ENGLANDS Warning-Peece OR The HISTORY of THE Gun-powder Treason Inlarged with some Notable Passages not heretofore Published Whereunto is Annexed The ACT of PARLIAMENT for Publick Thanksgiving upon the Fifth day of November yearly By T. S. They conceive mischeif and bring forth vanity Job 15.35 Who so is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord Psal 107 43. London Printed by T. N. for Tho. Pierrepont at the Sun in Pauls Churchyard 1659. TO The Courteous Reader AS time doth weare out the remembrance of actions most famous and worthy of marke so Historie the message of antiquitie doth bring back time with the wonderfull workes thereof to the knowledge of Posterity both for delight and benefit The memorial of this most prodigious Conspiracie which never had any fellow being almost obliterated and forgotten in many places of the land may be renewed revived and presented to succeeding generations by the use of this little Storie Little Books are fittest for little purses Such a one as this whose price I hope will never give just cause of repentance to the discreet buyer All that I desire by it is that the great preserver of man may have everlasting glory and our Nation his everlasting Protection Farewell Your Friend Tho. Spencer Englands Warning-peece OR The Historie of the Gunpowder Treason enlarged with some notable passages not heretofore published MAny and sundry were the Plots and Attempts of Treason against our most gracious Soveraign Queen Elizabeth of famous and ever blessed memorie Pope Pius the sifth cursed her and therefore Parrie and Savage would have stabbed her Somervil and Arderne would have killed her Squire Lopez the Jew would have poysoned her but they did all faile of their purposes for God Almighty blessed her and made her raign long and prosperous maugre the malice of all her Enemies both at home and abroad When the Pope and his welbeloved Sons falsely called Catholicks but truly Papists saw that no sorcerie could prevaile against her they did then cast about how they might serve their own turne and promote their own cause by her Majesties immediate Successor To this end Pope Clement the eight a little before her death sent two Bulls or Letters into England one after another wherein he did forbid any man to claim the Crown and take upon him the Rule and Government of the English Nation that would not conforme himself to the Church of Rome acknowledge the Supremacie of her head the Pope and stoop to his lure yea death was to be endured by his beloved Sons rather then such a one should be admitted that would tolerate any of the Protestant Religion And to debarr the King of Scotland of his right of succession he did liberally bestow upon him the disgraceful names of a Heretick a Schismatick an Apostate another Julian Such were the terrible words of his thunder Much about this time Robert Parsons the Jesuit wrote a Book of honorable descents and put it forth under the name of Dolmax wherein he did intitle the King of Spain to the Crown of England as being descended from Katharine the Daughter of John of Caunt Duke of Lancaster the fourth Son of our King Edward the third who was married to Henry the third King of Castile and Leon. And in another book he saith His Philopater Sect. 2 That it is the opinion both of Divines Lawyers That if any Christian Prince shal fall from the Catholick Religion and seek to draw others from the same he doth presently fall from all princely power and dignity Visib Monar lib. 2. cap. 4 And Sanders another bird of the same wing saith That the King that wil not submit himself to the authority of the Pope ought not to be tolerated but his Subjects ought to chuse another in his place assoon as may be These diplomatical and Jesuitical writings gave life and beginning to the greatest the rarest the vilest Treason that ever was invented plotted attempted against Prince and People famous throughout the world for the horrible infamy thereof the eternal shame of Poperie as shal be shewed in the course of our Historie Upon the soure and twentieth day of March in the year of our Lord One Thousand six hundred and two Queen Elizabeth a Princess full of happy daies but fuller of immortal Trophees of honor did change her corruptible Crown in this World for an incorruptible in Heaven and within four hours after her decease by the grave and wise Councel that she left behind her James the sixt of Scotland was Proclaimed King of England and Ireland at the Court-gate at Richmond which did much rejoyce the hearts of the godly people in England when they heard of it And in the sweet and pleasant moneth of May his Majesty made a safe arrival at London where he was received with great joy and acclamation The Princes of Europe did stand amazed and wondred when they heard that his Majesty had gotten the possession of two Kingdoms without the shedding of a drop of blood Many of them sent their Ambassadors and the King of Denmark who was brother to his Wife the Queen came in his own person to congratulate the greatness of his fortunes It was now a rare sight in London to see two Kings walke peaceably together in the streets His Majesty for some reasons did deferr his Coronation untill the twenty fifth of July In the meane while some turbulent and discontented spirits plotted a conspiracy and purposed to surprise the King and Prince Henry his eldest Son being instigated and perswaded thereunto by Watson and Clarke two Popish Priests who told them that the Act was lawfull for that the King was no King before he was Crowned The other persons of note involved in this Treason were Thomas Lord Grey of Wilton Henry Brooke Lord Cobham Sir Griffin Markham Sir Walter Rawleigh Sir Edward Parham George Broâ—ke Brother to the Lord Cobham Bartholomew Brookesly and Anthony Copley All which were indited Sir Edward Parham was acquitted by the Jury the rest were found guilty and condemned George Brooke and Watson and Clarke the two Priests were executed All the rest were graciously pardoned by his Majesty at which example of mercy the condemned wished that they might sacrifice their lives to gain the love and favor of so merciful a Prince But clemency to offenders makes men bold to offend One Treason is past and a greater follows at the heeles thereof For in the same yeer the old Serpent the Devil doth put it into the heart of Robert Catesby of Ashby in the County of Leicester Esquire to destroy the King with Gunpowder by blowing up the Parliament house when his Majesty the Queen the Prince the Duke the choycest of the Nobility and Gentry were there assembled for doing the turne most proper to their places and degrees And this damnable device he did maintain to be holy and lawful upon this ground of reason That if
I was shot into the shoulder which lost me the use of mine Arme the next shot was the elder Wright stricken dead after him the younger Master Wright and fourthly Ambrose Rookwood Then said Master Catesby to me standing before the dore they were to enter stand by me Tom and we will die together Sir quoth I I have lost the use of my right Arme and I feare that will cause me to be taken So as we stood close together Master Catesby Master Percy and my self they two were shot as far as I could guess with one Bullet and then the company entred upon me hurt me in the Belly with a Pike and gave me other wounds untill one came behind and caught hold of both mine armes And so Iremaine yours c. Commiss Edward Somerset Earle of Worcester Charles Earle of Notingham Lord Admiral Thomas Earle of Suffolke Lord Chamberlaine Charles Earle of Devonshire Lord Deputy of Ireland Henry Earle of Northampton Lord Privie Seale Robert Earle of Salisbury Principal Secretary John Erskeine Earle of Marre and Garioth William Constable Viscount Dunbar Sir John Popham Lord Chief Justice Sir Edward Cooke Atturney General Sir William Waad Lievtenant of the Tower The names of those that were first in the Treason and laboured in the Myne Robert Catesby Esquires Robert Winter Esquires Thomas Percy Gentlemen Thomas Winter Gentlemen John Wright Gentlemen Christopher Wright Gentlemen Guido Fawkes And Bates Catesbies man The names of those that were made acquainted with it though not personally labouring in the Myne nor in the Cellar Everard Digby Knight Ambrose Rookwood Esquires Francis Tresham Esquires Stephen Littleton Esquires John Grant Gent. Robert Keyes Gent. Sir Everad Digby and some others of the chiefest were executed in Pauls-Church-yard The Names of those that did rise in Rebellion with them and also of those that did harbor and releeve some of them contrary to the Kings Proclamations posted down into the Country Lodow. Grant Gent. Executed at Warwi H. Morgan Gent. Executed at Warwi John Winter Gent. Executed at Worcester Hum. Littleton Gent. Executed at Worcester Perks of Hagley and Burford his man Executed at Worcester Smart and lihead Executed at Stafford For harboring and releeving Robert Winter and Stephen Littleton at West-Bramwich before they fled to Hagley When these monstrous offenders were made examples of famous and honorable justice the King and the Parliament took special care to find out such Popish Divines as gave Counsel and countenance to this unheard of villany For it is proper to all the Treasons attempted in England to have some Romish Priest or Jesuite in the practice The Devill who was a Murtherer from the beginning will evermore make choice of the fittest instruments that may be for the bringing of his cursed and cruel designes into action Not the dull Asse not the heavy Oxe not the silly sheep but the subtile serpent must help to set forward his work of temptation Many of these Incendiaries inspired by the powers of darkness with a transcendent rage against the State being chased with the guiltiness of their own consciencies fled from their triall into forraine Countries for their better safety Father Creswell puting himself into the habit of a Merchant took shipping at Bristol and wafted into Spaine where he had been leiger Jesuite a little before and came into England at this time to beare his part with the rest of his society in a victoral song or song of thanksgiving for the extirpation and rooting out of those who do worship God after that way which they call Heresie But Garnet and Oldcerne two of the principal were apprehended at Henlip in the County of Worcester in Mr Abingtons house where they were immured and closed up in a stack of Chymnies the way or passage into the Cave or Vault where they lay was in an upper room or chamber by taking up the half pace before the hearth whose wooden border was made like to a trap-door to pluck up and let down and then the bricks were laid in their courses and order again Such holes have these Foxes made for their hiding places Upon their examination and confession of their own guiltiness of their foreknowledge and concealment of this so detestable a Treason they did both suffer condigne punishment and Garnet whose Authority was great and Reverend with Catesby and the rest of the Arch. Traytors was executed in Pauls-Church-yard upon the third of May next ensuing the discovery of the Plot. He was a man saith the Un-Jesuited Cardinal incomparable for learning of all kindes but surely had he had less learning and more grace he would never have had a hand in so foul a business As for the gentle hearted Jesuite Parsons who had dipt his pen in gall against our most renowned Queen Elizabeth he always kept himself without the reach and jerke of the rod of Justice and dyed shortly after at Rome in that old House which was converted to a New-Colledge by Pope Gregory the thirteenth as we have said before whereof he was Rector much grieved no doubt for that their holy Enterprize did so miscarrie And Owen brother to Owen of Godstow by Oxford succeeded him in that place and to him succeeded Fitz-Herbert But Baldwine who was of the Councel of this horrible Treason whiles he lurked in the Low-Countries was many years after apprehended at Basil in Switzerland as he was going up into Italy and being brought into England and falling into the hands of a mercifull Prince found more favor then he deserved For by the means and mediation of Don Gondomar the Spanish Ambassador an honorable Spy the King granted him his pardon And the Ambassador with all his train went to the prison and with great veneration brought him forth and set him at liberty which made the account of his Ambassage the more acceptable to the Duke of Lerma President of the grand Counsel of Spain when he returned home We have now seen how much was wrought to have turned the Parliament-House into a Slaughter-house to have brought our Nation under the calamity of Antichristian servitude and once more to have clapt the Popes Saddle upon Englands back which if God Almighty had suffered for our sins to have been brought to pass then might our neighbors of the Reformed Churches beyond the Seas have said and that truly that the Divel did ride us Notwithstanding the greatness of this Treason so great as no history can equal yet some of the Traytors viler then the earth See King James his premonition pag. 6. and his Apology pag. 78. at the time of their death would not ask God or King forgiveness nor acknowledg that they had done any fault unless the Church of Rome should first condemn it as if Treason were no Treason and Murder were no Murder unless the Church of Rome judg it to be so Never was there any Sect or sort of people in the World neither Turk nor Jew nor Infidel no not those of Calicute which
remarkable date by reason of this monstrous and never enough abhorred Treason This long time between the first and the second Session of the Parliament gave good leisure and liberty to those of the Conspiracy not only to make a large provision of Powder Fagots Billets Barres and whatsoever else they thought necessarie for the execution of their devilish device but also to travell into forraine Countries to visit their Friends and welwishers and to sollicite them for their aid and best assistance when need should require it Winter makes a journey to Valladolit in Castile and Fawkes returnes into Flanders to consult with Sir William Stanley and the rest and then goes over the Alpes to Rome to obtain the blessing of Pope Paul the sift and to take the Counsel of Father Parsons a bitter enemy to his own Country In the latter end of the Summer preceding their intended fatal sift of November they returne back into England and doe finde their Diabolical machination in a safe and secure condition The time for the sitting of the Parliament doth now begin to draw nigh and the Nobility and Gentry that had places in that high Court did make preparation to come up to London The conspirators likewise did make all the preparation they could to give them the blow even that blow that should have been the common ruine of us all Cursed may it be called or blessed or both cursed in respect of the intent but blessed for ever in respect of the event For when we were white for their harvest and ready to be cut down by them then even then did the Almighty by his gracious Providence bring to light and discoverie this infernal and prodigious Plot as shall be shewed in the next part of the History wherein I will follow the Original Carleton and Speed as others have done before me The Saturday of the week immediatly preceding the Kings return from his hunting exercise at Royston which was upon a Thursday ten daies before the Parliament the Lord Montegle Son and Heire to the Lord Morley being in his own lodging ready to goe to supper at seaven of the Clock at night one of his footmen whom he had sent of an errand over the street was met by an unknown Man of a reasonable tall personage who delivered him a Letter charging him to put it in my Lord his Masters hands which my Lord no sooner received but having broken it up and perceiving the same to be of an unknown and somewhat unlegible hand and without either date or subscription did call one of his men unto him for helping him to read it But no sooner did he conceive the strange contents thereof although he was somewhat perplexed what construction to make of it as whether of a matter of consequence as indeed it was or whether some foolish devised pasquil by some of his Enemies to scare him from his attendance at the Parliament yet did he as a most dutiful and loyal Subject conclude not to conceale it what ever might come of it Whereupon notwithstanding the lateness and darkeness of the night in that season of the yeare he presently repaired to his Majesties Palace at Whitehall and there delivered the same to the Earle of Salisbury his Majesties principal Secretary Whereupon the said Earle of Salisbury having read the Letter and heard the manner of the coming of it to his hands did greatly encourage and commend my Lord for his discretion telling him plainly that whatsoever the purpose of the Letter might prove hereafter yet did this accident put him in minde of diverse advertisements he had received from beyond the Seas wherewith he had acquainted aswell the King himself as divers of his Privy Counsellors concerning some business the Papists were in both at home and abroad making preparations for some combination amongst them against this Parliament time for enabling them to deliver to the King some Petition for toleration of Religion which should be delivered in some such order and so well backed as the King should be loth to refuse their requests like the sturdy Beggars craving almes with one open hand but carrying a stone in the other in case of refusal And therefore did the Earle of Salisbury conclude with the Lord Montegle that he would in regard of the Kings absence impart the same Letter to some more of his Majesties Councell whereof my Lord Mountegle liked well only added this by way of protestation that whatsoever the event hereof might prove it should not be imputed to him as proceeding from too light and too suddain an apprehension that he delivered this Letter being only moved thereunto for demonstration of his ready devotion and care for preservation of his Majesty and the State And thus did the Earle of Salisbury presently acquaint the Lord Chamberlaine with the said Letter Whereupon they two in the presence of the Lord Mountegle calling to minde the former intelligence already mentioned which seemed to have some relation with this Letter The tender care which they ever carried to the preservation of his Majesties person made them apprehend that some perillous attempt did thereby appear to be intended against the same which did the more neerly concern the said Lord Chamberlain to have a care of in regard that it doth belong to the charge of his Office to oversee aswell all places of Assemblie where his Majesty is to repair as his Highness own private houses And therefore did the said two Counsellors conclude that they should joyn unto themselves three more of the Council to wit the Lord Admiral the Earles of Worcester and Northampton to be also particularly acquainted with this accident who having all of them concurred together to the reexamination of the contents of the said Letter they did cenclude that how slight a matter it might at the first appear to be yet was it not absolutely to be contemned in respect of the care which it behooved them to have of the preservation of his Majesties person But yet resolved for two reasons first to acquaint the King himself with the same before they proceeded to any further Inquisition in the matter aswell for the expectation and experience they had of his Majesties fortunate Judgment in cleering and solving of obscure riddles and doubtful mysteries as also because the more time would in the mean while be given for the practice to ripen if any was whereby the discovery might be the more cleer and evident and the ground of proceeding there upon more safe just and easie And so according to their determination The Letter shewed to the King did the said Earle of Salisbury repair to the King in his Gallery upon Friday being Alhollow day in the afternoon which was the day after his Majesties arrival and none but himself being present with his Highness at that time where without any other speech or judgement given of the Letter but only relating simplie the forme of the delivery thereof he presented it
matter as doth appear by his depositions immediatly following The true Copy of the Depositions of Guido Fawkes taken in the presence of the Counsellors whose names are under written I confess that a practice in general was first broken unto me against his Majesty for releif of the Catholick canse and not invented or propounded by my self And this was first propounded unto me about Easter last was twelve moneth beyond the Seas in the Low Countries of the Archdukes obeisance by Thomas Winter who came thereupon with me into England and there we imparted our purpose to three other Gentlemen more namely Robert Catesby Thomas Peter and John Wright who all five consulting together of the means how to excute the same and taking a vow among our selves for secreâ—â—e Catesby pro pounded to have it performed by Gunpowder and by making a Myne under the upper-house of Parliament which place we made choice of the rather because Religion having been unjustly suppressed there it was fittest that Justioce and Punishment should be executed there This being resolved amongst us Thomas Percy hired and house at Westminster for that purpose near adjoyning to the Parliament house and there we begun to make our Myne about the eleventh of December 1604. The five that first entred into the work were Thomas Percy Robert Catesby Thomas Winter John Wright and my self and soon after me took another unto us Christopher Wright having sworn him also and taken the Sacrament for secresie When we came to the every foundation of the wall of the house which was about three yards thick and found it a matter of great difficulty we took unto us another Gentleman Robert Winter in like manner with Oath and Sacrament as aforesaid It was about Christmas when we brought our Myne unto the Wall and about Candlemas we had wrought the Wall half through And whilst they were in working I stood as Sentinell to discry any man that came neer whereof I gave them warning and so they ceased untill I gave notice again to proceed All we seven lay in the house and had shot and Powder being resolved to die in that place before we should yeeld or be taken As they were working upon the Wall they heard a rushing in a Cellar of removing of Coales whereupon we feared we had been discovered and they sent to go to the Cellar who finding that the Coales were a selling and that the Cellar was to be let viewing the commodity thereof for our purpose Percy went and hired the same for yeerly rent We had before this provided and brought into the house twenty Barrels of Powder which we removed into the Cellar and covered the same with Billet and Fagots which were provided for that purpose About Easter the Parliament being prorogued till October next we dispersed our selves and I returned into the Low Countries by advice and direction of the rest aswell to acquaint Owen with the Particulars of the plot as also least by my longer stay I might have grown suspitious and so have come in question In the mean time Percy having the Key of the Cellar laid in more Powder and Wood into it I returned about the beginning of September next and then receiving the Key again of Percy we brought in more Powder and Billers 〈◊〉 cover the same again and so I went fer a time into the Country till the 30 of October It was further resolved amongst us that the fame day that this Act should have been performed some other of our confederates should have surprised the person of the Lady Elizabeth the Kings eldest Daughter who was kept in Warwickshire at the Lord Haringtons house and presently have proclaimed her Queen having a project of a Proclamation ready for that purpose wherein we made no mention of alteration of Religion nor would have we avowed the deed to beours untill we should have had power enough to make our party good and then we would have avowed both Concerning Duke Charles the Kings second Son we had sundry consultations how to seise on his person But because we found no means how to compass it the Duke being kept neer London where we had not forces enough we resolved to serve our turne with the Lady Elizabeth Commiss Edward Somer set Earle of Worcester Charles Howard Earle of Notingham Thomas Howard Earle of Suffolke Charles Blont Earle of Devonshire Henry Howard Earle of Northampton Robert Cicil Earle of Salisbury Lord Treasurer John Erskeine Earle of Marre William Constable Viscount Dunbar Sir Fohn Popham Sir Edward Cook Sir William Waad But here let us leave Fawkes in a lodging fit for such a guest and taking time to advise upon his conscience and turne our selves to that part of the History which concernes the fortune of the rest of his partakers in this abominable Treason The news was no soouer spread abroad that morning which was upon a Tuesday the fifth of November and the first day designed for that Session of Parliament but some of those conspirators namely Winter and the two Wrights brothers thought it high time to hasten out of the Town for Catesby was gone the night before and Percy at foure of the Clock in the morning the same day of the discovery and all of them held their course with more haste then good speed to Dunchurch upon Dun more in the County of Warwick where Sir Everard Digby and his complices had appointed a match of Hunting that under pretence of that sport they might come together without any suspition though his minde was Nimrod-like more bent upon the blood of reasonable men then brute beasts For when the terrible blow had been given at the Parliament house whereby the King and all the issue Male of the Seed Royal had been destroyed their purpose was to surprize the person of the Lady Elizabeth the Kings eldest Daughter who kept her residence at Combe the Lord Harringtons house by Coventry to proclaim her Queen to provide an Husband for her some Prince of the Popish prosession the Castilian was most likely to have the refusal for to him at this time they were much devoted and so England might have been made a province to Spain Notwith standing all their care to take a solemn Oath receive the blessed Sacrament for the observation of secresie yet asthe day appointed for the execution of their barbarous cruelty did draw nigh so did the knowlede thereofencrease among the common fort of their own faction who did measure their joy by their hopes of good success For upon this Tuesday morning early the Papists of Rowington came to Warwick to Ring the Bells and when Master Themas Hall the reverend Pastor of the Church heard who they were that were ringing he gave command that the Bells should cease saying that their meaning was Popish and superstitious but within two daies he sound it to be proditorious and merciless Let not any man sing a triumph before the victory least he be brought to his Pâ—linody or