LAMENTABLE NEWS FROM Southwark: Or the Cruel LANDLORD.  
BEING A true Relation of the Cruelties of a wretched Usurer against a poor woman that was his Tenant, and owed him but five shillings.  
How he most inhumanly beat her on Friday the 13th of this Instant November, Of which she is since dead, leaving behind her three small Children to the charge of the Parish.  
Upon which her said Landlord is now a Prisoner upon suspicion of murder.  
With Allowance.  
LONDON: Printed in the Year 1675.   

Lamentable News from Southwark: Or the Cruel LANDLORD.  
LEt us inquire no more for the Country of cannibals, nor fancy England free from Wolves and tigers. We have Savages amongst us far worse than those of afric; Men-eaters, that devour Orphans and Widows, and cannot live without having every day a large Mornings-draught of intermingled Blood and Tears. Piety, Charity, Compassion, good Nature, and Humanity itself, are retired, and rarely to be met with in their native Lustre; though Subtlety sometimes to accomplish her own designs, endeavours to counterfeit them with superficial painted appearances. 'Tis most admirably deciphered by the Poet. 
— De dure est ultima far;  
Protinus irrupit venae pejoris in Aevum  
Omne Nefas: Fugêre pudor, verunque fidé queen  
In quorum Sub●êre locum fraudesque dolique  
Invidiaeque & vis, & Amor Sceleratus habendi.  
At last the Iron Age comes blustering in  
I'th ' latter times, and fills the world with sin.  
All shane and truth and faithfulness are gone,  
Fraud and deceit, Lords paramount alone  
Do rule. By snares and violence men get  
Estates, and all is Fish that comes to Net.   
Which how truly it is verified in our days, every body knows, that knows but his right hand from his left, and the stones in the street will shortly cry out shane of, if men hold their peace.  
But the present Instance may spare the trouble of a further preamble, our Theme itself being enough alone to satisfy the world of its own depravity.  
In the Neighbourhood of London there dwelled a poor man, with his Wife and three small Children, that lived in part of a pitiful house belonging to a certain person, whose name I shall here forbear to mention, till the Law has more fully decided his Offence; yet he is one notorious enough amongst his Neighbours.  
These poor people having such a Landlord, and being very mean in the world, happened to fall so short of money that they could not pay him their last Quarters Rent due at Michaelmas, being( as the Neighbours affirm) not above five shillings, the Room going at twenty shillings a year, and dear enough in conscience, considering what it was; whereupon not knowing what to do, and partly sensible of their Landlords severity wherever he had an advantage, the Husband fearing an Arrest, thought it his best course to get out of the way; and so left his Wife and Children in possession till he could pick up abroad the aforesaid sum to satisfy the Rent.  
In his absence his Wife was deplorably poor, having three mouths to feed and provide for besides her own; but all that could, it seems, work no pity or compassion in her Landlord's breast, he was resolved to have his Rent, even in the spite of that old Proverb, Where nothing is to be had— And to this purpose he came upon Friday last being the 13th of this Instant November, to the premises, and seized on all those pitiful movables she had, and turned her three Babes out of doors, to seek their Lodging in the op●n street.  
But this was not all; for as if he had thought to get that satisfaction out of her poor carcase, which he could not find in her Goods and Chattels, upon some hasty words, or small provocation, he fell upon her, and most manfully beat her, giving her several lamentable blows, kicks and spurns, especially about the breast and belly, so that she cried out most miserable at the very instant that he had spoiled her. However she continued alive two or three days after, but was forced to lye with her Children in a could pitiful Hovel or Dog-kennel, and was all that time in a sad case, not able scarce to go or stand: And so languishing every hour worse than other, she at last died, complaining to the last of her Landlords Cruelty, and taking it upon her death that his Beating of her was the occasion of it; which seemed the more confirmed, when the women going to lay the Corps forth, found a great part of her belly black and blue with the bruises and batteries she had received.  
Whereupon, the Coroner was made acquainted with the Accident, and the Cruel Landlo●d apprehended upon suspicion, and for securing of him, he was committed to the County-Goal, where I leave him to the Test and Censure of the Law to absolve or acquit, to bring him in not guilty or cond●mn him, according to the Evidence that shall be produced, and Circumstances proved at the Trial; before which time, no man ought to prejudge him, as guilty of the alleged Crime, I mean of killing her: though 'tis most certain, if he should be cleared of that, that he is still much to blame for his severity in being so cruel eager upon such poor people for so small a sum of money, and much more for being so rude as to break the King's Peace, and so unmanly and inhuman as to assault and beat a silly weak woman( and one supposed to be with Child too) in that miserable and barbarous manner.  
FINIS.