THIS old impotent decrepit age wherein wee liue , the doating World limping on hir last legges , whereas impieties , blasphemies , iniquities , villanies , and thousandes more of hell-hatched enormities haue gotten the vpper per hand , where the sweet seeming baytes of Sathan leades men ( like beares by the noses ) to commit all horrid and damnable trespasses , and transgressions against the Deuine Maiestie of the omnipotent and eternall God . By which abhominations the wrath of the most high is oftentimes iustly kindled against miserable misgouernd mankinde . So that God in his iustice giues many ouer to a reprobate sence , that they haue no remorce or feeling of the breach or violating of the sacred lawes of their immortall Creator , and so ( woe worth the while ) As they liue dissolutely , they dye desperatly , and after all ( that which is worst ) they liue a dying life eternally , or dye a liuing death euerlastingly . What numbers of execrable and inhumane murthers are dayly committed by barbarous , and brutish minded men , on the bodies of their brethren , that Caine who was the first of that bloudy fraternitie , if hee were on the earth would blush to heare and see how farre he is out passed in butcheries ? Amongst the number of numberlesse bloud-thirsty pa●irides and homicides : let this , which is heere following treated of , bee accounted and Recorded for none of the least which was effected , accomplished , and reuealed in this sort . In the Parish of Putney vpon Thames in the Countie of Surrey , fiue or sixe miles distant from the Cittie of London , there dwelt this Murdered Man , named Edward Hall , by his vocation a Miller , a man of good r●putation , hauing substance of money and moueables sufficient : now this aforesaid Hall ( notwithstand●ng his sufficiency of all things needefull , yet his naturall inclination was to bee sparing , and in a manner miserable in his howse-keeping , which procured him the hatred of his seruants and familie , and in conclusion was a great mot●u● to his ●●●e destruction ; for it is Reported that his wi●e ●●●ing bigge with Child , and that his p●r●●●ed the time of her deliuerance to draw neere , hi● to ●●●e charges of hir lying in , did send his th●●● s●●●e miles into the Countrie to hi● Mothers , in ●●e meane space in hir absence , hee was thus treacherously , and inhumainly massacred and Murdered ; for vpon Thursday night the one and twentieth of Aprill last 1614. about tenne of the clock after supper , the said Hall sleeping in a Chaire by the fire in his Kitchin , his seruants ( beeing three of them ) namely Iohn Selling , Peter Pett , and Edward Streater , hauing ( as they confessed ) conspired their Master his death long before , now they perceiued him sleeping , thought it not fitte to let such an opportunitie slip to put their damnable practise in execution . Iohn Selling hauing prouided a pickaxe to giue the fatall blow , told the aforesaid Pett that now it was a fitte time to doe it , and bade Pett strike the first stroake , and hee would second him with another : whereupon Pett tooke the pickaxe , and standing behinde his sleeping Maister , lifting it vp with all his force ( beeing strengthened by the inspiration of the Deuill , who was a Murtherer from the beginning ) gaue his Master a violent blow on the back betwixt his shoulders , wherewith Hall beeing astonnied fell downe and gaue a great groane , where Selling presently catcht the pickaxe out of Pette handes stroake the second blow at Hall , and hitting him on the head , in most cruell and ●●●●●ly manner , beate out his braines , the other ( their third companion in this mischiefe ) named Streater , being all this while grinding corne in his Maisters Mill , a little distant from the house , not knowing as then that the deuilish designe was acomplished , till at last Pett went to him and told him what was done , and bade him come and beholde their handy-worke : presently vpon this Streater left the Mill , and comming into the house where hee saw his said Maister lye imbrued in his owne gore , with his braines most brutishly dasht out . Hee vpon the instant , and imporunate request or command of Pett & Selling , the said Streater tooke the pickaxe and stroke the said Hall a blow on the breast which split and shiuered his breast boane , Hall beeing thus dead , thése three Murtherers consulted amongst themselues what were best to bee done with the dead body , protesting and vowing that whosoeuer should reucale this their damnable deede , should haue his braines beaten out . Then they all tooke vp the dead carkas and caried it into a Stable , where they digged a hole and buried it . And afterwards deuising what were the best course for them to take to keepe this murther concealed , and to kepe themselues cleare from suspition thereof , at last they bethought themselues of a gelding which was their Maisters ( at that time standing in the stable ) which gelding they ( all three ) tooke and sadled and bridled , and led him forth the same night into Wimbleton wood where they turned the Horse astray , loosly to wander vp and downe , that it might be thought that Theeues and robbers had assanited their aforesaid Maister in the wood , or that some mischance had there befalne him , of the which ( as they imagined ) the straying Horse would bee a manifest infalliable token : but ( as I said before ) these villaines hauing thus turned the horse loose , returned home to their Maisters house , where they searched , sought , and ransacked for mony , and at last they found the summe of betweene thirtie and fortie poundes , which was the accursed wages and pillage which these Murderers got for their inhumaine and hortible execution of the death of their Maister , which by the iust iudgement of God they enioyed not long , for notwithstanding that they had time to prouide for their safety , from the Thursday night ( wherein they did this murther ) yet they remained there till Thursday following , till it pleased the Lord that this bloudie fact was reuealed , which fell out in this sort following . Hall was missed amongst his neighbours , and it was giuen out , and reported by his seruants aforesaid , that hee was gone a farre iourney into the Countrie , but Edward Streater beeing further examined , vpon his examination confessed vnto the Officers and chiefe men of the Parish of Putney abouesaid , the whole order and manner of their deuising , complotting , attempting , proceeding , and executing , of this their wilfull cruell and bloudy Murther , which God in his iustice will neuer suffer to bee hid or escape vnpunished , then Iohn Selling vpon this went into the contry to his Mistres , and told her that he had found his Maisters horse in the wood néere Wimbleton afore-said : but the other two , Pet and Streater , were brought before Sir Thomas Gardner Knight and one of his Maiesties iustice of peace and quorum in the County of Surry , by whome they were examined , and there confessed that they had done this cruell fact to their Maister , because ( as they said ) he did not loue his wife so well as he ought to doe , and because he did not allow them meat enough , but that which I thinke most is to be beleeued from them is , when they did affirme they did it by the inspiration and instigation of the Diuell . Then were these mallefactors commited to the common iayle of the white Lyon in Sowthwark , where till the sessions they are to abide , then to haue the recompence of their demerrits .

Thus haue I truely and faithfully set downe the true discourse of al this horible murder , with the manner of the takings and attaching of the murderers , wherein the blind world may perceiue to what a miserable estate it is brought , when as a man ( for the vallue of so small a sum ) shal be thus massacred and murdered by his owne seruants , whome hee best should trust . It is reported that Pompey ( being a Heathen ) whose valiant deeds had purchased him the name of great , Iulius Caesar , Marke Anthony and hee contending for the Empire and domination of the whole world . Where many bloudy battels was sought betwéene them ; yet at last there was a truce agreed vpon for a certaine time , in the which truce these thrée mighty commanders did feast and were merry together diuers times , and being once inuited to sup aboord of Pompeies Galley , as they were sate , one of Pompeies seruants whispered him in the eare , and asked him it hee would bee Maister of the whole world . Pompey fould him yes , if he knew how , then said his seruant againe , let vs cut Caesar and Anthonies throates , and then all the world is thine . Pompey made answere , thou shouldst ( quoth he ) haue done it without my knowledge , but now it shal not be don , for in me it is villany , but in thee it had bin good seruice . Thus this Heathen man may bee a patterne to all Christians , that by his example they should abhor and detest murther , for Pompey would not basely take away the liues of his two mighty mortall and onely enemies , although he knew the doing of it wold haue gaind him the Monarky of the whole world . What brutish beasts are these then , that for triffles and a little cursed coyne will murder their friends ? God himselfs saies that bloud shall haue bloud , and whosoeuer sheddeth mans bloud , by man shall his bloud be shed , yet notwithstanding how many horrible and execrable cruelties are committed daily by man , on man , that one diuell will not deale so diuelishly with another as men will doe with men . What numbers haue béene desperately stabd for taking the wall , of these Roaring boyes of the damned crue ? ( as they are fittly tearmed ) how many haue bin kild for refusing to drinke their friends , mistris or some-times their whores healths ? The numbers are numberies , and therefore I will let them alone vnnumbered . The God of mercy and peace , iudue the harts of men with feare of thy great and glorious name , with loue and brotherly affection one toward another , that they may all with one minde in vnity worship thée that art their good and merciful creator , preseruer & defender : Throgh Iesus Christ thy sonne our alone and onely Sauiour and Redéemer , to whom , with thée and the holy and blessed spirit be ascribed and rendred all honor , glory , might , maiesty , dominton and thanksgiuing of men and Angells both now and for euer more . Amen .