Dutch verses; a Latin inscription at the bottom between two circles; his apprehending, &c. rare.

THOMAS PERCY, one of the conspirators in the gunpowder-plot. Adam sc.

Thomas Percy, a most particular and intimate friend of Robert Catesby, was nearly allied to, and greatly in the confidence of, Henry Percy, earl of Northumberland, and was by him, as captain of the gentlemen pensioners, admitted into that band, without taking the customary oaths;-for which omission, and the known intimacy between them, the earl suffered a tedious imprisonment of fifteen years.

Percy was by far the most virulent of the conspirators, and on one occasion, offered to rush into the presence-chamber, and stab the king: but this was objected to by the more wily Catesby, who then first opened to him his scheme of extirpating the whole royal family, and nobles, by gunpowder: to aid which purpose, Percy engaged to furnish 4000l. out of the Earl of Northumberland's rents, and to provide ten swift horses in case of any emergency that might require speed. Upon the discovery of the plot, he betook himself to flight, and was killed with Catesby in the following manner: "One John Street, of Worcester, who had charged his musket with a brace of bullets, and resting it upon a wall by the gate of the house, where they had taken refuge, shot at them as they were coming in rank, and not in file, from the door towards the gate; each bullet, as he thought, killed a man; for which action the king gave him two shillings a day during his natural life, to be paid him out of the Exchequer.

CONCILIUM CONJURANTIUM in Necem. Jac. I. &c. viz. Robert Catesby, Thomas Percy, Thomas and Robert Winter, Guido Fawkes, John and Christopher Wright, Bates, servant to Catesby; 4to. very scarce and curious.

GUNPOWDER CONSPIRATORS; twelve Latin verses, thirteen French verses, and under four Dutch lines, "Hic halst gevisteger Leser," &c. scarce.

GUNPOWDER CONSPIRATORS; with ten Latin lines; effigies seven." Proditorum," &c. scarce.

GUNPOWDER CONSPIRATORS; German inscription; representation of the execution; heads on poles, &c. large half sheet.

This infamous fraternity are only memorable as traitors of the blackest kind: several of them were executed in 1606, for the gunpowder-plot. There is no doubt but that some of those who fell by the hand of the executioner, were made to expect the crown of martyrdom. Sir Edward Coke displayed his great abilities in unravelling the intricacies of this conspiracy, and ascertaining the truth of it beyond contradiction.*

ROBERT CATESBY, one of the conspirators in the gunpowder-plot. Caulfield exc. 8vo.

Robert Catesby, of Ashby, in the county of Leicester, was a gentleman of good property and estimation, and had so winning a manner, as to possess every one who knew him with a most extravagant liking to his company; insomuch, that several persons concerned in the gunpowder-conspiracy, frankly confessed they were drawn into it, more in consequence of his persuasion, than any conviction in their own minds, of the propriety of the cause they had embarked in. Catesby entered with such spirit in this business, that in the course of a few months, he was obliged to call in some monied persons to carry it on with the spirit that was necessary to accomplish the point aimed at. In consequence of which, with the advice and concurrence of Percy, Winter, Fawkes, &c. he opened the plot to Sir Everard Digby, and afterward to Francis Tresham, esq. the first of whom promised 15007. and the latter 20001. to purchase such materials as were wanting to carry the plan into execution. But upon the discovery of Fawkes's appre

The effrontery of some popish writers is astonishing. They pretend to believe tradition, and even legendary history, as of equal authority with the Scriptures, and yet deny the reality of the gunpowder-treason; a fact supported by almost every kind of evidence.

hension, Catesby, in company of Percy, the Winters, Wrights, &c. betook themselves to flight, and were overtaken at Holbeach, in Staffordshire; where, at the house of Stephen Littleton, after a desperate sally, Catesby and Percy were killed with one shot. To this circumstance may be attributed the mystery which surrounds the gunpowder-treason, as Catesby was the only person who could have given any satisfactory evidence, being the only layman Garnet the superior of the Jesuits would confer with on the subject.

year 1606,

THOMAS WINTER, executed in the for the gunpowder-plot. Caulfield exc. 8vo.

Thomas Winter, a discontented Catholic, had thoughts of quitting England for ever, and had retired to his brother's house in the country, till such time as a convenient opportunity should offer for that purpose. In the mean time he was sent for by Catesby, to come with all speed possible to London; where, when he arrived on the second invitation, Catesby opened to him his gunpowder scheme, into which Winter readily entered, and almost as soon set off for Flanders, to sound the inclination of several leading persons towards such a scheme; where he was recommended to Fawkes, as a proper person to overlook the work, he being an approved soldier, and skilful engineer. They embarked at Dunkirk, and came to England together; soon after which Percy hired the house adjoining the House of Lords, where they first began the mine. Winter, in concert with the rest, retired to Staffordshire; where, on the explosion of some gunpowder, that was laid in a platter to dry, he was scorched in so shocking a manner, as ́rendered him incapable of defence. Some little time before this accident, Winter dreamt, "that he saw steeples and churches stand awry, and within those churches strange and unknown faces." And after, when the aforesaid explosion had likewise scorched divers others of the confederates, and much disfigured their_countenances; then did Winter call to mind his dream, and to his remembrance thought, that the faces of his associates, so scorched, resembled those which he had seen in his dream. From the confession he made, he appears to have been very penitent, and resigned to his fate. Executed Jan. 31, 1606.

in his bed, and secretly conveyed away; as also that Fawkes, so soon as he came into St. George's Fields to escape, should be there murdered and so mangled, that he could not be known: whereupon it was to be bruited abroad, that the Puritans had blown up the parliament-house; and the better to make the world believe it, there was Mr. Pickering, with his choice horse, ready to make an escape; but that stirred up, some persons seeing the heinousness of the fact, and him ready to make his escape, in detestation of so horrible a deed, fell upon him, and hewed him to pieces; and to make it more clear, there was his horse, known to be of special speed and swiftness, ready to carry him away; and upon this rumour, a massacre should have gone through the whole land upon the Puritans. When the contrivance of this plan was thus discovered by some of the conspirators, and Fawkes, who was now a prisoner in the Tower, made acquainted with it, whereas before he was made to believe, by his companions, that he should be bountifully rewarded for his good services to the Catholic cause, now perceiving that, on the contrary, his death had been contrived by them, he thereupon freely confessed all that he knew concerning that horrid conspiracy, which before all the tortures of the rack could not force him unto. The truth of all this was attested by Mr. William Perkins, who had it from Mr. Clement Cotton, to whom Mr. Pickering gave the above relation.

Guy Fawkes was executed with Thomas Winter, Ambrose Rockwood, and Robert Keies, within the old Palace-yard, Westminster, not far from the parliament-house, Jan. 31st, 1606.

JOHN WRIGHT, one of the conspirators in the gunpowder-plot. Caulfield exc. 8vo.

John Wright was one of the first persons to whom Catesby intrusted the secret of the plot; and they mutually agreed, that all who afterward should enter on that business, should take the following oath; which was first administered by Catesby, Percy, and this Wright, each to the other, at a house behind St. Clement's church, without Temple-bar:-"You shall swear by the Blessed Trinity, and by the sacrament you now purpose to receive, never to disclose, directly nor indirectly, by word or circumstance, the matter that shall be proposed to you to keep secret, nor desist from the execution thereof until the rest shall give you leave."

John Wright was killed, with a number of the other conspirators, in their desperate sally at Holbeach, the place of their last resort.

CHRISTOPHER WRIGHT, one of the conspirators in the gunpowder-plot. Caulfield exc. 8vo.

Christopher Wright, like Robert Winter, was brought into the conspiracy by his own brother; and from every circumstance that can be collected concerning him, was nothing behind the rest in forwarding this work of mischief.-It was Christopher Wright that first discovered the apprehension of Fawkes, and advised the rest of the conspirators to an immediate and separate flight; which advice had they taken, it is more than probable some might have escaped; instead of which, they impudently resolved to raise the country into open rebellion, and resort to that place which was to have been their general rendezvous, had the explosion taken place the consequence of which was, they were pursued, overtaken, some taken alive, and the rest killed. Among the last was this Wright and his brother.

THOMAS BATES, executed in the year 1606, for the gunpowder-plot. Caulfield exc. 8vo.

Thomas Bates, who was Catesby's man, was wound into this treason by his master, and was resolved, when he doubted of the lawfulness thereof, by the doctrine of the Jesuits. For the manner it was after this sort: Catesby, noting that his man observed him extraordinarily, as suspecting something of that which he the said Catesby went about, called him to him at his lodging in PuddleWharf, and, in the presence of Thomas Winter, asked him what he thought the business was they went about, for that he had of late so suspiciously and strangely marked them. Bates answered, that he thought they went about some dangerous matter, whatsoever the particulars were: whereupon they asked him again what he thought the business might be; when he answered, that he thought they intended some dangerous matter about the parliament-house, because he had been sent to get a lodging near unto that place. Then did they make Bates take an oath to be secret in the action; which being taken by him, they then told him that it was true that they were to execute a great matter; namely, to