. More catholics, whose estates were sold by another rump, made Henry, lord Arundel of Wardor, who William Hesketh. raised a regiment of horse for the king, Henry, lord Morley and Monteagle. William, lord Powis, who kept long his Sirs, Walter Blount, long a prisoner in the Edward Widdrington, who raised a regi- C. Blount, (slain also by one of his own J. Clavering, died prisoner at London. John Thimbelby, of Irnham. Philip Constable. Edward Plumpton. N. Thornton, who raised a troop of horse at his own charge. Esqrs. Hugh Anderton, or Exton. William Latham. Sir Edward Charlton. James Anderton, of Birchley. Nicholas Fitzakerley. Thomas Acton, of Burton. Thomas Grimshaw. 185 Ralph Rishton and William Floyer, gents. James Anderton, Esq., of Cleyton. PETER WRIGHT, PRIEST, S. J.-1651.* PETER WRIGHT was born of poor but virtuous parents, at Slipton in Northamptonshire. His father dying when he was very young, the circumstances of his mother, left with a great family of children, obliged him to seek his bread in service. He had for his master a country lawyer, with whom he lived several years; and being young, and amongst protestants, quickly forget the pious admonitions of his dying parent, and lost his religion. However, he was by degrees reclaimed, after he came to man's estate; and going abroad, was fully reconciled by the English fathers of the society in their college in Liege, to which providence had brought him, whilst he was designing a pilgrimage to Rome. From Liege he was sent to Ghent, recommended by father Rector to the English catholics there, and for two years diligently applied himself to his humanity studies, in the college of the Flemish jesuits; till in the year 1629, he was pitched upon by the English fathers, to be one of the number who were to be sent that year from St. Omer's, to the seminary of Rome. But Mr. Wright petitioned, that he might rather From his life printed at Antwerp, the very year he suffered, by an eye-witness of his death. VOL. II. 24 be admitted into the society; and was accordingly received to the noviceship at Watten; where, in the two years of his stay, he gained that perfect mastery over his passions, that whereas, by nature, he was hasty and passionate, from that time he was remarkably calm and sedate. It was also noted, that he took great pleasure, as well here at Watten, as afterwards during the course of his studies at Liege, in making excursions into the neighbouring villages, and catechising the children. Having finished his divinity studies, and his third year's noviceship in the Tertian house at Ghent, he was made prefect over the scholars in the college of St. Omer's; though nothing could suit less with his inclinations, than this troublesome office, as he himself acknowledged; but he made a sacrifice of his own will to the will of God, notified to him by his superiors; and that he might the more perfectly overcome this repugnancy of nature, after having prostrated himself to God in prayer, he went to the rector of the college, and generously offered to continue prefect, if his superiors thought proper, during the whole remainder of his life. But not long after, his provincial destined him to an employment, not less laborious, indeed, but much more agreeable to his zeal viz., to a mission amongst the English soldiers; where he behaved in such manner, as to gain the esteem and affection of all, and to reclaim great numbers of them from their errors and vices. He was particularly dear to Sir Henry Gage, their colonel, who after their first acquaintance, would not part with him, but had him for an inseparable companion for seven years, partly in Flanders, and partly in England; till Sir Henry, who was governor of Oxford for the king, being killed in the civil wars, in 1644, the marquis of Winchester, and his lady, desired to have father Wright in their family, with whom he lived till his apprehension, which was on Candlemas Day, 1650-1. As the privileges of the peers were not regarded in those times of confusion, the priest-catchers watched their opportunity of rushing into the marquis's house on Candlemas day in the morning at the very time that father Wright was going to mass, and had not the marquis stopped them for awhile upon the stairs, they would have seized the good man in the chapel, if not at the altar itself. But this delay gave him an opportunity of getting out of the window upon the leads; where, nevertheless, he could not be long concealed, for the pursuivants finding, upon their coming into the oratory, the altar dressed, and all things ready laid out for mass, concluded the priest could not be far off; and perceiving the window open, imagined he had gone out that way, and found it to be so, by sending a boy the same way, who discovered the father upon the leads. Thus he fell into their hands, and was carried before the lord chief justice Roules, and by him committed to Newgate, as a suspected priest, where he had for companions, besides two priests that lay under sentence of death, five others, lately apprehended upon the same suspicion; and amongst them, the reverend Mr. Cheney, a priest of the secular clergy, who was his bed-fellow, and has given an edify. ing account of father Wright's behaviour in prison, extant in his printed life. In the first session after the apprehension of our confessor, he was not called to the bar and two of his companions who were tried, viz: Mr. Baker and Mr. Cheney, were brought in not guilty, by their jury, which gave the catholics great hopes, that father Wright would be set at liberty, without being brought to his trial; and very industrious they were to procure his discharge: but when the following sessions were coming on, they began to apprehend that those who were in power had other designs; for it was then given out, that the lord chief justice had sent into the country, for the aspostate, Thomas Gage, to come up, and appear as witness against father Wright, and father Dade, superior of the dominicans, at that time also prisoner in Newgate. To divert this blow, the reverend Mr. George Gage, an eminent clergyman, used his best endeavours to prevail on the apostate, who was his brother, not to involve himself in any further guilt, by having a hand in the blood of the innocent. He promised he would not, and, as to father Dade, was as good as his word; for though he appeared in court against him, and testified, that he knew him to be superior of the dominicans, yet he qualified his testimony, by adding, that though he was their superior, possibly he might not be a priest; upon which father Dade was acquitted by the jury. But as to father Wright, the wretch notoriously broke his promise, and swore that he knew him to be a priest and a jesuit, and had often seen him say mass; alledging, for the reason of his appearing against him, an old grudge that he had against the father, for having done him an ill office, as he pretended, with his elder brother, Sir Henry Gage. The good man being asked by the lord chief justice, what he had to reply to this testimony, and those of the other witnesses, Mayo, Wadsworth, &c., would make no other answer than this: My lord, I give Almighty God thanks, from the bottom of my heart, that he has been pleased I should be here arraigned, (to use the words of St. Peter,) not as a murderer, nor as a thief, nor as a reviler, nor as guilty of any other crime, but my religion; even the catholic religion, which was, is, and ever will be illustrious over all the earth; and I have nothing more to say. The judge told him, it was not for religion he was arraigned, but for returning into England after having received the order of priesthood, and seducing the people. Father Wright replied, That the persecutors of old, might, with as good a grace, have objected to the apostles and the primitive priests, their coming into heathen countries, and preaching the faith, contrary to the laws of those countries, and have called it treason, and seducing the people. But they preached the gospel, said the judge, you preach errors, contrary to the gospel. That is the very point in question, said father Wright, adding, at the same time, that all manner of errors and heresies were tolerated in England, and none persecuted, but the catholic religion, which was a sign of its being God's truth. The jury going out to consult about their verdict, after some deliberation, returned him guilty; upon which, the confessor made a low reverence, with a serene and cheerful countenance, and said aloud, God Almighty's holy name be blessed now, and for evermore. The next day, being Whitsun-eve, he received the sentence of death, to his own great comfort, but to the great affliction of his friends and penitents, who saw themselves now like to be deprived of so zealous and virtuous a pastor. No endeavours were neglected to save his life, or at least, to obtain a reprieve for him, by the means of the Spanish ambassador, and others; but nothing could be obtained; the less, because it being the Whitsun holidays, neither council nor parliament met. In the mean time, great was the concourse of catholics of all ranks, to the prison, from morning till night, to see the servant of God; many desired to make their confessions to him; others begged some little thing, which they might keep in memory of him; all were edified with his words and comportment, and departed with his blessing, finding a certain spiritual joy in their souls, from having seen and spoken with him. As for his own part, he prepared himself for his exit, by a general confession of all his life, to Mr. Cheney, and waited for death, with so much unconcernedness, that as the same gentleman took notice, the two last nights of his life, he slept far more quietly than ordinary, and so sound, that it was not without difficulty they awaked him at the appointed hour of five o'clock, when he arose, the last morning, to celebrate the sacred mysteries; and he declared, in confidence, to a priest of the society, sent to him by the provincial, that he never, in all his life, had experienced so much joy as he then found in his soul, at the approach of his dissolution. Then Whitsun-Monday, in the morning, he celebrated mass, with the assistance of Mr. Cheney, with great devotion. And when the time was drawing near, when he was to go down, in order for execution, hearing the knocking at the iron grate, he took it as a summons from heaven, and cried out, I come, sweet Jesus, I come. embracing Mr. Cheney, Farewell, said he, my chamberfellow, and bedfellow, before it is long, we shall see one another again, in heaven. When he was called out to the hurdle, he went with so much alacrity and speed, that the officers could scarce keep pace with him; and here turning to Mr. Cheney, Upon this bed, says he, I shall lie alone, as you also henceforward will have your bed to yourself. Then being placed on the hurdle, he made a short act of contrition; and in the midst of mutual embraces, was absolved by Mr. Cheney, and then drawn away to Tyburn, through the streets, crowded with an innumerable multitude of people. My author writes, that he himself was eye-witness of this last profession of father Wright, who was drawn on the hurdle more like one sitting than lying down! his head was covered, his countenance smiling, a certain air of majesty, and a courage and cheerfulness in his comportment, which was both surprising and edifying, not only to the catholics who crowded to ask his benediction, but to the protestants themselves, as many of them publicly declared. He adds, that when the hurdle came over against the house where the marquis of Winchester, with his lady, children, and other catholics of distinction were waiting to see him from a balcony, he lifted himself up as much as his pinions would permit, and making the sign of the cross, gave them his last blessing, which they all received with their heads bowed down. The number of people that met at Tyburn, to be spectators of the triumph of this confessor of Christ, was computed to have been no less than twenty thousand, and amongst them near two hundred coaches, and five hundred horsemen. Thirteen malefactors were appointed to die with him, to whom the father endeavoured to give seasonable advice for the welfare of their souls, but was continually interrupted by the minister, and therefore desisted, betaking himself to silent prayer, in which he employed about an hour, standing with his eyes shut, his hands joined before his breast, his countenance sweet and amiable, and his whole body without motion, as one in deep contemplation. The minister took occasion to tell him, it was not yet too late, that he might save his life if he would renounce the errors of popery; but father Wright generously answered him, If he had a thousand lives, he would most willingly give them all up in defence of the catholic religion. The hangman having fitted the rope to his neck, the confessor made a short speech to the spectators in these or the like words: Gentlemen, this is a short passage to eternity; my time is now short, and I have not much to speak. I was brought hither, charged with no other crime, but being a priest. I willingly confess I am a priest, I confess I am a catholic, I confess I am a religious man of the society of Jesus, or as you call it, a jesuit. This is the cause for which I die; for this alone was I condemned, and for propagating the catholic faith, which is spread through the whole world, taught through all ages from Christ's time, and will be taught for all ages to come. For this cause I most willingly sacrifice my life, and would die a thousand times for the same, if it were necessary; and I look upon it my greatest happiness, that my most good God has chosen me, most unworthy, to this blessed lot, the lot of the saints. This is a grace which so unworthy a sinner could scarce have wished, much less hoped for. And now I beg of the goodness of my God, with all the fervour I am able, and most humbly entreat him, that he would drive from you that are protestants the darkness of error, and enliven your minds with the rays of truth. And as for you, catholics, my fellow-soldiers and comrades, as many of you as are here, I earnestly beseech you to join in prayer for me and with me, till my last moment; and when I shall come to heaven, I will do as much for you. God bless you all; I forgive all men. From my heart I bid you all farewell, till we meet in a happy eternity.' Having spoken to this effect, he again recollected himself awhile in prayer, and then the cart was drawn away, and he was suffered to hang till he quietly expired. His dead body was cut down, headed, bowelled, and quartered. His friends were permitted to carry off his head and quarters, which were translated to Liege, and there honourably deposited in the college of the English jesuits. He suffered the 19th of May, 1651, ætatis, 48, societatis, 22. As father Wright's comportment in this last stage of life, was admired by the generality of the protestants that were spectators of his death, so it gave occasion to several conversions, a thing very usual on the like occasions. 1654. From the year 1651, till the year 1654, I find no mention of any priests put to death for their character and religion; but in the year 1654, being the first of the usurpation of Cromwell, Mr. John Southworth was drawn to Tyburn, to suffer for his conscience, of whom we shall now treat. |