By W. W. Ravenhill, Esq. 



147 



He sayth, Ins man, when he returnd, brought with him two paire of pistolls, 

 which he bid his man bringe with hym ; and whilst he was with them, he was 

 as much for them as could be. 



Sayth that Mr. Penruddocke was severall tymes with hym, and desired hym 

 to take up arms. 



He confesseth, that he knewe of this business half-a-year agoe ; and that 

 Mr. Penruddocke told hym, there should have beene a generall risinge all over 

 England, upon Saint Yalentine's daye." 



Mr. St. Loe was a Dorset gentleman, though described in the in- 

 dictment at the assizes, as we shall see, as of New Sarum ; ] a man of 

 of promise rather than performance, who left the Cavaliers at Sher- 

 borne and returning towards his own county, fell into the hands of 

 Colonel Boteler,and was by him transferred to Captain Horsington of 

 Salisbury, to be lodged in the gaol there. But Horsington being a 

 friend of St. Loe's, took him off at once to London, perhaps thinking 

 that a speedy confession would be the most potent instrument in 

 saving him from the pains of treason. Boteler 2 writes of him : — 



" That in addition to joining the rising himself, he had been informed that he 

 had sent two men and horses to assist the rebells. That he had been once 

 Captain of some of the Clubbmen in Wilts, a business his highness would well 

 remember [Secret Society Royal ! ]. That next to Penruddock there was scarce 

 a man amongst them who deserved less favour." 



Pleasant for St. Loe, after having made a clean breast of it ! 

 Instead of putting back to back and fighting it out as he had 

 bragged, his back had been soon turned on his friends, and was now 

 ripe for the cudgel of his foes. However, after some anxiety, he 

 was not brought to trial. 



The above notes are preserved amongst the Thurloe papers, and 

 are, as I have said, in Mr. Secretary's own handwriting; so are also 

 the following further examinations of St. Loe, which I insert here, 

 to perfect his narrative, though rather out of order. The first taken 

 March the 29th. 3 



"He saith that about half-a-year agoe Mr. Penruddocke came to his house, 

 and acquainted him, that there was intended a general rising all over England 

 for the Kinge, and that this risinge was to be upon Yalentine's day, after which 



1 3 Th., 366. 2 Ibid, 309 and 374. :! Ibid, 314. 



M % 



