that they are not to be believed or trusted, because they can have dispensations for lying, perjury, killing kings, and other the most enormous crimes, I do utterly renounce all such pardons, dispensations, and withal declare, that it is a most wicked and malicious calumny cast upon catholics, who do all, with all their hearts and souls, hate and detest all such wicked and damnable practices; and in the words of a dying man, and as I hope for mercy at the hands of God, before whom I must shortly appear and give an account of all my actions, I do declare, that what I have said is true; and I hope christian charity will not let you think, that by the last act of my life, I would cast away my soul, by sealing up my last breath with a damnable lie.

Then they were at their private devotions for about an hour.

When they had ended their prayers, and the ropes were about their necks, there came a horseman in full speed from Whitehall, crying as he rode a pardon, a pardon, and with difficulty he made through the press to the sheriff, who was under the gallows to see execution performed. This pardon expressed, How the king most graciously, and out of his inclination to clemency, had granted them their lives, which by treason they had forfeited, upon condition they would acknowledge the conspiracy, and lay open what they knew thereof. They all thanked his majesty for his inclination of mercy towards them; but as to any conspiracy, they knew of none, much less were guilty of any; and therefore could not accept of any pardon upon those conditions.

In fine, after a short recollection, the cart was drawn away, and they were permitted to hang till they were dead; and then were cut down and quartered. Their quarters were given to their friends, by whom they were interred in the church-yard of St. Giles in the Fields. Divers catholics dipped their handkerchiefs in their blood, which, as we are credibly informed, have been instruments of great cures. It was very observable, that Sir Thomas Armstrong, who was present at the execution, and expressed a more than ordinary joy on that occasion, was himself five years after, on the self same day, brought to suffer the same death, in the same place. F. Whitebread suffered in the sixty-first year of his age, and the forty-fourth of his religious pro

fession.

Two other priests of the same society died in prison not long after the beginning of this persecution, viz: father Edward Mico, socius to the provincial, accused and apprehended by Oates, and hurried away to prison, whilst he was labouring under a violent fever. He perished in Newgate, December the 3d, 1678, being found dead on his knees, says a manuscript in my hands, oppressed with the weight of his irons. And father Thomas Momford, alias Bedingfield, who in like manner perished in the Gatehouse, December 21, the same year. And in the February following, father Francis Nevill, an ancient missioner of the same society, being now eighty-four years of age, and having spent forty-eight of them in the English mission, was apprehended in the house of a catholic gentleman, and flung down stairs by the pursuivants; and so brought to his end. Also F. Thomas Jenison,

of the same society, accused by Oates of the plot, after enduring for a twelvemonth the incommodities of his prison, died on the 27th of September, 1679.

RICHARD LANGHORNE, ESQ.*

RICHARD LANGHORNE was an eminent councellor at law, an upright and religious man; who being a zealous catholic, was pitched upon by Oates and his associates as a proper person to impeach as a ringleader in their pretended plot. He was therefore apprehended among the first that fell into the hands of those miscreants; and committed to Newgate, October the 7th, 1678, and after above eight months close imprisonment, was tried at the old Bailey on Saturday the 14th of June, 1679. Here Oates swore, 'That he, "Mr. Langhorne," was acquainted with the consultations for killing the king, and was consenting to them; and that he had in his custody the patents for the lords in the Tower, "Powis, Stafford, Petre, Arundel and Bellasis," and one for himself to be advocate of the army. And Bedloe swore that he had seen him register treasonable letters relating to the plot. In answer to this evidence he called the same witnesses that had been brought the day before "by the five jesuits" to prove Oates perjured. And whereas Oates had named Mrs. Grove's house, in which he said he lay during the time of the consult, he produced Mrs. Grove to testify he never was there about that time, which was confirmed by her maid. He argued also many things relating to the improbability of the evidence, but the times were not yet cool enough to bear reason: so that he was brought in guilty, and condemned with the five jesuits, who were tried the day before him. He was reprieved for some time in hopes that he would make discoveries; but he persisted to the last in affirming that he could make none, and that all that was sworn against him was false. He spent the time allowed him in writing some devout and well-composed meditations.' So far the continuator of Baker's Chronicle.

Mr. Langhorne was drawn to Tyburn on the 14th day of July, 1679, where he delivered to Mr. How the sheriff, the speech which he had prepared, desiring it might be published. 'Tis extant in print (published with Mr. Langhorne's memoirs and devotions,) and contains, 1. An ample declaration of his allegiance to the king. 2. A solemn profession of his innocency, as to all the matters of which he was accused by Oates and Bedloe. 3. A declaration, that he believed it would be a damnable sin in him, to conceal any treason or treasonable design whatsoever against his majesty's person and government, and that no power in earth or even in heaven could dispense with him to tell a lie, or to commit any sin, or do any evil that good might come of it. All which, as he solemnly professed in the presence of God, and as he hoped for any benefit from the passion of Christ, was understood by him in the plain and ordinary sense and acceptation of the words,

* From his printed trial, and dying speech; and from Baker's Chronicle, p. 700.

without any evasion, or equivocation, or mental reservation. which he goes on as follows:

After

Having made this declaration and protestation in the most plain terms that I can possibly imagine to express my sincere loyalty and innocency, and the clear intention of my soul, I leave it to the judgment of all good and charitable persons whether they will believe what is here in this manner affirmed and sworn by me in my present circumstances, or what is sworn by my accusers.

'I do now farther declare, that I die a member (though an unworthy one) of that holy catholic and apostolic church of Christ, mentioned in the three holy and public creeds, of which church, our Lord Jesus Christ is the invisible head of influence, to illuminate, guide, protect, and govern it by his holy spirit and grace, and of which church the bishop of Rome, as the successor of St. Peter, the prince of the apostles, is the visible head of government and unity.

'I take it to be clear, that my religion is the sole cause which moved my accusers to charge me with the crime, for which upon their evidence I am adjudged to die, and that my being of that religion which I here profess, was the only ground which could give them any hope to be believed, or which could move my jury to believe the evidence of such

men.

6

I have had not only a pardon, but also great advantages, as to preferments and estates offered unto me, since this judgment was against me, in case I would have forsaken my religion, and owned myself guilty of the crime charged against me, and charged the same crimes upon others but blessed be my God, who by his grace hath preserved me from yielding to those temptations, and strengthened me rather to choose this death, than to stain my soul with sin, and to charge others, against truth, with crimes of which I do not know that any person is guilty.

Having said what concerns me to say as to myself, I now humbly beseech God to bless the king's majesty with all temporal and eternal blessings, and to preserve him and his government from all treasons and traitors whatsoever, and that his majesty may never fall into such hands, as his royal father of glorious memory, fell into.

I also humbly beseech thee, O God, to give true repentance and pardon to all my enemies, and more particularly to the said Mr. Oates and Mr. Bodloe, and to all who have been any ways accessory to the taking away of my life, and the shedding of my innocent blood, or to the preventing the king's mercy from being extended unto me; and likewise to all those who rejoiced at the judgment given against me, or at the execution of the said judgment; and to all those who are or shall be so unchristianly uncharitable, as to disbelieve, and refuse to give credit unto my now protestations.

' And I beseech thee, O my God, to bless this to lay the guilt of my blood unto the charge of other particular person or persons of this nation. unto thee and thy church, by truth, faith, hope, mercies' sake.

whole nation, and not this nation, or of any Unite all, O my God, and charity, for thy

And for all those who have showed charity to me, I humbly beg, VOL. II.

28

O my Jesus, that thou wilt reward them with all blessings, both temporal and eternal.'

So far his printed speech, of which he could speak but a small part at the place of his execution.

When the hangman was putting the rope over his head, he took it into his hands and kissed it. Then after having spoken something to the sheriff, he asked the executioner whether the rope was right or no? He said, yes; and asked him whether he did forgive him? to which Mr. Langhorne replied, I freely do. Then he betook himself to his prayers, recommending himself to God in silence. The writer said to him, The Lord have mercy on your soul. Mr. Langhorne answered, The Lord in heaven reward your charity. Then crossing himself, he prayed again. Blessed Jesus, into thy hands I recommend my soul and spirit; now at this instant take me into paradise. I am desirous to be with my Jesus. I am ready, and you need stay no longer for me. So the cart was drawn away, and he was executed.

After these trials and executions, and the dying protestations of so many men, to whose lives and morals nothing could be objected, the people began by degrees to open their eyes, and not to give such full credit to the oaths of those profligate wreiches, Oates and Bedloe. So that when Sir George Wakeman, and the three monks, Mr. Corker, Mr. Marsh, and Mr. Rumley were brought upon their trial at the Old Bailey, July the 16th, both judge and jury plainly discovered that no regard was to be had to the swearing of those miscreants; and the prisoners were all brought in not guilty. And from this time the credit of the plot very much declined. However, the persecution against catholics still continued, by which many priests were condemned to die for their character, of whom we shall now treat, according to the order of time in which they suffered.

WILLIAM PLESSINGTON,*

WILLIAM, or as others call him, John Plessington, was born at the Dimples near Carstang, in Lancashire. He was descended of the ancient family of the Plessingtons, of Plessington, near Blackburn, being a younger son of Mr. Robert Plessington, who in the time of the civil wars was governor for the king of Greenow castle, and suffered imprisonment and loss of his estate for his loyalty. The son, after having made some proficiency in grammar learning (whether at home or abroad I have not found) was sent to the English college of St. Alban the martyr in Valladolid, where he finished his higher studies, and was made priest. What time he came upon the mission into England, I have not yet learnt, nor the particulars of his missionary labours; only that his residence was chiefly with Mr. Massey of Puddington, in Cheshire; and that his zeal in his function, (joined to a certain candour and agreeableness in conversation,) as it made him esteemed and loved

* From a short manuscript account of him, and from his printed speech.

by the good, so it raised him enemies amongst those that were not good, who caused him to be apprehended, and prosecuted on the score of his priestly character.

He was brought upon his trial at Chester, upon an indictment of high treason, for having taken orders in the church of Rome, and remaining in this kingdom, contrary to the statute of 27 Elizabeth. The witnesses that appeared against him, were Margaret Plat, George Massey, and Robert Wood. These swore they had seen him exercise his priestly functions; and upon their testimony, he was brought in guilty, and received sentence of death as in cases of high treason. One of these witnesses was crushed to death by an accident not long after. Another died in a hog-stie; and the third lingered away in anguish and misery.

As to Mr. Plessington, he was kept in prison nine weeks after his condemnation; and then, on July the 19th, 1679, was drawn to the place of execution, at West Chester, and there spoke to the people as follows:

'I am here to be executed, neither for theft, murder, nor any thing against the law of God, nor any fact or doctrine inconsistent with monarchy or civil government. I suppose several now present, heard my trial at last assizes, and can testify that nothing was laid to my charge, but priesthood; and I am sure that you will find, that priesthood is neither against the law of God nor monarchy, nor civil government, if you will consult either the Old or New Testament, (for it is the basis of religion;) for no priest, no religion, St. Paul tell us, in Hebrews, the 7th, and 12th. The priesthood being changed, there is made also of necessity, a change of the law, and consequently, the priesthood being abolished, the law and religion is quite gone.

But I know it will be said, that a priest ordained by authority derived from the see of Rome, is by the law of the nation, to die as a traitor; but if that be so, what must become of all the clergymen of the church of England? for the first protestant bishops had their ordination from those of the church of Rome, or none at all; as appears by their own writers; so that ordination comes thence derivatively to those now living.

As in the primitive times, christians were esteemed traitors, and suffered as such by national laws, so are the priests of the Roman church here esteemed, and suffer as such. But as christianity then was not against the law of God, monarchy, or civil policy; so now there is not any one point of the Roman catholic faith; (of which faith I am,) that is inconsistent therewith, as is evident by induction in each several point.

That the pope hath power to depose or give license to murder princes, is no point of our belief. And I protest, in the sight of God and the court of heaven, that I am absolutely innocent of the plot so much discoursed of, and abhor such bloody and damnable designs; and although it be nine weeks since I was sentenced to die, there is not any thing of that laid to my charge, so that I may well take comfort in St.