as he moved or changed his place, it still moved with him, and this for the space of above an hour. Which vision afforded him unspeakable comfort, and caused him to die the next day with extraordinary marks of joy. This vision was related by the confessor himself to a friend, who was with him in prison, a little before he was carried out to execution; who wrote the whole account to father Robert Southwell, on the 18th of March, of the same year, which letter, says my author, I have seen. The same is confirmed by father Ribadaneira and Dr. Champney, in their histories.

MILES GERARD AND FRANCIS DICONSON, PRIESTS.

THESE two were both priests of Douay college, during its residence at Rhemes; the former was born in Lancashire, of a gentleman's family, the latter in Yorkshire. They were sent together upon the English mission, from Rhemes, on the 31st of August, 1589; though Mr. Gerard had been ordained priest in 1583. The ship in which they went for England was overtaken by a violent storm, by which they were cast away upon the coast of Kent. But it was not God's will that they should perish by this less glorious death, his divine providence having reserved for them the crown of martyrdom. They escaped therefore to the shore, where they met with a more violent storm, for being immediately apprehended, (upon suspicion, or the information of some of the ship's crew,) and cast into prison, they were arraigned, tried, and condemned for coming into England, being priests; and, upon this account, had sentence of death, as in cases of high treason, and they both suffered with constancy, at Rochester, April 30, 1590.

EDWARD JONES AND ANTHONY MIDDLETON,
PRIESTS.+

THE former was born in North Wales, in the diocese of St. Asaph; the latter in Yorkshire. They both were priests of Douay college, during its residence at Rhemes; from which Mr. Middleton was sent upon the English mission, in 1586, Mr. Jones in 1588. Their missionary labours were employed in and about London, and with great fruit; the more, because Mr. Middleton being low of stature, and of a young look, for a long time was not suspected to be a priest: and Mr. Jones, though his time upon the mission had not been long, being a zealous preacher,

*From the bishop of Chalcedon's catalogue and Dr. Champney's MS.

+ From the Douay diary, the bishop of Chalcedon's catalogue, Dr. Champney's MS. and father Ribadaneira, chap. 4.

had justly acquired to himself a great esteem amongst the catholics. They were both apprehended by the means of certain priest-catchers, who, to bring about their villainy more effectually, had feigned themselves catholics. Ribadaneira, who is followed by Dr. Champney and Mr. Raissius, affirms, that they were hanged up without any formal trial, before the doors of the houses where they were taken, Mr. Jones in Fleet-street, near the conduit, Mr. Middleton at Clerkenwell. And, that upon the gallows on which they were hanged, the executioners had caused to be written in great letters, For treason and foreign invasion, to make their cause more odious to the people: but that this artifice did not take, and the spectators, instead of applauding their proceedings, departed highly displeased with these tyrannical measures. Mr. Middleton desired to have leave to speak to the people, which not being allowed him, he contented himself with this short speech, I call Almighty God to witness, that I here die barely for the catholic faith, and for being a priest, and a preacher of the true religion; and I beseech the divine Majesty to vouchsafe to accept of this my death for the forgiveness of my sins, and the advancement of the catholic faith, and the conversion of heretics. A gentleman there present, cried out, Sir, you have spoken very well, and what is sufficient. With this Mr. Middleton was flung off the ladder, and, as the bishop of Chalcedon's catalogue affirms, from the testimony of eye-witnesses, was cut down and bowelled whilst he was yet alive. They suffered on the 6th of May, 1590.

This same year, four other gentlemen of the same character were executed at Durham, of whom we are now to speak. Wilson and Molanus put them in the following year, but they are certainly mistaken, as appears from the Douay register, followed by Dr. Champney, by the bishop of Chalcedon, and Raissius.

EDMUND DUKE, RICHARD HILL, JOHN HOG, AND RICHARD HOLIDAY, PRIESTS.*

EDMUND DUKE was born in Kent, and was first a student in the English college, then residing at Rhemes, where I find him promoted to minor orders, September 23, 1583; from thence he was sent to Rome, where he finished his studies, and was made priest.

RICHARD HILL, John Hogg, and Richard Holiday were all born in Yorkshire, all students of the college then residing at Rhemes, and were made sub-deacons at Soisson, the 18th of March, 1589, deacons at Laon, the 27th of May, and priests, at Laon, the 23d of September, in the same year. They were all sent together upon the English mission (with Mr. Duke, who was lately returned from Rome,) on the 22d of March, 1589-90. They landed in the north of England, and travelling

* From the Douay diary, bishop of Chalcedon's Catalogue, and Dr. Champney's MS.

through the country, which they were not well acquainted with, they were, upon a slight suspicion, stopped in a village, where they staid to rest themselves, and were carried before a neighbouring justice of the peace, who, upon examination, finding them to be priests, committed them to Durham jail. Here they had some conflicts about religion, as well with the prebendaries of Durham, as with some other ministers; in which, says my author, "Dr. Champney, in his manuscript," the confessors of Christ came off victorious. But there was another more effectual way of stopping their mouths, which was to arraign and condemn them for transgressing the statute of Elizabeth, 27, which forbids, upon pain of death, priests, made by Roman authority, to come over into England, or remain here. Of this transgression, they were all found guilty, and upon this account alone had sentence to die, as in cases of high treason. They suffered at Durham, May 27, some say May 6, 1590. The meekness and constancy which appeared in them, in this last scene of life, edified many, and was admired by all. It was also taken notice of, as a thing very extraordinary, as we learn from a letter of Mr. Cuthbert Trollop, priest, that the well, out of which they took water to boil the quarters of these four holy priests, did presently dry up, and so continued for many years after.

This year put an end to all the plots and stratagems of that unwearied persecutor of the English catholics, and capital enemy of the missioners, Sir Francis Walsingham, principal secretary of state to queen Elizabeth. He died miserably on the 6th of April, 1590, of an ulcer and impostume in his bowels, which reduced him to that wretched condition, that whilst he was yet alive, he yielded so insupportable a stench that scarce any one could bear to come near him. Ribadaneira and Champney relate, that amongst other attempts he made to ruin the seminaries abroad, he once, by his emissaries, procured to have the well poisoned, which supplied the college of Rhemes with water, in order to destroy by poison, all the priests and students; and that another time he caused poison to be given to Dr. Allen, the institutor and first president of that community but the providence of God defeated these and many others of his plots. He maintained so many spies abroad, and was at such expenses to bring about his wicked enterprises, that he not only spent what was allowed him by the queen for that purpose, which was very considerable, and the salary of his place, but also his whole estate, leaving nothing to his only daughter, but his debts, who, says Dr. Champney in his manuscript, having renounced heresy, now embraces the catholic faith.

1591. This year the persecution, which had something relented, began again to rage as much as ever. The first that felt the fury of it was Mr. Robert Thorp, priest, (Ribadaneira, being a stranger to the English names, calls him Therfeus), and his harbourer, Mr. Watkinson.

ROBERT THORP, PRIEST.*

ROBERT THORP was born in Yorkshire, and was an alumnus and priest of Douay college, during its residence at Rhemes; from whence he was sent upon the English mission, May 9, 1585. He employed his labours in Yorkshire, his native country. Dr. Champney, who was acquainted with him, writes of him as follows: This holy priest, whom I knew in my younger days, and to whom, I have often confessed my sins, had laboured for a long time, and with very great fruit, in the vineyard of the Lord. He was a man of low stature, of infirm health, and but indifferent in point of learning, but of great devotion and piety; but though he was naturally timorous and weak, yet he suffered death for the catholic faith, with great constancy and fortitude.'

The manner of his apprehension is thus related by the lady Babthorpe, who then lived in that country, but after her husband's decease, became a nun at Louvain. To my remembrance,' says she, it is twentynine years since we were committed to Sheriff-Hutton castle: the president (of the North,) was then the earl of Huntington, and the archbishop's name was Piers, who had been a priest. And for the manner of Mr. Thorp's taking and death, I can remember no more, but that on a Palm-Sunday's evening, "rather on the eve of Palm-Sunday," he was, by an evil neighbour, seen to go into Thomas Watkinson's house; or, as some said, that neighbour saw some of Thomas Watkinson's servants get palms, which was sufficient to assure them that he had a priest in his house: for they knew well that priests used much to come to his house; but they could not be sure of the time; so now thinking they were sure of one, they went with speed to one Mr. John Gates, a justice of the peace, living in Houldone, some three miles off, one who was always ready on such evil employments; who, with his company, came so early on Palm-Sunday, in the morning, that, as I heard, they took them in their beds, and carried them away to York, where they were martyred. The manner of their deaths, I remember not, only this, that the good old man, "Watkinson" was offered his life if he would go to church, which he refusing, was martyred with the priest.' This Thomas Watkinson, who suffered with Mr. Thorp, was a yeoman of Menthorpe, in Yorkshire, a good religious catholic, who lived a kind of a solitary life, and afforded what aid and assistance he could to the missioners. He suffered with great constancy, though naturally he was also timorous, and now advanced in years.

Mr. Thorp was condemned merely upon account of his priesthood; and Mr. Watkinson, merely for harbouring priests. The former was hanged, drawn and quartered; the latter only hanged.

They suffered at York, May 31, 1591.

• From the Douay Diary and Catalogues, from Ribada neira, chap. 7. Champney's manuscript, and the relation of the lady Babthorpe.

MONFORD SCOT, AND GEORGE BEESLEY, PRIESTS.*

MONFORD, Or Montford Scot, was born of a gentleman's family, in the Diocese of Norwich, and was far advanced in his studies before he left England, which was in the year 1574. At which time he was admitted, by Dr. Allen, into the college lately instituted at Douay, and there applied himself to the study of divinity. He was one of the eldest sons of that fruitful mother, and stands the nineteenth in the list of her priests, according to the order of their ordination, and the thirty-first in the list of the missioners sent from thence into England. He was made priest in 1575, and sent upon the mission in 1577, before the removal of the college to Rhemes. Dr. Champney gives him this character :'He was,' says he, a man of wonderful meekness, and of so great abstinence and devotion, that his diet, on common days, was bread and water, and he would take but little more on Sundays, and holidays; and so addicted was he to prayer, that he spent whole days and nights almost in this exercise, insomuch, that his knees were grown hard by the assiduity of his prayers, as it is related of St. James; which, when one of the standers by perceived, whilst his body was quartered, he said aloud; I should be glad to see any one of our ministers, with their knees as much hardened by constant prayer, as we see this man's knees are. And so great and so general was the veneration that this holy priest had acquired, that Topcliff, that noted persecutor, loudly boasted, that the queen and kingdom were highly obliged to him, for having apprehended aud brought to the gallows a priest, so devout and so mortified. He was prosecuted and condemned, barely upon account of his character, and was hanged, bowelled, and quartered, on the 2d of July, 1591, in Fleet-street. He suffered with wonderful constancy, and no less modesty and spiritual joy, to the great edification of the spectators, and the admiration even of the greatest enemies of his faith and character.'

George Beesley, priest, suffered at the same time and place, and with the like constancy and alacrity, and edification of the faithful. He was born at a place called the Mount, in Goosenor parish, in Lancashire, and was an alumnus and priest of Douay college, during its residence at Rhemes; he was ordained priest, in 1587, and sent upon the English mission in 1588. He was a man of singular courage, young, strong, and robust, before he fell into the hands of the persecutors; but whilst he was in their hands, he was so frequently and cruelly tortured by the unhappy Topcliff, in order to oblige him to confess what catholics he had conversed with, and by whom he had been harboured or relieved, that he was reduced to a mere skeleton; insomuch, that they, who were before acquainted with him, could scarce know him to be the same man, when they saw him drawn to execution. Yet all these torments he endured with invincible courage and patience, and would not be induced to name any one, or bring any one into danger on his account.

* From the Douay Diary and Catalogues, from father Ribadaneira, chap. 7., and from Dr. Champney's manuscript history.