Last of them was Bates, of whom the book saith “that he seemed sorry for his offence, and asked forgiveness of God and the King and of the whole kingdom, prayed to God for the preservation of them all; and, as he said, only for his love to his master (Mr. Robert Catesby) drawn to forget his duty to God, his King, and country.” These words which Bates spake at his death, and the mind he showed, declare sufficiently what hath been said of him before; and his motives being but human respects (as here he acknowledgeth), no marvel though he had showed less store of grace and assistance thereof both before and at his death. But seeing he showed to die penitent for his fact, it is to be hoped he found mercy at God's hands. Thus ended the execution of this day. And many of the beholders returned full of pity and compassion towards so worthy-minded men as the first three were, especially Sir Everard Digby, whose fortitude of mind they did so much admire, and had so great opinion of his devotion that for all that day and some time after they could talk almost of nothing else.
The next day, being Friday, were drawn from the Tower to the Old Palace in Westminster over against the Parliament House, Mr. Thomas Winter, the second brother of the Winters, Mr. Ambrose Rookwood, Mr. Robert Keyes, and Mr. Guy Faulks. By the way, as they were drawn upon the Strand, Mr. Rookwood had provided that he should be admonished when he came over against the lodging where his wife lay; and being come unto the place, he opened his eyes (which before he kept shut to [pg 220] attend better to his prayers), and seeing her stand in a window to see him pass by, he raised himself as well as he could up from the hurdle, and said aloud unto her: “Pray for me, pray for me.” She answered him also aloud: “I will; and be of good courage and offer thyself wholly to God. I, for my part, do as freely restore thee to God as He gave thee unto me.”
Mr. Thomas Winter his death.
Being all come to the place of execution, first Mr. Thomas Winter was led to the scaffold, as the principal in the business, who was from the first acquainted therewith, and a chief actor therein. Of him the book saith that “he seemed after a sort as it were sorry for his offence, and yet crossed himself,” saith he, “as though those were sufficient wards against the devil; that he protested to die a true Catholic, and so went up the ladder.” Truth is, Mr. Thomas Winter spake not much at his execution, seeming more willing to prepare himself for death; whereat some of the standers-by marvelling, who knew him to be a wise and well-spoken man, seemed desirous to have him speak at large. But he answered he had spoken at large unto the Council concerning all their intentions and the causes that moved them to that enterprise, and he hoped he had given satisfaction in the whole; that this was no time to discourse; he was come to die, wherein he desired the prayers and assistance of all good Catholics. Only this he said in particular, that whereas divers of the Fathers of the Society were accused of counselling and furthering them in this treason, he could clear them all, and particularly Father Tesimond, from all fault and participation therein. And indeed Mr. Thomas Winter might best clear that good Father, with whom he was best acquainted, and knew very well how far he was from counselling or plotting that business. For himself, having first told the Father of it (as I have heard), long after the thing was ready, and that in such secret as he might not utter it, but with his [pg 221] leave, unto his Superior only, the Father, both then and after, did so earnestly persuade him, and by him the rest, to leave off that course (as his duty was), that Mr. Winter might well find himself bound in conscience to clear this Father from his wrongful accusation of being a counseller and furtherer of the Plot.[406]
Mr. Rookwood his death.
Next him came Mr. Rookwood, who made a speech of some longer time, acknowledged and asked forgiveness for his offence to His Majesty and the State. He prayed earnestly for the King and Queen and all their children, and wished them long life and a happy reign, and last of all (which, the foresaid book saith, was to mar all the pottage with one filthy weed) he prayed God to make the King a Catholic. And so, desiring favour for his wife and children, protesting, saith the book, to die in his idolatry, a Romish Catholic, he went up the ladder, and hanging until he was almost dead, was drawn to the block, where he gave his last gasp. The devotion and resolute mind of this gentleman was very well known to many, and he was very much pitied, as he had been much beloved.
After him came Mr. Keyes, of whom the book saith thus: “That he, like a desperate villain, used little speech, showed small or no sign of repentance, went up the ladder stoutly, where, not staying the hangman's turn, turned himself off, and with the swing broke the halter, but after his fall was quickly drawn to the block and there divided into four parts.” But he did not, as here it is said, leap down of himself, but when he thought himself ready he showed his ready mind to go off the ladder without force, lest the hangman should take him on a sudden, when his mind was not actually upon it, and so be cause of some little reluctation.
Last of all Mr. Faulks was led to the scaffold, of whom the book hath this: “That his body being weak with [pg 222] torture and sickness he was scarce able to go up the ladder; also that he made no long speech, but after a sort seeming to be sorry for his offence, asked a kind of forgiveness of the King and the State for his bloody intent, and, with his crosses and idle ceremonies, made his end upon the gallows and the block.” Thus saith the author of that pamphlet, and where he said that Mr. Faulks seemed to be sorry after a sort, and asked a kind of forgiveness, he maketh it apparent that he did as his fellows had done, acknowledge their intended action to be displeasing to the King and State, whose favour they desired, and therefore in that respect asked them forgiveness; but that they did not hold it for an offence to God in respect of their intention to please Him and serve Him in the whole, as thinking when they began the action and professing when they ended their life that there was no other likely means to restore religion in England. And would to God herein they had been as well advised as they were absolute to believe and follow their own advice. Then had they neither hurt themselves nor others by this rash and heady enterprise, most unfit for subjects to undertake against their Prince and country, especially all attempts being so forbidden by His Holiness as they were, and so often and earnestly dissuaded by the Fathers of the Society, as hath been declared. And yet it is strange to see how impudently that heretical pamphlet which I have cited before so often of their arraignment and death (set forth by one T.W., I know not who), doth rail first at the Pope himself and then against all Jesuits and Priests, as against the authors and plotters of this business. For he saith: “Thus I have ended my discourse of the arraignment and execution of these eight traitors.” Then a little after he prosecuteth in this manner: “Was there ever seen such a hellish Plot since the betraying of the Lord of Heaven? If the Pope were not a very devil, and these Jesuits, or rather Jebusites and satanical seminaries, [pg 223] very spirits of wickedness, that whisper in the ears of Evahs to bring a world of Adams to destruction, how could nature be senseless or reason so graceless,” &c. So he proceedeth, inveighing against His Holiness and religion, and all that he imagined did favour or further the same religion in any great measure.
But silence is the best answer to such witless and wilful assertions, uttered against the truth so many ways manifestly proved. But this fellow, and such as he is, will rather “impugnare agnitam veritatem”[407] than omit any opportunity to revile against the Pope and those that most do stand for his authority; which is no news for poor Catholics in England to hear of daily to their grief, long before this act was commenced or thought of by these few laymen, who had not the counsel or help of any one Priest amongst them. Yea, for these many years the most part of their sermons is in this relative kind, devising names of reproach against His Holiness, so far forth that many youths, when they are first brought to be Catholics, will hardly be brought to think that he is a natural man, and not some devil or monster, as they have heard him often described. And this custom of the heretics is so common, and yet so grievous for zealous Catholics to endure, that it is rather to be pitied than marvelled that these few gentlemen, being men of great spirit, did want patience to endure any longer when they saw all other hopes of help to fail them. We hope all others will be warned hereafter, and temper their zeal by the counsel of their guides, which, if these had done, according to the earnest wishes and serious labours of Father Garnett, then had not he sustained so many troubles (as I am now to declare) for their trespass, which he by all lawful means sought to hinder.