A FAITHFUL ACCOUNT OF THE SICKNESS, DEATH, & BURIAL OF C apt. William Bedlow, Who Died August the 20th. and was Buried August the 22 d. 1680. With many other Circumstances thereunto Relating. Taken from the Testimony of his Wife, and many other of his Friends who constantly attended him in his Sickness.  
In a Letter from an Intelligent Person in Bristol, to his Friend in London.  
SIR, Bristol Aug. 23. 1680.  
MY Obligations to yourself, and desire of securing Truth from the Out: rages of ill men, especially when the Public is concerned, have prevailed with me to give you a short Account of the Sickness and Death of Captain Bedlow. On Monday the 9th. day of this Instant, he came very ill from London, having the Headache, and an extreme Looseness most part of that day, the next day after he came home, he was seized with a most violent Vomiting and Looseness; Physicians were sent for, who attended him two or three days; but his Distemper increasing, on Thursday two other Physicians were joined in Consultation about him; his disease still grew upon him, and he being very apprehensive that it would issue in his Death, and understanding that the Lord Chief Justice North would be here to hold the Assizes the 16th instant, expressed a very great desire to speak with his Lordship for discharging of his Conscience, in deposing some what which he had not before disclosed; with which his Lordship being made acquainted, was pleased that night at his request to go to him; before whom he did by many repeated Asseverations, upon the words of a dying man, declare, That in all the great business of the P●ot he spoke nothing against any person upon Oath, or otherwise by way of Accusation but what was true; and only complained that he had been two timorous, and rather lessened his Evidence in some particulars.  
After some short time the company were desired to withdraw; and none being left with him but the Lord Chief Justice, Capt. Bedlow's Wife, and the Judge's Clerk; My Lord gave the said Mr. Bedlow his Oath, and his Clerk took a pretty long Deposition in Writing, the contents whereof are yet secret; only thus far we know he made Oath, that whatsoever he had declared to the King & Council, and the Secret Committee, and at the several Trials upon Oath, were all true, upon the word of a dying man. He told the Judge he expected no Crown of Martyrdom for Lying as the Papists did, but what he said was sincerely true, as he was shortly to appear before the Great Jehovah, the maker of all flesh, where he should stand with a clear Conscience as to all matters of the Plot, wherein he had given Evidence He said moreover to the Judge: My Lord! some will not believe the Plot, or pretend it at least.! My Lord I speak the more because I know not but that I may die this night: He very often said to my Lord Chief Justice with great earnestness, My Lord! I pity the King! I pity the King! His Life is in danger! they will poison or Cut Him off! they are going towards it! they are Carrying on the Plot! the Papists will kill Him! When my Lord was going away, he called him back again, took him by the hand, and begged him to present his most humble Duty to the King, and to tell him he was His most Loyal and Dutiful Subject, and to beseech him to take care of Himself.  
Tuesday the 17th of August towards the Evening, he appeared worse than he had been all his sickness before; some about him asked him several Questions about his Deposition; he replied, He was a very weak man, and would talk no more of Temporal things.  
Wednesday night he had a severe Fit, through the violence of which, be spoke not for the space of 14 hours, or there about. Thursday in the evening his speech returned to him, and he took some refreshment, and asked those about him what day of the Month it was? and what hour of the Day, exactly? One standing by, asked him if he were satisfied in his Conscience as to what he had sworn and acted in the public business he had been involed in? His Answer was, That as he hoped for Salvation, all that he had Sworn about the Plot was just and true, and that he had rather omitted, than augmented any thing he had given in Evidence. This he spoke the night before he died, and after he had been in a Trance several hours.  
Friday the 20th of August Instant, his Speech failed him again, and returned no more; and about Two of the Clock that afternoon he expired.  
Yesterday being Sunday, after he had been publicly exposed in Merchant-taylor's Hall, in this City, to the view of all spectators; his Corpse was carried thence about Six of the Clock in the Evening, and buried in the Mayor's Chapel, called the Gaunts: the Funeral was attended with a very numerous Company of Citizens, both Men and Women. Mr. Mayor, and others of the best Quality being present, several Gentlemen of the Council, and others bearing up the Pall. The Church was hung with black. Mr. Palmer, a Reverend and Learned Divine of this City, Preached an excellent Sermon at his Funeral, on Rom. 14 v. 12, 13. So then every one of us shall give an account of himself to God, Let us not therefore judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block, or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. The were Escutcheons fixed to the Hearse, with this Inscription black Letters in a Field-Argent: 
Testimonium quod vivens Exhibuit  
Moriens constanter Obfirmava!   
Thus you have a plain and just Relation of the Death and Buria● of Captain William Bedlow. The loss of so considerable an Evidence to the King and Kingdom is greatly to be deplored: But if you revolve seriously upon the manner of his Death: and his exact temper and deportment through the whole series of his sickness, you'll find reason to believe, that Samson like he hath Triumphed even in Death, over the Popish Conspirators, and been as formidable in his sick bed, as formerly in the Courts of Justice; the strong Asseverations he left behind him in vindication of his Evidence, hath raised it to the highest Reputation. It seemeth to me, as if Providence found it necessary in this stubborn and unbelieving age, to use extraordinary methods to evince the World of the truth of the Bloody and Hellish Plot. And therefore to the clear and  Evidence tha● hath been given viva voce, and by Original Letters under the Conspirators own hands, God hath now superadded one Argument mor● to convince us, by making one of the Witnesses seal the discover with his last breath, and die, giving repeated Evidence against th●● Plot. I am,  
SIR, Your humble Servant, T. S.   

Reprinted.