Precious fruit of Protestantism! And we are still tasting it too. At this very day, although the hirelings are ever boasting of the freedom enjoyed by the Press in this country, an author or a printer is liable to be banished from the kingdom, for writing or printing any thing that may have a TENDENCY to bring the Government into contempt. Sweet blessings of Protestantism! what a tendency they have to preserve the liberty of the subject!-Mr. Carter was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on the 11th of January, 1584.

19. Bennet Canfield, alias Fitch, Priest and Friar.

The real name of this confessor of the Catholic faith was William Fitch, that of Canfield being the place of his birth, which he assumed on entering the religious order he professed. He was brought up to the law in Gray's Inn, and was converted to the Catholic church in an extraordinary manner, as may be seen in his life, printed in 1623. After three years imprisonment in Wisbech castle, he was banished the kingdom with fifteen priests and four laymen.

This year also the Catholic prisoners for their conscience in York castle, upwards of fifty in number, were by orders of the lord Burleigh, then president of the north, once a week dragged by force into the hall of the castle, and there forcibly detained to hear Protestant sermons, preached by the archbishop, and the most eminent of the clergy of that city. This was continued for near twelve months. The behaviour and speeches of the prisoners, upon these occasions, and other remarkable passages that then happened, are set down at large, in a manuscript of about forty chapters, written by the reverend W. Richmont. The issue was, that the preachers, finding their eloquence nothing availed, and that the prisoners either stopped their ears or contradicted their discourses, and could not be silenced, either by their chains or dungeons, at last concluded, after fifty sermons, to let them alone, and gave them no further molestation of this kind.

21. Edward Strancham, and Nicholas Wheeler, alias Woodfen, Priests. Mr. EDWARD STRANCHAM was born at or near Oxford, and educated in St. John's college, in that university, where he took the degree of bachelor of arts in 1575-6. Stow, in his Annals, calls him Edmund Barber, from the name under which he disguised himself upon the mission. Shortly after Mr. Strancham took his degree, he left the college and went over to Douay. He was made a priest at Rheims, to which place the college was translated from Douay, and sent upon the mission on the last day of June, 1581. Mr. Strancham was remarkable for zeal and piety, and was condemned merely for being made a priest abroad. He suffered at Tyburn on the 21st of January, 1586, in company with Mr. Wheeler.

Mr. WHEELER, whose name we have by mistake made Wood, in our calendar, was a native of Leominster in Herefordshire. Stow calls him Devereux, from the name by which he was arraigned and condemned, and he was known at college by the name of Woodfen. This martyr performed his studies at Douay and Rheims, and was made priest at the latter place on the 25th of March, 1581. He was sent on the mission with Mr. Strancham, and after escaping the fangs of the pursuers twice, he at

last fell into their hands, and being tried and convicted for being made a priest abroad, he suffered in company with Mr. Strancham as above.

the morning of the 21st of January, 1642. Having obtained the sheriff's permission, Mr. Green addresed the multitude for the space of half an hour, and amongst other things told them, that if he had as many lives as there were bright stars in the firmament, he would most willingly give them all for this cause. He had, he said, conversed with all sorts of people, having been a priest in England almost forty years, yet none could ever accuse him so much as of a word tending to treason or disloyalty; for he had only laboured to induce strayed souls to return to the faith of the Catholic church. Having finished his discourse, the holy confessor kneeled down and disposed himself for prayer: after which he underwent the law with the utmost fortitude and devotion.

Mr. Rog was born in Suffolk, of a gentleman's family, and was brought up from his infancy in the Protestant religion. After studying the rudiments of education in the country, he was sent to the university of Cambridge, and there for some time applied himself with good success to higher learning. In going to visit some friends at St. Alban's, as Providence would have it, he was there told of a Mr. David, an inhabitant of that town, lately convicted and cast into prison for a Popish

recusant, and was desirous to have some conversation with him, as he entertained an opinion that he should be able to make him sensible of the errors and absurdities of Popery.-To the prison he therefore went, and entered into a discourse with the prisoner upon the subject of religion. Mr. David, though only a mechanic, was pretty well versed in controversy, and maintained his cause with so much good sense and consistency, that our young university student found himself hard pushed, and he, who before was so confident of victory, began to stagger and left the field with confusion. From this time Mr. Roe felt himself unsettled in mind on the score of religion, nor did he gain a settled disposition until he embraced the doctrines of the Catholic church, which he did soon after his memorable contest with Mr. Davis, having conferred previously with several Catholic priests. Feeling an inclination to engage in the sacred ministry, he went abroad, and entered himself a convictor in the English college of Douay, but after some time he removed from thence to Dieulwart in Lorrain, where he took the habit of St. Bennet, and assumed the name of father Alban.-He was soon after sent upon the English mission, but had not been in this country long, before he fell into the hands of the pursuivants in London, and was committed to the new prison, which was then in Maidenlane. At the intercession of the Spanish ambassador, he was released from his confinement, and sent with many other priests into banishment. After spending a few months on the continent, he returned again to England, where he laboured for upwards of two years with indefatigable zeal, when he once more fell into the hands of the enemies of his faith, and was committed to the same prison wherein he first received the light of grace by his conversation with Mr. David before mentioned. Here his confinement was so very strict, that he was near perishing from cold and hunger, but Providence interposed and saved him; for by the means of some friends, he was, after about two months, sent up to town and consigned to the Fleet prison. Here he endured 17 years confinement, during which he was actively employed in gaining souls to God, and at the latter part of this period obtained his liberty. About the beginning of the long persecuting parliament, he was again apprehended, committed to Newgate, and in a few days after was put upon his trial at the Old Bailey. The chief witness against Mr. Roe was a fallen Catholic, whom he had formerly assisted.-He pleaded not guilty, but hesitated at being tried by his country, that is, by the twelve ignorant jurymen, being unwilling that they should be concerned in the shedding of his innocent blood. The judge upon that occasion told Mr. Roe what punishments the law had ordained for such as refused to plead, which he must look for if he persisted to decline being tried by his country, and sent him back to prison, bidding him to think better of it. The next day, having had the advice of some of his brethren and fellow prisoners, he consented to plead, and was found guilty of the new treasonable offence of being a Catholic priest.-After sentence was pronounced, he acknowledged himself to be a priest, but strongly condemned those laws which punished priests with death merely for being so. He also made a proffer to maintain, by disputation in open court, against any opponent whatsoever, the Catholic faith, which he for thirty years had laboured to propagate, and was now about to seal with his blood.

This the judges would give no ear to, but sent Mr. Roe back to prison, not a little astonished at his extraordinary constancy and intrepidity. He was taken to Tyburn in company with Mr. Green, as we have be fore related, and after his companion had addressed the multitude, Mr. Roe obtained leave to say a few words.-"I know," said he to the people, you come here to see me die; my fellow sufferer here hath in a great measure spoke what I would have said. However, I shall repeat the words I used at the bar. I say then, here again, for a man to be put to death for being a priest, this being the most sacred and highest order in the world, is an unjust and tyrannical law.-I say, that law of the 27th of queen Elizabeth, which condemns a man to death for being a priest only, is a wicked, unjust, and tyrannical law; a law not to be found amongst the Turks, or elsewhere in the whole universe, England excepted." Here Mr. Roe was hindered from proceeding by the sheriff, who told him he was there to see justice executed, and could not suffer him to vilify the laws. On this Mr. Roé begged to say a word or two to the sheriff himself, which being granted, he said, "Pray, sir, if I will conform to your religion, and go to church, will you secure me my life !" "That I will," said the sheriff," upon my word; my life for yours if you will but do that." "See, then, said Mr. Roe, turning to the people, "what the crime is for which I am to die, and whether my religion be not the only treason."-Fur ther comment on this proceeding is unnecessary. After the cart was drawn away, and whilst he was hanging, Mr. Roe was observed to hold his hands for some time before his breast, and thrice separating them a little, to join them again, as one employed in prayer.

21. Twenty-one Priests and Confessors.

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Stow, in his Annals, says, "On the 21st of January, jesuits, seminaries, and other massing priests, to the number of twenty-one, late prisoners in the Tower of London, Marshalsea, and King's Bench, were shipped off at the Tower-wharf, to be carried towards France, and banished this realm for ever, by virtue of a commission from her Majesty, bearing date the 15th of the same month, anno 1585. Dr. Challoner says, that one of this number was only a lay gentleman. Besides these confessors of the old faith there were no less than 49 other priests b nished the kingdom in this year, solely on account of their religion.— The names of the twenty-one above mentioned were, Jasper Haywood, S. J; James Bosgrave, S. J-John Hart, B. D. and Edward Rushton, who were condemned at the same time with father Campion and his companions; John Colleton or Collington, acquitted at that time, yet kept in prison till the present year; Arthur Pitts, afterwards dean of Liverdun; Samuel Conyers, William Cedder, William Warmington, and Richard Slack; William Hartley, Robert Nutter, and William Deanthese three were afterwards executed for their priestly character, William Bishop, afterwards bishop of Chalcedon; Thomas Worthington, who, after cardinal Allen and Dr. Barrett, was the third president of Douay college; Richard Norris, Thomas Stevenson, Christopher Thompson, John Barnes, and William Smith; and Mr. Orton, a lay gentleman condemned with father Campion.

22, William Patenson, Priest.

WILLIAM PATENSON, or Pattenson, was a native of the bishopric of Durham, and an alumnus and priest of Douay college, during its residence at Rheims. He was ordained in 1587, and sent upon the English mission in 1589. Falling into the hands of the persecutors, he was prosecuted and condemned to die, as in cases of high treason, merely upon account of his priestly charaeter and functions. This holy man, the night before his execution, was put down into the condemned hole, with seven malefactors, who were all to suffer on the next day; and being more concerned for their eternal salvation, than his own temporal life, he so movingly preached to them repentance for their sins, and a sincere conversion to God and his church, that six of the seven were reconciled by him; and on the next morning, professed themselves determined to die in the Catholic faith, as they did, with great marks of repentance for their past crimes, and a willingness to suffer that ignominious death in satisfaction for them. The persecutors were so enraged at this, that they treated Mr. Patenson, on this account, with more than ordinary cruelty, causing him to be cut down immediately, and butchered whilst he was alive, and in his perfect senses. He suffered at Tyburn, January 22, 1591-2.

24. William Ireland, Priest, S. J.-Thomas Pickering, Lay-brother, O. S. B ̧ and John Grove, Layman.

[By mistake, Mr Pickering's name was omitted in our Calendar, p. 9.] WILLIAM IRELAND, alias Ironmonger, was born of a gentleman's family in Lincolnshire, and brought up at the Jesuit's college of St. Omers, which he entered at the age of nineteen, on the 7th of September, 1655. He had an uncle killed in the service of Charles I. and his relations, the Giffards and the Pendrells, were instrumental in saving his son, Charles II. after the fatal battle of Worcester. Mr. Ireland had the character of a man of extraordinary piety and regularity, and a wonderful evenness of mind in all events. He was sent upon the English mission in the year 1677, and was apprehended upon the first breaking out of Oates's Plot. As this mock but fatal conspiracy for Catholics forme an important period of English history, we shall not be censured, we feel certain, if we here give a brief statement of the particulars of this infernal machination, and the character of the diabolical actors therein.

BRIEF ACCOUNT OF OATES'S OR THE POPISH PLOT.

The chief contriver of this plot was the earl of Shaftesbury, and the motive was hatred to the Stuart family and the Catholic religion. It was well known that the king owed his life to Catholic guides and protectors, and having spent a great part of his exile amongst the professors of that religion, it was natural that he could not be averse to his English Catholic subjects. His brother James, then duke of York, had lately become an open professor of the Catholic faith, having been converted by reading Dr. Heylin's History of the Reformation, as was also his duchess, then dead. The nation had been terrified with rereports of plots, assassinations, forgeries, and the like, attributed to the Catholics, and eleven years preceding this satanic plan to blast and extir