Then they asked him whether he had anything to say unto the people. He answered his voice was low and himself weak; he doubted they could not hear him. But yet he[495] turned him to the people and said, “Upon this day is recorded the Invention of the Cross of Christ; and upon this day I thank God I have found my cross, by which I hope to end all the crosses of my life, and to rest in the next by the grace and merits of my Blessed Saviour. As for the treasons which are laid against me, I protest now at my death that I am not guilty of them, neither had knowledge of the Powder but in confession, and then I utterly disliked it and earnestly dissuaded it. Yea, I protest upon my soul I should have abhorred it ever, though it had succeeded. And I am sorry with all my heart that any Catholics had ever any such intention, knowing that such attempts are not allowable, and to my own knowledge contrary to the Pope's mind. And, therefore, I wish all Catholics to be quiet, and not to be moved by any difficulties to the raising of tumults, but to possess their souls in peace. And God will not be forgetful of them, or of His promise, but will send them help and comfort when it is most to His glory and to their good.”
Then some one that stood near unto him, seeking to interrupt him, and saying, “But, Mr. Garnett, were not you married to Mrs. Ann Vaux?” thereupon he, turning himself from the people to those about him, said, “That honourable gentlewoman hath great wrong [pg 294] by such false reports. And for my own part, as I have been always free from such crimes, so I may protest for her upon my conscience that I think her to be a perfect pure virgin, if any other in England or otherwise alive. She is a virtuous good gentlewoman, and, therefore, to impute any such thing unto her cannot proceed but of malice.”
Then, no more being said unto him, he prepared himself to execution, and asked if he might be permitted to pray, to which was answered, he might. Then he kneeled down at the ladder-foot, and there prayed for a good space in devout and religious manner. Then he helped to strip himself of his cloth unto his shirt, which was somewhat long, and himself had also sewed down the sides thereof almost to the bottom, that the wind might not blow it up, which was noted by many as a sign of great modesty in the Father. About that time a minister seemed again to insinuate himself as desirous to speak unto him in way of exhortation, but the Father desired him to hold himself contented, and not to trouble him any further.
And being upon the ladder, after he had made the sign of the Cross and desired the prayers of all good Catholics, one said unto him aloud, “Mr. Garnett, it is expected you should recant from your religion and become a Protestant,” for so it was given out that he would do, and afterwards preach at Paul's Cross. The Father answered, “God forbid. I had never any such meaning, but ever meant to die a true and perfect Catholic.” And then, looking upon the people with a pious and undaunted countenance, he wished them to consider well the state of their souls, assuring them, upon his conscience and salvation, there was no other way for their eternal bliss but to live and die in the profession of the Catholic faith. Then said the Dean of St. Paul's, “But, Mr. Garnett, we are all Catholics.” “No, no,” said Father Garnett, “you are not, for such are only Catholics [pg 295] as live in unity and profession of one faith, under one supreme head of God's Church, which is the Pope's Holiness, and you must be all of the Catholic Roman Church, or you cannot be saved.”
Then he prayed for the King, Queen, Prince, the Council, and the whole State. Then he desired the hangman to give him warning before he did cast him off the ladder. Then, making the sign of the Cross with “In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti,” he said, “Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi, quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum;”[496] then, “Maria Mater gratiæ, Mater misericordiæ, tu nos ab hoste protege et horâ mortis suscipe;”[497] then, “In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum,”[498] which he repeated twice or thrice; then,[499] “Per crucis hoc signum (blessing himself) fugiat procul omne malignum. Infige crucem tuam in corde meo, Domine;”[500] then returned again to “Maria Mater gratiæ, Mater misericordiæ, tu nos ab hoste,” &c. Then he told the hangman he was ready, and being desirous to carry the Cross with him out of the world imprinted in his heart,[501] he crossed his arms over his heart upon his breast, and so was cast off the ladder, and his arms continued so across as he had placed them (not being bound, nor he making any struggling at all with death) until he had rendered his spirit to his Redeemer.
Neither was he cut down before he was perfectly dead. For the people was so much moved with his [pg 296] modesty, and so altered from their former hard conceits of him by the sight of his constancy, and by his protestation of innocency at his death, that they prevented the hangman with a loud cry that he might not cut him down too soon. Who thereupon, having permitted him to hang awhile, would then have cut him down when he presumed him to be half-dead; but the people cried out again, “Hold, hold,” and so again the third time, not permitting him to be cut down until he was thoroughly dead. Yea, and one of the citizens took him by the legs and pulled him to put him out of his pain, and that he might not be cut down alive. Which kind of favours are nothing usual when the people do presume men die for treason, and were not used to the gentlemen that suffered before, although men of good sort, and much beloved and esteemed before this enterprise.
And it was much marvelled how the people durst do this so publicly, seeing the State so generally bent against Father Garnett in this cause. But most of them proceeded much further than this. For when he was cut up and his bowels cast into the fire, and his heart pulled out and showed unto the people with these words, which are ever used in such cases, “Behold the heart of a traitor,” there was not heard any applause, or those that cried, “God save the King,” which is always usual when the heart or head is holden up in that kind.
Yea, so strange and unexpected an alteration there was in the very heretics themselves that some of them said, without doubt he was in Heaven; others said, “He died like a Saint;” others, that he looked not like a contriver of treason. Yea, and some ministers themselves were heard to say that questionless his soul was in Heaven. And, generally, the people went away much satisfied of his innocency and sanctity.
The Priest, of whom I spake before, who saw and [pg 297] heard most of these things, going down from his standing, went under the scaffold in desire to get some drops of his blood, which he did, and found divers there hunting for the same prey. Besides, his shirt was presently gotten by a person of great account, and most of his apparel also was redeemed by several persons, and are now esteemed of more than their weight in gold.
One marvellous thing happened whilst his body was dividing on the block, about a straw or ear of corn, which did strangely leap out of the basket into which his head and quarters were cast as they were cut up. This straw did leap into the hand of a Catholic, who stood by with great desire to get some part of the martyr's blood, but durst not be seen to take it. But, for that the chiefest marvel that concerneth this straw was not discerned at the first, but was discovered some days after, to the great comfort of Catholics and wonder of many: therefore I reserve it for the next chapter, as also some other marvel seen about Father Garnett's head.