me to wish life, till I might meet with a ghostly friend. For some good space I could do nothing, but with tears ask pardon at God's hands for all my errors, both in actions and intentions, in this business and in my whole life, which the censure of this, contrary to my expectance, caused me to doubt.... But if that I may live to make satisfaction to God and the world, where I have given any scandal, I shall not grieve if I should never look living creature in the face again, and besides that deprivation endure all worldly misery."

Thus wretched is the state of him who, having given over his conscience to the guidance of others, is blown about by every changing wind of doctrine!

In a subsequent letter, Digby states more explicitly his grounds of belief received from Garnet, whom he calls by the assumed name of Farmer, that the pope approved the enterprise generally, though without knowing the particulars. He also says, that he dares not take the course which he might do for rendering their enterprise less odious, by making it appear who were to have been brought out of danger; since that would now rather hurt them;-but such measures had been taken, that he does not believe that three worth saving would have been losta.

This

a The curious papers whence the preceding extracts are taken, were long preserved as relics in the Digby family; and having been found in the year 1675 in the house of Charles Cornwallis,

esq.

This victim of priestcraft died deeply penitent and rightly sensible of the enormous crime to which he had been seduced to lend his concurrence. He begged pardon of the king, the royal family, the parliament; and declared that "had he at first known it to be so foul a treason, he would not have concealed it to gain a world;" and he called on all present to bear witness to his repentance. His youth, his personal graces, the constancy which he had exhibited whilst he believed himself a martyr in a good cause, the deep sorrow which he testified on becoming sensible of his error, seem to have moved all hearts with pity and even admiration; and if so detestable a villany as the powder-plot may be permitted to have had its hero, Everard Digby was undoubtedly the man.

esq. executor to sir Kenelm Digby, they were printed in 1678 by Mr. Secretary Coventry in Proceedings, &c. relative to the popish plot. See also Biog. Brit., article E. Digby.

CHAPTER

CHAPTER IX.

1606 AND 7.

King's speech on the powder-plot.-Parliament prorogued. —King's pamphlet on the powder-plot.-Conduct of Spain respecting it.-Trials of several conspirators.-Speech of Coke.-Trial of Digby,--of father Garnet.-Garnet's straws.-Use of torture against the conspirators.—Catholic miracle.-Behaviour of the king of Spain.-Lord Monteagle rewarded.—Star-chamber sentence against lords Mordaunt and Stourton.-Case of the earl of Northumberland.-Parliamentary measures against catholics.— Popularity of Salisbury.-Letter of sir H. Nevil.-Visit of the king of Denmark.-Letter of sir J. Harrington,of the countess of Nottingham.-King's speech in favor of a union with Scotland.-Causes of the rejection of this measure.—James's conversation with Harrington. THE conduct of James with respect to the discovery of the powder-plot was strongly marked with his peculiar character, and, like most other important passages of his life, has undergone great variety of interpretation. The parliament being prorogued for four days longer, was then opened by the king with a speech intended to guide the judgement of the house on this momentous subject. After some preliminary trifling respecting three different modes in which men may be put to death; by other men ; by wild beasts; and by insensible things; of all which, it seems, the last is the most cruel and un

merciful;

merciful; he proceeds to descant on the particular providences of the case in hand; beginning with his own miraculous mode of interpreting some dark phrases in lord Monteagle's letter, “contrary to the ordinary grammar construction of them, and in another sort than I am sure any divine, or lawyer, in any university, would have taken them;"-whence the search and discovery. "One thing for mine own part," he is pleased to say, "have I cause to thank God in; that if God for our sins had suffered their wicked intents to have prevailed, it should never have been spoken nor written in ages succeeding, that I had died ingloriously in an ale-house ....or such vile place, but mine end should have been with the most honorable and best company, and in that most honorable and fittest place for a king to be in, for doing the turns most proper to his office." A singular topic of thanksgiving surely for a monarch!

With regard to the essential point, what was to be done on the occasion, he praises the earnestness and diligence of his loving subjects of all degrees in this matter; but adds, "It may very well be possible that the zeal of your hearts shall make some of you in your speeches rashly to blame such as may be innocent of this attempt; but upon the other part, I wish you to consider, that I would be sorry that any being innocent of this practice, either domestical or foreign, should receive blame or harm for the same. For although it cannot be denied, that it was the only blind superstition of their errors in

religion

religion that led them to this desperate device, yet it doth not follow that all professing the Romish religion were guilty of the same. For, as it is true that no other sect of heretics, not excepting Turk, Jew, nor Pagan, no, not even those of Calicut, who adore the devil, did ever maintain by the grounds of their religion, that it was lawful, or rather meritorious (as the Romish catholics call it), to murder princes or people for quarrel of religion..... Yet it is true on the other side, that many honest men, blinded peradventure with some opinions of popery, as, if they be not sound in the questions of the real presence or in the number of the sacraments, or some such school question; yet do they either not know, or at least not believe, all the true grounds of popery, which is indeed the mystery of iniquity.'. And therefore do we justly confess, that many papists, especially our forefathers, laying their only trust upon Christ and his merits at their last breath, may be, and oftentimes are saved; detesting in that point, and thinking the cruelty of puritans worthy of fire, that will admit no salvation to any papist. I therefore thus do conclude this point; that as, upon the one part, many honest men, seduced with some errors of popery, may yet remain good and faithful subjects, so, upon the other part, none of those that truly know and believe the whole grounds and school conclusions of their doctrine, can either prove good christians or faithful subjects." With respect to foreign princes, he entirely acquits them of all knowledge and consent in the matter, judging, he