hurt to His Majesty's Person, State, or Government, or to any of His Majesty's subjects within His Majesty's Dominions.

'Also, I swear from my heart that, notwithstanding any declaration or sentence of excommunication or deprivation made or granted, or to be made or granted by the Pope or his successors, or by any authority derived, or pretended to be derived from him or his See against the said King, his Heirs or Successors, or any absolution of the said subjects from their obedience, I will bear faith and true allegiance to His Majesty, his Heirs and Successors, and Him and Them I will defend to the uttermost of my power against all conspiracies and attempts whatsoever which shall be made against Him or their Persons, their Crown and Dignity, by reason or colour of any such sentence or declaration or otherwise, and will do my best endeavour to disclose and make known unto His Majesty, his Heirs and Successors, all treasons and traitorous conspiracies, which I shall know or hear of to be against Him or any of them.

'And I do further swear that I do from my heart abhor, detest, and abjure as impious and heretical this damnable doctrine and positionThat Princes, which may be excommunicated or deprived by the Pope, may be deposed or murdered by their subjects, or any other, whatsoever.

'And I do believe, and in my conscience am resolved that neither the Pope nor any person whatsoever hath power to absolve me of this oath or any part thereof, which I acknowledge by good and lawful authority to be lawfully

ministered unto me; and do renounce all pardon and dispensations to the contrary.

'And these things I do plainly and sincerely acknowledge and swear, according to these express words by me spoken, and according to the plain and common sense and understanding of the same words; without any equivocation, or mental evasion, or secret reservation' whatsoever. And I do make this recognition and acknowledgment heartily, willingly, and truly, upon the true faith of a Christian. So help me God.'

That the Holy See (and its Jesuit agents) acted with supreme folly in striving to prevent the English Romanists from taking such an oath as this is indisputable. There was nothing in the text of the oath which attacked any Article of Faith contained in the Catholic creed. The sole but slight objection that could be made to it was the rather strong, but very true, terms in which the Deposing Power claimed by the Popes was mentioned. It was, indeed, characteristic of the Society of Jesus that its members should have exerted themselves to prevent their co-religionists in England from becoming peaceful and patriotic citizens. George Blackwell, the Arch-priest, plainly recognized this, for after being inclined at first to withstand the operation of the oath, he had the sense eventually to see how just was the

1 The propounders of this oath had not forgotten Father Garnet's methods of equivocation.

2 This damnable doctrine and position,' etc.

position opened up to Romanists by the Government, and defying (his former allies) the Jesuits and the tyrannical Pontiff, he died soon after, imploring his co-religionists to subscribe to the terms laid before them. In this appeal he was supported, it should be mentioned, by the King of France, who (Roman Catholic though he was) solemnly warned the Pope against driving the British Government to desperation. But, unfortunately, this good advice produced no effect in changing the fatuous policy of the Vatican.

1 The casual reader must be warned against the references to the text of the oath supplied by the Jesuit writer, Foley. dared not quote the actual text.

He

CHAPTER XIX

MORE LIGHT ON THE MYSTERIOUS LETTER

T

HE vexed question of the authorship of the famous anonymous letter deserves,

without doubt, the closest attention from all students examining into the history of the Gunpowder Treason, for several important reasons, one of which is (even if we cannot ascertain the name of the letter's writer) that it sheds some light upon the part played in both the preparation and the discovery of the plot by Lord Mounteagle. But, before concerning ourselves again with the doubtful position of Mounteagle, it will be as well to deal first with those persons who have been named by various historians as having been concerned in the compilation of this letter. The list of those accused of the authorship may, I think, be said to comprise the following persons:-Thomas Percy, Christopher Wright, Father Oldcorne, Mrs. Abington, Thomas Tresham, Anne Vaux, and Lord Mounteagle himself.

Why the flimsy claims of Thomas Percy to be the author should ever have been seriously advanced it is difficult to imagine, for his conduct

subsequent to its delivery shows that he was the very last person likely to have sent warning to Lord Mounteagle, and thence to the Government. He knew that no quarter would be given to him once the secret was out, and so soon as all was up, after the visit of the two lords to the underground chamber, he fled away to the Midlands,' without making any attempt to obtain mercy from the Government. Had he been the writer of the letter, he certainly would have pleaded that fact to save his life, instead of which he broke into open rebellion, and refused to surrender under any terms. In common with Christopher Wright, there is not a scrap of original evidence to support the theory that he may have written or dictated the letter.

That Father Oldcorne, S.J., was the author is another theory equally unsupported by evidence, and contrary to all probability. Had he written it, he would not have been severely tortured and then hanged. The letter, moreover, is not in his handwriting.

Mrs. Mary Abington's name has been freely mentioned by several writers as the authoress. Her relationship to Tresham and Mounteagle, and her friendship with Oldcorne, are facts quoted by some authorities as evidence that she must have been in the know.'

Anne Vaux has been thought by some to

1 The Government offered £1000 reward to anybody who would take him alive.