Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

Not the

'I will show, that none of these three things can be treason. being a priest, which is a dignity and office instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, and given by him to his apostles, who were priests as were also the holy fathers and doctors of the church, who converted and instructed the world and the first teachers, who brought over the English nation to the light of the gospel, were also priests; so that, were it not for priests, we should all be heathens; consequently, to be a priest, can be no treason.

Judge Beamont here spoke; Indeed, said he, the merely being a priest, or jesuit, is no treason; but what makes you a traitor, is your returning into the kingdom against the laws. If to be a priest, said father Walpole, is no treason, the executing the office, or doing the functions of a priest, can be no treason. But if a priest, said the judge, should conspire against the person of his prince, would not this be treason? Yes, said father Walpole; but then neither his being a priest, nor the following the duties of his calling, would make him a traitor; but the committing of a crime contrary to the duty of a priest; which is far from being my case.

'You have been, said Beamont, with the king of Spain, and you have treated and conversed with Parsons and Holt, and other rebels and traitors to the kingdom; and you have returned hither contrary to the laws; and, therefore, you cannot deny your being a traitor. Father Walpole replied, To speak or treat with any person whatsoever, out of the kingdom, can make me no traitor, as long as no proof can be brought that the subject about which we treated was treason; neither can the returning to my native country, be looked upon as treason, since the cause of my return, was not to do any evil, either to the queen, or to the kingdom.

Our laws appoint, said Beamont, that a priest who returns from beyond the seas, and does not present himself before a justice, within three days, to make the usual submission to the queen's majesty, in matters of religion, shall be deemed a traitor. Then I am out of the case, said father Walpole, who was apprehended, before I had been one day on English ground.

Here Beamont being put to a nonplus, judge Elvin asked him, if he was ready to make that submission to the queen, in matters of religion, which the laws of the kingdom required? viz: to acknowledge her supremacy, and abjure the pope. Father Walpole answered, he did not know what laws they had made in England, whilst he was abroad, nor what submission these laws required; but this, he very well knew, that no law could oblige any one, that is not agreeable to the laws of God; and that the submission that is to be paid to the earthly princes, must always be subordinate to that submission which we owe to the great King of heaven and earth. Then he added, You, my lords, sit here at present in judgment, as men, and judge as such, being subject to error and passion; but know for certain, that there is a sovereign judge, who will judge righteously; whom in all things we must obey in the first place; and then our lawful princes, in such things as are lawful, and no farther.

[ocr errors]

Here, the lord president spoke, We deal very favourably with you,

Mr. Walpole, said he, when, notwithstanding all these treasons and conspiracies with the persons aforesaid, we offer you the benefit of the law, if you will but make the submission ordered by the law; which, if you will not accept of, it is proper you should be punished according to the law. Father Walpole replied, there is nothing, my lord, in which I would not most willingly submit myself, provided it be not against God but may his divine Majesty never suffer me to consent to the least thing, by which he may be dishonoured, nor you to desire it of me. As to the queen, I every day pray for her to our Lord God, that he would bless her with his holy spirit, and give her his grace to do her duty in all things in this world, to the end, that she may enjoy eternal glory in the world to come: and God is my witness, that to all here present, and particularly to my accusers, and such as desire my death, I wish as to myself, the salvation of their souls, and that, to this end, they may live in the true catholic faith, the only way to eternal happiness.

The court apprehending the impression the confessor's words might make upon the people, (who, by this time, could not but perceive that this noise about treason, was but a pretence; and that a submission to the queen's religion, was all that was insisted upon,) thought fit to put an end to the trial; so the judges summed up the evidence against the prisoner, which was no other than his own confession, viz: that he was a priest and jesuit; that he had been with the king of Spain; that he had treated with father Parsons and father Holt, and others whom they called fugitives, rebels, and traitors; and that he had retured into England to convert his country, that is, as they interpreted it, to seduce her majesty's subjects from the religion, by law established, and to reconcile them to the see of Rome.' They, the jury, were directed to find -him guilty of the indictment. To whom, as they were going out, father Walpole addressed himself, in these words, Gentlemen of the jury, I confess most willingly, that I am a priest, and that I am of the company of Jesus, or a jesuit; and that I came over in order to convert my country to the catholic faith, and to invite sinners to repentance. All this, I never will deny this is the duty of my calling. If you find any thing else in me, that is not agreeable to my profession, show me no favour. In the mean time, act according to your consciences, and remember, you must give an account to God.'

[ocr errors]

The jury went out, but returned again quickly, and brought in their verdict, guilty; which, father Walpole hearing, showed great content and joy, and returned most hearty thanks to the divine majesty. This passed on Thursday; but the sentence was not pronounced, till the Saturday following: which was executed, as we have seen, on the Monday.

WILLIAM FREEMAN, PRIEST,*

MR. FREEMAN, who was sometime known by the name of Mason, was born in Yorkshire, and performed his studies in Douay college, during its residence at Rhemes. Here he was ordained priest, in 1587, and from hence he was sent upon the English mission in the beginning of 1589. The particulars of his missionary labours I have not been able to learn, nor could I any where meet with the account of his life and martyrdom, quoted by the bishop of Chalcedon to his catalogue. Dr. Champney, who, in all probability, had seen it, relates that Mr. Freeman having intelligence that a neighbouring justice of peace had a design to make a strict inquisition after priests in that neighbourhood, to withdraw himself further from the danger, went into another county. But as God would have it, he met the danger he sought to fly, and was there taken up upon suspicion, and committed to prison; and afterwards prosecuted and condemned, on account of his priesthood, at the instance chiefly of the archbishop of Canterbury, Whitgift. When he heard the sentence pronounced against him, he sung Te Deum, &c. When he was drawn to the place of execution, he carried a crucifix on his breast, protesting aloud, That if he had many lives, he would most willingly lay them down for the sake of him, who had been pleased to die upon a cross for his redemption. When he came to the place of execution, where some others, for divers crimes, were also appointed to die that day, he petitioned that he might be the first to go up the ladder: but this was refused, the sheriff being in hopes that the sight of their death might terrify him, and bring him to a compliance, in which case his life was to be saved: but this sight, as he declared, had a contrary effect upon him, and only served to give him a more ardent desire of dying for Christ. So that, with the royal prophet, he cried out, As the hart desires after the fountains of water, so does my soul after thee my God. O! when shall I come and appear before thy face! and so great was the joy of his heart, that it manifestly discovered itself in the serenity and cheerfulness of his countenance, to the admiration and edification of the beholders.

He was hanged, drawn, and quartered, at Warwick, the 13th of August, 1595. Bishop Yepez says in September, 1595.

Molanus, in his catalogue, signifies, that he suffered most cruel torments at, or before his death, p. 31. Gulielmus Freemannus Collegii Duaceni Presbyter, post varios cruciatus, et belluinam immanitatem heroice superatam, &c. William Freeman, priest of the college of Douay, died, after having heroically overcome divers torments, and the brutal cruelty of the persecutors.

1596-This year is the first, since 1580, that passed without the execution of any priest in this kingdom; and yet even this year could

*From the catalogue of the bishop of Chalcedon; from Dr. Champney's manuscript history, and from bishop Yepez, 1. 5. c. 9.

not pass without seeing some catholic blood shed for religious matters: for I find no less than four catholic laymen put to death, as in cases of high treason, at York, in the latter end of November of this year, barely on a religious account. These were George Errington, gentleman, born at Herst, in Northumberland, William Knight, son of Leonard Knight, a wealthy yeoman of South Duffield, in the parish of Hemingbrough, in Yorkshire, William Gibson, yeoman, born near Rippon, ia the same county, a most exemplary and religious man, who, for many years had been prisoner for his conscience in York Castle, and Henry Abbot, a zealous convert, who lived in Holden in the same county.

Now their case was as follows: a certain protestant minister, for some misdemeanor, was put into York Castle, where the three former of the persons above named, and several other catholics were prisoners for their recusancy: as, during a great part of this reign, most of the prisons of this kingdom were plentifully stocked with such kind of offenders. This unhappy man, to reinstate himself in the favour of his superiors, took a method that will be justly detested by all honest men of what persuasion soever, which was to insinuate himself into the good opinion of the catholic prisoners, by pretending a deep sense of repentance for his forner life, and a great desire of embracing the catholic truth; so that they, believing him to be sincere, directed him, after he was enlarged, to Mr. Abbot, the zealous gentleman mentioned above, in order to procure a priest to reconcile him. Mr. Abbot used his endeavours, and carried him to Carlton, to the house of esquire Stapylton, but did not succeed. Soon after, the traitor, having got enough to put them all in danger of the law, accused them to the magistrates, to show his zeal for the protestant religion So they were all arraigned for persuading the parson to be reconciled to the church of Rome, which is high treason by the sanguinary laws of this reign. Being brought to the bar, they confessed that they had, according to their capacity, explained to the traitor the catholic faith, and its necessity to salvation; and withal, had exhorted him to a serious amendment of his life, but had used no other persuasions. Upon this, they were all found guilty by the jury, and had sentence to die, and were executed at York.

They suffered with fortitude and joy, November 29, 1596.

Two catholic gentlewomen were, for the same cause, condemned at the same time to be burnt alive, viz: Mrs. Ann Tesse and Mrs. Bridget Maskew; but they were reprieved, and continued in prison till the queen's death; and then, by the means of friends, were pardoned by king James I. Mr. Stapylton also, and his lady, underwent great trouble upon this occasion.

The manuscript, from which I have the greatest part of these particulars, adds a very remarkable history with relation to Wm. Knight, uncle to the Willam Knight who suffered, and a great enemy of his nephew, and of all catholics, which I shall here set down in the writer's own words: There happened in Hemingbrough parish, a thing worth memory, which was this; there was a catholic man who had been long confined in York Casle, for his conscience, and having procured liberty to return home, after many years' imprisonment, he went one time to visit an old man of his acquaintance, and perceiving him not likely to

66

live long, entered into some good talk with him concerning his soul, and used some persuasions to move him to provide for death, and the salvation of his soul, by making himself a catholic. This came to the knowledge of one William Knight, " who was uncle to the other of that name, whom I have mentioned before, that was a martyr, and was the first cause of his nephew's imprisonment, and that upon this occasion: the good youth coming to man's estate, went to his uncle about some land that was due to him: whether his uncle had the land in his possession, or the writings, I remember not. But knowing his nephew to be a catholic, he took him and sent him to prison, where he remained till he got the crown of martyrdom. If he would have gone to church, his uncle would have given him his land." This bad William Knight, hearing of the good counsel this prisoner had given his neighbour, determined to bring him within the danger of the statute of persuasion, which is treason; and, for that end, took the minister of the parish with him, whose name was Knighton, and some others to be witnesses, determining to take the old man's oath, that the other had persuaded him. As they were going, Knight was forced to stay to untruss, and was in such manner handled, that he was obliged to turn back, so the minister and the rest, entertaining no such malice, returned without proceeding any farther. Knight's disease left him not till he died, which was within a short time; how few days I am not certain, I had this from the minister himself, who acknowledged it to be God's just judgment upon him.' So far the manuscript.

WILLIAM ANDLEBY, OR ANDLABY, PRIEST.—1597.*

WILLIAM ANDLEEY was a gentleman by birth, born at Etton, in Yorkshire, and brought up in the protestant religion, and in a great aversion to the church of Rome; following withal the liberties of the world and the flesh, which are so much condemned by the old gospel, and so little restrained by the new. When he was about twenty-five years of age, his curiosity carried him abroad to see foreign countries. In his travels he came to Douay, where Dr. Allen had not long before instituted an English college or seminary for supplying England with pastoral missioners. Mr. Andleby had heard much of the man, and was desirous of seeing and conferring with him; making no doubt but he could convince him of the absurdity of the Roman catholic religion. Dr. Allen received him very courteously, and treated with him upon the controverted points of religion, with that strength of argument, joined with that candour and sweetness of temper, that Mr. Andleby was quite silenced and confounded; however, though he acknowledged himself unable to answer, yet he would not yield up the cause, or consent to

From the Douay diary, the bishop of Chalcedon's catalogue, Dr.and Champney's MS. history.

« AnteriorContinua »