d to hear Bazill
Fielding's case--[See May 9th, 1667]--tried; and so got up to the
Bench, my Lord Chief-Justice Keeling being Judge. Here I stood bare, not
challenging, though I might well enough, to be covered. But here were
several fine trials; among others, several brought in for making it
their trade to set houses on fire merely to get plunder; and all proved
by the two little boys spoken of yesterday by Sir R. Ford, who did give
so good account of particulars that I never heard children in my life.
And I confess, though I was unsatisfied with the force given to such
little boys, to take away men's lives, yet, when I was told that my Lord
Chief-Justice did declare that there was no law against taking the oath
of children above twelve years old, and then heard from Sir R. Ford the
good account which the boys had given of their understanding the nature
and consequence of an oath, and now my own observation of the sobriety
and readiness of their answers, further than of any man of any rank that
come to give witness this day, though some men of years and learning, I
was a little amazed, and fully satisfied that they ought to have as
much credit as the rest. They proved against several, their consulting
several times at a bawdy-house in Moore-Fields, called the Russia House,
among many other rogueries, of setting houses on fire, that they might
gather the goods that were flung into the streets; and it is worth
considering how unsafe it is to have children play up and down this lewd
town. For these two boys, one is my Lady Montagu's (I know not what
Lady Montagu) son, and the other of good condition, were playing in
Moore-Fields, and one rogue, Gabriel Holmes, did come to them and
teach them to drink, and then to bring him plate and clothes from their
fathers' houses, and carry him into their houses, and leaving open the
doors for him, and at last were made of their conspiracy, and were at
the very burning of this house in Aldersgate Street, on Easter Sunday
at night last, and did gather up goods, as they had resolved before and
this Gabriel Holmes did advise to have had two houses set on fire, one
after another, that, while they were quenching of one, they might be
burning another. And it is pretty that G. Holmes did tell his fellows,
and these boys swore it, that he did set fire to a box of linen in the
Sheriffe, Sir Joseph Shelden's' house, while he was attending the fire
in Aldersgate Street, and the Sheriffe himself sa