“’Resolved, that it is the opinion of this Committee, that the said John Brown is a person not fit to serve his majesty, in any office or employment, civil or military, whatsoever.

“’Resolved, that the said John Brown has, in the course of his examination, grossly prevaricated with this Committee.

“’To all which resolutions, the question being severally put, the house did agree, nemine contradicente.

“’Ordered, that the said John Brown be, for his said prevarication, taken into the custody of the serjeant at arms attending this house.

“’Ordered, that his majesty’s attorney-general do present the said John Brown, for conniving and maliciously carrying on the said conspiracy to take away the life of the said John Bingham, and others.’

“As to Coleby, he was turned out of the treasury for robbing it of a considerable sum of money.  I was present at his trial at the King’s-bench, and the evidence was such as convinced every one, in his conscience, that he was guilty; but, the proofs being presumptive, and not direct, the jury acquitted him; on which the judge (Pine, if I remember right) observed the happiness of English subjects, that, though everybody was convinced of a man’s guilt, yet, if the evidence did not come up to the strict requisites of the law, he would escape” ("History of St. Patrick’s Cathedral,” pp. xciv-xcv.) [T.S.]]

But since I have gone so far as to mention particular persons, it may be some satisfaction to know who is this Wood himself, that has the honour to have a whole kingdom at his mercy, for almost two years together.  I find he is in the patent entitled Esq; although he were understood to be only a hardware-man, and so I have been bold to call him in my former letters; however a ’squire he is, not only by virtue of his patent, but by having been a collector in Shropshire, where pretending to have been robbed, and suing the county, he was cast, and for the infamy of the fact, lost his employment.

I have heard another story of this ’Squire Wood from a very honourable lady, that one Hamilton told her.  He (Hamilton) was sent for six years ago by Sir Isaac Newton to try the coinage of four men, who then solicited a patent for coining halfpence for Ireland; their names were Wood, Coster, Elliston, and Parker.  Parker made the fairest offer, and Wood the worst, for his coin were three halfpence in a pound less value than the other.  By which it is plain with what intentions he solicited this patent, but not so plain how he obtained it.

It is alleged in the said paper, called the “Report,” that upon repeated orders from a secretary of state, for sending over such papers and witnesses, as should be thought proper to support the objections made against the patent (by both Houses of Parliament) the Lord Lieutenant represented “the great difficulty he found himself in to comply with these orders.  That none of the principal members of both Houses,