ARTICLES ministered By His majesty's Commissioners. For Causes ecclesiastical. Presented to the High Court of Parliament against John Gwin, Vicar of Cople in the County of Bedford. Wherein is discovered his lascivious wenching, drunkenness, and wanton life, and most vild, and unbecoming courses, most unfit for his Function.  
Hush, Hush,  
Cuckoo.  
Gwin, guin,  
London Printed for V. V. 1641.   

ARTICLES ministered by his majesty's Commissioners, for causes ecclesiastical: presented to the High Court of Parliament, against John Gwin, Vicar of Cople, in the County of Bedford.  
1. THat the said John Gwin hath been, and is a common frequenter of Alehouses, Taverns, and other tippling houses, and a man given to immoderate, and excessive drinking, and hath been divers times so distempered, and overcome therewith, that he hath been scarce able to stand or go, but like a drunkard, hath reeled up and down, and having necklected his study in Divinity; hath spent his time in carousing and drinking Ale, beer and Tobacco the most part of the wecke in tippling houses, and upon the Lord's day hath there sat until 10.11.12. or a clock at night.  
2 That the said John Gwin is much given to quarrelling, and brawling, especially at the alehouse, and in such quarrelling hath hurt his own brother, Henry Gwin; with his weapon.  
3. That he hath committed the hanous crime of Adultery with the wife of Robert Purser, and had the carnal use of her body.  
And he hath divers times gloried and boasted of such his wickedness, and incontinency with the said Pursers wife, and hath reported it to divers persons, that he hath had the carnal use of her body in the said Pursers Hall, where her husband himself sat by the fire side in the kitchen, or to that effect.  
4 upon the Lord's Day in the morning, the said John Gwin went from his own house, to the Parish of Wootten, to one Fowcks his house: where he continued in company with the said Foowcks his wife's sister, the most part of the said day, and did not go to Church at all that day:  
And he then, and there, and at other times also, had the carnal use of her body, and did commit Adultery with her.  
And he hath in a glorying manner boasted divers times, that he hath lain with her, and that he had given her all the money that he sold his corn for, which grew in Brooks field, or to that effect.  
5. Upon the fair day held at Bedford, he the said John Gwin, being at one Peries house, and there espying Mary, and Dorathy the daughters of John Davy standing in the street, did send for them, to come to him, and he did drink with them 4. s. or 5. s. in wine, and having so done, he took occasion to send away the said Mary and all other company, save only the said Dorothy and then, and there, not having the fear of God before his eyes, he did commit the heinous crime of Adultery incontinently with her, the said Dorothy Davis, in the said Petties house, and immediately after the said Mary came back again into the room to him, and then he took occasion to send away the said Dorothy, and all other, save only the said Mary, and then, & there he did attempt the chastity of the said marrow, and pulled up her clothes, and offered to commit the heinous Crime of Adultery, incontinently with her, and forced her to cry out for help.  
And he hath divers times boasted in a glorying manner, that he hath lain with the said Dorathy the time aforesaid, and that he attempted to have lain with the said Mary, and to be nought with her, but that he could not enter her body.  
And that the said Mary cried out and said, ah master, what will you do, will you undo me: or to that effect.  
6. One of good quality came to his house in a morning; (his wife and he being then in bed together) and the said Gentleman being come into his chamber, desiring him to arise, and go with him a little way, than the said John Gwin made answer that he must stay a little for him, for I must have a bout with my wife quoth he, meaning he would first have the use of her body. Then and there in the presence of that person the said John Gwin did in a shameless & in an impudent manner get up upon his wife, & had the carnal use of her body in the presence of the said person, who was a gentleman of good quality, and ashamed thereat; and he hath divers times since (in a glorying manner) boastingly reported, that he then lay with, and had the carnal use of his wife's body.  
7 He hath so heinously committed the heinous crime of adultery with divers women, that he got the loathsome Disease of the French Pox, or at least, the running of the reins, which he hath divers times confessed that he got with lying by a whore at Bedford: but he said, that he would tell his wife, he got it some other way.  
8 He hath endeavoured to be a Bawd to his own wife, and hath given way, that a gentleman of his acquaintance should lie with his wife, and have the carnal use of her body. And upon a morning he put on a red coat, & a cullered hat belonging to a gentleman, and went with the same upon him a good distance from his own house; and at one John Braces in Cople aforesaid, cocked his hat, and asked the said Brace how he liked him in that habit: and he said to him that he had left the gentleman (whose clothes he had then on) at home in bed with his wife, and that his wife was giving him a posset (meaning thereby that she was committing the act of Adultery with him.)  
9 That the said John Gwin, together with one John Patman being the house of one Brace in Cople aforesaid sitting by the fire side, and hoving their drink about them, did sing lascivious prhfaine, and drunken catches; and after in a profaine manner did sing the Lateny or part thereof with a loud voice: beginning, O God the Father of Heaven, have mercy upon us miserable sinners. &c.  
And so went on his companion Patman, answering every versicle, as the clerk useth to do in the church: after that, he sung other profane, & idle caths, to the scandal of the profession of his calling, and the evil example of others.  
10 That the said John Gwin did write foolish scorrilous lines against authority, and went forth of the church, whilst the people was in singing of a psalm, to the whipping post, and there fixed the said verses to the said whipping post.  
11. He hath divers, and sundry times, both publicly, and privately, and in his Sermons, and elsewhere, without any just cause, inveyed, and railed against divers of his Parishioners.  
12 He hath changed and altered, both the Form and sense of the psalms, at divers times, when he hath read them to the people to sing, turning them to his own purpose, at his own pleasure.  
13 That all, and singular, the premises mentioned in the precedent Articles, were, and are true, public, and notorious: and thereupon, there hath been, & is, a public voice, fame, and Report, both in the Parish of Cople aforesaid, and other Parishes & places, thereunto near adjoining, and that by reason of the premises; and especially, of his wicked, deboyst, lascivious, and incontinent course of life▪ he hath been, and is a shame, and scandal to the Ministry, and to his profession and calling. And so generally accounted, reputed, and taken to be,  
FINIS.