Historic%20Yorkshire

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