, better known on account of his actions than his writings, having been a principal and useful evidence in the discovery in the
, better known on account
of his actions than his writings, having been a principal and
useful evidence in the discovery in the popish plot, in the
reign of Charles II. See the Eng. Hist, for that period;
and the “Life of capt. Bedloe,
” which contains nothing
extraordinary but the aforesaid discovery, written by an
unknown hand, and published 1681, 8vo. He was an infamous adventurer of low birth, who had travelled over a
great part of Europe, under different names, as well as
disguises. Encouraged by the success of Gates, he turned
evidence, and gave an account of Godfrey’s murder, to
which he added many circumstances of villainy. A reward
of 500l. was voted to him by the commons. He is said to
have asserted the reality of the plot on his death-bed; but
it abounds with absurdity, contradiction, and perjury
and still remains one of the greatest problems in the British
annals. He died Aug. 20, 1680. Jacob informs us, he
wrote a play called the “Excommunicated Prince,
”
printed