Compare 1577 edition: 1 Thus she being earnest with him, at length hee was contented to agree vnto that horrible deuise, and therevpon they conueied blacke Will into mai|ster Ardens house, putting him into a closet at the end of his parlour. Before this, they had sent out of the house all the seruants, those excepted which were priuie to the deuised murther. Then went Mosbie to the doore,The practise to kill Arden is now set abroch. and there stood in a night gowne of silke gir|ded about him, and this was betwixt six and seuen of the clocke at night. Master Arden hauing béene at a neighbors house of his, named Dumpkin, & hauing cleared certeine reckonings betwixt them, came home: and finding Mosbie standing at the doore, as|ked him if it were supper time? I thinke not (quoth Mosbie) it is not yet readie. Then let vs go and plaie a game at the tables in the meane season, said mai|ster Arden. And so they went streight into the parlor: and as they came by through the hall, his wife was walking there, and maister Arden said; How now mistresse Ales? But she made small answer to him. In the meane time one cheined the wicket doore of the entrie. When they came into the parlor,Here the con|federats w [...]ne their practises Mosbie sat downe on the bench, hauing his face toward the place where blacke Will stood. Then Michaell mai|ster Ardens man stood at his masters backe, holding a candle in his hand, to shadow blacke Will, that Arden might by no meanes perceiue him comming foorth. In their plaie Mosbie said thus (which séemed to be the watchword for blacke Wils comming foorth) Now maie I take you sir if I will.The watch|word to the principall murtherer. Take me (quoth maister Arden) which waie? With that blacke Will stept foorth, and cast a towell about his necke, so to stop his breath and strangle him. Then Mosbie hauing at his girdle a pressing iron of fourtéene pounds weight, stroke him on the hed with the same, so that he fell downe, and gaue a great grone, inso|much that they thought he had béene killed.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Then they bare him awaie, to laie him in the coun|ting house, & as they were about to laie him downe, the pangs of death comming on him,Arden [...]lain [...] outright. he gaue a great grone, and stretched himselfe, and then blacke Will gaue him a great gash in the face, and so kil|led EEBO page image 1065 him out of hand, laid him along, tooke the monie out of his pursse, and the rings from his fingers, and then comming out of the counting house, said; Now the feat is doone, giue me my monie. So mistres Arden gaue him ten pounds: [...]lacke will r [...]ueth ten pounds for h [...]s reward of Ardens wife, [...] murdering [...] husband. and he comming to Gréene, had a horsse of him, and so rode his waies. After that blacke Will was gone, mistresse Arden came into the counting house, and with a knife gaue him seuen or eight picks into the brest. Then they made cleene the parlor, tooke a clout, and wiped where it was bloudie, and strewed againe the rushes that were shuffled with strugling, and cast the clout with which they wiped the bloud, and the knife that was bloudie, wherewith she had wounded hir husband, into a tub by the wels side; where afterwards both the same clout and knife were found. Thus this wic|ked woman, with hir complices, most shamefullie murdered hir owne husband, who most entirelie lo|ued hir all his life time. Then she sent for two Lon|doners to supper, the one named Prune, and the o|ther Cole, that were grosers, which before the mur|der was committed, were bidden to supper. When they came, she said: I maruell where maister Ar|den is; we will not tarie for him, come ye and sit downe, for he will not be long. Then Mosbies sister was sent for, she came and sat downe, and so they were merie.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 [...] what [...] after he m [...]rde| [...]ng of hir husband.After supper, mistres Arden caused hir daughter to plaie on the virginals, and they dansed, and she with them, and so séemed to protract time as it were; till maister Arden should come, and she said, I mar|uell where he is so long; well, he will come anon I am sure, I praie you in the meane while let vs plaie a game at the tables. But the Londoners said, they must go to their hosts house, or else they should be shut out at doores, and so taking their leaue, depar|ted. When they were gone, the seruants that were not priuie to the murder, were sent abroad into the towne; some to séeke their maister, and some of o|ther errands, all sauing Michaell and a maid, Mos|bies sister, and one of mistres Ardens owne daugh|ters. Then they tooke the dead bodie, and caried it out, to laie it in a field next to the church [...]yard, and ioining to his garden wall,The workers of this mis|chiefe carie out Arden [...]laine into the [...]. through the which he went to the church. In the meane time it began to snow, and when they came to the garden gate, they remembred that they had forgotten the kaie, and one went in for it, and finding it, at length brought it, opened the gate, and caried the corps into the same field, as it were ten pases from the garden gate, and laid him downe on his backe streight in his night gowne, with his slippers on: and betwéene one of his slippers and his foot, a long rush or two remai|ned. When they had thus laid him downe, they re|turned the same way they came through the garden into the house.