The information charges that the defendant being a pernicious and seditious man, and contriving and practising, and falsely, and maliciously, and wickedly and seditiously intending to disturb the peace of the king and the common tranquillity of this kingdom, and to weaken and bring into discredit and bad repute the laws and customs of this kingdom, and the ancient government and the common justice thereof, and to excite and procure discords and seditions between the king and his subjects, also to bring into discredit the trial and sentence of Lord William Russell, did, on the fourteenth day of August in the thirty-fifth year of the reign of King Charles the Second, at the parish of St. Bartholomew aforesaid, falsely, unlawfully, unjustly, wickedly, seditiously, maliciously, and scandalously, make, compose, and print and sell, utter, and publish a certain false, seditious, malicious, and scandalous libel intituled _The speech of the late Lord Russell to the Sheriffs, together with the paper delivered by him to them at the place of execution_, containing, among other things, these false, malicious, seditious and scandalous sentences, viz., _I wish with all my soul all our unhappy Differences were removed, and that all sincere Protestants would so far consider the danger of Popery, as to lay aside their Heats, and agree against the Common Enemy; and that the Churchmen would be less severe, and the Dissenters less scrupulous; For I think Bitterness and Persecution are at all times bad, but much more now. For Popery, I look on it as an Idolatrous and Bloody Religion, and therefore thought myself bound, in my Station, to do all I could against it. And by that, I foresaw I should procure such great Enemies to myself, and so powerful ones, that I have been now for some time expecting the worst. And blessed be God, I saw by the Axe, and not by the Fiery Tryal_, And in another part, these other false, seditious, scandalous and defamatory sentences, viz., _I did believe and do still, that Popery is breaking in upon the Nation; and that those who advance it, will stop at nothing, to carry on their Design: I am heartily sorry that so many Protestants give their helping hand to it._ And in another place are contained these other false, scandalous, seditious and defamatory sentences, following, _I cannot but give some touch about the Bill of Exclusion, and shew the Reasons of my appearing in that Business; which in short is this: That I thought the Nation was in such danger of Popery, and that the Expectation of a Popish Successor (as I have said in Parliament) put the King's life likewise in such danger, that I saw no way so effectual to secure both as such a Bill. As to the limitations which were proposed, if they were sincerely offered, and had pass'd into a Law, the Duke then would have been excluded from the Power of a King, and the Government