ARTICLES OF High Misdemeanours Humbly Offered and Presented to the Consideration of His Sacred Majesty, and the Right Honourable the Lords, and others of His Majesty's most Honourable Privy-Council, AGAINST Sir William Scroggs Knight, Lord Chief Justice of His Majesty's Court of Kings-Bench Westminster, as followeth;  
I. THat the said Lord Chief Justice, contrary to his Oath, the duty of his Place, and in contempt of the King his Crown and Dignity, did set at Liberty several persons accused upon Oath before him of High Treason, without their being Tried or otherwise Legally acquitted, as namely the Lord Brudnell, etc.  
II. That at the Trial of Sir George Wakeman, and others, in the Sessions-house in the Old Bailie for High Treason, the said Lord Chief Justice (according to the Dignity of his Place) managing the said Trial, did Browbeat and Curb Doctor Titus Oates and Mr. William Bedlow, two of the principal Witnesses for the King in that Case, and did encourage the Jury impanelled, and sworn to try the said Malefactors against the said Witnesses by his public speaking slightly and abusively of them, and their Evidence, and in the misrepeating and omitting most material parts of their Evidences, whereby the said parties indicted were by the said Jury acquitted of the Fact charged then against them, and fully proved by the said Witnesses.  
III. That the said Lord Chief Justice after the said Trial of the said Sir George Wakeman and others for High Treason, as aforesaid, in the further abuse of the said Doctor Titus' Oats and Mr. William Bedlow, and in their great disparagement, speaking of them, said, That before the Trial of Sir George Wakeman (meaning the aforesaid Trial) the Witnesses (meaning the said Doctor Titus Oates and the said Mr. William Bedlow) were to be believed, But that at and after the said Trial they were not to be believed by him, nor should not be believed by him, or to that very effect.  
iv That the said Lord Chief Justice, by colour of his Office, hath taken upon him the Power to oppress, by imprisoning his Majesty's Loyal Subjects, namely Henry Care, for the Writing and causing to be Printed divers single sheet-Books in English, called The Packet of Advice from Rome, for the Information and discovery of the Idolatries, Errors and Impieties of the Romish Church, to his Majesty's Loyal▪ and Obedient Protestant Subjects (in this juncture of Affairs very useful) although the said Lord Chief Justice neither did, nor could allege or charge the said Care with any thing contained in the said Book that was any way criminal or deregatory to his Majesty, his Laws, Crown or Dignity, and refused to take very good Bail for him, though offered, and afterwards less Bail taken for him upon his Habeas Corpus in Court. But by the Lord Chief Justice his means he was continued bound all the Term, and to his good behaviour, and at the end thereof until the next Term▪ although no particular Crime was or could be proved against him, or laid to his Charge.  
V That to the great Oppression of His Majesty's Loyal Subjects, he the said Lord Chief Justice contrary to Law, and manifest breach of his Oath, hath without any reasonable Cause imprisoned a Feme Covert, and also divers other his Majesties said Subjects, and refused to take Bail though tendered, and the matter Bailable; as in the Case of Mrs. Jane Curtis, Mr. Francis Smith, and others.  
VI That the said Lord Chief Justice is very much addicted to Swearing and Cursing in his common Discourse, and to Drink to Excess, to the great disparagement of the Dignity and Gravity of his said Place; he did in his common Discourse at Dinner, at a Gentleman's House of Quality, publicly and openly use and utter many Curses, and there Drink to Excess.  
VII. That Charles Price being accused upon Oath▪ before him the said Lord Chief Justice, to be a Popish Priest and Jesuit, and Imprisoned for the same: and also divers other Persons accused upon Oath for High Treason, as namely Sir Francis Mannock, Richard Vaughan Esq Daniel Arthur Merchant; he the said Lord Chief Justice set at large upon Bail, without consulting his Majesty's Council or his Witnesses, and against their Consents, divers of which said Persons have not since appeared, but have forfeited their Recognizances and the Persons not to be found.  
VIII. That the said Lord Chief Justice, to the great discouragement of his Majesty's Royal Protestant Subjects, and to the manifest encouragement of the Roman Catholic Subjects, when Information hath been Duly and Legally given to him of the Abode or Person of any Popish Priest or Jesuit, and a Warrant desired from him to take or search for such Priest or Jesuit, he hath in a slighting and scornful manner refused the same, and and the Informer go to Sir William Waller who busied himself in such matters, as namely—  
IX. That at the Trial of Knox and Lane, att the Bar of the King's Bench-Court, for their Misdemeanour in endeavouring to take away the Credit of Dr. Titus' Oats and Mr. William Bedlow, two of the Principal Witnesses for His Majesty in the proving of the Conspiracy and Conspirators against His Majesty's Life, the Government of the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland, the Destruction of the Protestants, and the Protestant Religion and Introducing and Settling of Popery there, although the Evidence was so full and clear against them, that the Jury found them Guilty without going from the Bar; yet the said Lord Chief Justice, in further disparagement and disparaging of the Evidence of the said Dr. Oats and Mr. Bedlow, would not, nor did not give any Charge to the said Jury therein; but risen up suddenly after the Evidence was closed by the Council, and left the said Court abruptly before the said Jury had given in their Verdict.  
X. That the said Lord Chief Justice knowing that one William Osborne was in the Conspiracy and Contrivance with the said Knox and Lane, (in the last Article mentioned) to take away the Credit of the said, Dr. T. Oats and Mr. William Bedlow; and knowing that the said Dr. T. Oats and Mr. Bedlow to be material Witnesses for His Majesty in proving of the Conspiracy and Conspirators that had been tried, and were to be so, against several others of the said Conspirators that were imeached or accused for the said High Treason, and were to be Tried for the same, and knowing the said William Osborne had been detected before the Lords in Parliamen-Assembled, for his said Conspiracy and Contrivance with the said Knox and Lane, and that by his own Oath thereupon, denying the Fact in their said Conspiracy and Contrivance to be true yet out of his Malice to the said Dr. Titus Oates and Mr. William Bedlow, and in as much as in him lay to endeavour the disparagement, if not the suppressing of the further Discovery of that Hellish and damnable Plot, he the said Lord Chief Justice, without the knowledge, consent, or appobation of His Majesty, or any of His Learned Council in the Law; or the said Doctor Titus' Oats or Mr. William Bedlow, did volnntarily give the said William Osborne liberty to make an Affidavit before him upon Oath, of the truth of the said Fact he had before as aforesaid denied upon his Oath, with intent that the same might be made use of against the said Dr. Titus Oates and Mr. William Bedlow, to their Disparagement, and the apparent prejudice of His Majesty against the said Conspirators in the said High Treason.  
XI. That the said Lord Chief Justice to manifest his slighting Opinion of the Evidence of the said Dr. Titus' Oats and Mr. William Bedlow, in the presence of His Sacred Majesty, and the Right Honourable the Lords, and others of His Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council, did dare to say, That he had thonght Mr. Oats and Mr. Bedlow always had an Accusation ready against any body.  
XII. That at the last Assize holden at Monmouth, the said Lord Chief Justice in the presence of several Justice of the Peace for the said County, did say to Mr. William Bedlow, That he did believe in his Conscience that Richard Langhorne whom he Condemned, died wrongfully, to the great disparagement of His Majesty's Crown and Dignity, the Justice of the Court, the Jury and Evidence.  
XIII. That he the said Lord Chief Justice, contrary to the Dignity of his Place, did make Merchandise of the Trials of certain Priests to be Tried in Staffordshire, and took Twenty Guineas in Earnest; and then sold the said Trials to other persons, refusing to return the said Twenty Guineas to those from whom he had received them. And furthermore, before the Trial of Sir George Wakeman, he the said Lord Chief Justice did Bargain with Two Booksellers for a hundred and fifty Guineas for them to Print the Trials; and in case they would not lay down the Money before he went into the Court, he would not go into the Court, but would go into the Country; and if the said Trial, by reason of its length, could not be finished in one day, he would have a hundred Guineas more, or a Word to that very effect.   
FINIS.