A great and Bloody Plot discovered against His Royal Majesty, CHARLES, by the Grace of God King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland. And the names of the chief Actors and Conspirators, who desperately threatened to wash their Wicked Hands in His Royal Blood. With the beheading of one of the grand Traitors.  Ezek. 21.27. 
I will overturn, overturn, overturn; and it shall be no more; until He come whose Right it is, and I will Give it Him.  Psalm 132.18. 
His Enemies I will  with shame; but on Hine his Crown shall flourish.   depiction of a beheading 
London, Printed for Samuel Chamberlain, living near the White Swan at Holborn-bridge, 1660. April:   

A great and Bloody Plot disc overed against His Royal Majesty, CHARLES, by the Grace of GOD, King of Great Britain. France, and Ireland, etc.  
THe many unpleasing echoes and reflections of these Times, and the sore and itching Ears of some men in all Ages, are such, that they will not endure healing, or sound and wholesome Doctrine, though the pain riseth from the soreness and inflimation in themselves, and not from the plaster or hand which honestly applies it; yet they are as prone as in fell boles and acute tumours, when touched, though but gently, to fall upon those that are next them, and cry out aloud, O you hurt me; when the hurt is within and from themselves. Thus it is, that the fanatics of these Times are become Our Disturbers; and not only against the person of the King, but against the root and foundation of all Monarchy, as well as against the Holy Priesthood. This is the Patient, with whose Hurts, Sores, Bruises, Wounds, and Sorrows, these particulars have most impudently pudled and cruelly pleased themselves, in turning public miseries of Church and State to their private advantages: Long hath been these National sufferings, (which hath caused the Kingdom's unsetledness) with daily breaking out, and angry tumours, with new purging and loathsome Potions, with Lancing and Blood-lettings, with cutting off and canterising, which will not heat, restore, close, and retintigrate the body, but maim, defame, and cripple the same for ever. To prevent which successive miseries, let every one endeavour to improve the Sanctity and solemnity of all occasions, for a thankful and hopeful opportunity of future miseries; and to vouchsafe us the only means and directions for the right method and honest way of curing an Afflicted Kingdom, and to preserve her from all such pestering and cheating Undertakers, those false Quacksalvers, those wanton and cruel Leeches, who did not want skill and knowledge to wrong both Church and State, to conspire the death of their Lawful Sovereign, a Plot unparallel! and what in them lies, to obstract the settling of his Gracious Son, and Great Britain's Royal Sovereign King Charles the Second. But blessed be God for his deliverance, in that he is pleased to give us Physicians of better eyes and hearts, that may both wisely discern our maladies, and seasonably encounter them with fit remedies. To which posture of Providence we are prone to hope, that we are this day restored by the Valour, Honour, and integrity of those who now have the conduct of Power and Council; I pray God we may have cause to rejoice long in good earnest, for every days delay of our cure is a chargeable and painful delusion to the Nation, threatening such a Consumption of Spirits, and such delititations of the Nations strength and estate (besides the debasing of its honour and reputation) as must necessarily [at last] betray us with our Posterity, Estates, Laws, Liberties, and Lives; yea, and with our Reformed Religion (which ought to be dearer to us, as it was to our Forefathers, then both our lives and estates) to that sorraign invasion and Romish superstition, which is the grand design of the Jesuitick agitation, whereto are subservient all the fanatic factions of those who are enemies to the just and legal closing or composing our Distractions in Church and State: For doth not experience make it evident, That a Kingdom divided in itself cannot stand. And the apparent demonstrations of Gods evident and eminent wrath of indignation, expressed against the enemies of the King, appears in these most memorable and remarkable examples, viz.  
1. One Sir Thomas Martin, Knight of Cambridgeshire, a great complier with the times, having been a Hunting in Holmby Park, and the Deer being fallen, stuck and opened, he desired (together with the other Gentlemen) to wash his hands in the Deers blood: No (said he) I had rather wash my hands in the blood of the young King of Scots. And immediately after this, riding home the same day at evening, his Horse violently threw him off his Back on the ground; in which fall, he pitched on his Head with such force, that he broke his skull and shoulder, and so for a few days continued in great pain and died.  
2. The Constable of Shaw in Lancashire, taking the Engagement, was suddenly so troubled in his Conscience, that notwithstanding the godly exhortations and comforts administered unto him by reverend Divines, yet the apprehension of God's wrath for what he had done therein, so increased upon him, that he fell distracted, and so continued for many years together.  
3. One Mr. Smith Minister of Stoke and Prior in Worcestershire, having taken the engagement for the procuring of an augmentation to his living, returning home from London after he had taken it, fell presently into such a frighting horror of his Conscience, that he did often endeavour to beat out his own Brains: At length recovering his senses by Gods great mercy, repent bitterly of what he had done, and thereupon departed his life in peace.  
4. One Thomas Hoyl, who was always accounted a very pious and religious Gentleman, an Alderman of York and Member of Parliament; having taken the engagement (even against his Conscience) turned a great complyer with them at Westminster. Not long after, it pleased the Lord so to leave him to himself, that on the very same day 12 month that King Chrales was beheaded, yea as near as possibly could be judged about the very same hour of that day the same Gentleman hanged himself at his own house at Westminster, and was found dead by his Wife when she came home, who went out early that morning.  
5. Mr. Shereman a Silkman in Pater-Noster-Row, at London, who had been looked upon as an honest Gentletleman, had been a Tryer and an Elder in the Presbiterian Church Government, a very good friend to Mr. Love, than his Pastor; but afterwards turning with the times, he took the engagement, and that in form of an Oath; whereupon he was made a Common Council-man; and turned an utter enemy and hater of the party ; who shortly after being in the shop with his Wife, and in very good health, yet in the evening standing at his Counter in his shop, and his Wife close by him, he on a sudden fell down dead by her and never spoke one word.  
6. Colonel Venus, a Citizen of London, formerly a great Professor of religion, and a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons, but he being turned with the times (as others were) became an engager and mighty stickler for and with them at Westminster, and proved a great enemy unto the Presbiterian Government, and would often use these words against them; That they at Westminster should never be quiet till they had provided a pair of shoes and a staff for the turbulent Presbiterians, and banish them out of the Kingdom. But it pleased the Lord, that on the next day after that horrible abuse doom to M. Jenkin then minister of Christ Church, London, in both sequestering him out of his living, and banishing him out of the City, wherein this Colonel Venus was one of the chief Actors, and had most churlishly carried himself toward the said man aforementioned in the Committee even that day, whereon this godly minister was so censured, which was July the 6 1650. being Thursday. It pleased the Lord, I say, that Venus next Friday following, July 7. going to bed, as perfectly well and in health, as ever in his life, and his Wife lying by him, he fell asleep by her immediately, and slept without making any complaint of the least distemper, but the next morning she awaking, found him quite dead by her in the bed, he never having made the least groan. And thus God banished him from the living!  
7. I shall conclude all with the memorable example of God's Justice upon Lockier, an active Agitator and Leveller in the Army, who had a great hand in bringing the King to his death, and cried out, Justice, Justice, Justice, openly against him, and spit in his face at Westminster-Hall as he was going to his Trial, before his condemnation, conducted him to the Block: Not long after, this Lockier was Tried for his life by a Council of War, who condemned him to beshet to Death, as a Mutineer; in Paul's Churchyard, London.  
It is reported, That two of the Fanatic party having embarked themselves for Flonders, with a resolution to stab or Pistol the King; the one of them, when he arrived at Brussels was very much troubled in Conscience, and the third day after his arrive, resolved to declare that bloody attempt, and to acquit himself of the horror, which consequently depended upon so notorious a Soul-damning-Guilt; and thereupon devoted himself to His Majesty: And humbly begging pardon, discovered the whole design; for which he was well rewarded, and the other secured.  
One John Frith, a Franciscian Friar, for attempting to Poison the King, was also beheaded by Orders from the most Christian King of France.   
FINIS.