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One of the Douay manuscripts adds the following remarkable circumstance to the narration of his martyrdom, viz: that in the way whilst he was drawn from Southwark to Tyburn, it happened, that a collier met them on Cornhill, driving six strong horses with a load of coals; who being obliged to stop, and make way for the hurdle and crowd that attended it, fumed and raged at the holy man, complaining aloud, that he should be stopped in his way for that traitor, as he called him but mark what follows; the hurdle was scarce passed, when one of the collier's horses, without any previous sign of hurt or illness, falls down dead in the street, and obliges his master to make a much longer stay, than that which so much offended him before. The same manuscript also takes notice, that the jailor was so much taken with the comportment of the man of God, that he accompanied him to the place of execution, and always spoke of him with the highest

esteem.

:

EDWARD BAMBER, ALIAS, REDING, PRIEST.*

EDWARD BAMBER, commonly known upon the mission by the name of Reding, was son of Mr. Richard Bamber, and born at the place called the Moor, the ancient mansion-house of the family, lying not far from Paulton, in that part of Lancashire, called the Fylde. Having made a good progress in his grammar studies at home, he was sent abroad into Spain, to the English college at Valladolid, where he learnt his philosophy and divinity, and was ordained priest. • But in what year this happened, says Mr. Knaresborough, or when he was sent upon the mission, my short memoirs do not tell us; and they leave us as much in the dark, as to many other passages and particulars relating to the life and labours of this good priest, as well as to the history of his trial, of which we have a very imperfect account. But then, short as they are, they are very expressive of his zeal and indefatigable labours in gaining souls to God; his unwearied diligence in instructing the catholics committed to his charge; disputing with protestants; and going about to do good every where, in times and places of the greatest danger, with a courage and firmness of mind, much spoken of and admired at that time, and mentioned by one of his contemporary labourers and fellowprisoners, in a short manuscript relation," as something that was wonderfully surprising, and, as he expresses it, above the power and strength of man.

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'When, how, or where he was apprehended, I have not found, but only this, that he had lain three whole years a close prisoner in Lancaster castle before he was brought to the bar. "But now the judges going out of their several circuits, which for some time before they could not do by reason of the civil wars, and coming to Lancaster, Mr. Bamber and two other priests his companions were brought upon their trial." Here, his conduct was discreet and cautious, so as to

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* From Mr. Knaresborough's manuscript collections.

give the judge no unnecessary provocation; but at the same time his comportment was remarkably courageous and brave, in a degree that was astonishing to the whole court; where he stood with such an air of fortitude and resolution of suffering in defence of truth, as might not have ill become even one of the most forward and zealous confessors

of the Cyprianic age. Two fallen catholics, Malden and Osbaldeston, appeared against him as witnesses: these wretches made oath that they had seen him administer baptism, and perform the ceremonies of marriage and upon these slender proofs of his priesthood, the jury, by the judge's direction, found him guilty of the indictment, who thereupon had sentence in the usual form, to be hanged, cut down alive, &c., as in cases of high treason. All which Mr. Bamber heard with a composed countenance, and without manifesting the least sign of trouble or

concern.

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It was on the 7th of August, when he and his two fellow priests and confessors were drawn on sledges to the place of execution, and at the same time a poor wretch, one Croft, condemned for felony, was brought to die with them. Mr. Bamber applied his discourse in a most affectionate manner to this poor man; beseeching him to take compassion on his soul, and provide for its eternal welfare, by true repentance of his sins, and embracing the true religion; telling him for his encouragement, that it was never too late to make his peace with God, who showed mercy to the penitent thief at the hour of death; and he will also pardon thee, said he, if, like him, thou wilt be converted to him, and truly repent of thy sins. Take courage, my dear friend, and boldly declare thyself a catholic, and withal confess some of thy more public sins, and be truly contrite and sorry for all; and I, a priest and minister of Jesus Christ, will instantly, in his name and by his authority, absolve thee. The officers of justice, and the ministers, began here to storm and threaten, but Mr. Bamber stood his ground and carried his point. The prisoner fairly declaring his fixed resolution of dying in the faith and communion of the catholic church; and having confessed aloud some of his public and scandalous crimes, and begged pardon for them, and at the same time signifying his sincere repentance for his sins in general, Mr. Bamber, according to promise, publicly absolved him, in the sight and hearing of the crowd, and to the intolerable mortification and confusion of the protestant ministers. But they were resolved, it seems, he should do no more mischief; and therefore bid him walk up the ladder, and prepare for death. The confessor obeyed their orders, having first taken leave of some friends, and sent a small token to some others, enjoining the messenger to tell them, from him, not to grieve at his death, for, says he, I hope to pray for them in heaven. Here mounting up some steps he halted, and taking a handful of money he threw it among the people, saying with a smiling countenance, that God loved a cheerful giver. Then, after some time spent in private devotions, he turned towards his fellow confessors, exhorting them to constancy and perseverance, having his eyes more particularly upon Mr. Whitaker, who by his looks appeared not a little terrified at the approaches of death, which gave occasion to the protestants to be very busy in tempting him with the hopes of life, if he

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would promise to conform to their religion. Mr. Bamber was speaking to him in the most tender and feeling manner, to be upon his guard, and beware of the enemy in that critical hour, on which the welfare of his soul was to depend for an eternity;-when the sheriff called out hastily to the executioner to despatch him; and so he was that moment turned off the ladder, and permitted to hang a very short time, when the rope was cut, the confessor being yet alive; and thus was he butchered in a most cruel and savage manner, as my author, a priest and confessor, then actually a prisoner at Lancaster, has avowed in the relation abovementioned, which he drew up upon the subject of the death of these three priests. Mr. Bamber suffered at Lancaster, August 7, 1646.' An ode or sonnet composed on his death, and that of his companions, speaks of him :

STANZA 27 and 28.

Few words he spoke, they stopp'd his mouth,

And choked him with a cord;

And lest he should be dead too soon,

No mercy they afford.

But quick and live they cut him down,
And butcher him full soon;

Behead, tear, and dismember straight,
And laugh when all was done.

JOHN WOODCOCK, ALIAS, FARINGDON, PRIEST. O.S. P.*

JOHN WOODCOCK, called in religion, father Martin, of St. Felix, was born in Clayton, near Preston, in Lancashire, in the year 1603. His father was a protestant, his mother a catholic, who found means of sending her son over to the English college of St. Omer's to be there trained up by the fathers of the Society, in piety and learning. Here he studied his humanity; and from hence he was sent to the English college of Rome, to learn his philosophy and divinity. But before he had gone through the usual course of his studies in that college, he conceived a strong desire of embracing a more strict and penitential kind of life. In order to this, he first applied himself to the Capuchins, but not succeeding with them, he made his application to the English Franciscans of Douay, by whom he was received, being clothed by R. F. Paul Heath, in 1631, and after his year's noviceship, making his profession in the hands of R. F. Francis Bell, who, as we have already seen, both gave a glorious testimony to their faith at Tyburn, anno 1643. Within a year or two after his profession, he was presented to the sacred order of priesthood; and some time after made preacher and confessor. He lived also for some time at Arras with Mr. Sheldon, in quality of his chaplain and confessarius, till he was called away by his superiors, in order to be sent upon the English mission.

In England, he discharged the part of a zealous and laborious missionary, notwithstanding his frequent infirmities, till being desirous of ending his days in his convent, he obtained leave of his superiors to

* From Certamen Seraphicum, p. 159, &c.

return thither where he lived a most exemplary life, suffering much, from his almost continual illness, with remakable patience, till F. Paul Heath, having lately suffered at Tyburn, and the English friars at Douay having a solemn thanksgiving service on that occasion, where a French capuchin preached a most moving sermon upon the happiness of suffering in so good a cause: F. Martin was so animated with a desire of meeting with the same crown, that he desisted not importuning his superiors, till he procured leave to return again upon the mission. He landed at Newcastle upon Tyne, and from thence, made the best of his way to Lancashire, his native country; where he was apprehended the very first night after his arrival, and the next day, committed by a neighbouring justice of peace, to the county jail of Lancaster castle, in which he was kept two whole years, suffering much from the incommodities of the place, and daily aspiring after his happy dissolution.

His trial came on in the beginning of August, 1646, when being brought to the bar, with his two companions, "Mr. Reding and Mr. Whitaker," he confessed himself a priest, and a friar of the order of St. Francis ; his zeal during the time of his imprisonment, having furnished proofs enough of his being so, if he had had a mind to conceal it. Upon this confession, he was condemned to die, as in cases of high-treason. It is hardly to be expressed with what joy he received the sentence, breaking out into acts of thanksgiving, such as praise be to God! God be thanked, &c. He passed the last night of his mortal life in prison, in meditation and mental prayer; and on the next day, being the 7th of August, 1646, he was drawn, together with the two gentlemen abovenamed, both priests of the secular clergy, to the place of execution; the catholics being much comforted and edified, and the protestants astonished and confounded, to see that cheerfulness and courage with which these servants of God went to meet that barbarous and ignominious death to which they were condemned.

At the place of execution, F. Woodcock being ordered up the ladder, after some short time spent in his private devotions, offered to speak to the people of the cause of his death, and the truth of the catholic faith; but he was quickly interrupted by the sheriff, and flung off the ladder by the executioner. Some say the rope broke immediately, so that being perfectly sensible, he was ordered up the ladder again, to be hanged a second time. But however this may be, it seems he was scarce half hanged at last, but barbarously cut down and butchered alive. He suffered at Lancaster, in the forty-fourth year of his age, the fifteenth of his religious profession, and the thirteenth of his priesthood. His head is kept in a cloister of the English Francisans at Douay. N. B.-F. Woodcock, in some catalogues, is known by the name of Thompson.

THOMAS WHITAKER, PRIEST.*

He was son of Thomas and Helen Whitaker, born at Burnley, in Lancashire, a small market town, in Blackburn hundred, where he, the * From Mr. Knaresborough's manuscript Collections.

said Thomas, was master of a noted free-school. The son performed his grammar studies under his father's care; and then, for his farther improvement, was sent abroad, at the charges of a neighbouring catholic family, "Townley of Townley," and went through his higher studies in the English college of Valladolid. He was ordained priest here, and entered upon the mission, in some part of the year 1638, and exercised his functions with great zeal and success, for the space of five years before his commitment to Lancaster castle. In this space of time, he was once taken up, but escaped out of the hands of the pursuivants, while on the road towards Lancaster. His guard, it seems, having locked him up in his chamber at night, took the liberty of making merry below stairs, which Mr. Whitaker being apprised of, made his advantage of the occasion, and in the dead of the night, let himself down out of the window but the passage being very straight, he was forced to strip himself to his shirt, and through haste, forgot to throw out his clothes before him, so that he was obliged to make the best of his way that night in this naked condition. After wandering some miles, meeting with a poor shelter, he ventured to sit down, and take a breath a while, being at a loss what to do for clothes, and farther security of his person, in a part of the country where he was a stranger to the roads, as well as to the people. But providence declared itself in his favour; for while he was in these streights, a catholic met with him, and being informed of his character and condition, conducted him to his own house, and took such precautions for his concealment, that the good man made a safe and effectual escape for that time, and returned to his people, and the exercise of his functions, leaving the pursuivants to the confusion of being well laughed at, for not taking more care of their prisoner.

How long Mr. Whitaker enjoyed his liberty after this, I cannot learn; only I find that he was seized a second time, and that, in the year 1643, at Mr. Midgeall's, of Place-hall, in Goosenargh, and then, he was effectually conducted to Lancaster, and committed to the castle, or county jail, on the 7th of August, the very day and month on which, three years after, he and his two companions were drawn on hurdles to the common place of execution. He was apprehended by a gang of priest-catchers, armed with clubs, and swords; who, it seems, fell to club-law with their prisoner immediately, and ceased not to beat and abuse him, (threatening also to murder him upon the spot,) till they had extorted from him a confession that he was a priest.-In prison, he was treated at first, with uncommon severity, being sequestered from the other prisoners, and thrown into a nasty dungeon, where solitude and darkness was his portion, which he patiently suffered for six whole weeks, before he was allowed the liberty of the common jail, and the company of his fellow-confessors.

'An ancient priest, his fellow prisoner, who has left behind him a short account of the behaviour of the three martyrs, always speaks of Mr. Whitaker as a person of a most saintly life; and declares, from his own observation and knowledge, (having been an eye-witness of his conduct for so long a time,) that he was still the first and last at prayer, or rather, that his whole employment was a continual communication

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