AN ACCOUNT of, (Together with) The Writing itself That was found in the Pocket of LAURENCE HILL, At the time He and GREEN were Executed, (Friday the 21st. of February, 1678/9.) FOR THE MURDER OF S r. EDMONDBERRY GODFREY K t.  
'tIs very fit the World should have some Account of what was said at the Execution of these men, and how they came to say what they did.  
Their Confession (as 'tis called) was a Denial of the Fact, which was Penned and prepared in a very Formal manner, and taken out of the Pocket of Hill, who had neither Pen, Ink nor Paper, all the while he was in Newgate; Yet after he was dead, Captain Richardson the Master of Newgate, saw the Executioner take it out of his Pocket;  
Which is Verbatim as follows.  

I Now come to the Fatal place where I must end my Life, and I hope with that Courage that may become my Innocence: I must now appear before the great Judge, who knows all things and judges rightly; and I hope it will be happy for me a sinner, that I am thus wrongfully put to death. I call God, Angels and Men to witness, that I am wholly ignorant of the Manner, Cause or Time of the death of Justice Godfrey, although on that account by the malice of wicked men brought to this shameful death, which I hope will give me a speedy passage to Eternal Life. In this hope I die cheerfully, because of my Innocence, and the benefit of the precious wounds of my blessed Saviour, by whose Merits I hope for Salvation. I die a Roman Catholic, desiring all such to Pray for me: And I beseech God in his Justice to Discover this horrid Murder, with the Contrivers thereof, that my Innocence may appear: And though from my heart I forgive my Accusers, yet I Cyte all such as have had a hand in this Bloody Contrivance, before the great Tribunal of God's Justice, to answer for the wrong they have done the Innocent; and particularly the Lord Chief Justice, and the Brothers of Sir Edmond Godfrey, with Jury, Witnesses, and all their partakers. Oh Lord bless and preserve His Majesty, and be merciful to this poor Nation, and lay not Innocent Blood to its Charge: So I bid you all Farewell in Jesus Christ, into whose hands I commend my Spirit.   
This Paper was shown to Hills Wife; and she being demanded whether it was her Husband's Handwriting; affirmed it was not: And being further asked whether she conveyed it to him, she protested she knew not how he came by it, and declared that she never saw it before.  
Of this Lesson Hill repeated as much as (in such an ill time for cunning) he could remember; wherein these particulars are very observable.  
First, That these words were not the Prisoners own words, but prepared by another for him to say.  
And that in a matter which required only plain Truth, but not Art, and so the Writers skill was needless.  
For all that the Prisoner could instruct the Penner in, must be, that he was not guilty of the Fact; which certainly would have been much more Credible out of his Mouth from his Heart, than out of this Paper from his Memory.  
But the Obedience of the dying Proselyte, and the Charity of the Instructing Priest, (for such without question is the Indicter,) is very remarkable.  
For no man certainly in Articulo Mortis would have troubled his mind with a parcel of formal words, if the Awe of the Priest had not been prevalent, even above his considerations for a future state.  
But above all, The exemplary Charity of the Holy Father is not to be forgotten; who after he has made his dying Penitent say that from his heart he did forgive his Accusers; yet in his very next breath (which was almost his last too) he makes him city both Judge, Jury and Witnesses, with all their partakers, before the great Tribunal of God's Justice, to answer for the wrong they have done him  
Which (besides the incoherent Nonsense) contains in it, First the very Spirit of a Romish Priest. Then it manifests what regard they have to the Souls of their dying Disciples, to make them call for Vengeance, when they should forgive: And it shows the direct equivocation of a Priest too, who when he says from his heart he forgives, Yet hopes God will not; Else why does he Cyte them before the Dreadful Tribunal, to answer the Wrong they have done? And when the Prisoner was to say this at his Death, I would fain have any Man tell me, why he might not as well at his last hour deny the Truth, as depart from Charity, if his Priest requires it?  
I commend the Priest for his Care of their Church, in that the World should know he died a Roman Catholic, but not so much for his care of the Man, When he would not let him desire the Prayers of any but Papists.  
Let any unprejudiced person consider well what is naturally to be collected from this Paper, and he will easily judge, without breach of Charity, upon what grounds Men of that Persuasion are first seduced to commit a Sin, and then obstinately to deny it to the last.   

LONDON, Printed for Robert Pawlet at the Sign of the Bible in Chancery-Lane near Fleetstreet. MDCLXXIX.