Page:The History of the Church & Manor of Wigan part 2.djvu/173

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352
History of the Church and Manor of Wigan.

Marshall's evidence was fully corroborated by that of Robert Willson, butcher, of Warrington, who was present and saw Cade's abuse of the said John Marshall both on the Sunday and Friday.

On the 19th of the same month before the same magistrates,

"John Britch, of Warrington in the county of Lancaster, gent, upon oeth informeth and saith that upon Sundaye at night being the 10th of this instant ffebruary, he being at the howse of on Thorn. Seftons in Warrington aforsd in company wth on Toby Ratcliff, Thom. Worrell of Warrington & others, ther was on ffrancis Aparisius or phissicon moved a question to this depont & the rest whether they thought ther were any Helle or torment for the wicked or not, and req. the opinion of on Bartlemew Cade a minister for it, for he himself thought ther was neither, & was confident that the said Cade was of this beleef: thereupon this depont wth the forsd parties & the sd ffrancis Aparisseus went all foerth of the forsd howse to an alehowse or inn in Warrington where the said Cade then laye, where when the came the forsd Cade (hearing them) p'sently riss foerth of his bedd, & the forsd question of ffrancis Aparisseus made, that ther was noe hell &c., being put unto him, he the said Cade made answer & told this depont & the forsd parties that ther was noe such thinge as either helle or any devill, and that what at any tyme he had taught or preacht or was preacht in the pulpitt of such a place as hell or tormt for ye wicked were but mere delussions to oppress & terrific the conscienses of men: and the said Cade being thereupon by this depont demanded why he & others would teach soe, if ther were noe such thinge, the said Cade replied, the taught soe only to oppresse & terrific man's conscience. And this depont further saith that, hearing the said Cade and Aparissius soe mayntaine that ther was neither devill nor hell, [he] replyed & told them if ther be neither devill nor Hell, as you teach me, I and all men maye then live & doe what wee list, or words to that effect, to this deponent's best remembrance. And this depont further saith that, the forsd Cade beinge that daye & tyme aforsd imprisoned in the common prisson of the towne of Warrington for misdemeanors by him committed in the towne yt day being Sonday, the forsaid Aparisseus, hearing yt the constables had soe im prisson ed yt forsd Cade, went & bucled on his sword & dagger, & said he would go to see or releeve him, & coming to the