〈◊〉 my Lord this hath not anie vvhitâ—â—â—â—â—ted me VVhat Countriman are you A Lancashire man my Lord VVhat is your name Rigbie vvhat more Iohn Rigbie vvhere about in Lancashire about two miles from Latham at a house called Harrock vvas I borne my Lord. I am more sorie said he for I knovv honest gentlemen of that name If there vvere anie honestie amongest them said I I hope in Iesus he vvil graunt me part by descent Then said Sir Richard Martin Sirra Sirra vvhat prayer doe you vse dayly to say for the Pope Sir said I I knovv not vvhat you meane Yes said he that you doe for you say this daylie praier and began to repete certaine vvordes vvhich vvere neither English Latin French nor Spaniâ—h I am sure but he ment as it semed to haue made Latin of it I haue forgot it and so did presently for except it had bene vvritten it vvas impossibile to carrie it a vvaye Only the three last vvords I remember vvhich vvere proâ—ostra Papa VVherat not able That â— for â— shâ—â—â— to forbeare laughter I vsed an oth or tvvo saying by my faith and troth I neuer heard so simple a sentence come forth of anie Catholiques mouth and for myn ovvne part though I vnderstand Latin I do not vnderstand vvhat you said VVherat al the bench laghed vvith me for companie So my Lord Maior commaunded the keper to take me againe to his custodie And I stood amongst the fellons til night and so vvent to nevvgate my nevvlodging vvhere I learned some neck tricks and there rested The next day at nine of the clocke when my Lord chiefe Iustice vvas set in his place I vvas sent for to the Sessions house vvhere presently his Lordship asked my name I ansvvered Iohn Rigbie VVhat Cuntriman are you a Lancaâ—hire man my Lord. Hovv long haue you continevved in these partes some foure or fiue yeares my Lord vvith vvhom in seruice vvith M. is Fortescue vvhose daughter 〈…〉 his daughteâ— vvhere liueth she vvith her faither VVho preferred you to her seruice a brother inlavv of myn one Clayton my Lord. VVhat religion vvere you of vvhen you came to heâ—â— iâ— hart a Catholique my Lord. but you vvent to Church said he I did my Lord sometimes but alvvayes intended by Gods grace to become a Catholique VVho persvvaded you to that course to alter your Religion No bodie my Lord but myn ovvne coÌ„science for vvhen I considered myn estate I found that I vvas not in the right course to be saued and therfore I resolued by Gods grace to professe that Religion vvherby my soule might be saued VVil you not go to the Church No my Lord you liued in Sir Edmund his house I my Lord. Doth Sir Edmund go to the Church I my Lord. And my Ladie also for any thing I knovv my Lord. For I tooke no great heed of any bodies going but myn ovvne Hovv long haue you refused to go to the Church these tvvo or three yeares my Lord. You vvent to the Church once then can you not be as you say a Catholique but you must be reconciled Hovv say you then vvere you reconciled or no vvherto not knovving vvhat to ansvvere I stayed a litle and his lordship againe bad me speake then I ansvvered my lord to satisfie your lordship in this point I tooke not vpon me to professe my religion vvith out a certaine ground 〈…〉 â—atholique I vvas in deede reconciled my â—â—rd vvel said saith he and by vvhom by â—e M. Buckley my lord vvas he a Seminaâ—ie Priest he vvas a Catholique Priest my â—ord vvhere vvas it done in the Clinck â—â—ovv came you acquainted vvith him by a Lancashire man a kinsman of myn VVhere is he dead my lord hovv many times since haue you senne him at your Maistris house Never in my life neither before nor since VVhat others haue you seene there not one my lord hovv manie more knovv you thath are Priests Not one my Lord. VVhere is that Buckley novv in heaven I make no doubt in heaven hovv knovv you that he suffered Martyrdom for the Catholique Religion Did you never see him before and could he persvvade you so fully I my lord for by Gods grace I doubted not in anie one article of my beliefe Al vvhich examination they vvrit dovvne and gaue it me to set my hand to it first for honor sake before my lord chief Iustice or any of the rest vvhich I did and then they set their hands to it also Then my lord commaunded the keper to take me and to put on me an iron chaine vvhich vvhen it came I vvilled him to put it on in Gods name and said alovvd I vvould not change my chayne for my Lord Maior his great chayne and gaue the felovv six pence for his paines By and by my Lord chiefe â—ustice sent me vvord to prouide my 〈◊〉 for I vvas to be arrayned forthvvith I bad the messenger tel his Lordship I neuer heard so good nevves in my life before and so I vvas commannded to the common Gayle But expecting everie day to be arreigned the Tuesday folovving I vvas removed to the vvhit Lyon in Southvvork and vvas there quiet til the third of March not hearing anie more vvhat should be done vvith me On vvensday the third of March in the common Sessions vvith a number of felons I vvas brought to my trial In the forenonâ— I vvas called and appeared but nothing vvas said to me VVhen the Iustice vvent to diner vve also vvent home to prison and benig at dinner Iustice Gaudie sent his man for me and I vvent vvillingly vvith my keper And so coming to them at Iustice Dale his house vvhere the Iudges dined Iustice Gaudie commanded the chamber to be voided saing there vvere matters of importance to be delt in Some vvent avvay but the most part stayed There he called me vnto him and asked my name vvhich I told him vvere not you committed by my Lord chiefe Iustice and examined by him at Newgaae I my Lord I vvas so You knovv your ovvne hand if you see it I my Lord. so he shevved me my hand and I said This is my hand I pray you geue me leaue to speake for my selfe You shal said he I vvel perceiue you haue thougt better of the matter since or are growne far more skilfull This manner of answering for your self before would haue serued your turne better but now it wil not I sent for you to this end I am told by one of my Lord of Canturburie his gentleman that you thought you had answered before ignorantly and are now sorie for that you haue done and willing to become a good Subiect and go to Church If you wil so do her Maiestie is merciful and her Lawes wil take pitie vpon you How say you wil you go to Church now No my Lord. Good my Lord who soeuer informed your Lordship that euer I did yet yeld in anie point of my profession or former answer was
not my freinde nor euer had my consent therto I assure you my Lord I am a true Subiect and obedient to her Maiestie and her Lawes in anie thing which may not hurt my conscience But to say that I wil go to Church I neuer did nor neuer wil. Yea rather my Lord then your Lordship should haue anie light suspicion of me of such a consent take my first answere as it is there is my hand here is my whole bodie most readie I am and willing to seale it with my bloode and I humbly thanck your Lordship for calling me to answere this point my self VVhy then said both the iudges wil you not go to Church No my Lords God forbid I should then we see said one of them there is no such matter as vve vvere made to beleue We were told you were a â—impâ—â— young man and willing to recant but we see now thou art a resolute wilful fellow and there is no remedie but law must procede I would be sorie my Lords to geue your Lordships anie cause to thincke that euer I ment to recant knowing nothing wherin I haue offended but only vttered my conscience If that be so great a matter of offence let me haue lawe in the name of Iesus Gods wil be done Then spoke Iustice Dale a Iustice of Peace thou art a cogging cosening fellow and getts thy lining no man knoweth how by cogging and lying Sir said I for my getting I nede not much to bragg of it and for my lying and cogging you speake of I wold gladly you should know that the Auncestres of the house from whence I came were gentlemen fiue hundred yeaes before your grandfather was Iustice And so I stopped his mouth And the Iudges committed me vnto my keper for that time The next day being thursday we went again to the SessioÌ„s at S. Margarits hil Where about 2. of the clock in the afternone I was called to the barr to be arayned the Clerck sayd Iohn Rigbie hold vp thy hand where beseeching my swete Saviour Iesus our Blessed Ladie and al the holie companie of Angels and other Saincts to pray for me I held vp my hand merily So the Clerck read the Inditment which when I had heard I besech you my Lord sayd I grant me libertie to speake anone you shall said he So I gaue place aÌ„d the rest came to the barre for we were six arreigned at that time together fiue fellons and my self About an houre after I vvas called again and bidden hold vp my hand which I did as before my Inditment was read again and it was a sharp one Then my Lord bad me speake and I answered to foure principal points briefly in this manner First my very good Lords wheras I am charged in myn Inditment that I was reconciled it is very true to God almightie I so was and I thinck lawfully might be and as I remember it is also allowed in your boke of common prayer in the visitation of the sick that if anie man find hymself burdened in conscience he should make his confession to the Minister Which confession manifesteth a breach betwen God and his owne soule and by this humble confession he craueth pardon for his sinnes and reconciliation to God again by the hands of his Minister Secondly wheras I am charged that I was reconciled from myn obedience to her Maiestie and to the Romish Religion I wil depose the contrarie For I was neuer reconciled from anie obedience to my Prince for I obey her stil nor to aine Religion for although I somtimes went to Church against my wil yet was I neuer of anie other Religion then the Catholique and therfore neded no reconciliatâ—â— to Religion vvhich I neuer stood againsâ— Thirdly wheras in my former answere I said I went to Church it is true for feare of temporal punishment I so did but neuer minded to fal from the old Religion and therfore neded no reconciliation to Religion Fourtly and lastly I humbly besech your good Lordships as you wil answer it before God to explicat the meaning of the statute to the Iurie if the meaning therof be to make it treason for a man fallen into the displeasure of God through his sinnes to be recoÌ„ciled to God again by him to whom God hath committed the autoritie of reconciliation If this be treason Gods wil be done Then said both the Iudges it was by à Romish Priest and therfore treason I answered it vvas by a Catholique Priest who had the libertie of the prison and was frie for anie man to come vnto him to releeue him and therfore by the statute no treason Againe my Lords if it be not inquired of within a yeare and a day there can be no aduaÌ„tage takeÌ„ aganst me by this statute if you wrong me not Wherto replied one that sat vnder the Iudges Al this wil not seruâ— thy turne for the Iurie must finde it treason and so gaue them instructions that it must needs be treason Nay then Sir said I if it must be let it be Gods wil be done Then said Iustice Gaudie Good Rigbie I pray you thinck not in anie sorte I go about to seeke your death her Maiestie and her lavves be merciful If you wil yet conforme your self and say here before the Iurie go forth that you vvil go to Church and submit your self vve vvil procede no further My Lord said I if that be al the offence I haue committed as I knovv it is and if there be no other way but going to Church to helpe it I would not vvish your Lordships to thincke I haue as I hope risen thus manie steppes towards heauen and novv vvil vvilfully let my foote slippe and fal into the botomlesse pit of hel I hope in IESVS he vvil strengthen me rather to suffer a thousand deathes if I had so manie liues to lose Let your lavv procede Then said the Iudge to the Iurie you must VVhâ—◠〈◊〉 vvhoâ— vvorâ—â— doth â— Iudgâ— the â—â— quisitâ— of 〈◊〉 vvhâ—â— they â—â— must â—â— find tâ— be thâ— truth consider of it you see vvhat is said you cannot but find it treason by the Lavv. And so vvhen the rest vvere arraigned they vvent forth and stood not long to thinck vpon the matter but came againe and I vvas called and bidden againe hold vp my hand they bad the Iurie looke on the prisoner whether is he guiltie or no and who shal speake for you they al said the foreman I besech you my Lord said I may it please you to command silence that I may heare my verdict vvhich his Lordship did but the foreman spake so softly that I could not heare him I willed him to speake vp and not to be afeard Then he said Guiltie To the which I said vvith a lowde voice Laus tibi Domine Rex aeternae gloriae And so went frâ—â— the barr When the rest were arraigned and iudgement was to be giuen I was first called and Iustice Gaudy said what
their retinewes vvere swallowed vp in the gaping earth descending aliue into hel and their tvvo hundreth and fisteie complices and cooperators al deuoured vvith fire from heauen but also their other adherents and partners in the schisme to the number of fourtene thousand seuen hundreth of the people perished in like sorte by the same fire vvhich ceased not deuouring those that had anie way participated in the same reuolt til Aaron sent by Moyses had apeazed the vvrath of God vvith Sacrifice and other prayers And shal we think that the same God vvil not as iustly and seuerly either in this vvorld or in the next punish vs Christianes if vve ioyne our selues in profession or practise of a contrarie Religion to that which Christ and his Apostles and their Successors taught and obserued and vvhich our countrie vvas first conuerted vnto No assuredly For he is the same iust God stil to Iewes and to Gentils to Israilits and Christians Iesus Christ yesterday and today the same 〈…〉 â—at â—â— for euer Who commandeth vs not only not to beleue those that shal say Loe here is Christ or there but also not to go out of the felowship of al nations christned into one corner tovvne or countrie as S. Augustin vnderstandeth â—ugde â—â—it â—â—cle 13. â— Cor. that place And the Apostle admonisheth vs the same more at large No societie saith he nor felowship no agreement no participation no consent can be betvven Christ and Belial and none ought to be in the publique prayers nor in assemblies for the seruice of God betvven Catholiques and vvho so euer of contrarie Religion Go out of the middes of them and separate yourselues saith our Lord and touch not the vncleane and I wil receiue you And contrariwise at the last day he wil bring Psal 124. those that decline into obligations for loue or for feare of the world with the workers of iniquitie as testifieth the Royal Prophet Who likevvise admonisheth vs in an other Psalme by his owne example or rather in the person of euerie faithful soule saying With Psal 2â— them that do vuiust things I wil not enter in I haue hated the Church of the malignant and with the impious I wil not sit And the Prophet Elias crieth vnto such as vvould serue both God 3. Reg 1â— and his enimie How long halt you on two wayes if our Lord be God folow him but if Baal folow him Good Tobias a youth in captiuitie Tob. â— vvould not go as manie did to Ieroboams golden calues but fleeing their compagnies vvent to Ierusalem to the Temple of our Lord and there adored The three children Sidrach Misach and Abdenago in the like captiuitie fearing God more then men ansvvered boldly Be it knowne to thee ô King Dan. â— that we worship not thy God and we adore not the golden statue which thou hast erected Old Eleazarus 2. Maâ— 6. would not eate nor seme to eate swines flesh against the law but rather choise a glorious death then a werisome or hateful life if by dissimulation in so religious a cause he should haue procured damnation to his owne soule and also eternal ruine of manie more by his example Read also the historie of the ca 7 mother and her seuen sonnes al martyred for the same cause And generally the Iewes did Io. 4â— not conuerse nor communicate vvith â—â— Samaritanes in spiritual affayres vvhosâ— custome herein our Sauiour approueth anâ— geueth expresse sentence for the Ievves in this behalfe and that the right adoration and saluation was of the Ievves part Because they had good ground for their Temple in Ierusalem and the Samaritanes none at al. for their worshiping in Garisin An other general rule our Sauiour geueth He that â—at â—2 is not with me is against me and he that gethereth not with me scattereth VVherupon S. Ierome â—p 58. â—amas proueth that al they do scatter that â—â— ther not vvith the rest of the Church anâ— particularly that gether not vvith the chiefâ— Pastor therof succeding Sainct Peter To the same effect the Apostle saith you can not drink the Chalice of our Lord and the Chalice of 〈◊〉 Cor. â—0 diuels you can not be partakers of the table of our Lord and of the table of diuels And to such Neuters as vvould serue al turnes he crieth Beare not the yoke with infidels for what participation â— Cor. â— hath iustice with iniquitie what societie is there betwen light and darknes finally What agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols And vvhat be the Idols that novv molest the Church saith S. Ierome but Heresies â—â—oset â— 1. â—mos â— â—ab 2. â—oph â—â— VVherfore al that looke to haue feloship with Christ and his members in his bodie and blood must flie from the feloship of al infidels and abstaine from al partipicipation in causes of Religion vvith those â—hat haue erected an other Altar or table or that haue erected a contrarie forme of â—eruing God against the Altar and Sacrifice of Christ and his Catholique Church And in novvise conforme them selues to these nevv procedings by going to their Churches vvhich is the proper marke of their societie Apot. 13. And therfore most constantly refused by this glorious Martyr so manfully fighting this good fight wherby himselfe hath ioyfully receiued a Crovvne of glorie God almightie is specially glorified his Saintes highly honored Catholiques much edified and comforted and the Protestants greatly ashamed and confounded Our Lord graunt al Psal 69. 128. those may be frutfully ashamed happilly confounded and quikly turned back that novv hate Sion Amen A. BRIEF A. BRIEF MENTIONâ—â— NINE OTHER MARTYRS ANâ— certaine other Catholiques persecuted for the saâ—â— cause this same yeare With an answer to our Aduersaries obiection of discord amongst Catholiques AT York in Lent last was arraigned M. Christopher Wharton Priest Maister of Art of the Vniuersitie of Oxford suspected and accused to be a Seminarie Priest and theâ—upon indicted of hiegh treason for returniâ—â— into England contrarie to the statute maâ— in the yeare of our Lord 1585. Who wâ—â— An. Reg. Eliz. â—7 â— M. Robert Anderâ—on Io. Sands W. Tom â—on Ro. Debdal Ed. Burden Hugh Tailor Thur. Hunt c. in dede made Priest at Rhemes by the Cardinal of Guise of Blessed memorie the last day â—â— March 1584. As also 30. other Englishmen receaued holie Orders the same time with him of which diuerse be now also Martyrs Neuertheles he confessed no more but that he was a Priest before the said statute was made leauing it to his accusers to proue when he was made For he being about the age of threâ—score years might wel by dispensation haue bene made Priest in rhe reigne of Q. Marie or before the feast of the Natiuitie of S. Iohn Baptist in the first yeare of this Quene and so out of the danger of this new statute Manie odious things were obiected and amplified as their custome is