CHAPTER XVII.
THE LAST EXECUTION.
Little more remains to be told, and that little is of an equally painfulnature with the tragical events just related.
Fathers Garnet and Oldcorne, together with Mr. Abingdon and theirservants, arrived in London on the 12th of February, about a fortnightafter the execution of the other conspirators. They were first taken tothe Gate-house at Westminster, and were examined on the following day bythe Earl of Salisbury and the Privy-Council at the Star-Chamber. Nothingcould be elicited from them, and Garnet answered the Earl'sinterrogatories with infinite subtlety and address. The examinationover, they were ordered to be removed to the Tower.
Topcliffe accompanied them to the stairs. As they proceeded thither, hecalled Garnet's attention to a ghastly object stuck on a spike over thepalace gates.
"Do you recognise those features?" he asked.
"No," replied Garnet, shudderingly averting his gaze.
"I am surprised to hear it," rejoined Topcliffe, "for they were oncewell known to you. It is the head of Guy Fawkes. Of all theconspirators," he added, with a bitter laugh, "he was the only one whodied truly penitent. It is reported that this happy change was wroughtin him by Viviana Radcliffe."
"Heaven have mercy upon his soul!" muttered Garnet.
"I will tell you a strange tale about Catesby," pursued Topcliffe. "Hewas buried in the garden at Holbeach with Percy, but an order was sentdown by the Earl of Salisbury to have their bodies disinterred andquartered. When Catesby's head was severed from the trunk, to be set onthe gates of Warwick, fresh blood spouted forth, as if life were in theveins."
"You do not expect me to believe this idle story?" said Garnet,incredulously.
"Believe it or not, as you please," returned Topcliffe, angrily.
On arriving at the fortress, Garnet was lodged in the large chamber ofthe Beauchamp Tower, and allowed the attendance of his servant, NicholasOwen, while Oldcorne was equally well accommodated in the ConstableTower. This leniency was the result of the policy of the Earl ofSalisbury, who hoped to obtain disclosures from the two Jesuit priestswhich would enable him to strike the decisive blow he meditated againstthe Papists. But he was unsuccessful. They refused to make anyconfessions which would criminate themselves, or implicate others; andas none of the conspirators, not even Tresham, had admitted theirconnexion with the plot, it was difficult to find proof against them.Garnet underwent daily examinations from the Earl of Salisbury and thecommissioners, but he baffled all their inquiries.
"If we cannot wring the truth from you by fair means, Mr. Garnet," saidSalisbury, "we must have recourse to torture."
"_Minare ista pueris_," replied Garnet, contemptuously.
"Leave these two priests to me, my lord," observed Sir William Waad, whowas present at the examination, which took place at the council-chamberin his lodgings,--"leave them to me," he said in a low voice to theEarl, "and I will engage to procure a full confession from their ownlips, without resorting to torture."
"You will render the state an important service by doing so," repliedSalisbury, in the same tone. "I place the matter entirely in yourhands."
The lieutenant set to work without loss of time. By his directions,Garnet and Oldcorne were removed from their present places ofconfinement to two subterranean cells immediately adjoining each other,but between which a secret recess, contrived in the thickness of thewall, and built for the purpose it was subsequently put to, existed. Twodays after they had been so immured, Ipgreve, who had received hisinstructions, loitered for a moment in Oldcorne's cell, and withaffected hesitation informed him that for a trifling reward he wouldenable him to hold unreserved communication with his fellow-prisoner.
Oldcorne eagerly caught at the bait, but required to be satisfied thatthe jailer could make good his words. Ipgreve immediately proceeded tothe side of the cell, and holding a lamp to the wall, showed him a smalliron knob.
"Touch this spring," he said, "and a stone will fall from its place, andenable you to converse with Father Garnet, who is in the next cell. Butyou must take care to replace the stone when any one approaches."
Promising to observe the utmost caution, and totally unsuspicious of thedeceit practised upon him, Oldcorne gave Ipgreve the reward, and as soonas he was gone, touched the spring, and found it act precisely as thejailer had stated.
Garnet was greatly surprised to hear the other's voice, and on learninghow the communication was managed was at first suspicious of somestratagem, but by degrees his fears wore off, and he became unreservedin his discourse with his companion, discussing the fate of theconspirators, their own share in the plot, the probability of theiracquittal, and the best means of baffling their examiners. All theseinterlocutions were overheard and taken down by the lieutenant and twoother witnesses, Forsett and Lockerson, private secretary to the Earl ofSalisbury, who were concealed in the recess. Having obtained all theinformation he desired, Sir William Waad laid his notes before theCouncil, and their own confessions being read to the priests, they wereboth greatly confused, though neither would admit their authenticity.
Meanwhile, their two servants, Owen and Chambers, had been repeatedlyexamined, and refusing to confess, were at last suspended from a beam bythe thumbs. But this producing no result, they were told that on thefollowing day they would be placed on the rack. Chambers then offered tomake a full confession, but Owen, continuing obstinate, was conveyedback to his cell. Ipgreve brought him his food as usual in the evening,and on this occasion, it consisted of broth, and a small allowance ofmeat. It was the custom of the jailer to bring with him a smallblunt-pointed knife, with which he allowed the prisoner to cut hisvictuals. Having got possession of the knife, Owen tasted the broth, andcomplaining that it was quite cold, he implored the jailer to get itwarmed for him, as he felt extremely unwell. Somewhat moved by hisentreaties, and more by his appearance, Ipgreve complied. On his return,he found the unfortunate man lying in one corner of the cell, partiallycovered by a heap of straw which ordinarily formed his bed.
"Here is your broth," he said. "Take it while it is hot. I shall givemyself no further trouble about you."
"It will not be needed," gasped Owen.
Alarmed by the sound of his voice, Ipgreve held the light towards him,and perceived that his face was pale as death. At the same time, heremarked that the floor was covered with blood. Instantly divining thetruth, the jailer rushed towards the wretched man, and dragging away theblood-stained straw, found he had inflicted a frightful wound uponhimself with the knife which he still held in his grasp.
"Fool that I was, to trust you with the weapon!" cried Ipgreve. "But whowould have thought it could inflict a mortal wound?"
"Any weapon will serve him who is resolved to die," rejoined Owen. "Youcannot put me on the rack now." And with a ghastly expression oftriumph, he expired.
Soon after this, Oldcorne and Abingdon were sent down to Worcester,where the former was tried and executed. Stephen Littleton suffereddeath at the same time.
On Friday, the 23rd of March, full proofs being obtained against him,Garnet was arraigned of high treason at Guildhall. The trial, whichexcited extraordinary interest, was attended by the King, by the mostdistinguished personages, male and female, of his court, and by all theforeign ambassadors. Garnet conducted himself throughout hisarraignment, which lasted for thirteen hours, with the same courage andaddress which he had displayed on his examinations before thecommissioners. But his subtlety availed him little. He was found guiltyand condemned.
The execution of the sentence was for some time deferred, it being hopedthat a complete admission of his guilt would be obtained from him,together with disclosures relative to the designs of the Jesuit party.With this view, the examinations were still continued, but the rigourwith which he had been latterly treated was relaxed. A few days beforehis execution, he was visited by several eminent ProtestantDivines,--Doctor Montague, Dean of the Chapel Royal; Doctor Neile, Deanof Westminster; and Doctor Overall, Dean of Saint Paul's; w
ith whom hehad a long disputation on points of faith and other spiritual matters.
At the close of this discussion, Doctor Overall remarked, "I suppose youexpect, Mr. Garnet, that after your death, the Church of Rome willdeclare you a martyr?"
"I a martyr!" exclaimed Garnet, sorrowfully. "O what a martyr I shouldbe! If, indeed, I were really about to suffer death for the Catholicreligion, and had never known of this project, except by means ofsacramental confession, I might perhaps be accounted worthy the honourof martyrdom, and might deservedly be glorified in the opinion of ourchurch. As it is, I acknowledge myself to have sinned in this respect,and deny not the justice of the sentence passed upon me."
Satisfied, at length, that no further disclosures could be obtained fromhim, the King signed the warrant for his execution on the 2nd of May.
The scaffold was erected at the west end of Saint Paul's Cathedral, onthe spot where Digby and the other conspirators had suffered. A vastassemblage was collected as on the former occasion, and similarprecautions were taken to prevent tumult and disturbance. Theunfortunate man's torture was cruelly and unnecessarily prolonged by aseries of questions proposed to him on the scaffold by Doctor Overalland the Dean of Westminster, all of which he answered very collectedlyand clearly. He maintained his fortitude to the last. When fullyprepared, he mounted the ladder, and thus addressed the assemblage:--
"I commend myself to all good Catholics. I grieve that I have offendedthe King by not revealing the design entertained against him, and that Idid not use more diligence in preventing the execution of the plot. Icommend myself most humbly to the lords of his Majesty's council, andentreat them not to judge too hardly by me. I beseech all men thatCatholics may not fare the worse for my sake, and I exhort all Catholicsto take care not to mix themselves with seditious or traitorous designsagainst the King's Majesty, whom God preserve!"
Making the sign of the cross upon his forehead and breast, he continued:
"_In nomine Patris, Filii, et Spiritus Sancti! Jesus Maria! Maria, matergratiae! mater misericordiae! Tu me ab hoste protege, et hora mortissuscipe! In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum, quia turedimisti me, Domine, Deus veritatis._" Again crossing himself, headded,--"_Per crucis hoc signum fugiat procul omne malignum! Infigecrucem tuam, Domine, in corde meo!_"
And with this last pathetic ejaculation he threw himself from theladder.
Garnet obtained, after death, the distinction he had disclaimed whileliving. He was enrolled, together with Oldcorne, among the list ofCatholic martyrs. Several miracles are affirmed by the Jesuits to havebeen performed in his behalf. Father More relates that on the lawn atHendlip, where he and Oldcorne last set foot, "a new and hithertounknown species of grass sprang up into the exact shape of an imperialcrown, and remained for a long time without being trodden down by thefeet of passengers, or eaten up by the cattle." It was further assertedthat a spring of oil burst forth at the west end of Saint Paul'sCathedral on the precise spot where he suffered. But the most singularprodigy is that recounted by Endaemon Joannes, who affirms that in astraw which had been sprinkled with Garnet's blood, a human countenance,strangely resembling that of the martyr, was discovered. This legend ofthe Miraculous Straw, having received many embellishments andimprovements as it travelled abroad, obtained universal credence, andwas conceived to fully establish Garnet's innocence.
Anne Vaux, the Jesuit's devoted friend, retired with her sister, Mrs.Brooksby, to a nunnery in Flanders, where she ended her days.
So terminated the memorable and never-to-be-forgotten Gunpowder Treason,for deliverance from which our church still offers thanksgivings, and inremembrance of which, on the anniversary of its discovery, fagots arecollected and bonfires lighted to consume the effigy of thearch-conspirator, GUY FAWKES.
THE END.
Transcriber's Note:
Passages in italics are indicated by _underscore_. Any text appearingin smallcaps font were shifted to uppercase.
The following corrections were made to text which did not seemto reflect the spelling of the period, but were rather printer'serrors, or characters that either did not 'ink' properly, or didnot survive, mostly on either margin.
p. 37 typo: "command" -> "command[ed] him to surrender"p. 65 typo: "theref[e]re" -> "theref[o]re"p. 72 typo "Saint Winfred's Well" -> "Saint Winifred's Well"p. 86 typo: "singlar" -> "sing[u]lar circumstance occurred"p. 138 typo: "delirous" -> "delir[i]ous"p. 198 Sir William['s] Waad's (spurious 's removed)p. 244 petrone -> petrone[l]. (supplied missing 'l')p. 277 typo: "yo[n]" -> "yo[u] are yourself again"p. 321 "Ann Vaux" -> "Ann[e] Vaux" (final e missing)p. 354 typo: "exetioner" -> "exe[cu]tioner" (hyphenation error corrected)p. 359 "... commendo [s]piritum meum" (missing 's' provided)
The following is a list of punctuation errors, especially unclosedquotations, which have been corrected. The corrections are notedwith []'s.
p. 13 ["]Yours was a...P. 49 ... if he knew who they were[.]p. 63 ... than treble our number.["]p. 106 ... passage under the house[.]p. 118 ... secrecy with your life[.]p. 147 ... pointing towards Hampstead[.]p. 186 replied Viviana, firmly[;]p. 189 ... reverentially upwards[.]p. 191 ["]I _do_ remember...p. 196 "I admit nothing,["]p. 203 muttered the old woman[.]p. 208 replied the jailer's daughter[.]p. 213 eluding the obligation[.]p. 218 procure Viviana's liberation.["]p. 222 ... rejoined Guy Fawkes[,]p. 234 ... shunning the regards of Catesby[,]p. 318 ...ever require from you[.]"p. 321 ...the residence of Sir Henry Bromley[.]p. 322 But I was wofully deceived[.]"p. 327 ["]for Sir Henry had...p. 345 said Viviana[;] "and I...p. 346 replied Ruth[.] "Nor shall you... ...comply with her request.["]p. 347 ... raising herself in the bed[.]
The following words are spelled both with and without hyphens, and havebeen left as printed:
pick-axe(s)/pickaxe(s)out-building/outbuildingBy-ward/Bywardby-standers/bystandersloop-hole/loopholere-appeared/reappearedup-stairs/upstairsfainted-hearted/faintheartedfoot-path/footpath
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