all such surmises, that the priest was a silly fellow, &c., though, indeed he was very well known to be a man both of ready wit and solid judgment, and a grounded scholar, which some of them had well found when he had been apprehended some few years before. In the mean time, this happy prisoner, in his close dark cell, employs all his thoughts towards the making of his passage into a better world. The judge would have him die a day before the other condemned persons, a thing unusual at assizes. But his lordship's zeal must be made appear, who was also pleased to look on out of a window at the execution, &c. On Thursday, therefore, the 28th of August, word was brought to the happy man, by the high sheriff, that he must die within four hours after, to whom he said with great devotion, I beseech my Redeemer to make me worthy of it! The judge commanded that it should be done about noon, when men were most likely to be at dinner. But, howsoever, it fell out the whole place of his execution was covered with great multitudes of people of all sorts, ages, sexes, and religions, expecting the end of this tragedy. And when the keeper delivered his prisoner to the sheriff, there was scarce a man or woman left at home either to take their dinners, or to keep their shops. 'As he was carried through the castle yard, there was a reverend and worthy priest, his fellow-prisoner," Mr. Southworth," who had been condemned for his function a year before, and stood then reprieved, who showed himself out of a great window, and the blessed man, (who was now on his way to the hurdle,) no sooner saw his face, but he lifted up his hands towards him, with great humility, for absolution, (for this was the sign whereof they were both agreed before,) and so that priest absolved the other in the sight of the people. Then he was brought to the castle gates, where a catholic gentleman embraced him straightly, and kissed him tenderly, till the high sheriff made him be removed by force. Then was the blessed man laid and bound upon the hurdle, but with his head towards the horse's tail, "for greater ignominy." He was dragged through the streets to the gallows, which was near a quarter of a mile from the castle, no friend being able to come near him, by reason of the sheriff's halberds and servants, but only some ministers were admitted for the increase of his torment. The executioner went close before the horse and hurdle, with a club in his hand in a kind of barbarous triumph, and the blessed man being then bound on the hurdle, held two papers between his hands, which were called duæ claves cæli, the one of them containing an act of the love of God, and the other of contrition, which he used for the increase of his devotion. Drawing now near the gallows, the horse and hurdle were stayed; where the old limping minister, who hath been mentioned so often before, showed him a huge and terrible fire, with a cauldron boiling, so hot and high, that no man was able to stand near it; and he spake thus to him, Look you, Mr. Rigby, "for this was the name by which F. Arrowsmith was indicted," what is provided for your death: will you conform yourself yet, and enjoy the mercy of the king? The blessed man looked mildly on him, and said; Good sir, tempt me no more; the mercy which I look for is in heaven, through the death and passion of my Saviour Jesus; and I most humbly beseech him to make me worthy of this death. They dragged him then to the ladder's foot, where, being untied, he prayed about a quarter of an hour upon his knees; but the sheriff bidding him, then, make haste, he replied, God's will be done, and so kissing the ladder, he most undauntedly went up. During the time of his prayer at the ladder's foot, he often repeated these words, as he had also done upon the hurdle: I freely offer thee my death, O sweet Jesus, in satisfaction for my sins; and I wish this little blood of mine may be a sacrifice for them. The old minister then took him short, and said, you attribute nothing to Christ's merits and passion. But he instantly replied, Oh, sir, say not so: Christ's merits and passion are always presupposed.-As he was ascending the ladder, he desired all catholics to pray both with him, and for him, in this last conflict. The minister untruly made answer, That there were none, and that he would pray for him. But the blessed man replied thus, I neither desire your prayers, nor will pray with you; and if it be true which you say, that there are no catholics here, I wish I might die as many deaths as there are people in this place, upon condition that they were all catholics. With that, he prayed for his majesty, and commended to Almighty God, the state of this kingdom, and especially all his persecutors, whom he freely forgave, desiring also forgiveness of whomsoever he had offended. Then going up yet higher on the ladder, he farther spoke to this effect. You, gentlemen, who are come hither to see my end, bear witness with me, that I die a conscious Roman catholic, and for Jesus Christ's sake: let not my death be a hindrance to your well-doing, and going forward in the catholic religion, but rather an encouragement therein for Jesus's sake have a care of your souls, than which nothing is more precious; and become members of the true church, as you tender your salvation; for, hereafter, that alone will do you good. I beseech you request my brethren, for his sake who redeemed us all, to be careful to supply my want and insufficiency, as I hope they will. Nothing doth so much grieve me as this England, which, I pray God soon convert. He prayed then a little while out of a paper, and so pulled his cap over his eyes, expecting to be turned off. But the tempter had not yet done with him. Sir, said Mr. Lee, I pray you accept the king's mercy, conform yourself, and take the oath, and you shall live: good sir, you shall live; I would fain have you live. Here is one come now from the judge to offer you mercy; you shall live if you will conform yourself to our religion. The valiant champion of Christ, pulling up his cap from over his eyes, said, O sir, how far am I from that? tempt me no more; I will not do it, in no case, on no condition. Then, with undaunted courage he addressed himself to the sheriff, persuading him and all the rest to take care of their souls; till some ministers about him said muttering by, as in the 'name of the rest, we shall look to ourselves well enough. Others, who were farther off, interrupted him by crying out, no more of that, no more of that: away with him, away with him. So pulling his cap the second time over his eyes, and fixing himself in most fervent prayer to God, he was cast off the ladder, and was suffered to hang till he was dead. The last words which were heard out of his mouth were, Bone Jesu. Being dead, he was cut down, bowelled, and quartered. His head was set upon a stake or pole amongst the pinnacles of the castle, and his quarters were hanged on four several places thereof. 'Divers protestants, beholders of this bloody spectacle, wished their souls with his. Others, wished they had never come there. Others said, It was a barbarous act to use men so for their religion, &c. The judge departing the next day out of the town, was observed to turn up and down, or rather prance his horse, and looking towards the martyr's head, and not thinking it to be conspicuous enough, sent back a command to have it set higher by six yards than any of the pinnacles.' So far the printed account of F. Arrowsmith, published soon after his death. His life, published in 1737, adds from other ancient memoirs, that the judge who condemned him, sitting at supper, on the 22d of January, 1929-30, felt a blow, as if some one had struck him on the head: upon which, he fell into a rage against the servant that waited behind him; who protested that he had not struck him, nor did he see any one strike him a little after he felt another blow like the first; and then in great terrors he was carried to bed, and died the next morning. The same life relates, that F. Arrowsmith, during his confinement, reconciled to the church one of the felons, who was executed on the 29th of August, the day after the martyrdom of the holy man; and that he died very penitent and constant in the catholic religion, though his life was offered him, if he would have returned back to protestancy. There is a letter extant,' (says the ancient printed relation of F. Arrowsmith's death,) of this blessed man, the first he wrote after he was imprisoned, which hath these words. All particulars did so cooperate to my apprehension and bringing hither, that I can easily discern more than an ordinary providence of Almighty God therein. And surely it will appear, that whatsoever followed in his story could not but be guided by the like Providence, if these particulars be considered; upon which I will here reflect in a word. First, the known clemency of his majesty, who hath professed, that he likes not to draw blood in case of religion; and the constant practice of the same ever since his inauguration to this crown; so that I make myself sure, and it is since known to be most certain, that this act of the judge was no way encouraged by the king's majesty. Secondly, when the blessed man was flying from his persecutors at the time of his apprehension, he was extraordinarily well mounted; and yet whatsoever desire he had, and diligence he used, it was not possible to put his horse to any speed. Thirdly, a kinsman of his own, whom he had in nature of a servant, well known to be a stout man, forsook him and fled away, when the least resistance might have preserved him. And fourthly, when he was studying his course of divinity in the seminary of Douay, he had twice received extreme unction, but yet was delivered at those times, and reserved to this most glorious and victorious end.' F. Arrowsmith, suffered at Lancaster, August the 28th, 1628. Etatis 43. Missionis 15. Societatis 5. RICHARD HERST, LAYMAN.* THE day after father Arrowsmith suffered, a lay-catholic named Richard Herst, was also executed in the same place; condemned by the same judge, under the colour of wilful murder; but in truth and in the sight of God, for the profession of the catholic faith. His case is thus related by the same author, from whom we have transcribed our account of the death of Mr. Arrowsmith. Richard Herst being a recusant convict, warrants went out to arrest him, and carry him before the bishop of Chester. This warrant was put into the hands of one Christopher Norcross, a pursuivant belonging to that bishop; and he associated one Wilkinson, and one Dewhurst, as assistants to himself in that service. This latter, besides his meanness, was of so infamous a life, as that at the self-same time, the officer of the parish had a warrant in his hands for the apprehending and carrying him to the house of correction for his lewdness. Herst was then actually holding the plough, and a youth belonging to him drove it, and a maid of his, was leading a harrow in the same field. Norcross and the other two advanced towards him with the warrant: and Wilkinson struck at him with a staff: whereupon the maid run hastily towards the house, crying out, that they were killing her master in the field and hereupon both herself and her mistress, a manservant and one Bullen, (who happened to be at the house at that time,) were all coming on to help Herst. When Wilkinson and Dewhurst perceived this, they made towards that new company, and Wilkinson struck the servant down, as also the other who came with him. In this confusion the maid gave Dewhurst a blow on the head, who partly on that occasion, partly also to apply himself close to Wilkinson, made more haste than good speed, and ran so disorderly over the hard ploughed lands, as that he fell down, and broke his leg. Of which hurt growing worse and worse, and the same striking up into his body, being far from good remedies, he died about the end of thirteen days before which time the hurt of his head was grown quite whole; and the poor wretch declared at his death, both how much it afflicted him that he had been employed in such a business, and that he came to his death by no other hurt but his fall, which was verified afterwards by the oaths of two witnesses. And it is both true and certainly known, (and nothing was so much as offered to prove the contrary,) that at the time when the maid gave Dewhurst that blow upon the head, Herst was distant from both him and her above thirty yards, and that withal, he gave no direction or encouragement at all, that any such thing should be done.' Thus stood the case: and how this should be made a wilful murder in Herst, it is hard to conceive: yet so were matters managed, the same judge Yelverton (who has been lately spoken of in the story of father Arrowsmith,) especially concurring thereunto, that, contrary to all show * From the relation of his death, published in 1630. of truth and justice, the man was condemned to die, and was executed August 29. It is true, his life was promised him if he would take the oath; but he refused to live upon any such conditions as were inconsistent with his conscience. The day before he was to suffer, he was called upon to go with the other prisoners to church to hear a sermon : but he assured them, that if he had a thousand lives he would rather lose them all than go willingly there: but the high-sheriff ordered him to be dragged thither by force, whilst he on his part made all the resistance that he could, though to his very great hurt; being trailed upon the ground by his legs over a ragged and stony way, for twenty or thirty rods from the prison to the church. When he was there, he cast himself upon the ground, and thrust his fingers into his ears, that he might not hear their doctrine. But when he was to go back again to prison, he went very merrily, telling some catholics whom he met in the way— they have tortured my body, but I thank God, they have not hurt my soul. Two of his friends found means to see him that evening, and stayed with him in prison till midnight, in prayer and spiritual conversation, who also returned to him the next morning. To them he seemed to be very desirous to be dissolved and to be with Christ: for he would be often saying, They stay long: when do you think they will come? As soon as the sheriff was come to the prison, which was about one o'clock in the afternoon, to take all the prisoners out to execution, he read the dead warrant, wherein all their names who were to die, were inserted, and among the rest that of Mr. Arrowsmith, at the hearing of whose name, Mr. Herst said, You have already sent him to heaven; and I hope I shall not be long after him, for I trust much in his prayers. And looking up towards the top of the castle, where the priest's head was placed, the officer asking what he looked at? I look, said he, at the head of that blessed martyr, whom you have sent before, to prepare the way for us: meaning himself and the other who had been reconciled in prison. In the way to execution, he gave some alms according to his small ability, as he had done before to the poor prisoners in the castle: and being met in the street by Mr. King, the vicar of the town, who questioned him about his faith, he answered, I believe according to the faith of the holy catholic church. The vicar demanded further of him, how he meant to be saved? He answered with his usual cheerfulness, not by your religion, Mr. King. But he further asking him, whether he meant to be saved by the merits of Jesus Christ? He sharply replied, Will you be accounted a divine, and ask me such a question ? In the way to execution he carried in his hand a picture of Christ crucified, on which he had his eyes fixed; and frequently repeated to himself short ejaculatory prayers. When he came in sight of the gallows, he said, Gallows, thou dost not affright me; and coming to the place, he kissed the post. Some few ministers were there to importune him again in point of religion, but he regarded them not. The sheriff telling him, he was to be the first man to die, he most earnestly and devoutly recommended himself to the merciful hands of God, begging the prayers and intercession of the blessed virgin, his angel guardian, and |