STAC 5/S52/38r

From Waalt

Les reportes del cases in Camera Stellata, 1593 to 1609 from the original ms. of John Hawarde edited by William Paley Baildon Published 1894 Page 16-19

The nexte daye, being Friday, 4 Jul. 95, present Lo. Keeper, Sir Jo. Puck[ering], Lo. Tresorer, S Wm Cecill, Erle of Essexe, Deuereux, Lo. Admirall, Lo. Howarde, Sir Robert Cecill, Sir John Wollye, Sir John. Fortescue, Lo. Ch. Justice Popham, Larchevesque de Canterb. Whitgift.

Then Phillipes proceeded to the bill wherein the Erle of Shrew[sbury] was plaintiff and Edward Talbot, his brother, defendant & one Whitington. The matter the bill conteyned was the purpose of Edward Talbot, by the practise of Wood, the defendant in the former bille, to have poysened the Erie, firste by gloves, & after by pocion or plaister; which the erle did assaye to prove by no dyrecte wytnesses but Wood, who was not allowed, but taken as infamous, and by circumstances, at the firste seeming some [Page 17] what probable, but plainely aunsweared by the defendante. First, that Talbot showld insinuate into Woods acquaintance by sending for him to Uckfeilde in Sussexe, where he dwelte, and sending divers messages unto him, by using his secrete advise in many thinges, by often secrete conferences, by commending his skill and science in poysons, to poyson by smelles paulatim, and by presente dispache, a moste daungerous science, by having conference of the state of the Erles bodye, by mooving the procurement of an anuitie for Wood to lyve amongste them, & by gyving him 4 spurre ryalles in a purse, etc. All these & more of the like nature were very learnedlye & forceably mooved by the earles councell, but all by probability, conjectures and presumptions; all which were aunsweared with greate learning, greater advise & delyberacion, and with the greateste probability & presumptions that mighte be, and so conceaved & censured per totam curiam. The particuler aunsweares to these and all other the objections mooved by the erles Counsell, I woulde, withoute presumption, particularise and abbreviate in writinge, thoughe not with the like learninge in any degree as they were forceably and effectuallye opened to the Courte; but I thinke in so doinge I should loose my selfe, the grownde is to large to write throughe; for the openinge, aunswearinge & censuring of this one Cawse forced the Lordes to sitte from 9 a clocke in the morninge unto 6 a clocke at nighte, & never mooved. The erles counsell endeavoured likewyse to discredite the defendante for his religion, his haughtines of minde, his prodigalitye, &c.; to proove which they mooved that the defendant showld spende 10,000 marks since the deathe of his Father, being not above three yeres sythence; his religion, for defendinge one John Baldwin (a witnes produced one Woods behalfe) who questioned whether there were a god; if there were, howe he showld be knowne: if by his worde, who wrote the same; if the prophetes & the Apostles, they were but men, et humanum est errare; & such like most damnable doubtes, & not suffered to be reade in the hearinge of this Courte [Page 18] his haughtines of minde, that he showld saye to Wood, it was brave to be an Earle, & no estate sure but an Earles, & that he could furnishe that place well, & when he trayvayled into France & Italye he was toulde he was borne to be an Earle & such like; but not any one woorde hereof was proved, but wysely aunsweared by the defendantes Councell; & so conceaved per curiam. Then the erle opened that the defendant showld practise & agree with Sir Edwarde Stapleton for the effecting of this poyseninge, & that he showld suborne a man of his, one of his name, to buye the gloves, & that Sir Edward Stapleton showld be a meete man so to do, for that he had in former time suborned wytnesses in this Courte; & this pointe the Courte seemed dubious a longe time, for that Wood had procured the Erie to produce wytnesses to prove this to be the man that had boughte the gloves: insomuche that the Cowrte was forced to sende for the millener and his man that soulde the gloves, who denied upon the sight of the sayd Stapleton that he cowld be the man. All which Woode hearinge, sayd that in his Conscience he thoughte he was not the man. So the palpable asse Woode was herein condemned (after long doubtinge,) for a verye villein & of Sathans broode, being called Diabolos for that he is an accuser; for it could not be imagyned that Woode, concealing this practise onely to be assured of good proofe, as he himselfe confessed upon his oathe, but that he would have knowne his name that boughte the gloves with him, & some wytnesse to the seallinge of the deede of the anuitie; of the which he did neyther; but it was gods worke he showld be espyed in time. So the Councell one bothe sydes proceeded very learnedlye, & to the greate admiration of all men, & beyond all expectation. But the Queenes Attornie craved his silence mighte not prejudice the defendaunts cawse, for whom he spake before, being plaintiff in the former bill, for now he could not speake for him, for that Edward Talbot was defendaunt, and for whome he would [Page 19] speake but for his oathe; and he proved Woode to be no schollar for that he wrote false ortography, for " proces," "prossus," whereas every scholler knowethe "proces" to come of procedendo. Issint Woode fait Censure per totam curiam (the erle of Essexe & the archebishope onely excepted, for which they were checkte by Her Majesty afterwards), that he showlde ride from the Fleete to Westminster with his face to the horse taile, & there stand upon the pillorye, & so ride to the Fleete againe; & another daye from thence to Chepeside, to the pillorye there; fined to the Queene 500 li; imprisonmente at Her pleasure; and it was mooved by the Lo. Tresorer that if Woode woulde confesse his faulte & submitte himselfe to Mr Talbot at the assises where Mr Talbot dwelte, then the 500 li to be relleassed; which then he would not doe; but after some longe imprisonmente he confessed that he himselfe was the onely deviser, procurer, acter, & plotter in all this action, for the which he loste bothe his eares upon the pillorye, was slitte in the nose, sealled in the foreheade, & censured to perpetual imprisonmente. Every one of the Privye Counsell at the hearinge beforesayd spake liberallye, learnedlye and exceeding wysely, to the hole cawse and every perticuler thereof, but to sette downe every speciall sentence or specialty mooved, I maye not take upon me to doe, neyther will I trouble my selfe so muche, being an infinite labor. Ideo sic finem facio,


See also STAC Shrewsbury