Broadsides; Chapbooks; Street literature -- Great Britain
Last of them came Bates, who seemed sorry for his offence, and asked
forgiveness of God and the King, and of the whole kingdom; prayed to
God for the preservation of them all, and, as he said, only for his
love to his master, drawn to forget his duty to God, his King, and
country, and therefore was now drawn from the Tower to St. Paul’s
churchyard, and there hanged and quartered for his treachery. Thus
ended that day’s business.
The next day, being Friday, were drawn from the Tower to the old palace
in Westminster, over against the Parliament House, Thomas Winter the
younger brother, Ambrose Rookwood, Robert Keyes, and Guido Fawkes, the
miner, justly called “the Devil of the Vault;” for had he not been a
devil incarnate, he had never conceived so villainous a thought, nor
been employed in so damnable an action. Winter first being brought
to the scaffold made little speech, but seeming, after a sort, as it
were, sorry for his offence, and yet crossing himself, as though those
were words to put by the devil’s stoccadadoes, having already made a
wound in his soul; of which he had not yet a full feeling, protesting
to die a true Catholic, as he said; with a very pale and dead colour
went up the ladder, and after a swing or two with a halter, to the
quartering-block was drawn, and there quickly despatched.
Next him came Rookwood, who made a speech of some longer time,
confessing his offence to God in seeking to shed blood, and asking
therefore mercy of his Divine Majesty;--his offence to the King, of
whose majesty he likewise humbly asked forgiveness, and his offence to
the whole state, of whom in general he asked forgiveness; beseeching
God to bless the King, the Queen, and all his royal progeny, and that
they might long live to reign in peace and happiness over this kingdom.
But last of all, to spoil all the pottage with one filthy weed, to
mar this good prayer with an ill conclusion, he prayed God to make
the King a Catholic, otherwise a Papist, which God for his mercy ever
forbid; and so beseeching the King to be good to his wife and children,
protesting to die in his idolatry, a Romish Catholic, he went up the
ladder, and, hanging till he was almost dead, was drawn to the block,
where he gave his last gasp.
After him came Keyes, who like a desperate villain, using little
speech, with small or no show of repentance, went stoutly up the
ladder, where, not staying the hangman’s turn, he turned himself off
with such a leap, that with the swing he brake the halter, but, after
his fall, was drawn to the block, and there was quickly divided into
four parts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account