A PERFECT RELATION Of the Cause and Manner of the Apprehending, by the KINGS Souldiers, William Needle and Mistris Phillips, Both dwelling in the Town of Banbury in Oxfordshire.  
TOGETHER With their inhuman usage, whilst they remained close Prisoners in the Castle of Banbury.  
AS ALSO The unjust Execution of the one, and the Barbarous cruelty exercised against the other: Being a fit Looking-glasse for all misled Malignants, to see the Clemency and Civility of that accursed crew of the Cavileers, in that place, and other parts of this kingdom.  
Printed in the year 1643.   

To the Christian Reader.  
THat a man should lay down his life for his friend, seems strange to vulgar affections; but cheerfully to suffer for a good conscience( in a time when it is counted treason) is a mystery, a Riddle, a thing full of Aenigmaes; yet you shall find a young man,( whose pulse hath scarce beat twenty yeeres) in the ensuing Story, forgetting the relation he held unto himself, and the respect he owed to his own nature, suffering in the cause of God, his Country, and his friends. Who though he was of mean esteem among the rabble of the Gentry, his parentage placing him below their feet, yet was he virtuous and religious, and thereby became Noble( for to speak like a Politian, there is a Nobility without Heraldry, a natural dignity, whereby one man is ranked with another, and filled before him, according to the quality of his desert, and prehemenencie of his good parts, though the corruption of these times, and the bias of most mens practise, wheel another way.) whose pious example, like an experieneed Mendicante, discovers the merciful aspect of every Christian, and singles out their faces wherein alone are to be found the true signatures and marks of pitty; but condemns the Charity of that accursed rout; whose faith is so small, that they cannot believe any thing of this nature: let him therefore that runs( so plain is it) to the malice of this wicked generation, against Religion, and those that profess it; and thereby learn to abhor their impious practices, and pitty those that are in bonds.   

A Perfect RELATION of the Cause and Manner of the Apprehending, by the Kings Souldiers, William Needle and Mistris Phillips: both dwelling in the town of Banbury in Oxfordshire.  
WHereas captain Trist and one of His Majesties Commanders of the Horse, being sore wounded and taken prisoners, by the right Honourable the Lord brooks, his Forces, in the late Skirmish at Stratford upon Aven, a●d was there left by the mercy of the said Lord, as thought unfit to travel, in respect of his sore hurt, giving sufficient engagements of his forthcoming a prisoner upon demand. It happe●ed( after the Lord brooks his remove from that town) that he was fetched from thence to Banbury by the Kings Souldiers, which were there in Garrison; where he had not long continued( but misdoubting the success of those small means they had there, for the recovery of him, who so valiant a Champion in Plundering) they carried him towards Oxford: Mistris Phillips,( the wife of Master Phillips,) one of the Magistrates of the town of Banbury, having notice thereof, procured a Messenger( by name William Needle) to go to Bister, where the Parliaments Forces were quartered, and acquaint them with the intended journey of captain Trist, that so by the way, he ●ight be apprehended as an enemy to the State, and the grand disturber of the peace of that County, by many horrid outrages there committed.  
But the messenger unawares lighting on a party of the King●, that were scouring abroad, was by them taken and examined whether he was going, at first he gave them some slight answer; whereupon one ●f the said Souldiers feigning himself to be for the Parliament, cursing the Cavileers and the Kings Army( as little else they deserve, being for the most part the scum and refuse of christendom, to the dishonour of this Nation) easily persuaded the messenger to believe, that he professed himself to be, which so wrought upon him, that he discovered his business: immediately after he was carried by them as a prisoner to Banbury( a usual requital when their own turns are served) before colonel Hunks governor of that miserable( garrison) town being examined, and confessing by whom he was sent, he was forthwith sent himself to the Castle a close prisoner, where he endured no little hardship.  
No● long after mistress Phillips was sent for, who was found playing the good housewife at home( a thing much out of fashion) and examined before the said governor, it being asked her why she sent to have captain Trist taken, she answered because he was an enemy to the State, and a great oppressor of the Kings good Subjects, contrary to His Majesties Proclamation, Pillaging and plundering, yea killing where he finds opposition, and impudently boasting of both when he hath so done,( as if he had devised some new way to make himself more famous then Nero for his cruelty by outmatching the devil his Master in malice and villainy) for which mistress Phillips was committed close prisoner to the Castle, notwithwanding good bail was offered for her enlargement: what misery hereby this poor wom●n sustained let them imagine who have but common sparks of humanity, for beside her imprisonment, her Hu●band( whom might she have enjoyed, would have lightened her sorrow) was driven long before from the town, fearing to fall( as well he might) into the hands of those whose mercies we find are cruelties: further, she was to care for ten children, the most of them being small, one whereof she at the same time ●uckled, her shop( which enabled her to keep all those) was ransacked, together with fourteen pounds of money taken away at the same time, her house was plundered of e●e●y thing that was oughts-worth, yet notwithstanding horse and men were billeted with her, when she could scarce get bread e●ough for herself and family, without the charity of her neighbours.  
mistress Phillips and William Needle being imprisoned the tenth of March, were called before a counsel of war the eleventh of the said month, at which time sentence of death was given on them both: and upon Tuesday the fourteenth of March they were brought to the place of execution in the Market-place, where this Proclamation was published, viz.  
William Needle by the procurement of Elizabeth Phillips for going about to surprise the body and goods of Capiaine Trist, is to hang by the neck until he be dead: which was accordingly done.  
mistress Phillips not knowing but her turn was next, standing all the while with a halter about her neck over against the gallows, a soldier would have put the halter under her handkerchief, but she would no suffer him, speaking with a very audible voice, I am not ashamed to suffer reproach and shane in this cause. A brave resolution! beseeming a nobler Sex, and not unfit to be registered in the Book of Martyrs; but her children being about her and much lamenting their Mothers deplorable condition, There came a Lieutenant( by name Poulney) whose life made good his profession: He was an Irish rebel( as he impudently confesseth) since his being in England he hath ●often bragged of his cruelty he hath acted in that dying kingdom, wishing to see the like here, and still is a barbarous, inhuman, savage man; nay, a monster of mankind, witness his Speech to the poor Children; ye are bound to curse your Mother: forgetting the curse God hath pronounced to all such disobedient children; that the Ravens of the valleys shall pick out their ●yess, and the young Eagles ea● them: a fit punishment for that goggle ▪ eyed, bastard-bred fellow; who to complete Mistris Phillips disgrace, caused her to be lead about the Market-place with much derision, and so carried her to prison again: where I leave her.  
It is not impertinent to acquaint the Reader with the manner of Needles life and death, both which did correspond each with other; ●i● life was honest and unblamable, steering the course thereof by his Religion, which he was not ashamed to profess when he suffered death for the same.  
As he was endowed with no mean gifts of the mind, which made him beloved of all good people, so were they not less eminent, when he was called to suffer, witness his patience and meekness, from the time of his imprisonment, to the last minute of his life.  
It being demanded when he stood upon the ladder, why he sought to surprise captain Trist; he( neither denied nor excused what he had done) and immediately returned this answer. He took Trist to be an enemy to the Church of God, peace of this kingdom, and the quiet of that place where he was: But being accused by( that Grand rebel) Poultney, that he was a traitor to the King; he replied, he was no traitor, nor ever had an ill thought of the King, but did constantly and hearty pray for the Kings preservation, the queens conversion, and their Prosperities happiness.  
Yea, he restified further his loyalty to his Prince, by assenting to His Majesties Proclamation, that whosoever plundered or pillaged, should be prosecuted according to Law; he knowing the above name Trist to be notoriously guilty of both, 〈◇〉 it his trade, to terrify women and children where he 〈…〉 g his pistol against their breasts, and laying 〈…〉 who refused to give him what he asked for.) He sought to have him punished by Law, for making voided the Kings Proclamation any false his word, but see how he was recompensed, in going about to bring an offender to punishment according to Law, he was hanged with a halter contrary to Law, a reward all honest men must look for, if they come within their clutches. But Needle being to take his leave of the world, casting his eyes about him, and espying some dejected countenances, and weeping eyes( as he thought) for his sake, recalling his spirits, showing a brave act of valour in contemning death, spake as follows:  
I would not have Gods people discouraged, or think the worse of this cause wherein I suffer; nor mourn, nor grieve for my death, for as I have testified to the world I lived Gods child, so I declare to you I die his servant.  
But being about to speak, that the enemies of Gods people would laugh at this cause, and rejoice at his death: he was interrupted by Poultney( an enemy to all goodness and now the plague of Banbury) who asked him if he thought the counsel of war that condemned him, were the enemies of Gods peopeple.  
He answered, those that are enemies to God, are enemies to Gods people.  
Hereupon a Bible was sent for, for Needle to sing and pray in before he died, which had not the Common Prayer-book in it; whereupon Poultney( that blaspheming wretch) cursed the people, saying, there was not one book of ▪ ten, that had the Common Prayer, or Apocrapha in them.  
The Executioner being about to turn Needle off the ladder, Poultney( A man very active in the Divels service) bid him hold a while, for he must go to the counsel of war: in the meanetime Needle put his hand in his pocket, and pulling out half a crown, called to one of mistress Phillips daughters, and gave it to her to keep in remembrance of him; which testified his true Charity to mistress Phillips, though she was partly a cause of his suffering.  
Poultney asking the counsel of war, what they should do with that man, whether they should hang him or no? Was answered, if he will not confess, hang him, when he had confessed all before.  
Poultney returning, bids the executioner do his office( a fitter employment for himself) Needle seeing he was to be sacrificed, to the fury and malice of his adversaries, did not so much as shrink or shiver, to the wonderment of the spectators, but bid the world hearty adieu; and so was turned off, he hanged until he was dead, and a great while longer; but at length was cut down by the sword of a Gentleman, one of the Kings souldiers; who looking on the corps was much grieved, saying he was persuaded that his soul was gone to Heaven, and that he being unjustly executed, his innocent blood would be required at their hands, which God being on the head of all those, who had a hand in his death.  
FINIS.