“The fourth day after his commitment, the high commission pursuivants came (under the conduct of the sheriffs of London) to your petitioner’s house, and a mighty multitude with them, giving out that they came to search for jesuit’s books. There these violent fellows of prey laid violent hands upon your petitioner’s distressed wife, with such barbarous inhumanity, as he is ashamed to express; and so rifled every soul in the house, holding a bent pistol to a child’s breast of five years old, threatening to kill him, if he would not tell where the books were; through which the child was so affrighted, that he never cast it. They broke open presses, chests, boxes, the boards of the house, and every thing they found in the way, though they were willing to open all. They, and some of the sheriffs’ men, spoiled, robbed, and carried away all the books and manuscripts they found, with household stuff, your petitioner’s apparel, arms, and other things; so that they left nothing that liked them; notwithstanding your petitioner’s wife told the sheriffs, they might come to reckon for it. They carried also a great number of divers of your petitioner’s books, and other things, from one Mr. Archer’s house, as he will testify. “Farther, your petitioner being denied the copy of his commitment, by the jailor of Newgate, his wife, with some friends, repaired to the sheriff, offering him bail, according to the statute in that behalf; which being shewed by an attorney at law, the sheriff replied, that he wished the laws of the land, and privileges of the subject, had never been named in the parliament, &c. Your petitioner (having thus suffered in body, liberty, family, estate, and house) at the end of fifteen weeks was served with a subpœna, on information laid against him by Sir Robert Heath, then his Majesty’s attorney general; whose dealing with your prisoner was full of cruelty and deceit. In the mean time it did more than appear, to four physicians, that poison had been given him in Newgate; for his hair and skin came off in a sickness (deadly to the eye) in the height whereof, as he did lie, censure was passed against him in the star chamber, without hearing (which had not been heard of) notwithstanding of a certificate from four physicians, and affidavit made by an attorney, of the desperateness of the disease. But nothing would serve Dr. Laud, but the highest censure that ever was passed in that court to be put upon him; and so it was to be inflicted with knife, fire, and whip, at and upon the pillory, with ten thousand pounds fine; which some of the lords conceived should never be inflicted, only it was imposed (as on a dying man) to terrify others. But the said doctor and his combinants, caused the said censure to be executed the 26th day of November following (with a witness) for the hang-man was armed with strong drink all the night before in prison, and, with threatning words, to do it cruelly. Your petitioner’s hands being tied to a stake (besides