A Strange and Lamentable ACCOUNT OF A Bloody Barbarous Murder, COMMITTED By William Close,  
Upon the Body of a Young Woman at Lambeth, in the County of Surry, with whom, as his Sweetheart, he had kept Company for the space of Four Years; with the Particulars and Circumstances attending so Monstrous a Wickedness, all very Remarkable and Amazing, with the manner of the Discovery, his being Apprehended and Committed to the Marshalsea Prison, where he remains in Horror of mind in order to his Trial, etc.  
STRANGE and Amazing are the Prodigious Wickednesses of this Age; and altho' the frequent Examples of Justice might give a sufficient check to men's minds, yet we find the Punishment of many offenders, not forcible enough to deter others from the most Enormous of Crimes, viz. Shedding of Blood, and Destroying the Creatures of their own likeness, on whom God hath stamped his own Image, but among all the Cruel Scenes of Humane Rage and Barbarous Murders that have lately happened, we present the Reader with one in this Paper, very Terrible and Dreadful, considering the Circumstances that attended it, viz.  
One William Close, sometime a Servant to an eminent Citizen and Trader in London, having, about four Years since, contracted a Familiarity with a Young Woman that lived by the Royal Exchange in Cornhill, and at sundry times they had meetings together, and went abroad to Treats, and merry Meetings, so that they were not only supposed, by the Kindness and Familiarity that appeared, to be extraordinary Lovers, but some concluded them to be Man and Wife, though, since this Fatal Accident, no such thing, as far as we can Learn, is evident.  
This Familiarity continuing, there at last seemed to appear some signs of Melancholy and Discontent in either of them, especially in the Countenance of Close, however, though not only his Countenance and Actions made it apparent, yet he disembled it as well as he could, and they at certain times met as formerly, though the last meeting proved the most fatal, they had (as we are informed) several little Quarrels before, but Reconcilements of Friends, and their own humours made up the breach between them, when on Saturday the 2d. of September, it was agreed between them to go to Lambeth only by themselves, where first they went to an Alehouse on the back side of the Town, & there some words passing between them, the young Woman, apprehending some danger from ●…owring Looks, and rising passion, threw away the Knife, that was brought in with some Bread and Cheese, and bid the Girl, that came in with it, take it away, so that, missing of his opportunity to mischief her there, he flattered her into a belief of his well meaning and good Intention towards her, and with many persuasions, drew her to a Tavern near the Church, where calling for a Pint of Wine, and some eatables, he (as it is supposed) took his opportunity (all at unawars to her,) to strike her over the forehead with the Pot, which not only wounded her, but bruised, and dinted the Pot very much, at which she gave a Lamentable Cry, but whither the people of the House did not presently hear it, or mind it, is uncertain, but however, before they came up, her throat was cut with a Knife that had been brought up before, her windpipe being cut in sunder, and she in the Convulsions of Death, Struggling and Panting, though in vain, for Life, with great Effusion of blood, some of which was sprinkled on him.  
Upon this dismal sight, there being none but them two in the Room, he was apprehended as the Murderer, and being carried before a Justice of Peace, upon his Examination he made such Slender and Frivelous Allegations for himself, that they made more against him, than for Excusing him, whereupon he was Committed to the Marshalsea Prison; in Southwark where he now remains in order to his Trial for wilful Murder. It is said, during these familiarities, he had a Child by this young Woman, though not Married to her, which might probably be one main matter of breeding the discontent between them.   

Printed for J. Butcher, 1693.