The Popish Forgery Detected.  
REMARKS on the PAPER delivered by Margaret Martel to the Under-Sheriff at the Time and Place of her Execution, at Suffolk-street End, July 16. 1697. ●or the Barbarous Murder of Elizabeth Pullen, Wife of Paul Pullen, Esq  
Published by Special Order.  
HAD the Papists been well advised, they would have published nothing concerning the Execution of Margaret Martel; for tho' she was of their Communion, no body would have charged their Religion with the hideousness of her Crime, there being no Christian Society that may pretend to be free from Wicked and ●…rate Villains. But the Genius of Popery, is to improve every thing to their own ●…ntage; and it being a common Maxim amongst them, That the most notorious Lies 〈◊〉 be sometimes very useful, tho' they should impose upon the World but for an Hour, 〈◊〉 have ventured to lay the Crime, committed by Margaret Martel, upon Protestants; 〈◊〉 at the same time, to recommend the Doctrine of their Church to the People.  
●his does manifestly appear from the Prayer she delivered to the Under-Sheriff; where●… he saith. That God had forsaken her, because she had forsaken her Religion to embrace ●…ther; [In the Profession of which, I have always been a bad Liver, as having no Obligation ●…o me to declare myself to any Person who could hinder me from following my irregular Incli●…ons.] This is certainly a Masterpiece of Malice; and the Contrivers thereof must ●…ds be stocked with an unparallelled Impudence, to face it out to the World, as it 〈◊〉 appear by the following Considerations.  
It is not true, that the said Margaret Martel has abjured Popery to turn a Protestant; 〈◊〉 we defy those who framed this Prayer for her, to name the Minister who received her ●…ration, or the Church wherein it was performed, either French, Dutch, or English. ●…at this Assertion, which is laid down here as a Matter of Fact, is a faceless, ground●… Forgery, (after our most diligent Enquiry, and according to our best Knowledge,) at●…ed with a horrid Impiety, considering the nature of the Paper wherein it is con●…ed, and the Circumstance of the Dying Person; for they oblige her to call God Al●…ty to witness a Lye.  
But supposing she had turned Protestant, which is manifestly false, Does it follow 〈◊〉 thence that she was inspired with any bloody Principles in the Communion of the ●…stant Churches? This is more than they can make out. Whereas we can easily prove, 〈◊〉 God Almighty being represented every Sunday, in the reading of the Ten Command●…ts in vulgar Tongue, as thundering his Judgements against Murders and Assassinations, 〈◊〉 shalt do no Murder; and our Divines expressing themselves every where against those ●…es, they are (God be thanked) somewhat scarce amongst Protestants, and very com●… in Popish Countries. We may observe further, that the Protestant Churches of France 〈◊〉 so severe in this Particular, that tho' a Murderer had obtained their King's Pardon, 〈◊〉 would not admit him to the Participation of the Lord's Supper, till after several Years ●…ance.  
I. We need not go out of the Church of Rome to look for the Masters who, in greater ●…hood, have taught her Murder and Assassination. The Famous Caramuel gives leave, 〈◊〉 to Priests, to kill those who Slander them; and Molina owns, that he dares not con●… such who kill those who endeavour to Rob them, even when the thing attempted to 〈…〉 bed should be worth only a Crown. These two Doctors are sufficient to make an ●…n probable: And Father Bauni has positively decided, that a Priest would be guilty 〈◊〉 great Sin, did he refuse to Absolve a Man whose Actions should be grounded on a pro●… Opinion.  
〈◊〉. It is therefore in the Romish Church, and not among Protestants, that Margaret Martel become hold with the greatest Crimes. We have several Presumptions of it; but she ●…d herself upon her Body an undeniable Proof of this Truth; for when she was put in●… Grave, they discovered she had been branded upon her Shoulder with a Flower-de-●…. This Punishment was certainly inflicted upon her while she was in France, and a Papist; therefore she was used to great Crimes before she came into England, and th●…●…testant, as they will suppose. She has owned that her Father was banished out of R●… Murder; no wonder then that she was able to frame the horrid design for which sh●… suffered, having inherited that bloody temper from her Father, and been confirmed there●… the Doctors of the Church wherein she was educated.  
V There is all the likelihood imaginable to believe that Popish Priests do not insist e●… on the hideousness of Murder; for Margaret Martel does not speak a word, in her Po●… of the Murder she committed on Mrs. Pullen; contenting herself to say in general 〈◊〉 she was agreat Sinner. So great and barbarous a Crime did certainly deserve a particular 〈◊〉 public Confession; but since she has not done it, Who is to be blamed? Charity oblig●… to believe, that she did not think of it in the Circumstances she was in; but her Di●… ought to have put her in mind of it, considering that she had not owned her Crime to the ●…ges. A Sinner who is truly penitent, and sensible of the grievousness of his Crime, will 〈◊〉 hid it under some general terms; but on the contrary, proclaim it to all the World. This 〈◊〉 be made out by a great many illustrious Examples.  
VI The other design the Authors of this Prayer proposed to themselves, is, to show the ●…vantages and usefulness of the Auricular Confession which is practised in the Church of R●… but altho' one would not deny that this Auricular Confession may be of some use 〈◊〉 the Popish Church being guilty of Idolatry, and of several Errors inconsistent with ●…tion, it does not follow that one ought to turn to, or remain in her Communion, bec●… of this Confession; which, after all, is not attended with the advantages and use ●…hinted at in this Prayer.  
VII. Margaret Martel, or rather the Director of her Conscience, tell us, That had she 〈◊〉 under an obligation to confess herself, she would not have committed this Crime, (the 〈◊〉 she makes use of do import as much;) but she did Confess herself at Paris before she ●…branded with a Flower-de-luce. Her Father did the like, before he committed the Mu●… for which he was banished. The Ravaillacs, Gerard's, and Garnets', made use also of the ●…ricular Confession; How then did they commit those abominable Crimes, if the Confe●… is so powerful to restrain Men from Sin? Rome and Italy, where the Auricular Confe●… is so frequently used, aught, according to this Doctrine, to be altogether free from Murth●… and other great Crimes; whereas there are more Assassinations committed in those Par●… in all the Protestant Countries of the World put together. Where is then the great ●…tage of the Auricular Confession?  
VIII. The Protestants have always approved a sort of Confession, which may be called, 〈◊〉 Direction; and think that Sinners would find a great benefit to apply themselves to their ●…nisters for their Advice and Instruction; but they believe, and may prove, that the Ro●… Church is in the wrong. 

1. For having added the Confession to the number of the S●…ments instituted by Christ.  
2. For obliging all Christians, upon pain of Damnation, to ●…fess all then mortal Sins.  
3. For giving, or rather pretending to give, to her Priests a Po●… to absolve Sinners.  
4. To substitute in the room of the Duties required by true Repentance the abstinence of certain Meat, the reciting of some Pater's and Ave Maria's, the visiting 〈◊〉 some Relics, and the like, which are of a dangerous consequence; for men being natural perverse, are apt to follow their wicked Inclinations, and give up themselves to all sins, if th●… can but persuade themselves, that the Absolution and Pardon of all their Crimes are so ea●… purchased.   This is certainly the reason of the depravation of the manners of the Inhabit●… of Rome, the Centre of the Romish Church, and the most debauched City in the World.  
IX. Those who framed the Prayer of Margaret Martel, wherein the Protestant Religion 〈◊〉 in general so unjustly aspersed, have doubtless contrived also a scurrilous Ballad sung in th● Streets to make odious to the common People the French Protestants who live amongst us but the Artifice is too plain to take effect; for even Children of fifteen years of age may remember, that there were few French Protestants in England, before the Cruelties of L●… XIV. drove them from their native Country; and that all did not come over with wood●… Shoes. Our People may indeed ask the French Papists, why they live here, since they h●… the liberty to go home?  
This pitiful Scoundrel seems very uneasy, because the protestants of England have open●… their Arms to their distressed Brethren; but 'tis not doubted, but the King and Parliament, who have taken the Refugees under their Protection, will take care also to punish the Impedence of a Fellow who dares presume to reflect on their Compassion and Generosity.  
FINIS.   

LONDON, Printed; and sold by E. Whitlock near Stationers-Hall, 1697.