der of St. Francis, and the fourth in the society of Jesus. Mr. Heath, upon those proceedings, perceived that Cambridge would quickly be too warm for him, and therefore quitted the university, and came up to London in order to be reconciled to the catholic church. With this view he applies to the Spanish ambassador, but meets with no countenance. Then he addresses himself to a catholic gentleman," Mr. George Jarnagan," who also rejects him, suspecting his sincerity. In these straights, not knowing how to meet with a priest, or which way to turn himself, he remembers what he had read of the devotions of catholics to the saints, and especially to the blessed virgin, and what helps they received by applying to her for her intercession, and is resolved to make a trial of this devotion; when behold, on a sudden, the same Mr. Jarnagan, who had a little while before rejected him with reproach, meets with him, treats him most courteously, and conducts him to Mr. George Muscot, a strenuous labourer in the Lord's vineyard, afterwards president of Douay college, who heard his confession, reconciled him to God and his church, and sent him over to Douay, recommended to Dr. Kellison, then president of the college, who received him kindly, and admitted him amongst the convictors of that community.

Mr. Heath had not been long at Douay, when seeing at the college some of the English friars who had been lately established in that city, and being informed of their rule and manner of life, he found a strong call to embrace that penitential institute. He communicated his desires to his confessor, and by him to the president and seniors, who approved of his vocation, and recommended him to the superiors of the English Franciscans, who willingly received him, first to the habit, and then after a year's noviceship, (in which he gave great proofs of a most solid virtue,) to his religious profession. In religion he took the name of brother Paul, of St. Magdalen, and for about nineteen years that he lived in the convent, he led a life of extraordinary perfection.

He fasted four or five of the seven days of the week for many years together, upon bread and small beer; he constantly wore a rough haircloth, and an iron chain or girdle under his habit; he used frequent disciplines besides those of the order; when he slept, he seldom indulged himself even the poor convenience of the straw bed allowed by the rule, but spreading a blanket upon the floor, laid himself down in his habit upon it; and after rising at midnight with the rest of the community to matins, he frequently prolonged his prayer till prime in the morning. As to his interior, it appears by certain regulations which he made for himself, and which were found, written in his own hand, after his death, that he obliged himself constantly to make a meditation after matins, to practice aspirations of the love of Jesus a hundred times in the day; to mortify upon every occasion his eyes, his tongue, his passions, and affections; to support the defects of all, without murmur: to suffer incommodities and want of necessaries, with a pure resignation; to regard God and his service only, and not to seek the affection and esteem of creatures; to abstain from recreations; to retrench all unnecessary discourse, &c., to which he added these three rules: 1st. Of renouncing all right and authority in every thing whatsoever, even in my good name, and corporal conveniences: that I may willingly suffer

myself to be spoiled of all things for God's sake. 2dly. Offering my self as a servant to every creature, that I may do him all good, expecting no profit thereby, although I may, but crosses and afflictions. 3dly. To live as absolutely dead to the defects of others, that I may continually find out and lament my own defects.'

His constant attention to God did not hinder him from making great progress in the sciences, both human and divine; for the attaining to which, he had both good opportunities and great abilities; no less than thirty treatises, on different subjects, of his compiling, are still preserved in his own hand-writing, in his convent, as lasting monuments of his learning. He was for many years first reader, or professor of divinity, and gained great esteem in the university. He was also twice guardian, or superior of his convent, and was preferred to other honourable employs in his order, as that of custos, custodum, commissary provincial in the parts of Flanders, &c., of all which he acquitted himself with great prudence and vigilancy. In the mean time, his charity for his poor countrymen that had gone astray from the fold of Christ, was very remarkable, and he laboured with great zeal and success in reclaiming as many of them as came in his way, from their errors and sins.

It was in the year 1641, that father Heath seems to have taken the resolution of quitting his convent, and entering upon the English mission, and this in hopes of meeting there with the crown of martyrdom. Two priests had been put to death in 1641, and seven more were sentenced to die for the same cause, that is, for their being in orders, and exercising their functions in England. Amongst the latter was father Colman, a Franciscan, a cotemporary of father Heath, and his intimate friend. It was in the month of December, 1641, that these confessors received the sentence of death, and the news no sooner reached Douay, but father Heath took up his pen, and wrote an excellent letter to these seven condemned priests, who daily looked for the dead warrant. Take here a part of the letter in his own words, which clearly demonstrate the spirit of the writer, and the desire he had of bearing part of their sufferings.

O ye most glorious men! most noble friends, and most courageous soldiers of Christ Jesus! How great is my unhappiness, that I am not permitted to come to you, that I may be partaker of your chains, and offer myself to be consumed with that ardent love of Jesus Christ, which in your trials hath made you so constant and victorious over human fears. O good Jesus! what is the crime I am guilty of, for which I am not to be permitted to enjoy your company, seeing there is nothing in this world I desire more? nor indeed is it possible that any thing can satisfy me, so long as I am kept from you. Wherefore I humbly beseech you, for the love of God, to pray for me, that I may come to you, and never be separated from you.'

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About the same time, he wrote to his provincial for his consent, that he might go upon the mission. This letter runs in much the same strain as the former. Alas! most dear sir, says he, I only require this; your obedientials; after this, nothing stays me; if I can get your consent but in one word, I will not endure to be kept from you a moment's time. Why, sir, you cannot allow that soldier to be a man

of courage, who hearing that the army is drawn up in battle array, the drums and trumpets sounding to the charge, and yet shall indulge himself at home in sloth and cowardice. I am unfit, I deny not, and altogether unworthy to discharge this apostolic duty, or presume to suffer for the name of Christ; but his apostle has assured us, that virtue is perfected in infirmity, and that God hath chosen the foolish, that he may confound the wise. Our most benign Lord inspire you to hasten your consent, and I shall eternally remain your poor child.'

PAUL MAGD.

His provincial returned him an answer, that after some time he might be permitted to leave his convent, and go upon the mission, but that as yet he could not be spared: upon this he applies himself to father Angelus Mason, the commissary provincial residing in Flanders, and casting himself upon his knees, with abundance of tears besought him to send him away, for that he found such strong desires of going upon the mission, that he perfectly languished away, and could not rest night or day and that he thought the likeness of the hangman putting the rope about his neck was always before his eyes; which last words, (says this superior, page 99,) he spoke with such a feeling, and with such an emphasis in their delivery, that had you seen him, you would have said the man did verily think himself standing under the gallows, in the hands of the executioner. But though father Mason, (who afterwards wrote the life and martyrdom of father Heath, in his Certamen Seraphicum) was very much affected with his words, yet he could not be induced to yield, for the present, to father Heath's petition; who being strongly pursuaded, that his desire to go to England was a call from God, was resolved to try one other expedient, which, as we shall see, procured what he desired.

He was wonderfully devoted to the blessed virgin, and had seldom or never failed to obtain of God Almighty, what he had particularly recommended to her prayers and intercession. Of this, my author* alledges these wonderful instances: when he was guardian of the convent, a pestilential fever had taken root there, and carried off some of the religious; others were ill, and himself not without some suspicion of having contracted the infection: but what added to his affliction, was, that the wants of the community were at the same time extraordinary great, with little prospect of relief from any quarter. Here he applied himself to this mother of consolation, and immediately his tears were dried up, and his fears dissipated; his sick brethren recovered, and a plentiful and seasonable supply of necessaries for the support of his convent (reduced, at that time, almost to the extremities of want) was brought in by the citizens. His father had, hitherto, continued protestant, proof against all arguments, and now upon the brink of his grave; father Heath recommends his almost desperate condition to the care of the virgin Mary; when, behold, on a sudden, the feeble old man, aged fourscore, crosses the sea, and unexpectedly calls for his son in his convent at Douay, there to abjure his errors, and to be taken into the

* From an epistle or prayer found in father Heath's own hand. VOL. II.

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catholic church. These, with other great favours, father Heath had received from the hand of God, by the prayers of the virgin Mary, and therefore was resolved to try this expedient in the present exigency; and to make a pilgrimage for this purpose to our lady of Montacute, a place of great devotion in Brabant. He took Gand in his way, where he applied himself to father Marchant, the commissary-general of his order, but all in vain: so to Montacute he goes, and there makes his supplication to the blessed virgin. Now see the fruit of these devotions: he takes his journey back by Gand, and there again applies himself to father Marchant, humbly entreating him for leave to go upon the English mission, to labour there in the conversion of his country, and lay down his life in defence of the truth. What rhetoric he employed now with the commissary (who had before given him a flat denial,) the compiler of his life has not acquainted us. But certain it is, that he expressed himself to him in a most pathetic manner, and made such a vigorous assault, that the good old father was glad to capitulate, and surrender at last upon terms. We have here father Marchant's relation in his own words: This man, says he, inebriated with the spirit, some months since came to our presence, desiring, according to his rule, to go to the English that were gone astray from the faith, alledging no other reason than this: that he might shed his blood, that he might be slain with, and for the English, his brethren according to the flesh. I was against it; I commended, indeed, his spirit, though moved with too much fervour. At last I signed his obedientials, upon condition his immediate superior would join his approbation.' Now, this was the English commissary, father Mason, to whom father Heath had formerly applied, and had been refused. He goes to him, therefore, now again, and shows him his letter of leave signed by father Marchant, but is still answered, that he cannot be spared. However, the commissary promises to take the matter into consideration, and recommend it to God. He did so; and though he had resolved to refuse his consent, yet after all, (and he calls God to witness, that what he says is the real truth,) he felt a secret impulse, strongly determining him to join his approbation.

Father Heath having now gained his point, made haste back to his convent, to bid adieu to his brethren, and to set forward upon his journey to England with all convenient speed His friends were surprised to see what a change the joy of his heart had now made in his very looks, by an unusual gaiety and cheerfulness which shone in his countenance. They would have provided him secular apparel, and money for his jour ney, but this he modestly refused, and set out from Douay penny less and barefoot in his friar's habit. When he came to Dunkirk, be procured a tailor to metamorphose his friar's weed into a coat, waistcoat, and breeches, and to turn his capuche into a kind of a sailor's cap, in which he sowed up some writings in defence of the catholic religion; and thus equipped, he goes on board. Here he meets with a German gentleman, who being much taken with the modest and humble deportment of the good man, not only paid for his passage, and provided him necessaries during his voyage, but also kindly offered him money to bear his charges from Dover to London, which father Heath modestly refused, and so

made the best of his way barefoot, begging a bit of bread for God's sake, when hunger compelled him to it.

At London he arrives, wearied, as well he might, having_travelled barefoot forty miles that day, and it being the winter season. It is now time to take up his quarters, and give some little rest and refreshment to the body. But how shall this be done, for money he has none, nor acquaintance? however, he ventures to call at the Star Inn, near London Bridge, but the people of the house finding he had no money, turned him out of doors at eight o'clock, in a cold winter night; and where now to put his head, and what course to take till morning, he knew not. At length, wearied with standing in the streets, he resolved to lie down at some citizen's door, where he might meet with some little shelter from the cold air; and accordingly he laid himself down, and composed himself to rest, designing in the morning to call upon father Colman, in Newgate.

After some time, the master of the house coming home, stumbles upon him, and taking him to be a shoplifter, calls the watch, sends for a constable, and upon a strict search discovers the writings that were concealed in his cap. Upon this, he is committed to the Compter, and the next day is carried before my lord mayor, where his writings and himself being examined, he owned himself to be a priest, and so was sent to Newgate. After some days he was examined by a committee of the parliament, to whom he also owned himself a priest; and being asked to what intent he came into England, he frankly told them, he came upon a very lawful and commendable business, viz: the conversion of his countrymen from sin and heresy. What heresy? said they. Even the Protestant heresy, said he, the Puritan heresy, the Anabaptist heresy, the heresy of the Brownists, and many others. Being told that his coming over was against the laws of the nation, he answered, that the preaching of the apostles was also against the laws of the nations to which they preached; and that his coming over to preach the gospel in England, could no more be treason than the preaching of Christ and his apostles.

Soon after this he was brought to the bar, being indicted upon the 27th of Elizabeth, for being a priest and returning into England, and therefore guilty of high-treason. The trial was soon over, for as he had acknowledged himself a priest, he was brought in guilty of the indictment; and accordingly received sentence as in cases of high-treason; which as soon as he had heard, making a low reverence to the bench, he said, My lords, I give you thanks for the singular honour you have done me; for now I shall die for Christ.'

During the short interval betwixt his condemnation and execution, the prison was continually thronged with crowds of visitants from all parts of the town, as well protestants as catholics: amongst the former were reckoned above forty ministers, who came to confer with him in matters of religion; some of them seemed very much to pity him; and all in general spoke well of him, as a man of great parts and learning. As to the catholics they came to confess to him, or to consult him in matters of conscience; so that with one and the other, he could scarce get a moment's time for a little repose.