the past year, therefore of no force, and no ways procured from Rome by Mr. Maine, but bought at a bookseller's shop at Douay, out of curiosity to see the form of it, it was very certain that the case was quite foreign, both to the intent and to the words of the statute. Yet judge Manhood, who behaved himself very partially in the whole trial, directed the jury to bring him in guilty of the indictment, alleging, "that where plain proofs were wanting, strong presumptions ought to take place;" of which, according to his logic, they had a good store in the cause in hand, knowing the prisoner to be a Popish priest, and an enemy of the queen's religion....

The jury that went upon him were chosen men for the purpose, and thought him worthy of death, whether there came any proof against him or no, because he was a Catholic priest; such is their evangelical conscience. After the twelve had given their verdict, "guilty," judge Manhood gave sentence on him in the usual form, as in cases of high treason, which Mr. Maine heard with a calm and cheerful countenance, and, lifting up his hands and eyes to heaven, answered, "Thanks be to God." He was to have been executed within fifteen days, but his execution was deferred in consequence, it was said, of judge Jeffries being dissatisfied with the proceedings of his colleague, and the privy council, informed of all that had passed, they thought proper to have all the judges meet upon the matter. Accordingly they met, but disagreed in their sentiments, several of the older and wiser of them being of judge Jeffries's opinion. However, such was the iniquity of the times, that the council concluded that the prisoner should be executed for a terror to the Papists. The sheriff, who went to court, and was there made knight for his service in this cause, according to report, was the man that procured the dead warrant to be signed for Mr. Maine's execution, which he sent into the country to the justices there,

On the day of his execution many justices and gentlemen came to see him, and brought with them two ministers, who did dispute with him, whom he confuted in every point; but the justices and gentlemen, who were blind judges, would hear nothing of that, but they affirmed that the ministers were much better learned than he. Although they confess he died very stoutly, whereat they did much marvel, telling the ignorant people that he could avouch no scripture for his opinion, which was most untrue, for it was known, by the report of honest men that were present, that he did confirm every point in question with testimonies of scripture and fathers, and that abundantly. It was upon this occasion that his life was offered him, if he would renounce his religion, which, when he refused to do, they pressed him at least to swear upon the bible, that the queen was the supreme head of the church of England, assuring him of his life if he would do this, but if he refused it, he must then be hanged, drawn, and quartered according to sentence. Upon this he took the bible into his hands, made the sign of the cross upon it, kissed it, and said, “The queen neither was, nor is, nor ever shall be, the head of the church of England."

He was to be drawn a quarter of a mile to the place of execution, and when he was to be laid on the sledge, some of the justices moved the sheriff's deputy that he would cause him to have his head laid over the car, that it might be dashed against the stones in drawing, and Mr.

Maine offered himself that it might be so, but the sheriff's deputy would not suffer it. When he came to the place of execution, which was the market-place of the town, where they had on purpose erected a gibbet of unusual height, being taken off the sledge, he kneeled down and prayed. When he was on the ladder, and the rope about his neck, he would have spoken to the people, but the justices would not suffer him, but bid him say his prayers, which he did very devoutly. And as the hangman was about to turn the ladder, one of the justices spoke to him in this manner:-"Now villain and traitor, thou knowest that thou shalt die, therefore tell us whether Mr. Tregian and sir John Arundel did know of these things which thou art condemned for; and also what thou dost know by them." Mr. Maine answered him very mildly:"1 know nothing of Mr. Tregian and sir John Arundel, but that they are good and godly gentlemen; and as for the things I am condemned for, they are only known to me and to no other." Then he was cast off the ladder, saying, in manus tuas, &c. and knocking his breast. Mr. Maine suffered at Launceston, in Cornwall, Nov. 29, 1577, of whom thus writes Mr. Stow, in his Chronicle of this year:-" Cuthbert Maine was drawn, hanged and quartered, at Launceston in Cornwall, for preferring Roman power." The head of this heroic proto-martyr of Douay college is still preserved at Langhorn place, in Cornwall.

Mr. Tregian, the gentleman, who had entertained him, lost his estate, which was very considerable, for his religion, and was condemned to perpetual imprisonment; and several of his neighbours and servants were cast in a premunire as abettors and accomplices of Mr. Maine.— Sir J. Arundel was also persecuted and cast into prison upon this occasion.

Edward Burden, Priest.

Mr. Burden was a native of the county palatine of Durham, and educated at Trinity college Oxford; but not liking the new religion, he went over to Rheims, where he went through the usual studies, was made priest, and sent upon the mission to England in 1586. He did not la» bour long, however, before he fell into the hands of the persecutors, and being tried for treason, merely for exercising his priestly functions, he was condemned and executed at York on the 29th of Nov. 1588. George Errington, Gentleman, and William Knight, William Gibson, and Henry Abbot, Yeomen.

Mr. Errington was born at Herst, in Northumberland; Wm. Knight was the son of a wealthy yeoman of South Duffield, in Hemingborough, Yorkshire; Wm. Gibson was a yeoman, born near Kippon; and Henry Abbot lived at Holden, both in the last-named county. Their case was as follows:-A certain Protestant minister, for some misdemeanour, was put into York castle, where the three former of the persons abovenamed, and several other Catholics, were prisoners for their recusancy, as, during a great part of this reign, most of the prisons of this kingdom were plentifully stocked with such kind of offenders. This unhappy man, to reinstate himself in the favour of his superiors, took a method that will be justly detested by all honest men of what persuasion soever, which was, to insinuate himself into the good opinion of the Catholic prisoners, by pretending a deep sense of repentance for his former life,

and a great desire of embracing the Catholic truth, so that they, believing him to be sincere, directed him, after he was enlarged to Mr. Abbot, the zealous gentleman mentioned above, in order to procure a priest to reconcile him. Mr. Abbot used his endeavours, and carried him to Carlton, to the house of squire Stapleton, but did not succeed. Soon after, the traitor having got enough to put them all in danger of the law, accused them to the magistrates, to shew his zeal for the Protestant religion So they were all arraigned for persuading the parson to be reconciled to the church of Rome, which is high treason by the sanguinary laws of this reign. Being brought to the bar, they confessed" that they had, according to their capacity, explained to the traitor the Catholic faith, and its necessity to salvation, and, withal, had exhorted him to a serious amendment of his life; but had used no other persuasions." Upon this they were all found guilty by the jury, and had sentence to die. They suffered at York with great fortitude and joy, Nov. 29, 1596. Two Catholic gentlewomen were, for the same cause, condemned at the same time to be burnt alive, viz. Mrs. Ann Tesse and Mrs. Bridget Maskew, but they were reprieved, and continued in prison till the queen's death, and then, by the means of friends, were pardoned by king James I. Mr. Stapleton also, and his lady, underwent great trouble upon this occasion.

30. Alexander Crow, Priest.

Alexander Crow was born in Yorkshire, and, for some time, followed a trade in York. But going beyond the seas, he entered the college at Rheims, became priest, and was sent into England for the salvation of souls, anno 1584. After he had laboured here some time, with much edification to all that knew him, he was taken at South Duffield, coming thither to christen a child of one Cecily Garnet, and at the assizes held at York, in November, was arraigned and condemned for being a priest, and remaining in England contrary to the laws of the realm. He was hanged, drawn and quartered at York, the 30th of November, 1586.

We are now arrived at the last month in the calendar, and by glancing the eye over the list which Fox has given us, it will be seen that he has been hard set to make up the number, notwithstanding he has left us five days of the ancient Catholic calendar; and, singular enough, though he denies the sacrifice of the mass, he has described the festival of the Holy Innocents, held on the 28th, by the title of ChilderMASS, thus, by a popular term, giving testimony to the antiquity and universality of this great sacrifice. We have here a curious medley of Lollards, Wickliffians, Lutherans, Zuinglians and Catholics; in short a compound of hete

rogenous opinions, yet all canonized martyrs and confessors of a Protestant church. But let us come to particulars.

1. William Tracy, Esquire, Martyr.

According to Fox's account this squire Tracy lived at Toddingdon, in Gloucestershire, and made a will containing several extravagant opinions, which being brought up on his death to be proved in the archbishop of Canterbury's court, the primate would not pass the same, but caused the body of the said Tracy to be disinterred and burned for heresy. This was done, Fox says, in the year 1532, which is two years different from the date he has put in his calendar; "and for this cause," writes Parsons, "it pleased Fox to make him a confessor of his church, as in like manner he had made Wickliff a martyr before, for the very same cause, to wit, for being burned after he was dead, though it be likely the one felt as much pain as the other in their burning. But Fox has authority bestow the titles of martyrs or confessors as he pleaseth and upon whom he pleaseth, either with merit or without. And so we will not stand with him on this point of Tracy's canonization, but pass to those that ensue."

to

2. Peter Sapience, Martyr.

Of this martyr Fox says nothing in his Acts and Monuments, and whether he was borrowed from abroad, or England has the honour of claiming him, we are left to conjecture.

3 George Bucker, alias Damlip, Martyr.

George Bucker, otherwise named Adam Damlip, was an apostate priest, executed at Calais for high treason against Henry the eighth, as the process of his trial testifies. Nevertheless, as he had been heretofore called before Cranmer and other bishops, for denying the real presence of the blessed sacrament, (" for that the learned, godly, and blessed martyr, Cranmer," says. Fox, was then but a Lutheran") it mattered not to our martyr-maker whether he was hanged and bowelled for treason, or burned for heresy; he must have him for a martyr of his church, for thus he writes of his execution. "At his death (saith he) sir Ralph Ellerker, knight-marshal of Calais, would not suffer the innocent and godly man to declare either his faith or the cause he died for, but said to the executioner, dispatch the knave, have done;' and sir William Mote, a priest, being appointed there to preach, declared to the people how Damlip had been a sower of seditious doctrine, and albeit he had been pardoned for that by the general pardon, yet he was condemned for being a traitor against the king: to which when Adam Damlip would have replied, the aforesaid knight-marshal would not suffer him, &c. And so most meekly, patiently and joyfully the blessed and innocent martyr took his death," &c. And thus we find that John Fox can not only canonize martyrs at his pleasure, but transform base, traitors into, godly innocents!!!

4. An old Man of Buckinghamshire, Martyr.

In his Acts and Monuments Fox thus writes of this martyr without a name. About which year (1500) or in the next year following, the 12th day of July, was an old man burned in Smithfield," &c. This