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statute: and he shewed the same courage and constancy, both at his trial, and at his death. Whilst Mr. Garlick was under execution, Mr. Ludlam stood by with a smiling countenance, discovering in his exterior the interior joy of his heart, that he was going to suffer death for such a cause. When he was upon the ladder, and just ready to be cast off, looking up towards heaven, with a smiling countenance (as we learn 'from an eye-witness of his death) as if he had seen some heavenly 'vision of angels, he uttered these his last words, as speaking to saints or angels appearing to him, venite benedicti Dei, come you blessed of 'God." And with these words he was flung off the ladder, and so went to enjoy their happy company.

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RICHARD

50. *Richard Sympson, Priest.

ICHARD Sympson, according to Mr. Bagshaw's relation, was born in Lancashire, of good and honest parents; but the Douay journal calls him Eboracensis of Yorkshire; and the bishop of Chalcedon's catalogue names the place of his birth, viz. Well, near Rippon, in that county. He had been a minister, says Mr. Bagshaw; but, after knowlege of "the absurdity and falshood of his religion, he became priest, and used 'much preaching in defence of the catholic faith, to win souls.' It appears from the Douay journal, that, after his conversion, he suffered a long and severe imprisonment in York, for the catholic religion. After which, going abroad, he was admitted into Douay college, May the 19th, 1577; and, not long after, made priest and sent into England. Here he fell into the hands of the persecutors, and was sent from prison into banishment in 1587. But quickly returned again into the vineyard; and was apprehended again a second time going from Lancashire into Derbyshire, and committed to the county jail at Derby, and there tried and condemned, at the Lent assizes, 1588, for being a priest made by the authority and rites of the Roman church.

He was reprieved till the Summer assizes; and, as it is said, made some steps towards a conformity, or at least gave some hopes to the adversaries of a compliance; but he was reclaimed by Mr. Garlick and Mr. Ludlam; and bitterly repented himself of this slip, punishing himself for it with fasting, watching, and hair cloath, for the remainder of his life, which was but short; for the protestants finding themselves disappointed of their hopes, ordered him for execution, together with the other two, whom we have spoken of. He suffered with great constancy, says an eye-witness, though not with such (remarkable) signs of joy and alacrity as the other two.

Their heads and quarters were set upon poles in divers places in and about the town of Derby; and the penner ofthis their martyrdom (who was also present at their deaths) with two other resolute catholic gentlemen, going in the night divers miles, well armed, took down one of their heads from the top of a house standing on the bridge, and

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* From the same Manuscripts.

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a quarter from the end of the bridge; the watchmen of the town seeing them (as was afterwards confessed) and making no resistance. These they buried with as great decency and reverence as they could. Soon after, the rest of the heads and quarters were taken away secretly by others.'

Of these three priests, thus writes the author of an ancient ode, or poem, who seems also to have been an eye-witness of their death:

When Garlick did the ladder kiss,

And Sympson after hie,

Methought that there St. Andrew was
Desirous for to die.

When Ludlam looked smilingly,

And joyful did remain,

It seem'd St. Steven was standing by,
For to be ston'd again, &c.
And what if Sympson seem'd to yield,
For doubt and dread to die;
He rose again, and won the field,
And died most constantly.
His watching, fasting, shirt of hair;
His speech, his death, and all,

Do record give, do witness bear,
He wail'd his former fall.

51.

* William Dean, Priest.. WILLIAM Dean was born in Yorkshire, and was an alumnus and priest of the English college then residing at Rhemes; from whence he was sent upon the English mission, anno 1582. Dr. Champney and father Ribadaneira, give him the character of vir morum gravitate & doctrina conspicuus, a man remarkably grave and learned: but the iniquity of the times permitted him not to employ his talents to the best advantage. He fell into the hands of the persecutors some time before 1585, and was one of those priests that were banished in the beginning of that year. He quickly returned again to his missionary labours, and falling a second time into the adversaries' hands, was tried and condemned, August 22, 1588, for being made priest by Roman authority, and remaining in this realm contrary to the statute of 27 Elizabeth.

It is here to be observed, that as soon as the queen and her council were delivered from their apprehensions of the Spanish armada, they immediately raised a greater persecution than ever against the English catholics, though no ways concerned in that designed invasion. Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, the queen's great favourite, and the capital, enemy of the catholics, is believed to have been the chief promoter of

*From the Douay Diary, the bishop of Chalcedon's Catalogue, Dr. Champney's Manuscript, Ribadaneira's Appendix to Saunders's De Schismate Angl. chap. 1. and Bishop Yepez's History of the Persecution of England, book v. chap. 1.

those cruelties. By his instigation a new proclamation was published against the papists, and six new gallowses were erected in and about London, for the executing of them. This wicked Haman (who had been heard to say, that he desired to see all the streets of London washed with the blood of papists) had drawn up a long list of them whom he particularly designed for the butchery. For a prelude of this tragedy, and for the hanselling his new gallows, on the 26th of August, says Mr. Stow, in his annals, in the sessions hall without Newgate; of London, were condemned six persons for being made priests beyond the seas, and remaining in this realm contrary to the statute: four temporal men for being reconciled to the Roman church; and four others, for relieving and abetting the others. And on the 28th William Dean and Henry Webley were hanged at Mile's-end: W. Gunter at the theatre: R. Morton and Hugh Moor at Lincoln's-inn-fields : Tho. Acton at Clerkenwell. Thomas Felton and James Clarkson between Branford and Hounslow. And on the 30th of August, 'Richard Flower, Edw, Shelley, R. Leigh, R. Marton, J. Roch and Margaret Ward, gentlewoman (who had conveyed a cord to a priest in Bridewell, by means of which he had made his escape) were hanged at Tyburn.'

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Thus the unhappy Leicester was filling up the measure of his sins, when he was overtaken by divine Justice, and carried off by death on the 5th of September, within a week after these executions. However; the queen, who was almost the only person that regretted his death, took care that the catholics should have no great reason to rejoice at it; when, in the following months, she caused a great many of those whom Leicester had marked out for the slaughter, to be put to death in divers parts of the kingdom. Of this Leicester Dr. Heylin, the protestant historian, in his History of the Reformation, p. 339, 340, gives this character, that he was a man, so unappeaseable in his malice, and unsatiable in his lusts; so sacrilegious in his rapines; so false in promises, ́ and treacherous in point of trust; and, finally, so destructive of the rights and properties of particular persons, that his little finger lay far ' heavier on the subjects, than the loins of all the favourites of the two last kings. So far the doctor; who informs us, in the same place, that this man had the disposing of all offices in court and state, and of all preferments in the church: so that catholics had little good to expect in a reign where Leicester did all,

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But to return to Mr. Dean; he was, on the 28th of August, drawn to Mile's-end-green, and there éxecuted according to sentence. At the place of execution he was beginning to speak of the cause for which he and his companions were condemned to die. But his mouth was stopped by some that were in the cart, in such a violent manner, that they had like to have prevented the hangman of his wages. With Mr. Dean was executed Henry Webley, a layman, for having been aiding and assisting to him,

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W ILLIAM Gunter was born at Ragland, in Monmouthshire; was an alumnus and priest of Douay college, during its residence at Rhemes'; from whence he was sent upon the English mission, anno 1587. He was apprehended, tried and condemned, barely for his priestly character, and the exercise of his functions in this realm; and he was drawn, on the 28th of August, from Newgate to the new pair of gallows set up at the theatre, and there was hanged, bowelled and quartered. He suffered, as did all the rest that were executed at this time, with great constancy and joy. And though they were not permitted to speak, yet their very silence spoke for them, and strongly recommended the religion for which they so willingly died,

53.

Robert Morton, Priest.-And, 54, Hugh Moor,
Gentleman.

ROBERT Morton was born in Yorkshire; and going abroad, had his

education partly in the English college of Rome, and partly in that of Douay, at that time residing at Rhemes. In the latter he was promoted to priesthood; and from thence was sent missioner into England, anno 1587. He was apprehended, tried and condemned by the sanguinary statute of the 27th of Elizabeth, barely for his priestly character and functions. He received sentence of death on the 26th of August, 1588; and on the 28th of the same month, was drawn from Newgate to a new pair of gallows set up in Lincoln's-inn-fields, and there hanged, bowelled and quartered. With him was executed,

Hugh Moor, gentleman, born at Grantham, in Lincolnshire; who, after a protestant education, being reconciled to the catholic church, went abroad to the college then residing at Rhemes, and was for some time a student there but returning into England, was apprehended and cast into prison; and, after some time, tried and condemned, for being reconciled to the catholic church, and going abroad to a Romish seminary. He absolutely refused to go to church, for this would have made atonement for his pretended treason; and therefore had sentence to die, and was executed accordingly, August 28, in Lincoln's-innfields.

Of these two, and of all the others that suffered at this time, father Ribadaneira, in his appendix to Dr. Saunders's history, writes, that they all suffered with admirable constancy and patience, yea with joy and pleasure; that they were not allowed, indeed, to speak to the people, because the persecutors were afraid lest their words should make a strong impression on the minds of the hearers, in favour of the old religion.But that the very death of so many saint-like, innocent men (whose lives were unimpeachable) and of several young gentlemen, which they

*From the Douay diary, the bishop of Chalcedon's catalogue, and a letter of a missioner, written the December following, apud Yepez, p. 6. From the same memoirs.

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endured with so much joy, strongly pleaded for the cause for which they died,

55.

Thomas Holford, alias Acton, Priest. 'MR. Thomas Holford (whom Stow calleth Acton) was born in * Cheshire, but in what place I know not "the bishop of Chalcedon's catalogue says it was at Aston," his father being a minister. I knew him in Herefordshire, where he was schoolmaster to sir James Scudamore, of Holm Lacy, that now is, and his two brethren, Mr. Harry and John. After my first coming over into England, going unto Hereford city where I was born, to see my parents, I did send for him, and so delt with him, gratia Dei cooperante " with the help of God's grace" that before I knew any thing of it, he was gone to Rhemes, "to the English college then residing there" where he received holy ' orders, and was returned again within the space of two years.

Meeting with him again some four years after, I acquainted him where I lay myself; where, to his welcome, at his first coming, the house was searched upon all souls day, when Mr. Bavin was mak<ing a sermon. The pursuivants were Newall and Woresley; but we all three escaped. After that, he fell into a second danger, in the ' time of the search for Babington and his company (of which tragedy sir Francis Walsingham was the chief actor and contriver, as I gather<ed by Mr. Babington himself, who was with me the night before he was apprehended): for after he " Mr. Holford", had escaped two or three watches, he came to me; and the next day the house where I ⚫ remained was searched, but we both escaped by a secret place, which was made at the foot of the stairs, where we lay, going into a hay barn. Which troubles being passed, Mr. Holford, the next year after, ⚫ went into his own country, which was Cheshire, hoping to gain some of his friends there unto the catholic church: but there he was apprehended, and imprisoned in the castle of West Chester, and from thence was sent, with two pursuivants (as I take it) to London; who lodging in Holborn, at the sign of the bell, or the Exchequer (I do not ́ well remember whether) the good man rising about five in the morning, pulled on a yellow stocking upon one of his legs, and had his white boot hose on the other, and walked up and down the chamber. One of his keepers looked up (for they had drank hard the night before, and watched late) and seeing him there, fell to sleep again. Which 'he perceiving, went down into the hall. The tapster met him, and asked him, what lack you, gentleman? but the tapster being gone, Mr. Holford went out, and so down Holborn to the conduit, where a catholic gentleman meeting him (but not knowing him) thought he was a madman. Then he turned into the little lane into Gray's-innfields, where he pulled off his stocking and boot hose. What ways he went afterwards I know not; but betwixt ten and eleven of the clock at night, he came to me, where I lay, about eight miles from London. * He had eaten nothing of all that day; his feet were galled with gravel

* From a Manuscript Relation by the Reverend Mr. Davis.

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