IN Esam , a hansome market Town in Worcester shire well known , dwelled two youngmen , who by their vsual trade were Mercers , as in that country they call them so that sell all kind of wares : the one of them they called Robert Grenoll , a bacheler , & of such an honest conuersation , as he was not onely wel belooued in the Towne where he dwelt , but also of those who had euerie market day accesse thither , for their néedfull necessaries , so that he was as wel customed as any occupier in the towne . The other was called Thomas Smith , of indifferent welth likewise , & son to one of the most substantial men in the towne , & ioyned in mariage with a gentlewoman of very good parentage : so that he likewise was well thought on of most & least . This Thomas Smith , séeing Greenoll haue so good vtteraunce for his wares , and so well estéemed in ech companierif not vppon this cause alone , though chiefly it bee accounted so , he began to enuy the prosperous estate of him béeing his neighbour and frend , and the Deuill so farre ruled the course of his enuious intent , as nothing wold suffise the desire thereof , but onely making away of Greenoll by death , which though hee had no reason for , yet suche was the perswasion of the euill spirite with him . Manie platformes were laid , a thousand deuises canuazed ouer by this lewde man , which way he might woork the death of his frendly neighbor : at last as the Deuill wanteth no occasions to helpe man forward to his own destruction , so he presented Smith with a fit oportunity , whereby he might execute the sum of his bloody will . And as the repining at our neighbors prosperity , is not onely monstrous , but a denilish nature . So had this man compassed a monstruous and moste deuilish deuise , the verie conceite whereof is able to astonish the heart of a Iewe , or Mahomitans recreant , and thus it was as followeth .

On New-yeares euen laste past , this Thomas Smith longinge and desiringe the end of his vnnaturall will , bearing the image of a frendlie countenaunce in the face , but the verie perfecte shape of Iudas tretcherie in his hart , inuited his neighbour Greenoll to his house , where he promised to bestowe a quart of wine and an apple vpon him : saying further , they woulde passe awaye the Euening pleasauntly in frendlie talke and drinking together . Greenoll béeing one desirous of eche mans frendship , and much the rather of his béeing his neighbour , and one of the same trade himself was : nothing mistrusting the villanous treason , hyd vnder so smooth a show of neighberhood , gaue him thanks , promising to come to him at night , & not to faile him . This pleased well the bloud-thirsting man , so that home he went to determine the Instrument to doo the déede withal , & then downe into his Seller hee goes , to dispose a place wherein he might conuay the bodie when hee had slayne him : there he digged a graue about sixe or seuen ynches déepe , thinking there to burie him that he should neuer be founde . It drew toward night , when as a play was cryed about the Towne , whereto both old and young did hastely repaire : & this Smith hauing a boye that serued him in his Shop , fearing leaste the boye shoulde perceiue anie thinge , gaue hym money , and bad him goe fée the Play : & bring him the whole report of the matter . This he did in the presence of Greenol , who was come according to his promisse to kéepe him companie : & the boye hauing fetcht a quarte of wine and Apples as his maister willed him , ran merily to sée the Play , leauing Greenoll & his maister by the fire pleasauntly talking . They twoo thus sitting alone , did drinke to ech other verie familiarly , tyll at last , Greenol stouping to turne an apple in the fire , a fit time that Smith espied to accomplish his will : who taking an yron pestell , wherewith hee vsed to beate his spice in the morter , and which he had laid by him ready for the nonce , with this pestel ( as Greenoll stouped to turne the Apple ) he gaue him twoo suche mightie blowes on the heade , as hée fell down backward to the ground , yéelding foorth a verie pittifull and lamentable groane . Smith hearing him to giue such a woful groane ( as himselfe said to me , when I came to him into the prison ) began to enter into some sorrowfulnes for the déede , wishinge that hee mighte recouer againe : but when he perceiued he had smote him so sore , that ther was no hope of his recouerie , he tooke the pestel againe , and gaue him thrée or four more cruell strokes about the heade , whiche made him to lie trembling and shaking in such pittifull manner , as would haue made a hearte of Adamant to melte in griefe : for to beholde how life and death made strife together , life for the sweetenes , to resist death his bitternes , wyth many a gaspe for breath , with strugling and often folding his armes together : thus laye this Innocent and martyred coarse . Not suffised with this , the bloody murderer taketh a knife , and therewith cut the throate of Greenol , but as Smith himselfe saith , he did not cut the wezand , but pierced the skin somwhat : and then would haue stabbed him to the heart with the knife , but missed and smote him on the shoulder blade , whervpon he strooke againe , and then indéede pierced him to the heart : what a cruell and monstrous harde heart had hee , that coulde endure this rufull Stratageme ? When hée had suffised his bloody mind , vpon his fréend and loouing neighbour , hee drewe him down into his Seller , where his graue was readie prepared for him , and there buried him : which béeing doone , he smoothed it ouer so finelye with a Trowell that Playsterers vse , so that it could be hardly discerned , and because he would woorke the surer , hee tooke Bayles of Flax which laye in his Seller , and so shaked the shellinges thereof on the floore in all places , as no one coulde saye , ( but he that knewe it ) where the graue was , setting likewise Drifats & Chests ouer it , so that he iudged it should neuer be found . Afterward he went and tooke water , wherewith he washed and dryed his house so clean in euerie place , that one drop of blood could not be espied : behold howe subtilly hee wente to woorke , but God , who in no case will haue bloudie murder hidde , preuented all his craitie pollicies .

Smith hauing thus plaide his tyrannous pageant , & hauing taken Greenols keyes of his shop from him , wente thither and likewise robbed it , bringing a great deale of the goods from thēre into his owne house . But this by the way is to bee considered , that in the Towne of Euesam , all the time of Christmas , and at no other time , there is watch & ward kept , that no misorder or il rule be committed in the Towne , which doubtlesse is a verie good and commendable order . To one of the watchmen had Smith giuen this watch-woord , See and see not : which was onelie to this ende , that hee might goe by them vnséene , when he caryed the goods out of Greenols shop to his owne house . On the morrowe when it was knowen that Greenols shop was robde , question was made thorowe the Towne , who was abroade that nighte that might bee suspected , because of the Playe that was in the Towne : vppon which demaund , the watchman to whom this message was sente , declared howe Thomas Smith was abroad somewhat late , and sent him this watch-word , See and see not , but was meant thereby hée could not gather . Vpon this , Smith was sent for before the chiefe of the Towne , and demaunded if he knew where Grenol was , for that it was reported he had béene in his house ouer-night , and since that time no man could tell anie tidinges of him : moreouer his shop was robbed as that night , and that Smith béeing abroad , and sending such a by-woord See and see not , to one of the watchmen , yt was a shrewd presumption against him to bee somewhat faultie in the matter . So after his aunswere , that hee knewe not where Greenol was become , and by his late walkinge and woordes sente to the watchman , no harme was meante : they said that they would goe to searche his house , whervpon Smith aunswered , that his house they could not as then sée . because his wife was at Kinges Norton , a Towne not farre thence , and she had the keyes of his house : but ( quoth hee ) if you will search my Seller you maye , and so tooke the keyes from his girdle and threw them vnto them . Then went certayne that were appointed , to search Smiths Seller , whence they were comming again without finding such matter as they looked for : till by chaunce one of them happened to espye a little péece of earth , as it were new broken out of the grounde , lying vnder the nethermoste staire , which he taking vp , said it were good to sée where any earth was latelye broken there about , for if they chaunced to finde the place , some thing might come to light woorth the beholding . Vpon this councel they began all to looke earnestlye about the Seller , if they could finde the place where that Earth had béene broken vp . At last they remooued the Chests & Dryfats , where they felt the ground more soft then all the rest : which caused them ( suspecting somewhat ) to fall to digging , where presently they found Greenoll buryed , not past six or seuen inches déepe , and looking vppon him , beheld how cruelly and vnnaturally he had beene murdered . These newes brought to the Baylifs of the towne , where Smith was kept till they returned : not without great lamentation for this bloody déed , of all that knew or heard thereof , he was sent to Worcester Gaole , wher he remained till such time as the crueltie of his vnneighbour like déede might be determined by Iustice . When the Assises came , the apparaunt truth of his offence layd before the Iudges , he was condemned to the death , which he suffered very lately since : but yet by the earnest intreatie of his Fréendes , who were of great wealth and credit , the seueritie of the lawe was not altogether ministred , for wheras he should haue béene hanged in chains , he had more fauour shewd him , he was hanged to death , and after ward buryed .

Thus my Fréendes , haue you heard the true discourse of this most bloody & monstrous act , accordinge as in great greefe , with like sorowe for the deed , him selfe dyd vtter it , both vnto me , and diners other being present , Preachers , and Gentlemen . And truly thus much I must say , for the man truely he was both a hansome and well featured a Young-man , as one shall lightly soe , his Father as good wealth , and one of the chiefs in the Towne of Esam , and hee had béene marryed not past eight wéeks by crrbible reporte , before he did the deed , to a Gentls woman of very good Parentage , who no donbt remaineth in great gréef for this vnlooked for mischaunce , she being merty abroade with her : Freends , when her Hasoand at home conunitted this cruell deed : I commit it to the Iudgement of all verfuous Women , what a groefe it was to her , when first she heard of these vnhappy newes : But héere I may not make a final pause , for that an other horrible and wicked déed , committed in Iune last 1582. in the same Sheire , constraineth me to speak somewhat thereof : and for that I beheld the death of one of the partyes , I am the more willing to passe it ouer in a bréefe discourse .