Historic%20Yorkshire

CATHOLIC PERSECUTION. 127
heat of the persecution — have been collected by Dr.
Bridgewater. Many of these died in prison under sentence
of death.
We will now direct attention to a few Yorkshire
instances of the suffering Catholics. The first case we
will notice is that of William Hart, a member of Lincoln
College, Oxford. On account of his faith he left
England, and passed some years on the continent. He
suffered from an internal disease, and under a most
painful operation displayed much fortitude. He passed
some time at Douay, Rheims, and Rome, and was subsequently
sent to his nativeland,and to our own county.
The prison of York was filled to overflowingwith Papists,
and his kindness to the poor sufferers endeared him to
them. He administeredto themin secret the sacrament,
and on one occasion at night he narrowly escapedbeing
caught,but escaped. Six months later,namely,the night
after Christmas Day, 1583, when in bed, he was taken
prisoner, and sent to York Castle. He was placed in a
dungeon, and loaded with double irons. An effort was
made by the clergy of the State Church to induce him to
forsake his faith, but he gentlybut firmly refused. Mr.
Baring-Gould tells us that " he was tried on the charge
of havingreceivedordination as a priest out of England,
and of having dispensed the sacraments to Roman
Catholics in Her Majesty's realm. Inreply to a charge
of high treason,he said that he acknowledged obedience
to the Queen on temporal matters, but that obedience to
the Pope in things spiritual was not inconsistent with
hearty allegiance to the Queen
in other matters not
involvingreligion." On hearing his sentence he repeated
the words of Job, "The Lord hath given, and the Lord
hath taken away; blessed be the name ofthe Lord."
Before his execution he passed six days fasting,and spent
his nights in incessant prayer. On March 15th, 1583,
after biddinga lovingfarewellto his fellow prisoners, and
thanking the chief gaolerfor his kindness, he was placed
on ahurdle and dragged to the scaffold. It is recordedthat