The prisoners being all at that time often and carefully examined, they affirmed constantly and jointly (though severally examined) that there were no other conspirators than were taken and publicly known. And as for Priests, they did both then and at their death protest there was none in the action: whereupon His Majesty in the whole course of his speech did only lay the fault upon them that were discovered, and did seem to excuse the rest, as you have heard. So that it was as generally, as justly [pg 129] believed and voiced through England, that other Catholics were all free, and no Priest at all accused or could be touched with the treason, which gave no small satisfaction both to Catholics and others. And so in right it should have continued. But the Puritans did much grieve and envy that those should be free from blame, upon whom they rather wished that all might light. And therefore they began to practise and work the contrary opinion, first in the King, and afterwards in public show unto the country, as shall appear in the next chapter.

Chapter IX. How The Fathers Of The Society Were By Industry Of The Heretics Drawn Into This Matter, To Incense The King Against Them, And For Them Against The Catholic Religion.

The Prophet doth in few words very fully express the desires and endeavours of such as are most guided by that spirit of pride, who is a professed enemy to God and to all good men. “Superbia eorum (saith he) qui te oderunt, ascendit semper.”[330] As if he should say to Almighty God, not only the apostate Angel himself doth hate Thee, and all those for Thy sake whom he seeth Thee to love; but those also, who are full of his rising and resisting spirit, do still raise themselves against Thee and all Thine, but most against those whom they see Thee most to favour, or most to use and employ in Thy service. “Ascendit semper:” their spirit still fighteth against those whom at least they think the highest; although in this man's judgment often erreth, guessing by outward signs and not being able to search the heart of man, as He doth that is “Scrutator cordis et renum,” is therefore not able to judge, or their judgment to be taken for a certain proof, who be most in God's favour. But this their practice was plainly proved true in this present matter, whereof we have already treated and are as yet further to declare. For although we are to presume that His Majesty and the Council did proceed without passion in the matter, His Majesty having in many parts of his speech showed great equanimity and gracious opinion of his faithful Catholic subjects; yea, although His [pg 131] Highness did in the same speech correct the malice of Puritans against all Catholics in general, and did seek to repress their fury, which he saw so ready by word and action to oppress all Catholics upon this occasion offered, and to persecute the innocent multitude for the fault of a few: yet all this would not suffice to quench or assuage that fire (as the King did wisely observe and so express it in his speech) “with which their hearts were burnt up in this errant.” But as they had before determined, so they never left labouring, until they had wrought their will, and found out a device which they hoped would serve both to discredit and discourage Catholics; and beginning with some of the chiefest (as they thought), to proceed with better colour in punishing and persecuting of the rest.

Therefore whereas they did know very well how great esteem Catholics did generally make of the Fathers of the Society, and how much they did all for the most part (especially the better sort) rely upon their advice, reputing them to be men of great learning and judgment, and chiefly to be of approved virtue and spirit and both skill and experience in direction of souls: at these Fathers therefore did these Puritans resolve to level their first poisoned arrows, drawn out of the quiver of malice and shot from the bow of open injustice. But you must understand that this is not the first time they have aimed at this mark. No; they have been the men upon their eye of envy and spite hath ever been fixed since the first coming into England of those two famous men, Father Persons and blessed Father Campian, whose wisdom and spiritual instructions did so settle the hearts of Catholics in profession of their faith and whose exhortations both private and public did so kindle the zeal of devotion in all their minds, that the heretics might see another face of things in the persecuted state of the English Church, unto which afterwards being added the frequent and learned books of the one, and the challenged and performed disputation of the other (with all which they were convinced and [pg 132] confounded), these were motives sufficient to set malice on fire against them, and their Society for their sake, although they had found no like causes in their followers. But when they saw the like course to be continued; of exemplary virtue in Father Edmonds,[331] of wise direction for progress in devotion in blessed Father Garnett, and of learned and spiritual books in blessed Father Southwell; also when they had tried the constancy of blessed Father Walpole and others to be inflexible and not to be drawn either by force or favour to their will, either against God's honour or the good of their neighbours; when they found that no one of the Society that were sent into England could ever be wrought by them neither by torments to yield in infirmity, nor yet by their subtle examinations to be overreached so far, no not so much as out of simplicity to accuse the least Catholic of his acquaintance, or so that any did come in trouble by any undiscreet answer of theirs.

This long and sufficient trial hath made them so much malign the men of that Society, that they have never ceased labouring by one means or other to practise all hostility against them, as against their chief enemies. From hence hath proceeded the many slanders they have sought to publish of them: from hence the many false and foul reports in several kinds, which they by themselves have published in books and procured the like to be done by all others whom they could work unto their will, as namely those of Mr. Watson's writing, which he so much repented at his death, asking humble pardon both of God and of the Society for the many falsehoods and slanders fathered upon them in the same. From hence also did proceed the disobedience of some scholars against the Fathers in the Seminaries, secretly wrought in their minds by some instruments which the chief of these Puritans had employed to that end and purpose. Finally, from hence as from a troubled fountain have flowed all the streams of disgraces [pg 133] and disturbance and persecutions both against the Fathers themselves, and against the places where they have been presumed to be; yea, against all those who have been conceived to be favourers or well-willers to them: insomuch that in hatred of the Fathers, they would often show favour to the places where other Priests were taken. But if the Priest were a Jesuit, or but a friend of theirs, and one that were known to love them and to follow some of their spiritual courses, of which number I acknowledge myself to be; then should they and their receivers be sure to drink of the whip and to have summum jus instead of mercy. And as they at the first, when Seminary Priests did come in apace and did much good, made severe laws against them, punishing with pain of death the receivers of them, in all which they exempted the old Queen Mary Priests, because they saw the others, with their apostolical zeal and fervour, to work much greater effect in the minds of men; so now in the practice of those laws, they made a plain distinction between all Priests and Jesuits, whom they esteemed the greatest enemies to the proceeding and increase of heresy. And, but howsoever that is, would to God there were a divorce between them and heresy (unto which as yet their minds are so much wedded) undoubtedly they should then find they had no friends in the world more faithful, nor any that would be more ready to serve them in the service of God, than those whom now they hate and persecute so much, upon a contrary supposed ground, and the same most contrary to all truth and justice.

But their minds being in this manner settled upon their courses, and so grounded in opinion of chief resistance in the Fathers of the Society and by their means, they resolved absolutely by one means or other to effect that which they had so much desired and so many ways laboured for. And having this opportunity of colour offered, of this late attempt of the foresaid gentlemen, and knowing the same to be so odious not only to His Majesty [pg 134] and the Council, but in like manner to all the graver and better sort of Catholics both in England and elsewhere, they did imagine that if they could with any little show of pretence but father this matter upon those Fathers, they should by that means either have all, or at least some of their desires performed against them. For if they could not convince them to be guilty, yet because the matter was so hateful, they hoped either in the meantime whilst the matter were in handling and not fully cleared, to procure that they might be called out of England (which hath long time been a chief part of their desires) or at least to make many Catholics both shy of them and fearful to deal with them; whilst they by extraordinary and exquisite searching might apprehend the most of them. Or at the least, if none of these took effect (as thanks be to God, the contrary through God's providence was proved true), yet they might hereupon ground the pretence of just occasion to enact those severe laws against Catholics, which they had determined and prepared long before, as I showed in the former chapters.

Now therefore they began with all diligence to seek out likely pretences for their purpose: and it was no hard matter to find a staff to beat these dogs prepared by Christ, the Chief Shepherd, against the wolves that seek to devour His flock. For although they could not find in all the several examinations and confessions of the conspirators now in prison any little proof that they were in the Plot, but the contrary to be averred by them all with solemn protestation, yet they would have it suffice for a likelihood, that divers of these gentlemen were known unto divers of the Fathers and did sometimes come unto them for helps in the Sacraments. But so did many hundreds besides those gentlemen: and the Fathers dispense faithfully those divine mysteries to all, without exception of any, if they find them desirous and prepared, and without suspicion of any to bear undutiful minds.[332] And if all the acquaintance, [pg 135] yea, or the familiar and inward friends unto these gentlemen should have been called in suspicion, not only many other Catholics in England, who neither are nor can be appeached of any such matter, should be convented, but as well, many of their own side, even some of those that sat as judges of them in the Parliament. Briefly, a bad excuse must stand for good, where no better can be found, and where the matter is resolved, and the parties condemned, before the proof can be found or the witnesses produced. But behold one single and he but a seeming witness was found, or rather was supposed to be found; for he also failed them, as I shall after declare.

There was one Bates a servant to Mr. Robert Catesby, of whom I made mention before; and this man having been employed by his master in the whole action for provision of powder, &c., and seeing himself so far in danger as the best, and yet not stored with so much grace and generous mind as was needful, nor perhaps entering the action with so seeming good motives as those gentlemen, who protested they did it merely for service to God and exaltation of religion; which it may be feared was not the motive to this fellow,[333] being but a serving-man and never of any extraordinary capacity or devotion, but only trusty to his master, and belike, in respect of that employed. Therefore now when he saw his master gone, and all hopes by him failed, it may well be this wind would make his house to shake, if it were so built upon the sand; and when he saw likewise the likely storm coming of death which he was to expect, and of torments also in likelihood, if he did not seek to please: these loe were great temptations to the poor fellow and sufficient to toss and bend that reed which way the wind would blow; especially those fears being seconded with hopes of favour; which were also promised, as shall afterwards appear in his words, [pg 136] when he repented his frailty before his death. And so this[334] fellow being earnestly urged by persons of great authority to confess some proofs or likelihood that the Jesuits were in this action, the poor man, of frailty and desire of life (as afterwards himself affirmed), told them that his master and another of those gentlemen had been not past a fortnight before the action broke out, at a nobleman's house where three Jesuits were, to wit, Father Henry Garnett, Father Osmund Tesimond, and Father John Gerard. He affirmed also that himself was sent with a letter by his master after they were up in arms, to a house in Warwickshire, where two of the said Jesuits were, vidlt., Father Garnett and Father Tesimond: and that Father Tesimond then went with him to his master, who was at Mr. Winter's with the rest of the company; but that the said Father Tesimond staid not with them, but rode presently away; yet did the poor fellow in his weakness yield so far as to say, that he thought Father Tesimond did know of the Plot, which yet he affirmed not of the other two.