Procès

First edition, folio (295 x 190 mm), 4pp., drop-head title, a well margined copy with just slight signs of a water stain, sewn in recent marbled wrappers, preserved in a custom-made folding cloth case, leather spine label lettered in gilt. Sexual abuse of a nine year old girl by an Irish priest. The second part of the pamphlet contains "a very foul case" of sexual abuse of a nine year girl by an Irish Catholic priest of the name of Dowdel. The girl, named Bishop, swore in court that the previous August she used to visit Dowdel, then a prisoner in the Gate-house where she had first made his acquaintance when her mother was also a prisoner there. According to her testimony: "he used to kiss her, to take her upon his knee, and to give her sugared beer, some time put his tongue into her mouth, and his hands up her coats; that he hurt her once with his finger, which made her cry; and then to please her, gave her two groats: and that a week after he took her in like manner upon his knee, and after he had kissed her a while, he threw her upon his bed (having made his Door fast with a stick) fell upon her, pull'd up her Coats, and hurt her with something..." When the matter came out the girl's father, being drunk, told Dowdel that for forty pounds he could see to it that everything would be hushed up. Dowdel thought forty pounds too much and offered ten. At his trial Dowdel shamelessly confessed his misdemeanour with a frankness which later earned some leniency from the court. He speaks in what appears to be the writer's attempt to imitate his Irish accent. "Being asked if he would challenge any of the jury, he answered like an Irish St. Omer, Me like dem well, they be all honest men. Being asked, if he used to kiss the Girl and set her upon his knee ; he answered Yes my Lor the chile be so pretty and do twenty pretty tings make me laugh a hundred times. Being asked if he ever gave her money, he said, My Lord that be my Charitee, when her Mother bee in Prison, I tooke her to eat half my dinner, and I say this bee pretty Shile, I had love for the Shile and gave her any ting I had : she used to come often for my Charitee. But amongst the rest of his discourse he owned the matter in effect in these words, which happened about entering her body, he said, Me enter her dis far, pointing his finger to the Court." Wing, F 2337.