Chapter XIV. Of The Arraignment And Execution Of Father Ouldcorne And Those That Suffered With Him, And Of The Occurrences There, With A Brief Relation Of His Life.
Whilst Father Garnett was kept as yet in the Tower and the expectation great[450] what would become of him, not only of all the people, but of many principal persons also (the resolution of the Council concerning him being known to very few), and whilst, in the meantime, the whole afflicted company of his friends and spiritual children did join in earnest prayers unto God for him; whilst this was the thought and the business of the poor distressed Catholics, it was determined by the State that Father Ouldcorne should be sent into the country, where Father Garnett and he were taken, there to be arraigned, condemned, and executed. Wherein assuredly the providence of God, and His sweet disposition was plainly to be seen both towards the good Father himself and all the Catholics of that shire. For doubtless a more grateful thing could not have happened to that Father than to suffer in that place where he had laboured so long, and now to water those plants with his innocent blood which he had, with the help of God's grace, so carefully planted, and so many years watered before with Catholic doctrine and instructions of good life. Neither could anything have been provided more profitable or pleasing to that country than to have him die amongst them, whom in his life they did so highly and so worthily esteem, and to see his constancy at the end of his course, whose virtues they had seen and [pg 266] admired in so many years' conversation. Briefly, they might well and did esteem it a great happiness to see him go to a crown of glory who had assisted so many of them to the obtaining of grace, “ut coronati essent in misericordiâ et miserationibus.”[451] And so to have him a patron to their country for time to come who had been a pattern to them in the way of virtue whilst he walked amongst them.
This good Father, therefore, about the midst of Lent was sent from the Tower towards the county of Worcester, and with him Mr. Thomas Abington, in whose house both Father Garnett and Father Ouldcorne were taken; with them also Mr. John Winter, the youngest of the three brothers, who was before condemned when his brothers and the rest of the conspirators were condemned, but was not executed with them, because the Council would have some of them executed in the country for the greater terror; and rather this than the rest, because he was no actor about the Powder, but only a party in the rebellion, which, therefore, was thought fittest to be punished where it was performed: and withal it was the rather deferred until this time of Father Ouldcorne his execution, to make a show unto the people that Father Ouldcorne was to be touched with the same conspiracy or rebellion for which it was known the other suffered. With him also was sent down Ralph ———[452] of whom I spake before, who had for some years faithfully served Father Ouldcorne in his spiritual business and negotiation for souls, and was taken with him, and brought up to London with him, and had suffered torture in the Tower with him, and now was carried down with him, and was to go to Heaven with him.
As they went through Holborn, going out of London, Mrs. Abington[453] did meet her husband, Mr. Thomas [pg 267] Abington, and, with many tears, took her leave of him, but yet promised to labour earnestly with the King for his pardon, which she hoped to obtain the rather by her brother's means, who was the Lord Mounteagle, now in special favour, as you may guess, being the man that had discovered the Plot of Powder.[454] Mr. Abington wished her to be of good comfort, for himself was not troubled; and withal, willed her to put His Majesty in mind how he had suffered four years' imprisonment for his good mother, for whom also his elder brother was executed, and that himself had never undutifully thought against him or his in his life. They were all carried down to Worcester like prisoners, and prisoners supposed to be guilty of most heinous treason, and their usage by the way and at their coming to Worcester answerable thereunto.
They were arraigned at the Lent Assizes, which is a Court of public justice holden twice a year in every county for the trial, as well of country causes in law, as for life and death, touching all such malefactors as are taken and do belong to those shires in which the Assizes are holden. Therefore, at the Lent Assizes at Worcester were brought to the bar Father Edward Ouldcorne and Ralph ——, also Mr. Thomas Abington and Mr. Humphrey Littleton, of whom I have declared before that he was the man in whose chamber Mr. Robert Winter and Mr. Stephen Littleton were taken. In which respect this Humphrey Littleton, hoping to deliver himself from danger of the law (upon the large promises that were contained in the proclamation to any that would be the means of taking Father Garnett), discovered Mr. Abington his house, where both Father Garnett and Father Ouldcorne were taken. And yet it was not God's will he should for so evil a deed have his expected pardon, for his greater good, as it is to be hoped, for, seeing worldly hopes and promises to fail him, he [pg 268] sought for mercy[455] at God's hand, and became very penitent for his fault and frailty showed in that discovery. Mr. Abington was indicted and condemned upon the statute of relieving Priests, although he did allege for himself that which had been sufficient to clear him, vdlt., that he was absent from his own house, and who might come in his absence he knew not, nor could hinder; and, before he came, they were so shut up and besieged in secret places, that they could not be gone; therefore he, neither being cause of their coming nor staying, could not justly be found guilty of that penal statute. But they knew so well his constant love to Catholic religion (which had been so often times and so well tried before), and his devotion also and respect unto Priests was so well known unto them, that they made no scruple at all to presume that those two Fathers were there with his approbation and good liking; in which respect they doubted not to condemn him as guilty, although, before the time of execution, there came a reprieve from London, obtained by his wife and the Lord Mounteagle of His Majesty; and so his life remaineth still at the King's pleasure, and his lands and goods forfeited: which lands of his, because they should have returned to his heirs in case he had been put to death (this statute being but of felony and not of treason), they might be a motive to save his life, that so the gain might be greater by his life than by his death it could be.[456] The gentleman showed great constancy, courage, and devotion at the receiving his judgment, as he had often done before in his examinations and conventions before many several commissioners for the cause of religion, where at all times he [pg 269] did answer with such learning, judgment, and sufficiency (being a man of great reading and of a very good understanding), that his adversaries were generally unwilling to deal with him in that kind. And several Bishops of Worcester (to whom he had been prisoner)[457] had received diverse foils at his hand both in private and public conferences.
Mr. Humphrey Littleton was indicted and condemned of high treason, for receiving and harbouring the two gentlemen before named, Mr. Robert Winter and Stephen Littleton, who were proclaimed traitors. He acknowledged that fact, which he could not deny, but yielded he had much more deserved death for his treason to God in betraying his servants those two good Fathers, than in any ill intention he had unto the State, in not delivering up those two for whom he was condemned.
Father Ouldcorne his indictment was so framed that one might see they much desired to have drawn him within the compass of some participation of this late treason; to which effect they first did seem to suppose it as likely that he should send letters up and down to prepare men's minds for the insurrection. But for this they had no other ground but that he was a man so much esteemed by the best Catholics in those parts, and those countries were the place which it seemed the conspirators did most trust upon for assistance. They also did seem to think that he had written some letters for the relief and conveying away of Mr. Robert Winter and Mr. Stephen Littleton after their rebellion, and before they came to Humphrey Littleton's, where they were apprehended. Also, they accused him of a sermon made in Christmas, wherein he should seem to excuse the conspirators, or to extenuate their fact, and, withal, that speaking with Humphrey Littleton in private about the same matter, he should advise him not to judge [pg 270] of the cause, or to condemn the gentlemen by the event, alleging some examples and authorities to prove that God doth not always give present success to such causes as yet He doth approve and will afterwards prosper. “Sed nullam istarum causarum poterant probare, Patre rationem reddente, quoniam neque in Legem, neque in Regem quicquam peccavit.”[458]
And for the first, being a mere supposition, without any proof or instance to be alleged, it could not have any force against him, whereas his protestation was of great force in denial thereof, affirming seriously, upon his death and salvation, that he never knew anything at all of that treason, and that he was as innocent thereof as the child new-born. And for the second, as they without proof did suppose that he had holpen to convey away Mr. Robert Winter and Mr. Stephen Littleton, being his ghostly children and dear friends, he cleared himself very sufficiently from so unjust an accusation. But, withal, did prove very learnedly there at the bar, that if he had so done, yet he could not be justly condemned for that by any law, all circumstances considered of his estate and theirs, they having been reputed for so virtuous men before this error, and might justly be presumed to be very penitent now for this enterprise so unadvisedly undertaken.[459] For the last, he utterly denied he had spoken anything, either in public or private exhortations, to justify the attempt of the conspirators, and declared there what he had said and with what intention. And Mr. Humphrey Littleton, who had been his accuser in those points, did there publicly ask him forgiveness in the Shire Hall, and said he had much wronged him.
But when none of these things could be proved against him, yet, being a Priest and a Jesuit well known to have gained many souls to the Catholic faith, he was found guilty [pg 271] by the jury and condemned by the judge to be hanged, drawn, and quartered, as in case of treason, and as blessed Father Campian and Father Southwell and others of his predecessors had been before him. He received the sentence with joy, and told them there in public that he had been tortured in the Tower five hours five several days together, one after another, which, if it were five hours at a time even one of the days (as his words were understood), then was it a most great extremity that he sustained. For one hour's torture will make the hands so swollen and so sore (besides the pain in the other parts of the body), that it is a very cruel thing to put a man to the like the next day after. “Sed Deus non deserit sperantes in se, in quo omnia possumus.”[460]
Ralph —— was also indicted and condemned, upon supposition that he had carried letters to and fro about this conspiracy. But they neither did nor could allege any instance or proof against him, and he solemnly protested, upon the salvation of his soul, that he had never known of the treason in the least degree. So that he could not be condemned nor suffer for any other cause but for the helping and assisting the good Father there condemned with him, in his spiritual functions. Which cause, as it was glorious in itself, so for it the good and virtuous man did very gladly accept both sentence of death and death itself, as he showed most apparently after, when he came to his execution.