THE
CONFESSION
and
EXECUTION
OF
The
Twelve
PRISONERS
That
Suffr'd
on
Wednesday
the
22th
of
January
,
1678/9.
AS
this
sheet
is
made
publick
as
a
Sea-mark
to
all
that
read
or
bear
it
,
that
they
may
avoid
those
desperate
Rocks
of
sin
,
on
which
these
unhappy
persons
lamentably
shipwrackt
:
So
particular
circumspection
has
been
used
,
that
nothing
but
Truth
may
be
herein
related
,
so
as
neither
to
abuse
the
Dead
,
or
mis-inform
the
Living
.
At
the
last
Sessions
,
there
were
in
all
Seventeen
persons
,
viz.
Fifteen
Men
,
and
Two
Women
,
that
received
Sentence
of
Death
:
but
Five
of
them
obtained
(
at
least
for
the
present
)
His
Majesties
Gracious
Pardon
;
the
other
Twelve
,
this
22.
of
January
,
were
brought
to
Execution
.
The
first
was
one
Robert
Freeman
,
and
Apprentice
to
one
Mr.
Bailee
,
a
Smith
in
Little
Britain
,
for
Murdring
whom
,
on
the
12th
.
instant
,
he
was
not
Condemned
,
and
came
to
suffer
;
which
was
ordered
to
be
in
Little
Britain
,
not
very
far
from
the
place
where
the
Fact
was
commited
.
'T
is
strange
and
sad
to
consider
,
that
not
only
at
his
Tryal
,
but
afterwards
,
he
persisted
in
asserting
his
Innocence
,
not
withstanding
all
the
Arguments
and
Importunities
Mr.
Ordinary
or
other
Ministers
could
use
,
who
took
extraordinary
pains
in
that
behalf
.
Yet
confessed
the
sum
of
all
that
was
Evidenc'd
against
him
,
as
that
he
spake
those
words
—
O
do
no
not
speak
of
that
Gun
,
or
words
to
that
effect
;
that
there
might
be
Blood
on
the
Gun
,
&c.
but
avrr'd
,
that
the
door
when
he
came
down
in
the
Morning
,
was
not
Lockt
,
but
only
Larcht
,
and
the
Key
on
the
inside
.
He
discoursed
very
understandingly
,
and
made
solemn
Appeals
of
his
Ignorance
,
how
,
or
by
what
means
he
came
to
his
end
.
But
the
Circumstances
were
so
home
and
undeniable
,
that
even
Chrity
it self
could
not
credit
his
Asseverations
.
Mr.
Ordinary
on
the
Lords
day
took
great
pains
to
a
waken
them
to
a
through
Conviction
of
their
sins
,
from
two
remarkable
and
most
suitable
Scriptures
,
viz.
in
the
forenoon
,
Rom.
3.19
.
—
For
we
know
that
what
the
Law
saith
,
it
saith
to
them
that
are
under
the
Law
,
that
every
mouth
may
be
stopt
,
and
all
the
World
become
guilty
before
God
.
In
the
afternoon
,
from
Psal.
25.
11.
For
thy
Name
sake
,
O
Lord
!
pardon
my
iniquity
,
for
it
is
great
.
And
after
the
Evening
Sermon
,
inquired
what
impressions
of
Gods
Spirit
they
found
on
their
hearts
from
his
Ministerial
Labours
that
day
;
to
which
they
answered
,
That
they
hoped
the
Lord
would
make
it
effectual
to
them
.
On
the
Munday
likewise
,
Mr.
Ordinary
visited
them
,
and
on
the
Tuesday
they
being
called
together
into
the
great
Hall
,
he
and
two
other
Ministers
came
to
exhort
and
pray
with
them
,
in
order
to
fit
and
prepare
them
for
their
great
and
dreadful
change
.
At
first
,
many
of
them
appeared
very
earnest
to
have
the
Sacrament
of
the
Lords
Supper
Administred
to
them
:
whereupon
,
Mr.
Ordinary
,
and
another
able
Minister
,
opening
the
nature
of
that
Ordinance
,
their
unpreparedness
,
scandalousness
,
&c.
used
most
effectual
Arguments
why
it
was
neither
necessary
or
convenient
for
them
,
under
their
circumstances
;
yet
withal
,
declaring
their
tenderness
in
no
wise
to
debar
them
of
any
thing
that
might
be
necessary
or
expedient
for
their
Salvation
:
so
that
after
above
half
an
hours
pains
,
the
Prisoners
in
general
declared
,
that
they
were
satisfied
,
and
did
not
desire
i●
.
After
satisfaction
given
in
that
particular
,
a
very
worthy
Minister
gave
them
serious
advice
for
their
Souls
Eternal
Happiness
,
and
prayed
very
earnestly
for
them
;
which
being
performed
,
Mr.
ordinary
,
(
as
his
usual
manner
is
)
did
earnestly
desire
of
them
,
to
consider
of
the
great
concerns
of
their
Everlasting
Condition
;
in
order
whereunto
,
he
required
a
particular
account
from
every
one
of
them
,
what
hope
they
had
,
(
after
all
Counsels
and
Prayers
)
of
their
future
happy
estate
:
whereunto
every
one
gave
a
particulr
account
thereof
,
most
of
them
confessing
and
bewailing
their
precedent
Ill
course
of
life
,
which
might
provoke
the
Lord
to
leave
them
to
themselves
,
to
fall
into
those
Crimes
for
which
they
were
justly
Condemned
:
Some
in
particular
confessing
their
Profanation
of
the
Lords
day
,
Disobedience
to
Parents
,
Drunkenness
,
mixing
with
bid
Company
;
the
sin
of
Swearing
,
and
other
Vices
of
the
Tongue
.
One
acknowledged
,
that
he
had
for
two
years
last
past
;
prayed
earnestly
to
the
Lord
,
to
be
preserved
from
the
Temprations
of
his
loose
Companions
;
but
not
setting
a
sufficient
watch
over
his
own
heart
,
he
was
not
fortified
against
the
aforesaid
Temptations
.
Another
declared
,
that
being
in
great
wants
,
and
having
Overtures
made
of
supplying
him
by
invading
the
Proprieties
of
other
men
,
he
was
over-perswaded
to
joyn
with
them
in
such
an
Attempt
.
Mr.
Ordinary
,
after
all
these
Confessions
,
earnestly
pressed
them
to
search
into
their
hearts
,
which
were
naturally
so
deceitful
,
that
they
might
not
presume
upon
a
false
Faith
and
Repentance
;
and
then
another
Minister
concluded
for
that
time
with
Prayer
.
On
Wednesday
morning
about
eight
a
clock
,
RoBert
Freeman
was
drawn
on
a
Sledge
(
as
is
usual
in
cases
of
Petty
Treason
)
to
Little
Britain
,
where
just
by
the
Grate
was
a
Gibbet
erected
:
He
passed
with
a
solid
composed
countenance
,
Reading
all
the
way
;
and
being
brought
thither
,
persisted
in
denying
the
Fact
,
with
several
solemn
expressions
,
too
tedious
to
be
here
related
:
he
repeated
the
Lords
Prayer
with
much
appearance
of
zeal
,
as
likewise
the
Creed
,
declaring
it
to
be
the
Articles
of
his
Souls
belief
.
Mr.
Ordinary
prayed
with
Him
very
affectionately
,
and
also
he
prayed
himself
in
good
words
:
he
desired
all
young
Men
to
beware
of
Ill
Company
,
and
private
sins
,
lest
God
should
give
them
up
to
the
like
disastrous
end
:
he
expressed
largely
the
love
he
had
to
his
Master
,
and
that
he
was
not
privy
to
,
or
conscious
of
any
others
that
might
be
concerned
in
his
Murther
;
but
that
for
his
own
part
,
he
freely
forgave
all
the
World
,
what
ever
thoughts
it
might
have
of
him
when
he
was
dead
;
for
he
trusted
he
had
made
his
peace
with
God
:
and
so
was
Executed
,
most
people
with
sorrow
admiring
at
,
and
pitying
his
obstinacy
;
for
so
we
cannot
but
call
his
denyal
,
after
such
convincing
Evidence
.
Nor
want
there
Examples
heretofore
of
the
like
resoluteness
under
the
greatest
Guilt
,
in
Malefactors
that
out
of
hopes
of
Pardon
at
last
,
or
vain-glory
to
dye
pittied
,
have
stifled
their
Conscieces
,
and
died
with
a
denial
of
the
Facts
,
which
even
before
they
confessed
to
Mr.
Ordinary
.
But
we
dare
not
censure
in
so
abstruse
a
matter
;
himself-could
not
deny
,
but
the
Witnesses
,
Court
,
and
Jury
,
had
proceeded
fairly
:
for
Men
can
but
act
as
things
appear
;
therefore
we
leave
him
to
the
judgment
of
that
most
just
and
all-seeing
God
,
who
righteously
judgeth
all
the
Earth
.
The
same
forenoon
,
in
four
Carts
were
the
other
Eleven
conveyed
to
Tyburn
,
who
when
they
were
all
tyed
up
to
the
Beam
,
declared
to
Mr.
Ordinary
,
and
another
Minister
,
those
particular
sins
,
which
they
did
shame
themselves
for
,
as
the
just
provocation
of
God
,
why
he
suffered
them
to
fall
into
those
foul
Crimes
,
for
which
they
now
dyed
.
One
of
the
five
for
the
Burglary
in
Hatton
Garden
,
delivered
a
paper
of
his
Confession
,
under
his
own
hand
,
which
he
desired
might
be
published
,
as
some
evidence
of
his
sorrow
and
Repentance
to
the
World
,
the
words
of
which
are
as
follows
.
The
first
eminent
sin
which
I
can
remember
,
was
the
Breach
of
the
Sabbath
;
then
I
proceeded
to
keep
Company
,
where
I
learned
to
Curse
and
Swear
,
and
Prophane
Gods
Holy
Name
;
Lying
and
Adultery
,
Drunkenness
,
and
Disobedience
to
my
Mother
,
who
sought
by
good
Counsel
to
reclaim
me
;
which
is
the
just
canse
my
days
are
shortned
in
this
World
.
I
have
been
guilty
of
a
great
many
Robberies
on
the
High-way
,
and
others
besides
this
I
am
so
justly
Condemned
for
.
Another
of
the
Five
confessed
,
that
he
was
guilty
of
all
manner
of
sin
,
(
that
of
actual
Murder
and
Treason
excepted
)
and
was
much
humbled
for
the
same
,
especially
for
his
execrable
Oaths
and
Curses
,
which
had
been
the
customary
Parenthesis
of
his
discourses
.
They
all
acknowledged
,
that
the
hand
of
the
Lord
had
righteously
brought
their
Iniquities
to
light
,
and
themselves
to
shame
;
they
had
deserved
to
be
eternally
rejected
,
for
several
other
notorious
unknown
Impieties
,
but
they
hoped
for
the
pardon
of
them
,
by
the
Merits
of
Christ
,
upon
their
Repentance
,
which
is
in
charity
apprehended
to
have
been
sincere
:
they
all
prayed
for
themselves
,
and
some
very
pathetically
,
and
beyond
expectation
.
They
desired
Mr.
Ordinary
in
their
words
,
which
would
not
be
heard
so
well
in
their
own
pronunciation
,
by
reason
of
the
Multitude
of
Spectatours
,
that
he
would
warn
all
present
,
by
their
calamitous
end
,
to
take
heed
of
all
fin
.
The
Woman
in
the
Morning
,
on
some
temptation
,
disown'd
that
she
was
guilty
of
the
Burglary
for
which
she
suffered
;
but
at
the
place
of
Execution
freely
Confessed
it
,
and
desired
pardon
of
God
for
that
Lye
in
particular
.
It
was
a
sad
and
most
affecting
Spectacle
,
to
see
so
many
persons
at
once
,
hastning
themselves
to
an
ignominious
Death
,
by
the
Impieties
of
their
Lives
:
to
behold
such
a
fight
,
one
would
think
,
might
awaken
all
that
saw
it
,
to
fly
from
such
wicked
Practises
,
to
leave
off
their
debauched
Conversation
and
bad
Company
,
and
seriously
imploring
Mercy
and
forgiveness
for
past
Iniquities
,
strenuously
indeavour
to
redeem
the
time
for
the
future
,
and
lead
their
Lives
in
Sobriety
and
Godliness
;
which
God
of
his
infinite
goodness
grant
.