THE Midwife Unmasked: OR, The POPISH DESIGN OF Mrs Cellier's MEAL-TUB plainly made known; Being a Second ANSWER to her Scandalous LIBEL, in short remarks upon the same.  
For the Satisfaction of the PEOPLE, and the Vindication of the Justice of the NATION, and of several Persons of Honour by her most vilely abused.  
THere have been so many strange and unparallelled Narratives Published in this Age, and so contradictory one to the other, that many people who judge things by outward appearance only, know not well how to comprehend the Truth, or what to think of the right and justness of Affairs, clouded with so many several Vizard-Masques that are put upon them. But of all that I have yet seen or met with, this of M Cellier's seems to be the boldest and most confident piece of Stuff; strangely huddled and shuffled together, and in which she rants and scratches like another Pucel d'Orleans, or Joan of Arque; handling her Pen for the Papistical Cause, as the other did her Lance; and it is pity she has not likewise the glory of her Martyrdom.  
How it has now crept abroad, I cannot tell, having received a Cheque by Authority, as herself acknowledges in her Postscript, p. 43. which has suppressed it till now: But of a sudden their hopes seem to revive, and their endeavours are renewed; and now out comes a new Narrative of the Female Champion of the Cause, all for the same end, to invalidate the PLOT, to make themselves innocent, and to fling all the PLOT and Gild on the Presbyterians. These are the strenuous endeavours of these Papal Goliaths not of Gath, but of Jesus, who having been so often foiled and laid on their backs, fight behind the Buckler of a stout Virago, who having been Imprisoned for the Cause, and escaped the Law, now with bold and audacious Effronteries publishes her Adventures. It were labour lost to waste much Paper in answering all her impertinent Libels; and those particularly concerned, will no question be able to justify themselves from her bold accusations: but I shall only make some few Remarks for public Information.  
First I say, Since these sort of people, who have been either Plotters against His Sacred Majesty, the Laws and Religion of the Land, or abettors and wellwishers to the same, and having lived to see their PLOT defeated, and some of their Party justly punished for their evil deeds; all their chief endeavours and main ends are now to make some of their innocent Party, and many of the credulous, peaceable, and easily deluded of the adverse Party believe, that there was no PLOT, or at best but one of the Presbyterians making and inventing: and one of their great Instruments was this she-Champion, and Midwife, Mrs Cellier, a bold and very confident Bigot in the Romish Cause; and now being cleared by the Law, Hector's and rants at any rate in this her Book, and by this means hopes more than ever to clear the point, and to render herself as great an innocent, as those she uses to bring into the world.  
She boldly acknowledges herself a Papist, p. 1. though of Protestant Parents; and she became one, because they had been oppressed by the Disloyal Party; a good reason: and because she never heard any of that Church preach to her any thing of Disloyalty, therefore none of them ever made or contrived a PLOT against the King and Government; another like Argument. But as to the reality of the PLOT, notwithstanding their many false Blinds, there is scarce one of any Judgement and Reason, but is convinced of it; and to deny i●, we●e to give the Lie to the greatest Authority in Earth, both the King and People: To the King, in contradicting his several Proclamations; to the People, in making false the several unanimous Votes of their Representatives in Parliament; who have declared it to be an horrid POPISH PLOT, not a Presbyterian one; and by believing the Judges of the Land to be blind, and all the Courts of Judicature to be strangely mistaken. And yet these people, Jesuits and Jesuitical Instruments, boldly insinuate there is no PLOT; and therefore, as their chiefest Card they have to play, they so often endeavour to invalidate the King's Witnesses, and to make them of no worth: and this is the whole scope of this Book of Mrs Cellier's, called her Malice Defeated, but rather is Malice Repeated.  
For p. 2. she tells us, The chief sticklers for the PLOT were the Sons of those who acted the principal parts in the last Tragedy: and therefore to entail on them the sins of their Fathers, she doubted the whole, that there was no other PLOT, but what they were going to act over again, that is, to cut off the King's Head, and to Convert this Land to a Republic. If there could be greater malice than this invented, let the world judge; and how far from Truth, daily more and more appears. God be thanked, His Majesty is not apt to be jealous, but this were enough to stir up a suspicious Prince to be Cruel and Tyrannic. But this provokes the Good-womans' Charity, and she diligently searches the Prisons for the objects thereof; but it seems, for all her fine stories, 'twas to find out a fit subject for her Designs and Intrigues; which proving false and recreant, having served his own turn, if not hers, and who having given her a devilish blow on the Mouth, struck out most of her Teeth, so that she cannot by't; she opens her mouth, and with bloody gums, mumbles and touses the poor fellow with his heaps of Crimes, so that she thinks she has sufficiently made a fool of the PLOT, and turned it into nothing. But what is all this? Dangerfield while her servant, though he had committed all these Crimes, was staunch enough, a very good man, one to be trusted to get in her Husband's Debts, and pay his Scores; introduced to the Company of the Lady Powis, and a fit Companion for the Lords in the Tower: but after this Instrument broke between her Hands, see what a Scoundrel she has made of him, for turning Cat in the Pan. What he has been I know not; he surely could not have been very good, that was picked out of the Goal; and had he been any better, she could never have thought to have put him upon those Employs he sufficiently swore she did; and it seems was cunning enough in that Case, to invalidate his Testimony, as no legal witness; however, 'tis but her nay against his yea; he has affirmatively sworn it, against which no Negative can prevail: and whatever the Evidence may be at Common-law, I doubt it will signify something to the Consciences and Information of many, and that with as much Judgement and Reason, as the assertion of Mrs Cellier in her own defence; in which she is not to be blamed, having dextrously played her Cards. And the Narrative of Willoughby, what e'er he has been, may speak Truth in matter of Fact, as well as Mrs Cellier's, and may be justly and as soon believed.  
But this is not enough; for although this may do her business, and save her Bacon, yet it will not clear the PLOT, therefore she must fall foul also of the other Witnesses, Bedlow, Oates, and the rest: never a Barrel better Herring, they are all alike, and must be recriminated; therefore she gives you bedlow's Character, p. 2, & 3. and from Dr. Oates his own hand: well, if all this, or most of it be false, is not Mrs Cellier a malicious woman, and those who set her a work wicked Instruments? but if this were true, all was before, and whilst employed in their Service; and what better could be expected for Treason and Murder? But since, we find not any thing objected against them, not only as to the evils of Life and Conversation, but as to the Truth and agreement of their Depositions. Those who are alive may answer in this respect for themselves, and Mr. Bedlow's last Exit has very much strengthened and confirmed the Truth of the PLOT, and the wickedness of the Plotters. But however, all those Witnesses Mrs Cellier rails against, are sufficiently backed by others, against whom none of them could have such cause of scandal and reproach; so that the foundation of the PLOT stands not upon the only props of Dr. Oates, Bedlow, and Dangerfield, but on many more, sound, and strong enough in their Reputation.  
The next thing I observe, is, That she not only endeavours to invalidate the Testimony of the King's Witnesses by Reproach, Scandal, and by bringing their Crimes upon the stage, whether true or false; but she also endeavours, as in p. 3. to cause them not to be believed by the people, by insinuating that they were horridly abused in prison, Wracked and Tortured, Bolted and Chained, Starved and Beaten; of which she tells odd stories, making something like a Minister to be either a promoter, or evidence of the same; it looking like one of the Spanish Inquisition, and he the Priest Examiner, being translated from the Inquisition-Prison to Newgate. But we are apt to believe they are forged, and to which Captain Richardson is able to give satisfaction; Mr. Prance the man she would make the world believe to be the person Tormented, to extort false Evidence, having in his Narrative sufficiently cleared that suspicion, and justified to the contrary, whatever Mrs Cellier may invent to cause the contrary to be thought.  
But besides the Witnesses, we must have others to carry on a Secret PLOT, to hid and cloud the Real one: It is no matter who they are, but it seems they are no mean ones, being Dukes and Earls; for such she brings into Newgate, p. 4. to beat and abuse the Examinants', or those committed thither under pretence of the Plot; and in person to offer them Gold and Silver, to Confess what they did not know. Still Inquisition-method; Cunning and Tyranny. This Duke and Lord, who ever they were, would not be accounted any great Politicians, to do their business no better, but to appear in person: but all this is still to make the world imagine strange things, and that those Innocents' were beaten and tormented, and tempted to confess what they never knew of.  
This Duke and Earl are incognito, and we cannot get knowledge of them: but my Lord of Shaftesbury is more beholding to her, for she names him in several places, with his Servants, and goes about to show his Arts and Policies, to frame a PLOT; and would insinuate to the people, as if it came, or had a birth out of his Brain and with his Intrigues with Bedlow and Stroud, would raise up what never was; and that therefore he was making Instruments for that purpose, by illegal means, feeding them privately with Money, and getting them Pardons, giving them encouragement and assistance. And thus the wicked woman, though newly escaped the lash of the Law, if she cannot Murder or take away the Life of the Earl of Shaftesbury, yet stabs his Honour and Reputation. But there is a Statute of Scandalum Magnatum, upon which she may chance to be Tried, and may prove more unfortunate to her, than that of Edward the Third, upon which she was last Indicted.  
But this Woman ascends in her bold aspersions; and having gone thus far for the Cause, assaults the Council and the King himself, his Justice and his Laws: For p. 44. she makes bold to say, with a Forehead brazen enough, That though Treasonable Practices have been Sworn against Dangerfield, by Justice Foster, Justice Harvie, Mr. Thomas Hill, and herself; yet the Gentleman walks abroad undisturbed, and daily consults with his Confederates, how to act new Villainies. Then by and by, Whensoever his Majesty shall please to make it safe and honourable to speak Truth, as it hath been gainful and meritorious to do the contrary, there will not want Witnesses, etc. I think the like bold and scandalous Assertion was scarce so bare-fac'dly owned before; as if his Majesty and his Privy-Council did encourage Perjury, or that it was a dangerous thing to own or speak the Truth before them.  
It is not good dallying thus with Thunder: Methinks, though other persons could not escape the venom of their lying Tongues, yet that Sacred Majesty, and the Justice of a Nation should have been above the reach of their empoisoned darts: But to what height will not the Zeal, or rather blind Fury and Rage of their Religion carry them! Thus also she terms the Examinations of the Committee of Lords, before whom she was brought, Trepanning Questions, page 29. to ensnare her: A fit expression for the Peers of the Realm; as if they had so little Honour or Honesty, as to betray the Life of a poor silly woman. But she is full of such scurrilous abuses through the whole Book; and it were too much labour to trace her throughout.  
She may have leave granted her to abuse persons of a meaner Rank, when she has so boldly struck at those of the highest; and I think, of all the Railing she has used against Sir Will. Waller, which might in some sort be pardoned, he being so active a man against her and her Fellow-Plotters; that which she uses page 23, is very wicked, and highly malicious; which is, that showing him the Book called The black Tribunal, wherein the Trials of the late King's Judges were set down, told him withal, That that was the Game he would now be at; which (says she) he denied after such a manner, as made it visible even to the meanest capacity, that he did not think it a Crime. Is not this most horrid Judgement, to accuse a man of Treasonable thoughts in her own Breast, and then to pronounce Judgement on him as Guilty? But Sir William Waller is of Age to answer for himself, and no doubt knows how to clear himself from such horrid Aspersions.  
She pretends to reveal the Mystery of the Meal-Tub; but she has made so flight and poor a thing of it, that it is not so much as the true History of it. She thought otherwise of that Discovery, when she wrung her hands and cried, She was undone, at the first finding of that black List, which was under the white Meal, that gave sufficient Proof and Light of the most abominable PLOT that ever was Invented. But Mrs. Cellier has undergone the Trial of the Law, and is Acquitted for want of clear Proof against her; but if she proceeds, as she hath begun in this her Book, to forge and publish Lies, and to abuse and defame persons of Honour, and the Justice of the Nation, and to invalidate the King's Evidence, and endeavour to turn the PLOT into a Romance or Fiction, she may chance at last to find, she may not always have the good fortune to escape Justice: and it is not to be doubted, notwithstanding the endeavours of these Champions for the Cause, but that ere long the whole Mystery of this Long-depending PLOT will be laid open, and that Justice will at last flow like a stream without opposition in the Land; And we shall know the guilty Heads, as well as the defiled and wicked Members and Instruments. In the mean time, that such may not bark in the ears of the people so unchequed and uncontrolled, we have only in few words let you plainly see, the repeated Malice of Mrs. Celier's Malice Defeated, and what the true end of all the Endeavours of that Party is, To make the world believe that there is no Plot or Design against his Majesty's Life, and against the established Laws and Religion of the Land, but what is now hatching by the Presbyterians and Republicans; whilst by this Blind they still hope to carry on their foul and wicked Designs.  
But the Triumph of the wicked is short, and the Joy of the Hypocrite but for a moment. Though his head reach the Clouds, he shall perish in his own Dung,  Job 20.5, 6, 7. 
Let the Wickedness of the wicked come to an end; behold he traveleth with Iniquity, and hath conceived Mischief, and brought forth falsehood. He hath made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch he hath made. His mischief shall return upon his own head. For the Sin of their Mouth, and the words of their Lips, let them be taken in their Pride: And for the Cursing and Lying which they speak,  Psal. 7.9, 14, 15, 16. and Psal. 59.12.  

LONDON: Printed for T. Davies. 1680.