ating
draught to madden man and infuriate woman, so by the sophistry of a
State's Attorney and a Court Judge, well trained for this work, out of
innocent actions, and honest, manly speech, the most ghastly crimes
can be extorted, and then the "leprous distilment" be poured upon the
innocent victim,

"And a most instant tetter barks about,
Most lazar-like, with vile and loathsome crust,
All his smooth body!"

Here is an example. In 1668 some London apprentices committed a riot
by pulling down some houses of ill-fame in Moorfields, which had
become a nuisance to the neighborhood; they shouted "Down with Bawdy
Houses." Judge Kelyng had them indicted for High Treason. He said it
was "an accroachment of royal authority." It was "levying war." He
thus laid down the law. "The prisoners are indicted for levying war
against the King. By levying war is not only meant when a body is
gathered together as an army, but if a _company of people will go
about any public reformation, this is high treason_. These people do
pretend their design was against brothels; now let men to go about to
pull down brothels, with a captain [an apprentice "walked about with a
green apron on a pole"] and an ensign and weapons,--if this thing be
endured, _who is safe_? It is high treason because it doth betray the
peace of the nation, and _every subject is as much wronged as the
King_; for if every man may reform what he will, no man is safe;
therefore the thing is of desperate consequence, and we must make this
for a public example. There is reason why we should be very cautious;
we are but recently delivered from rebellion [Charles I. had been
executed nineteen years before, and his son had been in peaceable
possession of the throne for eight years], and we know that that
rebellion first began under the pretence of religion and the law; for
the Devil hath always this vizard upon it. We have great reason to be
very wary that we fall not again into the same error. Apprentices for
the future shall not go on in this manner. It proved that Beasly went
as their captain with his sword, and flourished it over his head [this
was the "weapons,"] and that Messenger walked about Moorfields with a
green apron on the top of a pole [this was the "ensign"]. What was
done by one, was done by all; in high treason all concerned are
principals."[45]

[Footnote 45: 1 Campbell's Justices, 404-5; Kelyng's Reports, 70.]

Thereupon thirteen apprentices who