The tryal of Mr. Richard Weston, at the Guild-Hall of the City of London, for the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury, Knt. October the 19th, 1615. 13 Jac. I.

Date:: Printed in the year MDCCXXXVII. [1737]

Credit: The tryal of Mr. Richard Weston, at the Guild-Hall of the City of London, for the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury, Knt. October the 19th, 1615. 13 Jac. I. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$fence of God, with an upright Heart and Confidence, and with a cheertul Countenance, caft my Life, and the Lives of all the honed Freemen of England, into the Hands of God, and his gracious Protection, and into the Care and Confidence of my honed Jury and Fellow-Citizens ; who I again de¬ clare by the Law of England, are the Conservators and foie judges of,my Lite, having inherent in them alone the judicial Power of the Law, as well as Fad : You judges that fit there being no more, if they * pleafe, hut Cyphers ro pronounce the Sentence, or their Clerks to fay Amen to them ; being at the bed, in your original, but the Nor¬ man Conqueror’s Intruders, And therefore you, Gentlemen of the Jury, are my foie Judges, the Keepers of my Life, at whole Hands the Lord will require my Blood, in cafe you leave any part of my indict¬ ment to the cruel and bloody Men. And therefore. I defire you to know your Power, and confider your Duty, both to God, tome, and to your own felves, and to our Country : And the gracious afliding Spirit, and Prefence of the Lord God Omnipotent, the Go¬ vern our of Heaven and Earth, and all Things therein contained, go along with you, 'giye counfel and dired you, to do ihat which is juft, and ior his Glory. [The People with a loud Voice cried, Amen, Amen, and gave an extra¬ dinary great Hum, which made the Judges look fomething unto- wardly about them,, and caufed Maj or-GeneralSkippon to fend for three more freih Companies of j Foot Soldiers.] Mr. Attorney. Gentlemen of tl jury, y-cu have heard - the Evidence j behalf of the State • $ou have hear the Infinuations of the Prifoner upc them, as calling you his Fellow-Cit zens, and the like: He hath find, an ipoken-; we have proved, and it is i your Confidences to belief Proof, be fore Saying. The Prifoner begun to cite you tw ' Ads of Pari lament ; the one in tfc ii\ of Edward the Sixth, and tf other 5 th and 6th of Edward the Sixth and by thole two Ads he would fi^ niiy to you, that you fhould have tw plain and evident WitnefTe.s to ever particular Fad ; yet he did forget t eke another Statute mdde in the fir and fecond Years of Philip and Mar that overthrows and annihilates the*] two Statutes that would have tw plain Witnefles to every Fad of Tre* Ion ; and in all cafes of Treafon wi have them freed, according to the corr mon courfe of Law, the common Lai for the Trial of them. If that mull be material, or if thi kick with you, that you cannot detei mine it, my Lords the Judges will d red you in it, and in all other Poin of Law. But certainly that Exception was little vain too ; for we did not infi with one particular Witnefs in nothin at all; for that of Newcombe, the Pr Toner did nor repeat fully what he fine for I remember he faid this, That M Lilburne and captain Jones cametogi ther, and brought the cop/ of the la Sheet that was to be printed: If or come with him, and the other deliver* it to the Printer, they are both equal! guilty alike. They came again the fame Day Night, and when the firft Sheet w ^ priote<$