Pricket remonstrated with them in the most earnest manner, entreating them to abandon such a wicked intention, and reminding them of their wives and children, from whom they would be banished forever, if they stained themselves with so great a crime.  But all he could say had no effect.  He then besought them to delay the execution for three days, for two days, for only twelve hours; but they sternly refused.  Pricket then told them, that it was not their safety for which they were anxious, but that they were bent upon shedding blood and revenging themselves, which made them so hasty.  Upon this, Greene took up the Bible which lay there, and swore upon it, that he would do no man harm, and that what he did was for the good of the voyage, and for nothing else.  Wilson took the same oath, and after him came Juet and the other conspirators separately, and swore in the same words.  The words of the oath are recorded by Pricket, because, after his return to England, he was much blamed for administering any oath, as he seemed by so doing to side with the mutineers.  The oath, as administered by him, ran as follows: 

“You shall swear truth to God, your Prince, and Country; you shall do nothing but to the glory of God and the good of the action in hand, and harm to no man.”  How little regard was paid to this oath by the mutineers, will shortly appear.

It was decided, that the plot should be put in execution at daylight; and, in the meantime, Greene went into Hudson’s cabin to keep him company and prevent his suspicions from being excited.  They had determined to put the carpenter and John King into the boat with Hudson and the sick, having some grudge against them for their attachment to the master.  King and the carpenter had slept upon deck this night.  But about daybreak, King was observed to go down into the hold with the cook, who was going for water.  Some of the mutineers ran and shut down the hatch over them, while Greene and another engaged the attention of the carpenter, so that he did not observe what was going on.

Hudson now came up from the cabin, and was immediately seized by Thomas, and Bennet, the cook, who had come up from the hold, while Wilson ran behind and bound his arms.  He asked them what they meant, and they told him he would know when he was in the shallop.  Hudson called on the carpenter to help him, telling him that he was bound; but he could render him no assistance, being surrounded by mutineers.  In the meantime, Juet had gone down into the hold, where King was; but the latter, having armed himself with a sword, attacked Juet, and would have killed him, if the noise had not been heard upon deck by the conspirators, some of whom ran down and overpowered him.  While this was done, two of the sick men, Lodlo and Bute, boldly reproached their shipmates for their wickedness, telling them, that their knavery would show itself, and that their actions were prompted by mere vengeance, not the wish to preserve their lives.  But their words had no effect.