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<DATE>2014-08-08</DATE>
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<NAME>TCP Staff (Michigan)</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B140515.apex.</ITEM>
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<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B27824">
<STC T="W">P318</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">[ocm]12921249</BIBNO>
<VID>200400</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P> THE PAPISTS PLOT OF FIRING DISCOVERED, IN A Perfect Account of the late <HI>FIRE</HI> IN <HI>Fetter-Lane,</HI> London, The Tenth Day of <HI>April</HI> la&s;t.</P>
<P>Whereby it plainly appears who are the In&s;truments of this Work; As al&s;o the Rewards they are to have; And what would be the DISMAL EFFECTS if this <HI>Firing Trade</HI> had gone on.</P>
<P>Publi&s;hed by way of Caution to all Ma&s;ters of Families to beware what Servants they enrertain into their Hou&s;es.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Rom. 3</BIBL>
<P>15 <HI>Their Feet are &s;wift to &s;hed blood.</HI></P>
<P>16, <HI>De&s;truction and mi&s;ery or<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> in their ways.</HI></P>
<P>17, <HI>And the way of Truth th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y have not known.</HI></P>
<P>18. <HI>There is no fear of God before their Eys.</HI></P></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for <HI>A. B.</HI> 1679.</P>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="narrative">
<PB N="1" REF="2" MS="y">
<HEAD>THE PAPISTS PLOT OF FIRING DISCOVERED;</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub"><HI>In a Perfect Account of the late FIRE in</HI> FETTER-LANE.</HEAD>
<P>MR. <HI>ROBERT BIRD,</HI> who&s;e Hou&s;e it was that was &s;et on Fire, informed, That his Wife retained one <HI>Elizabeth Oxley</HI> to be her Servant (&s;uppo&s;ing her to be a Prote&s;tant) upon Mon|day the 24th. of <HI>February</HI> la&s;t, but &s;he came not to her Ser|vice until the 6th. of <HI>March</HI> after. That upon Wedne&s;day night the 9th. of <HI>April,</HI> about two or three of the Clock in the morning, the &s;aid Servant came to his Bed-&s;ide and awaked him, telling him <HI>There was a Fire in Halborn:</HI> Whereupon he asked her, How &s;he knew it? &s;he an&s;wered, By the noi&s;e in the Street. Whereupon he aro&s;e, and look'd into the Street, but there was little noi&s;e or light; &s;o he
<PB N="2" REF="3"> &s;taid at his Street-door, until he was informed by two men that pa&s;&s;ed by, that there had been a Fire, but it was put out again: whereupon he returned to Bed, well plea&s;ed he had &s;o watchful a Servant, and fearful of Fire: But none of his Family heard any thing thereof, until informed by the &s;aid <HI>Oxley,</HI> as he believeth. That on Thur&s;day the 10th. of <HI>April</HI> he was told, the &s;aid <HI>Oxley</HI> went not up to Bed till about 11 a Clock: That before he went to Bed, he looked to the doors, windows, and rooms, to &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e if all were &s;afe from Fire and Thieves, (as his cu&s;tom was) and was the la&s;t up in the Family, as he thought. That being in Bed and a&s;leep, about 12 of the Clock that night he was awaked, with a great beating at the door by the Watch, and the &s;aid <HI>Oxley</HI> coming immediately to him, told him <HI>There was a Fire:</HI> To which he &s;aid, He was &s;ure it was not in his Hou&s;e, but gave her the Key of the Street-door; who ran down, and let in the Watch and Company; and he coming down, found a large Pre&s;s in his Clo&s;et (for keeping Books, Papers and Writings) on a light Fire, but by the mercy of God, and the great help he had, the Fire was put out, and his Hou&s;e pre&s;erv'd. That his Wife with &s;ome Neighbours immediatly going to the &s;aid <HI>Oxley</HI>'s Lodging Room to &s;ee if all was &s;afe, found that &s;he had packed up her Clothes and things ready to carry away, and her Trunks Lockt up, but nothing left in them of value: Whereupon he demanded of the &s;aid <HI>Oxley</HI> why &s;he had packed up her Cloths? She an&s;wered, that &s;he and his other Maid <HI>Martha</HI> had packed up her things to &s;ave them. Then he asked the &s;aid <HI>Martha</HI> why &s;he had packed up in that time, when the Lives of the Children and Family were in that danger; who po&s;itively denyed that &s;he pack|ed up any thing: Whereupon, and for that he was &s;ure when he went to Bed there was no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> a &s;park of Fire in the Clo&s;et, and con&s;idering that the &s;aid <HI>Oxley</HI> at the fir&s;t knocking at the door, though &s;he lay two pair of Stairs
<PB N="3" REF="3"> above his Chamber; and being informed that &s;he had <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> put out her Candle into the Candle&s;tick, nor burnt it, but pulled it out, and hid the Candle&s;tick; and from the man|ner of her Carriage u&s;ed when &s;he perceived &s;he was &s;u|&s;pected, he po&s;itively Charged the &s;aid <HI>Oxley</HI> with Firing his Hou&s;e, and cau&s;ed her to be kept &s;afe all that night: And the next day being Charged by Neighbours with Firing the Hou&s;e, &s;he at la&s;t Confe&s;&s;ed the &s;ame, by &s;et|ting the Pre&s;s in the Clo&s;et and his Papers on Fire about Twelve of the Clock when he and his Family were a &s;leep. And he &s;aid, that &s;he the &s;aid <HI>Oxley,</HI> might have gone out at a Back Door of his Hou&s;e, and carryed away any of his Goods and Plate, if &s;he plea&s;ed at any hour in the night, without Firing his Hou&s;e, the Key of the Back Door lying in the Kitchin, and laid there by her &s;elf. And he &s;aid no|thing of value was found in the &s;aid <HI>Oxleys</HI> pack made up by her as afore&s;aid, but her own things.</P>
<P><HI>Elizabeth Oxley</HI> upon her Examination &s;aid; that about <HI>Michaelmas</HI> la&s;t &s;he became acquainted with <HI>Nicholas Stubbs,</HI> who had &s;everal times u&s;ed many per&s;wa&s;ions to turn h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r Papi&s;t; and after her &s;hewing a liking to it, and that he &s;up+&s;uppo&s;ed &s;he embraced that per&s;wa&s;ion; in his Di&s;cour&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> her at &s;everal times, he told her, that before the 28. <HI>h.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> <HI>June</HI> next, &s;he &s;hould &s;ee all the Prote&s;tants de&s;troyed that were in <HI>England;</HI> that the <HI>Pope</HI> &s;hould be King over <HI>Eng|land,</HI> that all that would turn to the Popi&s;h Religion &s;hould live far better then now they did, that all the Land were Hereticks, and it were a Meritorious Act to de&s;troy them, and that all &s;uch as were Papi&s;ts &s;hould have Marks upon their Hats whereby to di&s;tingui&s;h them from Pro+te&s;tants, that they might not be de&s;troyed amon&s;t them: Adding, that the Nation do believe that all things will b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> over before the <HI>23th.</HI> day of <HI>June,</HI> but they would be d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">|ceived, for all &s;hould be de&s;troyed at or before that ti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> That the Duke of <HI>York</HI> was the brave&s;t Prince living, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="4" REF="4"> that he was gone out of the Kingdom lea&s;t the Hereticks &s;hould cut off his Head, and he would not return till they were de&s;troyed; that the Lords in the <HI>Tower</HI> would not one of them &s;uffer, for they would come off well enough, being to be tryed by the Lords; and that the Scaffolds were &s;et up but for fa&s;hon &s;ake. That &s;he telling the &s;aid <HI>Stubbs</HI> that &s;he was Hired to Live with one Mr. <HI>Bird</HI> about the middle of <HI>Fetter-lane,</HI> he u&s;ed per&s;wa&s;ions to her at &s;everal times to &s;et Fire on her Ma&s;ters Hou&s;e; telling her, if &s;he would do it, he would give her 5 <HI>l.</HI> and gave her half a Crown, and &s;aid, he would have other Hou&s;es in <HI>Holbourn</HI> Fired at the &s;ame time by others: That &s;he being with the &s;aid <HI>Stubbs</HI> on <HI>Sunday</HI> before the &s;aid Fire, promi&s;ed to Fire her Ma&s;ters Hou&s;e on <HI>Thur&s;day</HI> or <HI>Friday</HI> night following, and accordingly on <HI>Thur&s;day</HI> night &s;he took a Candle and &s;et Fire to her Ma&s;ters Papers in his Studdy which were in a kind of a Pre&s;s; and they being on a Light Fire, &s;he &s;hut the Doors and went up Stairs into her own Chamber in the Top of the Hou&s;e, and packed up her own Things, and Undre&s;&s;ed her &s;elf, lea&s;t her Ma&s;ter &s;hould &s;u&s;pect her, and there &s;tayed till a great Knocking was at the Door, and the Watchmen crying out Fire; whereupon &s;he run down Stairs and cryed out Fire, and her Ma&s;ter gave her the Keys to open the Door; which done, all hands were imployed to quench the Fire. And &s;he &s;aith, &s;he did not &s;et Fire on her Ma&s;ters Hou&s;e out of any Malice to him, nor with in|tent to Rob him, but meerly to carry on the De&s;ign which <HI>Stubbs</HI> had propo&s;ed to her, and out of hopes of his Re|ward.</P>
<P><HI>Nicholas Stubbs</HI> upon his Examination, owns, and &s;ets forth to have u&s;ed &s;uch Di&s;cour&s;e to the &s;aid <HI>Elizabeth</HI> as &s;he declareth in her Examination; and &s;aith, he did per|&s;wade her to Fire her Ma&s;ters Hou&s;e, and was to give her five Guineys for doing it, be&s;ides half a Crown in hand: And &s;aith, that one Father <HI>Gyfford</HI> a Prie&s;t and his Confe&s;&s;or had
<PB N="5" REF="4"> put him on this bu&s;ine&s;s, and told him it was no &s;in to Fire all the Hou&s;es of <HI>Hereticks</HI> and <HI>Hugonites.</HI></P>
<P>That he Acquainted <HI>Flower</HI> alias, <HI>Darby,</HI> a Barber in <HI>Ger|man-&s;treet,</HI> and one <HI>Roger</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> another <HI>Iri&s;h</HI> man that Lodged at the Coach and Hor&s;es in the &s;ame Street. That the &s;aid Father <HI>Gyfford</HI> promi&s;ed him 100 <HI>l.</HI> for the &s;ame, and told him he was to have the Money from the Church. That they u&s;ed to meet the &s;aid <HI>Gyfford</HI> and other two per|&s;ons in St. <HI>James-fields</HI> in the dark of the Evening, and to Di&s;cour&s;e of the&s;e matters; and that the &s;everal Informa|tions that he had given the &s;aid <HI>Elizabeth Oxley,</HI> he had from the &s;aid Father <HI>Gyfford;</HI> and &s;aith <HI>Flower</HI> and <HI>Roger</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"> told the &s;aid <HI>Stubbs,</HI> they would carry on the &s;aid Fire, and that they had Fire Balls for that purpo&s;e, and that they would Fire other Hou&s;es in <HI>Holbourn</HI> at the &s;ame time: That he was at the Fire in the <HI>Temple,</HI> but was not in|gaged to do any thing in it. And &s;aid, that <HI>Gyfford</HI> told him that there were <HI>Engli&s;h, French</HI> and <HI>Iri&s;h</HI> Roman Ca|tholicks enough in <HI>Lordon</HI> to make a very good Army; and that the King of <HI>France</HI> was coming with 60000 men, under pretence to &s;hew the <HI>Dauphin</HI> his Dominions; but it was to lay his men at <HI>Deep, Bulloign, Callis</HI> and <HI>Dunkirk,</HI> to be in an hours warning to be Landed in <HI>England,</HI> and he doubted not but it would be by the middle of <HI>June,</HI> and by that time all the Catholicks here will be in readine&s;s; all were to ri&s;e in order to bring him in. That the Papi&s;ts here were to be di&s;tingui&s;hed by Marks in their Hats; that the &s;aid Father <HI>Gyfford</HI> doubted not but he &s;hould be an Abbot or a Bi&s;hop when the work was over, for the good &s;ervice he hath done. That at their meeting Father <HI>Gyfford</HI> u&s;ed to tell them, it was no more &s;in to Kill a Heretick then a Dog, and that they did God good &s;ervice in doing what Mi&s;chiefs they could by Firing their Hou&s;es. That it was well Sir <HI>Ed|mondberry Godfrey</HI> was Murdered, for he was their Devil|li&s;h Enemy; That <HI>Coleman</HI> was a Saint in Heaven for what
<PB N="6" REF="5"> he had done. And &s;aith, he is fearful he &s;hall be Murther|ed for this Confe&s;&s;ion, Father <HI>Gyfford</HI> having Sworn him to Secre&s;ie, and told him he &s;hould be Damned if he made any Di&s;covery, and &s;hould be &s;ure to be Killed; and that he &s;hould take the Oaths becau&s;e he was a Hou&s;e-keeper, and that it was no &s;in: And &s;aith, that <HI>Gyfford</HI> and <HI>Roger</HI> told him, when their Forces meet about the middle of <HI>June</HI> then have at the&mdash;</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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