The lamentation of Edward Bruton, and James Riley, who
for the bloody murder committed on the bodies of Henry
Howell, and his wife, upon Queenes Downe, were execu-
ted and hanged in chaines, neere the same place on the 18.
day of March, 1633.
To the tune of, Fortune my Foe.
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KInd Countreymen and our acquaintance all,
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Example take by this our sodaine fall,
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Dip not your hands in blood thats innocent,
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For which offence we both too late repent.
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The crying sinnes of murther pierceth heaven,
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And great repentance craves to be forgiven,
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One bloody deed deserves ten thousand deaths:
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But we bereaved divers of their breaths.
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The harmelesse man that did no hurt intend,
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Most butcher-like we brought unto his end,
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And that good woman his most loving wife
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Inhumanely bereaved we of life,
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She great with child (oh how it grieves our hearts
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That we should act such bloody tragicke parts!)
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The harmelesse infant that was in her wombe,
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We likewise slew, whose mother was its tombe.
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Their other children sitting by the fire
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We likewise hurt, who mercy did require,
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But we no mercy had, nor grace at all,
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When as these Babes for life did cry and call.
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And for the same no mercy here we find:
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Deserved death are for our sinnes assignd,
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Death is our doome, we here our lives must pay,
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Our glasse is out, this is our dying day.
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A shamelesse end for our most shamefull sinne
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We must receive, that we have lived in,
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Here on this tree we must resigne our breathe
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Yet thats not all, though here we die this death.
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Our bodies must no buriall place possesse,
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This is our doome for our vild wickednesse,
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Twixt Earth & Heaven we here must hang in chains
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As long as sinewes, flesh or bones remaines.
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Fowles of the aire our eyes they forth will pull,
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Feed on our flesh, and peck upon our scull,
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We shall be pointing stocks to every one
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That passeth by, though we are dead and gone.
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Earth scornes to hide our bodies from the light,
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But in the ayre must tottering hang in sight,
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And here in Kent we nere shall bee forgot,
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Although our joints by piecemeale dropping rot,
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Unto each other Travellers will say,
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See you those Murtherers, as they passe this way,
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Those are the villaines that the blood did spill
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Of innocents, thats hanging on yon hill.
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Thus shall we be discourse for after-times,
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Which we deserve most justly for our crimes,
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And we shall be recorded for this fact,
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That we so mercilesse and foule did act.
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Great God forgive our sinnes that are so foule,
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And unto mercy take each sinfull Soule,
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Deale not in Justice with our sinnes, O Lord,
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But grace and pardon to our soules afford.
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Thy mercy (Lord) is greater than our sinne,
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And if thou please in Heaven to let us in,
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We doe repent us of our wicked deed,
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The thought of which doth make our soules to bleed.
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But woe to him that was the cause of this,
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Which did intice us first to doe amisse,
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Oh bloody Darbie, it was long of thee
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We did consent to do this villanie.
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Though thou art fled, yet God will find thee out,
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And will take vengeance on thee, theres no doubt,
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Heel not let scape so foule and vile a crime,
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As he hath justly done on us this time.
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But we confesse, we have deservd to dye,
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And to the Lord we now for mercy cry:
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Receive us, Jesus Christ, to thee we pray,
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Whose precious blood wash all our sinnes away.
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Thus have you heard how these same two did dye,
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Ending their lives with shame and infamy,
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And one of them that was on thother side,
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Converted, and a Protestant he dide.
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The Lord (no doubt) to them did mercy lend,
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Who were so penitent before their end,
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Their soules I hope in Heaven above doe dwell.
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But yet another bloody tale Ile tell.
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Another Bloody murther committed neere Ware, in Hart-
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fordshire, by some notorious offenders, who were execu-
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ted in the same moneth. To the same Tune.
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KInd hearts give eare to that which I shall tell
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Of a sad story which of late befell,
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In Hartfordshire neere Ware did chance this thing,
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Which causd salt teares from many eyes to spring.
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Two men were riding in an evening late,
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That had a charge of money and estate,
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And homeward they intended for to goe,
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But destiny doth oftentimes say no.
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And for these men foure villaines they did watch,
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Which had way-layd them how they them might catch:
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At him which was the formost they did lay,
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But his swift horse did beare him safe away.
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The next they hit, and felld him to the ground,
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And rifling him, they gave him many a wound,
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So leaving him, as they did thinke for dead,
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Having his gold, away they streightway fled.
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Yet one of them did backward cast his eye,
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And did perceive him stir as he did lye,
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Saying, Ile backe, and give him his deaths blo[w]
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For every one of us he well doth know.
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And with his staffe his braynes he out did beate.
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Then straight this villaine to them did retreate;
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But marke how God did bring this thing to light,
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For blood and murther he will soone requite.
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One of these theeves a peece of Gold would change
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With one that knew him, that did thi[n]ke it strang[e]
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He should have gold, yet not the valew knew,
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Into suspition straite his mind it drew.
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And hearing of the murther done of late,
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Would understand how he came by this state,
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And threatning him, he then confest straiteway,
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Both him and them which that same man did slay.
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They were convicted, and by Law were tride,
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And for the same all foure of the[m] t[he]y dide,
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And he that last went b[a]cke, did suffer [de]ath,
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Just in the place he spent the true mans breath.
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And at the common Execution place,
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The other three did end their fatall ra[c]e,
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A just reward for murtherers in their kind,
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That beare so base and foule a bloody mind.
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For he that sits above the heavenly skye,
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Viewes all below with his all-seeing eye,
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And will take vengeance when he sees his will,
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On all that glories harmelesse blood to spill,
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Great God, preserve us from all sodaine death,
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Prepare our soules before we lose our breath,
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Make us all ready for the day to come,
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When thou shalt give to every one their doome.
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