THe . 17. day of Iuly this present yere of our Lord God . 1579. the Quéenes most excellent Maiestie being on the riuer of Thames , betwixt hyr highnesse Manour of Grenewich , and Detforde , in hir priuie Barge , accompanied with Mounsier Schemere the French Embassador , the Earle of Lincolne , and M. Vizchamberlaine . &c. with whome shée entred discourse about waightie affairs : it chaunced that one Thomas Appeltree a yong man and seruant to M. Henrie Carie , with .ii. or .iii. children of hir Maiestes Chappel , & one other named Barnard Acton , being in a boate on the Thames , rowing vp & down betwixt the places aforenamed , the aforesaid Thomas Appeltree had a Caliuer or Harquebush , which he had thrée or foure times discharged with bullet , shooting at randone verie rashly , who by great misfortune shot one of the water men ( being the second man next vnto the bales of the said Barge , labouring with his Dare , which sate within six foot of hir highnesse ) cleane through both his armes : the blow was so great and grieuous , that it moued him out of his place , and forced him to crie and scritche out piteously , supposing himself to be slaine , and saying he was shot thorow the body . The man bléeding abundantly , as though he had had a hundred daggers thrust into him , the Quéenes Maiesty shewed such noble courage as is most wonderfull to be hearde and spoken of , for beholding hym so maymed , and bléeding in suche forte , she neuer bashed thereat , but she wed effectually a prudent and magnanimous heart , & most curteously comforting the poore man , she bad him be of good cheare , and sayd he shoulde want nothing that might be for his ease , commaunding him to be couered till such time as he came to the shore , til which time he lay bathing in his owne bloud , which might haue bene an occasion to haue terrifyed the eies of the beholders . But such and so great was the courage and magnanimitie of our dread and soueraigne Ladie , that it neuer quayled . To be short , this sayd Thomas Appeltree and the rest were apprehended and brought before hir honorable Counsel who with great grauitie and wisedom imployed their times very carefully , & with gret diligence examined the sayd Appeltree and his companions , and finding the case most haynous and wicked , iustly pronounced against him the sentence of Death , and committed him to the Marshalsea in Southwarke , from whence the Tuisday following he was brought throughe the Citie with the Knight Marshals men , lead vp to the Tower hill , and sore Radcliffe , vp to Blacke wall , and so downe to the water side , where was a Gibet set vp directly placed betwixt Desforde and Gréenwitch , for the execution of this malefactour , who in téede very pitifully bewayled the offence he had committed , and as well in prison as by the way prepared himselfe very penitentely and willingly to offer his bodie to the death , loathing this world and the pleasures of the same , and constantly by faith flette unto IESVS CHRIST , affirming that without him there was no saluatien , and often sayd and protested very vehemently , that Iesus Christ the sonne of the liuing God , was his only hope & conforte , in whose pretious bloude he was purged and made cleane , and in him by fayth he was fully assured , that his sinnes ( wer they neuer so many in number ) should be fréely for giuen and forgotten : such was his immoueable constancie , & so strong he was in CHRIST IESVS , that although he confessed his imperfection to be such and so great that of himself he was not worthy to lift vp his eles to heauen , yet by faith he was assured that though his life were wicked and worthye the sentence of euerlasting damnation , his Lorde IESVS CHRIST his mercifull sauiour had for him satisfied the lawe , pacifyed Gods indignation , made an agréement betwixt God and him , to whome he was by grace reconciled , conceyued and borne again , not according to the flesh , but in spirit by grace , in the precious death and blou●shedding of his Mediator , and in him assured , that neyther sin , death nor all the power of hel should harme him , but that his faith firmly fixed in that mightie conqueror that had ouerthrowen Sinne , subdued Death , and conuinced Sathan , should be sufficient for him to combat and maintayne fight against his enimies , which traueled for the vtter spoyle and destruction of his body and soule , ouer whome in Christ his hope persuaded him to triumph . But when he came to the place of execution , he fell on his knées , and desired all the people to pray with him , where he very deuoutly and with a constant courage prayed in this wise : O bountifull Iesu , O sweete lesu . &c. a necessarie prayer to be sayde at the houre of Death : after this he sayde the Lordes prayer , & then discoursed very godly , that the Lord Iesus Christ was the rocke whereon he layde his foundation , and that his only death and passion was the meane to wash away his sinnes and offences , and that he for him and al other sat on the right hande of his heauenlie father , pleading and making continuall intercession , representing his bloudy and paineful wounds which neuer coulde be dryed vp , which being séene in the eyes of his glorious maiestie , his anger was conuerted to loue : his furie , to kindenesse and fatherlie pitie . Thus very godly he purposed to finish his miserable and wretched lyfe , and so prepared himself to ascende and goe vp the ladder , and being on the same , he tourned himself , and spake to the people as followeth : Good people I am come hither to die , but GOD is my iudge , I neuer in my lyfe intended hurt to the Quaenes most excellent Maiesty , nor meant the harme of any creature , but I pray to God with all my heart , long to prosper and kéepe hir highnesse in health , who blesse and defende hir from all perils and dangers , who prosper hir in al hir affaires , and blesse hir most honorable counsel , giuing them grace to doe all things to the glorie of GOD and the benefite of this realme : But of all things , I am most sorie for my offence , and wofully bewaile the same : and more , I am penitent and sory for my good mayster , M. Henrie Carie , who hath bene so grieued for my fault , suffering rebuke for the same : I woulde to God I had neuer bene borne that haue so grieuously offended him . And with that the teares gusht out of his eyes very fast . This sayd , he persuaded al men to serue God and to take an ensample by him , and euery night and morning moued the deuoutely to say the Lordes prayer . And as the executioner as one gréedy of his pray , had put the roape about his neeke , the people cried , stay , staye , staye , and with that came the right honorable sir Christopher Hatton Vizchamberlayne to hir highnesse , who enquired what he had confessed , and being certified as is before expressed , he vailed his bonet , and declared that the Quéenes maiestie had sent him thither both to make the cause opento them how haynous and gréeuous the offence of the saide Thomas Appeltree was , and further to signifie to him hir gratipus pleasure : & so continued his message , as ye may read it priuted by it self , and annexed to this discourse . Which when he had declared , the hangman was commanded to take the roape from his necke , cleane contrarie to his expectation , & I think ( as was séene to the people ) sory to lose his pray : but whether it were so or not , whether that Appeltree had cause to be ioyful or no , I leaue to your iudgements , who being come downe from the ladder , receiued his pardon , and gaue GOD and the Prince praise , for so great a benefit as he had by hir most gratious bountie receiued . This done , M. Vizchamberlaine sayde : Good people pray for the Quéenes maiestie , and then was this prayer sayde , which is vsually readde ( for the preseruation of hir Maiestie ) in the church :

O almightie and euerliuing God , the Lord of Lords , and king of kings , which dost from thy throne beholde all the dwellers of the earth , most hartily we beseech thee with thy fauor to behold our most gracious soueraigne Ladie Queene Elizabeth . &c.

Wherevnto all the people ioyefully accorded to saye AMEN , crying , God saue the Quéene , and casting vp their cappes .

Thus was the dead man restored to lyfe , and brought backe to the Marshalsea againe , euen as he was led thence to the place of execution , where he by the way moste ioyfullye prayed for the securitie of the Quéenes Maiestie .

Loe thus good reader hast thou heard discoursed vnto thée , the offence of Thomas Appeltree , iustly condemned for his trespasse to die the death , and most gratiously ( notwithstanding the greatnesse of his crime ) by the singular mercy and bountie of our dread and soueraigne Ladie Quéene EIIZABETH preserued , for the which cause and al others , like faithful and true subiects strongly armed with an earnest loue , let vs not cease to pray to the Almightie with loyal & faithfull hearts for hir highnesse safegarde , who with his mightie and outstretched hande protect and deliuer hyr as he hath done wonderfully from the handes of all hir enimies , and so mercifully loke vpon vs hir subiectes , that to our continual ioyes , the aduauncement of sinne , religion and vertue , the fal and ouerthrow of all iniquitie , we may possesse the presence of this our royall virgin Quéene euen to the comming of Iesus Christe in the cloudes of the skies : wherevnto let all that feare God and loue the Quéenes maiestie from the bottome of their hartes , say AMEN .

The night before he should suffer , he wrote this prayer following with his own hand , and on the backside of the paper wherin the same was set downe , he wrote these wordes :

To the Queenes most excellent Maiestie , whom I beseech God long to continue ouer the Realme of England in prosperous felicitie .

This was the title .