The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 95: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE PROCEEDINGS AT THE HOME OFFICE 73 were not permitted to respond to a single query calculated to shake their testimony or throw any real light upon the proceedings. Mr. Prescott was now required to read over the depositions, which he did in a singsong, parish-clerk kind of a tone, doubtless to the great edification of the government officials, but to the unmitigated disgust of the prisoners, who had not as yet seen a glimpse of common sense or common justice throughout the entire proceeding. The attorney-general and the chief magistrate then drew up a report to the effect that, whereas certain evil-disposed, wicked, and seditious persons, to wit, Timothy Meagles and James Melmoth, not having the fear of God before their eyes, and instigated by the devil, had conspired, did con- spire, and were found conspiring against the throne and kingly authority of these realms; and, moreover, did com- pass, imagine, conceive, intend, project, devise, purpose, and purport to depose his most Gracious Majesty from the style, title, and dignity of sovereign of the British dominions; and whereas in order to accomplish, perform, and devise, and do what they had so wickedly compassed, imagined, conceived, intended, projected, purposed, and purported, they did in the first place assume disorderly and seditious looks and evil-intentioned mien in the public streets, to the great dismay, consternation, and alarm of certain of his Majesty’s loving and dutiful subjects, thereby endangering the peace of these realms, and the peace of these realms being so endangered; and whereas the said Timothy Meagles and James Melmoth, while thus wickedly and seditiously menac- ing the state with civil war, did raise their arms against the person of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, thereby committing certain wicked and seditious acts of assault and battery on the sacred person of the heir apparent to the throne of these realms; and whereas it had been held that. the raising of arms is the same as appearing in arms, and that therefore the said wicked and evil-disposed persons, Timothy Meagles and James Melmoth, were proven to have appeared in arms for certain treasonable and rebellious purposes. ~ against their sovereign lord the king; and whereas, upon their own admission, they did belong to certain secret, illegal, and unlawful societies, and that they had also com- municated and conversed by means of certain secret signs. IS (C(O)