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the priest-catcher of his reward. When he was a little recovered, they jogged on again, but again the old gentleman grew very sick, and plainly told his governor that he could no longer sit on horseback: then you shall lie on horseback, quoth Cuthbert; for to York castle you are sent, and to York castle you shall go, with leave of the Lord. Accordingly they laid the prisoner on the horse, Cuthbert still riding behind, with one hand managing the beast, and his prisoner with the other. And thus moving on by easy marches, after many a halt, and many a sick fit, and fainting away, he brought his charge alive to York, where they made an odd appearance in the streets, and had many lookers on. A passage well remembered, says Mr. Kn., "from whom we have transcribed it," spoke of to this day and by the ancient inhabitants of that city, with indignation and horror.'

Cuthbert, having now performed his task, and delivered up his prisoner to the jailer, was making haste homeward, when Mr. Lockwood very friendly called to him, and at the same time pulling out his purse, Hark you, Cuthbert,' says the old gentleman, I have even given you a great deal of trouble in bringing me to this happy place, here take that angel for your pains, and the Lord be with you.' And five shillings more he gave to the under-priest-catcher for his share in the trouble, so they took leave of each other, and parted very good friends.

At the next assizes Mr. Lockwood, with his fellow prisoner, Mr. Catherick, was tried and condemned: and though they were for a short time reprieved by the king, the clamours of the parliament against reprieving priests were such at that time, that his majesty, though, as it is thought, very much against his inclinations, signed the dead warrant for their execution. And accordingly, on the 13th of April, 1642, the king and prince of Wales, with many lords and persons of distinction, being then at the manor in York, Mr. Lockwood and Mr. Catherick were laid on a hurdle, and drawn through the streets of York, to the place of execution, to suffer according to sentence.

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After some time employed in private devotions, the sheriff appointed Mr. Catherick to walk up the ladder: he moved towards it in obedience to orders, but showed by his countenance, that the fears of death had encompassed and oppressed his soul: which Mr. Lockwood observing, stepped forward, and planting himself at the foot of the ladder, Mr. Sheriff,' says he, under favour, the place is mine, I am his senior by many years, and therefore with leave I challenge it as my right to mount the ladder first. Then applying himself to Mr. Catherick, my dear brother in Jesus Christ, and fellow-sufferer,' says he, take courage; we have almost run our race, shall we faint and be tired when in sight of the prize? O let us run in spirit to our Saviour in the garden, and call upon him in his agony and bloody sweat. O blessed Lord Jesus! who submittest thyself to death, for the example and comfort of thy servants at the hour of their deaths, be near us we beseech thee at this moment, moderate our fears, strengthen our faith, and confirm our hopes, that in obedience to thy call we may go forth to meet thee readily and cheerfully and thankfully drink of thy chalice, how bitter soever to nature. O Jesus! sweeten it by thy grace: help thy poor serVOL. II.

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vants that call upon thee, that we may here lay down our lives in obedience to thy holy will, and in defence of thy holy religion, with constancy and perseverance. Lord Jesus, once more we recommend ourselves in this dreadful hour to thee! help us by thy powerful grace, that thou, O Lord, mayest be glorified in our deaths, and thy church and people edified.'

This done, the holy man began to climb up the ladder as well as he could; but finding himself out of breath, he made a halt, and turning to the sheriff with a smiling countenance, 'Good Mr. Sheriff,' says he, have a little patience with me; indeed this same climbing a ladder, is a piece of hard service for an old man of fourscore and seven: however, I will do my best; for who would not take thus much pains, Mr. Sheriff, to get to heaven at the journey's end.' Then he began again to ascend, and with the help of two men, whom he rewarded with a shilling each, he arrived at the top of the ladder. Here pausing a while to recover his breath, he inquired of Mr. Catherick, how he did? In good heart,' replies he, blessed be God! and ready to suffer with constancy the death his providence has allotted me. Yes, my dear Father, I am willing and ready to follow you, thanks be to my Lord and Saviour Jesus, who by his grace has strengthened me, and by your good example has encouraged me.'

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Mr. Lockwood, overjoyed to see his companion thus disposed, prepared himself immediately for his end; and after a few words of edification to the people, and earnestly desiring the prayers of the catholics, and exhorting them to constancy and patience in their sufferings, he employed a few minutes in silent prayer, and then delivered himself up to the executioner, and whilst with hands and eyes lifted up towards heaven, he cried out, Jesus, my Saviour! Jesus, my Redeemer, receive my soul! Jesus, be to me a Jesus! the executioner flung him off, and he soon expired.

When he was cut down, in order to be bowelled and quartered, the hangman, it seems, scrupled at the butchery part, and for a time flatly refused it; and even taking a rope threatened to hang himself, rather than embrue his hands in innocent blood. But being at last prevailed upon by a wicked woman to undergo the drudgery, he fell to work like a fury, cutting, slashing, and tearing, the bodies and bowels as well of Mr. Lockwood as of Mr. Catherick, hashing his entrails into small parts, and flinging them like a madman amongst the crowd. The heads and quarters of the two priests were disposed on the several gates or bars, as they term them, of the city; and Mr. Lockwood's head was fixed on the north gate, called Bootham-bar, close by the king's palace, at the manor, where his majesty then resided, insomuch that it was not possible for him to come out of the palace gate, or even look out from the east, but old Eleazar's bloody head was before his eyes, which must have affected his mind with some troublesome remembrances.

EDMUND CATHERICK, PRIEST.*

He was descended from the Cathericks of Carlton, an ancient family in the north riding of Yorkshire, not far from Richmond. He performed his studies in the English college of Douay, and being there made priest, was sent upon the English mission, about the year 1635, being then thirty years old. He stands with a fair character, in the college diary, and is particularly commended for his extraordinary meekness, and for his zeal and labours in the mission. "R. D. Lockwood, eadem hora secutus est R. D. Edmundus Catherick, alias Huddlestone, Eboracensis, in passione socius, eo quod Sacerdos esset. Vir mitissimus, & hujus colegii alumnus, annos habens 37, quorum 7 in vinea Anglicana operarius strenuus impenderat. Diar. MSS. R. D. Ireland, ad annum 1642. "

After seven years labouring in the vineyard of his Lord, he was apprehended on the road, not far from Watlass, and was carried by the pursuivants before justice Dodsworth, who had married a near kinswoman of Mr. Catherick; to whom, it seems, the good man some time before, (having been invited as a kinsman to his house,) had in private, candidly owned that he was a priest; so that Mr. Catherick being now brought before him, the justice, without more ado, committed him to York castle, and afterwards appeared as evidence against him, making oath that the prisoner had owned himself a priest in his hearing. And it is the opinion of the people of that neighbourhood, even to this day, says Mr. Knaresborough, in his manuscript collections, that Mr. Dodsworth and his family, for some years after, felt the guilt of Mr. Catherick's blood very heavy upon them, in a long series of surprising and dire disasters.

He was condemned merely for being a priest. His behaviour at the place of execution, was very religious and devout. He employed the whole time in prayer, while Mr. Lockwood was upon the ladder, and by his looks and reverend posture, plainly showed, that his applications to God were full of affection and fervour. When Mr. Lockwood was turned off, Mr. Catherick was ordered up the ladder, and he cheerfully obeyed; his former fears were now quite dissipated, and a great calm and tranquillity had succeeded in his soul. When he was upon the ladder, he again betook himself to prayer, earnestly desiring all catholics there present, to pray with him, and for him. He spoke little, saying, there was no need of it, for that his trial being lately past, whereat many of the company were present, they could all bear him witness, that he was tried and condemned for his priesthood: and that for this only, and for no other treason, he was brought thither to suffer death. He prayed for the king, his royal consort, and their issue, that God in his mercy would shower down his blessings upon them, and send a right understanding betwixt his majesty and his parliament. Then he prayed for his persecutors, especially the person who was chiefly concerned in his death; that God would bring him to a sense of his crime, and a speedy repentance; adding, that for his own part, he freely forgave him,

* From Mr. Knaresborough's Collections.

as heartily as he expected and hoped for mercy and pardon of his own manifold sins at the hands of God.'

And now recollecting himself again for a few minutes, with eyes and hands lifted up to heaven, he said, Lord, I obey; be near me, O Lord! my soul hath trusted in thee; let me not be confounded forever. Then pulling a cap over his eyes, he delivered himself to the executioner, who, soon after, turned him off the ladder, and he calmly expired. April 13, 1642. His head was placed upon Micklegate bar. His bowels, or rather fragments of them, were buried on Toft green.

MR. WILKS, ALIAS, TOMSON, PRIEST, CONFESSOR.

A little while after the execution of Mr. Lockwood and Mr. Catherick, another priest of the secular clergy, died in York castle, under sentence of death. His name was Wilks, though he was commonly known by the name of Tomson. He was born at Knaresborough, in Yorkshire, was taken at Malton, upon a market-day, and set in the stocks to be gazed at by the people, almost the whole day, till a cutler of the town making oath, that he knew him to be lord Ever's priest, he was sent to York castle, tried, and convicted; but died before execution.

EDWARD MORGAN, ALIAS, SINGLETON, PRIEST.*

EDWARD MORGAN was born in Flintshire, of North-Wales, and was educated in the English college of Douay;t from hence, he was sent into Spain, (as appears, by the account he gave of himself to the people at the place of execution,) and there made priest at Salamanca. From Spain, he went to Rome; and from Rome, he came upon the English mission. In England, after some time, he was apprehended, and committed to the Fleet prison, where he remained contined for fourteen or fifteen years; suffering much from the loathsomeness of the place, and the want of all necessaries; more particularly, during the two last years, with this additional aggravation to his sufferings, that some were pleased to give it out that he was mad; which slander, he willingly forgave, amongst many other injuries, which he had to suffer from the malice of his adversaries.

At length, he was brought upon his trial, in this parliamentary persecution; and was condemned, barely on account of his being a priest, ordained beyond the seas, and remaining in this kingdom contrary to the statute of Elizabeth the 27th. No other crime was so much as objected to him. The sentence of death was pronounced upon him in the usual form, as in cases of high treason, on the 23d of April, being the feast

From the Douay diary. From a Latin manuscript, by an eye-witness of his death, sent me from St. Omer's; and from Chiriet's Palmæ cleri Anglicani. p. 35. printed at Antwerp 1645, who declares in his epistle dedicatory to the bishop of Antwerp, that he received all his informations either from eye-witnesses, or from such as were informed by eve-witnesses.

+ Hujus collegij alumnus. Mr Ireland's diary, April 1642.

of St. George the martyr, the patron of England; which sentence he received with remarkable cheerfulness, and even joy. Many protestants, as well as catholics, came to see him in prison after condemnation; and, whereas, the former proposed to him their queries, and their objections against the catholic religion, it was wonderful with what solidity, charity, and modesty he answered all their queries, and refuted all their objections; so that on the one hand they found themselves quite overwhelmed with the weight of his arguments; and on the other, so taken with his charitable and modest way of treating religious controversies, that they could not help having a great respect for him, and a great compassion for his case: and it is affirmed that these conferences were of no small service to the souls of several of them.

As to the catholics, many of them made their confessions to him, and these, as well as the rest, thought themselves happy if they could carry off any thing that belonged to him, to keep as a relic; insomuch that they cut off his very buttons, and pieces of his cloak; till he was forced to give it up to be divided amongst them; and instead of it, they furnished him with a new one to carry with him to Tyburn. Many wept and lamented his case, whom he comforted with cheerful words, flowing from the abundance of a heart full of joy at the approaches of so great a happiness as that of dying for Christ; declaring to them withal, to the greater glory of God, that though by nature he was timorous, he had now no manner of apprehension of halters, knives, or fires, or whatever else he could suffer for so good a cause; and that he should be even glad to have many lives, that he might lay them all down in the service of so good a master. However, he begged that all catholics would pray for him, that he might die like a true Roman catholic priest, that is, said he, with a constant humility, and an humble constancy; that no fear may terrify me, neither any presumption puff me up, or transport me out of the bounds of a christian modesty in my words and carriage.

On the day after his condemnation he found means, (which he had not been able to do for a year before,) of celebrating, in prison, the tremendous mysteries, to prepare himself by that august sacrifice and sacrament for his death. And the divine majesty was pleased upon this occasion to visit his soul with such spiritual delights and heavenly consolations, that he was in a manner in an ecstacy, and found all the difficulty imaginable to proceed in the divine sacrifice; his devotion being particularly inflamed with the thought of the holy name of Jesus, from which he was obliged violently to divert his mind, crying out with blessed Xaverius, Satis est Domine. It is enough, O Lord! or he could never have finished. The disposition which he found in his soul upon this occasion, he discovered in confidence to a priest of the Society of Jesus, who came to visit him that day, and the same, or another friend of his, found him the following evening in the like raptures of divine love and spiritual joys, though he had been wearied all the day with a continual crowd of people coming to visit and confer with him. The religious man, just now mentioned, asked the confessor of Christ, if there was any thing in which he could be any way serviceable to him? he answered, that he should be glad of the prayers of the society;

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