The Behaviour, last words, and execution of the five grand Jesuits and popish priests viz. Thomas White, alias Whitebread ... William Harcourt ... John Fenwick ... John Gavern, alias Gawen ... & Anthony Turner ... who all justly suffered at Tyburn on the 20th of June, 1679 ...

THE Behaviour, last Words, and Execution OF THE Five grand JESUITS AND POPISH PRIESTS: VIZ.

• Thomas White, alias Whitebread, Provincial of the Jesuits throughout Eng∣land, and pretended ARCH-BISHOP of Canterbury.
• William Harcourt,—Nominal Rector of London.
• John Fenwick, —Procurator of the Jesuits.
• John Gavern, alias Gawen, & Anthony Turner, Two Jesuits deeply concern'd in the PLOT.

WHO All justly Suffered at TYBƲRN on the 20th of June, 1679. (Not for being either Jesuits, Priests, or Papists, but) For their apparent Crimes of HIGH-TREASON against the Life of the King, and resolv'd Designes of destroying and subverting the establisht Government and Religion of ENGLAND.

Sera, sed certa venit vindicta Dei.

THe Five before-mentioned notorious Criminals, after a long Confinement, being on the 13th of this instant June brought to their Tryals; and upon full and demonstrative Evidence, found guilty of the horrid Treasons they stood charged with, were for the same, on Saturday last, sentenced to be Drawn, Hang'd, and Quartered; which this day was accordingly Executed.

We shall not here repeat the hellish Treasons proved against them, as having not onely resolv'd upon, but suborn'd persons to attempt the Sacred Life of his most gracious Majesty, our lawful and undoubted

Soveraign; There having already been published a small Book in Quar∣to, giving the World some brief (but as to the matter of Fact, most true) Account thereof: Though since there hath privately crept abroad a Sheet in Folio, pretending the same; but in truth not onely plagiari∣zing the very words of that former Narrative, but impudently prejudi∣cing Truth, and that more full and exact Copy of the Proceedings a∣gainst them in due time to be emitted, by suggesting as if that Triobo∣lary Pamphlet were a full and exact Account of their Tryals: whereas That is onely to be expected from the Pains and Care of Authority.

It will be enough for us to say, That Four of these most dangerous Malefactors were plainly prov'd to have agreed upon, and under their respective hands, at the grand Consultation of Jesuits, (held at the White-horse-Tavern in the Strand, April, the 24th, 1678, and thence adjourned to Wildhouse, and several other lesser Colonies, as they call'd them) to murther the King, as the onely Expedient to carry on their damnable Designes of subverting the Covernment, and introducing Popish Superstitions: and that in pursuance thereof, they had hired se∣veral persons to effect the said horrid Murther, as Grove and Pickering to stabb or shoot him; Wakeman to poyson him; Four Irish Ruffians to assassinate him at Windsor, &c.

Nay farther, it was made appear, that they had prepared received, and disposed of Commissions to raise Forces, and would have had fifty thousand Men in Arms, to have carried on this bloody design; and the better to colour the same, would at first have cast the odium of the Mur∣ther on the Presbyterians, that by dividing and weakning Protestants in particular Parties, they might have been better enabled to destroy them all in general. This was proved to have been declared at a Con∣sultation of Popish Priests in Staffordshire. And moreover, that by a Letter directed thither, bearing date the very same night Sir Edmund∣bury Godfrey was Murthered, they had there news of his being killed before ever his Body was found, or the Fact discovered at London. And in this intrigue in the Country, the fifth Jesuite was proved to be concerned, who was likewise violently presumed to have been present at the aforesaid Consult at London. because his name was thereunto sub∣scribed, though the Witnesses not particularly remembring to have seen him write the same, did conscienciously forbear, directly and positive∣ly to charge him therewith.

After they were Condemned, they were kept seperately in distinct Chambers in the Press-yard, Newgate, but their friends had (by leave of the Court) liberty to come to them in the presence of a Keeper. With a confidence usual to those of their perswasion, and especially of their Society, they appeared outwardly not much concerned with the thoughts of death, but rather seem'd to indulge themselves; and indeed what preparation for death can we expect from those, who think Treason Me∣rit, and that whoever dies for promoting the Interest of their Church, though by the blackest and most barbarous, and bloody means, shall yet be Kalendar'd for a Saint, or at least a Martyr?

These persons being of the most pestilent Fraternity, who blasphe∣mously call themselves, The Society of Jesus, it may not be improper to give the Reader some short account of their Original, and the Pranks they have formerly plaid abroad in other Kingdoms, to let the World see, That Treason, and the contrivance of Disturbances to Civil States, is no new or strange thing, but a natural, and as it were, essential property of a Jesuite.

Their first Founder was Ignatius Loyola, a raskally Spanish Souldier, born in Biscay, about the year 1491; who being maim'd in the Wars, and unable through poverty, to prosecute his wonted Debaucheries, in a melancholly mood, turn'd Superstitious Zealot, and getting together certain seduced followers, offered his service to the Pope, who find∣ing his power shockt and endangered by the attacks of Luther, and other wrestlers for Reformation, was glad to accept of their service at a dead lift: for so saith Maffaeus a Jesuite, in his second Book of the Life of Loyola, Cap. 12. — When Ignatius, by the means of Cardinal Contarenus, offered the Pope the form of their Order, wherein (a∣mongst other things) it was contained, That to the other three solemn Vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, common to other Orders, they would adde a fourth special Vow, That whithersoever it should please the Pope to send them, without grudging, delay, or reward, they would readily go. As soon (I say) as the Pope had viewed this Proposal, he said, Sure these men are stirred up by special Providence, at such a time to be an help to the afflicted State of the Church!

On this account, in the year 1540, this Order was confirmed by the name of the Society of Jesus, (for certain blasphemous reasons by them alleadged, which I am ashamed to mention) by Pope Paul the third; whom all Historians record to have been a Conjurer, and one that pro∣stituted his own Sister formerly, to obtain a Cardinals Cap; poyson'd his own Mother, and Nephew, that he might enjoy all the Estate of the Family of the Farnese's; and a thousand other Villainies.

From such an Author, and such an Establisher, sprang up the Society of Jesuits; whose first Promoter, limping Ignatius, is recorded to have given for his Motto, these words: Cavete vobis Principes; Kings and Princes, look to your selves! and indeed they have had reason: For two of the French Kings have been since murthered by their Instiga∣tion; not to mention the Prince of Orange, kill'd by one of their Pu∣pils. Most Kingdoms and States in Christendom have been by them Embroil'd, insomuch that they have been for their Villanies banisht the Kingdom of France, and the Republique of Venice; though in both places they have insinuated themselves. And the best way of preven∣ting their Incursions, is that of Sweden; where, by Law, if any of them are found, they are forthwith to be Guelt: which has hitherto clear'd the Realm of them. Nor ever will Europe be at quiet, till these pe∣stilent restless Vermine are (like the proud pragmatical Knights-Tem∣plers of old) by the general Consent of Princes suppressed, as 'tis their Interest whether Papists or Protestants, to do.

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On Saturday the 14th instant, there was another of these Plotters, a Councellor of the Temple tryed, found guilty, and Condemned, but he, in reguard of the multiplicity of his business, and the many persons he was interested with, whose Writings and Concerns being in his hands, it might have been no small prejudice to them in their Estates, if he should so suddenly have been cut off, and therefore on that ac∣count he obtained a Reprieve for some few days.

The other five, on this present Friday, June the 20th. were drawn on three Sleds, each with fower Horses, about half an hour after nine a clock in the morning from Newgate; Mr. Harcoat and Mr. Whitebread went in the first Sled, Mr. Gawen, (who as we are credibly informed, was a Tailors Son in Covent Garden) and Mr. Turner in the next; and Fa∣ther Fenwick in the last by himself. The first two were in Mourning, the others in colour'd Coats. They all behaved themselves very resolutely in their passage, and onely one of them had a Book in his hand. The Guard was extraordinary, and so was the concourse of people; and if they made such a grand disturbance dying, what dismal effects must we think they would have made had they lived, and their Hellish Plot taken effect.

As for Mr. Fenwick, he was a Northumberland man, and it was par∣ticularly observed, that several Quakers, during the time of his con∣finement, came to inquire after him; and there is good reason to believe, that he had not infrequently been an eminent Holderforth amongst them.

When they came to Tyburn, Harcoat and Whitebread were first tyed up, then the next two Gawen and Turner; they were all four turned off together: and after that, Mr. Fenwick suffered alone. None of them said any thing considerable at the place of Execution, but with the usual assurance of that Faction, died without any publick Confes∣sion of their Crimes, seeming onely to mutter certain private Prayers to themselves, and so were wafted to a dubious Eternity.

FINIS.