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confessed that he was learned, and had gathered very good notes in his book, but no favour he showed him. Thence the sheriff carried him from one gentleman's house to another, till he came to Launceston, where he was cruelly imprisoned, being chained to his bed posts, with a pair of great gives about his legs, and strict commandment given that no man should repair unto him.

Thus he remained in prison, from June to Michaelmas; at which time the judges came their circuit. The Earl of Bedford was also present at Mr. Maine's arraignment, and did deal most in the matter.' "Several heads of accusation were exhibited against him at his trial, as,

"1st. That he had obtained from Rome a bull, containing matter of absolution of the queen's subjects. This was no other than a printed copy of the bull of jubilee of the foregoing year, which they had found amongst his papers.

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2dly. That he had published this bull at Golden, in the house of Mr. Tregian.

"3dly. That he had maintained the usurped power of the bishop of Rome, and denied the queen's supremacy.

"4thly. That he had brought into the kingdom an Agnus Dei, and delivered it to Mr. Tregian.

"5thly. That he had said mass in Mr. Tregian's house.

"There were no sufficient proofs of any of these heads of the indictment. And as to the bull, it being only a printed copy of the grant of the jubilee of the past year, now of no force, and no ways procured from Rome by Mr. Maine, but bought at a bookseller's shop at Douay, out of curiosity to see the form of it, it was very certain that the case was quite foreign both to the intent and to the words of the statute. Yet judge Manhood, who behaved himself very partially in the whole trial, directed the jury to bring him in guilty of the indictment, alledging, that where plain proofs were wanting, strong presumptions ought to take place; of which, according to his logic, they had a good store in the cause in hand, knowing the prisoner to be a popish priest, and an enemy of the queen's religion."

The jury that went upon him were chosen men for the purpose, and thought him worthy of death, whether there came any proof against him or no, because he was a catholic priest; such is their evangelical conscience. After the twelve had given their verdict, guilty' "judge Manhood gave sentence on him, in the usual form, as in cases of high treason; which Mr. Maine heard with a calm and cheerful countenance, and lifting up his hands and eyes to heaven, answered, Deo gratius, thanks be to God. He was to have been executed within fifteen days, but his execution was deferred until St. Andrew's day; upon what occasion I know not, says my author; but the Latin manuscript says the occasion was, that judge Jeffries being dissatisfied with the proceedings of his colleague; and the privy council, informed of all that had passed, they thought proper to have all the judges meet upon the matter; that, accordingly, they met, but disagreed in their sentiments, several of the older and wiser of them being of judge Jeffries's opinion. However, such was the iniquity of the times, that the council concluded that the prisoner should be executed for a terror to the papists. My

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die, and therefore tell us whether Mr. Tregian and Sir John Arundel did know of these things which thou art condemned for; and also what thou dost know by them? Mr. Maine answered him very mildly: I know nothing of Mr. Tregian and Sir John Arundel, but that they are good and godly gentlemen; and as for the things I am condemned for, they were only known to me, and to no other. Then he was cast off the ladder saying, in manus tuas, &c., and knocking his breast.

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Some of the gentlemen would have had him cut down strait way, that they might have had him quartered alive; but the sheriff's deputy would not, but let him hang till he was dead.' The Latin manuscript says, he was, indeed, cut down alive, but falling from the beam, which was of an unusual height, with his head upon the side of the scaffold, on which he was to be quartered, he was by that means almost quite killed; and therefore but little sensible of the ensuing butchery. His quarters were disposed of, one to Bodwin, one to Tregny, one to Barnstable, and the fourth to remain at Launceston castle: his head was set upon a pole at Wadebridge, a noted highway. The hangman, who embrued his hands in his innocent blood, in less than a month's time became mad, and soon after miserably expired. And it is particularly remarked, that not one of those whom Mr. Maine reconciled to the church, could ever be induced to renounce the catholic truth, which they had learned from so good a master. Mr. Tregian, the gentleman who had entertained him, lost his estate, which was very considerable, for his religion, and was condemned to perpetual imprisonment; and several of his neighbours and servants were cast in a premunire as abettors and accomplices of Mr. Maine: Sir John Arundel was also persecuted and cast into prison upon this occasion.

"Mr. Maine suffered at Launceston, in Cornwall, Nov. 29, 1577, of whom, thus writes Mr. Stow, in his chronicle of this year:"Cuthbert Maine was drawn, hanged, and quartered at Launceston, in Cornwall, for preferring Roman power.'

The persons that were condemned with Mr. Maine, and cast in a premunire, were Richard Tremayne, gent., John Kemp, gent., Richard Hoar, gent., Thomas Harris, gent., John Williams, M. A. John Philips, yeoman, John Hodges, yeoman, and James Humphreys, yeoman; all neighbours or servants to Mr. Tregian.

JOHN NELSON, PRIEST.-1578.*

JOIN NELSON was the son of Sir N. Nelson, knight, and was born at Shelton, near York. Being come to near forty years of age, and hearing of the college lately established at Douay, in Flanders, he went over thither, in the year 1574, in order to qualify himself there, by virtue and learning, for the priestly ministry, by which he might be of service to his native country, in reclaiming sinners from the errors of

* From a printed account by an eye-witness of his death; and from an old Latin manuscript of Douay college.

immoderate tears and lamentations, that he was somewhat moved therewith, but stayed and repressed nature by-and-by, and so dismissed them: and they were no sooner gone, but two ministers came in, seeking to remove him from his faith, but in vain; for he utterly refused to have any talk with them, desiring them to let him be in quiet, and so they did, and departed from him.

When he was brought forth of the prison, and laid upon the hurdle, some of the officers exhorted him to ask the queen's majesty, whom he had highly offended, forgiveness: he answered, I will ask her no pardon, for I never offended her. At which words the people that stood about him raged, saying, then he should be hanged like a traitor as he was. Well, said he, God's will be done; I perceive that I must die, and surely I am ready to die with a good will; for better is it to abide all punishment, be it ever so grievous, here, than to suffer the eternal torments of hell fire.

Being come to the place of execution, and put into the cart, the first words he spoke were, in manus tuas Domine, &c. Then he besought such of the standers by as were catholics, to pray with him, and for him, saying, either in Latin or in English, the pater, ave and creed, which he himself said in Latin, adding thereto the confiteor, and the psalms miserere and de profundis; which being finished, turning himself round about to all the people, he spoke to them in this sort, I call you all this day to witness, that I die in the unity of the catholic church; and for that unity do now most willingly suffer my blood to be shed: and therefore I beseech God, and request you all to pray for the same, that it would please God, of his great mercy, to make you, and all others that are not such already, true catholic men; and both to live and die in the unity of our holy mother the catholic Roman church. At which words the people cried out, away with thee and thy catholic Romish faith but this notwithstanding, he repeated the same prayer again.

Then he requested to be forgiven of all men, as well absent as present, if he had offended any; protesting that he forgave all his enemies and persecutors, desiring God also to forgive them. Here again he was willed to ask the queen's forgiveness; which he refused to do for a while at last he said, if I have offended her, or any else, I ask her and all the world forgiveness, as I forgive all and so the hangman being ordered to despatch, Mr. Nelson prayed a little while to himself, and then requested all such as were catholics to pray with him, that Christ, by the merits of his bitter passion, would receive his soul into everlasting joy. When the cart was drawn away, a great multitude cried with a loud voice, Lord receive his soul.

'He was cut down before he was half dead, and so dismembered and ripped up and, as the hangman plucked out his heart, he lifted himself up a little, and, as some that stood near, report, spoke these words, I forgive the queen, and all that were causers of my death: but I, though I saw his lips move, yet heard not so much: and the hangman had three or four blows at his head before he could strike it off. His quarters were hanged on four of the gates of the city, and his head set upon London bridge.' So far my old English author.

Mr. Nelson suffered at Tyburn, February 3, 1577-8. Of him Mr. Stow, in his chronicle, writes thus: John Nelson, for denying the queen's supremacy, and such other traitorous words against her majesty, was drawn from Newgate to Tyburn, and there hanged, bowelled and quartered. One Sherwood was also hanged for the like treason, February 7.

THOMAS SHERWOOD, SCHOLAR.*

THOMAS SHERWOOD was born at London, of pious and catholic parents, and by them brought up in the true faith, and in the fear of God. But being desirous to improve himself in virtue and learning, he went over to the English college, founded not long before, in the university of Douay, in Flanders, where I find him, in the diary of the house, a student, in 1576. Not long after this, he returned to London, in order to settle his affairs, and procure money to help him to carry on his studies.

Whilst he was in London, he frequented the house of lady Tregony, a virtuous catholic, who had a son named Martin, whose faith and manners were widely distant from those of his mother. This young spark suspected that mass was sometimes privately said in his mother's house; and this, as he imagined, by the means of Mr. Sherwood; which was the occasion of his conceiving an implacable hatred against him; insomuch, that one day meeting him in the streets, he cried out, stop the traitor, stop the traitor; and so causing him to be apprehended, had him before the next justice of peace. Where, when they were come, Mr. Tregony could alledge nothing else against Mr. Sherwood, but that he suspected him to be a papist. Upon which the justice examined him concerning his religion; and in particular, what his sentiments were concerning the queen's church-headship, and the pope's supremacy.To which Mr. Sherwood candidly answered, that he did not believe the queen to be the head of the church of England; and that this pre-eminence belonged to the pope. And being further asked concerning the queen's religion, he made the like answers as we have seen above, Mr. Nelson did. Upon which he was immediately committed, and cast into a dungeon in the Tower. In the mean time his lodgings were searched and plundered of all that he had, and between 20 and 307. of money, borrowed for the use of his poor afflicted father, were carried off by these harpies with the rest.

In the Tower he was most cruelly racked, in order to make him discover where he had heard mass. But he suffered all their tortures with a greatness of soul not unequal to that of the primitive martyrs, and would not be induced to betray or bring any man into danger. After this, he was thrust into a dark, filthy hole, where he endured very much from hunger, stench, and cold, and the general want of all things, no one being allowed to visit him, or afford him any comfort. Inso

*From Mr. Bridgewater's Concertatio Ecclesiæ Catholicæ, Raissius, his catalogue of the martyrs of Douay college, and a Latin MS. in my hands.

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