the multitude vvhich vvas very great rovvnd about him And vvith cherful contenance holding his handes before his breast vvith his eyes closed he meditated a litle while And after looking vp semed to make couâ—â—â—nance to some of his freinds in the presse The executioner in the meane time vntâ—â—eâ— his garters himselfe vntrussed his points and that so nimbly as the beholders merueled to see a man in such case so quick and actiue and nothing dismade for death so nere approching Taking also his falling band from his neck he rowled it on a heape and cast it from him as farre as he could Wherupoâ— some said that wil be taken vp for a Reliquâ— His clothes being taken of al to his shert thâ— hangman offered to put the halter ouer hâ—â— head which he stayed taking it betwixt botâ— his handes so kissed it and gaue it to hiâ— againe saying Now do your pleasure with it And presently he put it ouer his head Beginning then to speake to the people More the vndershrifes deputie bade him pray for the Quene which he did very affectionatly as might appeare to come from a charitable and loyal hart The deputie asked him What Traitors knowest thou in England If thou knowest anie reueale them God is my witnes said he I know none VVat saith the deputie again if he vvil confesse nothing driue avvay the cart VVhich vvas donne so sudainly that he could neither speake to the people nor recommend his soule againe to God as he vvas about to do Again the deputie very shortly commanded the hangman to do his dutie meaning that he should cut the rope and let him fal downe vvhich vvas so incontinently done that he stood vpright vpon his feete like to a man a litle amazed til the butchering fellovves clasping about him by maine force threvv him on the ground Where coming againe perfectly to himselfe he said alovvd and distinctly God forgeue you Iesus receiue my soule And immediatly an other cruel felovv standing by who was no officer at al but a common porter set his foote vpon the Martyrs throte and so held him dovvne that he could not speake anie more VVherof the same felovv made great vaunt and bosted aftervvards vntil some of the more ciuil people reprehending him for his bad mind and hard hart he began to be ashamed of his fact and denied it to others that charged him thervvith Others held his armeâ— and legges whiles the executioner dismembred and vnbovveled him And vvhen he felt them pulling out his hart he vvas yet so strong that he thrust the men from him which held his armes Finally they cut of his head and diuided his quarters disposing of them in seueral places about Southvvork as is accustomed The people going avvay muttered much at the crueltie vsed in the executioÌ„ And generally al sortes bevvayled his death Thus you haue a plaine and sincere narration of this maÌ„s death and of the cause therof Which vvas as you see for being reconciled â—nd â—o◠〈◊〉 to go to tâ—e 〈◊〉 Church For he vvas in dede condemned foâ— the one and executed for the other Now whether either of these or both together be treason or may truly be so called is thâ— principal question of controuersie touching this mans and other Catholiques suffering in our countrie For resolution wherof if but in England it selfe the greatest number of voices of alâ— English persons supposing that al durst and would speake that they think might decide the matter there were no great doubt but the verdict would be clere and absolute for the Catholiques in this behalfe For not onlie Catholiques themselues which God be thanked are a very great number but also most Protestants and in maner al Puritanes and some others of diuers other sects take these facts of Catholiques to be mere matters of conscience and voide of al treason and but those few onlie in whose handes the gouernment of the Realme now specially consisteth with a few more that folow the sway of authoritie do hold or professe the contrarie opinion Or els if the whole state of the land of former times from our first conuersion to Christ to these late yeares Or finally if the whole Christian world both of times past and present might be Iudge as by al reason it should then sentence would easely be for vs and al further dispute would be 〈◊〉 For neither in England before our dayes nor els where before nor as yet in al Christendom no not in those other places which are also diuided from the Roman Church is there anie such opinion holden nor such lawes made that to be reconciled or absolued from sinnes by a Catholique Priest should be treason but only in England within these last 40. yeares For albeit in Geneua and in some parts of Germanie as also in Holland and some other like places they punish with lesse penalties such as go to Confession heare Masse or otherwise practise the Catholique Religion yet none such are in anie of those places estemed nor iudged Traitors nor bereued of their liues for the same Neither are anie punished at al but oÌ„ly in England for refusing to sweare that they think in their conscience that the King Quene or Prince is and ought to be supreme head or supreme gouernour of the Church immediatly vnder Christ in al causes as wel spiritual as temporal For asking or receuing anie maner of dispensation indulgence or other grace of the Sea Apostolique For hauing an Agnus Dei Beades Graines Crosses Medails Images Pictures or other things blessed by the Bishop of Rome For perswading anie person to be a member of the Catholique Roman Chruch â—or hauing authoritie subordinat to the same Roman Chruch to absolue from sinnes For being made Priest in anie English College or Seminarie without the Realme and so returning into their countrie And for the like things enacted and made as heynous crimes by new Parliament lawes Al which pertaine directly and euidently to Gods special Seruice Sacrifice Sacraments spiritual regiment reliefe and health of soules And so are matters of Religion most really distinct in nature and substance from matters of temporal state and much more from treason and from al disobedience to temporal Princes Whose Soueraigntie and securitie both is and alwayes hath benne most specially maintained and neuer oppugned by the Catholique Religion For euen as Christ him selfe and his Apostles and their perpetual Successors yelded and taught al men to yeld tribute Pâ—t obedience and al dutifid honour and seruice to temporol Powres and Princes and diligently Tim. to pray for al such both publikly and priuatly so al Catholiques in England and euery where continually do the same And namely this holie Martyr as appeareth before 〈◊〉 32 acknowledged and yelded al temporal powre and authoritie to the Quene stil professing and behauing him selfe as a faithful and loyal subiect seruing her and praying for her and euen to death denying and detesting al treasons and travtors How
Relation of sixtene martyrs glorified in England in twelve monethes With a declaration That English catholiques suffer for the catholique religion and That the Seminarie priests agree with the Jesuites By Thomas WORTHINGTON Printed at Doway by the widow of James Boscard 1601. THE MANER OF PROCEDING AGAINST M. IOHN RIGBIE a Catholique Gentleman put to death in London this present yeare 1600. AMongst other common occurrents which minister occation of speach and discourse in sundrie partes of the world it is neither the least nor of least importaÌ„ce that is dayly reported of manie Catholiques put to death and otherwise afflicted these late yeares in England Whose present hard state and the true cause therof though the best and mightiest Princes and Potentates of the Christian world as also manie others of al estates do wel see and knowe and with compassionable charitie do manie wayes like the good Samaritan Luc. â— releue and assist them yet there be two other sortes of men the one not sufficiently wel the other very il affected towards these distressed Catholiques For the former seing and not regarding their calamities passe on their waies like the Iudaical and carnal Priests and Leuits as if it nothing at al pertained to them either to take notice or to haue care and compassioâ— of their neighbours miseries Of which kind of people I haue litle more now to say but hartely pray God to make them more mercifull that they may find mercie in the time of nede For that I am here principally to deale with the last sort who more actually persecute Catholiques not only depriving them by violence of their goods liberties and liues but also accusing and slandering them of hainous crimes wherof they are most free and innocent to make them odious or their martyrdom lesse glorious amongst the ignorant at home and strangers abrode saing and auouching with great wordes othes and protestations that they die not nor suffer not for cause of Religion but for matter of treason against their Quene and Soueraigne though in their consciences they can not but knowe it to be farre oterwise For why els besides other proofes are they so vnwilling to report and so loath to heare what maner of treason this is but for that when the same is sincerly declared it easely and euidently appeareth to be no other thing then mere Religion and necessarie confession of the Catholique faith As hath bene very often proued not only by other irreprouable testimonies and manifest demoÌ„strations but also by their owne tribunals in publique place of Iustice in the most principal cities and townes of the Realme as at London Yorke Lanceston Chenceford Lancaster Winchester Durram Newcastle Carlel Oxford Dorcester Glocester Wrixam Warwike Darbie Stafford Bewmatis Nottingam Canturbutie Lincolne and other places But for somuch as our aduersaries persist stil in auouching and mantaining their pretended Iustice in this behalfe I shal for the more honour of God morâ— manifestation of the truth and better information of such as be not sufficiently satisfied sincerly relate an other example of trial made in the cause of à Catholique gentleman put to death in London the 21. day of Iune this present holie yeare 1600. In which narration for auoiding of al partialitie I wil omit other proofes of our Religion and iust commendations of the partie which may notwithstanding hereafter be more largely published and simply in tvvo woordes touch those onlie points vvhich concerne the necessarie knowledge of his person and pertained directly to the cause of his death and then set before your eyes the whole processe as it passed before manie vvitnesses in forme and shew of publique iustice The diuulging wherof in print no resonable men and namely the Magistrats and others that concurred in this action can not dislike nor possibly be offended thervvith except their consciences accuse them of some vniust dealing against the person whom they haue so publikly apprehended examined indicted iudged and bereued of his life Briefly therefore his name was M. Iohn Rigbie one of the younger sonnes of M. Nicolas Rigbie of Harrock in the Countie of Lancaster geÌ„tleman VVho coming to yeares ad vse of reason coÌ„petent for that purpose so sufficieÌ„tly learned the principal articles of his faith that continually even to death he held al the same to be vndoubtedly true and necessarie to saluation as wel appeareth by that which here foloweth He attayned also the Latin tongue and further proceded not in learning The rest of his youth he spent partly in his fathers house partly in seruice where through humaine frailtie for feare of punishment and in hope of temporal preferment ioyned with il example and earnest perswasions of some worldlie freinds he yelded so farre to the Protestants Parlament lawes made for the abolishing of the holie Sacrifice and other Catholique Rites and for practice of the new forme of english seruice as to heare sometimes the same seruice But being afterwards very sorrowful for having so conformed him selfe by exteriour act and personal presence in the Protestants Chruches VVhich is there the note and character 〈◊〉 13 of conformitie to their religion and therby also depriuing him selfe of the holie Sacraments and necessarie foode of his soule for none may 〈◊〉 13 â—ate of the Altar of Christ that serue the Tabernacle and much lesse that serue a new Religion which was never approued in Gods Church he resolued by Gods grace to leaue againe that course of life and so was absolued from his sinnes and reconciled to God by a Catholique Priest And thence forth liued in great peace of his conscience and alacritie of mind with zeale and feruour of deuotion by word and example dravving so manie as he could to the like good estate for their soules health Amongst others which I may not here omit though I promised breuitie by his earnest prayers most dutiful endeuour and Godlie persuasions he procured his owne father to be reconciled to God in his old age by which worke of singular pietie and by manie others he dayly prepared the way to the glorious crowne that he novv possesseth Wherunto likvvise concurred certaine other occasions which it pleased God also to permit and to vse in bringing him to this blessed end For being as is wel knowne in the seruice of Sir Edmund Hudleston knight he was sent by his maister to Sir Richard Martin Alderman of London about certaine busines Where the young man dealnig somewhat roundly and sincerly as it became a faithful seruant in his maisters affaires this Sir Richard conceiued offence and displeasure against him Which he stil bore in minde like Herode and 〈…〉 Herodias wayting opportunitie to be reuenged of S. Iohn Baptist til a fit time happened for his purpose as shortly it fel out by this accident Maistris Fortescue a Catholique widow and daughter of the same Sir Edmund Hudleston was sommoned to the Sessions at Newgate â—oâ— cauâ—es of ReligioÌ„ who being sicke and not able to
against the Pope Cardinals Archpriest of England Iesuits and Seminarie Priests charging them with Idolatrie Superstition much false doctrine with Treason against the Quene and Realme and with dissentions also betwen Iesuits and Seminarie Priests al false and impious sclanders as he plainly told them nothing at al pertaining to the Indictmēt wherupon his liefe depended about the time when he was made Priest Concerning which point after a few vncertaine coniectures were alleaged which agreed il and proued nothing against him vpon the onlie testimonie of M. Sauil Baron of the exchequer who was also his Iudge affirming that he knew him in Oxford some years after the time mentioned in the new statute and then not taken for a Priest he was denounced Guiltie and condemned to death as for hiegh Treason And a graue Catholique Matron was also indicted of felonie and condēned to death for receiuing him into her house As if she also had knowē him in Oxford to haue bene no Priest and afterwards made Priest who knewe him not at al but a smal time before he was taken in her house Finally after earnest perswation to go to their Church which she vtterlie refused she receaued her Croune of Martyrdome according to the Gospel whosoeuer receaueth a prophet in the name of a prophet shal receaue the reward of a prophet And albeit there semed lesse probabilitie to peruert the venerable Priest yet they omitted not to vrge vnto him the vsual tentation that if he would go to their Church he might injoy both liefe and libertie and be praeferred also amongst them Al which he constantly contemned in respect of Gods honour his ovvn◠saluation and edification or destruction of manie by his example And so in Easter vveke the 28. of March he also receiued his glorious croune And to their other impertinent talke both before and after his sentence he also ansvvered briefly that in the Catholique Romane Religion which he professed and for vvhich he was readie to dye there is neither Idolatrie nor-Superstition nor falshoode nor contrarietie of doctrin And though there be dissentions somtimes amongst Catholiques either Priests or others yet those differences are not in Articles of their faith but in other matters of some particular Iurisdiction right or title spiritual or temporal and the like And that for his ovvne part he had no such controuersie vvith anie Catholique nor breach of charitie vvith any person liuing vvhosoeuer Which was for him at that time a very sufficient answer And much hath bene said and vvritten also these late yeares of the puritie and vnitie of the Catholique doctrin Neuerthelesse here it shal not be amisse gentle reader to adde somwhat more in explication of his answer touching the differences rissen amongst some English Catholiques vvhich our Aduersaries so reprochfully obiect to al. For albeit the perfect are neuer scandalized yet the vveake often are and some do mistake Psal 118. v. 165. the case and some doubtles are guiltie of great fault in making or in nourishing this debate Al which wil be more clere if first calling to mind the state of Catholiques before this controuersie begane vve then consider vvhence it proceded vvherin it consisteth and betvven vhom it is And to this purpose it semeth necessarie that we beginne from the last general reuolt from the Catholique Religion in our Countrie Which vvas in the first yeare of this Quenes raigne For she comming to the Croune in the end of the yeare 1558. vvithin few monethes after a Parliament vvas called vvherin vtterly aganst the vvilles of al the Lords spiritual auouching that they did not nor vvould not consent to change the state of Religion the Lords temporal and Commons tooke vpon them and de facto pretended to abolish al authoritie or Iurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome in England abandoned the holie Sacrifice of Masse and other Catholique Offices and in place therof restored the nevv forme of Seruice instituted in the second yeare of K. Edvvard the sixt but augmented altered and corrected for so they speake and further in most peremptorie and arrogant manner did in Gods name but vvithout commission from God earnestly require and charge al the Archbishops Bishops and other Ordinaries that they should indeuour themselues to the vttermost of their knovvledges to see the same put in execution threatening them vvith Gods vvrath and punishinent if this good and wholsome Law for sooth were neglected Al which holie Bishops obeying God rather then men vvere presētly depriued of their Bishopriques and al other constant Clergimen of their spiritual liuings and benefices Heretiques or such as yelded to the parctise of Heresie put in their places And diuerse also of the Laitie sharply punished for not conforming themselues to these nevv procedings In which state though the same Catholique Prelates stil kept their titles and right as vvel of their dignities as of their holie functions which could by no meanes be taken from them yet did they not exercise any publique Iurisdiction but expecting better times al the Bishops and most of the old clergie haue ended their liues in prison banishment or in other poore state al more or lesse restrained and persecuted Wherby the Ecclesiastical Ierarchie of the Church of England for lack of succession of ordinarie spiritual Pastors did vvholy decay and cease yet continually there remained some constant Catholiques and some few Catholique Priests which ministred the holie Sacraments and supplied in priuat and secret sorte other necessarie Offices vvithout anie subordination of one to an other vvithin the Realme the Sea Apostolique graunting 〈…〉 facultie to the worthie Confessor the Bishop of Lincolne and others to subdelegate such as vvere found fit to heare Confessions and to absolue also in Cases reserued as nede should require And furthermore this good seede of Catholique Religion conserued by Gods goodnes vvas also vvel vvatered and prospered much by sundrie good bookes written by diuerse learned and zealous men in defence of the Catholique faith wherby not only these Reliques vvere confirmed and stayed therein but some also conuerted from schisme and heresie But in the first tene years most men stil hoping of a change or toleration litle industrie vvas vsed for making more Priests to serue our countrie in this greate desolation til the renovvmed Doctor Allen aftervvards Cardinal most prudently foreseing the great defect of a succession of Priests vvithout vvhom no Sacrament could be duly administred no Sacrifice offered and consequently no Religion long remaine but al turne to Heresie Apostasie and Atheisme found meanes by Gods special prouidence in the yeare of our Lord 1568. to erect in the vniuersitie of Doway with the approbation of Pius Quintus a College of English students vvho by yelding themselues to Collegial discipline and to a set forme and course of studie with public exercise might attaine more vertue zeale and knovvledge and so be made Priests and returne into their Countrie as aboue foure hundred haue since donne to the