⚫ neither indeed believing there is any. Oates and Bedloe not being able to charge me with any thing when I was brought up to London, though they were with me, makes it evident, that I die only for professing the old Roman catholic religion, which was the religion that 'first made this kingdom christian; and whoever intends to be saved ́ must die in that religion. I beg of all whom I have offended, either by thought, word, or deed, to forgive me; for I do heartily forgive all ' those that have been instrumental or desirous of my death.'

Then turning to the executioner, he took him by the hand, and calling him by his name, honest Anthony, said he, my friend Anthony, be not afraid; do thy office, I forgive thee with all my heart, thou wilt do mé a greater kindness than discourtesy. Then he drew his cap over his eyes, and after a little meditation upon his knees, and offering himself up to Almighty God, he told them, they might do their office when they pleased. In conclusion, after he had thrice repeated, with great fervor, those words, in manus tuas Domine commendo spiritum meum, into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit, the cart was drawn away, and he hanged at least half an hour before he was quite dead, the knot of the rope not being rightly applied; though this, as it is believed, happened rather by accident than design. The protestants, that were spectators of the exit acknowledged, that they never saw onę die so like a gentleman, and so like a christian,

208.

*Charles Baker, alias David Lewis, Priest, S. J. CHARLES Baker, commonly known upon the mission by the name of David Lewis, was born in Monmouthshire in 1617, and brought up in the protestant religion till he was about 19 years of age; when being a student of the law, he was reconciled to the catholic church; and after two years sent by his uncle, a priest of the society, to the English college of Rome, where he was received a convictor, November 6, 1638. Here he went through the course of his studies, having the character in the college diary of prudent and pious; and being made priest July 20, 1642, at the end of his divinity he entered into the society anno 1645, and made his noviceship amongst the Italian jesuits in their noviciate of St. Andrew's.

He was sent upon the English mission anno 1648, where he offici ated in South Wales for one and thirty years, being a zealous seeker after the lost sheep, fearless in dangers, patient in labours and sufferings, and so charitable to his indigent neighbours, as to be commonly called the father of the poor. He was apprehended on the 17th of Novem ber, 1678, being Sunday morning, a little before day, by six armed men, (sent by two neighbouring justices of peace) in a little house in the parish of St. Michael Lantarnam, in Monmouthshire, and carried that day to Abergavenny, and the next day committed to Monmouth gaol, where he was kept close confined in a room by himself, (for which

*From a printed relation of his imprisonment and trial, penned by himself; his printed speech; Florus Anglo-Bavaricus, p. 181; and the records of the noviciate of St. Andrew's, at Rome.

he was obliged to pay 14s. a week) locked up at night, and barred up by day.

On the 13th of January 1678-9, he was removed from Monmouth to Usk. It snowing hard that day, the deputy-sheriff, and the chief jailor, who accompanied him, made a halt at Ragland, to warm and refresh themselves; whilst they were here, the confessor was informed, that father Ignatius, alias Walter Price, lay a dying about a mile off, having undergone much hardship both of hunger and cold, by flying from barn to barn, from cottage to cottage, being violently persecuted, and strictly searched after as a popish priest, and that by his own kinsman. Father Baker, being able to do no more, at him his best wishes for his soul's happy passage out of this turbulent world to an eternity of rest; and so went forward with his keepers to his new prison of Usk, where three days after he received the news of his blessed death. In this prison the confessor found several catholics confined for their conscience, with whom he remained till his trial in the Lenten assizes.

On the 28th of March, 1679, the assizes began at Monmouth, and on the following day father Baker was brought to the bar, to be tried upon an indictment of high-treason, for having taken orders in the church of Rome, and remaining in England contrary to the statute of Elizabeth 27. He pleaded not guilty. Five or six witnesses deposed against him, that they had seen him say mass, and perform the rest of the priestly functions. Father Baker made a handsome defence, and had very material exceptions against the principal witnesses; but, nevertheless, was brought in guilty by the jury, and received sentence of death the same day, in the usual form, from sir Robert Atkins the judge; upon which he made a low bow, and was returned to prison.

After this he was sent up to London, and there, in Newgate, strictly examined concerning the pretended plot; Oates, Bedloe, Dugdale, and Prance, being brought to confront him, but they could not charge him with any guilt in that kind. My lord Shaftsbury suggested to him, that he might both save his life, and improve his fortune, if he would make some discovery of the plot, or conform in matters of religion: but, discover plot, says he in his dying speech, I could not, for I knew of none; and conform I would not, for it was against my conscience; wherefore he was sent back to the country, where he remained three months longer in prison, and then was ordered for execution.

It was on the 27th of August, 1679, he was drawn to the gallows at Uske, in Monmouthshire, where he made a long speech to a numerous auditory, assembled on that occasion. 'Here is,' said he, 'a nu*merous assembly,-the great Saviour of the world save every soul of you all: I believe you are here met, not only to see a fellow-native die, but also with expectation to hear a dying fellow-native speak.— Let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, but if as a christian, • let him not be ashamed, 1 St. Peter iv.-I suffer not as a murderer, thief, or such like malefactor, but as a christian, and therefore am not ' ashamed.'

He proceeds to let his auditors know, how unjustly he had been charged, in a vile pamphlet, of having cheated a poor woman of 301. under a pretence of delivering her father's soul out of purgatory; which,

as he declares, was no better than mere fiction and malice, without the least appearance of truth. And as to the plot, he calls God to witness, that he never heard or knew any thing of it, till public fame had spread it over the country. And that for his part, none of the king's witnesses, when confronted with him in Newgate, could pretend to charge him with any such guilt: that he ever detested king-killing doctrine, as opposite to the principles of the catholic religion, and condemned by the council of Constance; and in testimony of his loyalty, he heartily prayed for the king; adding, that his religion alone was the cause for which he was to die.

'My religion,' says he, is the Roman catholic; in it I have lived ' above these forty years; in it I now die, and so fixedly die, that if all 'the good things in this world were offered me to renounce it, all should ' not remove me one hair's breadth from my Roman catholic faith. A Roman catholic I am; a Roman catholic priest I am; a Roman catholic priest of that religious order, called the society of Jesus, I am; ' and I bless God who first called me, and I bless the hour in which I was 'first called both unto faith and function. Please now to observe, I was 'condemned for reading mass, hearing confessions, administering the sacraments, &c. As for reading the mass, it was the old, and still is the accustomed and laudable liturgy of the holy church; and all the other acts, are acts of religion tending to the worship of God, and therefore dying for this I die for religion;-and dying upon so good a score, as far as human frailty permits, I die with alacrity interior and 'exterior: from the abundance of the heart let not only mouths but 'faces also speak.

Here, methinks, I feel flesh and blood ready to burst into loud 'cries;-blood for blood, life for life. No, crieth holy gospel, forgive, and you shall be forgiven; pray for those that persecute you; love your enemies; and I profess myself as a child of the gospel, and 'the gospel I obey. Whomsoever present or absent, I have ever of'fended, I humbly desire them to forgive me. As for my enemies, I 'freely forgive them all; my neighbours that betrayed me, the justices that committed me, &c. but singularly and especially, I forgive my 'capital persecutor, who hath been so long thirsting after my blood; 'from my soul I forgive him, and wish his soul so well, that were it in my power, I would seat him a seraphim in heaven.-Father forgive them, they know not what they do.

And with reason I love them also, "my persecutors," for though they have done themselves a vast soul-prejudice, yet they have done me an incomparable favour, which I shall eternally acknowledge. 'But chiefly I love them for his sake, who said, love your enemies; and in testimony of my love, I wish them (and it is the best of wishes) 'from the centre of my soul, I wish them a good eternity. O eterni ty! eternity! how momentaneous are the glories, riches, and pleasures of this world? and how desirable art thou, O endless eternity? And for my said enemies attaining thereunto, I humbly beseech God to give them the grace of a true repentance, before they and this world part.'

Then addressing himself to the catholics, friends,' said he, fear "God, honour your king; be firm in your faith; avoid mortal sin, by

frequenting the sacraments of holy church; patiently bear your perse. 'cutions and afflictions; forgive your enemies; your sufferings are " great; I say, be firm in your faith to the end, yea, even to death; ' then shall you heap unto yourselves celestial treasures in the heavenly Jerusalem, where no thief robbeth, no moth eateth, and no rust con'sumeth; and have that blessed saying of St. Peter, prince of the apostles, always in your memory, which I heartily recommend to you, 'viz. let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief; but if as a christian let him not be ashamed, but glorify God in his name.' Having finished his speech to men, he applied himself to God in the following prayers and ejaculations, which he pronounced aloud.

Sovereign Lord God, eternal Father of heaven, creator of all, conserver of all, sole author of grace and glory, with prostrate heart I adore thee; and thee only I adore as God. The giving of divine ho'nour to any creature of highest degree, I abhor and detest as damnable idolatry.-Incarnate Son of God, true God, thou hast purchased a 'church here upon earth with thy sacred blood, and planted it with thy 'sacred labours; a church, one, holy, catholic, and apostolic; a 'church to continue to the consummation of the world: whatever that 'church of thine hath by revelation from thee, whatever that church of 'thine hath taught me, and commanded me to believe, I believe it to ' an iota.-God Holy Ghost, who maketh thy sun to shine on good and bad, thy rain to fall on the just and unjust, I praise thy holy name, and thank thee for the innumerable benefits thou hast been pleased to bestow and confer upon me, thy unworthy servant, the 63 years I now ❝ have lived on earth.-O holy trinity, three persons, and one God, from the bottom of my heart I am sorry that ever I have offended thee, my "good God, even to an idle word; yet through thy mercy, my God, and the merits of my Redeemer, I strongly hope for an eternal salva⚫tion. Sweet Jesus receive my soul. And so he was executed.'

Father Anthony Hunter, a priest of the same society, who also waś under sentence of death for his character, relates in a manuscript which I have before me, that the bowels of father Baker, though they were cast into a greater fire than ordinary, and several faggots flung upon them, were not consumed, nor so much as altered by the flames; so that they were taken up and buried with his body.

*William Lloyd, Priest and Confessor.

209. WILL ILLIAM Lloyd, the son of Walter Lloyd, esq. was born in Carmarthenshire of Wales, about the year 1610. He seems to have been a convert to the catholic religion, and not to have gone abroad till he was come to man's estate. He was received a convictor in the college of Lisbon, October 1, 1635, with this character in the register of the house, that he was a very hopeful young man, but labouring under a continual indisposition, or pain in the stomach. However he applied himself to his studies, and went through the usual course of philosophy and divinity, and publicly maintained, at sundry times, theses in both these faculties, with very great applause. He was ordained priest the

* From the diary or register of the English college of Lisbon, and from his speech.

26th of April, 1639, but remained in the college till the 29th of June, 1642; at which time he went to Paris. I have not found when he entered upon the English mission, nor the particulars of his missionary labours.

Soon after the breaking out of Oates's plot, he fell into the hands of the persecutors, and was brought to his trial at Brecknock, upon an indictment of high treason, for having taken orders in the Roman church, and remaining in this realm contrary to the statute of the 27th of Elizabeth. The witnesses that appeared against him made oath, that he had administered the sacraments according to the order and manner of the catholic church; upon which he was found guilty by his jury, and sentenced to die as in cases of high treason. The day was appointed for his execution, but he died in bonds six days before, leaving behind him the following speech, which he designed to have delivered at the the gallows.

The last speech of Mr. William Lloyd, a clergyman, who was tried and condemned at Brecknock, in South Wales, anno Dom. 1679, and died in prison there a week before he was executed, and left this speech in writing.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. Dearly beloved Countrymen,It is, even by God's holy providence, that now I am come to the last hour of my mortal life in this miserable world, and therefore am desirous to give an account to all the world, in what faith and religion I lived while I was in this world, and in which I am resolved to depart out of this world, which is the only holy catholic and apostolical faith and religion, (that is,) the very same in all points as the apostles themselves lived and died in, after they received the Holy Ghost, which our Saviour promised to send them, to guide them into all truth, and to remain with his church for ever; and I do renounce all errors and mistakes contrary to the same faith and religion, holding all the holy word of God, written or unwritten, to be true, and revealed to the patriarchs and prophets in the time of the old testament, as also revealed by our Saviour Jesus Christ to his apostles and disciples in the new testament, and by their successors declared to the rest of the world in the same right sense, as the Holy Ghost, according to our Saviour's promise, directed them to teach all truth, which is the only faith in which a man can be saved, and no other; for it is said in the holy scripture, that there is but one faith, one God, and one baptism; and St. Paul in another place expressly saith, that without faith it is impossible to please God; and every man by natural reason, may easily know, that without pleasing God no man can be saved; for no man can possibly be saved, in spite of God Almighty (that is) whether he will or

no.

Therefore seeing none can be saved without pleasing God, and that none can please God without faith; and seeing there is no faith but one, and that one is that which our Saviour Christ taught to his apostles, it behoveth every man to find it out, and live and die in it, although they lose all that they have in the world, and their lives to boot, seeing that it is of no small importance to be saved or damned for ever. And to find out that apostolic faith, without which no man can please God, nor consequently be saved, we must find out the eldest faith amongst christians, which was planted by our Saviour himself amongst his apos