This man father Arrowfmith, performing his priestly functions in that country, where afterwards he was put to death; and being in labour to reduce a young man to a courfe of virtue who was fallen both from God and himfelf, and having reproved him in particular for an incestuous marriage, &c. was fo hated by him, that coming once to fuf pect to what place the priest repaired, he found means to discover him to a juftice of peace "captain Rawthorn, who difpatched his warrant for him and fo he was apprehended upon the highway. He was committed to the common gaol for not taking the oaths and upon vehemen fufpicion alfo that that he was a priest and jefuit. This happened in fummer, and not long before the aflizes, at which he was tried. At the entrance whereof Sir Henry Yelverton coming to know that the prifoner was committed for this caufe, and being the judge to whofe turn it fell to fit upon life and death, he was not flack of laying hold of the occafion, and therefore the next morning being the 26th of August, he commanded him to be brought to the bar. The prifoner at that time was in converfation with fome friends, and the under-ftrapper and fheriff's men calling him, after a quick and unexpected manner, to go and prefent himself before the judge, he instantly and cheerfully put himself upon obedience, and faid, God's holy will be done; and fo they conducted him to the bar amongst the felons and other malefactors.

As foon as judge Yelverton fet his eye upon him, he fent to his callegue Sir James Whitlock' defiring his a listance in that fervice-and the jury being called for this trial, judge Yelverton began, firrah, are you a priest? the foldier of Christ making the fign upon himself of his captain's

standard, which is the crofs, made this anfwer, I would I were. Then the judge asked him, are you then a priest? to which the prifoner was filent. So that the judge addressed himself to the Jury, you may plainly fee he is a priest? I warrant you he would not for all England deny his order. After this a minister Leigh or Lee, who sat as a juf tice of a peace upon the bench, and who formerly had had fome know. ledge of the priest, went to whisper in the judge's ear; and then shortly after began to revile the prifoner aloud, declaring what a feducer he was, and if fome order were not taken with him, he would make half Lancashire papists. By way of an. fwer to the minister and to the judge who told him he could fay nothing for his religion,' the prifoner humbly moved that he might be fuffered to defend his faith in disputation, which he doubted not by God's grace to perform against any who would oppofe him. The judge without delay stifled his propofition, and told him that his doctrine could not be main tained; but that belike he defired that they of his own religion should hear him talk. To which the pri foner replied, that he would not only defend it in words, but would be glad to feal it with his blood The judge told him then, after an infulting and favage manner, that he should die, and fee his bowels burn before his face, And you, my lord, faid the prifoner, must die too.

At this the judge was much en raged, and then fhortly commanded him to anfwer him directly, how he could justify his going beyond the feas, and taking the order of his priesthood upon him in difobedience to the king's laws? To which the prifoner made this reply, if any man can accufe me, I stand ready here

to

But he who thought of nothing lefs than deriding them, befought them not to think fo ill of him; and then he caft himself upon his knees, and befought Almighty God to blefs the king, the honourable council, that honourable bench, and all that company there-humbly befeeching God of his infinite mercy to confound and root out herefy, that fo we might be of one religion. To this judge Yelverton replied, with much fury, look you, gentlemen of the jury, how he wishes God to confound us all, and root out herefy, by which he means our religion.

The prifoner was then taken from the bar, with command that he fhould be put in fome dark place, where he might have neither light nor company to come to him; and when the keeper said, that he had no fuch place, he was bidden to put him in the worst he had.

Whilft he was fo remaining there, the judge loft no time in devifing what indictment he might form against him. At length he refolved to draw up two indictments against him, one for being a priest and a jefuit, upon the teftimony of a mother, end her incestuous fon, who wrote thereof to the juítice, when the priest was first examined; the other for being a perfuader in religion, which had no other ground than the oath which the juftice's man took against him at the bar, and the accufation of that youth, who affirmed (but yet without bath) that he would fain have perverted him from his religion. The bufinefs being thus prepared, the prifoner was brought again to the bar, where judge Yelverton was fitting alone.

And when thefe indictments, and the evidence which before had been given, the jury had found him guilty of high treafon; the judge rofe up, as the manner is, and asked him, what

he had to fry for himself, why he fhould not die according to the law he prifoner did immediately lift up his eyes and hands towards heaven, and made no answer at all to that queftion; but in filence expected the event. And then the judge gave fentence upon him in the ufual form. The prifoner as foon as he had heard this fentence pronounced, fell down upon his knees, and bowing his head very low, founded forth Deo gratias with a loud voice; and then in English, God be thanked. As the jailor was carrying him thence to prifon, the fheriff brought exprefs conmand from the judge, that they should load him with the greatest and heaviest irons in the callle; which being prefently put upon his legs, he was not able to go; but as he could he did, and in the way recited the pfalm Miserere, in fo audible a voice, that many heard him. When he was come into the prifon they lodged hin in a little dark hole, where he could not well lie down, but was forced to fit, with leaning only upon a bolfter, which was then caft in; and fo he continued in his clothes, with heavy bolts on his legs, from Tuesday about one or two of the clock, till Thurs day about twelve, when he was fetch. ed out to exection. He was watched day and night by three or four of the fheriff's men; for fo the judge had commanded; as alfo that, upon the forfeiture of 100. no man would be fuffered to fpeak with him. It is thought that in all that time he took very little fuftenance, if he had any ; for fome that faw him bowelled, aver red, that there was nothing at all in his guts but wind, and not any one one drop of urine in his bladder.

But notwithstanding this flict charge that none of his friends fhould fpeak with him, the minifter Lee,' who had bitterly inveighed againit him before the judge, had privilege

enough

enough to go to him; and fo he did once or twice; and his errand was to difpate; but nobody forsooth mult be prefent. The prifoner refused that offer fince it must be fubject to that condition; as fearing, left under colour thereof, fome flanders might be railed against him after his death. Some of the minifter's difciples seemed to be scanda`ized, for that he had refufed fo public an offer of difputation as was made by the prifoner at the bar, and that now he would feek to go and difpute with him in private. But the minifter and fuch as were molt confident with him, affirm against all fuch furmifes, that the priest was a filly fellow, &c. though indeed he was very well known to be a man both of ready wit and folid judgment, and a grounded fcholar, which fome of them had well found when he had been apprehended fone few years before.

In the mean time this happy prifoner, in his clofe dark cell, employs all his thoughts towards the making of his paffage into a better world.→ The judge would have him die a day before the other condemned perfons, a thing anufual at aflizes. But his lordship's zeal must be made appear, who was a fo pleased to look on out of a window at the execution &c. On Thursday therefore the twenty eight of Auguft, word was brought to the happy man, by the high fheriff that he muft die in four hours after, to whom he faid with great devotion, I befeech my Redeemer to make me worthy of it! The judge commanded it thould be done about noon, when men were oft likely to be at dinner. But however it fell out, the whole place of his execution was covered with great

lutades of people of all forts, ages fexes, and religion, expecting the end

of this tragedy. And when the keep er delivered his prifoner to the she tiff, there was scarce a man or woman left at home, either to take their dinner or to keep their shops.

As he was carried through the caftle-yard, there was a reverend and worthy priest, his fellow prifoner, Mr. Southworth,' who had been condemned for his function a year before, and flood then reprieved, who fhewed himself out of a great window; and the bleffed man (who was now on his way to the hurdle) no fooner faw his face but he lifted up his hands towards him, with great humility for abfolution, (for this was the fign whereof they were both agreed before) and fo that prieft abfolved the other in fight of the peos ple. Then he was brought to the caftle gates, when a catholic gens tleman embraced him ftraitly, and kiffed him tenderly, till the high fhe riff made him be removed by force. Then was the bleffed man laid and bound upon the hurdle, but with his head towards the horse's tail, greater ignominy,' He was dragged through the streets to the gallows, which was near a quarter of a mile from the cattle, no friend being able to come near him, by reason of the fheriff's halberds and fervants, but only fome minifters were admitted for the increafe of his torment. The executioner went clofe before the horfe and hurdle, with a club in his hand in a kind of a barbarous triumph, and the bleffcd man being bound upon the hurldie, held two papers in his hands, which were called, duæ claves cæli, the one of them containing an act of the love of Gody and the other of contrition, which he used for the encrease of his devo

tion.

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