A just VINDICATION of the Reputation of Mr. WHITE Alderman of the City OF EXON, In Answer to a Scurrilous Pamphlet called the Visible Vengeance, etc. Wherein is discovered the many falsities and untruths in that Relation attested under the hand of his own servant that was with him in his journey till the day of his death: As also a true Relation of the sad accident that befell him, with the Circumstances thereof.  They whet their tongue like a Sword, and bend their Bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words, That they may shoot at the perfect Psal. 64. 3. 4. To him that is afflicted pity should be showed from his friend, but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty, Job 6. 14. 
LONDON, Printed for john Rothwell, and are to be sold at his Shop at the Sign of the Sun and Fountain in Paul's Churchyard, 1649.   

Courteous Reader,  
IT is no new thing for the servants of God that have in any eminent way opposed the iniquity of the times in their Generation, to be hated while they live, and to be reviled and reproached at their death by the tongues, and pens of lewd and profane spirits, In all ages (saith one) there are not wanting some qui scepticè & scabiosè de bonis loquantur. This hath been the lot of this pious Magistrate of the City of Exon by this false and malicious Pamphleteere, who hath patched together a bundle of untruths to make up his accusation and charge him (as will appear in the sequel) that he may hereby not only harden his own heart, but others also in their desperate Malignancy, sucking poison out of every sad accident to increase their venom, and to strengthen themselves in their evil ways, but thus it hath and ever will be, that those that seek occasion to stumble at (by the just hand of God) shall find enough to harden themselves by to their own destruction. Let not the Saints of God be troubled at it, if they see reproaches cast upon their brethren in their life, or at their death, it's their duty to keep themselves innocent, and it will be comfort enough when they are so; we must be content a while here, (if God will have it so) that our good names as well as our bodies (like the Corn) must die, and rot awhile before they rise up again, and appear more glorious, the servant is not greater than his Master, Christ himself was called a Beelzebub while he lived, and suffered upon this very point, (as this servant of God doth) as a malefactor, when he died, because he was cried out against as an enemy to Caesar.  
Reader, were the person so well known to thee, as he was in the place where he lived, it were needless to make reply by way of Vindication to so scurrilous a paper, for what is there charged upon him cannot at all be credited by any sober spirits that knew him, only considering that it is every Christians duty to endeavour what he can, to Vindicate the reputation of the innocent, (especial such as were public persons that cannot clear themselves) as also because strangers now adays are too apt to entertain a belief of that which is asserted in Print and not contradicted, but chief that the mouth of inquity may be stopped, and that none from this sad act of Providence may take occasion to harden themselves in their Malignancy (against which the Majesty of Heaven hath so visibly appeared, and which seems to be the errand of this lying imputation) I shall  
1. Give thee a true Character of the man what he was who is thus aspersed.  
2. A true relation of the sad accident that befell him in his journey to London, attested under the hand of his servant that was with him, that hereby (comparing it with the seurrilous Pamphlet) thou mayst see how wickedly and basely he is wronged.  
1. As for the Character of the man it is well known, That he was a pious man and a good Magistrate that punished sin impartially without respect of persons, one that hath both done and suffered much in person and otherways to further the work of Reformation in a right Parliamentary way, he was no enemy to Monarchy; nor no friend to Malignants to uphold arbitrary and Tyrannical Government, he was equally averse to Sectaries on the one hand as to Malignants on the other, very sparing in his speeches to his very friends; and therefore very unlikely to be so rash; violent and reproaching in his language of the King before strangers, yea and that such as were so vile and wicked (as those were that were in the Wagon with him;) as will appear in the narration; he was of a more sober spirit then to use such bitter revile and more wise then to speak before so rude a people; as is well known, to those that knew him, and therefore the more wicked was the Pamphleteere that belies him so much in Print to his defamation.  
2. Take a brief yet true Narration of his journey and the sad accident that befell him attested under the hand of his own servant that was with him in his journey till he died. Which is as followeth.   

A brief Relation of certain passages which happened unto my Master Mr. Walter White in his journey from his Son in Law Mr. William Whites house towards London until the time of his death.  
MY Master intending a journey for London, hired two horses of one Pain a Waggoner belonging to the Town of Pool in the County of Dorset, who was to bring the said horses on the 20. th' of November last passed, to the house of Mr. William White at Hampreston, but then brought but one, promising at Ringwood five miles further on the road, he should not sail of the other, but my Master coming to Ringwood in expectation of this other horse sound the Wagon indeed there, and going towards Rumsey 15 miles from Ringwood, but the Waggoner (who made the promise) not yet come, and when come had not yet provided the other horse, so we were forced to stay there till he procured the horse, and by this time the Wagon being near two hours before us ere we could overtake the Wagon, it was by six horsemen driven out of the road and rob in the new Forest, 5, or 6 miles from Ringwood. Being come to Rumsey, (for till than we knew not of the accident) the Waggoner (finding his goods so mixed that he could not discern one man's goods from another,) resolved to return, and would not let us have his horses according to agreement, being thus disappointed, with much difficulty (after one whole days stay at Rumsey) got horses to carry us to Winchester, and there not being able (after trial) to get horses to carry us thorough to London, my Master was necessitated to put himself into an Hampton Wagon, the Master whereof lived at Aeson two miles from Winchester, whether we went on Saturday the 26 of Novemb. and 27 set forward in the Wagon with four other passengers (very lewd people as we afterwards found) one man and three women, we lay that night at Odium the next morning being gone near 3 miles on our journey, coming into a bad way, the driver of the Wagon drove on the side of a bank, the Wagon being heavy loaden, leaning much to th'one side broke the pin which held it, and the wheels together, and so fell over my Master having a box by his left side, fell on that, and the passengers on him, which bruised him very much, yet he lived near 18 hours afterward, and 14 hours in perfect mind; he died Wednesday morning 29 of Novemb. 1648. After the death of my said Master, the Jury and Corroner sitting upon him, found the aforementioned box to be part of the cause of his death, and so indicted it. Christopher Dore.  
Now if thou please to peruse the Printed Papers relation, you may easily see the falsities therein contained which is as followeth, Friday the first of this instant December 1648. One White who was last year Major of Exeter, being upon the Road between that City and this of London in a Wagon of Exater, and twelve other passengers in it, near Bagshot, began an invective and bitterly railed against his Sacred Majesty, using many vile and reproachful speeches against him, which when some of the company resented, and seemed to dislike in a rage of much sinful passion, he stuck not to say, That hanging was too good for the King, and that if he were buried alive, it were a death good enough for him: and added rather than it should be undone, he would be ready to do that himself, which words were scarcely by him uttered, when the Wagon was with the passengers in it suddenly overturned, and this blasphemous wretch White killed outright, without leave of one words speech, not one of the rest (his man excepted who was a little bruised, it may be suffering for his relation to so wicked a Master) being in the leastwise hurt.  

What things are false in the printed relation of my master Mr. Walter White his death.  
He died the 29. th' of November 1648. whereas the Pamphlet saith, the first of December.  
2. He received his fall out of an Hampton Wagon one mile on this side Hartlerow in the Parish of Hartlewinkay; the Pamphlet saith 'twas out of an Exter Wagon near Bagshot.  
3. In the Wagon were but six Passengers with himself, the Pamphlet saith twelve.  
4. The day before he sell, he reproved the rest of the 
Reader thou mayst perceive what a stranger he was to this sad accident which he relateth.  passengers for their wanton and lasoivious discourse (which discourse was most abominable) but that day in which he received his hurt did not speak— one word of the King or of any State business; the Pamphler saith that he used many vile and reproachful speeches against the King.  
5. He lived after his fall near 18 hours, and in perfect mind above 14 hours, the Pamphlet saith he was killed outright.  
What is here testified by me is the truth. Christopher Dore.   

Reader, by this relation and the many untruths therein, thou mayst easily perceive of what stamp the Pampleteere was of, and how much he resembleth him that is a liar and 
joh. 8. 44.  the father of it, one would think so short a relation could hardly be stuffed with so many untruths, It evidently appears, he was not only a stranger to his person, but to this sad accident that befell him, yet deals with him as the Barbarians at Melita with Paul, (though a stranger also to them) yet when the Viper was on his hand presently cry out that vengeance will not suffer him to live; It's a very ill but a very common thing to Judge of persous and of causes by the success, man is apt to think them the worst who suffer worst, and that they have sinned most that have suffered most and have most sorrow, surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows yet (we did esteem him) stricken, smitten of God and afflicted, 
Fsa. 53. 4. Luk. 13. 2 3.  say they of our Saviour. I confess great afflictions carry a charge of wickedness upon the afflicted, but 'tis by them that judge only by sense. The Pamphleteere tells you immediately after his narrative, that the Judgements of God are a great deep, which indeed the Scripture showeth, 
Psal. 36. 6. Ecel. 9 8.  and had he considered it as he ought, it might have silenced his revile, for indeed here all things happen alike to all, as to the wicked so to the Righteous saith Solomon; I would not hereby take thee off Reader from observing the just judgement, of God, but take heed of being too critical and censorious in the particular application of them; indeed if men have been impions and abominable in their lives (which none can fasten upon this reproached Citizen) and God had in the very act of sin cut him off, here might have been some place for an ecce digitus Dei, but to draw uncharitable and ungodly inferences merely from the untimely deaths of men, becomes not a sober spirit but is contrary not only to Religion but even to civility also; It was indeed an aggravation to his sad affliction that he fell into the company of such barbarous and unclean people; which because he sharply reproved them for their uncivil and wanton discourse while he lived, they would be sure to bespatter him with lying reproaches at his death, so 
Prov. 9, 7.  true is that of the wiseman here, he that reproveth a scorner getteth himself a blot.  
Reader I will not trouble thee further in replying to so bitter and malicious a paper, as may appear by his language and misapplications of Scripture, especially that with which he closeth up his railing discourse, 2 Sam. 16. 9 As for those places of Scripture that he useth or rather abuseth in his application of them, you know they are the common texts which the Malignants of these times have frequently in their months to deceive simple souls, and to prop up a tottering and dying cause, which God hath once and again so visibly declared against, were they not hardened in their iniquity, they might see it, and repent, they are glad to catch at any thing that may support them in their sinking condition, and nourish that radical hatred that is in them against the cause of God and his people. That which I have written hath been only to Vindicate the slandered reputation of this worthy Citizen, whom we are bound to honour, and to satisfy the sober minded; As for others that are set upon reviling (whose tongues are bend like bows for lies) I know nothing will stop their mouths. I shall close therefore with that 14. Hos. 9 The ways of the Lord are right, and the just will walk in them, but transgressors shall fall therein.   
FINIS.