They found about him at his apprehension a pair of beads, some blessed grains, with a copy of indulgences granted by his holiness, which they there read publicly to the people, laughing and scoffing at them, and saying a thousand untruths of the use of them, as heretics are accustomed; and by reason they found these things about him, they were confirmed in their opinion that he was a priest, and thereupon impanelled a jury and condemned him. And on the 11th of March, according to our style, he was drawn upon a hurdle from the prison to the place of execution, where he had his life offered him if he would take the oath, which he constantly refusing, was turned off the ladder, and being half dead, was cut down by the executioner, "dismembered, bowelled, and quartered;" all which he suffered with wonderful patience, courage and constancy, and signs of great comfort, seeing that now fulfilled in him which he had so long desired, not without some foreknowledge, by vision, from God, as himself secretly discovered to some friends that were with him in the same prison, where, at this present are remaining about eighty other catholics, condemned most of them in a premunire, that is to say, the loss of all their goods, and perpetual imprisonment.

A certain young man, a catholic, having a desire to get some relics of this holy martyr, bought of the hangman his stockings, which a protestant espying, caused the young man to be examined by the magistrate; and being found to be a catholic, and the servant of a catholic gentleman, they sent him to prison, where he remains and suffers with the rest.

After the condemnation and death of this holy man, the judges and justices of the assizes, perceiving their proceedings not to be pleasing to the people, (having condemned him against all law, without either witness, or other substantial proof, only for having beads about him, and because he would not directly deny himself to be a priest,) endeavoured to satisfy the world, by producing afterwards a base wicked fellow, who witnessed before them, that the party condemned was a priest, ́ and that he had sometimes seen him say mass.' Mr. Atkinson suffered at York, March 11, 1615-16.

His Latin life, printed at Douay, 1617, confirms the truth of that extraordinary event, of his irons falling off his legs, when he was employed in prayer, as a thing well known and attested by many; as also the vision he had before his apprehension, in which our blessed Lady revealed to him that he should glorify her Son, by suffering for his cause a cruel martyrdom.

JOHN THULIS, PRIEST, AND ROGER WRENNO, OR WORREN, LAYMAN.*

JOHN THULIS was born in Lancashire, at a place called Up-Holland, and performed the greatest part of his studies abroad in Douay college,

* From a printed account of their martyrdom, published at Douay in 1617, and from a manuscript in my hands.

during its residence at Rhemes; from whence, being now a student in divinity and in holy orders, he was sent to Rome, where he was made priest. After his return to England he fell into the hands of the adversaries of his faith, and was for many years a close prisoner in Wisbich castle; when, or how he escaped, or was released from thence, I have not found, but for the latter part of his time he seems to have exercised his missionary functions in his own country; at least there he was apprehended by order of William, earl of Derby, and committed prisoner in the county jail of Lancaster.

His Latin life, printed at Douay the year after his execution, informs us, that God Almighty had prepared this his servant for the crown of martyrdom, by many trials and crosses, which he had underwent with a wonderful courage and tranquillity of mind; and that once when he was brought to death's door by extremity of sickness, and had received all the rites of the church, he was divinely admonished that he was not to die that time, but to look for a more glorious death by martyrdom; that he was a man exceedingly mortified in his life; and who had acquired so great a command of his passions, that, though by nature he was of a choleric disposition, he had so far overcome himself, that even in the midst of calumnies and lies, which were unjustly cast upon him, he behaved with that temper and meekness, and so moderated all his words, as if nothing had come out of his mouth but what had been well studied and meditated beforehand insomuch that one of the judges, who sat upon him at his trial, was heard to say in the company of many gentlemen, that he had scarce met in all the north of England with a man of so much modesty, prudence, and temper.

In the same prison of Lancaster castle, where Mr. Thulis was confined, among other catholics, there was one Roger Wrenno, or Worren, a weaver by trade, but a zealous and devout soul. These two not long before the lent assizes, 1616, found means to make their escape out of prison about five in the evening; and making the best of their way, as they imagined, from that time till the next day, walking all that while a good round pace; when they thought they were now about thirty miles from Lancaster, they found themselves to be very near that town, God's holy will designing for them there the crown of martyrdom. So being discovered at sun rising in that neighbourhood, they were apprehended, and brought back again to their lodgings in the castle, where they were sure to be better looked to for the future. Soon after this, the assizes came on, when they were both brought to their trial, and both condemned. Mr. Thulis was sentenced to die as in cases of high treason, for being a priest, and exercising his priestly functions in this realm; and the weaver as in cases of felony, for relieving and assisting priests. Yet they both of them had their lives offered them, if they would take the new oath of allegiance; and as to Mr. Thulis, a gentleman of that country, (Mr. Ashton, of Leaver,) who was his godson, proffered him £40 a year for his life, if he would comply; but they both constantly refused the oath, as inconsistent with truth and their conscience.

The day appointed for their execution was the 18th of March, when Mr. Thulis was brought out of the castle, and laid upon a hurdle, in order to be drawn to the gallows. As he took his last leave of his

fellow-priests, who remained there in prison, he recommended to them mutual love and charity, the proper characteristics of the true disciples of Christ. Wrenno was conducted at the same time to execution in the company of divers malefactors, who were to suffer the same day; four of whom had been lately reconciled in prison, by Mr. Thulis, to God and his church, and constantly professed to the last, the catholic faith, as the true and only saving religion.

At the gallows, when Mr. Thulis was going up the ladder, he was again called upon to save his life by taking the oath: and why, said they, should you boggle at it? It requires nothing more of you, than a civil allegiance to the king. Write me then, said he, a form of an oath which contains nothing but civil allegiance, and I will take it. They told him, they could tender him no other form of oath, than that which was ordered by the parliamentary statute; and that, said he, I cannot in conscience take; for it contains many things contrary to catholic faith. So he was turned off the ladder, and afterwards cut down and quartered. His four quarters were hung up at four of the chief towns of the county, viz. :-Lancaster, Preston, Wigan, and Warrington; that at Preston was fixed to the church-steeple: and his head was set up on the castle walls.

As for Wrenno, the weaver, after he was turned off the ladder, the rope broke with the weight of his body, and he fell down to the ground: and after a short space, he came perfectly to himself, and going upon his knees, began to pray very devoutly, with his eyes and hands lifted up to heaven. Upon this, the ministers come up to him, and extol the providence and mercies of God in his regard, and likewise the king's clemency, who would give him his life, if he would but condescend, after all, to take the oath. The good man, at this, presently arose, saying, I am the same man I was, and in the same mind, use your pleasure with me and with that he run to the ladder, and went up it as fast he could. How now, says the sheriff, what does the man mean, that he is in such haste? Oh! says the good man, if you had seen that which I have just now seen, you would be as much in haste to die, as I now And so the executioner putting a stronger rope about his neck, turned the ladder, and quickly sent him to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living, of which before he had had a glimpse.They suffered at Lancaster, March 18, 1615-16.

am.

THOMAS MAXFIELD, PRIEST.*

He was descended of an ancient family of this name, in Staffordshire. His father, who was a man of great piety, had suffered much for his religion; and besides the confiscation of his estate, and a long and close imprisonment of many years, was actually under sentence of

* From his life, published this same year at Douay, by Dr. Kellison, and from an account sent over to Douay, by an eye-witness of his conflict; and printed there in the following year.

VOL. II.

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death for his faith when this son was born; his wife being at the same time a close prisoner for the same cause. As for Mr. Thomas, having got some little tincture of grammar in his own country, he was sent abroad to the English college of Douay, where he arrived in 1603, and there made a good progress in learning; finished his course of philoso phy; and was advanced two years in the study of divinity, when he was attacked with a long and lingering sickness, which obliged him to interrupt his studies, and return to his native country, in hopes of reco vering his health by change of air; which had its desired effect, for after some time he recovered, and then, without delay, crossed the seas again, and returned to the college; where, having completed his divinity, and being found by the superiors every way qualified by virtue and learning for an apostolic life, he was presented to holy orders, in 1614, and sent upon the mission in 1615.

At his coming to London, the first visit he made was to a priest, an intimate friend of his, a close prisoner in the Gate-house; where, like wise, he celebrated mass for the first time after his arrival in England. After which, three months did not pass before he was apprehended, being upon his knees before the altar, after mass, in recollection and prayer. In this posture, the pursuivants found him, and immediately laying hands upon him, violently hauled him away, as if he had been some notorious robber or housebreaker, taken in the fact,

He was convened before some of the bishops, who put the usual murdering questions unto him. Was he a Roman priest? Why did he presume, after having taken orders in the church of Rome, to retura into England contrary to the laws of this nation? Was he willing to take the oath of allegiance? &c. To these interrogatories, Mr. Maxwell returned a plain and distinct answer, viz.: he owned himself a priest, ordained by a catholic bishop, according to the form appointed in the Roman pontificial, and by authority derived from the bishop of Rome. That as he was lawfully ordained, so was he likewise lawfully sent to preach the word of God, and to administer the sacraments to his countrymen and that as the mission of priests lawfully ordained is originally from Christ, who sent his apostles even as his father had sent him, he humbly conceived no human laws could justly render his return into England, criminal; for this would be to prefer the ordinances of men to the commands of the supreme legislator, Christ, himself. As to the rest, he would pay obedience in all civil matters to his majesty; but would not take the oath of allegiance, as it was worded. Upon this he was sent to the Gate-house, where he had before offered to God the first fruits of his mission.

:

His conduct in prison (for about eight months) was truly religious and edifying to all. The author of the Latin account of his martyrdom, published at Douay the same year he suffered, who seems to have been an eye-witness of his behaviour, gives this commendation of him that he wholly devoted himself to prayer, and other religious exercises; that he used great mortifications; and that his comportment in general, during the time of his confinement in the Gatehouse, was such as afforded great comfort and edification to the other prisoners. But as zeal for the conversion of souls was his predominant virtue,

it put him upon thoughts of making his escape out of prison, that he might be in a condition of being more serviceable to the souls of his neighbours at a time when priests were very much wanted. The design he communicated to a fellow-prisoner, a father of the Society of Jesus, who was his spiritual director, together with his motives and reasons; and further to learn the will of heaven, he earnestly recommended the affair to God in his devotions for many days; adding fasting and alms to his prayers, and humbly beseeching the Almighty to manifest his will to him, and give such issue to the undertaking as should be best pleasing to him, and most conducive to his divine honour and glory.

And now having concerted his measures, he attempted to put his design in execution, on the 24th of June, 1616; letting himself down in the dead of the night, from a high window, by the help of a cord. But when he was just come to the ground, he was surprised to find himself fast in the arms of an unknown person; who, by his loud cries, gave the alarm to the neighbourhood, and so turnkeys, watchmen, &c., came rushing in upon him, and after having hauled, dragged, beat, and buffeted him, to make sure work, they thrust him under a table, girding about his neck a massive collar of iron to this again, they fastened a ponderous chain of an hundred weight, wherewith they inhumanly load and fetter him; and in this painful posture, they keep him for some hours, till the morning, and then he met with even more barbarous usage, as we shall now see.

There was in the Gatehouse, a subterraneous dungeon, a deep and dark hole, which, if we may judge by the filth and nastiness of the place, had not been opened or made use of, for a long time: in this dungeon was a pair of wooden stocks, of an odd contrivance, made not so much to secure, as to torture the prisoner. Here, by the jailor's orders, Mr. Maxfield was to take up his quarters; and in this engine his feet were fastened in such a manner, that he could neither stand upright, nor yet lie down or turn and move his body into any other posture for a little ease; to which, was added another torment more intolerable to human nature, from the swarms of venomous insects, generated in the filth and moisture of the vault, which by their creeping over his body, fast locked up in this cruel machine, sorely annoyed him, without his being able to make the least defence against them. The darkness, stench, horror, and torments of this place, the confessor of Christ endured from before day-break on Friday, till Monday night, that is, for above seventy hours together, without the least intermission, till a warrant was sent from the council for his immediate removal to Newgate, in order for his trial.

There was something so very cruel and barbarous in this treatment of Mr. Maxfield, that it moved the whole prison to compassionate his condition, and to study to give him help: so that not without danger of incurring the like penalty, they raised up a plank, and opened a small passage over the dungeon, through which they spoke to him, pitied his extreme sufferings, and threw him in an old blanket to cover him, being before almost naked. And a priest of the society, a prisoner there, whom Mr. Maxfield had made use of for his confessarius, ventured to