This broadside, along with a first part that had been published two weeks before, reissues the ballad A New Narrative of the Popish Plot (1679 or 1680), probably written by John Gadbury. The title is satirical, ridiculing Titus Oates's 'official' account, A True Narrative of the Horrid Plot and Conspiracy of the Popish Party. The 12 engraved scenes liken Oates's testimony to the false witnesses testifying against Christ, and Judas's betrayal. Oates is shown giving evidence to the Privy Council, at the point at which he failed, in answer to the king's question, to describe the appearance of Don Juan José of Austria, whom he had claimed to have met, thereby raising suspicions as to his reliability as a witness. Despite its relatively low price (1 shilling according to Luttrell's annotation on his impression in the British Museum) and crude execution, a large amount of detail is included, suggesting that a wide public would have been familiar with and fascinated by the intricacies of the plot.

Text adapted from Charles II: Art & Power, London, 2017