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Scot had no sooner heard, but he fell upon his knees, and said with a loud voice, thanks be to God: adding, that never any news was more welcome to him; and that there was nothing that he had ever wished for more in his life, than the happiness of dying for so good a cause. Then turning himself to the people, he said, I have not as yet confessed myself a priest, that the law might go on in its course; and that it might appear. whether they would proceed to condemn me upon mere presumption and conjectures without any witness, which you see they have done. Wherefore, to the glory of God and of all the saints in heaven, I now confess, I am a monk of the order of St. Bennet, and a priest of the Roman catholic church. But be you all witnesses, I pray you, that I have committed no crime against his majesty, or my country; I am only accused of priesthood, and for priesthood alone, I am condemned.'

Mr. Newport, a man of great zeal and fervour, who had twice before been imprisoned and sent into banishment, and through the desire of martyrdom had returned a third time upon the mission, and had been a third time apprehended; after seven months' imprisonment, (during which, he had prepared himself, as he had done for many years before, for the conflict for which God had designed him,) was brought to the session-house with Father Scot, but for want of time, was not tried that afternoon, but sent back to prison: to which Mr. Scot returned with as much calmness and unconcernedness in his looks, as if nothing had been done that day against him. The next morning, being Friday, Mr. Newport alone, was brought to the bar, where he acknowledged himself to be a priest, and that he had been twice banished, &c., but denied the indictment, not owning himself guilty of any treason against his king or country. The recorder told him, it was high treason, for a priest ordained beyond the seas to return into England. Mr. Newport answered, whatever it might be by the law of England, it could be no treason by the law of God that their new laws were made according to their new religion, and could not be of any force against the law of God, and that authority which Jesus Christ himself had given to priests, in those words, go teach all nations, &c. And as it could be no treason to be a priest, so he could not comprehend how he could be a traitor for returning into his own country, having been always, both at home and abroad, a faithful subject to his majesty. He added, that by the laws which they had lately made against priests, they might condemn Christ himself, if he were upon earth, because he was a priest. The recorder told him, that priests were the first men that had plotted against his present majesty. No, no, said Mr. Newport, but protestants and puritans, were the men that plotted against him, and sought to rob him of his life, whilst he was yet in his mother's womb. These and other such like words, says my author, who was present at his trial, he spoke with wonderful constancy and fortitude. He seemed very unwilling his blood should lie at the door of the poor ignorant jury; but was obliged to acquiesce to the custom of the law. The twelve brought him in guilty; which verdict he received with great courage and cheerfulness. The bishop of London was present at his trial, but said nothing; for he had gained but little credit, even

amongst protestants, by what he had said the day before at the trial of Father Scot.

Friday in the afternoon the two confessors of Christ, were again brought to the bar; and being asked what they had to say for themselves, why the sentence of death should not pass upon them; they replied, that they could not be justly condemned, either for being priests, or for returning into England, for neither the one nor the other could possibly be criminal; as nothing else could be objected against them. The recorder would not suffer them to proceed; but taking occasion from that constancy and alacrity which appeared in his countenance, (by which, as well as by their courageous answers, the people were much edified,) to reproach them, as if they had not behaved with that modesty as other priests had done before them, hoping thereby to disgrace them with the standers-by, who had very much applauded them, he pronounced separately the sentence of condemnation against them in the usual form. After which, their hands being tied, they were sent back to prison; where they remained that night, full of joy at their approaching happiness, and giving great comfort and edification to their fellowprisoners.

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The next morning, being the 30th of May, at six of the clock, they were brought out to the hurdle. At first, Mr. Newport was appointed for the right-hand side, who laid himself down with a smiling countenance, and lifting up his hands, which were tied, in the best manner he could, gave his benediction to the people. Then Father Scot, who had come down in his religious habit, with a design to have wore it at his execution, but was ordered to put it off again, advanced to the hurdle; and standing over it declared to the people, that he was a faithful subject of his majesty, and daily prayed for him; and that he begged of God, to turn away his stripes and punishments from this island; that he wished as well to the king as to his own soul; and had never harboured so much as one evil thought against him: and that if by his death, he could do any service to the soul or body of his sovereign, he should be no less willing to die for his service, than he was now to lay down his life for God's honour, and the testimony of the truth.'

After this speech, at which my author says he was present, Mr. Scot was pinioned down upon the hurdle, and so drawn to Tyburn with his companion, and there executed according to sentence, May 30, being Whitsun Eve, 1612.

RICHARD NEWPORT, ALIAS, SMITH, PRIEST.*

He was born in Northamptonshire: and performed his studies abroad, partly in the college of Rhemes, (if he be the Richard Smith, whom I find in the Douay diary, sent to Rome in 1586,) and partly in that of

* From Dr. Worthington's catalogue, p. 52.

Rome, where he was made priest. From thence he was sent upon the English mission, and behaved himself in such a manner as justly to acquire the character of a laborious missionary; being withal remarkably successful, in bringing home many strayed sheep to the fold of Christ, to which his apostolic way of living did not a little contribute. He was several times apprehended, and cast into prison, and twice banished. His name occurs amongst those who were transported in 1606; at which time, we are told, he took that opportunity of making a pilgri mage to Rome, there to pour forth his prayers at the tombs of the apostles, in behalf of this afflicted church, and to obtain of God by their intercession, grace and constancy for himself to fulfil his ministry amidst so many difficulties and dangers, as he expected to meet with upon his return to England.

It is true, he had been strictly charged by the council not to come back into any of the British dominions at his utmost peril: but then, he had learnt from the examples of the apostles, that in things relating to the functions of his ministry, he was to hearken to God rather than man. To England, therefore, he returned: and though he was apprehended again, and banished a second time, he again came back at the first favourable opportunity.

Being apprehended for the third time, the persecutors were now resolved to make sure work with him, and effectually silence him forever. To this end, they brought him upon his trial, on an indictment of high treason, for being a priest, and returning into England contrary to the statute. We have already seen his behaviour at the bar; and how, by his jury, he was found guilty of the indictment, and in consequence of this supposed guilt, was condemned to die the ignominious death of traitors. Which he suffered with constancy and courage, in the company of Mr. Scot, May 30, 1612.

JOHN ALMOND, PRIEST,*

JOHN ALMOND, who in his examination before the bishop of London, calls himself Francis Lathome, and who was known upon the mission, by the name of Molineux, was born on the skirts of Allerton, near Liverpool, in Lancashire, and brought up at school, at Much-Wooton in the same county; from hence he passed over into Ireland, and so abroad into the world. He must have left home when he was about 15 or 16 years old, if he be that Almond whom I find in the Douay diary sent from Rhemes to Rome in 1582: but then he must have been more than ten years abroad, which is the time that my old manuscript affirms he employed beyond the seas to improve himself in virtue and learning. Certain it is, that he was at least, 45 years old when he suffered; though his grey hairs seemed to speak him older; and that he did not return

*From a copy of his examination before Dr. King, bishop of London, written by himself; and from an old manuscript by an eye-witness of his death, amongst the collections of the Rev. Mr. Knaresborough.

to England till 1602; at which time, I find in the register of Douay, that John Almond, priest, coming from Rome, visited the college of Douay in his way to England. T. W. also in his catalogue, informs us, that he was a priest of Rome; and there publicly sustained Theses of universal dignity with great applause in 1601. I have met with little or nothing of the particulars of his missionary labours, only my author, "the manuscript" gives him the following character, in his introduction to the account of his death. Upon Saturday, being the 5th of December, 1612, between seven and eight of the clock in the morning, came to suffer at Tyburn, for the catholic religion, John Almond, a man of the age of forty-five, by his own relation; yet in his countenance more grave and staid, beginning to be besprinkled with hairs that were whitewho having tarried beyond the seas about ten years to enable himself by his study with learning, and virtue, returned into his native country, where he exercised an holy life with all sincerity, and a singular good content to those that knew him, and worthily deserved both a good opinion of his learning and sanctity of life; a reprover of sin, a good example to follow; of an ingenious and acute understanding, sharp, and apprehensive in his conceits and answers, yet complete with modesty. Full of courage, and ready to suffer for Christ, that suffered for him. Of his stature, neither high nor low, but indifferent; a body lean, either by nature or through ghostly discipline; a face lean, his head, blackish brown; in his conversation mild, learned and persuasive, and worthy to be remembered of those that did converse with him. As I said, not only a sharp reprover of sin, but a good encourager besides, by his own example, of those that sought the way to heaven, which he himself found at last by persecution, crosses, and many afflictions.' So far the manuscript.

Mr. Almond was apprehendel on the 22d of March, 1611-12, and brought before Dr. John King, lately advanced to the bishopric of London. What passed in his examination here, was penned by himself, of which I shall here set down an abstract.

Bishop. What is your name? Almond.-My name is Francis. B. What else? A. Lathome. B. Is not your name Molineux? A. No. B. I think I shall prove it to be so. A. You will have more to do, than ever you had to do in your life. B. What countryman are you? A. A Lancashire man. B. In what place where you born? A. About Allerton. B. About Allerton! mark the equivocation; then not in Allerton. A. No equivocation, I was not born in Allerton, but in the edge or side of Allerton. B. You were born, under a hedge then, were you? A. Many a better man than 1, or you either, has been born under a hedge. B. What, you cannot remember that you was born in a house? A. Can you? B. My mother told me so. A. Then you remember not that you were born in a house, but only that your mother told you so; so much I remember too.

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B. Were you ever beyond the seas? A. I have been in Ireland. How long since you came thence? A. I remember not how long since, neither is it material. B. Here is plain answering, is it not? A. More plain than you would give, if you were examined yourself before some of ours, in another place. B. I ask, are you a priest?

A. I am not Christ; and unless I were Christ, in your own grounds, yours I mean, I cannot be a priest. B. Though you cannot be one in our grounds, are you one in your own? A. If I be none, nor can be any in your grounds, which allow no other priesthood, nor other priest but Christ, and you are bound to maintain your own grounds, and uphold the truth of them, you might well forbear this question, and suppose for certain, that I am no priest. B. Are you a priest, yea or no? A. No man accuseth me. B. Then this is all the

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answer I shall have. A. All I can give unless proof come in. B. Where have you lived, and in what have you spent you time? A. Here is an orderly course of justice, sure? What is it material where I have lived, or how I have spent my time, all the while I am accused of no evil? • Bish. Will you take the oath of allegiance? Alm. Any oath of allegiance, if it contain nothing but allegiance. And with that the bishop reaches out his arm for the oath, lying towards the middle of the table; which I perceiving, said, that oath you cannot with a good conscience offer. B. Yes, that I can; and I thank God, I have taken it myself seven times. A. God forbid? B. Why? A. You have been seven times perjured. B. Wherein? A. In taking this false clause, And I do further swear that I do from my heart, abhor, detest, and abjure as impious and heretical, this damnable doctrine and position, that princes excommunicated or deprived by the pope may be deposed, &c. B. There is no perjury nor falsehood in it. A. If in taking it you abjure that position as heretical which is not heretical, then is it perjury and falsehood to take it. But in taking it you abjure that position as heretical which is not heretical, ergo, &c. B. 1 grant your major, I deny your minor. A. No position in your grounds can be heretical, unless it be expressly censured for heretical by the word of God, or the contradictory expressly contained in the word of God. But this position is not expressly censured for heretical by the word of God; nor is the contradictory expressly contained in the word of God. Ergo, it is not here:ical. B. It is censured as heretical by the word. H. Alledge the text, give us a bible. B. Bring in a bible. Then turning it with an evil will, he said it was censured in the 13th of the Romans. A. You mean those words, He that resisteth power, resisteth God's ordinance. But I ask, where is this position censured? There is not one word of the position in hand. Other place he alledged none. B. You would have it censured in express words? A. You are bound to bring a censure in express words; which, because I see you cannot, answer this consequence: This position is not set down at all in the bible; ergo, it cannot be censured by the bible. He answered not, but said, I was a proud, arrogant jack. To which I replied, God forgive you, your words trouble me not: and so two several times more I prayed God to forgive him, when he miscalled me and abused me in words.

Then leaving the oath, which he was weary of, he asked, Have you gone to the church? And added, I forgot it before, but I go beyond you now. A. I have not gone to the church. B. Will you go? A. I will not; Is not this plain dealing? B. Now you deal plainly. A. If it would not offend you, I must tell you, that you went beyond yourself; for you confessed even now that you should have asked it before,

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