Turbervile, the third of the informers, was met in his evidence by numerous contradictions. It was proved that in his original deposition he had altered two dates the day after having sworn to their accuracy. Both in his deposition of November 9, 1680 and at the trial in the course of examination he had sworn that he had constantly seen Lord Stafford in Paris during a fortnight in 1675 when Stafford was ill with gout, and that the prisoner then pressed him to undertake the murder of the king. Two of Lord Stafford’s servants who had been with him in Paris now proved that they had never once seen Turbervile during that time, and that their master had not been ill or lame with gout for at least seven years.[745] Material evidence was brought against the witness on other points. He had sworn that at the end of 1675 Lord Stafford had returned to England by Calais, sending him by Dieppe. The contrary was now proved by an independent witness. It was also proved by a French servant belonging to the household of Lord Powis that Turbervile had lodged with him in Lord Powis’ house in Paris at a time when he professed to be in fear for his life of the earl himself, and by his brother, John Turbervile, that whereas he had sworn that Lord Powis threatened to have him disinherited, he had not at any time had even a remote chance of any inheritance whatsoever.[746] On the fourth day of this ponderous trial Lord Stafford closed his main defence. He pointed to the turpitude of Oates’ character, and spoke with emotion of his abhorrence that a man guilty of such immorality as to profess a change of religion which he did not experience should be allowed to give evidence against a peer among his peers. “I appeal to your lordships,” he cried, “whether such ... is not a perjured fellow, and no competent witness? No Christian, but a devil, and a witness for the devil.” Even Oates himself was flustered and had to be restrained by the managers from breaking into excesses.[747] The prosecuting Commons however were undismayed. They called a swarm of witnesses to set up the character of the informers and to destroy that of witnesses for the defence. It was proved by word of mouth and the production of letters that servants of Lord Aston, Lord Bellasis, and Mr. Heveningham had attempted to suborn persons to give false evidence against Dugdale.[748] The new witnesses were in turn contradicted by the defence, and this wonderful series of contradictions was carried still one step further when fresh evidence was called to corroborate them.[749]