Accepimus Dominationis vestræ litteras, quas, eâ quâ par est reverentiâ erga suam Sanctitatem et vestram Paternitatem amplectimur. Et quidem pro meâ parte quater hactenus tumultum impedivi. Nec dubium est quin publicos omnes armorum apparatus prohibere possimus; cum certum sit multos Catholicos absque nostro consensu nihil ejusmodi (nisi urgente necessitate) attentare velle. Duo tamen sunt quæ nos valde solicitos tenent. Primum ne alii fortassis in unâ aliquâ Provinciâ ad arma convolent, unde alios ipsa necessitas ad similia studia compellat. Sunt enim non pauci qui nudâ suæ Sanctitatis jussione cohiberi non possunt. Ausi sunt enim, vivo Papâ Clemente, interrogare, num posset Papa illos prohibere, quominus vitam suam defendant? Dicunt insuper, suorum secretorum Presbyterum nullum fore conscium, nominatim vero de nobis conqueruntur etiam amici nonnulli nos illorum molitionibus obicem ponere. Atque ut hos aliquo modo leniremus et saltem tempus lucraremur, ut dilatione aliquâ adhiberi possint congrua remedia, hortati sumus ut communi consilio aliquem ad Sanctissimum mitterent, quod factum est, eumque ad Illustrissimum Nuncium in Flandriam direxi, ut ab ipso suæ Sanctitati commendetur; scriptis etiam litteris, quibus eorum sententiam exposui, et rationes pro [pg 077] utrâque parte. Hæ litteræ fuse scriptæ ac plenius fuere, tutissime enim transferentur. Atque hæc de primo periculo. Alterum est aliquanto deterius, quia periculum est ne privatim aliqua proditio aut vis Regi offeratur, et hoc pacto omnes Catholici ad arma compellantur. Quare, meo quidem judicio duo necessaria sunt; primum ut sua Sanctitas præscribat quid quoquo in casu agendum sit; deinde ut sub censuris omnem armorum vim Catholicis prohibeat, idque Brevi publice edito, cujus occasio obtendi potest nuper excitatus in Walliâ tumultus qui demum in nihilum recidit. Restat ut (cum in pejus omnia quotidie prolabantur) oremus S. Sanctitatem his tantis periculis ut brevi necessarium aliquod remedium adhibeat, cujus sicut et Rdæ. Ptis. vræ benedictionem imploramus.[300]
“Londini, 24 Julii, 1605.
“Magcæ. Dnis. Væ. Servus
“Henricus G.”
By these we may see that Father Garnett having now great suspicion that these gentlemen had something in hand against the State, or perhaps perceiving by some general signs there was some such matter, he sought presently to apply the surest remedy from His Holiness. And true it is, as will appear after in Father Garnett's arraignment, that Mr. Catesby offered sometimes to tell him that they would not endure to be so long so much abused, but would take some course to right themselves, sith others would not respect them or could not relieve them; unto which general speeches Father Garnett would give no ear, nor durst not enter to inquire further of the matter, in respect of a prohibition from his Superiors, which he touched in the former letters. But yet upon this general knowledge, you see how earnestly he wrote for an authentical instrument of prohibition from such authority as he knew they would not resist, although perhaps his own words, in a matter of so great weight, would not suffice for all, though for the most and best it would, as before he also touched.
And it seemed soon after, as he thought that he had done some good with those gentlemen also, whom he feared most, or else that they had promised him to lay aside all thought of those matters, until they had answer from the gentleman whose sending, as you see, he had proposed to defer their hot desires until a cooling card might be sent from Rome, in answer of this his letter. For soon after, he wrote other letters of the 28 of August, wherein (having first declared how both his houses were discovered unto the Council, and he thereby utterly unfurnished of a safe place, and thereupon resolved to spend most of the summer in travel to visit a holy well of St. Winifred, which is a great pilgrimage in England, and to do what good he could at friends' houses by the way, both going and coming, until a fit house could be provided for him, wherein he might settle for the winter); this declared, he wrote as followeth: “And for anything we [pg 079] can see, Catholics are quiet, and likely to continue their old patience, and to trust to the King or his son for to remedy all in time. The increase of Catholics is great, and I hope in this journey (which I undertake to-morrow, both for health and want of a house) I shall have occasion of much good. I leave for substitute,” &c. And so he proceedeth to show whom he left to dispatch his London business in his absence. But where Father Garnett said in this letter that for ought he could see Catholics were quiet, his meaning was, no doubt, quiet from any attempts, as he supposed. For as for other quietness, or repose from persecution, you shall see what quiet there was by another letter of his written in October following, towards the end of his journey; which, being the true relation of the present state of things to be seen in such a man's letter, I think best to set it down verbatim: “My very loving Sir, we are to go within few days nearer London, yet are we unprovided of a house, nor can find any convenient for any long time. But we must be fain to borrow some private house for a time, and live more privately until this storm be overblown. For most strict inquiries are practised, wherein if my hostess be not quite undone, she speedeth better than many of her neighbours. The courses taken are more severe than in Queen Elizabeth's time. Every six weeks is a several court; juries appointed to indict, present, find the goods of Catholics, prize them, yea in many places to drive away whatsoever they find ‘contra ordinem juris,’ and put the owners, if perhaps Protestants, to prove that they be theirs, and not of recusants with whom they deal. The Commissioners, in all countries, are the most earnest and base Puritans, whom otherwise the King discountenanceth. The prisoners at Wisbich are almost famished; they are very close, and can have no help from abroad; but the King allowing a mark a week for each one, the keeper maketh his gains, and giveth them meat but three days a week. If any recusant buy his goods again, they [pg 080] inquire diligently if the money be his own, otherwise they would have that too. In fine, if these courses hold, every man must be fain to redeem once in six months the very bed he lieth on. And hereof (that is of twice redeeming) besides other precedents, I find one in this lodging of ——, where now I am.” (In his letter it is described, but here not fit to set down.) “The judges now openly protest that the King now will have blood, and hath taken blood in Yorkshire; that the King hath hitherto stroked Papists, but now will strike. And this is without any least desert of Catholics. The execution of two in the North is certain, and whereas it was done upon cold blood, that is, with so great stay after their condemnation, it argueth a deliberate resolution of what we may expect. So that there is no hope that [Pope] Paul [V.] can do anything; and whatsover men give out there, of easy proceedings with Catholics, is mere fabulous. And yet I am assured, notwithstanding, that the best sort of Catholics will bear all their losses with patience. But how these tyrannical proceedings of such base officers may drive particular men to desperate attempts, that I cannot answer for. The King's wisdom will foresee. In my journey,” &c. So he proceedeth to relate some particular occurrents that happened in his journey not needful here to be set down, yet towards the end of the letter he setteth down this: “I have a letter from Field in Ireland who telleth me that of late there was a very severe proclamation against all Ecclesiastical persons, and a general command for going to the church, with a solemn protestation that the King never promised nor meant to give toleration.” All these are Father Garnett's words truly and sincerely set down as they lie in his letter written by his own hand, dated the 4th of October, 1605,[301] which I am the more glad [pg 081] I lit on, because it doth agree so just with my former relation of the state of England touching persecution of Catholics before the time of this late conspiracy; whereby some may see, by the plain words of so grave a witness as Father Garnett was, how much they are deceived, when they think that the persecution was caused by the conspiracy, and not, e contra, the conspiracy intended and attempted by those gentlemen out of impatience to bear so great abuses, and that from so base and cruel enemies as the Puritans are, who were everywhere made princes over Catholics, though otherwise not thought worthy to be esteemed or countenanced.
All these, I say, be Father Garnett his letters, whereof I have seen the copies and have truly set down his own words as they are in the same (as I assure the reader upon my conscience), and the letters themselves, as I understand for certain, are as yet to be seen in Rome under his own hand, if occasion require. And by all these it is most apparent that Father Garnett was as careful as a man could be, to observe the strict commandment he had received both from His Holiness and from Father General and Father Persons his Superiors not to assent to any tumult, but to use all means he could to keep Catholics in quiet and in their former long combined patience, which he performed of his part with all sorts, and therein prevailed with the most and the best, as himself noteth. And how effectual his persuasions were, may also appear in that, when the gentlemen were up in arms, no Catholic of account would come to assist them, no, not those that were hard by the place; and men of great power, much greater than those that were risen: yea and some of them near of kindred, some nearly allied unto them; and yet they would neither go, nor send them any assistance; yea they shut their gates against them, when others came to demand it. Such was their resolution to obey the order they had received and to keep themselves quiet, according to the commandment they had from [pg 082] His Holiness, by the means of Father Garnett made known unto them. And whereas, Father Garnett did fear at the first, and afterwards find, that he could not rule some others so well, them he persuaded to defer at the least all such practices, until they had sent to know His Holiness' will: he, in the mean time, labouring, as you have seen, to have an effectual prohibition by a public instrument from the same authority. So that, it is most apparent, he was not only innocent from any furtherance or approbation of the treason itself; but also, an earnest hinderer of all kind of undutiful courses and violent attempts: and therein a most diligent and religious observer of his Superiors' will and commandment. Yet all this would not serve to work sufficient patience, or any longer expectance in the minds of these foresaid gentlemen, who, although they bare Father Garnett in hand that they would expect answer, this, as it seems, was but a show of expectance in them, and continued only until they saw the Parliament was almost at hand, and that it was too late for him to send further notice to his Superiors, and receive their answer. And they, in the mean time, proceeded, as afterwards Father Garnett also chanced to know, very much against his will, as will appear in that which followeth.