Historic%20Yorkshire
Historic%20Yorkshire
Historic%20Yorkshire
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CATHOLIC PERSECUTION. 129<br />
up to heaven, forgivingall who had anyways procured his<br />
death, and praying for his persecutors,he recommended<br />
his soul to God,and beingflung off the ladderhe quietly<br />
expired,for he was suffered to hang so longtillhe seemed<br />
to be quite dead. Then he was cut down, dismembered,<br />
and disembowelled,his head cut off, and the trunk of his<br />
body quartered. All thiswhilehis companion,Mr.Dalby,<br />
was most intent in prayer; who,beingcalled upon,immediately<br />
followedthe footsteps of him that had gone before<br />
him, and obtained a like victory. The Sheriff's men<br />
were very watchful to prevent the standers-by from<br />
gathering any of their blood, or carrying off anything that<br />
belonged to them. Yet one, who appearedto me to be a<br />
gentlewoman,goingup to the placewhere the bodies were<br />
in quartering, and not withoutdifficulty making her way<br />
through the crowd, fell downupon her knees before the<br />
multitude, and with her hands joined and eyes lifted up<br />
to heaven,declaredanextraordinaryemotion and affection<br />
of soul. She spake also some words, whichIcould not<br />
hear for the tumult and noise. Immediatelya clamour<br />
was raisedagainst her as an idolatress,and she was drove<br />
away,and whether she was carriedto prisonIcould not<br />
certainlyunderstand."<br />
A priest named Roger Diconson and seven maiden<br />
ladies were condemned to death for taking part in celebratingmass<br />
in their house.<br />
We might give particulars ofmany other cases,but we<br />
think wehavefurnished sufficient instances of theCatholic<br />
persecutions. The list of sufferers is long and painful,<br />
and to allit must be a matterofdeepregret that menand<br />
women should, for the religion they deemedto be right,<br />
have undergone such persecutions as noticed in this<br />
chapter. The facts for this paper aremainly drawnfrom<br />
the " Transactions of the Royal Historical Society,"<br />
Lingard's " History of England," " Memoirs of the<br />
Missionary Priests," by Bishop Challoner, and " Yorkshire<br />
Oddities," by the Rev. Baring-Gould,M.A., and<br />
numerousother works have been consulted.<br />
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