you shall dye at least not for the present until I know the King 's further pleasure I was not I thank God for it troubled with any disturbing thoughts either against the Judge for his Sentence nor the Jury that gave in such a Verdict nor against any of the Witnesses For I was then of the same mind as by God's grace I ever shall be esteeming them all the best Friends to me in all they did or said that ever I had in my life or ever shall have except upon the like occasion And I was I thank God so present with my self whil'st the Judge pronounced the Sentence to deliver me to Death that without any concern for any thing in this world I did actually at the same time offer my self and the world to God After the Judge was gone from the Bench to the other end of the Hall I stayed with the Keeper in the Hall where several Protestant Gentlemen and others who had heard my Tryal came to me though Strangers and told me how sorry they were for me To whom with thanks I replied that I was troubled they should grieve for me or my condition who was joyful for it my self for I told them I had professed this Faith and Religion all my life-time which I was as sure to be true as I was sure of the truth of God's Word on which it was grounded and therefore in it I deposed my Soul and Eternal Life and Happiness and therefore should I fear to lose my temporal life for this Faith whereon my Eternal life depends I were worse than an Infidel and whosoever should prefer the life of their Bodies before their Faith their Religion or Conscience they were worse than Heathens For my own part I told them I was as ready by God's grace to dye to morrow as I had been to receive the Sentence of Death to day and as willingly as if I had a Grant of the greatest Dukedom So we sate talking half an hour and I returned to the Prison there to remain as long as it pleased God and the King whom God long preserve in all happiness There was another Objection which I forgot to put in until I had finished the former Writing and it was an Objection which the Judge was pleased to put against me himself and it was that I had changed my name and went in several places by several names To which I answered the reason was Because in Cromwel's time in the great Troubles our Family suffered much my Father was imprisoned and a Fellow-Prisoner with Sir Thomas Ashton both confined together which Sir Thomas is now one of His Majesties Admirals of the Fleet. And for my own part I going Beyond Sea to Travel I changed my name and then coming into England again before the King's Restauration I was glad to conceal my self and go by several names as many others of the King 's Loyal Subjects did the better to be able to do His Majesty the best service I could which according to my small ability I did endeavor both before and since the King came into England like a dutiful Subject and like the rest of our Family who all endeavored to serve His Majesty For I have two Brothers served Him the one a Voluntier at Sea in Sir William Reeve's Ship which Sir William was killed in the last Engagement with the Dutch and the other Brother had a Command under his Royal Highness the Duke of York at Land therefore I hope the changing of my name on such an occasion as I did could not be imputed as a guilt upon me nor speak me other than a dutiful Subject which I could have made further appear before the Bench but I did not judge it convenient to say any more to the Judge there in publick But before his Lordship went out of VVorcester I presented him with a Petition to acquaint his Lordship that I having had the honour to kiss His Majesties Hand before His Restauration in the Low-Countries as also I have had the honour to be one of those whom His Majesty was pleased to grace with being entertained by us His then best Subjects His Majesty was pleased to make us a Gracious Promise that when it should please God to restore Him to His Crown we should not live so in Banishment as then we did Of this in my Petition I did acquaint the Judge and beseeched him that he would be pleased by declaring this to the King to endeavor to obtain some gracious Favor from His Majesty for me my condition now being such that I could never have greater need to be Partaker of His gracious Promise and Clemency The Judge promised me he would make an Address to His Majesty for me in this behalf which whether he hath done or no I wish some body may put him in mind to do it for me I do not here mention the place where in particular nor the other persons to whom His Majesty made that Promise but if you remember you know I did tell you with several other particular circumstances which I need not here make any further mention of THE Last SPEECH OF Mr. Francis Johnson Priest of the Order of St. Francis who was Executed as a PRIEST onely at Worcester upon the 22d of August Anno Dom 1679. Which he spake for the most part upon the Ladder immediately before his Execution but being interrupted and that which he did speak being taken by an unskilful Scribe was Printed by the halves and so imperfect that it was in some places Nonsense To correct that Abuse this which he left written with his own Hand is publish'd by a Friend ALmighty God out of his infinite Goodness to this World through the merits of his Son Christ Jesus ordained or made choice of three Virtues whereby we must walk which are these viz. Faith Hope and Charity First by virtue of Faith we are to believe all things that are done in this World Secondly by virtue of Hope we are to believe and hope for all things in another World And the reason why Christians do believe this Hope is to bring and conduct them to salvation in the other World And if we hope in God we cannot but believe God for with the mouth Confession is made but with the heart and through Faith we must believe unto salvation so that Faith is not to be trodden under foot or to be hid under a bushel but to be set upon a candlestick Luke 12. Whosoever doth confess me before men him will I confess before the Angels of God And therefore all are bound to believe that there is but one Faith and if but one Faith then but one Christian Faith There is but one Faith one Lord one Baptism if it be so how can this stand with so many Sectaries as there are If there be but one Faith how can this be I believe the Creed of St. Athanasius which is in your Common-Prayer Book there it is said That whosoever
of that nature either by himself or any others or other against His Sacred Majesty as I believe it was a sin in Judas to Damnation to betray Christ And I do declare upon my salvation that I never did nor do know any Catholick that ever was or is the least guilty either by thought word or deed by any Plot or otherwise to have any design or concurrence to kill His Sacred Majesty or rebel against His Kingdom whom God long preserve with his Subjects in all happiness in this World and crown Him in the World to come with eternal glory And now it remains that with all the powers and forces of my Soul I make my address to God for mercy ere I appear before him for Judgment and you dear Friends here present who believe in one Holy Catholick Church and Communion of Saints be pleased in charity to make the same address to God with me and for me that we may obtain true sorrow and repentance for all our sins and a merciful forgiveness and first let us wish from the bottom of our hearts that we could express and make good our sorrow as David did Psal 119. Whil'st rivers of waters run down our eyes like his because we have not kept according to our saith Gods commands for which had we that Fountain of tears which the Prophet wished for we ought spend it all we ought with Jeremy Lam. 3. 48 49. to weep till our eyes as his failed and as his eye with tears afflicted as he saith his heart so ought ours to do because we have made so ill use of that Faith Hope and Charity which God hath bestowed upon us But forasmuch as Tears now at this present and in these circumstances of rash censuring times Tears I say from me might seem to some either the off-spring of Fear to dye which God forbid I should have in so good a Cause as my Religion or lest others might judge my Tears might fall by reason of some other guilt of which I am free and innocent I have endeavoured to stop the course of Tears and instead of drops of waters from my eyes I 'll spend the drops of blood from every sorrowful vein of my heart and my whole body that God may please to wash away the sins of all my life past and I wish each drop an Ocean for my self and all the World because I have nothing now left more than wishes which I beseech thee O gracious God of thy mercy to accept of and if you will vouchsafe to accept of wishes to supply the deeds by wishes I offer up all that 's good to you that ever you gave to any since the Worlds Creation I offer up David's broken heart together with my own that so like him after my repentance I may become a man according to your own heart I offer up the sighs of Magdalen and wish I could make such use of them as she did to sob out my sins I wish her repentant Arms that I may lay fast hold at the Feet of thee my gracious God I wish I had the longanimity of all the Holy Confessors I wish I had the sufferings of all thy constant Martyrs I wish I had the lamps of all thy sacred Virgins that I might offer all to thee that in them was pleasant in thy sight I wish I could offer up to thee O God the Sacrifices of just Abel Lot Job and all other Sacrifices that ever did gratefully ascend up in thy sight that thou being pleased by the sight of them thou mightst look no more upon my sins For if thou wilt observe iniquities who shall endure let therefore thy mercy hide thy face from my sins but let not the rigor of thy justice cast me away from thy presence cast me not away from thy Face and thy holy Spirit take not from me but turn away thy Face from sin and blot out all my iniquities and I will offer my Body as a Sacrifice to thee by death to appease thy just anger I own my sins and I own your mercies You gave me Faith to know and believe what was the Will of you my heavenly Master but I acknowledge my fault that although I knew your Will I did not fulfill it and therefore I ought to be beaten with many stripes because you foretold me that many are the stripes of a sinner but be pleased dear Lord also to remember that in the same place you promised that notwithstanding this yet mercy should encompass him that hopes you have given your Divine Hope vouchsafe to let this Hope defend me and although I know I have not made good use of Hope and Hope not well us'd of which I am guilty makes a Sinner defer Repentance and so puts in danger to fall into Presumption by long neglect yet the last hour of calling being not yet past and your mercy being above all your works I hope and humbly beg to be Partaker with those who were accepted at the last hour I humbly acknowledge with thanks O gracious God that you gave me Charity as your Livery in which I always ought to have appeared in your sight and never to have been divested of it but how oft have I been spoiled through my own fault of this garment how oft have I by descending to Jericho instead of going up to Jerusalem how oft I say have I been rob'd of this garment of Charity even as often as I have preferred any sublunary object and the love of that before the love of you and before your goodness which is above all goodness and the object of all Beatitude Vouchsafe again O gracious Lord to restore in mercy to me this Nuptial Vestment ere I dare appear at the Supper of the Lamb. Make me O heavenly Father a penitential Prodigal and then I shall have put on me again this best Robe of Charity This I beg from the bottom of my Soul for his dear sake who was devested of his garments out of Charity that I might be invested in his Charity who also suffered his garments to be divided that he might purchase grace that we might never be divided from the unity of his Faith and Church but rather willingly suffer for his sake the separation of our lives from our bodies the separation of our bodies from our souls and the separation of our bodies into its quarters that we may the more perfectly by these sufferings and separations from our selves be united to him Therefore in the faithful communion and perfect union of the sufferings of all Saints that ever have been or now are or ever will be in the union of the most sacred merits of the life passions and death of God and man my dear Redeemer and Saviour Christ I offer my self willingly to what I am now to suffer begging by all that 's good in Heaven and in Earth remissions of sins for my self and all the world particularly for all that may appear to have been my Enemies in the concern of my Life as Witness Jury Judge and others whom I do not esteem as Enemies but as the best of Friends I heartily forgive them and beg the best of Blessings for them all as being the cause of sending me sooner than otherwise I might have gone to the happy state of Hope for the other World Whither before I go I humbly beg pardon of all in this World for whatever in thoughts words or deeds I have committed to offend them or omitted to do for them by which any thing might have been mended in them or my self I beseech God to bless them all I beseech God to bless also all my Friends spiritual and temporal all Benefactors and all by whom I have received good or evil by words deeds or desires I beseech God to bless all those of whom I ever had care or charge spiritually or temporally I beseech God bless his Holy Catholick Church and our chief Bishop thereof with all other Bishops Priests and Clergy I beseech God bless this Nation and unite all amongst themselves and to God in true Faith Hope and Charity I beseech God to bless His Majesties Privy Council and make all the secrets of their hearts and their desires such as that both Charles our King on earth and God our great King in Heaven and Earth may be serv'd pleas'd and honour'd by them that men and Angels may rejoyce at it now and be publick witness of it at the last great day at the great and last Council Table where every secret shall be laid open Luke 12. as Solomon saith Eccles ult when God will bring into judgment every secret thing whether it be good or evil I beseech God to bless the Parliament now Elect and be so present with them when they sit to judge and discuss the Causes of this Nation they may imitate the Assembly of those that are to sit upon the Twelve Thrones at the last great Assembly that they may now judge or determinate of things no otherwise than they hope or fear then to be judged themselves and determined of to all eternity I beseech God to bless all that suffer in this Persecution and let the blessing exprest in the 126th Psalm light upon them speedily that God turning their Captivity all mouths may be filled with joys and tongues with singings Convert O Lord our Captivity as streams in the South that those who now sowe in tears may reap in joy and for this temporal death O blessed Trinity give me eternal life let my Body dye to the World for the love of thee that my Soul may live for ever and love in thee my God and dear Redeemer Amen Sweet Jesus Amen FINIS Rom. 10. 10. Luk. 12. 8. Ephes 4. 4 5. Jam. 2 â—â— Mat. 5. 16. Heb. 11. Gal. 3. 11. Heb. 11. 6. Jam. 2. 17. Jam. 1. 25. Mat. 18. 17. John 14. 16. Mat. 28. 19 20. Psal 130 5 6. Psal 84. 5. 1 Cor. 13. Rom. 8. 2 Cor. 11. 2 Cor. 12. 15. Coloss 2. 4. 1 Cor. 4. 9. Rom 9. 3. Eph. 3. 8. 1 Pet. 3. 15. Psal 119. 8.
this VVitness for me was and why I had him not ready I answered he was hard by in the Prison for Debt if he pleased to send for him but the Judge would not send for him I then desired the Judge that at least I or any else here present might read my Paper publickly that all might know it was true that I had such a sufficient VVitness for me against Rogers but the Judge neither would let me nor any else read it openly but however I made bold to tell publickly all the Contents of the Paper which were word for word as the VVitness wrote it with his own hand and name at the bottom thus Memorandum That upon the 12th of December last past or thereabouts came three men to the Castle of VVorcester and as they came up the stairs Rogers desires one of them to call for one Mr. Johnson and see if he would answer to that name or not and entring into the Room he asked where was Mr. Johnson and which was he though he was at that time present in the Room and none else but one man and my self drinking at the door and in my Conscience knew him not In witness to this I 'll lay down my Oath Henry Holland By this it may appear that if the Judge would let my Witness appear to have sworn I might have cast Rogers the chief Witness against me and why it was not granted let all that hear it judge However I still continued to plead that all Proofs alledged against me were insufficient which I can make appear even in the Judge's own opinion though I did not tell him so For you must know that before in his Circuit though Witnesses swore against a Gentleman whom they would have proved a Priest that they saw him marry People and Baptize which are the Actions of a Priest yet the Judge declared that because these Actions might be done by such as were no Priests as well as by Priests as it appeared because Justices of the Peace married People in Cromwel's time and any Man or Woman might at some times Christen Children therefore such common Actions as he declared could not prove the accused Gentleman to be a Priest for doing them and thereupon the Judge freed him Whereupon I infer That all the Actions the Witnesses sware they saw me do as wearing a Surplice giving the Wafer exhorting to Prayer shewing Points out of the Bible hearing others Grievances which they of themselves declared to me and the like being these are things done as well by those that were no Priests as by Priests according to the Judge's own opinion these Actions ought not to have been judged sufficient Proofs against me no more than such Actions were judged sufficient against other Gentlemen although I did not alledge this to the Judge yet it was sufficient he knew it and might if he had pleased done with me accordingly though he did not but sending the Jury out sent me from the Bar. I being afterward called again to the Bar and it being declared unto me that the Jury had found me guilty the Bill was read against me and then I was asked what I had to say for my self why I should not dye that I might speak before the Sentence of Death past against me To which I answered I only desired to know for what I was to dye for I have shewed that all things alledged against me heretofore were insufficient to prove me a Priest or take away my Life The Judge answered That the Jury had found me guilty and that now there was no more to be said concerning the Proof but that I was to be Condemned as a Priest To which I replied That though the Jury had found me Guilty yet I was still Innocent from any guilt of Death and with his Lordships permission I would prove it He asked me how I answered thus I had not been out of England to take any Orders from Foreign Power since the King's Restauration to His Crown neither had I any opportunity to take any Orders in England therefore if I were a Priest I was so before His Majesty came into England But whatever I had done before the King came into England cannot make me now Guilty supposing I had transgressed the Law before because His Majesty before His Return put out several Proclamations that none should ever be troubled for their Religion or Conscience-sake and since His coming into England He had done the same by several Proclamations and what was yet more not long since had set forth His Declaration that every one should freely practise his own Religion of what Sect or Persuasion soever which Declaration if I were a Priest I might safely relie on as well as all others To which the Judge replied Where had I the Seal to that Declaration I answered I never questioned but that a Subject might take his King's Word declared in His Publick Proclamation without His Seal The Judge answered However if I were a Priest now in England I was guilty I replied That supposing I had formerly taken Orders before the King came to England I could not altogether degrade my self or be otherwise now than what I was ordained then therefore if I were a Priest I cannot now be guilty for it because all that ever was done before the King's Restauration in what respect soever was all forgiven and blotted out by the King 's General Pardon to all Subjects even to those who had a hand in the death of His Royal Father and so the Catholicks for their Religion were not excluded out of the General Pardon wherefore I told his Lordship I was not guilty Whereupon he told me I was guilty and presumed far to plead so resolutely and with such confidence before him and all the Bench. I craved his pardon for my Fault but desired his Lordship to consider that I was bid speak if I had any thing to say for my self before the Sentence of Death past against me and therefore I had reason to plead home since this was the last time I was like to speak for my life in this world which I hope his Lordship and the Bench would consider but if notwithstanding so many Proclamations Grants for Liberty of Conscience and His Majesty's General Pardon to all who had rely'd on them if all this would not secure me but my believing those things had caused me to err and my Error must cause me to lose my Life I had no more to say So the Judge sate down and pronounced against me the sentence of Death That I should be Drawn Hanged and Quartered Disbowelled my Intrals burnt my Head cut off my Body to be cut in four quarters and my quarters to be at the King's disposal Which Sentence being pronounced I bowed and said aloud Thanks be to God God save the King and I beseech God to bless your Lordship and all this Honourable Bench. The Judge replied You have spoken very well I do not intend
his manifold expressions both towards God and men first to God as Rom. 8. where he makes this Proclamation Who shall saith he separate us from the Charity of Christ Shall Tribulation or Distress or Persecution or Famine or Nakedness or Peril or Sword As it is written for thy sake we are kill'd all the day long we are accounted as sheep to the slaughter He adds I am certain that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor heigth nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And for this Charity in order to his Neighbor let what he suffered to serve them testifie as he relates 2 Cor. 11. by being in Labors and Stripes in Prison in Death in Scourgings in Shipwracks being day and night in the bottom of the Sea in Perils in Weariness in Painfulness in Hunger in Thirst in Fasting in Cold and Weariness besides what he suffered through his care of all Churches ver 28 29. where he saith Who is weak and I am not weak understand by compassion as Fellow-sufferer Who is scandalized and I burn not understand by zeal Let those now consider this who never more rejoyce than now when they see their passive Neighbors scandalized and were never better content in their own apprehensions than now when they behold us suffering though before God we are innocent Were St. Paul on earth again he would rather give himself for others to ease them of their sufferings according to his wonted charity exprest 2 Cor. 12. 15. saying I will very gladly spend and be spent for you and he would rejoyce to suffer in charity for his Neighbor as he abundantly declares Colos 2. 4. saying I rejoyce in my sufferings for you and fill up that which is wanting of the passions or afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his bodies sake which is the Church and this example is given for us to do the like and therefore he saith 1 Cor. 4. 9. We are made a spectacle to the World to Angels and to men and therefore God forbid but some of us if we be Christian men should endeavor to imitate some of his examples though we cannot all For he ascended to so superlative a degree of Charity towards his Neighbor that he declares to the World that he could be a Cast-away himself to save others for thus he saith Rom. 9. 3. I could wish my self were accursed from Christ for my Brethren Christians do not then henceforth so easily ruine your Neighbors neither in their Lives nor Estates or Credits by Persecutions and Scandals the Scripture holds forth no such Doctrine nor gives any such examples but as you see the contrary but if our Persecutors will not imitate these examples let us that are persecuted and suffer endeavor to imitate them by choosing rather to lose all we can call our own in this World and Life also rather than to break Charity to God and our Neighbor either by denying or dissembling our Faith and scandalizing the Church or bearing false Witness against our selves or our Neighbors to save our Lives or Fortunes or enrich our selves by false Witness And if we will put in practice the Virtues of Faith Hope and Charity I have spoke of we ought to do it thus what we profess by words we must confirm by deeds and actions Our profession of Catholick Faith is this I believe all Divine Revelations delivered to the Prophets and Apostles proposed by the Catholick Church in Her General Councils or by Her Universal Practice to be believed as an Article of Catholick Faith knowing this to be our Faith the confirmation of this knowledge or the practice of this by our deeds is as St. Paul teacheth Ephes 3. 8. To esteem all worldly things as dirt in respect of this eminent knowledge of Christ and his Faith and therefore for my own part I now being ready to leave all in the World and my Life in testimony of my Catholick Faith which I profess I desire and hope to manifest to all I value my knowledge of Christs Faith more than I value the universal World And as for my Christian Hope I profess to have the confirmation of it or the practical part is to be fulfilled thus being that we must as St. Peter saith 1 Pet. 3. 15. Be always ready to give an account to every one concerning the hope which is in us I have already by words expressed it and by deed I express it thus That whereas I do believe that God as the Scripture saith kills and brings to life again carrieth down to the depth and bringeth back again so now I do by this my present Execution which I am now to undergo willingly give my Body to be mortified in death for my Faith hoping in Gods infinite mercy he will restore my Body and Soul to eternal life and I do willingly resign my self to be carried down to my Grave hoping by my Saviours Cross and Passion Death and Burial he will raise me up again to a glorious Resurrection And as for the confirmation of my Charity to shew by deeds the love I owe to God and my Neighbor it hath pleased my Saviour by his own words to declare which is the best proof or practice of Charity where he saith No man hath a greater Charity than he that lays down his life for his Friend I therefore do willingly undergo this death I am to suffer now to testifie I love my Friend my Neighbor as my self whil'st I undergo this death for my self and them that seeing it is for the profession of my Faith I dye they whil'st they live may the more happily serve God in the same belief and I testifie I love God above all because I forsake the World and my self in death rather than offend him by doing any thing against my Conscience And forasmuch as for these many years I have had occasion by discoursing and reading the Holy Scriptures with others who desired to find out the true Faith I have by words declared what Faith I did believe and what Faith they ought to believe I now declare that for every Point of Faith that ever I believ'd my self or read to others or told them that they might believe as a Point of Faith for all and every such Points of Faith in confirmation of them as well to my self as others I here lay down my Life and omitting all other particular Points I believe Obedience to our King to be a Divine Law and that we are bound to obey His Commands in Temporal Laws and I believe it too a sin of Damnation for any Subject of His to Rebel against Him or His Kingdom and I believe it as certain a sin to Damnation for any Subject to endeavor either by thoughts words or deeds to take away His Life or act any thing
A NARRATIVE OF THE Proceedings and Tryal of Mr. Francis Johnson a Franciscan at Worcester last Summer-Assizes Anno Dom. 1679. Written with his own Hand as followeth To which is annexed His SPEECH at his Execution August 22. 1679. I Being at London on All-Saints-day when the Proclamation came forth to command all Catholiques to depart from thence by the Friday following I obeyed and came to a Friends house in Worcestershire not intending to stay there but the King 's second Proclamation being presently published That no Catholique should walk above Five miles without being stopt and carried before a Justice to have the Oaths tendred I asked Counsel of the wisest I could both of Protestants whereof one was a Lawyer and another a Constable as also of Catholiques Whether that Proclamation did so strongly oblige that it permitted me no longer to go further They all concluded it was not secure to go so I resolved to obey and stay where I was and with good reason First Because all Catholiques are obliged to obey the King's Commands in all things that are not against our Religion and Conscience and His Commands in this nature are against neither Secondly Should I have disobeyed and have been taken in Penalty I should have suffered which would not have been so directly for my Conscience and Religion sake as for disobeying the King's Command because in case I should be taken by staying there in obedience to the Proclamation and be carried before the Justices to have the Oaths offered whatever I was to suffer for refusing them I should have this double comfort before God and the King before the King because I rather chose to go to Prison than to remove from his Law by taking the Oaths against my Conscience Therefore I was taken and put in Prison The manner of my being taken was as followeth The Sheriff's Deputy came to the House where I was with six or eight men to Arrest a Gentleman in the House for Debt The Officers coming into the House in the morning and not finding the person they came for broke down all the doors and among the rest mine before I was out of Bed and by a mistake Arrested me instead of the other Gentleman and although the Deputy coming into my Chamber looking on me told them they were deceived for I was not the man they came for yet other Soldiers coming into my Chamber one of them said he knew me It seems he had been a Servant in the House seven Years before therefore he said he would have me to the Justices and bid his Companions secure me and so they did and would not let me go out of their sight until they carried me before the Justice And this they did without either Constable or Warrant Law or Justice When I came before the Justice of Peace I told him the occasion that had brought me to him and if I would have taken the Oaths I had been presently freed But I told them that persuaded me to take the Oaths That it was against the Faith and Religion I professed and against my Conscience and I would never offend against either by so complying whatever I suffered for the contrary The Justice's Wife was compassion ate towards me and desiring to speak privately with me she used her best persuasions to me to comply with what was desired of me concerning the taking the Oaths for fear of further trouble or danger I answered her with thanks and told her That I was sorry she had no better opinion of me than to think I had prosest such a Faith and Religion all my life-time and now upon the trial could be moved with any fear or danger which God sorbid I told her it was such a Faith that in it I deposed my Soul my Confidence Heaven and Eternal Life and therefore I neve r did nor by God's grace never would fear to suffer for it what pleased God For who could fear even Death itself of the Body whose life is momentary for Profession of that Faith wherein he deposeth the Eternal life of his Soul This Answer satisfi'd both her and my self for I was resolved to make a publick Profession of my Faith and Religion upon which I return'd to the Justice who thought fit I should go to another Justice who was Sir John Packington whither also he went with me When I came to Sir John he asked me who I was I answered him I was a Gentleman sufficiently known for these 20 Years in Worcestershire to all sorts of People He asked me of what Calling I was I answered him of none He asked me what Estate I had I answered I was no Landed man Then he asked me If I would take the Oaths I answered I understood them not He replied Will you take them or will you not I told him if he pleased to let me see them I should return him my Answer Now the reason why I desired to see the Oaths was because I was resolved to make a Publick Declaration of my Faith that they were against my Conscience and therefore by declaring publickly the Reasons why I could not take them it should be publickly known that whatsoever I was to suffer for not taking them was for no other cause but for my Faith and Religion because I would not swear against my Conscience For would I have taken them I had been there also freed When the Oaths were brought to me they told me I must read them out aloud but I told them that because it was a publick place and many there present of several degrees as well of the Housholders as Strangers I feared least reading them aloud some that heard me might think I sware what I read and so might go and report they heard me take the Oaths before the Justices But they declared they would not think so l so I read them over and over which when I had done I said aloud God save the King and then declared to both the Justices and all the rest in this manner I am ready to swear as followeth That I ever all my life-time have been and now am and ever will be to my last breath as saithful a Subject to the King as any Subject whatsoever and as faithful as if I should take the Oaths now offered by them to me an hundred times over but as for taking these Oaths offered me I could not take them whatever I suffered and the reason was because I understood what an Oath was and the conditions which God has prescribed to us before any could call him to witness lawfully in taking of any such Oaths The Conditions which God has prescribed I told them were these Thou shalt swear the Lord liveth in truth and in judgment and in righteousness so that in every Oath the life of God the truth of God the judgment of God and his righteousness are included by all which we swear and the Oath we take is to have all these Conditions truth judgment and
will be saved 't is necessary before all things that he hold the Catholick Faith and that if he keep not that Faith whole and undefiled he shall perish everlastingly And as St. James saith Jam. 2. 10. He that keepeth the whole Law and yet offendeth in one point is guilty of all so they that believe must be all of the same Faith And that this ought to be done I appeal to all the Saints that are gone before of whom it is said That their Faith was such as by it they stopt the mouths of Lyons they turned the edge of the Sword and caused the Fire to cease that it should not burn so they were oppressed they wandered about in Sheeps-cloathing and Goats-cloathing Heb. 11. Therefore I say there must be an unity of Faith I desire all Catholiques to consider this That it is better to be reviled by man now in this World than be reviled by God in the World to come Mat. 16. it is said The Catholique Church is built upon a Rock And Mat. 18. He who will not believe the Church let him be as a Heathen and Publican This Faith must be establisht so in every one because Christ said He would send the Holy Ghost and he will shew us or them what to do This is the Rule of Faith This Faith was publisht at Rome And St. Paul writing to the Christians there rejoyceth that their Faith was renowned in the whole World Go ye therefore Baptizing all Nations in the Name of the Father And this is the Faith I confess and believe in and which I dye for I come now to speak of the second Virtue which is Hope I hope I shall have such Reward that neither eye hath seen nor ear heard nor can it enter into the heart of man to conceive Those that have Hope shall be as Mount Sion that shall not be removed Those that have firm Hope there 's nothing can disturb them as David faith God is round about those that do hope in him as the Mountains are round about Hierusalem I come to the third Virtue and that is Charity It 's true now this Body of mine in this shipwrack is full of sin but when that shipwrack is over I shall come to inherit that Rock that shall never fail Now welcome shipwrack that makes the Body suffer but brings the Soul to that Haven which is joyful Now many there be that talk much of Charity few understand it and fewer that practise it This is the greatest Virtue 1 Cor. 13. Though ye speak with tongues of Men and Angels and have not Charity it availeth nothing So then we ought to have Love and Charity or else it prevaileth nothing 'T is expected I should say something of the Plot. As to this I shall declare two Points of my Faith First I believe that all are bound to obey the King's Laws Secondly I do declare That those that do break the Law in word or any action or that do act any thing against His Majesties Life that is a Sin unto damnation as much as it was a Sin in Judas to betray Christ An Oath is a taking God to witness and is as much as if he took his Life and Justice to stake So that he who takes a false Oath is guilty of destroying the Life of God and his Justice and of his own Damnation And if I were but guilty of this I do declare That all the Sin of Damnation would fall upon me because I denied the Truth and so struck at God by my Sin in denying the Truth that 's one Damnation A second Damnation is That if any man know of an Evil against His Majesty His Kingdom and Nation and to hide and not discover it he shall answer for those mischiefs that come thereby so that a man would have made and committed as many Sins as there be men in England that had suffered A third Damnation is to dye in this Lye and with this Perjury in his mouth whereby he loses Heaven and all its enjoyments and dies in greater Sins than the Devils themselves Fourthly I should have been guilty of my own Death For that Judge Atkins offered me my Life if I would confess what I knew of the Plot which had I known and not discovered would have made me the cause of my own Death which would have been a fourth Damnation I would have said more but that I gave my Speech to a Friend to be Printed Mr. Sheriff I pray Sir speak on what you have to say and none shall interrupt you Mr. Johnson Now I have no more to do but to make my Address to Almighty God with all the powers of my Soul that I may have his mercy and pardon of my Sins And therefore I beg that all Catholiques who join in union of this same Faith would make an address unto God for me that we may receive pardon for our Sins -I have nothing now but wishes left -I wish I may imitate David in his Repentance and that my eyes may run down with tears because I have not kept God's Law I wish with the Prophet Jeremiah That Rivers of waters may fall from my eyes by reason of sin Lam. 3. 48. But Tears will not be proper for me at this time I have kept my self from them lest by shedding Tears some might say I was unwilling to dye or feared Death But instead of Tears I offer all the Blood in my veins and I wish every drop were an Ocean and I would offer it up to God I wish I might become a man like David I wish I had Mary Magdalens penitential Tears I wish I had her arms to embrace the feet of mercy I wish I had all the graces of Saints and Angels I would offer them all to God for the remission of my sin This is my desire and this I wish for as much as is in me I offer first my Life and I beseech and desire of God to turn his Face from my Sins but not from me I offer up my Life in satisfaction for my Sins and for the Catholick Cause And I beg for those that be mine Enemies in this my Death and I desire to have them forgiven because I go to that world of happiness sooner than I should have gone And I humbly beg Pardon from God and the world And this I beg for the merits and mercy of Jesus Christ I beseech God to bless His Majesty to give Him a long Life a nd a happy Reign in this world and in the world to come I beseech God to bless all my Benefactors and all my Friends and those that have been any way under my charge I beseech God to bless all Catholicks and this Nation and His Majesties Privy Council and grant that they may Act no otherwise than what may be for the glory of God who will bring to light and to judgment all both good and evil Luke 12. So I beseech God that he will give them grace