witness, in the presence of God, and of his holy angels, that I am a catholic, and that I was condemned to die, for the confession of the catholic faith; aud that I die willingly for the catholic faith. A minister that stood by, told him, that he was a poor ignorant fellow, and did not know what it was to be a catholic. To whom Humphrey replied, that he very well knew what it was to be a catholic, though he could not, perhaps, explain it in the proper terms of divinity: that he knew what he was to believe, and for what he came there to die; and that he willingly died for so good a cause. With that he was thrown off the ladder, and so reposed in the Lord.

They all suffered, July 5, 1589.

WILLIAM SPENSER, PRIEST.*

WILLIAM SPENSER was born in Yorkshire, and educated in Douay college, during its residence at Rhemes: from whence he was sent upon the English mission, in 1584. The particulars of his labours and sufferings I have not found, only that he was apprehended, tried, and condemned, for receiving holy orders beyond the seas, by authority derived from the bishop of Rome, and coming over to England, and there exercising his priestly functions. He received the sentence of death with an undaunted courage, and suffered with great constancy; being hanged, drawn, and quartered, at York, the 24th of September, 1589.

With Mr. Spenser was hanged, one Robert Hardesty, a layman of great probity and piety, for having harboured and relieved the confessor of Christ, knowing him to be a priest.

CHRISTOPHER BALES, OR BAYLES, PRIEST.-1590.†

CHRISTOPHER BAYLES was born in the parish of Cunsley, in the bishoprick of Durham, and performed his studies abroad, partly in the English college of Rome, and partly in that of Rhemes. From the latter he was sent priest upon the English mission in 1588. Here, after some time, he fell into the hands of the adversaries of his faith; and besides the miseries usually attending imprisonment, suffered much

From the Douay diary, catalogues, and Dr. Champney's manuscript. +From Ribadaneira's Appendix, c. 4, Dr. Champney's manuscript, and the bishop of Chalcedon's catalogue.

from their cruelty, being grievously racked, in order to oblige him to confess where he had said mass, and by whom he had been entertained or relieved; insomuch, that, at one time, he was hung up in the air for twenty-four hours together; all which he bore with wonderful patience and courage, though, otherwise, of an infirm body, and inclined to a consumption. At length, being brought to the bar, he was arraigned, tried, and condemned, upon the statute of the 27th of Elizabeth, for being made priest beyond the seas, and coming into England to exercise his priestly functions. When sentence was to be pronounced upon him, and the judge, according to custom, asked if he had any thing to alledge for himself? He desired to ask one thing, which was, whether St. Augustin, the monk, sent by the people of Rome, to preach the christian catholic faith to the English, was guilty of treason in complying with that commission, or no? to which, when the court had answered, that he was not: Why then, said the confessor, do you arraign and condemn me for a traitor, who do the same thing as he did? and to whom nothing can be objected, but that what might equally be objected to him? they told him the difference was, that, by their laws, his case was now made treason; and without any further arguing, proceeded to pronounce the sentence of death in the usual form. He was drawn to Fleet-street to a pair of gallows, erected over against Fetterlane, and was there hanged, bowelled, and quartered, March the 4th, 1589-90.

6

On the same day, were hanged, Nicholas Horner, a layman, born at Grauntley, in Yorkshire, for relieving and assisting the said Mr. Bayles; and Alexander Blake, also a layman, for the same cause. Of all these, thus writes Mr. Stow, in his chronicle, Christopher Bayles, made priest beyond the seas, was convicted of treason, for remaining in this realm contrary to a statute: Also, Nicholas Horner, and Alexander Blake, convicted of felony, for relieving of Bayles, contrary to the like statute. These were all executed on the 4th of March. Bayles was hanged, bowelled, and quartered, in Fleet-street; Horner was hanged in Smithfield; Blake, in Grays-inn-lane."

The bishop of Tarrasona, in his history of the English persecution, book 11, chap. 18, Numb. 3 and 4, relates of Mr. Horner, that he was apprehended once before, for harbouring priests, and at that time, was kept so long in a filthy dungeon, that, with the dampness of the lodging, one of his legs was mortified, so that he was obliged to have it cut off. But that, whilst the surgeon was at work, God was pleased to favour him with a vision, which so strongly drew his attention, and so sweetly entertained him, that he was not at all sensible of so painful an operation. After this, the persecutors having some compassion for him, set him at liberty. Till, being accused a second time, of relieving priests, and convicted of this felony, and not consenting to save his life by going to the protestant church, he was condemned to die. The night before his execution, finding himself overwhelmed with anguish and fear, he betook himself to his prayers, and then seemed to perceive a crown hanging over his head; and lifting up his hands to take hold of it, to see what it should be, he could feel nothing. Afterwards rising from his prayers, he perceived the same crown still over his head, and that,

as he moved or changed his place, it still moved with him, and this for the space of above an hour. Which vision afforded him unspeakable comfort, and caused him to die the next day with extraordinary marks of joy. This vision was related by the confessor himself to a friend, who was with him in prison, a little before he was carried out to execution; who wrote the whole account to father Robert Southwell, on the 18th of March, of the same year, which letter, says my author, I have seen. The same is confirmed by father Ribadaneira and Dr. Champney, in their histories.

MILES GERARD AND FRANCIS DICONSON, PRIESTS. *

THESE two were both priests of Douay college, during its residence at Rhemes; the former was born in Lancashire, of a gentleman's family, the latter in Yorkshire. They were sent together upon the English mission, from Rhemes, on the 31st of August, 1589; though Mr. Gerard had been ordained priest in 1583. The ship in which they went for England was overtaken by a violent storm, by which they were cast away upon the coast of Kent. But it was not God's will that they should perish by this less glorious death, his divine providence having reserved for them the crown of martyrdom. They escaped therefore to the shore, where they met with a more violent storm, for being immediately apprehended, (upon suspicion, or the information of some of the ship's crew,) and cast into prison, they were arraigned, tried, and condemned for coming into England, being priests; and, upon this account, had sentence of death, as in cases of high treason, and they both suffered with constancy, at Rochester, April 30, 1590.

EDWARD JONES AND ANTHONY MIDDLETON,
PRIESTS.+

THE former was born in North Wales, in the diocese of St. Asaph; the latter in Yorkshire. They both were priests of Douay college, during its residence at Rhemes; from which Mr. Middleton was sent upon the English mission, in 1586, Mr. Jones in 1588. Their missionary labours were employed in and about London, and with great fruit; the more, because Mr. Middleton being low of stature, and of a young look, for a long time was not suspected to be a priest: and Mr. Jones, though his time upon the mission had not been long, being a zealous preacher,

* From the bishop of Chalcedon's catalogue and Dr. Champney's MS.

+ From the Douay diary, the bishop of Chalcedon's catalogue, Dr. Champney's MS. and father Ribadaneira, chap. 4.

had justly acquired to himself a great esteem amongst the catholics. They were both apprehended by the means of certain priest-catchers, who, to bring about their villainy more effectually, had feigned themselves catholics. Ribadaneira, who is followed by Dr. Champney and Mr. Raissius, affirms, that they were hanged up without any formal trial, before the doors of the houses where they were taken, Mr. Jones in Fleet-street, near the conduit, Mr. Middleton at Clerkenwell. And, that upon the gallows on which they were hanged, the executioners had caused to be written in great letters, For treason and foreign invasion, to make their cause more odious to the people: but that this artifice did not take, and the spectators, instead of applauding their proceedings, departed highly displeased with these tyrannical measures. Mr. Middleton desired to have leave to speak to the people, which not being allowed him, he contented himself with this short speech, I call Almighty God to witness, that I here die barely for the catholic faith, and for being a priest, and a preacher of the true religion; and I beseech the divine Majesty to vouchsafe to accept of this my death for the forgiveness of my sins, and the advancement of the catholic faith, and the conversion of heretics. A gentleman there present, cried out, Sir, you have spoken very well, and what is sufficient. With this Mr. Middleton was flung off the ladder, and, as the bishop of Chalcedon's catalogue affirms, from the testimony of eye-witnesses, was cut down and bowelled whilst he was yet alive. They suffered on the 6th of May, 1590.

This same year, four other gentlemen of the same character were executed at Durham, of whom we are now to speak. Wilson and Molanus put them in the following year, but they are certainly mistaken, as appears from the Douay register, followed by Dr. Champney, by the bishop of Chalcedon, and Raissius.

EDMUND DUKE, RICHARD HILL, JOHN HOG, AND RICHARD HOLIDAY, PRIESTS.*

EDMUND DUKE was born in Kent, and was first a student in the English college, then residing at Rhemes, where I find him promoted to minor orders, September 23, 1583; from thence he was sent to Rome, where he finished his studies, and was made priest.

RICHARD HILL, John Hogg, and Richard Holiday were all born in Yorkshire, all students of the college then residing at Rhemes, and were made sub-deacons at Soisson, the 18th of March, 1589, deacons at Laon, the 27th of May, and priests, at Laon, the 23d of September, in the same year. They were all sent together upon the English mission (with Mr. Duke, who was lately returned from Rome,) on the 22d of March, 1589-90. They landed in the north of England, and travelling

* From the Douay diary, bishop of Chalcedon's Catalogue, and Dr. Champney's MS.

through the country, which they were not well acquainted with, they were, upon a slight suspicion, stopped in a village, where they staid to rest themselves, and were carried before a neighbouring justice of the peace, who, upon examination, finding them to be priests, committed them to Durham jail. Here they had some conflicts about religion, as well with the prebendaries of Durham, as with some other ministers; in which, says my author, "Dr. Champney, in his manuscript," the confessors of Christ came off victorious. But there was another more effectual way of stopping their mouths, which was to arraign and condemn them for transgressing the statute of Elizabeth, 27, which forbids, upon pain of death, priests, made by Roman authority, to come over into England, or remain here. Of this transgression, they were all found guilty, and upon this account alone had sentence to die, as in cases of high treason. They suffered at Durham, May 27, some say May 6, 1590. The meekness and constancy which appeared in them, in this last scene of life, edified many, and was admired by all. It was also taken notice of, as a thing very extraordinary, as we learn from a letter of Mr. Cuthbert Trollop, priest, that the well, out of which they took water to boil the quarters of these four holy priests, did presently dry up, and so continued for many years after.

This year put an end to all the plots and stratagems of that unwearied persecutor of the English catholics, and capital enemy of the missioners, Sir Francis Walsingham, principal secretary of state to queen Elizabeth. He died miserably on the 6th of April, 1590, of an ulcer and impostume in his bowels, which reduced him to that wretched condition, that whilst he was yet alive, he yielded so insupportable a stench that scarce any one could bear to come near him. Ribadaneira and Champney relate, that amongst other attempts he made to ruin the seminaries abroad, he once, by his emissaries, procured to have the well poisoned, which supplied the college of Rhemes with water, in order to destroy by poison, all the priests and students; and that another time he caused poison to be given to Dr. Allen, the institutor and first president of that community but the providence of God defeated these and many others of his plots. He maintained so many spies abroad, and was at such expenses to bring about his wicked enterprises, that he not only spent what was allowed him by the queen for that purpose, which was very considerable, and the salary of his place, but also his whole estate, leaving nothing to his only daughter, but his debts, who, says Dr. Champney in his manuscript, having renounced heresy, now embraces the catholic faith.

1591. This year the persecution, which had something relented, began again to rage as much as ever. The first that felt the fury of it was Mr. Robert Thorp, priest, (Ribadaneira, being a stranger to the English names, calls him Therfeus), and his harbourer, Mr. Watkinson.