the latter end of October, or the be^nning
of Norember, in ihe year 1682, be went
Iriih a message from Lord Shaftsbury to
tiie itt)uae of Sheppard ; that he there found
the Duke of Monmouth, Lord RusseU,
Lord Grey, Sir Thomas Armstrong, Fergu-
son and Sheppard met tt^ether ; they were
just going away, when he entered. The
message was, to enquire what issue they had



2SS THE TRIAL OF

come to about the rising, and to press them
to it ; for they must either come to a resolu-
tion to rise, or must let it falL On receiving
this message, they told him, that they were
disappointed by Trenchard. When the party
were going away, Sheppard was called for by
his man, and went down stairs, and brought
up the prisoner, saying Mr. Alderman Cornish
was come. The prisoner, on entering the
room, made his excuses for not coming sooner,
and for not being able to stay with thaou
He said, the reason of his not being able to
stay was, that they were to meet that night
about their charter. Upon this, Ferguson drew
out a paper from his bosom ; they told the
prisoner, that it had been read, and desired to
read it to him ; Ferguson accordingly read it,
while Sheppard held the candle. After it had
been read, they asked him, how he liked it \
and he answered, that he liked it very welL
The first part of the paper complained of the
misgovernment of the late King ; and, said
the witness, there were two points, for which
they declared, which I remember very well ;
the one was liberty of conscience ; the other
was, that all, who would assist in that insurrec-
tion, should have restored to them any lands
of the Church, or of the Cr own, which they



COENISH.
