was euer po&s;&s;ible for any other man, to contriue a mat|ter (of this nature and con&s;equence) to &s;erue all purpo&s;es &s;o aptly, as this was ordered by his Maie|&s;ties owne and onely directions.</P>
<P>The Lord <HI>Cobham</HI> (holding his hand to heauen) applauded this incomparable mercie of &s;o graci|ous a Soueraigne, aggrauating his owne fault, by comparing it with the Princes clemencie, wi&s;hing confu&s;ion to all men aliue, that &s;hould euer thinke a thought again&s;t &s;uch a Prince, as neither gaue cau&s;e of offence, nor tooke reuenge of ingratitude.</P>
<P>The Lord <HI>Gray,</HI> finding in what mea&s;ure this rare King had rewarded good for euill, and forborne to make him an example of di&s;couragement, and ter|rour to all men that hereafter might attempt to breake the bonds of loyalty, vpon the pa&s;&s;ions of any ambition, beganne to &s;obbe and weepe for a great while, with mo&s;t deepe contrition, prote&s;ting now, that &s;uch was his zeale and de&s;ire to redeeme his fault, by any meanes of &s;atisfaction, as he could ea&s;ily &s;acrifice his life, to preuent the lo&s;&s;e of one finger of that royall hand, that had dealt &s;o merci|fully with him, when he lea&s;t looked for it.</P>
<P>Sir <HI>Griffin Marckham</HI> (&s;tanding like a man a&s;to|ni&s;hed) did nothing but admire and pray. The people that were pre&s;ent, witne&s;&s;ed by infinite ap|plau&s;e
<PB N="8" REF="7">and &s;houting the ioy and comfort, which they tooke in the&s;e wonderfull effects of grace and mercie, from a Prince, whome God had in&s;pired with &s;o many Royall gifts, for their con&s;eruation, and would con&s;erue for his owne glorie.</P>
<P>The crie being carried out of the Ca&s;tle Gates into the Towne, was not onely &s;ounded with ac|clamation of all &s;exes, qualities, and affections, but the true report diuulged &s;ince in all partes, hath bred in the woor&s;t di&s;po&s;ed mindes, &s;uch remor&s;e of iniquitie, in the be&s;t &s;uch incouragement to loyaltie, and in tho&s;e that are indifferent, &s;uch feare to offend, and generally &s;uch affection to his Ma|ie&s;ties Per&s;on: as per&s;wades the world, that Sathan him&s;elfe can neuer &s;o farre preuaile with any, as to make them lift vp their hearts or hands again&s;t a Prince, from whom they receiue &s;o true effects of Iu&s;tice, and goodne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>To conclude therefore, I haue now done my be&s;t, to &s;atisfie your de&s;ire, though I feele (to my griefe) how &s;hort I come to my owne wi&s;h, be|cau&s;e I would haue expre&s;&s;ed to the life (if it had beene po&s;&s;ible) both the matter and the forme of this proceeding; of both which, the wi&s;e&s;t men, that haue &s;eene and vnder&s;toode all particular cir|cum&s;tances, are at the ende of their wits, to giue an ab&s;olute cen&s;ure, whether of them both de&s;erue greater recommendation, (this being mo&s;t a&s;&s;u|red) that there is no Record extant, wherein &s;o great wi&s;edome and vnder&s;tanding, &s;o &s;olid iudge|ment, &s;o perfect a re&s;olution, to giue way to no re|que&s;t,
<PB N="9" REF="7">or mediation; &s;o in&s;crutable a heart, &s;o Roy|all and equall a tempered mercie, after &s;o cleare and publike Iu&s;tice, haue euer concurred &s;o de|mon&s;tratiuely as in this late Action, wherein this ble&s;&s;ed King hath not proceeded after the manner of men and of Kings, <HI>Sed caelestis Iudicis aeterni&abque; Re|gis more,</HI> whereof he &s;hall be mo&s;t a&s;&s;ured to reape the&s;e la&s;ting fruites, of being beloued and fea|red of all men, obeyed with comfort, and &s;erued with continuall ioy and admiration. And &s;o for|bearing to hold you any longer at this time, I end: From my hou&s;e neere <HI>Salisburie,</HI> the 15. of De|cember. 1603.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Louing Cou&s;in and friend. T. M.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="copy of warrant">
<PB REF="8">
<PB N="10" REF="8">
<HEAD>A TRVE COPIE OF HIS MAIESTIES Warrant written with his owne hand, and directed to the high <HI>She|riffe of Hamp&s;hire for &s;tay of the execu|tion</HI> of the late L. <HI>Cobham,</HI> L. <HI>Gray,</HI> and &s;ir <HI>Griffin Marckham</HI> at Winche&s;ter the 9. of De|cember 1603.</HEAD>
<P>_ALthouch it be true, that all vell go|uernid and floori&s;h|ing Kingdomes and common vealthis, aire establi&s;hid by Iu&s;tice, and that the&s;e tuo Noblemen by birthe, that aire nou vpon the point of Execution, aire for thair trea&s;onable practi&s;es condemnid by the Lawe, and adiudgit voorthy of the execution thaireof, to the exemple
<PB N="11" REF="9">and terror of other is; The one of thaim hauing filthily practi&s;ed the ouerthrow of the quhole king|dome, and the other for the &s;urpri&s;e of our owin Per&s;onne; Yet in regaird that this is the first yeere of our Raigne, in this Kingdome, and that neuer King was &s;o farre oblei&s;hid to his people, as ve haue bene to this, by our entrie heere vith &s;o hair|tie and generall an applau&s;e of all &s;orts; Among quhom all the kinne, friendis, and allies of the &s;aidis condemnid per&s;onnis, vaire as forduart, and duetifull as any other our good Subiectis, as al&s;o that at the very time of thair Arrainement none did more freely &amp; reddily giue thair a&s;&s;ent to thair conuiction, and to deliuer thaim into the handis of Iustice, then &s;o many of thair neerest kin&s;|men and Allies (as being Peeris) <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">aiere vpon thair Iurie; As likeuai&s;e in regaird that Iustice hath in &s;ome &s;ort gottin cour&s;e alreadie, by the execution of the tuo Priestis, and <HI>George Brooke,</HI> that vaire the principall plotteris and in|ti&s;airs of all the re&s;t, to the embracing of the &s;aidis trea&s;onabill Machinations; <HI>Vee</HI> thairfore (being re&s;oluid to mixe Clemencie vith Iustice) aire contented, and by the&s;e Pre&s;entis command you, our pre&s;ent Sheriffe of Hamp&s;hire, to &s;uper&s;eide the Execution of the &s;aidis tuo Noblemen, and to
<PB N="12" REF="9">take thaim backe to thair pri&s;on againe, quhile our further plea&s;ure be knowin. And &s;ince ve vill not haue our Lawis to haue respect to per&s;onis, in &s;pairing the great, and &s;trikking the meaner &s;ort; It is our plea&s;ure, that the like cour&s;e be al&s;o taken vith <HI>Marckham,</HI> being &s;orry from our hairt, that &s;uch is, not onely the heynous nature of the &s;aidis co~demnid per&s;onnis crime, but euen the cor|ruption is &s;o great of thair naturall dispo&s;ition, as the care vee haue for the &s;afety and quiet of our State, and good Subiectis, vill not permit vs to v&s;e that clemencie to vardis thaim, quhich in our owin naturall inclination, vee micht very ea&s;ily be per&s;uadit vnto.</P>
<PB REF="10">
<PB REF="10">
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