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Show 146 ATROCIOUS JUDGES. [A. D. 1C61. 1 nust answer it; much 1nore when against the king and the state. Dying 'men's words, indeed! If men are as villanous at their death as in their lives, may \vhat they say be published as the words of dying men? God forbid! It is the king's great mercy that the charge i._ not for high treason." The. defendants, being found guilty, were sentenced to be fined, to stand several hours in the pillory, and to be impris-oned for life. [In October, 1664, Chief Justice Ilyde caused John l{cach to be indicted for libel, which indictn1ent he proceeded forthwith to try, in a manner denounced by Mr. Dunning, in one of his speeches in the !louse of C01nmon' (Dec. 6, 1770,) as "cruel brutal, and illegal." Keach had. written a little book called The ChilLl's In-structor; or a new and easy Primer, in which were contained several things contrary to the doctrine and ceremonies of the Church of England. ICeach taught that infants ought not to be baptized ; that laymen nu1y preach the go~ pel; that Christ shall reign per onal1y on the earth in the latter day, &c. lie hacl no ·ooner received a few copies from London, where the book was printed, than a j u ticc of the peace, who had hearcl of it, entered his house with a con table, .eized several of the book , and bound l{each over to an wcr for it at the next as.·izes at Aylsbnry. Chief Justice Hyde presiding, Keach was callec1 to the bar, when the following dialogue en~ued:- 1-lyde.- Did you write this book? (IIolding out one of the primers.) * * Th1' s practi.c e of puttm. g questi.O ns to the pn. soner m. t en dcc.l to in.t ima·si · date him, to involve him in contradictions, or to elicit from him some m_ 1 ~ creet admission, had ceased during the Commonwealth, but was rcvn·c by the new royal judges. A. D. 1664.] ROBERT HYDE. 147 Keach.- I writ 1nost of it. Hyde.- "\Vhat have you to do to take other men's trades out of their hands ? I believe you can preach as well as write books. Thus it is to let you and such as you are have the Scripture to wrest to your own destruction. You have made in your book a new creed. I Ita ve seen three creeds before, but I never saw a fourth till you tnade one. f(eacll.- I haY(' not 1nacle a creed, but a confe. sion of tl1e Christian faith. llyde.- Well, that i~ a creed, then. f(each.- Your lord~hip said you had never seen but three creeds, but thousands of Christians have maue a confession of their faith. The chief justice having denounced several thin o-s con- • 0 tamed in the book as contrary to the liturgy of the church of England, and so a breach of the te ·t of unifonnity- Keach. -l\fy lord, as to those things-llyde.- You shall not preach here, nor give the reasons of you.r damnable doctrine, to seduce and infect hit~ majesty'::; subJects. These are not things for such as you to meddle with, and to pretend to write books of divinity; but I will try you for it before I sleep. Ile then directed an indictment to be drawn up, and thus ad<.lres ed the grand jury : - "Gentlemen of the grand jury : I shall send you presently a bill again t one that hath taken upon him to write n new primer for the in. truction of vour children. lie is a ba c and. dangerou fellow ; and if "this be suffered, children by learning of it will becon1e such as he is ; and therefore I hope you will do your duty." A long indictment having been found, in which divers |