THE diuers and contrary re­portes falsely and maliciously bruted and published of M. Euerard Haunse, directly executed for cause of Religion, after his late mar­tyrdome, gaue iust feare of the like practise towards those thrée glorious Martirs, learned, meeke, stoute, and constant Priests, M. Edmund Cam­pion Iesuite, M. Rodulph Sherwin, and M. Alexander Bryan preistes, who vpon the first day of December last past were vnder pretence of hi­ghe treason moste iniuriously to the great lamentation generally of all good men, martired for the Catholike faith and religion. Upon which occa­sion many good catholike gentlemen desirous to be eye witnesses of that which might hapen in the speach, de­meinor, & passage of those thrée rare paternes of piety, vertue, and inno­cencie, presented them selues at the place of execution, and my selfe a [Page] Catholike preist pressed to that bloo­die spectacle, no dout a liuely sacrifice vnto God, and a sweete sauour vnto his Angels, with minde vpon occa­sion to referre uncerely and truly to my power this tragedie, with suche accidents as did hapen in the maner, cou [...]se, and ende thereof. Since wh­ich time, vpon request of some of my fellows and b [...]ethren, I wrote those dealings, to answere and satisfie our aduersaries generally, to content & comfort our persecuted brethren spe­cially, and in part to diminishe those sinister rumors which are raysed a­gainst these good men by a notable and most infamous libel, entituled, An Aduertisement and defence for truth against her backbyters, and sp­ecially against the whispering fauo­rers and colorers of Campions, and the rest of his confederates treasons: published there, and openly read, printed abrode without authoritie of seen aud alowed, a pamphlet, false, impudent, and farssed with lyes and vntruthes, only to colour and shad­owe with some face of equitie those [Page] strange procedinges, my meaning is not to refute in spetial falsities, that shamfull aduertisment alredy gene­raly confutid in all mens conscien­ces, and with priuate mutteringes e­ven of the aduers parte them selues flatly condemned, for I knowe, and all men are pe [...]swaded that those ino­centes suffered only for religion for our fathers faith, and spirituall inhe­ritance, for seruing god in priestly function and duties. And not for tre­son, not for conspiring her highnesse death and ruin as it shal more clerly apere by their owne defence at the tyme of their arraignment, which will shortly be published as a testi­monie, and expreste signification of their innocencie, together with their dispntations priuately had in the tower, argumentes of their learning and seale towardes this our natiue countrie, so devided dayly with nom­bers of newe faithes and religions, to the ruin and damnation of many our parentes, children, kinssolkes & fréendes, for whose instruction & sal­uation only these good men with in­finite [Page] more haue offered, and as i [...] were, consecrated them selues to these daungers, and [...]erilles of our times. But if I [...]houlde vpon that defeuce of their doings stand long to the contrary, yet could I not, when all were done, saye more then other men haue already alleg [...]d, by whom is declared howe our doings and la­bours in these spiritual affayres, are misconstred, how truth is made trea­son, religion rebellion. To whose bookes I do referre my deare coun­trie men eith [...]r inwardly affected, or outwardly afflicted by the swete de­parture of these so lern [...]d [...] so m [...]ke, so vertuous Priests, of whose innocen­cie, dutiful purposes, demeinors, and attemptes towards our natiue countrie, our parentes and friendes, not­withstāding that generall testimony of many lerned m [...]n, are further and most sure witnesse their disputation publikely chalenged, and by the ad­uerse part priuately performed, their answeres wise, and euen to the ad­miration of al men discrete at their arraignement, their resolute denial [Page] and plaine disclaming from all such practises surmised, and violently in­tended at their laste speach, and that assured vpon the peril of their souls, and lastly the disloyal and traterous practise of the aduers part, againste24. her highnes, her crowne, and state, againste her frendes, against some of her graue and wise, true and faithful Counselers, practised secretly, as by priuate speach of her maiesties sub­iectes generally is cons [...]ant and ma­nifeste, by some hollow harted freen­des and flaterers vtered nowe, and no doubt if all were knowne, for so­me purpose broched by M. Norton nowe prisoner, who for the better face of his owne disloyalty and trea­son, procured these her maiesties tr­ue and moste loyal subiectes to be ac­cused, condemned and executed for treason. But O alta iuditia dei. I say no more, but half those wordes he v­sed, wonld haue byn made playne & expresse treason in pore Catholikes, howsoeuer some will seme to excuse them as rashe wordes. Well here as I wil answere for myne owne sonle [Page] before God I mynde to write sincer­ly and simply a truth concerning the behauiour of these men at their de­parture, wherin of myne owne faith and fidilitie in reporting I call wit­nes of those gentilmen who before the begining of this tragedie at Ti­borne disputed of the motion of the Sunne from east to west which was violent & which was natural, at wh­ose backes I sta [...]ed the end of this pageant: I mynded this end, and they I know atended the same. this I do implie to remember those gentilmen of the manner, of the behauiour, me­ke, humble, constant and resolute of those honorable martirs, nowe no doubt daily intercessors for [...]his our miserable countrie, not douting but that, as they were then charitably moued and affected with compassion, so now they wil truely giue testimo­ny of their innocencie and my fayth in relation. Let therefore malice re­port treason, and here [...]ie sownde con­spiracie, a practise euen from the in­fancie of religion and faith, to brede hatred to religious & faithfull men, [Page] yet in al these inuentions of quarel­ling Lawyers in our doing in suche wise made treasonable, we for them and our selues by S. Paules exam­ple (who beeing charged before the ciuil magistrate,Act. 24. of conspiracy, and il demeinour towardes his countrey, protested that he was iudged concer­ning the resurrection, a question in religion, and not for sedition or con­course in tumults) doe crie to God and al Christian people which beheld their sufferance, and doe still sée our afflictions, that y^e cause of their death and our extreme misery, is meerely and only religion, no treason, no vn­duetifulnes to our Prince, no diso­bedience to her temporal laws, how­soeuer they who maligne our fayth and Priesthood, haue by these Mache­uilian practises drawen al our doin­ges, ententes, and endeuours to dis­loyalty and treason: by which mea­nes were lately condemned thirtene preistes, and one lay man, agaynste lawe, equitie, conscience, without special euidence, vpon general pre­sumption, by testimony of three or [Page] foure lewde Apostates, vnlawful persons, and notoriously infamed. This is vox populi, and was at the time of their arraignement expresly proued, howsoeuer this namelesse Aduertiser doth without shame most falsly affirme the contrary. But to my purpose, which is to intimat and publi [...]he the behauiour, speches, and protestation of these so lerned & rare men. It is not vnknowen that M. Edmund Campion Iesuite & Preist, a man reputed and taken, and by di­uers his coequals plainlye confessed the flewer of Oxforde for that time he studied there, and since abrode in foreine countries one in whom our countrey hath had great honor, the frute of his l [...]rning, vertue, and rar [...] giftes, whiche as they were in his childhood here among vs wonderful, so they were abrode, as in Italy, Ger­many, and Bohemia an honor to our country, a glasse and mirror, a light and lanterne, a paterne and example to youth, to age, to lerned, to vnler­ned, to religious, and to the laytie of al sort, state, & condition, of modestie, [Page] grauitie, eloquence, knowledge, ver­tue, and pietie, of which iust and due commendation, some of our aduersa­ries can giue true and [...]erteyn testi­monie, who after diligent sifting and enquiring of his life, maners, and de­meinor, found nothing faulty, nothi­ng worthy of blame. This man (M. Campion I say) first mekely yelded himself and his carkasse to this but­cherie, with such humility & corage, as moued most beholders to compas­sion and pity. Those speches he vsed in the way to diuers calling and cry­ing vnto him, I leaue (my selfe not able to make relation therof) to com­mon report, or to that mans testimo­nie, who eyther for pity or affection wiped his face defiled with durt, as he was drawen most miserably thr­ough thick and thin, as the saying is, to the place of execution: for whiche charity, and happily some sodein mo­ued affection, God rewarde him, and blesse him. What he spake openly, that my meaning is to set down tru­ly, my selfe béeing present and very nere, as hard by Syr Frances Knoles, [Page] the Lorde Howard, Syr Henry Lee and other Gentlemen then gathered there to see and heare him. And here I wil omit, althogh it be very much material, his vsage in time of impri­sonment, his constant patience in his rackinges, and after his condēnation by report of some very nere to him, his fiue days fast frō tēporal & bodily sustenance, his abstinence from slepe and ordinary rest, which was before his death by credible report of some, continued two nightes, bestowed in meditation & prayer. Who after ma­ny conflictes and agonies, ioyfully comming to receiue his reward and crowne, the kingdome of heauen, an enheritance certayne to such, who in this life refuse the worlde, thinges worldly, & themselues for Christes sake, after some small pawse in the carte, with graue countenance and swéete voyce stoutly spake as follo­weth.

Spectaculum facti sumus Deo, An­geli, & hominibus saying,1. Cor. 4. These are the wordes of S. Paule, Englished thus: We are made a spectacle, or a [Page] sight vnto God, vnto his Angels, and vnto men: verified this day in me, who am here a spectacle vnto my lor­de god, a spectacle vnto his angels, & vnto you men. And here going for­warde in this text, was interuptid & cut of by Syr Frauncis Knowles and the sh [...]ryfs, earnestly vrging him to confesse his treason against her ma­iestie, and to acknowledge himself gilty. To whom he answered saying [...] You haue now what you do desire, I besech you to haue patience & suffer me to speake a woorde or too for dis­charge of my conscience. But beiug not suffered to go forward, gaue an­swere to that point they alwayes vr­ged, that he was giltlesse & innocent of all treason and conspiracie, cra­uing credit to be geuen to this an­swere, as to his last answere made vpon his death & soule: adding that touching this poynt both the Iurie might be deceauid, and more also put in the evidence then was true: not­withstanding he forgaue, as he wo­uld be forgeuen, desiring all them to forgeue him whome he had confessed [Page] vpon the racke. Further he declared the meaning of a le [...]ter sent by him self in time of his imprisonment out of the Tower, in which he wrote, he would not disclos [...] the secretes of so­me houses where he had bin intertei­ned, affirming on his soule, that the secretes he m [...]nt in that letter, were no [...] as some miscon [...]tred them, trea­son, or conspiracy, or any matter els any way intended against her Maie­stie or the state, but saying of Masse, hearing of confession, preaching, and such like duties and functions of Pr­iests: this he protested to be true, as he would answere before God. Then he desired Syr Francis Knowles, and some other of nobility, to heare him touching one Richardson cōdemned about a booke of his, and ernestly be­sought them to haue consideration of that man, saying, he was not that Richard son which brought his booke, & this he affirmed with vehement pro­testation vpon his death. Then one Hearne a seolemaster, as I lerned af­ter, red the new Aduertisement ope­nly with lowde voyce vnto the peo­ple, [Page] published only to colour so mani­fest and [...]xpresse iniury: M. Campion al the time of his reading deuoutlye praying Notwithstanding which aduertisement or defence of theirs, as­wel bicause they dis [...]r [...]s [...]ed their own po [...]cie in publication therof, as that they did also [...]si [...]e [...]me better colour or faster v [...]said for their procedings, pressed him to declare his opinion of Pius quintus Bull concerning thex­communication of our Soueraigne and queene. To which d [...]maunde he gaue no answere. But being asked whether he renounced the Pope, said he was a Catholike: whereupon one inferred, saying: In your Catholisis­me (I noted the worde) al treas [...]n is conteined. In fine, preparing himself to drinke his last draght of Christ his cup, was interrupted in his prayer by a minister, willing him to saye, Christ haue mercy vpon me, or suche like prayer with him: vnto whom he looking backe with milde counte­nance, humbly saide. You and I are not one in religion, wherfore I pray you content your selfe, I barre none [Page] of prayer, only I desire them of the houshold of faith to pray with me [...] & in mine agony to say one Crede. So­me also called vpon him to praye in Engli [...]h: to whom he answered, that he would pray in a language that he wel vnderstood. At the vpshot of this conflict he was willed to aske the queene forgeuenes, and to praye for her. He meekely answered: wherein haue I offended her? In this I am innocent, this is my laste speache, in this geue me credite, I haue and do pray for her. Then did the Lorde Charles Howard aske of him: For which quéene he prayed, whether for Elizabeth quéene. To whom he an­swered, Yea for Elizabeth your queene, and my queene, vnto whom I wish a long quiet raigne, with all prosperity. And so he meekely and sweetly yelded his soule vnto his Sauiour, protesting that he dyed a per­fect Catholike.

M. Campion hauing thus trium­fed on the world, the flesh, the diuell, and receiued his long desired crown, M. Rodulph Sherwine, a stoute, wise [Page] discret, and lerned Preist, was brou­ght vnto the cart, a man so mortifi [...]d, so febled with fasting, watching, and suche like spirituall exercise, as was wonderful vnto suche, who had con­uersed with him before his impriso­nment. He standing vpon the carte, with closed eyes, with hand [...]s lifted vp to heauen in contemplation and prayer, al men marking his demein­or, with milde voyce first made this demaund: Doth the people expect th­at I should speake? Being answered of many, and some of nobilitie, yea, yea, with stoute courage and strong voyce saide: Then first I thanke the omnipotent and most mercifull God the father for my creation, my swéete and louing sauiour Christ Iesus for my redemption, and the holy Ghoste for my sanctification, three persons and one God. After this thanks geu­ing vnto the holy and blessed trinity, entring in discourse of his faith, his condemnation and death, was inter­rupted and stayed by Sir Frauncis Knowles and the sherifs, saying You haue declared your faith, & we know [Page] it, come to the poynt, and confesse your treason & disloyalty towardes your Prince. Wherupon he consta­ntly said: I am innocent & guiltles. And being stil vrged, answred, I wil not belye my selfe, for so should I co­ndemne mine owne soule. And alth­ough I haue confusion in this world yet I doubt not of my saluation in Christ Iesus, in whom only I looke to be saued, and in whose death, pas­sion, and bloud I only trust: and so made a sweete prayer to Iesus, ack­nowledging the imperfection, misery and sinfull wretchednes of his owne nature, still protesting his innocency from al treason and traiterous prac­tises, and that his going out of this Realme beyonde the seas, was onely for his soules health, to lerne to saue his soule And being againe interru­pted by Sir Frauncis Knowles, said in this wise: Tush, tush, you and I shal answere this before an other Iudge, where my innocēcy shal be knowen, & you see that I am guiltles of this. Wherevpon Sir Frauncis saide, We knowe you are no contriuer or doer [Page] of this treason, for you are no man of armes, but you are a traytor by con­sequence. O miserable consequence, that hath depriued vs of so worthye members, and is like to imbrue our country & nation with much innoce­nt bloud, do not our Soueraigne and quéene deny the same so strangely in­ferred vpon no premisses, and turne her Highnesse hande of indignation from many our afflicted brethren, her hart to wonted mercy and clemencie towards her true, loyal, and naturall Catholike subiectes. But to M She­rwine, who boldly answered, If to be a Catholike onely, if to be a perfecte Catholike, be to be a traytor, then (said he) am I a traytor. After whi­ch wordes being by authoritie deba­rred of further speach, he sayd, I for­geue al, who either by general presu­mption, or particuler error haue pr­ocured my death, and so deuoutly pr­ayed vnto Iesus: after which prayer Be was vrged to speake his opinion touching the said bull of Pope Pius: to which poynt he gaue no answere. Then beeing willed to pray for the [Page] queenes Maiesty, answered, I haue and do. At which wordes the Lords Howard againe asked, which quéene he ment, whether Elizabeth queene? to whom somewhat smiling he sayd, yea for Elizabeth queene, I nowe at this instant pray my Lorde God to make her his seruant in this life, and after this life coheir with Christ Ie­sus. When he had prayed to God to make her his seruant, there were, which said openly, that he ment, to make her a Papist, to whom he bold­ly replied, Els God forbid. And so collecting himself to prayer, dyed pa­ciently, stoutly, and mildly, crying, Iesus, Iesus, Iesus, esto mihi Iesus.

Here I can not omit a practise of some of our yong masters, slaunder­ously geuen ont against M. Sherwin, dreamed ou [...] by them of his wordes here, as that he dyed a protestant, be­cause he disclaiming from the wret­chednes of his owne mortalitie, and nature, reposed himselfe wholy vpon Christ and his passion. These minio­ns would, no doubt, make Catholiks monsters in poyntes of religion and [Page] faith, and do labour to perswade the people, that the Catholike religion doth euacuate the comfort of our fra­ylties and price of our souls, the she­ding of Christes moste pretious blo­ud, in which we do acknowledge all our suffitiency, and in which only as the sole foundation spring and cause of all merit, the merite of all our wel doing, so iniuriouslie to Christe his passion abolished by protestants, is, hath, and shal be by vs maintayned, not againste these naked solifidians onely, but euen againste the gates of hell. What web soeuer some sottish weauer or sutch like shall weaue in the meane tyme of a suposid suttelty touching iustification in M. Sher­wins woordes here vttered, his fyne suppose is coming out with great la­bour and much ado and all not woor­the a rush. Truly it is a world to sée the raggid rable of these petti pratres who since M. Campions imprisonm­ent and death, haue caste vp their ch­argid gorge againste priesthoode, pri­ests and the societie of Iesus, who yf it would please her Highnes and her [Page] honorable Counsel to lay open ether pul [...]it, or print, would shortly plums these daw [...]s in suche short, that their nakednes aparantly discouerd, wold shew them in their kind then should nether Ch [...]rke, Ha [...]er, Whitakers, Fyld, Keltrigh, Eliot, kogging Mun­day riming Elderton, and Iohn Ni­chols the disciple of Bawdy Bale, all worshipful writers at this time a­gain [...]t Preistes and Iesuites, so dau­nse in their nettes, as now by sway of time they do, to the great hurte of ins [...]ute innocent soules then should not William Wiborns Magg How­let (a false and malicious practise of som [...] fewe melancholike heretikes first broched, and now renued by him selfe to diminish the credite and au­toritie of Councels) flye free in the day from pursuite and wonder of o­ther birds: at whom nowe with the rest I think the lerned and wise Ca­tholike will looke and laugh, as not worthy of refutation & answere, ho­wsoeuer some yonger scoler may shortly exercise him selfe in reply vpon him whom all Englishe Catholikes [Page] (as they say) can not answere.

After these two glorious Martirs, was brought vnto his martirdome M. Alexander Brian, a man although in lerning & knowledge inferior to them, yet equal in patience, constan­cie and humilitie, whose pressures in prison and tortures, strange I dare say, among heathens, more monstro­us among Christians, may be thoug­ht vncredible, and are signified vnto his brethren abrode by him selfe. To omit his rackings, what practise was it of vncharitable Protestants to put pinnes vnder his nayles? What ha­rt could sée his famine so extreme, th­at for his corporal sustenanse he was driuen to lick the moysture of walls? His vsage is abrode in mens hands, written by him selfe, a testimony [...] of their cruell and harde hartes, who in sutche wise abused a sacred prieste of God. Being in the cart prepared to death, began first to declare his brin­ging vp in the Catholike faith & reli­gion, his being in Oxford, vpon wh­iche worde he was stayed by one, sai­ing: What haue we to do with Ox­ford? [Page] come to the purpose, and conf­esse thy treason. Wherupon he answ­ered, I am not guyltye of any suche death, I was neuer at Rome, nor then at Rhemes, when D. Sanders ca­me into Ireland, To this ende he sp­ake and protested, as he woulde ans­were before God. He spake not mu­ch, but where as he was vrged more then the other to speke what he thou­ght of the said Bull of Pius quintus, he sayd he did beleue of it as al Ca­tholiks and the Catholike faith doth, and therupon protesting him selfe to dye a true catholike, saying Miserere mei Deus, was deliuered of the carts with more payn by negligence of the hangman thē either of the other, who after his beheading, himself dismem­bred, his hart bowels and intrels bu­rned, to the gret admiration of some, being layd vpon the blocke his bellye downward, lifted vp his wholy body then remayning from the grounde: and this I adde vpon report of othe­rs, not mine owne sight.

Here you haue the speach and de­meinor of these three glori [...]us mar­tirs [Page] at their last hower, and in their last breth, of the true report whereof I doe referre my selfe vnto diuers of nobility and worship, vnto those gal­lant and braue courtiers who beheld and hard the same, who pitti [...]d their innocency so punished, who commended their death so patiētly sustained, who through mere pittye procured them fauor, and preuented the blou­dy purposes of some cruel tormente­rs: for which fauour God rewarde that Gentleman, who after M. Sher­win was put from the cart, turned back and said, This man was a wise man. God, I say, rewarde him, God encrease his honour, God make him a sheepe of his foulde, a childe of his Church, God boord him in that arke which hath, doth, and shal preserue al Christs folowers from the floud and deluge, in which only is grace, secu­rity, and saluation, out of whiche is nought but desperate miserie, & per­dition. To conclude, vpon this occa­sion I hane not thoght impertinent to remember al Catholikes, and spe­cially vs Preistes, of some woordes [Page] of a lerned and famous Doctor, wh­iche to this ende I haue, as it folow­eth, gathered out of his exhortation to martirdome, largely and sweetely deliuered vs in an Apologye of the English Seminaries: That as the cause, not the paine, or persecution, (whereof our Heretikes only vaunt them selues) iustifieth all men: so Christ, and these good mens, consci­ences formed in al pietie, mekenesse, and modesty, so their last protestati­on, washed, sealed, & confirmed with their blood, so their resolute death for religion, for our faith, for the church, no doubt by Gods grace shal animat and strengthen vs, who remayne ey­ther in the furnace of Gods probati­on, or in the burden or broyle of this hote haruest of our Lorde, or by suer treading, threshing, and winewing, are laide vp for well tried wheate in the barne floore of Christes Church. And further may moue her Maie­sties hart to haue compassion, maye open her graue Counselors eyes to see our innocency, may alter our en­emies and ill informers mindes to [Page] loue and charitie, may stirre vp the minds of al men inwardly & in cons­cience to cōsider the cause of our suf­ferance, affliction, & imprisonments, and giue them such sense, reason, and religion, that they may acknowledge our vndeserued calamities: I saye, this may the deathes of so good and holy martirs worke, as they did suf­ficiently testifie, that they were not acquainted with any conspiracie a­gainst our Prince and country, but did suffer for the honor, peace, and vnitie of the Churche, for sauing of their soules, and the soules of our be­loued parentes, children, & friendes, for the defence of Christes priesthood and souerainty in earth, for his eter­nall sacrifice and sacramentes, who moue the hart of our noble Prince to tender her true and trustiest subiects afflicted Catholikes. Amen.