Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A70694
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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.
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Wall, John, Saint, 1620-1679.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing N205; ESTC R1380
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36,113
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26
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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
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