A True and Perfect NARRATIVE OF THE Trial and Acquitment OF Mr. John Satterthwayt. At the Assizes held at Kingston, March 13. Being Accused for Firing the House of Mr. Peter Delanoy, Dyer in Southwark.  
Written with his own Hand, in a Letter to his Friend in London. Kingston, March 13. 1679. SIR,  
I Presume it's no News to you that I was apprehended and committed to the Marshalsea, for the wicked and felonious entering into, and setting on Fire, the House and Dye-house of Peter Delanoy of Southwark, Dyer, it being made public to the World, by our infallible, unerring, Protestant News-monger, and therefore I forbore declaring to you my Case, or giving any Account of myself about it, enduring my heavy Irons, my melancholy Imprisonment, and all other my reproachful Sufferings quietly, till God was pleased to deal with me according to my Innocency. And I should still with the same resolution have forborn troubling you, were it not to vindicate myself from the Scandals, that infamous Tongues asperse me withal, concerning the contriving of the said Fire, together with the honourable Profession of a Soldier, the Employment I follow. And therefore I hope you'll please to peruse patiently these, and pardon me for them.  
In the first place I do declare, and I take God to be my Witness therein, that I am a Protestant, of the Church of England, that I was born and educated so, and never knew myself any other Religion, nor any of my Relations to be of the Church of Rome, although my Accuser swore me a Roman Catholic.  
I do in the second place profess before Almighty God, that knows the truth of all things, I never saw, spoke to, or drank with the Maid that accused me, till after I was apprehended nor did I ever see, or hear of Mr. Delanoy, or his House, or what Trade he was, until such time I was brought before the Justice no, nor was I in Southwark of a Month before I was taken, or thereabouts.  
I am a Gentleman you know, and a Soldier, though ●t be an Employment obnoxious to a sort of people in this Age, who are dissatisfied that His Majesty has any Guard for the Security of His Person▪ I wish my condition were capable of disposing of 2000 l. I should put it to some better use than so hellish and internal Design.  
It may seem incredible, that a person of my Parts, and Profession too should be employed in, or that (if it were true) I should treat with an unknown Woman, about so weighty an Affair; or if it were so, what should induce me, next morning and next door, (as I am informed it is) to come, where I had committed such a Fact over ●ight?  
Now, Sir, I am acquitted, and I do nevertheless solemnly protest; as I hope for mercy at the last Day, I am as innocent of that Crime as the Child that is yet unborn, else may I never see God in his Throne, which, with the following particulars of my Case, I hope may satisfy you.  
And if you, the moderate, and the doubtful, be but satisfied, I value not my Misfortunes; let the envious and rude Rabble think what they please, for 'tis not easy to persuade them to believe the truth, when they are once possessed with the contrary; nevertheless, if any of them will be so critically curious, as to inquire into any one of the particulars of my Case, they will find what I have therein roughly set down, will plainly appear to be a great truth.  
I shall say very little as to the Woman that swore against me; only give me leave to tell you, that those who are acquainted with her, know well what she is, and such as do not, may easily be satisfied, if they please, by several of her late Masters, who have been to visit her in Prison; I pray God forgive her, for I do from my Soul, yet while I live, I shall never forget her, nor the Bear at the Bridge-foot, where I was so bit for nothing, I may live to see h●s Bear run, except he keep him strongly chained, he's not so rich as I am innocent.  
But now as to my Trial: I was this morning Indicted, Convicted, Arraigned, and Tried, with Margaret Clark, my Accuser, both by one Indictment, to which I pleaded Not Guilty, (as God knows I might without sinning, safely do) and so did my Yoke-mate; there were 4 Witnesses sworn, two Men, and two Women, of little credit, and less fashion; the Men wanted Matter to swear, and especially a peevish Waterman; they proved the Fire; that was evident before, by the Maids own confessing, (though she pleaded Not Guilty now) which was sufficient for her turn; the two Women, the other Witnesses, one of them very briskly swore, she had oft seen me in Southwark, and particularly on Thursday before the Fire broke out, but could not say, she had either seen me in Delanoy's House, or in his Maid's company; the other Witness swore, she saw a Man go on Sunday into Delanoy's House in a red Coat, and come out again, but did not see his Face, nor could she say I was the person; very angry the Witnesses were they could swear no better; how my Persecutors were pleased, I leave that to themselves, believing they had rather hanged me innocent, than the Maid guilty, judging so, from what words a giddy Brain, passionate Coxcomb, an Apprentice to Delanoy, spoke in Court, who thought he had more wit than my Judge, and more honesty than my Jury, and would have me damned before I was condemned; I am so much a Christian, as not to wish him harm, but the contrary, desiring his Soul may find Favour from the great Judge of Assize in the other, for certain I am, his Face will find but little from the lesser Judges of this World.  
The Maid herself was examined; she denied impudently what she had before confessed, as to herself, but stood firmly to her first principles; as to my particular, I was the person, and like Catiline, resolved to add greater Evils to those she had before committed; but she being Arraigned, her Evidence was of no effect.  
The stress lying chiefly on Thursday, Jan. 9 and Sunday, Feb. 1 some of my Witnesses were examined, and then the Judge proceeded to give the Jury their Charge. In fine, they brought her in Guilty, and me otherwise, a Favour I could not have expected from many Southwark Juries, I thank this kindly for 〈◊〉 I am contented, but I hope to have no further experience of their Favours; and now I only wait for my Discharge, not doubting in a day or two to be with you.  
There were many Prisoners, and several Trials of sundry natures, which I shall not trouble you with; only those of three Gentlemen, Seamour, alias Herring, Smith, and Sherby; two of them are cast in five Indictments, and the third in four Indictments, for Robbery and Felony on the Highway: With which I conclude my tedious Epistle, and leave you to peruse my Case truly stated with a Copy of my Commitment.  

A Breviate of the Case of Mr. John Satterthwayt, one of His Royal Highness' Troop of His Majesty's Guards, Committed to the Prison of the Marshalsea, for the wicked and felonious entering into, and setting on Fire the House and Dye-house of Peter Delanoy, on Sunday night, the first of Feb. last, 1679.  1. Isabella Satterthwayt his Mother, and John Satterthwayt of Grays-Inne, his Uncle. To prove his Education was in the Protestant, and not in the Romish Religion. 2. His Certificate out of the Petty-Bag Office. To prove his receiving the Sacrament, and taking the several Oaths of Allegiance, Supremacy, and Test. 3. His Officers and Fellow-soldiers. To give an account of his Life and Conversation, and what sort of people he usually kept company and conversed withal. 4. Mr. John Griffith, Mr. Dovenport, Mr. Fish, Mr. Huddleston, and Mr. Whatton Gentlemen of His Majesties Guard. To prove they with the said Mr. Satterthwayt all met at the Pay-Table at Whitehall, on Thursday Jan. 29. and that about three of the Clock in the Afternoon, they went to the One Tun Tavern in St. Martins-lane. 5. The said five Gentlemen, the Master of the House, his Drawer, the Constable, and part of his Watch. To prove him at the said One Tun from about three of the Clock as aforesaid on Thursday Afternoon, till about three of the Clock on Friday Morning, Jan. 30. 6. Four of the said Gentlemen, etc. To prove he never was out of their Company from Friday morning at three of the Clock, till about two in the Afternoon, during which time they were not out of their Quarters in and about Pickadilly. 7. Mr. Bagley and his Wife, in Vine-street in St. Giles. To prove he came to their House on Friday about two of the Clock in the Afternoon, that he stayed and slept there till about eight at Night, and then went home to his Mother's House next door. 8. His said Mother, and Mary Hills her Lodger. To prove he came home about eight of the Clock as aforesaid, went to Bed, rose not till next morning about nine of the Clock Jan. 31. when he was called by an Officer to go to the Guard. 9 The said Officer, and most of the Guard. To prove his coming accordingly to the Guard, stayed there till three of the Clock in the Afternoon, the usual time of Relief, and then came to the Cock and Bottle in New-street in Covent-Garden. 10. Lieut Griffith, Mr. Jahn Griffith, Mr. Fish, Mr. Davenport, Mr. Huddleston, Mr. Cardiff, the Master & Mistress of the House, etc. To prove he came thither about four of the Clock on Saturday Afternoon aforesaid, stayed there in their Company in the said House till about nine of the Clock at Night, at which time the said Company parted. 11. Tho. Spanton his Farrier, and Mr. John Griffith. To prove he called on his said Farrier betwixt nine and ten of the Clock on Saturday Night aforesaid, and ordered the said Farrier to come to the Swan-Inne in Castle-street, and he should be paid his Bill. 12. Mr. Philip's Master of the said Swan, his Wife, Mr. John Griffith that lay with him, and the said Farrier. To prove he came into the Swan-Inne on Saturday Night about ten of the Clock as aforesaid, paid both the Landlady and Farrier, lay there all Night, rose not out of Bed till Sunday Afternoon. That about four of the Clock he spoke to the Landlord to get him a Fowl for Supper, which was accordingly fetched about the time people came from Evening Prayer; That he Supped there, and in fine stirred not abroad all day, till about ten of the Clock at Night, being Sunday Febr. 1. 1679. 13. His said Mother, & the said Mary Hills. To prove he came home about half an hour past ten at Night on Sunday Febr. 1. as aforesaid, that he went to Bed, and rose not till about nine on Monday Morning, Febr. 2. 79. 14. Mrs. H. the person he was to meet, and Mrs. P. etc. To prove they had some time before, viz. Jan. 30 in the Afternoon, resolved on a Meeting in Southwark; but till that Morning the hour and place was not appointed; the said Mrs. H. then sending a Maid to him, to let him know she was going into Southwark, received back this Answer, That he would presently meet her at the Bear at the Bridge-foot. 15. His said Mother, etc. To prove he stirred not out of doors on Monday, till about ten of the Clock in the Morning. 16. Mr. Davenport. To prove he called to speak with him about eleven on Monday aforesaid, when his Mother told him he was gone out about an hour before.  
Surry ss. To the Keepers of the Common Goal of the said County.  
WHereas John Satterthwayt, whom we herewith send you, is charged upon Oath before us, by one Margaret Clark, a late Servant to Peter Delanoy, of Southwark, Dyer, for the wicked and felonious entering into, and setting on Fire the House and Dye-house of the said Peter Delanoy, on Sunday last passed: These are therefore in His Majesty's Name to require you, to receive the said John Satterthwayt into your Custody, and him to keep safe, until he shall be thence delivered by due course of Law.  
Given under our Hands and Seals the 2d. day of Feb. Ann. Dom. 1679. 

Ja. Reading.  
Jo. Freeman.   Vera Copia.