The Cruel Mother; BEING A true Relation of the Bloody MURDER Committed by M. Cook, upon her Dear beloved Child; with the causes wherefore she did it: Her occasional speeches to several Friends and others that came to visit her in Prison, With the manner of her Execution and demeanour there.   printer's or publisher's device 
LONDON, Printed by W. R. 1670.   

An Exact and True Narrative of the Horrid, Inhuman, and Unnatural MURDER Committed by M. Cook upon the Child of her own Bowels.  
OF all sins there is no sin cries louder in the ears of God and Man than that of shedding of Blood; innocent Blood, What a Heinous, Inhuman, Barbarous and wicked sin it is? and such was the sin here, as hereafter will more largely appear in the ensuing Discourse.  
The sad occasion of this Relation is one Mary Cook, the Wife of Thomas Cook, living in Cloath-Fair near Smithfield, a Mother of three Children, two Sons and one Daughter, which Daughter was the Child of her chief affection, and the subject of her chief affliction, upon whom she pitched to act this horrid Murder, she is aged about thirty seven years, of a very silent melancholy temper, troubling her thoughts too much with care for the things of this world (as with bitter sighs she hath often since acknowledged: She was very subject to conceive discontents to herself, and to construe most passages from her Relations to the worst sense, (whether really or seemingly intended, we will leave to her Relations (who are more nearly concerned) to consider how little, or how far they might contribute to the increase of her melancholy Spirit, and so hasten her to this Ruin.) We will not charge them with any thing, only relate what she hath after in private and public confessed to several that are ready to give a very just account (if occasion require) Viz. That her conceived discontents at the unkindness of her Relations (as she supposed) did make her grow so big with melancholy, (a good bait for the Devil to work upon) Her natural life grew a burden to her, and her spiritual life she grew more and more mindless of. So prevalent are the Devils temptations when he meets with such melancholy subjects; and when he had found this way would work about his purposes to her destruction, he was not wanting to stir up instruments to hasten and heighten the same; So at last she comes to enter into secret counsel with the Devil and her own wicked Heart, how to bring her life to an end: At last she resolves upon drowning herself, and had attempted it many months agone, but being providentially met by some that knew her, was disappointed of this sinful and sad purpose: Some months after she resolves upon hanging herself, and to that end got several Scenes of Silk, and in her own Seller was going to act that dreadful Tragedy, but her Husband providentially approaching prevented her.  
And it is worthy of note, for all that read this sad story that still the Devil prevailed with her to keep his Counsel from the knowledge of such friends as might any way discourage her, in the prosecution of this wicked design, by which means he had her linked the faster to his chain, in order to her destruction: For it is more than probable, had she made her temptations know to some sober Christian, means with God and her Heart might have been used, to have plucked her out of this snare of the Devil, but she still persists and now at l●st resolves to cut her own throat, and but a day or two before she acted this last Tragedy, it is observable, she a little gave vent to her inside; had wisdom and God's blessing been observed, to have made some narrow search into the nature of what she uttered. For upon some occasion of her Husbands being to accompany some persons upon such occasions as she seemed not liking to, did thus reply: if he went, she would then throw her Child in the fire, namely, that little Babe she soon after murdered, but by his compliance at this time, she was prevented: But the devil does not leave her, he has her too fast to lose his labour; for on the sixth of February, being the Lord's day 1670/69 between eight and nine in the morning, she having overnight lodged a knife about her with an intent, (as she hath often since confessed) to cut her own throat the next opportunity, rising in the morning she goes down Stairs to make her Fire, and then whets her knife to make it more ready, then puts it to her throat making some impression upon her skin, and then withdrew her hand again: Now the Devil that is never wanting to help forward wicked purposes, puts her upon a fresh cosultation, what should become of that Child she so much loved above the other two Children when she was dead, upon this she conceived better to rid that out of this world first, so should she by that means come to her own end, upon which she goes up stairs, and finding her Husband absent, she with great violence took the Babe out of the Cradle, a Daughter of about two years and a quarter old and cut its throat, in a ghastful manner, the poor Babe (as she hath related) gave three or four lamentable sigh● and so departed; immediately she threw it from her upon the firehearth, and then passionately stamped with her feet; her Husband hastily running up stairs, and at the door ask, Wife, what is the matter? She dolefully replies, she had given the Child its breakfast, no sooner had she spoke, but he beheld with an afflicted spirit his Babe lie bleeding upon the ground, in which amaze, breaking out into great lamentation, a Lodger and Neighbour's approach, and a Chirurgeon sent for, but all in vain.  
A Constable is sent for to secure the Murderer, by whom she is carried before Sir W. Turner, who hearing the Fact with great amazement, committed her to Newgate, where she remained till the Sessions came, in which time she miscarried, and was in all likelihood in such a condition as might put a period to her life before Sessions came. But Divine Providence had otherwise decreed, she must live to satisfy the justice of the Law, and be a Terror to deter all others from being guilty of the like Crime: nay, if they have any Grace, from having any thoughts of so horrid a Bloodguiltiness.  
During the time of her being in Newgate, she continued a woman much dejected in spirit and deeply afflicted with melancholy, notwithstanding the utmost of means was used both for body and soul, as if so be God had marked her for an abject of terror to all surviving Mothers, both that were spectators, and also for the future that shall hear of, or read this bloody Narrative, her obdurating and impenetrable heart, not being capable to receive that daily supply of comfort or consolation which she had, did much discourage the faithful Ministers and People of God, who was very earnest with her and God in her behalf; always very slow and backward in speech to every thing of good unless to the confession of the unnatural, inhuman, notorious, material bowelless cutthroat murder: Upon which at the first, rather inclined to desperation, at last did believe there was mercy enough, and pardoning grace in the Lord Jesus Christ, but she could find in herself no comfort of it, though desires after it; all this while so far forth as her wicked companions and fellow Prisoners did not by their graceless discourses, and unseemly actions prevent; she employed in duty: but she told us she could only word it and not heart it: Another time told us that if she could be but once more sensible of the light of God's countenance being revealed to her, she did not care if she died the next moment (which was the most honest expression that ever we heard from her,) For saith she, the reproachful, ignominious bodily death I do not fear, it is my due debt I ought to pay; but the death of my Soul I dread. She told us a day or two after she had received some comfort, but soon eclipsed, and lost again by reason of melancholy vapours, her intellects being much impaired, and the Devil improving the present advantage; but her usual request of Ministers and the People of God was not voluntarily, but as the discourse of others made way and exhausted it; Thus you have an account of her quotidial and daily temper. The Sessions now beginning at Justice Hall in the Old Bailie, on the 21. Feb. She was there Arraigned and Cast for her life.  
By the favour of the Bench, she had a weeks time granted her to prepare for her death; and to die on Wednesday the second of March in Smithfield, over against Cloth-fair Gate, where formerly she lived, and committed that out-crying unparallelled Murder.  
Dr. St. a very Able and Reverend Divine; was had to her on Monday before she suffered, both to see how she was prepared for Death, and to understand the truth as to what might be the occasion of her committing that horrid sin; and that Religion might not be aspersed. He demanded solemnly and seriously, whether that was the occasion of it, and that she would give the truth of it as a dying woman; She answered no, there was no such thing: but being pressed farther with the same motives said, she did not believe her Relations to love her so well as they ought, and she being under some distempers of body a week or a fortnight before, and they would not seek out for help; She did it out of revenge to them which she did intent to have done to herself, but going up stairs with the Knife, found the innocent Babe (the Devil turning the temptation) ●●leep in the Cradle, took it out and most barbarously Cut the Throat of it, it giving one shrike, and lifting up the eyes to see from whom the the fatal bloody stroke came, and so became the Mother's sinful Sacrifice.  
March 1. Being the day before her Execution, her Husband being gone from her most part of the Afternoon, being jealous he was gone to seek her Pardon; she declared to a friend that was with her, That she did not desire a Pardon, but if she could obtain a Pardon in Christ, it was all she desired; continuing very cheerful all night, with breathing after Christ, and begging Pardon for her sins. After half an hours rest, which was all she took in the night, her Husband asked her how it was with her, she answered, not so well to boast, she found greater discoveries of Christ to her poor Soul, than she heretofore had and was more cheerful and freer to discourse of her condition this day, than any day before, since she came unto Prison.  
On the day of her Execution, reading Isaiah 43. ver. 1. But now thus saith the Lord that created the● O Jacob, and he that form thee, O Israel, Fear not: For I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. She said to her Husband, what hath the Lord Redeemed me, such a sinner as 〈◊〉 am, redeemed?  
Being asked by her Husband when she was going into the Cart, If she would not take her Bible with her, she answered she could not boast to the world, she desired a Pardon from Christ in her heart, and said she freely forgave every one, and desired forgiuness of all, & that they would pray to God for her, that he would forgive her. Being brought to the place of, Execution in Smithfield, a Gibbet being Erected at Cloth fair Gate after her Prayers, and Prayers made for her, and many good expressions uttered by her, the Executioner did his Office. She being observed to lift up her hands after she was turned off, so long as she was judged to have any sense left in her.   
FINIS.