THE NEW PLOT OF THE PAPISTS: BY WHICH They Designed to have laid the GVILT of their HELLISH CONSPIRACIES AGAINST HIS MAJESTY AND GOVERNMENT, UPON THE Dissenting Protestants.  
DUBLIN, Reprinted, Ann. Dom. MDCLXXIX.   

A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE NEW PLOT.  
CErtainly had not Catiline lived before the Coming of CHRIST, he would have been taken for a Jesuit; so like was he to them in his Conditions, his Tenets, and his Practice. His Conditions were Bloody and Cruel, his Plots against the Magistracy and Government of the whole Nation; and his Doctrine, That there was no way to be safe for them that begin high acts of villainy, but by Attempting greater, How near the Catilines of this Age, whose Plots against his Majesty and His Government have been so lately Discovered, followed the Footsteps of Father Cethegus, and Father Curius, and the rest of that Bloody Gang, every day more and more discovers. Here has been Plot upon Plot, and greater Ills attempted to conceal the shame and Ignominy of former Impieties; Treason so foul and horrid, that Treason itself could not Rest till it had revealed it 3 while Labouring against the Stream of Providence, the Contrivers fall into those Snares themselves, which they were so cunningly Covering to Entrap others.  
The First notice of this last Contrivance was given by Colonel Mansell; So that His Majesty was pleased upon the Twenty seventh of October last; to have a full hearing of the Business in Council: Where the Colonel made his Complaint against one Willoughby alias Dangerfield, alias Thomas, alias Day, who had been about six Weeks ago a Prisoner in Newgate under Conviction for several Notorious Crimes, and was thence discharged by the Solicitation and Expense of one Mrs. Cellier a zealous papist and Mids Wise to the Lady Fowis, and several other Ladies of the Romish Persuasion.  
The Main of the design, as it appeared, was this; That certain person's intending a new Plot, thereby to throw the Old One upon the Protestants began to put their contrivance in Execution, by the Assistance of this most special instrument, Willoughby, who to this effect beginning with Colonel Mansell, lyingin Ax-Yard in Westminster, tock a Lodging in the same House, where having lain but one Night, the very next Day he goes to the Commissioners of the Custom House, and informs them, That at such a House in Axe Yard there lay concealed several parcels of French Lace, and other prohibited Goods; desiring their Warrant withal, and Authority to Search for and Seize the same: Which the Commissioners readily granted, and sent two of their Officers along with him for farther security and Assistance.  
These Persons coming to the said House, declared that they came to search for above a thousand pounds worth of prohibited Goods that say concealed therein. Their Errand very much surprised the Mistress of the House, in regard (that to the best of her knowledge) she had never lodged any that were either Merchants or Traders in Foreign or ot●er commodities whatsoever. Notwithstanding which, the New Lodger and the Officers proceeded to make a diligent search in all places, and coming into the Colonel's Chamber, by Willoughbies particular directions very strictly examined every Corner, but more especially the bed and bedstead, which was removed and carefully searched by the help of a Candle, which the Mistress of the house brought up. After the Officers had made a long search, and could find nothing, they applied themselves to put up the Golonels'  and Goods which had been tumbled and misplaced, intending to departed. But in the Interim, Willoughby who had continued all the while behind the bed, cried out, What? were we all blind? come look what this is. Whereupon the Officers returning to see, what they could not imagine they had seen there before, found a broad large and thick Packquet p●nned to the head Cloth of the bed, which they pulled down & found sealed; but presently broke open & perceived it to be a Packet of Letters: One of which Willoughby suddenly catching up, in a great surprise cried cut, Treason, Treason; these are all traitorous Letters; Thereupon the Officers carried the Letters to the commissioners, and made a full report of all that had happened, which seemed a strange kind of an intrigue to them. The Colonel who was absent all this while; at length comes home, and understanding what had passed, found means to retrieve the said packet; and immediately carried it to his Majesty, with an account of what had befallen him, assuring His Majesty of his own Innocence, and produced such proofs thereof, that he occasioned Willoughby to be committed to Newgate, and an order to be given to the Attorney General for the Drawing up of an Indictment of High Treason against Willoughby  
Upon November 1. 1679 Colonel Mansell further proved by good witnesses, that the forementioned Willoughby had stood twice in the pillory, once at Salisbury; and that in Berkshire he had been whipped at the carts-tail. That he had been Convicted at the Old Bailey in London, for Defacing the King's Arms upon the milled shillings and stamping the Cross Sceptres upon them; after which he Gilt them, and passed them away for Guinies. Some of the Letters which were in the Packet, pretended to be found in the Colonel's Chamber, were written in Characters, all of different Hands, and Contained Treasonable Matters; with the names of a great many worthy Gentlemen, whose untainted Loyalty was thereby to have been rendered obnoxious. This Willoughby appeared at court very splendid in Habit, with a servant in a Livery attending him: And it is said, he was by a great person brought to his Majesty about a month since, and recommended as a person much concerned in a Presbyterian Plot against his Majesty, and Government, of which he would give his Majesty a continual account: And indeed his carriage and confidence was such as might deserve some credit at first, till he appeared so Black, by the discovery of the whole cheat; that the Council declared, That they looked on this master as a Design of the papists to put a stop to the prosecution of the plot, and that they were of opinion that his majesties person was still in danger.  
Upon Saturday, November 1. aforesaid, the Council sat late upon the further Examination of this Willoughby, and the midwife m, cellier, who was by Willoughby charged for holding a correspondence to Assassinate the King and the Lord Shafts bury, naming also several other instruments engaged; among the rest, the Lady Powis. He also further insisted, That the said mrs. Cellier had upbraided him with cowardice, for not stabbing the Lord Shaftsbury which he confessed he had undertaken and resolved to have done; but had not power to Execute, though his hand was twice on his Dagger: and that thereupon she took the Dagger from him, saying, she would do it herself; in order whereunto she made a Visit to his Lordship, upon pretence of business; but was by providence prevented, many other detestable Crimes she was charged with, which were attended with such circumstances of Gild, that the council ordered her from the gatehouse to Newgate.  
One Mr. Rigault, a Virginia Merchant, inhabiting in the City, but a Frenchman born, was also accused for being in confederacy with her, and Examined, and afterwards committed to Newgate, The Earl o● Castlemain (being under Bail on a former accusation) was likewise accused, examined, and Committed to the Tower.  
On Sunday at Four of the clock the Council being again Assembled, Danger field, Mr. Cellier, and Mr. John Gadbury the Astrologer were all Three brought and Examined: Mr. Gadbury was charged as a Confederate with the former; & that he had cast the Nativities of His Majesty, and his Royal Highness, and had from thence drawn Treasonable Conclusions, with divers other Matters of a High Nature for which he was sent to the Gatehouse.  
These Plotters had contrived a Scheme of Government wherein they had placed the Prime of His Majesty's most Faithful Nobility at the Helm of Government, by the old Name of Conservators of the Liberties of England: And so in other Employments and Qualifications such other Worthy persons as were most opposite to their Interest, intending thereby their utter Extirpation, and the Ruin of the Government and Protestant Religion.  
The Papers containing the Model of their Plot was found by Sir William Waller in Mr. Celliers House in the bottom of a Meal-Tub under Meal, where no doubt they thought them safe enough from being seized; but the diligence of Sir William (Providence directing) found them out, to their no small Amazement and Confusion.  
Within a day or two after, Sir William Waller seized in a House near the Arch in Lincolns-Inn Fields leading into Duke-Street, several Habits, Vestments, Crucifixes, Relics, and several other Popish Trinkets, all very rich, and of considerable value; as also divers Trunks and Boxes stuffed full of Books and Papers▪ which, as it is said, belonged to Father Harcourt lately executed, and contain matters of great Importance to the farther discovery of the Plot, and confirmation of the King's Evidence.  
They were discovered by means of a Bricklayer, who was mending the Tiles of the Hous●, and perceiving them to be lodged in that obscure place, said nothing till he had finished his work; but then informed Sir William thereof, who coming with the Bricklayer and some other Assistants, searched the House, but could find no such place; i so much that he began to suspect some fraud in the Bricklayer, which put the Bricklayer in such a rage, that he got upon the House and until'd it. The Tiles were no sooner laid open, but they discovered what they came for, and being got the wrong way into the Room, they soon found the right way out again.  
From that House they leaded a full Cartload of the concealed goods beforementioned, part of which consisted of some hundreds of Books, very well bound in large Octavo, called the difference between Spritu●●'s and Temporals, being the Translation of a Spanish Jevit, by Sir Vivian Molineux, Dedicated to the present Queen's Majesty of England, and Printed in the year 1672. with many I opish Catichisms and School-Books, to corrupt and poison the Youth of the Nation.  
By the Time since these Books were Printed, the vast quantities which have been by Sir William Waller and other gentlemen, already Seized and burnt, by the quantities (which may be certain are still concealed, and by the vast Numbers which we may easily conceive) are already scattered and dispersed into private Hands and Families; we may readily calculate to what a Lofty Stature Popery would have grown in a few years more, by such careful Water of the Tender English Plants as these: if not thus, in every thing, by a Miraculous Providence prevented.  
Books are no less Criminal than men, in regard they intent the same Destruction of the Soul, as the other to the Body: And therefore it is as necessary to bring Books to condign punishment, as any other sort of malefactors whatsoever. These howsoever had the happiness to accompany their Lord and Master Antichrist, the rise and source of all Europe's Calamities, condemned by the people to those Flames to which he had condemned the whole Kingdom. To which purpose, on the Fifth of November last, in the Palace-Yard at Westminster, a great Bonfire was made, which proved the Funeral Pile of all these venomous Seducements of Popery, and several Copes, and other Vestments and Habits, Beads and other Trinkets, belonging, or at least in the custody of Father Harcourt, who had the impudence to avouch his innocency and allegiance, with all this Trumpery and Testimonies of Rebellion, at the same time committed to his keeping.  
Among these baubles was found one piece of great antiquity, and by computation of time almost 800 years old. It was a Cross of Gold, weighing about Four ounces, upon which on the one side was engraven these words, Defendite Gentes-hanc partem Crucis Omnipotentis; in English, Defend O ye Nations this part of the Omnipotent Cross: On the other side were engraven the Arms of Alfred, King of England, who died in the year 901. Besides which Engraveing, it was empailed with divers precious Stones of a considerable value. Within this Cross was another Cross of Ebony, to which the Gold one seemed to serve only for a Case; and as if it had been a little Nest of Serpentine Idolatry, the Ebony Cross was inlaid with another Cross of a quite different Wood, which it is supposed their superstition believed to be a piece of the Cross upon which our Saviour suffered.  
There was also a Gold Ring with a Motto, wrapped up in white Paper, upon which was written The Ring of the Bishop of Glascow, with several other curiosities, which are as yet preserved. The cross was presented by Sir William to His Majesty, who said, he would keep it for its Antiquity.  
Soon after was seized one Mr. Curtis, who is reported to have been formerly a clerk to Sir William Bucknal, one of the Farmers of Excise; after that a servant to mr. Henry Nevil; and lastly to a worthy member of Parliament, from whose service he betook himself to a debauched course of Life; and falling into the acquaintance of Dangerfield, and the rest of that Gang, appears to have been designed for one of the eight witnesses, that were to have sworn in confirmation of this New Mockplot. He was first examined by Mr. Warcup. and sent a Prisoner to the Gatehouse, and afterwards was sent for before the Council, where doubtless he confessed something of Importance, not yet fit to be made public; whereby he obtained the favour of Bail, which was granted him accordingly.  
As for the Lady P. it is said she has confessed all she has been charged with, save only that she was not privy to any Design to murder His most Sacred Majesty. And indeed, that Lady was so brisk at her first Examination as to deny that ever she knew, or had seen Mr. Dangerfield; to which he replied, that she had sufficient Testimony in her own breast to convince her that she knew him; which words he was afterwards forced to explain, no way to the advantage of the Lady.  
One Mr. Bedford, being fallen into the Gang, was designed to have been a Witness with Mr. Dangerfield against Sir Thomas Player, for Treason, which Dangerfield had ready drawn up (as if spoken by Sir Thomas) in the nature of an affidavit for him to set his Hand to. All Dangerfield put him to before, went down well, till this writing appeared, at which he boggld. And this being put to him in the very interim of Colonel Mansell's discovery of the cheat, Bedford fairly came in and confessed all he was privy to, which being backed with several Evidences more against Dangerfield, was the first, occasion of his Commitment: who though at first, as all Ma●●actors do, he thought to have blinded the Eye of Justice by a brazenfaced denial, yet such has been his discovery since, and so well attended ●ith circumstances, and credible evidence, besides something considera●●e of matter of Fact also, that His Majesty and Council have thought ●●t to grant him his pardon, as they have done to one Mr. Sergeant, a Secular Priest, lately come from Holland with Mr. Sidney His Majesty's Ambassador our to that State, who has given His Majesty an account of the proceed of the Papists abroad, in order to the accomplishing their designs against His Person and Government at home, which God of his infinite mercy preserve.  
Thus we may observe a Counterplot carried on by the same party, that is to say, the Jesuits and their accomplices; designed to cover their own dishonourable Gild, by accusing the Innocent, and endeavouring to incense His Majesty against his own Subjects, in hopes thereby to disable and enervate the strength of his Kingdom; managed with a malice suitable to the Crimson cogitations of Rome, but with such a precipitation, as hath utterly defiled the Fame of Jesuitical Craft, and shown them rather actuated by the violent Springs and Resorts of Necessity and Revenge, then by the regular rules of Knavery: or rather enforced by providence to farther confusion, and hastily driven forward with such a choice of Instruments, that must for ever Obliterate the Scandals of those infamous Libels which have endeavoured to invalidate the King's Evidence by the Glamorous reproaches of poverty and perjury, who were themselves so impiously contriving to blow up the Loyalty, integrity and innocence of so many persons of indelable worth and Honour, and with them he Reputation of so considerable a part of the People with a con●ineed series of the perjuries and false Testimonies of debauchery & impiety: as if St. Omers College were at such a low ●bb, that it must beholding to our College of Newgate, for dexterity of Execution in the Canon● of Popish Contrivances.  
FINIS.