IS it not a maruell , that fire fals not from heauen to consume an infinite number of worse then sauage natur'de people in this land , when vile wretches , whom God hath markt with his secret brand of secret purpose , so impiously attempt things against nature , as for example , ( which God grant it may so prooue for our amendment ) here remained amongst vs in this Cittie a deformed creature , an vnperfect wretch wanting the right shape and limbes of a man though in forme and visage like vnto one of vs , this decreped creature ( as I said ) named Iohn Arthur , liued and maintain'd himselfe with the charitie and deuotions of almes-giuing people , and by his lame and lin blesse vsage purchased more kinde fauours then many others of his base fraternitie : money and meanes being easily gained by a few beggerly obseruations , as a wretch gracelesse , and vnthankefull for Gods blessings thus bestowed vpon him , made no good vse thereof , but spent the same in the seruice of the Diuell , as in blasphemie swearing , drunkennes , and such like , all damnable sinnes and such as be the nurses and breeders of others : this afore-named Cripple beeing on a time in the middle of his drunkennes heated with lust , fell into familiaritie with a certaine woman of his owne condition ; who purposing to liue as hee did , vpon charitie , and good mens almes , and seeing good benefit to come by his lamenes , vnto whom many people grew willing to giue , promised to be his associate , and as his companion and wife to beg with him , many daies and monthes spent they together , continually abusing the gifts of charitie , and wasting away the same with drunkennes in the by-places and subburbs of the Citie , which is euermore the receit of such begging vacabonds and disordred liuers , instruments of the diuell prepared still for déeds of mischiese . This Cripple hauing not one good thought of God gr●ce , so lusted after his begging companion , that he obtained the daily vse of her bodie , and continually committed so that sinne of lust & shame , making a practise thereof in the contempt of Gods Lawes , that the eye of heauen could no longer winke at them , but with a cleare sight see into their base wickednes : yea more then base in that a deformed lumpe of flesh and no perfect creature should thus abuse the séed of generation , and now and then in the fields and high-waies commit such beastly offences : but God we see hath iron hands , and will at last strike heauily , as hee did vpon these two shamelesse malefactors : For the Cripple in time surfetting vpon this his shame , and growing weary of this hated offence , as all people will doe , being not lawfully married , bgan to cast her off , and to loath her company though he himselfe might be thought the more loathsome , which she ( abused women ) perceiuing , and knowing her selfe to be but his strumpet , challenged of him the promise of marriage , and so importuned him thereunto by his former vowes and promises , and that heauen would otherwise cal his periured oathes to account , all instigations of the diuell , and subtill policies to drawe them both to destruction , her importunate sutes to mariage so troubled his mind , bred such a rage in his heart , that a purpose came into his minde to rid her away by some vntimely death : a motion no sooner set on fire , but the diuell was readie to bring more fewell , and neuer rested till it was all on a flame : so vpon a night , a time fitting for such a dark déede , the Cripple enticed her forth into the fields neere Islington , where secretly at the Brick Kils , the lodging place for rogues and night walkers , he renewed his former familiaritie , and with a dissembling kindnes perswaded her to lodge there with him all night , which she , mistrustlesse woman , consented too , and little misdoubting his diuellish intent laid her downe vpon a pallat of straw by him to sleepe which as a token of hard misfortune sodainely possessed her : The Cripple perceiuing all secure and silent , and now thinking to be rid of the shame thus daily following him , tooke the womans owne girdle , and putting the same slyly about her necke , where though nature had denyed him strength and limbes , yet by the help of the diuell , which alwaies adds force to villany , he made meanes in her sléep to strangle her , and to take away her life , as it were sodainely without repentance : therefor all people by this example ought still to be prepared for death , for hee comes as a thiefe in the night , and giues no warning : who would haue thought such an out-cast of the world , such a lame deformed creature , not able of his owne strength to help himselfe , should haue power to take away anothers life , but the diuell wee sée is a cunning , and will still make the simple his strongest assisters , and those that bee the most weakest , to be of the vilest thoughts , but to conclude , the Cripple , blinded thus with his owne shame , had that ignorant opinion of the discouerie hereof , that he thought the world too simple to looke into his life , and his decreped carriage would keep away all suspition , and that no man would thinke a lame creature could be able to doe so wicked a deede : but gracelesse varlet , as hee was , too much flattered in his own opinion , the Diuell as he was first beginner of his sinne , so was hee last end of his shame , for the same morning the woman was found thus murthered , and beeing seene the night before in his companie with slender examinations confessed the fact , where for the same hee had his tryall at the Sessions by a Iury of twelue men and his execution at Tyburne in the sight of many hundreds of men , women and children , which accounts him to be a Monster by kinde and the dooer of a déed against nature .

Like vnto this viper of our age , wee are to place in our discourse another Caterpiller of nature , a creature more sauage then a shée woolfe , more vnnaturall then either bird or beast , for euery creature hath a tender feeling of loue to their young , except some few murtherous-minded strumpets , woemen I cannot call them , for a woman esteemes the fruit of her owne womb , the pretious and dearest Iewell of the world , and for the cherishing of the same will ( as it were ) spend her liues purest blood , where , contrariwise the harlot ( delighting in shame and sinne ) makes no conscience to be the butcher of her owne seed , nay the Image of God created in her owne body , and now and then in the conception makes spoyle of the bed of creation before it can receiue true forme . , Therefore for an example likewise cast your eyes vpon this other monster of nature , which was a lasciuious , lewd and close strumpet , a harlot lodging priuately neere Bishops-gate in Bedlam at a kinsmans hause of hirs , which little suspected this hir vnwomanly carriage but shame long raked vp in the ashes of secresie , though close smoking , will at last breake forth into open flame : so this graceles wanton ( spending her youth in lasciuious pleasures , as many a one doth in and about this Citty ) hapded to proue w●th child , & hauing no husband to couer this her act of shame , and withall soaring the disgrace of the world , by a diuilish practise sought to consume it in her body before the birth , but not preuailing ( as God would haue it ) thee was forced by nature to deliuer it aliue to the world , and so was made the vnhappy mother of a man-child vnhappy I may name her , for her owne hand made her vnhappy . To our purpose , her lusty body , strong nature , and feare of shame brought an easines to her deliuery , and required in her agony no help of a midwife which among women seemeth a thing very strange , for not so much as the least child in the house where she lodged had knowledge of her labour , nor hardly was she thought to be with child , so closely demeaned she her selfe , but the deuill we see addes force vnto wickednes , and puts a kind of strength to nature in that kind , otherwise had she beene discouered in the childbirth .

Consider this the Child being borne with shame and she by it made a scandall to her acquaintance , renewed the rememberance of her passed sinnes , and presented present shame vnto her grieued thoughts , which troubled cogitations , by the perswasions of the Diuill , put her in mind violently to make it away , and to giue it death before the body had well recouered life , whereupon taking the poore tender babe as it were new dropt from the mothers womb , and not like a mother , but a monster threw it downe into a lothsome priuy house , therein to giue it an vndecent graue and as shee thought therby make to her selfe a ridance of a further Infamy , but God is Iust and will reward shame where it is deserued , and such vnnaturall deedes , let them be acted in deserts , in the cauernes of the earth , where neuer light of day nor Sun shines , yet will they be discouered and brought to the worlds eye , so hapned it with this harlot , when all feare of suspition was past , shee safely deliuered , the Childe in the priuy smothered , and in the world no notice taken thereof , yet in the end was it thus most strangly discouered , the Tunnill of the aforesaid vault or priuy assended vp into the next neighbours house , as in many places they doe , where by chance ( as God had ordayned ) dwelled an vnto vard ladd that in taking delight in knauish pastimes tooke a cur Dog then vsing the house and carelesly threw it downe the Tunnell into the vault , where the murthered infant lay , and taking noe regard thereof , suffered the Dog to remaine there staruing and crying for food the space of three dayes and nights , during which time the yelping of the dog much disquieted the neighbours , and so troubled the dwellers there abouts , that they could not sleepe a nights for the noyse , but especially the good man of the house , who greeued to sée a dumbe beast so starued , and for want of food thus to perish like a kind natur'd man caused the priuy to be opened and the poore curre taken vp , which proued by Gods Iustice the only discouerer of the aforesaid fact for in taking vp the dog , they were wofull witnesses of the sweet Babe lying all besmeared with the filth of that loathsome place . The sight whereof caused no small amazement , especially to the good man of the house , who with a diligent care ( as his duty was both to God and his country ) and that all such inhumaine deeds might bee brought to light , made it knowns to the Magistrates , which likewise with Christian care caused a certaine number of substantiall woemen to ma●e search of suspected persons , and of such who were like to be the murthered Infants mother , or murtherer , amongst many other loose liuers and common harlots , of which number those by places haue too many , the more is the pitty , this aforesaid murtheresse came to the touch , where vpon examination , she confessed the child to be borne with life , and her selfe not worthy of life , and so pleading guilty she was brought to her triall , & for the same araigned and condemned by the ●●nch of assize in the old Baily the 18. and 19 : of Iuly last 1614. and hath suffred death at Tyburne the 21. following as an example , that god , either by beasts of the field , soules of the ayre , fishes in the seas , wormes in the ground , or things bearing neither sence nor life will by one meanes or other make deedes of darknes cleare as day , that the world may behold his high working powers , and that no malefactor can escape vnpunished , though his déeds be as secret as the w●●kes of hell , beyond the thought of humane imagination , conuert vs from sin great God of Israel , so shal we neuer be endangered with the like perswasions , which God in his mercy grant . Amen .