depiction of a hanged man   

GOD'S Justice against Murder, OR The Bloody Apprentice Executed.  
Being an Exact and true Relation of a Bloody Murder committed by one Thomas Savage an Apprentice to a Vintner at the ship Tavern in Ratliffe upon the Maid of the House his fellow Servant, being deluded thereunto by the instigations of a Whore. How and in what sort he performed the same, how he Robbed his Master, and was pursued and taken by Hue and Cry at Coome Farm betwixt Greenwich and Woolwick, Sent to Newgate, afterwards Arraigned and Cast at Justice Hall in the Old Bailie, condemned to be hanged over against the place where be committed the fact, and b●ing once hanged and cut down afterwards reviving again, was the second tim● hanged till he was dead, on Wednesday October 28. 1668.  Exod. 21. v. 12. 
He that smiteth a man so that he die shall surely be put to death.  
London, Printed for John Clerk at the Harp and Bible in West Smithfield.   

God's Justice against Murder.  
OF all crimes committed by Mortals here on earth, there is none which cries to heaven for louder vengeance than that sin of wilful Murder, when men play the Beasts and in humanly gore each other to death, making the world a shambles for humane slaughters, by desacing God's Image in others, murdering their own souls, the Ushers to which sin is commonly covetousness, and whoredom, Covetousness, faith St. Paul, is the root of all evil, and a Whore saith Solomen, will hunt for the precious life of a man, for those who prostitute their be●tes to all comers, will not fear to prostitute their souls to all vices, & thus covetousness provokes whoredom, & whoredom causes Murder to be committed, one sin deawing another as it were with Cart-Ropes, when the final conclusion is the destruction both of body purse and reputation, and (if God be not the more merciful) the eternal punishment of body and soul in hellfire.  
Youthful extravagancies have commonly had consequences, and more perish by too much indulgence, than too much severity, men abusing their liberty, so that where discipline is neglected, all vices flow in which a monstrous impetuosity.  
That which we shall now relate is a sad example for the evidencing of these tenths, in the person of one Thomas Savage, a Vintner's man, at the sign of the Ship at Rateliff-Cross, in the Parish of Stepacy, near London, who by the instigation of a Whore, blinded with lust, was wrought upon to Murder his fellow-servant, who indeavou●●d to hinder him in the Robbing of his Ma●●er, the story whereof followeth.  
This Thomas Savage was born of honest Parentage, his Father dying when he was young his Mother married again, to one who proved a loving stepfather to the Son as a careful Husband to the Mother, and both of them by their care and cost endeavouring to have their son well educated, which they expressed in bringing him up to Schooling whereby he might be fit and the more capable of a Trade; which afterwards (coming to more maturer years) they bestowed upon him, placing him with one Mr, Collins a Vintner at the sign of the Ship, at Ratcliff Cross, where he continued with much love and good will of his Master and follow-servants for some space of time, though that was likewise attended with some ●outh●●l extravagancies, for which his Master would much blame him.  
Thus you see here was an endeavour to have had th● … ds of virtue, and good living implanted in his heart, but where grace wanteth, all outward means will fail, Paul may plant and Apollo's water, but it is God alone that 〈◊〉 give the increase, young persons like t … s are flexible, and as war fi … ●●ceive any impression that is put upon th●m 〈…〉 more easily inducible to that which i● had then good, by reason of the depravedness of our nature. He happened to light into some Whore-houses, the nurseries of wickedness, and séed plots of all filthiness, profaneness, and debauchery whatsoever. Sin is chargeable, and many persons ruin their estates out of the love they bear to filthy v●ces, the●… is forced to maintain lust, and so the whore hath it, she cares not by what means or from whom, by such means w●s this young man brought to ruin, for a wh●re seldom leaves a man till she hath brought him either to the Hospital, or the Gallows.  
It so happened that one Sunday morning going with his Master to the Church he gave him the slip, and instead of the house of God, rambles to the sink of sin, the Bawdy-house, ●here he takes his pleasure, his whore is pliant to him, they drink and dally without control, but this full of pleasure causes an ebb of Money, he complains ●o her of the emptyness of his pockets, this was to go to the Devil for counsel and who a better spokes-woman for him then a whore, she tells him he was a fool to have so little, and his Master so much, why should locks and bolts hinder him, a picklock or a Hammer would remedy that, he replies that he was never left at home alone, the Maid was with him, and therefore the b … ness was not sensible, she returns answer knock her on the Head, a sure way to find employment for the Hangman, as be afterwards too sadly felt to his cost.  
Thus we plainly see that a whore is the highway to the Devil, he that looks on her is entering on the Road, he that talks to her mends his pace, and he that enjoys her is at his journeys end. O how many baits and allurements have they to sin, using pa●●…ing to set forth their Corpses of diseases, which having been long in the Chirurgeons hands, is ready to drop in piece● through rottenness, the love that they pretend to bear to men, is worse than the deadliest hatred of men, for where they kiss they kill, their breath is more venomous than a Dragons, their sight more deadly than a Basilisks, and their embraces more dangerous than those of a Serpents.  
But to return where we left, time posting away, calls to the Apprentice to hasten home, which he does, but finds his Master at dinner already, who questions him where he had been so long? the Devil is a ready prompter of lies, he returns him answer that he was at Church, his Master misdoubting the truth of his report, tells him that for his so late staying in the forenoon, he should keep at hour in the afternoon, this was as he would have it, the Maid and he are appointed to stay, the rest are gone to Church, Now he gins to put the Whores instructions in execution, Money he will have though he venture his neck for't.  
And now his chief endeavour is to fall out with the Maid, to effect this he goes to make clean his Masters dirty shoes on the ●ew washed Dresser: this anger's her much and some cross words passes betwixt ●h●m a Hammer lying by he catches it up strikes at her with it and knocks her down, the blood gashing out of the wound abundantly, she crying out be redoubles his blows so long until he had killed her, and then laid a dish clout upon her wound which gushed forth in streams of purple gore.  
Then with the same Hammer he brak open his Master's Cupboard, from whence he takes sixty two pounds, and with it returns to his Whore again: where having spent ten pence he informs her of what he had done. She knowing the danger he had brought himself into, like a right Whore indeed, forsakes him in his greatest extremity and re … es to give him entertainment. Now knows he not what to d●, what course to take, like the first Murderer Cain he must become a Runagate upon the earth, fearful that any one which should find him would apprehend him, he having the brand of a guilty Conscience sticking within him, London was to hot for him, he therefore crosses the water and goes towards Greenwich accompanted only with fear, horror, and guilt of Conscience.  
In the mean time (Sermon being ended) his Master returns home, and finding the doo●s shut knocks and calls, but receives no answer, after much fruitless knocking, the door in forced open, where ent●ing he finds his Maid murdered and himself Robbed; this strikes him into much grief and astonishment, but perceiving some Life in the Maid, they strive to recover her but in vain who only living so long as to detect the the Murderer, (God enabling her so much that such wickedness might be the better found out) ●he then yielded to Fate, and surrendered 〈◊〉 her innocent soul to death.  
Hereupon immediately Hue and Cries are sent out after the Murderer, who commin●●o Greenwich, went t● one charlton's a Waterman's house to drink, laying the Money down by him, where having no● long been, but hearing some whispering of a murder do●e at Stepney, and a Hue and Cry after the murderer, guilt of Conscience and fear so po●ess●s him, that leaving the Money behind him, he quits the Chamber where he was, and b●takes himself to his heels. Weary ●nd dismayed with the guilt he carried about him, a● Coomes Farm betwixt Greenwich and Woolwich he again betakes himself to an Alehouse, where sitting down ●nd calling ●or a pot of Béer, he presently falls fast a sleep, where the Hue and Cry overtook him, from whence he was guarded towards London, and had in examination before Major Manley one of His Majesty's justices of the Peace for the County of Middlesex, where he freely confessed the ●act in manner as is related before unto ●ou, detecting the Whore that enticed him ●n to his destruction, who with her Spider's Web of wickedness had entangled him in her Nets, whereupon he was Committed to Newgate, and a Warrant being also issued out for her, she was taken, examined before a justice, and committed also unto Newgate.  
Thus you see sin goes before, and shame follows after, the danger of keeping had Company, especially Whores, those instruments of the Devil, the bane of youth and Lime-twigs o● wickedness, the centre of all mischiefs, and the Gulfs that devours the lives, estates, and reputations of all that use them.  
At the Session's house in the Old-Bayly October 24. 1668. he had his Trial, where confessing his fact sentence of deat● was passed upon him to be executed again 〈◊〉 the place where he committed the fact. Hannah Blay also who had persuaded him t● this execrable act, by bidding him to knock the Maid on the head, was also condemned to be executed at Tyburn, but pleading tha● she was with child she was for the present reprieved.  
But Thomas Savage the principal in the murder, according to the sentence aforesaid was Wednesday, October the 28 conveyed to a Cart from Newgate to the place of Execution appointed for him, being over against his Master's house, at the sign of the Ship in Ratcliff-cross, where was assembled a great concourse of people to be spectators of his sad Catastrophe, he seemed to be very peninent, desiring all people, especially young persons to take warning by him, what company they addicted themselves unto, which was either the bane or making of youth, he gave them an Item as near as they could to get into such services where the word of God was constantly read and practised, to beware of whores and whorehouses, those seed plots of wickedness, being such labyrinths of ungodliness, that nothing but the Clue of God's grace can bring them forth again, when they are once entered into them. With many other words to the like purpose after which he was turned off the Ladder, where having hung some space of time he was cut down and carried to the sign of the Rose by Ratcliff, where his body was laid upon a Table, divers Seamen being in the Room, ●ut long he had not lain when they might perceive some signs of life in him, whereupon having a fire kindled, warming their hands they bathed his body with spirits, and an Apothecary being in the room desired to have him in a warm bed, when presently he began to move his arms and legs, with several other symptoms of a living creature. In the mean space some Officers belonging to Newgate, going to view the dead corpse, but finding it in such a living posture, one of them posts to the Sheriff, to acquaint him with it, whom he found at Dinner, who suddenly hasted thither, the Officer by the way meeting also accidentally with the Executtion●r, took him along with him, whereby ●he way we may note, ●ew every thing ●onsentred together, for the spéedier execution of God's justice upon this sin of wilful Murder, for seeing all things were thought to be done before, it was accidental for the Officer to meet with either of them bo●h just so on a sudden,  
When the Sheriff came to the sign of the Rose aforesaid, he found Savage sitting in the bed, perfectly living, but wanting the use of speech, though 〈◊〉 was ju●ged ●ot of sense or reason; wher●n exec●●●●● o● his sentence of Condemnation he commanded him to be put in a Blanket and 〈◊〉 in a Cart, it being the spac● 〈◊〉 four ho●●● 〈◊〉 the time of his first ha●●●●g, to his second going to Execution, ●e did strive ●nd str●gle s●me what both at his 〈◊〉, … ay ●nd to the Cart, giving a kick to t●● executioner and one of the Baylive● a 〈◊〉 on the mouth, but soon he was had to the Gibbet aforesaid, and there hanged till he was quite dead.  
And this was the end of Thomas Savage one who by the course of Nature might have lived many years had he not by his wicked courses caused the hand of justice to shorten his days. He was said to be very penitent in Prison, free in the confession of the horridness of his crime, earnestly imploring God's mercy for the pardon of the same, and no doubt but God who is the God of mercy had compassion on him, his end may be a warning to others for committing the like, least trying the same sins they taste of the same punishments that he did.  
His Corpse was afterward conveyed to Islington, the place where his sorrowful Mother dwelled, and that night there buried, notwithstanding the idle reports of some, who (forsooth) would have him to be alive still, such idle rumours when they are once got into the noddles of the more idler multitude, gain still by report, and like snowbals increase with being roled from one to another.  
Hannah Blay who had given him that wicked Counsel of knocking the Maid on ●he head, remains still a condemned prisoner in Newgate. She pleading that she was with child, which hath gained her a re●rieve for a time.  
And thus we may see the ill effects that ●●n produces, for as the Apostle saith, the ●eward of sin is death, which though it ma●y times escapes the death of the body, yet ever falls to kill the soul the●… more nobler art, in comparison of which the body is but a mere dunghill, yet if we look also upon th● punishments that it brings on the body, w● shall find enough there to work in us a detestation of it; how doth it impair our health consume our riches? destroy our credits? making us a scorn to our foes and a detestation to our friends, even wicked me● hating those in whom they see their ow● vices predominant.  
But for this bloody sin of Murder it is crime of a crimson dye, which nothing bu● the tears of true repentance, can wash of t●● guilt of it, from off the soul, yet man ha●● no greater enemy to himself then manki●● bi●ds, beasts and fowls, go lovingly tog●gether in Troops and Herds not hurting each other, oh let us then learn at least much civility from those which we cou●● beasts, lest by our bloody actions at the d●● of judgement we be found to be great●● beasts ourselves.  
FINIS.