5cS
ment, they might have agreed before the perpetration of their villainy, or at lead be-fore their arreitation, that in cafe of difeovery, they fhould denounce an innocent per-fon as the principal inftigator of their criminality. None but Charles Pontus Samuel-fon, (Liliehorn,) and Adolphus Lewis Ribbing, who were arrefted, the one not untilfeveral days, the other till feveral hours after the treafon, accufed me in the firft in-llance: the others have only repeated what they had heard them fay, or fpoken of mat-ters which had no relation to this affair. God preferve the country from a law whichfhould authorize fuch traitors to appear in evidence! For who, in fuch an age, couldbe certain of preferving either his honour or his life.
“ As for other circumftances alledged againft me, and which the parliament has lookedupon as legally fupported, they are: that I acknowledged that Thure-Stenfon (Bjelke)had frequently fpoken to me of a revolution, rebellion, and pillage; that a number ofthe confpirators dined with me on the 16 th March, and that, according to the evidenceof the witneffes heard, many perfons attempted to enter my houfe the following night-But to thefe I {hall humbly beg to objeQ:; that Thure-Stenfon never did fay, and that Inever have acknowledged that either he or others had formed a defign to change theform of government, to excite an infurredtion, or pillage, a natural confequence ;wherefore, from his arguments relating to changes in other circumftances varying fromthe affair in queftion, I did never imagine that I had any thing to denounce, nor any dan-ger to prevent; and being accuftomed, at my time of life, to receive friends daily atmy table, for the recreation of my retirement; as to fome of the guilty, before lookedupon as worthy people, prefenting theml'elves to dine with me, this is one of thofe in-nocent incidents which cannot be kid to my charge: again, their coming that daywithout any invitation, appears a connivance among themfelves for my ruin ; and if anumber of perfons came with a view of entering my houfe without being fuffered toenter, this cannot be laid to my charge. Your Majefty will perceive that thefe circum-ftances form no matter of accufation againft me, and that, conformably to law, in fpiteof the requifition of the parliament, I cannot regard it a duty to prove the probability,from the juft fufpicions that I have conceived, of the refolution entered into amongcertain of the guilty to effect my ruin ; I truft too much to the equity of Your Majeftyto doubt for an inftant of your approbation in this particular.
“ Hence it follows, that the charges made againft me by the guilty, and the differentrelations given by them of what they have heard and fay themfelves, or learned fromothers, joined to other circumftances of little importance, cannot in any ways, accord-ing to the fenfe given them by the parliament, afford any other than collateral evidence,or half proof; on the other hand, if the meaning of the law be regarded, if all preju-dice and fufpicion be laid afide, thefe denunciations and thefe circumftances yield noproof whatfoever; for what does the law mean by appearances and circumftantial evi-dence ? In cafe of murder or affaftination, for example, it may be produced, that armsbelonging to the party accufed have been found near the murdered corpfe; that he re-fides in the neighbourhood; that he may have been feen covered with blood, &c.;thefe are appearances. But the fpeaking proofs of my innocence will not efcape thepenetration of Your Majefty. A number of my fervants, examined upon oath, havegiven from their teftimony no reafon to imagine that I had any knowledge of the plotformed againft the late King; fo far from it, they have attefted my innocence, for theyhave depofed, that my doors were kept clofe the whole night, and that none of thofewho knocked were admitted, which certainly would not have been the cafe if I hadbeen concerned : further, when the girl Peterfon came to inform me that the King hadbeen wounded by a piftol, I wasfo much hurt at the news that it occafioned me an id-
6 nefs,