THE SCARLET BEAST Stripped Naked, Being the mystery of the Meal-Tub The second time Unravelled; Or a Brief ANSWER To the Popish-Midwives scandalous NARRATIVE, entitled malice defeated, &c.  
Wherein She not only abuses and casts vile aspersions on the Kings Evidence to make them odious, but upon Sir William Waller, the Right Honourable the Earl of Shaftsbury and several other Persons of Quality, and in General upon the whole Protestant government.  
By packing together notorious falshoods and Romish Absurdities thereby to delude the ignorant, and turn the whole scope of the late Hellish-Plot upon the Presbiterians. With several Observations upon the plausable pretences of the Romish-Faction, which they allege to delude the unthinking Vulgar; and to make the World believe them Innocent.  
London, Printed by D. Mallet,   

The Scarlet-Beast stripped Naked.  
THe Reverend Matron after a tedious struggling with the unmannerly Fates, having broken through the bottom of the Meal-Tub, is become a more terrible Champion in the behalf of roman-catholics than the most accomplished of their Saints; or all the Sturdy pill ars of their Church, since their Female-Prelate dropped her untimely Bastard in Procession to Angello. For cloaking her self in pretended innocence, the Devils own Mantle, she ever since has carried an Olive-Branch in her Mouth, as a sure pledge of her being at Peace, and wishing well to that Infernal Potentate; promising faithfully by her Motto, never more for to displease him, or neglect his grand Affair: but to use her utmost Interest continually, to sand good store of guest to his Tartarian Mansion, since he has been so kind as to instruct her how to guild over the blackest Crimes, and make them seem most plausably ●air, thereby to deliude the Ignorant, and b● berea●ing them of their Wits; poss●ss them with a Catalogue of her virtues and harmless Life( Honest I might have said) but 'tis no matter, that wee'l refer to Mr. Dangerfield, her late dear Intimate, though now ungrateful as she is, she will not own the kindnesses received, but falls foul upon him at a grievous Rate, because that he would do no more. But to the purpose, First let us begin with her Gim-Crack, and take a serious View of the fine Frontispiece that adorns the work, which stands just as the ancients were used to paint the Porch or entrance of falsehood, Fair and Beautiful, the better to delude or draw the ignorant to gaze upon, till all suspicion of the Evil lodged therein was Banished from their Minds, that so they might the boldlier enter.  
First then the Mist●ry of the Meal-Tub that has defeated all this malice, and made so many liars is dedicated to all the lovers of undisguised Truth, which indeed is seldom or never clothed, unless it be in a Roman Dress, or wrapped o'er Head and Ears in the Relict of Equivocation, till it grew invisible, or in St. Francis Cool of Mental-Reservation. These indeed are things that often make her walk in Mists, who otherwise in her naked purity looks most decent and still Triumphs in her Innocence.  
The next we are re●resented with, is th● Emblem of the sweet faced Gentlewoman, or rather( ●f she cou●d per●wade u● to it) her proper self transubstantiated into a Dove. But now the Disp●●e is, whether it be 〈◇〉 Turtl● Dove or not, for they are held the Chastest Birds Created, therefore most unseemly, for this place, if Mrs. Susan her own Servant swor● the Truth. But l●● that pass ●●nce the Pope allows such Venial Sins, such petty ●r●vi●l ●a●l●s.  
The next his Holinesses across, that heretofore was wont to fright the Devil from the Dead, on which the pretty innocent Tom-Pigion perches with an Olive-Branch in its Bill; not altogether unmindful of the usage late in Newgate, for about his left Leg a Rope is fastened, and to that an Anchor, resting on Romes seven Hills, as not remembering how fatal Primrose-Hill has been. Next five Litter-Cresses more, to the dear memory of the five across Adorers in the Sheep-Pens, between Westminster and lincus, with ( I never Change) the same Inscription that the kind Matron sent to Dangerfield, during his Confinement, to give thereby to understand that she was no Proteus, but had rather be what she was than an Elephant; and round about thse pretty whimwhams, inserted this stolen Verse, that was written by the well-meaning Author to a better Intent. ( Dat veniam corvus vexat censura Columbus) In English thus, The Guilty go free, and the Innocent are oppressed. But how the overweening Female came to choose this to strike her self so hard a Box on the Ear is not certain; or perhaps it is to be said, backward, as the Friers and monks do their matins for Roasted apple in a Winters Morning; or most likely, that her Father-Confessor stuffed it in the better to ingratiate himself into her good Opinion; and so keep himself warm between the Sheets when the old Man is packed away to France: Thus far of the Frontispiece, or out-work, now let us enter in and see what fine Trumpery the Priest has packed together and fathered it under the Protection of their she-Saint.  
The first we meet with, is a long Apology of faithful Service good wishes and Protestation of Loyalty which like the Syrians Songs, or crocodiles Tears is presented to 'allure and take the Ears and fancies of the unthinking Vulgar, when all Rational and sober persons know, that there is no such thing as Loyalty appertaining to the Popish Religion, that is, as Loyalty to any Protestant Prince: For the Church of Rome holds those most accursed, that will not to the utmost of their powers endeavour to Assassinate, murder and Root out all that are opposite to their superstitions and Idolatries. Killing of Kings, being accounted by them, meritorious; and Massacries the only means to gain Heaven; and that they are to omit no opportunities to raise Rebellion against an Hretical Prinee; as they most erroneously call the best of Kings, if they can do it without prejudicing their own Cause or Interest.  
The next thing to be observed is, after they have made their Apology to turn their stings against the first discovere●s of the Plot, thinking thereby to lessen and impair the credit of their Testimonies with incredible lies, as of Dr. oats his being robbed by Captain Bedlow, and that he not being content with that, but he must fall upon one of Romes bald pa●ed Priests and rob him of his Bread and cheese: And another of their Tribe of Eight pence; the former of these A●tions the Doctor utterly denys, and the latter how true, every one that hath but any spark of reason may judge: so shallow is their foolish Malice that it betrays itself. I● the next p●ace, the good Matron would have the World believe that she was wonderful Charitable, and that she almost starved her self, to relieve those she never saw before, or had the least concernment with; and then again, how that she went about a beging for them, but whither with a Bask t at her back or no is not certain, then stopping here she falls fowl upon Newgate her own long rented Mansion; swearing, That the Spanish Inquisition was got thither, and that they used worse wracks and tortures there, than Popish Spain did to the poor Indians, or by the Popes command were used in Flanders, Piedmont, Bohomia, Albegentia or Waldentia; nay our Marean Persecutions were but slight to what was used against imprisoned catholics, for you must observe, that none but catholics suffer in Newgate, or any other place whatsoever; the horror of which so affrighted the Keeper that he run Mad, and had l●ke to run over her for hast: and that this person that was so tor●ured upon the wr●ck was Mr. prance, and that after he had been wrecked he was able to caper with about forty pound of I●on about his legs, and how he being brought into the lodge was heard by a grave Antiquated catholic gentlewoman to protest, That he knew nothing of the Plot, and what he had said was all lies, and extorted from him which made them fall to work with him aga n; so th●t he bellowed out so loud you might have heard him, i● not to R●me, to the end of the Old bailie at least: and that not prevailing with him to tell lies of the Innocent catholics; he was tickled off the third time, and a Minister stood by to see him fairly tortured, and that being let loose again, he tore a hole in his bed ●icking to hid himself from his unmerciful tormentor, where being found, rather than he would endure the fourth 'bout, was resolved to damn his Soul in swearing things he never knew against the harmless catholics So grosl● do these kind of People endeavour to insinuate into the minds of their own bigots to lessen their barbarities by making, or at least, persuading S●rangers that we act Cruelties beyond the Turkes, and that the Sla●es in Algiers live in paradise to what the Persecuted catholics do in England. When every one knows, that they devour the fat of the Land, and feed their Dogs with what a thousand better christians then themselves would be glad of. In the next place to make Justice more odious, and to Affront his Majesties benign mercy and goodness towards his poor miserable Subjects condemned at several times for their offences this Popish Romancer would make people believe, that his Majesties pleasure is not in the least observed therein, and that Captain Richards●n if he please to Hang them or Transport them will do it in defience of his Majesties gracious Pardon and that to extort money out of them he often goes to them telling them, That if they will raise such a sum of money, he will prevail with the Recorder to get them included in a general Pardon: ●ut if they have not the money, nor cannot raise it, they shall be surely hanged; and all this is devised only to stifle Romes cruelties by magnifying or relating what was never done or thought. Such a Collection of horrid engines and instruments for Tortures are in this admirable piece inserted, that I believe the Span●sh S ips ●ontained not when they came fraught with all the malice of Hell and Rome to murder a rightful Prince, and to destroy two Kingdoms: but these aspersions and scandals seeming too little, their gull swells higher, and to strike sure she pitches upon the right honourable the Earl of Shaf●sbury, and by so doing betr●ys her Popish Spleen, first that his Lordship should by his Servant tamper with one strand a Prisoner in Newgate condemned for murder, offering last sums of Money, if he would Swear against the catholics right or wrong and not only by him, but by Mr. Stringar his Steward, and by one Edward Sro●d an Attorney; who came often to Importune and solicit to declare against the Lords in the Tower and several other things he never knew, promising in his Lordships name, that thereupon he should be saved, pardonned and several parcels of Gold was offered, but he refused all saying, he would not forswear himself for ten thousand Worlds: how this can be believed, by any that know his Lordship I leave the Reader to judge; for any one that consider? how he has ever dealt upright and to his Power maintained Truth and justice cannot imagine that his Lordship would go about to persuade a murderer either by himself of any from him to swear falsely against a person that had no ways injured him nor the least suspicion of grudge remaining; so that this is purely out of envy, to blast or rule out the good opinion of all true Protestants have worthily conceived of his Lordships high deserts, the which the Popes Chickens can never race out of true English Breasts, his Lordships Integrity and Zeal, being ever for the preservation of his majesty, and the protestant Religion: so that though the Scarlets beast himself who sits sweeting on his Mountains, and fiends Mid-Wives out to reap his Abo●tive Crop, should come himself to lay a blemish on his Candid Reputation his Infallibilityship will be laughed and hooted at by each Oyster Wench and ●ink-Boy; for sure it is that all their adverse contriving to stifle this notorious Plot, have hitherto been so weak and silly, that their Cob-Web veil, rather give suspicion that there is more yet remaining, than has been discovered to the World, then any way extenuate or lessen, for were not people guilty, they would never put themselves unto such shifts to shake of or turn another way the thing that never was, nor offer Bribes, so large as has been sworn against them to corrupt Evidence if they were Innocent.  
That Rome has laid many Plots against this Nation heretofore, I hope few or none are Ignorant? And why should Roman catholics be thought more concious and tender than heretofore, that Church holds its Supremacy by Tyranny not Law, is palpable, nay many of their Doctors, have themselves confessed the same, nay this suffices not, but our Wonderful witty thing of a Mid-Wife, or a priest got into her Belly, and so speaking through her; as the Devil through the Heathen Oracles, of old, has produced such a rout of equivocation Pupils or St. Omerians to make Shot against the Kings Evidence, that any one would think she had robbed half the Register Books in twenty Parishes to furnish them with Names, tis well she tells us she found most of them in several Goals, or else we should have doubted whether she would have been forced to have gone as far as Rome, there to have culled the Monasteries and Abbys, for Pickled Rogues, ere she could have found any convenient for her turn, first against Captain Bedloe, she musters up a rout of desperadoes, lying in Newgate and other Goals under Condemnation, as that to join him with Mr. Johnson the Earl of Shaftsbury's, man, as a party in endeavouring to bribe Strode, and to bring him over to unite his Evidence with his whether false or true, and that thereby he should be highly advanced, giving him thereupon several guineas for encouragement, but if he refused he was to be hanged and not to have the benefit of his Pardon that was then granted him by his Majesty, his first work being to undermine Anderson and Kemish two Romish Priests, how this can agree is hard to be understood, for first it seems pretty odd that Bedloe being one of the Kings approved Evidence, and having given his Depositions not only before the King and Council, but also in the high Court of Parliament, would venture to glow-worm his thoughts to a notorious murderer, a fellow he had never seen before 'tis sure he would( if he had any sense and Reason in him as all Nations is well satisfied he had) have been more cautious what ever old Women fancy to themselves, or would have others to believe perhaps as many others did; no doubt this Strode to get some of the catholic Coin might tell mother Midnight some such pleasing tale as knowing her great Zeal to bring the Plot to Bed, or perhaps she might Dream of some such thing lying alone poor Heart, but not contented her, having got her dear beloved Dangerfeild out of Prison, and payed as she says five pounds for hi● discharge she is resolved to use him night and day, and at the vast expense of three pound ten shillings or thereabout, new riggs him and sends him as a Scout about the Town, intending by him to forge a new device and turn the Anti-Christian Plot upon the Presbyterians, furnished him with Coin diped in Holy-water, for the self same purpose to make him less suspicious ordering him to frequent Clubs and public Meetings not only in London, but in W●stminster, and several other places; and to be very diligent to hear how affairs went, and to wr●te down what Discourse he heard about intrigues of State in this particular the reverend Matron has broke the Cockatrices Egg, and let the Poisonous Serpent out; for what can be more plain then that her main end in this was only to learn Intelligence how people stood affencted and to be fully satisfied how they relished the proceedings of the Roman catholics, by that to be better instructed how to model their Designs and lay the train where it might soonest take for what else would she persuade us that she should disburse so much moneys, and keep a Man in continual Pay, to loiter up and down and do nothing but spend, 'tis true, she tells you if you will believe her, it was to find out the Plot the Presbiterians had on Foot, out of a Zeal and Loyalty to discover them to his Majesty; but sure it was hard to find what never was, for by these stories, each one with half an Eye may plainly see that no such thing was ever intended as she preambles out; that Dangerfield should bring her word, that he had made a Discovery of a Rising in the City, that was shortly to be, and that Mr. Godwin, and Mr. Alsop had made a great Gathering to maintain Forces privately, and that many of the Old-Army-Officers were kept in Pay, and that Sir William Waller had quartered three hundred Horse in a Village near London, the which were to Head the Rabbel and bring them to seize on White-Hall. Now as to these particulars, can it be thought that any such Design can be on Foot, and neither his Majesty nor any of his Council should have the least notice of it? That none but she and Dangerfield should know of it, besides those that were concerned in it very 'tis strange! This was a thing that would have brought Jupiter into geminy without her Star-Gazers consent; but had it been so, where was the Loyalty she shewed in a timely discovery, to prevent the Danger? could hiding it in the Bottom of her Meal-Tub any ways keep it from breaking out? No, 'tis certain, had not that Meal been sifted by Sir Williams Care, it had by this time turned to as many Infectious Plagues to have distracted the Nation, as ever Pandora's Box contai●e●. Yet farther, so great a Corrispondence held our Matron with several Runagado Spies, that nothing was done but, if she declares Truth, it was presently conveyed to her by her Familiars; who like the Penny-Posts went up and down to fetch and carry Letters fraught with all the Talk of Factious Coffe-Houses: so that she seems the only woman Living, by her own Talk, that minded the future State and welfare of the Government. For says she, some of the eminent men that kept Company with the Factious as she terms them, gave me to understand, that they had drawn Forces into the City, during his Majesties Indisposition at Windser, with an intention, if his Majesty had died, to have subverted the Government, and that the Lord-Major and such Aldermen as would not comform were to be made away, and that they were to have se●zed the Tower, Dover, Plymouth and Hull, and several other places of Strength; and that the Scotch were to have helped them in the Design; this is strange indeed, but if we consider the right way, perhaps it was intended, as she says, for at that time there was no Faction but the Popish, and that they designed no less, 'tis past all doubt, for as I had almost for●ot to incert, where She says, that the Loyal Party feared his Majesties Decease, but the Factious hoped it, then which, nothing is plainer, fo● none can take the Popish Party for the Loyal Party, seeing it has been their whole endeavour above these hundred years to destroy our Monarchs, and subvert the Government, therefore in this she may speak mystically. And then again, that Sir William Waller and colonel Mansel should offer Commissions to Disbanded Officers, and that they should enter into present pay, is as strange, considering not one of them Officers are now to be found in Eu●ope; no all the Popish Saints on this side Purgatory, are not able to tell so much as the Name of one of them! Therefore we conclude, they are got into the World in the Moon, and that all the Conjurers in Westminster or Barbadoes, though they should poor upon her two-leav'd Alcharon even years together, could not cast a Figure to bring any of them ●o light. Therefore my Friends I must tell you, 'tis a strange thing such a Company of men should be so suddenly blown away. But the next thing She seems to be angry with, is Sir Williams catching her napping at Supper, which put her into such a Fright, as had almost made her breath her last at both ends; for She declares, and truly I suppose you may believe her, that She was quiter out of Love with a ston Doublet, though not with the Stones in the Breeches. Nay, a greater Bugbear than that stood in the way, which augmented that Fear, for She not long before had delivered Articles in Parliament against Captain Richardson, who was now to be her Guardian, in the behalf of the Prisoners, as She pretended; in which She rendered him more prodigious then a Cannibal, and would have the people believe he Eats no less, than half a dozen Prisoners each Morning for his Breakfast, but coming into his Custody, found him more favourable than she deserved, and has since requited him by publishing twenty notorious lies against him; she and Dangerfield had the happiness to see each other through the Window, and as she says it was the first time that e're She cursed him for eating up her Bread and Cheese; a very uncharitable thing in a Woman that pretends so much. Here the Reverend Matron continued snarling at the Protestants( but had no power to bite them) for the space of 22 weeks, if her own Memorials say true, often Visited by her dear Acquaintance Mr. Dangerfield and Sir William Waller, whom she ill Requites for taking such peculiar Care to keep her out of the Carts way. During which time, having several times bravado'd the Coucil when she was brought upon her Examinations, and like a true Roman-Virago, kept Truth so deep at the Bottom, that it never durst fly in her Face. At last She received her Trial at the Kings-Bench-Bar in Westminster-Hall, where Face to Face She met her Friend the Captain, who was not as She incerts, observed to tremble, but often to smile upon her for Joy to see her so brisk and blithe; but in conclusion, for want of his good Word she scaped Scotfree: but afterwards proved very unkind to her Deliverers, as she confesses, by giving two slips for a Teaster, and leaving them in the lurch.  
Thus have you seen Pope-Joan by far out-done,  
Nay, from Hee-Popes she has the mitre won:  
'Tis hers hy merit, who dares Argue less,  
When this Pope dies, she shall be Prelate-Bess:  
Then look you to't, Romes Lubbers, for'uds Foot  
She'l yerk your Tobies if you cannot Plot.  
FINIS.