manded his head to be struck off. dom on the 20th of November, in twenty-ninth of his age; the circumstances of which St. Dunstan learned from one who was armour-bearer to the saint and an eye-witness. The place was then called Henglesdun, now Hoxon or Hoxne; a priory of monks was afterwards built there, which bore the name of the martyr. The saint's head was carried by the infidels into a wood, and thrown into a brake of bushes, but miraculously found by a pillar of light, and deposited with the body at Hoxon. These sacred remains were very soon after conveyed to Bedricksworth, or Kingston, now called St. Edmundsbury, because this place was St. Edmund's own town and private patrimony, not on account of his burial; for Bury in the English Saxon language signified a court or palace." This sovereign of unparalleled piety, humility, meekness, and other virtues, has been supplanted in Fox's calendar by an obscure individual, distinguished only by his abuse against the ancient faith of England, under which the people were so free and happy.

Another Catholic saint we shall place before the reader is St. Homobonus, a merchant of Cremona, whose festival is celebrated on the 13th of the month. Sanctity is attainable in all states of life, for heaven has been furnished with saints of all lawful secular professions, that the slothful may be without excuse. We do not object to the individuals canonized by Fox, because they were almost all of them of the lowest class of society, but because they had not those virtues necessary to constitute holiness of life. Homobonus's parents trained him up in the practice of every virtue while they instructed him in the mercantile business. This virtuous education made him look upon his calling as an employment given him by God, and he pursued it with diligence upon the motives of obedience to the divine law, and of justice to himself, his

family, and to the commonwealth, of which he thus approved himself an useful member. Such should be the disposition of every man engaged in worldly pursuits. "Both religion and the law of nature," says the Rev. Alban Butler, in concluding the life of this saint, "dictate that no man is to be idle or useless in the republic of the world. Man is born to labour and industry. Our capacities, on one side, and on the other, our necessities and wants, urge us to it: and this we owe to human society. For it is not just that he who contributes nothing to its support, should, like a drone, be feasted and maintained by the labours of others. A circle of amusements and pleasures cannot be the life of a rational being, much less of a Christian. A gentleman who applies not himself with earnestness to some serious employment, finds his very life a burden, and is a stranger to the obligations of his state, and to all true enjoyment. A man is never more happy than when he is most earnestly and commendably employed; the activity of his soul is a fire which must be exercised. Hence business is necessary for man's temporal happiness; and the situation of the working and trading part of mankind is more happy than most are sensible of. It is still more necessary to a moral or Christian life. Trades which minister to sin are always unlawful: others are honourable and commendable, in proportion as they contribute to the comfort and welfare of mankind, and as they concur to supply the wants and necessities of our species, or to promote virtue. Religion teaches men to sanctify them by motives of piety, and to refer them to God, and the great ends for which only we are created. Every one's secular calling indeed is a part of religion, if thus directed by its influence; and no spiritual duties can ever excuse a neglect of it. Arts and trades, which immediately administer to corporal necessities, have not indeed in themselves any direct tendency to the improvement of reason or production of virtue; though, if they are consecrated by principles of religion, become acceptable sacrifices to God. For this they must be accompanied with the exercise of all virtues, especially humility, meekness, patience, charity, confidence in God, and self-resignation, which prevents anxiety, and those fears to which the uncertainty of human things expose men. Without self-consideration, prayer, and pious reading or meditation, it is impossible that a man should be really possessed of these virtues, how finely soever he may talk of them, by way of notion or speculation. It is also by prayer and holy meditation that he pays to God the homage of praise and compunction, and improves himself as a rational or spiritual being, and as a Christian. Every one, therefore, must, in the first place, reserve time for these employments, even preferably to all others, if any should seem incompatible. But who cannot find time for pleasures and conversation? Sure then he may for prayer. By this even a man's secular life and employs will become spiritual and holy." Following these maxims, Homobonus was honoured in life and blessed in his death, while his memory is celebrated by the Catholic church; but Fox has thought proper to put in his room an illiterate artificer, whose conduct was in complete opposition to the maxims laid down above, but, dying in prison at Canterbury, must be ranked as a Protestant confessor.

Among other saints displaced by Fox to make room for his Protestant martyrs, will be found St. Clement, who was the scholar of the great

apostles, SS. Peter and Paul, and is mentioned by the latter in one of his epistles, which form a part of the new testament. St. Peter, the renowned bishop of Alexandria, who was the first to excommunicate the heresiarch Arius, for broaching new opinions against the divinity of Christ. St. Cecily, a noble virgin of Rome, who suffered martyrdom for the Christian faith, and is esteemed the patroness of music. St. Colum ban, a renowned monk of Scotland, and the founder of many monasteries; and St. Lawrence, archbishop of Dublin, who assisted at the third general council of Lateran, and was remarkable for his saintly deport ment and apostolic zeal.

CATHOLIC MARTYRS, &c. UNDER PROTESTANT LAWS,

IN THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER.

2. John Body, A. M.

Mr. Body was born in the city of Wells, in Somersetshire; his father was a wealthy merchant there, and had been mayor of the city. He was brought up at New college, Oxford, where he took his degree of master of arts, and for some time studied the canon and civil law; but not liking the established religion, he went over to Douay college (the common refuge, in those days, of such as left England for the Catholic cause), where he arrived on the 1st of May, 1577, and was for some time a student there. After his return to England he was very zealous in maintaining the old religion, and on that account was apprehended, tried, and condemned, upon the article of supremacy, at Winchester assizes, together with Mr. Slade, whose death we have recorded on the 30th of the preceding month. Mr. Body was executed at Andover on the 2d of November, 1583. As he was drawn along the streets on a hurdle, his head being in danger of being hurt by the stones, an honest old man, pitying him, offered him his cap, in part to save his head, which Mr. Body, with thanks, refused; adding withal," that he was just now going to give his head, life and all, for his Saviour's sake." Mr. Kingsmel having called upon him at the gallows to confess the crime for which he was condemned, that the people might know the cause for which he died, Mr. Body, after he had professed his obedience and fidelity to the queen in all civil matters, spoke thus to the people: "Be it known," said he, to all you that are here present, that I suffer this day because I deny the queen to be the supreme head of the church of Christ in England. I never committed any other treason, unless they will have hearing mass, or saying the Hail Mary, to be treason." His mother, hearing afterwards of her son's happy death, made a great feast upon that occasion, to which she invited her neighbours, rejoicing at his death as his marriage, by which his soul was happily and eternally espoused to the lamb.

9. George Nappier, Priest.

Mr. Nappier was born in Oxford, and there performed his grammar studies. From thence he passed over to Douay, and became a student in the English college there. Having concluded his studies, he received priestly orders in 1596, resided for some time in Antwerp, and from

thence he came to England in 1603, being the first year of James's reign. In July, 1610, he fell into the hands of the persecutors, and was committed to Oxford gaol. The assizes commencing soon after, he was brought to the bar, and tried before Mr. justice Crook, upon an indictment of high treason, for taking priestly orders by authority derived from Rome, and remaining in England contrary to the laws. The judge asked him whether he was a priest? The prisoner answered, "If he was such, the law did not compel him to discover himself; but if, my lord," says he, " you have witnesses to prove me a priest, let them be called." Once more the judge said to him, "Will you deny that you are a priest?" Mr. Nappier replied, "if any man will prove me in orders, let the court produce him, and then, my lord, I shall submit to the. penalty of the law." The judge then directed his discourse to the jury in these or the like words :- Gentlemen, you hear the prisoner will not deny himself to be a priest, and therefore you may certainly believe that he is a priest. For my part, if he will but here say that he is no priest, I will believe him. But, indeed, these instruments of his priestly functions (the oil boxes) do plainly shew him to be in orders, and therefore you have evidence sufficient that he is guilty of the indictment." Upon which the prisoner was brought in guilty by the jury.

His relations made great interest to obtain a reprieve for him, and his execution was respited till the month of November, and, probably speaking, had not some back friends, more especially the vice chancellor of Oxford, and some others, interposed, his reprieve might have been continued from time to time, and he either transported, or permitted to languish away his life in durance, as many others had done before him. But two faults he was guilty of, which, according to the divinity of these men, were crimes unpardonable. There was a poor wretch tried at the same assizes for felony, and found guilty, whose name was Falkner.— Some few days before his execution he was reconciled by Mr. Nappier, and had all the helps that a dying man could expect, as far as circumstances of time and place would allow. In short, at the gallows the matter was discovered, the poor man declared himself a Catholic, abjured the errors of his former religion, as well as begged pardon of God, and of all the world, for the sins of his past life, and, with great appearances of repentance, and a devout behaviour, submitted himself to the executioner.

The people stormed; the ministers threw all the blame upon the condemned priest, made a heavy rout, called for justice, and went strait away to Abington, to make complaint to the judges. The high, sheriff and the vice-chancellor were ordered to examine into the fact, and lay before their lordships a true account of the whole proceedings, with the names of the persons concerned in the perversion of this poor fellow.Mr. Nappier was sent for to Christ Church, and strictly examined by the vice-chancellor and the high sheriff about the whole affair. To these he gave this fair account; that he had no discourse nor acquaintance with Falkner till they had both received sentence of death, and he was removed from his former chamber to the condemned hole, where he found the said Falkner, "Here he applied to me (said Mr. Nappier) for my advice and instruction how to make a happy end and save his soul. I was glad of the opportunity, encouraged him in his good resolutions,

and on my part endeavoured by all means to improve these pious motions of the Holy Spirit, in order to bring him to a true repentance and confession of his sins." In a word, Mr. Nappier told him, without more ado, that he was the person whom God was pleased to make use of for reconciling the poor wretch to him and his church, and that as he was the only person concerned, he desired that no other might be questioned or troubled about it.

The high sheriff and vice-chancellor gave him to understand that they were to lay this whole matter before the judges, who were highly displeased with what they had already heard, and that as soon as they had received this farther confirmation, by his owning the fact before them, they persuaded themselves it would put a stop to the reprieve, and basten his execution. "Their will be done," said Mr. Nappier, "I did nothing but what I thought a strict duty; and so far am I from repining anyways at what is done, that, if you please, Mr. Vice-chancellor, with my hearty commendations to my good lord judges, you may assure them, that if they will come back to Oxford and give me the same opportunity, I will do as much for their lordships."

The vice-chancellor asked him, whether he would take the oath of allegiance? He told him with all his heart, as far as it related to the obedience due to prinees in temporals only, and would acknowledge upon oath, if he pleased, that king James was his liege sovereign, and that he was vested with as much authority over all his subjects, Catholics as well as Protestants, as any of his predecessors whatsoever. They insisted upon his taking the oath of allegiance as set forth in the act of parliament, and upon this condition said his life should be saved.

It was soon after noised about that Mr. Nappier was to be executed in a few days. However, nothing was done till the return of the judges from their circuits. Then, indeed, judge Crook (as the report then went) managed matters in such sort with the council, that a warrant was sent to the high sheriff for the exécution of the prisoner. But here, by the unwearied endeavours of his relations, his majesty was again pe titioned, and another short reprieve was obtained till the 9th of No! vember, upon condition, that in the interim he should confer with the vice-chancellor, and other learned divines. The vice chancellor happening to be at London during most of the time, Dr. Hammond and the pro-proctor had instructions to confer with Mr. Nappier upon the subject of the oath of allegiance, &c. And it is said of him, that these conferences were managed with so much calmness, humility, and candour, on the part of the prisoner, that these gentlemen were not a little moved with his meek and modest behaviour, and made their report in such favourable terms, as plainly shewed their great unwillingness to have him suffer. Some few days before the expiration of the reprieve, the vice-chancellor returning, sent again to have the prisoner brought before him, and interrogated him upon the old chapter, was he yet disposed to take the oath of allegiance? The prisoner offered him a draft of an oath of fidelity, which he was ready to take. But the vice-chancellor told him in plain terms, that nothing would satisfy but the parliamentary oath.— If he would take this, he would use his best endeavours to save him, and not otherwise. The discourse was renewed the next day, with the same effect, and he was accordingly ordered for immediate execution.