The night that Mr. Lacy and others were apprehended, who had been issisting it mass in York castle, Mr. Hart was one of the company; but he escaped by getting down the wall, and made his way through a muduv povi, or moat, in which he was up to his chin in water and mire. But within six months after, God was pleased he should fall into the hands of the persecutors, who rushed into his chamber the night after Chosunas day, when he was in bed and asleep, and seized upon him. At the first surprise, and perhaps not yet fully awake, he bid them keep od and not touch him, for he was an anointed priest; adding withal, that he would dress himself immediately and accompany them. As soon as he was dressed, they carried him to the house of the high sheriff, where they kept him till day; and then he was brought before the lord president of the north, who having examined him, sent him prisoner to the castle, where he was lodged in a dungeon, which was his only chamber till his dying day: and, whereas, he could not help discovering, both by his countenance and words, the great joy of his soul, in suffering for such a cause, they loaded him, on St. John's day, with double irons to tame his courage; but sil in vain : for, in proportion to what he suffered for Christ, he found still greater consolation from Christ. During his cerri ement, he had several conterences with some of the chiel of the proæstadt, ministers in York; namely, with dean Hutton, Mi Bunny, Mr. Pace, and Mr. Paimer: in which, these gentlemen had no reason to boast of their success; though they were pleased to publish that they did not dougt but that he would easily be brought over to the side. Vང་ When he was brought to the bar, the judge asked him, why he had keit his mauve coumay to go beyond the seas? He answered, For no other Today, my lord, but a sequue viue and learning; and, whereas, I tound rengia and viva doudsding in these countries, I took holy univer to wdad, I purceived mysed called by a certain impulse from troud ide oddiy shás, Teriouihung the world, I might be more at liberty They asked him, how he had employed his time ance are read mo Bigiand" He answered, la instructing the ignotant, and kumsacing the sacraments for the benefit of the souls of They wid ham he was guity of high treason; first, tox qouing the kingdom, without the leave of her majesty, and adhermug in hex capital encuny, the pope. Secondly, For withdrawing her mjaya sulycol from their obedience, by reconciling them to the Torch of Rome, as he had done Mr. John Wright, and one Couling. Al Hart replied, that his going out of England could be no treason, Ti ho went to no other end, but to improve himself in learning and pectus, that his obedience to the pope in spiritual matters, was no ways ipomstalcut with his allegiance to his queen; and that he called God to times, that he had never, in his hie, entertained so much as a thought, dongatury to the authority of the queen, whom he acknowledged his For hul suyorckgake or tending to withdraw her subjects from their obedieuse, and that neither Mr. Wright nor Couling, nor any other, Could say, that he had ever spoken so much as one word to them to disguple thism from theit obedience to her majesty. Howwem, upon those two heads, an indictment of treason was drawn up, and a jury impanelled, who, as directed by the judges, brought him in guilty. And accordingly, he had sentence to die, as in cases of high treason. He received the sentence with a perfect conformity to the will of God, using those words of holy Job, Dominus dedit, &c. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; as it has pleased the Lord, so has it been done may the name of the Lord be blessed: adding, that he was in good hopes that now, a short time would put an end to his mortal life, and all its miseries, to be succeeded by true and everlasting joys. The six last days before execution, he prepared himself for his exit by a rigorous fast, spending withal, whole nights in prayer and contemplation, and ardently wishing for that happy hour that should eternally unite him to the sovereign object of his love. When he was brought out of his dungeon, on the day he was to suffer, he took his leave of the catholic prisoners, earnestly recommending his last conflict to their prayers: then addressing himself to the chief jailor, he bid him farewell, thanking him for his kindness; though, indeed, he had met with little, or no kindness or favour from him. Being fastened down upon the hurdle, he was drawn through the streets to the place of execution, having his eyes fixed upon heaven, and his soul in silence, attentive to God. Before he came to the gallows, he was met by two ministers, Mr. Bunny and Mr. Pace, who made it their business to affront him, and to persuade the people that he did not die for his religion, but for treason. As soon as he arrived at the place, he cheerfully went up the ladder, and began to pray in silence. They asked him if he prayed for the queen? he answered, That he had always prayed for her, to that day, and as long as he lived, would not cease to pray for her: that he willingly acknowledged her for his sovereign, and professed a ready obedience to her, in all things which were not inconsistent with the catholic religion. Then, Mr. Bunny stepped out, and read aloud to the people, the bull of Pius Quintus; by which, he had excommunicated the queen? &c, pretending thereby to prove that Mr. Hart must needs be a traitor; and, that the business of his coming over, was, to withdraw her majesty's subjects from their allegiance. Mr. Hart answered, in short, that, Far from having any such thoughts, he had ever prayed for the queen's safety, and the happy state of the kingdom. But Mr. Pace was particularly troublesome to the holy confessor, continually loading him with reproaches and injuries. To which, Mr. Hart, made no other reply than this, Good Mr. Pace, be so kind as to let me be quiet, this short time I have to live; which he several times repeated. Then, lifting up his eyes to heaven, he began the psalm, ad te vevavi oculos meos, &c., but, was again interrupted by the ministers, calling upon him to join with them in prayer, which he refused to do, telling them, that his faith and theirs, was not the same. But he desired the catholics to pray for him, and to bear witness that he died in, and for the catholic faith, and not for any crime whatsoever, or treason against the state. With that, he was thrown off the ladder; and, according to sentence, was cut down alive, and quartered. And though the lord mayor and other magistrates, who were present at the execution, sought to hinder the catholics from carrying home with them any relics of the confessor, yet, some there were, who, in spite of all their precautions and threats, carried off some of his food, or fragments of his bones, or pieces of his clothes, Wien ney kept as treasures; so great was the veneration they had for his vine and the cause for which he died. Mr. Hart suffered at York, March 15, 1582-3. He has a place in Mr. Wood's Athence Oxon. p. 214, who acknowledges, that he was executed for his character. This Mr. Hart,' says the protestant historant, was hanged, drawn and quartered, for being a Roman prrest. Dr. Bridgewater, in his Concertatio, has published, several of Mr. Hart's letters. In one of which, he gives an account of what had passed in his conferences with the protestant divines. In the others, he encourages his penitents, especially such as were prisoners, for their conscience, to constancy; exhorts them to neglect no opportunity of frequenting the sacraments, as most powerful means of divine grace, (lamenting that he himself was deprived of that benefit, no priest being allowed to come near him expresses his ardent desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ, only regretting that he had not better served so good a Lord; and forbids them to grieve upon his occasion, whose death was to be so great a gain. These letters are nine in all, and are very editying. Besides which, I have met with a copy of a letter which he wrote to his mother a few days before his death, with which I shall here present the reader. › Most dear and loving Mother. Seeing that by the severity of the laws, by the wickedness of our times, and by God's holy ordinance and appointment, my days in this lite are out od: of duty and conscience I am bound, being far from you in body, but in spitit very near to you not only to crave your diuly blessing, bac uso to write these few words unto you. You have beca cmoso eving, natural, and careful mother uno me: you have suftered great pins 'n my bath and bringing up: you have toiled and turmoried to reed and xustan me, your arst and eldest child; and, theretore for these and all other, your motherly cherishings. I give you (as it be council me to do most humble and hearty thanks: wishing that it bay on me to show myself as loving, natural, and dutiful a son, as you live dowed yourself' a most tender and careful mother. But I cannot expor my love, show my duty, deciare my affection. testly my good will wants you, so little am I able to do, and so meet I think myself foomed onto you. I had meant, this spring, to have seen you, if God had and is my health and liberty; but now never shall I see you, or guy of puuta, in this life again trusting yet in heaven to meet you, to ...pon, and to live overlasingly with you. Algot aweek mother, way do you weep! why do you lament? tely do you tako so heavily my honourable death! Know you not that gear low duce to die, dad ca always in this life we may not live! koor you and how van, how wicked, bow inconstant, how miserable da li of pure is ? do you not consider my calling, my estate, my de co' do you not remember that I am going to a place of all i mund telicity ? why then do you weep! why do you mourn? why do you cry out? But perhaps you will say, I weep not so much. for your death, as I do for that you are hanged, drawn, and quartered: my sweet mother, it is the favourablest, honourablest, and happiest death that ever could have chanced unto me. I die not for knavery, but for verity: 1 die not for treason, but for religion; I die not for any ill demeanor or offence committed, but only for my faith, for my conscience, for my priesthood, for my blessed Saviour Jesus Christ; and, to tell you truth, if I had ten thousand lives, I am bound to lose them all, rather than to break my faith, to lose my soul, to offend my God. We are not made to eat, drink, sleep, to go bravely, to feed daintily, to live in this wretched vale continually; but to serve God, to please God, to fear God, and to keep his commandments: which, when we cannot be suffered to do, then rather must we choose to lose our lives, than to desire our lives. 6 Neither am I alone in this kind of suffering; for there have of late suffered, twenty or twenty-two priests, just, virtuous, and learned men, for the self-same cause, for the which I do now suffer. You see, Mr. James Fenn and John Bodie are imprisoned for religion and I dare say they are desirous to die the same death which I shall die. Be contented, therefore, good mother, stay your weeping, and comfort yourself that you have borne a son that has lost his life and liberty for God Almighty's sake, who shed his most precious blood for him. If I did desire or look for preferment or promotion, credit, or estimation in this world, I could do as others do: but, alas! I pass not for this trish trash; I contemn this wicked world; I detest the pleasures and commodities thereof; and only desire to be in heaven with God; where I trust I shall be, before this my last letter come to you. : 'Be of good cheer, then, my most loving mother, and cease from weeping; for there is no cause why you should do so. Tell me, for God's sake, would you not be glad to see me a bishop, a king, or an emperor? Yes, verily, I dare say you would. How glad then may you be to see me a martyr, a saint, a most glorious and bright star in heaven. The joy of this life is nothing, and the joy of the after life is everlasting and therefore thrice happy may you think yourself, that your son William is gone from earth to heaven, and from a place of all misery to a place of all felicity. I wish that I were near to comfort you but because that cannot be, I beseech you, even for Christ Jesus's sake, to comfort yourself. You see how God hath brought me up, and how he hath blessed me many ways: a thousand times then unhappy should I be, if, for his sake, I should not lose this miserable life, to gain that blessed and eternal life wherein he is. I can say no more, but desire you to be of good cheer, because I myself am well. If I had lived, I would have holpen you in your age, as you have holpen me in my youth. But now I must desire God to help you, and my brethren, for I cannot. Good mother, he contented with that which God hath appointed for my perpetual comfort: and now, in your old days, serve God after the old catholic manner? pray unto him daily; beseech him, heartily, to make you a member of his church; and that he will save your soul for Jesus sake: good mother, T ag t I gave you, and die a member of ne av we stail meet in heaven. by God's 3 me arber-in-law, to my brethren. to Andrew o 4-s. 3ocie, and all the rest. Serve God, and Gou Melort you. Jesus save your soul, and Farewell, good mother, farewell ten thouThors moue, the 10th of March. 15-3. ur nest oving and obedient son, |