The result of this prosecution does not appear. A copy of this publication is preserved in the British Museum Library.
The True Protestant Mercury: or Occurrences Foreign and Domestic. No. 149. From Wednesday, June 7, to Saturday, June 10, 1682.
For publishing this periodical a prosecution was instituted against Thomas Snowden, printer, of the parish of St. Andrew by the Wardrobe, and Jane Curtis, wife of Langley Curtis, of the parish of St. Bride's, Fleet Street. The following is a copy of the information:--
Londonia. Memorandum quod Samuel Astry Armiger Coronator et Attornatus domini Regis in curia ipsius Regis coram ipso Rege qui pro eodem domino Rege in hac parte sequitur in propria persona sua venit hic in curia dicti domini Regis coram ipso Rege apud Westmonasterium die Lunæ proximo post tres septimanas Sancti Michaelis isto eodem termino et pro eodem domino Rege dat curiæ hic intelligi et informari quod Thomas Snowden de parochia Sancti Andreæ Wardrope Londoniæ Typographus et Jana Curtis uxor Langley Curtis nuper de parochia Sanctæ Bridgettæ Londoniæ Yeoman existentes personæ male dispositi ac machinantes practicantes et intendentes pacem et communem tranquillitatem hujus regni Angliæ perturbare et diversas personas infra hoc regnum Angliæ in maximum odium contemptum et vilipendium non solum cum dicto domino Rege, verum etiam cum aliis subditis ipsius domini Regis inducere et inferre et ad nequissimas machinationes practicationes et intentiones suas prædictas perimplenda et perficienda prædicti Thomas Snowden et Jana Curtis vicesimo die Junii anno regni domini Caroli Secundi nunc Regis Angliæ &c. tricesimo quarto vi et armis &c. apud parochiam Sanctæ Bridgettæ Londoniæ prædictam, falso, illicite, injuste, nequiter, seditiose et scandalose, imprimi causaverunt et publicaverunt, et uterque eorum adtunc et ibidem imprimi causavit et publicavit quoddam falsum malitiosum scandalosum et defamatorium libellum intitulatum _The true Protestant Mercury or occurrences foreign and domestic_, in quoquidem libello inter alia contenta fuerunt hæ falsæ, fictæ, et scandalosæ sententiæ in hiis Anglicanis verbis, _The two Portugal Cooks mentioned in our last had their tryals on Wednesday last at Windsor, and were found guilty of poysening Benning the Turnbroach. The foreman of the jury was Mr. W. the King's Plummer, who lives near Windsor, but we do not hear of any sentence given as yet against them. But we hear that his Majesty declared before the trial, that whosoever was found in the fault, should have no favour showed him. The reason that he had excepted against the Jury of the King's servants, was because he had formerly some quarrel with some of them, and had discovered something against them, and therefore thought they would not do him justice._ Et ulterius idem Coronator et Attornatus dicti domini Regis pro eodem domino Rege dicit quod prædicti Thomas Snowden et Jana Curtis dicto vicesimo die Junii anno supradicto apud parochiam Sanctæ Bridgettæ Londoniæ prædictam falsum et scandalosum libellum falso, illicite, injuste, nequiter et malitiose vendiderunt utteraverunt et publicaverunt et uterque eorum vendidit utteravit et publicavit, in malum exemplum omnium aliorum in tali casu delinquentium, ac contra pacem dicti domini Regis nunc coronam et dignitatem suas &c.[223]