Chapter XV. Of The Execution Of Father Garnett, With A Brief Relation Of

His Life.(484)

After the condemnation of Father Garnett and the execution of Father Ouldcorne, they kept Father Garnett still in the Tower, to the marvel of many, from the time of his arraignment, which was the twenty-eighth of March, until the third of May. In the meantime there was of purpose spread many false rumours of his, that forsooth he would yield and go to church with heretics, and that they should see him preach publicly heretical doctrine, and such like; all which things God knows were far from his thoughts, as he showed by his great constancy, and in express words also when he came to die. But this was done to diminish the great and worthy opinion which was conceived of him generally, and to cause some bad rumours to be spread of him in other countries before his death, that the truth itself, when it came to be opened by his constant suffering, might have the less credit, at least in some men’s minds, where the contrary prejudicate opinion should be before settled.

All this time, which God of His gracious providence gave unto the holy man for his better preparation and perfecting of his fervent and religious desires, his enemies also gave him good occasion to increase his merits, often soliciting him(485) to declare who was intended for Protector by the Catholics if the Plot had gone forward, whereby it was thought likely that the Earl of Northumberland would have been deeply touched. And to this end it was constantly affirmed by some that knew much how things passed, that both life and favour were often and earnestly offered him, if he would have yielded in that point. But Father Garnett was far from any such base and unworthy mind: neither could he ever be brought to repair his own liberty with the ruins of others.(486)

Wherefore when it was plainly seen that there was no hope to draw him to anything unlawful or unfit for a Religious Priest, it was then determined presently that he should suffer. And the day was assigned to be the first of May, which being told unto Father Garnett, he misliked the choice they had made of that day, as well in regard it hath not been usual to put any to death upon such great Feasts, as for that it hath long time been a custom in England upon that day in the morning early, for the people to go into the fields and come home with green boughs in their hands in sign of joy, and to spend most of that day in triumph and pastime. To which effect Father Garnett made answer, “What, will they make a May game of me?” which words of his (as it afterwards proved) he was by God’s providence directed to speak. For when it was told to the Council what he said, they saw it was not fit, and altered the day from Thursday, which was May-day, until the Saturday following, which was the Invention of the Holy Cross, and the day no doubt assigned by Almighty God for his martyrdom; for, of all other days in that season, the martyr himself was most affected unto that, having ever had a special devotion unto the Cross and Passion of Christ; wherefore as he misliked the unfit choice of the other day, so he rejoiced exceedingly at this election, and prepared himself gladly to find this cross which God would send him upon that day, and by that cross to find the way to Heaven. He showed himself a true disciple and follower of the Apostle “et gloriatus est in cruce Domini nostri Jesu Christi, in quo est salus, vita et resurrectio ejus, per quem salvatus et liberatus est.”(487)

The manner of his preparation we cannot learn, all things being kept so close in that most close and strict prison, where none but his only keeper could possibly come to him; and that keeper a most malicious naughty fellow, as before hath been showed. But we may well judge of his preparation by the effects of his well prepared mind and his cheerful carriage, which, in so grave a man, was a sign of great peace and contentment of mind. When the desired day was come, Father Garnett was brought down from his chamber in the Tower, where first there met him one of the cooks of the house, who used to provide him his meat,(488) and this man took his leave of him saying, “Farewell, good sir;” upon whom Father Garnett looking with a pleasant smiling countenance, said, “Farewell, good friend Tom, this day I will save thee a labour to provide my dinner.” And going a little further towards the hurdle, there met him also the Lieutenant’s wife to take her leave, who said, “God be with you, and comfort you, good Mr. Garnett, I will pray for you.” To whom, with a joyful countenance, he gave thanks, saying, “I thank you, good madam, and for your prayers, you may keep them at this time; and if it pleaseth God to give me perseverance, I will not forget you in my prayers.” Then being brought unto the hurdle, there he was laid as the order is, having a black cloak somewhat long upon his other clothes, and a hat on his head. All the way as he was drawn (with three horses), he held his hands together, lifted up somewhat towards Heaven, and kept his eyes shut for the most part, as a man in deep contemplation.

The place of the execution was St. Paul’s churchyard, on the west end,(489) over against the Bishop’s house; provided so by God, that as by his virtuous life and doctrine he had confuted heresy, so by his constant death he might confound both it and the teachers thereof. In that place there was a great scaffold made, and a gibbet in the midst of the scaffold. And such multitudes of people, noble and ignoble, so many standings set up by carpenters to hire out for money, that a mere place to stand on would cost twelvepence well; and the party from whom I chiefly have many of these particulars (being a Priest of great credit and estimation) was glad to give twelvepence only to stand upon a wall. All windows were full, yea, the tops of houses full of people, so that it is not known the like hath been at any execution. When he was taken up from the hurdle, his arms being still unbound, there met him the Dean of St. Paul’s and of Winchester,(490) with a company of other ministers. And the Dean of St. Paul’s said unto him (both he and the rest having their hats in their hands and with great show of reverence), “Mr. Garnett, I am sent unto you from His Majesty, to will you, that now being in the last hour of your mortal life, you will perform the duty of a true subject, to which you are obliged by the laws of God and nature; and therefore to disclose such treasons as you know intended towards His Majesty’s danger and the commonwealth.” By this it may appear they had often laboured him to confess something, and could never get anything in that kind, which moved them now again to make this last trial. To this Father Garnett answered, “Mr. Dean, it may please you to tell His Majesty, that I have been arraigned, and what could be laid to my charge, I have there answered, and said as much as I could; so that in this place I have no more to say.”

Then the Dean and other ministers began to persuade him to a true and lively faith (meaning their own solifidian doctrine), but in this he cut them off quickly, desiring them not to trouble themselves, nor him; and said that for his estate of soul he needed not their instructions; he came prepared and was resolved. Which two last words are of themselves sufficient to convince all the slanders his enemies would fain have imposed upon him, and to declare what he had done in his private prison, whereof as yet we cannot learn the particulars. Then he was brought upon the scaffold, where there was both the Sheriffs of London, the Recorder, with the Deans and Doctors before mentioned, and some other petty officers, as also some Catholics of reckoning, and well-wishers,(491) all which he saluted very kindly and cheerfully.

And first he asked whether there was not some place to pray;(492) but the Recorder began to say unto him, that he and others were there by order from His Majesty, to bring him to remembrance of his treason, and that he should acknowledge he was justly condemned, and ask the King’s forgiveness. To which he answered, he had not committed any treason nor offence against His Majesty, nor was ever guilty of the Powder Treason in the least degree, but had earnestly dissuaded and sought to hinder both that and all other attempts against His Majesty; neither could they condemn him for anything, but for not opening the secret of confession, in which only he had knowledge of that Powder Treason, and in which he had done according to his function, and therefore could not justly be condemned for it; neither had any ways willingly offended His Majesty. But so far forth as this concealing of the treason (unto which he was bound in conscience) did any ways offend His Majesty or the State, he did ask them forgiveness with all his heart.

Thereupon the Recorder taking hold, said to the hearers, “Do you hear, gentlemen? He asketh the King forgiveness for the Powder Treason.” To which Father Garnett answered, “You do me wrong: for I have no cause to ask forgiveness for that whereof I was never guilty, nor was privy to it in such sort that it may justly be imputed to me for concealing it.” The Recorder then would gladly have made good his former speech with facing down the Father, and said: “What! will you deny your own hand? We have it under your hand, that you knew of it by other means than confession, that Greenway told you of it by way of consultation, and that Catesby and Greenway came together to be resolved of you.” “No,” said the Father, “Mr. Catesby never told me of any particular. And for Mr. Greenway, I knew it only, as I have said, by confession, which therefore I could not lawfully open, until now that I had leave so to do. Neither would I have named him as I have done,(493) but lest any might think him guilty of counselling or furthering in the matter, and(494) to the end the very truth might be known, because false reports make him thought more guilty than he is. What is under my hand I will not deny, but you shall never show my hand contrary to what I have spoken.”

The Recorder answered, “You do but equivocate, and if you will deny it, after your death we will publish your own hand, that the world may see your false dealing.” The Father answered, “This is no time to talk of equivocation, neither do I equivocate. But in troth, in troth, you shall not find my hand otherwise than I have said.” Which double asseveration did satisfy the hearers much, though he would not be satisfied that was resolved and prepared to contradict. Wherefore the Recorder said to one of his followers, “Let him see his own handwriting.” “You cannot,” saith the Father, “show me any such writing of my hand.” Then he that should have had the note, said it was not there; it was left at home (at which divers of the standers-by laughed in their sleeves). “No,” saith the Father, “neither here nor at home you have any such.”

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 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 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 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 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.

Now, therefore, having declared how he finished his holy life,(502) I will here set down so much of his whole course therein as I could learn from some of those that have been very inward with him, that it may the more plainly appear how his religious virtues did prepare and perfect him to this last conflict and conquest over the world.

He was born in the county of Derby. His parents were well esteemed, and well able to maintain the charge of their family. His father was given to learning, insomuch that he made profession thereof, and taught Free School in the next shire-town, which was of Nottingham.(503)