A true REPORT Of the most gracious and merciful message of hir most excellent majesty, sent by the right honourable Sir Christopher Hatton Knight, Vizchamberlaine, & one of hir Highnesse most honourable privy counsel, to the place where THOMAS APPELTREE should haue suffered for his most Traitorlike action:  
With such other discourse as it pleased him to use vpon the matter at the same time: wherein nothing is added, but his onely speech verbatim, as my weak memory would serve me to do it.  

CHARITAS.   
Printed at London, by Henry Bynneman. Anno. M. D. LXXIX. julij. XXIIII.   

MAster carry, Hir most excellent majesty is pleased to send me to deliver hir commandement to you touching this man now here presently to die. And first, I think it not out of purpose, to notify his offence to these good people, tendency he is not only favourably this punishment: but in iudgement of foreign nations, and by censure offorraine laws, should bee delivered to the tormentors, to endure such torture, as the quality of his offence in so high a case by good policy should condignlie deserve.  
And to speak of this fact, such it was, and so fearful, as my heart quaketh, and my eyes can not refrain tears to repeat it again amongst you.( God for his mercies sake shield, and defend hir most excellent majesty, that most mightily hath digested the notable danger.) And so I will tell you of this tragedy in course as it fel out.  
It liked hir highnesse in respect of the great heat, to take the air of the water, where in grave and waightie negotiation she passed the time in discourse with the French ambassador by the space of an hour or two. In hir return it pleased hir to take diverse pauses, and the rather, by cause she earnestly red a book, wherein it seemed for recreations sake she took some delight. By means whereof( even as it pleased God with his holy hand, as it were, to direct hir safety) she commanded the Bargemen to slack their labour, and slowly to pass on, where if they had hasted but two strokes more, they had brought hir royal person into the shot itself.  
These words were scarcely spoken out by hir majesty, but this caitiue most vnhappilie( I must say most diuellishly) discharged his Arquebuse, strongly charged with bullet, into the Barge where hir majesty was.( God that hath defended hir, God that hath defended hir, thou most mighty God ever vouchsafe to keep hir.) With this below the second man to the bayles of the Barge, within six foot of hir royal person, was strike down from his seat, and wounded through both his arms, which hir majesty beheld, & kingly handled this cause, as even strait I will tel you.  
My lords of hir majesties counsel dispersed abroad in their affairs, hearing of this most perilous accident, returned to Court, with such speed as the waighte of such a cause might move them to do, and there with fearful and loving applausure toward hir majesty, did most holily thank our God for his singular help in the preservation of our most dear and righteous sovereign.  
That done according, with their loues, and duties of service to God, hir majesty & this whole estate: after deliberate, and most grave consolation of the cause, they al most humbly on their knees besought the queen that this slave might suffer, not this death, but ten thousand deaths( if so it were possible in nature to do) for his so rash & fearful offence. Such, in deed, might the offence haue been, which God for his mercies sake hath most fauourablye forbidden, that it might haue roughte up to heaven, and should most miserable not only plagued this hir own land, but all the true servants of God dispersed through christendom, our Religion, & true faith in Iesus Christ, which we enjoy with vnspekeable comfort of free conscience, might hereby haue suffered confusion, and persecution of blood, and vengeance amongst vs. Our peace, and secure estates increased with exceeding welthes, and nourished with most sweet quietness of life by this hir most happy government, and reign of sovereignty yeares, might hereby haue been turned to bloody wars, the fruits whereof is burning and spoiling of houses and goods, ravishing and destroying of our behooves and children. And what vengeance soever the world can bring forth, the same should haue fallen on us, I say on us, then the most miserable men in the world. And therfore hear me I pray you. Let us acknowledge before God with all humble thankfulness these unspeakable benefits, which we haue enjoyed, and still shal do, while God upholdeth hir blessed life, and state amongst vs. The loss, and lack of whom, can not but bring on us all these calamities, and ten thousand more, which I can not foresee. If then by these, and all other benefits, which you possess, feel, and taste of, you find how inestimable, and precious a iewell this our dear sovereign is for us, and amongst us, what plague, torment, or punishment, could suffice you for reuenge on him, that by any means should deprive you of such heavenly, and thirdly felicities, as daily by hir holy hand are ministered amongst you? But I will meddle no further with these matters. I know you thank god for them, and with true and faithful obedient hartes will ever serve hir most excellent majesty, whom he hath made his minister to distribute all these blessings into your bosoms.  
And now, if it please you, you may with marvel hear the message I come of. I bring mercy to this man, the gracious pardon of our most dear sovereign, who with hyr merciful eye, beholding the clearness of this mans hart, free from evil thought, and consequently from prepension of any malicious fact against hir person, vouchsafeth to pull him from the Gallows. A notable action of compassion proceeding from a heavenly mind, and so far different from the common nature of man, forced into a fearful iealousy of loss of life, as hath never been red nor heard of.  
If casually a man suffer hurt in the fields by an arrowe shot by chance at roving marks, how reuengefully the party offended will followe his process of felony, I haue oft seen, and the law doth well allow it. If in the Court the meanest serving man strike his felow with his fist so that he bleed, he is to loose the same hand. many other examples may be given you, both touching the casualty in this mans fact, and touching the place, and presence, wherein it chanced to be done.  
But our queen looketh neither on hyr prerogative, on the power of hir laws, nor on the peril of hir person, but with the nobility of hir heart, the danger onely done to herself, doth as you hear, freely pardon it.  
And in the sacred worde of hir kingly estate I protest it unto you, she hath firmly auowed that she had rather haue suffered the demigods the Bargeman now hath, ten fold, than the meanest of us al, or of any subiects, should suffer the slander of so tyrannous or traitorous a fact, yea, or of the prepension, or forethoughte of so horrible a treason towarde hir, though it were in fact never executed.  
Wherein to all our singular comforts, it pleased hir with most princely affection & earnestness, graciously to affirm, that never Prince had better, nor more kind true Subiectes. God for his mercy direct us, ever to be so, and with our due gratefulness to sacrifice at hir kingly feet our blood and lives for hir service sake, when occasion shal call us thereto.  
One other thing I find hir majesty troubled with, that is, the sorow this noble young Gentleman, M. henry carry hath suffered in continual grief of his hart for the offence of his man, who through the vain jealousy of some evil disposed persons, hath lykewise born some slander of the cause. But it sufficeth to clear him, that no intent of malice, nor forethought of this fact, is found in the party himself. His conversation besides with exceeding faith and diligence in hir highnesse service, will ever deliver him, as a most acceptable Gentleman free from this and all other evil in the sight of hir majesty and all the worlde: I shall not need therfore to speak of him, for his cause needeth none excuse.  
Here may you behold the rare goodness of our great and gracious mistress, full of Religion & piety, Iustice and mercy, Temperance and magnanimity( and that I cannot but tell you) of the most constant and noble courage that ever lived: the proof whereof( the cause hard, wherat I was present) I leave to your judgements.  
Hir majesty taking prospecte out of the bales of hir Barge, at the very instant did see the man strooken, and beheld his fall, and heard, as it were, his deadly scritche, whom she immediately commanded to bee taken up, and then beholding him all imbrued with blood, commanded his woundes to be lapped up with a scarffe of hir own, and so with hir most constant and amiable countenance, continued hir entertainment of the ambassador, as though there had been no such matter. Afterwardes the man began to faint, hir highnesse then commanded a cloak to be put on his body, with other such necessary reliefs as were there presentely to be had, without alteration of countenance.  
behold this kingly heart, and courage of rare magnanimity, seing, as it were, the present death of the next to hir, neither feared hir own life, nor was dismayed with this treasonable chance. An action more than marvelous in hir sex. Hereof how much we may rejoice, I want wit to tell you. But in one worde, hir highnesse, that with hir singular wisdom and policy hath preserved hir Empire these sovereignty yeares in most joyful peace, with this courage and magnanimity will( no doubt) as mightily defend us in the most cruel wars. God therefore ever bliss hir, and let us with our hands stretched up to heaven, and our eyes fixed on the seat of God, pray for hir long life, and most prosperous reign over vs. THOMAS APPELTREE receive thy life from hir most excellent majesty, and pray unto God vpon thy knees for hir all thy dayes to come. &c.  
And so the people being moved to prayer for hir majesties most happy escape, and for the blessing of God to lengthen hir dayes for many and many yeares, he fell down on his knees with great devotion amongst them, and so departed with exceeding ioy to the people, and a thousand blessings on himself.