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ROGER FILCOCK, PRIEST. S. J.*

ROGER FILCOCK was a native of Sandwich, in Kent. He performed his studies abroad, partly in the college of Douay or Rhemes, and partly in that of Valladolid, in Spain; where, after having given great examples of virtue, to the edification of all that knew him, he was advanced to holy orders, and made priest. He had, for some time, a strong inclination to enter the Society of Jesus; but his admission was deferred till some trial had been made of him upon the English mission; to which he was sent, in 1598, where, after having been sufficiently recommended by two year's labours in the midst of dangers, father Garnet, the superior of the English jesuits, consented to receive him into the society, and to send him over into Flanders, there to make his noviceship but this was prevented, by his being apprehended and committed to Newgate. From whence, he was brought out to his trial, on the 23d of February, 1600-1. And though he neither confessed, nor denied his being a priest, and no evidence appeared against him, yet he was brought in guilty, and had sentence to die, as in cases of high treaHis fellow confessor, Mr. Barkworth, who was condemned a few hours before him, writes thus of father Filcock, in a letter, indited a little while before his death.

son.

'The holy confessor of Christ, Mr. Arthur,'" this was the name under which father Filcock screened himself upon the mission," was always one of my chiefest and dearest friends; as well formerly, when he was at liberty, as now in prison: a man exceedingly humble, and of extraordinary patience, piety, and charity. My mind tells me, that we shall die together, who have so long lived together.' So Mr. Barkworth. And so it happened; for they were both, as we have seen, drawn together to Tyburn, February 27, where Mr. Barkworth was first butchered, before the eyes of father Filcock, who, so far from being discouraged or terrified with that scene of blood, took occasion from thence, of more heartily aspiring after the like felicity; crying out with the apostle, I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ. His desire was not long deferred: when, after a short prayer, he cheerfully yielded himself up to the executioner; and the cart being drawn away, he was hanged, and then cut down, dismembered, bowelled, and quartered.

ANN LINE, GENTLEWOMAN. *

SHE was a widow gentlewoman, of an infirm constitution of body, troubled with almost continued head-aches, and, withal, inclined to a

*From the Douay records, and from the historians of the Society of Jesus. + From Dr. Champney's manuscript history.

dropsy; and so ill every spring and fall, that her friends, at each of these seasons, feared she would be carried off by death: but her soul was strong and vigorous, and ever tending by spiritual exercises, to Christian perfection. Her devotion was unfeigned; she received the blessed sacrament at least once a week, and always with abundance of tears. Her conversation was edifying, willingly discoursing on spiritual subjects, and not on worldly vanities; and what was particularly remarkable in her, was, the desire she had of ending her days by martyrdom on which account, she bore a holy envy to priests, and others who seemed to be in a fairer way to that happy end than she, or any other of her sex were; of which, very few had suffered in this reign. However, she told her confessor, some years before her death, that Mr. Thomson, “Blakeburn, a former confessor of her's, who ended his days by martyrdom, in 1586, had promised her, that if God should make him worthy of that glorious end, he would pray for her, that she might obtain the like happiness. She also related to her confessor, a vision which she had seen of our Lord, in the blessed sacrament, bearing his cross, and inviting her to follow him; which seemed to promise her this martyrdom, to which she aspired, and which she at last obtained in the manner following.

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On Candlemas day, 1601, the pursuivants having some intelligence, or suspecting that Mrs. Line entertained a priest, beset her house at the very time that mass was actually beginning. However, as the door was strongly barred and fastened, they were forced to wait some time before they could come in and, in the mean time, the priest, "Mr. Page, had leisure to unvest himself and make his escape. After they broke in, they searched every corner of the house, and seized upon every thing that they imagined to savour of popery, but could find no priest. However they hurried away Mrs. Line, to prison, and with her, Mrs. Gage, (daughter to baron Copley,) whom they found in the house. Mrs. Gage, by the interest of a certain noblemen, was, after some time, set at liberty; but Mrs. Line was brought upon her trial, at the Old Baily, before the lord chief justice Popham, a bitter enemy of the catholics. She was carried to her trial in a chair, being at that time so weak and ill, that she could not walk. The evidence against her, was very slender, which was the testimony of one Marriot, who deposed, that he saw a man in her house, dressed in white, who as he would have it, was certainly a priest. However, any proof it seems was strong enough with Mr. Popham against a papist; and the jury, by him directed, brought in Mrs. Line guilty of the indictment, viz. of having harboured or entertained a seminary priest. According to which verdict, the judge pronounced sentence of death upon the prisoner, and sent her back to Newgate, to prepare herself for execution. Here she acknowledged, that the day before her condemnation, God had given her a foresight of this happiness, when reading her hours in her primer, she perceived a light and delightful brightness upon and round her book, which she interpreted to be a sign of her future triumph, though she would not speak of it till after she was condemned. When the keeper acquainted her with the dead-warrant being signed, and when afterwards she was carried out to execution, she showed not the least commotion or change

THURSTAN HUNT-ROBERT MIDDLETON.

235

in her countenance. At Tyburn, when she was just ready to die, she declared to the standers by, with a loud voice,-I am sentenced to die for harbouring a catholic priest; and so far I am from repenting for having so done, that I wish, with all my soul, that where I have entertained one, I could have entertained a thousand. She suffered before the two priests; and Mr. Barkworth, whose combat came on the next, embraced her body whilst it was yet hanging, saying,-O! blessed Mrs. Line, who hast now happily received thy reward. Thou art gone before us; but we shall quickly follow thee to bliss, if it please the Almighty.

She was executed February 27, 1601.

THURSTAN HUNT AND ROBERT MIDDLETON,
PRIESTS.*

MR. THURSTAN HUNT was a gentleman by birth, born at CarletonHall, near Leeds, in Yorkshire, and brought up in Douay college, during its residence at Rhemes, where he was ordained priest by the cardinal de Guise, April 20, 1584; and sent from Rhemes upon the English mission, in 1585. His labours seem to have been chiefly in Lancashire; where, attempting, with some others, to rescue a priest, whom the officers were carrying to prison, he himself was apprehended, and being found to be a priest, was sent up to London, together with Mr. Robert Middleton, (a gentleman of the same character, who had fallen into their hands about the same time,) who was a native of York, and a priest of the college of Seville, in Spain. They were quickly sent back to be tried and executed in Lancashire, where they had chiefly bestowed their missionary labours. Here they were sentenced to die, as in cases of high treason, merely on account of their priesthood; and here they suffered in consequence of this sentence, at Lancaster, sometime in March, 1601.

This year, I find also two other catholics put to death by the penal statutes, for rescuing a priest out of the hands of an officer. These were Nicholas Tichburn, gentleman, born at Hartley in Hampshire, and Thomas Hackshot, layman, born at Mursley, in Buckinghamshire. Dr. Champney, who only makes mention of the latter in his manuscript history, relates the story in this manner; Mr. Hackshot, a stout young man, understanding that Mr. Thomas Tichburn, priest, prisoner on account of his character, was, upon some occasion, to be conducted by one only keeper or officer, through a certain street, planted himself there, waiting for their coming, and knocking the keeper down, gave the priest opportunity to escape. However, he himself made not such haste away, but the officer, who had been stunned with the blow, coming

* From Dr. Champney's manuscript, and the Douay Diaries and Catalogues,

to himself and crying aloud, Stop the traitor, stop the traitor, caused him to be apprehended, and dragged to the prison from whence he was conducting the priest; where he was cast into the dungeon, and afflicted with divers torments, which he endured with great courage and fortitude, till, at length, he was brought upon his trial, and condemned to die.

He suffered with constancy at Tyburn, August 24, 1601 and with him, Mr. Nicholas Tichburn, for being aiding also and assisting in the rescuing of his kinsman.

JAMES HARRISON, PRIEST.-1602.*

THIS gentleman, who, by some, is confounded with Matthias Harrison, (of whom we have spoken in 1599), and by others, is called Matthew Harrison, alias Hayes; in the Douay records and catalogue, is called James, and is said to have been a native of the diocese of Litchfield, ordained at Rhemes, in 1583, and sent from thence upon the English mission, in 1584. He fell into the hands of the persecutors, a little before the Lent assizes, 1601-2; and being brought upon his trial, was sentenced to die, as in cases of high treason, barely on account of exercising his priestly functions in England. Raissius relates, that being told by his keeper, the night before execution, that he was to suffer the next day, which it seems was an unexpected piece of news, (for the judges had left the town, without determining any thing of the time of his suffering,) he showed not the least sign of being troubled at the message, but, with a cheerful countenance, set himself down to supper, saying, Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die. He drank up the cup of his Lord, the next day, says Raissius, with great constancy and fervour, being executed at York, March 22, 1602. His head, says the same author, is religiously kept by the English franciscans at Douay.

With Mr. Harrison, was hanged Mr. Anthony Battie, or, as others call him, Bates, a lay gentleman of Yorkshire, for having entertained the said Mr. Harrison in his house, knowing him to be a priest.

JAMES DUCKETT, LAYMAN.†

JAMES DUCKETT was a younger son of Mr. Duckett, of Gilfortrigs, in the parish of Schelsmore, in Westmoreland. He had the name of James given him in baptism from his godfather, James Leybourn, Esq., lord of Schelsmore, (who was drawn, hanged, and quartered at Lan

From the Catalogue of Arnoldus Raissius, Dr. Champney's manuscript, &c. +From a manuscript sent me from Douay college, written by father Duckett, prior of the English Carthusians, at Newport, son of the same Mr. James Duckett.

caster, March 22, 1583, for denying the queen's supremacy,) yet it seems he was brought up a protestant, and, after some years passed in the school, was bound apprentice in London. Here, after some time, a countryman of his, one Peter Mason, put a book in his hands, entitled, The Foundation of the Catholic Religion; which he diligently perused, and, by the reading of it, was brought to stagger very much in his opinion; insomuch that he, who before was so zealous in his way, that he would have heard two or three sermons on a day, began now to withdraw himself from their sermons and service, and to be more and more convinced of the falsehood of his former belief. This change was soon perceived by those with whom he lived, who, finding also the book which had occasioned this alteration, carried it to Mr. Goodaker, the minister of St. Edmunds, in Lombard-street, who sent for Mr. James, and examined him, why he went no more to church? he answered, He neither did, nor would go more to church, till he had better satisfaction in their religion than he could give him. Upon this answer, he was committed to Bridewell, from whence, after some time, he was set free by his master's means, but, not long after, he was again questioned for not going to church, and was then sent to the compter. His master procured his liberty once more, but was afraid of keeping him any longer, lest himself should incur any danger thereby; so Mr. Duckett was forced to compound, and buy out the remainder of his time.

Being now his own master, he sought the means of being instructed and received into the catholic church; and, within two months, to his great comfort, he was reconciled by Mr. Weeks, a venerable priest, prisoner in the Gatehouse. After which, he lived two or three years a single life, with great zeal and fervour in religion; and then took a wife, a good catholic widow, with whom he lived twelve years in wedlock, dealing mostly in books, with which he furnished catholics, as well for their own comfort and instruction, as for the assistance of their neighbours' souls. This exposed him to many dangers and persecutions, and he was often apprehended and cast into prison, both in town and country, and kept sometimes for a long while together in jail, insomuch that of twelve years he lived a married man, he passed nine of them in prisons. His last apprehension, which brought him to his happy end, and the manner of his trial and death, is thus related by his

son:

Peter Bullock, a bookbinder, after he had been condemned a twelvemonth, in hope (as many imagined) of obtaining his pardon, informed lord chief justice Popham, that James Duckett had had twenty-five of "father Southwell's" Supplications to the Queen, and had published them. Upon this his house was searched at midnight, but no such book found, nor sign thereof; yet they found the whole impression of Mount Calvary, and some other catholic books. However, he was apprehended and carried to Newgate, it being the 4th of March. At the next sessions he was called to the bar, and Mr. Watkinson, a virtuous and worthy priest, who newly was come into England and taken, was also brought in. James Duckett perceiving him to look pale, and thinking it might be through fear, (which indeed was only his sickness,) began in his best manner to encourage him; which Popham under

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