deaths that I may live for ever with Christ? for if it be the glory of a ⚫ soldier to be made like his lord, God forbid I should glory in any thing but in the cross of my crucified Lord. Let then the executioners come, let them come, let them tear my body in pieces, let them gnaw my 'flesh with their teeth, let them pierce me through and through, and grind me to dust. For I know, I know full well how profitable it ⚫ will be for me to die for Christ. The moment of this suffering doth • work an eternal weight of glory in heaven. May your reverend paternity be pleased to pray for me a miserable sinner, who will ever be in the wounds of Christ, until death be swallowed up in victory.

Your reverence's most humble servant,

F. Paul of St. Magdalen

It is also remarked of F. Heath, in Mr. Ireland's diary of Douay college, that he declared in prison, though he always was convinced that the martyrs found much joy and consolation when they were to suffer for Christ; yet he never could have imagined this delight to be so exceeding great, as he now found by his own experience.

It is likewise the tradition of the English franciscans in Douay, that when F. Heath was executed at Tyburn, the first that had the news of it in their convent, was his aged father, then a lay-brother amongst them, informed by a vision of his son.

177. *Arthur Bell, Priest, O. S. F.

ARTHUR Bell, who in religion was called father Francis, was born August 13, 1590, at Temple Broughton, the seat of his father, in the parish of Hanbury, six miles from Worcester: his parents were both virtuous, and of good families, his mother being sister to Francis Daniel, esq. of Acton Place, near Long Melford in Suffolk. He was brought up in the fear of God, and in grammar learning, privately at home in his mother's house, who was left a widow when he was eight years of age; afterwards he lived for some years with his uncle Daniel in Suffolk. At the age of 24, he went over to the English college of St. Omer's, where he employed a year in the study of rhetorick; and then was sent, by the fathers of the society, to the English college of St. Alban the martyr in Valladolid; where he studied his philosophy, and some part of his divinity, and was made priest; and not long after, took the habit of St. Francis, in the convent of Segobia, August 9, 1618; and having very much edified the whole community during the year of his probation, he was by the unanimous votes of all admitted to his solemn vows and profession, September 8, 1619. Not long after, F. Gennings, being about the restoring the English Franciscan province,. and having authority from the general to call to him for this purpose the English friars, wherever they were to be found, sent for F. Bell from Spain to the English convent newly erected at Douay, where he employed two years more in the study of divinity, and then was made con

* From Certamen Seraphicum, p. 127, &c. and from a manuscript sent me from St. Omer's.

fessor, first of the poor Clares at Graveline, and afterwards of the nurs of the third order of St. Francis, at that time residing in Brussels, till about the year 1630, when he was chosen guardian for the first time of the convent of the English Franciscans at Douay, and made definitor of the province; discharging at the same time the office of lector or professor of the Hebrew tongue. But before he had gone through the usual term of his guardianship, he was called to Brussels by F. Joseph Bergaigne, the commissary-general of the order (afterwards archbishop of Cambray) and for the restoring the province of Scotland, was appointed its first provincial, and sent in that quality to the general chapter then held in Spain. After his return he was sent by the same commisarygeneral upon the English mission, where he arrived September 8, 1634. He laboured with great zeal, for nine years, in the mission, in converting souls to Christ, and then received the crown of matyrdom for his reward, which for the space of twenty years he had earnestly prayed for.

He was apprehended on the 6th of November, 1643, at Stevenedge in Hartfordshire, by the parliament soldiers, upon suspicion of his being a spy; who, upon a strict search, found in his bags some papers, in which he had written out the lessons of the office of the blessed sacrament, and a form of blessing the cord of the confraternity of St. Francis, &c. which, after sending for the school-master of the town to interpret them, appeared (not only to these military men, but also afterwards to the committee of the parliament) dangerous matters: especially the form of blessing the cord, which they imagined to be some spell or conjuration. That day and the following night he passed under the guard of four soldiers, and the next morning was searched again, when they found about him a letter in Spanish, addressed to, or designed for, the Spanish embassador, then residing in London, in which was made mention of his being of the order of St. Francis: so that now they resolve to secure him, no longer as a spy, but as a suspected priest. This drew many officers and others to the place where he was detained. One of them asked him what religion he was of? he readily answered, I am a catholic. What! said the other, a Roman catholic? How do you mean a Roman ? said father Bell. I am an Englishman. There is but one catholic church, and of that I am a member. They all said, he was in the right to own his religion: that, said he, I will do, with the grace of God, to my last breath. Another asked him if he believed the pope to be the head of the catholic church? He answered in the affirmative; upon which there arose a dispute concerning the church and the pope, but in a confused manner, as is usual to this kind of disputants, who are ever running from one point to another: they brought their bibles to confute him, but in vain; for he shewed them that they had shamefully corrupted even their very scriptures. In conclusion, he told them their arguing against church authority and infallibility, and grounding all things in religion upon the weak and uncertain bottom of private judgment, and private interpretation of the scriptures (liable, as they acknowledged, to error) was not a way to invite him to their religion; for that it would be a very unequal change to part with a church (which he was assured was an infallible guide, by the divine promises, as recorded in scripture) for a religion which owned itself liable to error, and

could give no assurance to its followers that it was not leading them on in the broad way of eternal damnation. Such an exchange as this, said he, would be like that which your soldiers have obliged me to make, who have taken away my cloaths that were whole, and given me nothing but rags in their place. In fine, at parting he told them plainly and sincerely, that no salvation could be hoped for out of the catholic church, and that he wished them all to be even as he was, excepting his present state of confinement.

From Stevenedge he was carried before the committee then sitting in Hartfordshire, to whom all his papers were delivered; with a particular caution to look well to him, for that he had a spell amongst his papers, by means of which he could get out of any prison or dungeon; for such they supposed to be that form of the benediction of the cord of St. Francis, which was found amongst his papers. Here he was examined, whether he had ever been beyond the seas? He answered, yes. Whether he had taken holy orders there? He answered, that as this was by their laws deemed a crime, he was not to be his own accuser. Upon this he was given over to Jones the city marshal, to be by him conducted the next day to town; who stript him of what the soldiers had left, and set him on horseback, half naked as he was, in his rags, and so carried him to London, making him a subject of mockery to the people, in all the towns and villages through which they passed; whilst F. Bell, as appears by his own written relation, so far from taking this in evil part, thought this cavalcade of his too great a pomp for one whose profession obligeth him to take up his cross every day, and follow Christ. When they were arrived in town, the marshal (who before in searching him had found the key of his trunk) found means to get the trunk into his hands, and seized upon it, and all its contents as a lawful prize. 'Tis true the committee of the parliament, by whom F. Bell was shortly after examined, upon hearing the case ordered the marshal to return his goods; for as he was not as yet convicted, he had certainly a right to keep what was his. But the marshal, though he promised to return them, never did it. 'I 'shall never hear any more, says F. Bell, of my goods, till the day of judgment; and then I fear I shall be blamed for transgressing holy poverty, by having so many goods to lose; for I firmly believe "these men were appointed by God to put me in mind of my vocation. Thanks be to God for it.' Such were the dispositions of this holy man.

In his examination before the committee of the parliament, being questioned concerning the Spanish letter that was found about him, he acknowledged that he was a poor penitent of the order of St. Francis, but would not satisfy them as to the point of his priesthood; so he was committed to Newgate in order to take his trial at the next sessions. But before these things were transacted, his brethren had made choice of him to be, for the second time, guardian or superior of their convent at Douay, which office had been vacant ever since the martyrdom of F. Heath, who was actually guardian when he came over to England, where he so quickly met with the crown he sought. F. Vol. II.

T

Bell had not been full four and twenty hours in Newgate when his pro vincial's letter was brought to him, requiring of him in virtue of obedience to fill up the vacancy: and not long after he received the patents for that office from F. Marchant, the commissary general. His answers both to the one and the other are worthy to be recorded.--To his provincial he writes as follows:

Reverend Father,

'I received your command with all humility and readiness at the very time that I was putting it in execution: for I took possession of F. Paul's place in Newgate about twenty hours before

yours came

to my knowledge. As to what remains, I beg your prayers that I may persevere to the end; and I beg of all christians, with St. Andrew, that they would not hinder my suffering, &c.

Your poor Brother,

F. BELL.'

To the commissary general he returned the following answer:

Most Reverend Father, obedience and reverence.

I received the command of your most reverend paternity with humility, and am disposed with all possible readiness to put it in execution as soon as this present impediment which stands in the way shall be removed. Now the impediment is this. On the 6th of November, O. S. I was apprehended on my way to London, by the parliamentary soldiers, and being examined, and found to be a catholic, I was put under the custody of four soldiers night and day. And after I had been stript of all things, sword, money, cloaths, and even my very shirt, and clad in an old tattered coat of some poor soldier, I was brought before the parliament at London, where being again examined, I was found out by certain arguments to be a • friar minor, which I did not deny; and being withal suspected to be a priest according to the order of the Roman church, I was for this reason committed to the prison of Newgate. I am to be tried. on the 5th of December, what will then be done with me my Lord Jesus Christ knows, with whom I am ready to go to the cross, and. 'to death, if his mercy will vouchsafe to extend itself so far as to be willing to accept of the sacrifice of such and so great a sinner: but. if I am still necessary to his people, the will of our Lord be done. I have begged death for Christ. This I will continue to beg for. My sinful life has been a long time hateful to me. Pardon me, I know what is for my profit; to die is my gain. I humbly beg your prayers, and those of my brethren, that if (as I wish) it be my lot to die, I may depart with obedience in the grace of Christ; and with 'St. Andrew I beseech all christian people not to be a hinderance to my death. If I shall not be condemned to die, I will labour by all lawful means to procure my liberty, that I may be able to obey, as it is my duty, the command I have received. God preserve your reverence,' &c.

Newgate, Nov. 22, 1643.

F. Bell was not tried on the 5th of December, as he expected, but on the 7th of that month. The witnesses that appeared against hima

were Wadsworth, Mayo, and Thomas Gage, all apostates from the catholic religion, and the last also from his religious vows. Wadsworth deposed, that he knew him twenty years before at Brussels, in the habit of St. Francis, and that he was esteemed by all as an honest plain friar. Mayo declared, that he knew him at Graveline, in the monastery of the poor Clares, and that he was one of the priests of that monastery, and that also he knew him at the convent of the English Franciscans at Douay. Gage made oath, that the prisoner lived for some time at London, with a lady, a near relation of his, where he had often heard him say mass; and that he remembered his complaining to him of his kinswoman's rising so late, that he could seldom begin mass before 12 o'clock. F. Bell excepted against all the witnesses as infamous apostates, who having broken their faith to God, deserved none with men, And as to the jury, he said, he hoped they were christians; that he was certainly not a priest of the 'Levitical order of Aaron and that it would not be wisdom, if any one had a call from God to the priesthood, to neglect the fountainhead, and to take up with troubled water.' The recorder told him, he spoke mysteriously; and asked if he had any thing else to say? He answered, no. Upon which the jury going out, after a short deliberation, pronounced him guilty; for which verdict the holy man returned them thanks.

In the afternoon he was brought again to the bar, and asked what he had to say why sentence should not pass upon him. Upon which occasion he expressed himself in the following manner : My accusers have given in their depositions against me, and my jury has f pronounced me guilty: I return them my most hearty thanks, for I shall most willingly, and with the greatest joy, die with Christ, and his apostles and martyrs, my cause being the same as theirs. And since I am going to speak of a matter of equal or greater importfance than was that of which the prophets spoke of old, let me 'invoke heaven and earth with them: be astonished, O ye heavens ! and be thou covered with confusion, O earth! to see a christian state, at least that pretends to profess Christ and his gospel, to make that priesthood high treason which was founded and established by Christ and his gospel; that priesthood, I say, which supports the gospel, and is supported by it. It was for this reason I asked in the morning whether the gentlemen of the jury were christians, intimating that christians might perhaps condemn the priests of the order of Aaron, but not those of the institution of Christ; as on the other hand Jews would condemn christian priests, but not their own. What before appeared to you mysterious, I now explain. Whoever has a call from God to the priesthood, let him seek it there, where there is a certain and undoubted succession never interrupted from Christ's time, viz. in the Roman communion; and not there, where the succession is called in question, or rather, where without all question it has certainly failed, as it

St protestants; for

it is certain, there is no true priesthood in the protestant church.'

Thus far they heard him with patience; but here one of the bench interrupted him, telling him, that the laws under which a man is