T Ouching the Racke and Torments used to fuch Traitors as pretended them felves to bee Catholiques, vpon whom the fame haue bene exercifed, it is affirmed for Trueth, and is offered upon due Examination fo to be proued, to bee as followeth. First, that the formes of Torture in their Seueritie or Rigour of Execution, haue not bene fuch and in fuch maner perfourmed, as the fclaunderers, and feditious Libellers haue fclaunderously and maliciously published. And that euen the principall Offender Campion himfelfe, who was fent and came from Rome and continued here in fundrie Corners of the Realme, hauing fecretly wandered in the greatest part of the Shieres of Englande in a difguifed fort, to the intent to make fpeciall preparation of Treafons, and to that end and for furtherance of thofe his Labors, fent ouer for more helpe and affiftance, and cunningly and traiterously at Rome before he came from thence, procured Tolleration for fuch prepared Rebels, to keepe themelues couert vnder pretence of temporarie and permiffiue Obedience to her Maieftie, the State ftanding as it doth, but fo foone as there were fufficient Force whereby the Bull of her Maiefties Depriuation might bee fublikely executed, they fhoulde then ioyne altogether with that Force vpon peine of Curfe and Damnation: That very Campion, I fay, before the Conference had with him by learned Men in the Tower, wherin he was charitably used, was neuer fo racked, but that he was presently able to walk, and to write, and did prefently write and fubfcribe al his Confeffions, as by the Originales thereof may appear. A horrible matter is alfo made of ftaruing one Alexander Briant, how he fhould eate Clay out of the Walles, gathered Water to drinke from the Droppings of Houses, with fuch other falfe Oftentations of immanitie: where the Truth is this, that whatsoever Briant fuffered in want of Foode, he suffered the fame wilfully and of extreme impudent Obftinacie, against the minde and liking of thofe that dealt with him. For certaine traiterous Writings being founde about him, it was thought convenient by conference of Hands to vnderftand whofe Writing they were, and thereupon he being in her Maiefties name commaunded to write, which he could very well doe, and being permitted to him to write what he woulde himfelfe, in these Termes, that if he liked not to write one Thing, he might write an other or what he lyfted (which to doe being charged in her Maiefties Name was his Duetie, and to refufe was difloyall and vndutifull :) yet the Man woulde by no meanes be induced to write any Thing at all. Then was it commanded to his Keeper to giue vnto him fuch Meate, Drinke, and other conuenient Neceffaries as he would write for, and to forbeare to give him any Thinge which he would not write. But Briant being thereof aduertised and oft moued to write, perfifting fo in his curft Heart by almost two Dayes and two Nightes, made choise rather to lack Foode, then to write for the Suftenance which hee might readely haue had for writing, and which he had indede redely and plentifully, fo foone as he wrote. And as it is fayde of these two, fo is it to be truely fayde of other, with this, that there was a perpetuall care had, and the Queene's feruantes the Warders, whofe Office and Act it is to handle the Racke, were euer euer by those that attended the Examinations specially charged, to vfe it in as charitable Maner as fuch a thing might be. Secondly it is faid, and likewife offered to be iuftified, that neuer any of these Seminaries, or fuch other pretended Catholiques which at any time in her Maiefties Raigne have been put to the Racke, were vpon the Racke or in other Torture demanded any Queftion of their fuppofed Confcience, as what they beleeued in any point of Doctrine or Faith, as the Maffe, Tranfubftantiation, or fuch like: but onely with what Perfons at Home, or Abroad, and touching what Plots, Practifes and Conferences they had dealt about Attempts against her Maiefties Eftate or Perfon, or to alter the Lawes of the Realme for matters of Religion, by Treafon or by Force, and howe they were perfwaded them felves, and did perfwade other touching the Pope's Bul and pretenfe of Authority, to depofe Kings and Princes, and namely, for Depriuation of her Maieftie, and to discharge Subiectes from their Allegeance, expreffing herein alway the Kingly Powers and Fftates, and the Subiectes Allegeance ciuily, without mentioning or meaning therein any Right that the Queene as in right of the Crowne, hath ouer Perfons Ecclefiafticall being her Subiectes. In all which Cafes, Campion and the reft never answered plainely, but fophiftically, deceietfully and traiteroufly, reftraining their Confeffion of Allegeance onely to the permiffiue Forme of the Pope's Toleration. As for Example, if they were afked, whether they did acknowledge them felves the Queene's Subiectes and woulde obey her, they woulde fay, Yea for fo they had leaue for a Time to doe. But adding more to the Question, and they being asked, if they woulde fo acknowledge and obey her any longer than the Pope woulde fo permit them, or not withstanding fuch Commandement as the Pope woulde or might giue to the contrary, then they eyther refufed fo to obey, or denyed to answere, or faid, that they coulde not anfwere to thofe Questions without Daunger which very Answere without more faying, was a plaine Answere to all reasonable Understanding, that they woulde no longer be Subiectes, nor perfwade other to be Subiectes, then the Pope gaue Licence. And at their very Arraignement when they laboured to leaue in the Minds of the People and Standers by, an Opinion that they were to dye, not for Treafon, but for matter of Faith and Confcience in Doctrine, touching the fervice of God, without any attempt or purpose against her Maieftie, they cryed out that they were true Subiectes, and did and would obey and ferve her Maieftie. Immediately, to prove whether that hypocriticall and fophiftical Speech extended to a perpetuitie of their Obedience, or to fo long time as the Pope fo permitted, or no, they were openly in place of Judgment afked by the Queene's learned Counfell, whether they would fo obey land be true Subiectes, if the Pope commanded the contrary they plainely disclosed themselves in Anfwere, faying by the Mouth of Campion, This place (meaning the Court of her Maiefties Bench) hath no Power to enquire or judge of the holy Father's Authoritie; and other Anfwere they would not make. Thirdly, that none of them have bene put to the Racke or Torture, no not for the matters of Treafon, or Partnership of Treafon, or fuch like, but where it was first knowen and euidently probable by former Detections, Confeffi ons, and otherwife, that the Partie fo racked, or tortured, was guylty, and did knowe, and coulde deliuer Trueth of the things wherewith he was charg.. ed fo as it was firft affured, that no Innocent was at any time tormented,, and the Racke was neuer vsed to wring out Confeffions at aduenture vpon vncertainties, in which doing, it might bee poffible that an Innocent in that Cafe might haue bene racked. Fourthly, that none of them hath bene racked or tortured, vnleffe hee had firft faid exprefly, or amounting to afmuch, that he wil not tell the Trueth though the Queene commaund him. And if any of them being examined did fay he could not tell, or did not remember, if hee woulde fo affirme in fuch maner as Chriftians among Chriftians are beleeued, fuch his Anfwere was accepted, if there were not apparant euidence to prove that he wilfully faid vntruely. But if he faid that his Anfwere in deliuering Trueth, fhoulde hurt a Catholike, and fo be an Offence against Charitie, which they faid to be Sinne, and that the Queene coulde not commande them to finne, and therefore, howfoeuer the Queene commanded, they would not tell the Trueth, which they were knowen to know, or to fuch effect: they were then put to the Torture, or els not. Fiftly, that the proceeding to Torture was alway fo flowly, fo vnwillingly, and with fo many Preparations of Perfwafions to fpare themfelves, and fo many meanes to let them know that the Trueth was by them to be vttered, both in Dutie to her Maieftie, and in Wifdome for themfelves, as whofoever was prefent at thofe Actions, muft needes acknowledge in her Maiefties Minifters, a ful purpose to follow the Example of her owne moft gracious Difpofition : whome God long preferue. Thus it appeareth, that albeit by the more general Lawes of Nations, Torture hath bene, and is lawfully iudged to be vfed in leffer Cafes, and in sharper maner for Inquifition of Trueth in Crimes not fo neere extending to publike Danger, as thefe vngratious Perfons haue committed, whofe Confpiracies and the Particularities thereof it did fo much import and behoue to haue disclosed, yet euen in that neceffarie Vfe of fuch Proceeding, enforced by the Offenders notorious Obftinacie, is neuertheleffe to be acknowledged the fweete Temperature of her Maiefties milde and gracious Clemencie, and their flaunderous Lewdenes to be the more condemned, that haue in fauour of haynous Malefactors, and ftubborne Traytors, fpread vntrue Rumors and Slaunders to make her mercifull Gouernment disliked vnder falfe Pretence, and Rumors of Sharpeneffe and Crueltie, to those against whome nothing can be cruel, and yet upon whome nothing hath bene done, but gentle and mercifull. The The EXECUTION of IUSTICE in England, for Maintenance of publique and Christian Peace, againft certeine Stirrers of Sedition, and Adherents to the Traytors and Enemies of the Reaime, without any PERSECVTION of them for Queftions of Religion, as is falfely reported and published by the Fautors and Fofterers of their Treafons. Secondly. Imprinted at London Menfe Ian. 1581. An. Reg. Eliz.26. With fome fmall Alterations of Thinges mistaken or omitted in the Tranfcript of the first Originall. T hath bene in all Ages and in all Countries a common Vfage of ITT contrary all Offendors for the most part, both great and finall, to make A1 Offenders Defence of their lewd and vnlawful Facts by Vntruthes, and by couer their colouring and covering their Deeds (were they neuer fo vile) with Faults with Pretences of fome other Caufes of contrarie Operations or Effects; Caufes. to the Intent not only to auoid Punishment or Shame, but to continue, upholde and profecute their wicked Attemptes, to the full Satisfaction of their difordered and malicious Appetites. And though fuch hath bene the Vfe of all Offendors, yet none with more Danger than of Rebels and Traitours to their lawful Princes, Rebels doe Kings and Countries. Of which Sort, of late Yeeres, are fpecial- most dangerously ly to be noted certayne Perfons naturally borne Subiectes in the rolly cover their Faults. Realme of England and Irelande, who having for fome good Time profeffed outwardly their Obedience to their Soveraigne Lady Queene Elizabeth, have nevertheles afterwards bene ftirred up and feduced by wicked Spirites, firft in Englande fundry Yeres paft, and fecondly and of later Time in Irelande, to enter into open Rebellion, taking Arms and comming into the Field against her Maie- Ireland. ftie and her Lieutenantes, with their Forces under Banners difplayed, inducing by notable Vntruthes many fimple People to follow and affift them in their treacherous Actions. And though it is very well knowen, that both their Intentions and manifest Actions were bent to have depofed the Queene's Majefty from her Crowne, and to have traiteroufly fet in her Place fome other whome they liked, whereby if they had not bene fpeedily refifted, they would have committed great Bloodsheds and Slaughters of her Maiefties The Rebels faithfull Subiects, and ruined their native Country; yet by God's vanquished by Power given vnto her Majeftie, they were fo fpeedily vanquished, as the Queen's fome Rebellion in England and Power. Some of the Rebels filed into forreine Countries. Rebels pre- for their De- fome few of them fuffered by Order of Lawe according to their Defertes, many and the greateft Part upon Confeffion of their Faults were pardoned, the reft (but they not many) of the principal, escaped into forreine Countries, and there, because in none or few Places Rebels and Traitours to their natural Princes and Countries dare for their Treafons chalenge at their first Mufter open Comfort or Succour, these notable Traitors and Rebels have falfely informed many Kings, Princes and States, and efpecially the Bishop of Rome, commonly called the Pope, (from whome they all had fecretely their first Comfort to rebell) that the Cause of their fleeing from their Countries was for the Religion of Rome, and for Maintenance of the faid Pope's Authority. Whereas divers of them before their Rebellion lived fo notoriously, the moft part of their Lives, out of all good Rule, either for honest Manners, or for any Sense in Religion, as they might have bene rather familiar with Catalyn, or Favourers to Sardanapalus, than accompted good Subiectes vn- der any Christian Princes. As for fome Examples of the Heads of thefe Rebellions, out of England fled Charles Neuill Earle of Westmerland, a Perfon utterly wafted by Looseness of Life, and by God's Punishment, even in the Time of his Rebellion, bereaued of his Children that should have fucceeded him in the Earldome, and his Bodie now eaten with Vlcers of lewde Caufes, as his Companions do fay, that no Enemie he hath can with him a viler Punishment; a pitifull Loffe to the Realme of fo noble a House, neuer before in any Age attainted for Difloyaltie. And out of Ireland ran away one Thomas Stukely, a defamed Perfon almost through all Charles Neuill Chriftendom, and a faithlefs Beast rather than a Man, fleeing first Earle of Weft out of England for notable Piracies, and out of Ireland for Trecheries not pardonable, which two were the first Ringleaders of the rest of the Rebelles, the one for England, the other for Ireland. But notwithstanding the notorious evil and wicked Lives of these and other their Confederates, voide of all Chriftian Religion, it liked the Bishop of Rome, as in fauour of their Treafons, not to colour their Offences, as themselves openly pretend to do, for auoyding of common Shame of the Worlde: but flatly to animate them. to continue their former wicked Purpofes, that is, to take Armes against their lawful Queene; to invade her Realme with forreine Forces, to purfue all her good Subiects and their native Countries with Fire and Sworde; for Maintenance whereof there had some Yeres before, at fundrie Times, proceeded in a thundring fort, The Effect of Bulles, Excommunications and other publique Writings, denouncthe Pope's ing her Maieftie, being the lawfull Queene, and God's anoynted Seruant, not to be the Queene of the Realme,charging and vpon Paines of Excommunication commanding all her Subiectes, to depart from their natural Alleageances, whereto by Birth and by Othe they were bound: Provoking alfo and authorifing all Perfons of allDegrees within Ringleaders of Rebels, merland, and Bull against the Queene of England. both |