A true report of the death of M. Campion Iesuite and Preist, M. Sherwin, and M. Bryan preistes.

THE diuers and contrary reportes
falsely and maliciously
bruted and published of M.
Euerard Haunse, directly executed for
cause of Religion, after his late martyrdome,
gaue iust feare of the like
practise towards those three glorious
Martirs, learned, meeke, stoute, and
constant Priests, M. Edmund Campion
Iesuite, M. Rodulph Sherwin,
and M. Alexander Bryan preistes,
who vpon the first day of December
last past were vnder pretence of highe
treason moste iniuriously to the
great lamentation generally of all
good men, martired for the Catholike
faith and religion. Upon which occasion
many good catholike gentlemen
desirous to be eye witnesses of that
which might hapen in the speach, demeinor,
& passage of those three rare
paternes of piety, vertue, and innocencie,
presented them selues at the
place of execution, and my selfe a
Catholike preist pressed to that bloodie
spectacle, no dout a liuely sacrifice
vnto God, and a sweete sauour vnto
his Angels, with minde vpon occasion
to referre sincerely and truly to
my power this tragedie, with suche
accidents as did hapen in the maner,
course, and ende thereof. Since which
time, vpon request of some of my
fellows and brethren, I wrote those
dealings, to answere and satisfie our
aduersaries generally, to content &
comfort our persecuted brethren specially,
and in part to diminishe those
sinister rumors which are raysed against
these good men by a notable
and most infamous libel, entituled,
An Aduertisement and defence for
truth against her backbyters, and specially
against the whispering fauorers
and colorers of Campions, and
the rest of his confederates treasons :
published there, and openly read,
printed abrode without authoritie
of seen and alowed, a pamphlet, false,
impudent, and farssed with lyes and
vntruthes, only to colour and shadowe
with some face of equitie those
strange procedinges, my meaning is
not to refute in spetial falsities, that
shamfull aduertisment alredy generaly
confutid in all mens consciences,
and with priuate mutteringes even
of the aduers parte them selues
flatly condemned, for I knowe, and
all men are perswaded that those inocentes
suffered only for religion for
our fathers faith, and spirituall inheritance,
for seruing god in priestly
function and duties. And not for treson,
not for conspiring her highnesse
death and ruin as it shal more clerly
apere by their owne defence at the
tyme of their arraignment, which
will shortly be published as a testimonie,
and expreste signification of
their innocencie, together with their
disputations priuately had in the
tower, argumentes of their learning
and seale towardes this our natiue
countrie, so devided dayly with nombers
of newe faithes and religions,
to the ruin and damnation of many
our parentes, children, kinsfolkes &
freendes, for whose instruction & saluation
only these good men with infinite

B

more haue offered, and as it
were, consecrated them selues to
these daungers, and perilles of our
times. But if I shoulde vpon that
defence of their doings stand long to
the contrary, yet could I not, when
all were done, saye more then other
men haue already alleged, by whom
is declared howe our doings and labours
in these spiritual affayres, are
misconstred, how truth is made treason,
religion rebellion. To whose
bookes I do referre my deare countrie
men either inwardly affected, or
outwardly afflicted by the swete departure
of these so lerned, so meke, so
vertuous Priests, of whose innocencie,
dutiful purposes, demeinors, and
attemptes towards our natiue countrie,
our parentes and friendes, notwithsta~ding
that generall testimony
of many lerned men, are further and
most sure witnesse their disputation
publikely chalenged, and by the aduerse
part priuately performed, their
answeres wise, and euen to the admiration
of al men discrete at their
arraignement, their resolute denial
and plaine disclaming from all such
practises surmised, and violently intended
at their laste speach, and that
assured vpon the peril of their souls,
and lastly the disloyal and traterous
practise of the aduers part, againste
her highnes, her crowne, and state,
againste her frendes, against some of
her graue and wise, true and faithful
Counselers, practised secretly, as by
priuate speach of her maiesties subiectes
generally is constant and manifeste,
by some hollow harted freendes
and flaterers vtered nowe, and
no doubt if all were knowne, for some
purpose broched by M. Norton
nowe prisoner, who for the better
face of his owne disloyalty and treason,
procured these her maiesties true
and moste loyal subiectes to be accused,
condemned and executed for
treason. But O alta iuditia dei. I say
no more, but half those wordes he vsed,
would haue byn made playne &
expresse treason in pore Catholikes,
howsoeuer some will seme to excuse
them as rashe wordes. Well here as
I wil answere for myne owne soule
before God I mynde to write sincerly
and simply a truth concerning the
behauiour of these men at their departure,
wherin of myne owne faith
and fidilitie in reporting I call witnes
of those gentilmen who before
the begining of this tragedie at Tiborne
disputed of the motion of the
Sunne from east to west which was
violent & which was natural, at whose
backes I staied the end of this
pageant: I mynded this end, and they
I know atended the same. this I do
implie to remember those gentilmen
of the manner, of the behauiour, meke,
humble, constant and resolute of
those honorable martirs, nowe no
doubt daily intercessors for this our
miserable countrie, not douting but
that, as they were then charitably
moued and affected with compassion,
so now they wil truely giue testimony
of their innocencie and my fayth
in relation. Let therefore malice report
treason, and heresie sownde conspiracie,
a practise euen from the infancie
of religion and faith, to brede
hatred to religious & faithfull men,
yet in al these inuentions of quarelling
Lawyers in our doing in suche
wise made treasonable, we for them
and our selues by S. Paules example
who beeing charged before the
ciuil magistrate, of conspiracy, and il
demeinour towardes his countrey,
protested that he was iudged concerning
the resurrection, a question in
religion, and not for sedition or concourse
in tumults doe crie to God
and al Christian people which beheld
their sufferance, and doe still see our
afflictions, that ye cause of their death
and our extreme misery, is meerely
and only religion, no treason, no vnduetifulnes
to our Prince, no disobedience
to her temporal laws, howsoeuer
they who maligne our fayth
and Priesthood, haue by these Macheuilian
practises drawen al our doinges,
ententes, and endeuours to disloyalty
and treason : by which meanes
were lately condemned thirtene
preistes, and one lay man, agaynste
lawe, equitie, conscience, without
special euidence, vpon general presumption,
by testimony of three or
foure lewde Apostates, vnlawful
persons, and notoriously infamed.
This is vox populi, and was at the
time of their arraignement expresly
proued, howsoeuer this namelesse
Aduertiser doth without shame most
falsly affirme the contrary. But to
my purpose, which is to intimat and
publishe the behauiour, speches, and
protestation of these so lerned & rare
men. It is not vnknowen that M.
Edmund Campion Iesuite & Preist,
a man reputed and taken, and by diuers
his coequals plainlye confessed
the flower of Oxforde for that time
he studied there, and since abrode in
foreine countries one in whom our
countrey hath had great honor, the
frute of his lerning, vertue, and rare
giftes, whiche as they were in his
childhood here among vs wonderful,
so they were abrode, as in Italy, Germany,
and Bohemia an honor to our
country, a glasse and mirror, a light
and lanterne, a paterne and example
to youth, to age, to lerned, to vnlerned,
to religious, and to the laytie of
al sort, state, & condition, of modestie,
grauitie, eloquence, knowledge, vertue,
and pietie, of which iust and due
commendation, some of our aduersaries
can giue true and certeyn testimonie,
who after diligent sifting and
enquiring of his life, maners, and demeinor,
found nothing faulty, nothing
worthy of blame. This man M.
Campion I say first mekely yelded
himself and his carkasse to this butcherie,
with such humility & corage,
as moued most beholders to compassion
and pity. Those speches he vsed
in the way to diuers calling and crying
vnto him, I leaue my selfe not
able to make relation therof to common
report, or to that mans testimonie,
who eyther for pity or affection
wiped his face defiled with durt, as
he was drawen most miserably through
thick and thin, as the saying is,
to the place of execution: for whiche
charity, and happily some sodein moued
affection, God rewarde him, and
blesse him. What he spake openly,
that my meaning is to set down truly,
my selfe beeing present and very
nere, as hard by Syr Frances Knoles,
the Lorde Howard, Syr Henry Lee
and other Gentlemen then gathered
there to see and heare him. And here
I wil omit, althogh it be very much
material, his vsage in time of imprisonment,
his constant patience in his
rackinges, and after his conde~nation
by report of some very nere to him,
his fiue days fast fro~ te~poral & bodily
sustenance, his abstinence from slepe
and ordinary rest, which was before
his death by credible report of some,
continued two nightes, bestowed in
meditation & prayer. Who after many
conflictes and agonies, ioyfully
comming to receiue his reward and
crowne, the kingdome of heauen, an
enheritance certayne to such, who in
this life refuse the worlde, thinges
worldly, & themselues for Christes
sake, after some small pawse in the
carte, with graue countenance and
sweete voyce stoutly spake as followeth.
Spectaculum facti sumus Deo, Angeli,
& hominibussaying, These are
the wordes of S. Paule, Englished
thus : We are made a spectacle, or a
sight vnto God, vnto his Angels, and
vnto men : verified this day in me,
who am here a spectacle vnto my lorde
god, a spectacle vnto his angels, &
vnto you men. And here going forwarde
in this text, was interuptid &
cut of by Syr Frauncis Knowles and
the sheryfs, earnestly vrging him to
confesse his treason against her maiestie,
and to acknowledge himself
gilty. To whom he answered saying,
You haue now what you do desire, I
besech you to haue patience & suffer
me to speake a woorde or too for discharge
of my conscience. But being
not suffered to go forward, gaue answere
to that point they alwayes vrged,
that he was giltlesse & innocent
of all treason and conspiracie; crauing
credit to be geuen to this answere,
as to his last answere made
vpon his death & soule : adding that
touching this poynt both the Iurie
might be deceauid, and more also put
in the evidence then was true : notwithstanding
he forgaue, as he would
be forgeuen, desiring all them to
forgeue him whome he had confessed

C

vpon the racke. Further he declared
the meaning of a letter sent by him
self in time of his imprisonment out
of the Tower, in which he wrote, he
would not disclose the secretes of some
houses where he had bin interteined,
affirming on his soule, that the
secretes he ment in that letter, were
not as some misconstred them, treason,
or conspiracy, or any matter els
any way intended against her Maiestie
or the state, but saying of Masse,
hearing of confession, preaching, and
such like duties and functions of Priests :
this he protested to be true, as
he would answere before God. Then
he desired Syr Francis Knowles, and
some other of nobility, to heare him
touching one Richardson co~demned
about a booke of his, and ernestly besought
them to haue consideration of
that man, saying, he was not that Richardson
which brought his booke, &
this he affirmed with vehement protestation
vpon his death. Then one
Hearne a scolemaster, as I lerned after,
red the new Aduertisement openly
with lowde voyce vnto the people,
published only to colour so manifest
and expresse iniury : M. Campion
al the time of his reading deuoutlye
praying. Notwithstanding which aduertisement
or defence of theirs, aswel
bicause they distrusted their own
policie in publication therof, as that
they did also desire
some better colour
or faster visard for their procedings,
pressed him to declare his opinion of
Pius quintus Full concerning the excommunication
of our Soueraigne
and queene. To which demaunde he
gaue no answere. But being asked
whether he renounced the Pope, said
he was a Catholike : whereupon one
inferred, saying : In your Catholisisme
I noted the worde al treasen is
conteined. In fine, preparing himself
to drinke his last draght of Christ his
cup, was interrupted in his prayer
by a minister, willing him to saye,
Christ haue mercy vpon me, or suche
like prayer with him : vnto whom
he looking backe with milde countenance,
humbly saide : You and I are
not one in religion, wherfore I pray
you content your selfe, I barre none
of prayer, only I desire them of the
houshold of faith to pray with me. &
in mine agony to say one Crede. Some
also called vpon him to praye in
English: to whom he answered, that
he would pray in a language that he
wel vnderstood. At the vpshot of this
conflict he was willed to aske the
queene forgeuenes, and to praye for
her. He meekely answered : wherein
haue I offended her? In this I am
innocent, this is my laste speache, in
this geue me credite, I haue and do
pray for her. Then did the Lorde
Charles Howard aske of him : For
which queene he prayed, whether for
Elizabeth queene. To whom he answered,
Yea for Elizabeth your
queene, and my queene, vnto whom
I wish a long quiet raigne, with all
prosperity. And so he meekely and
sweetly yelded his soule vnto his Sauiour,
protesting that he dyed a perfect
Catholike.
M. Campion hauing thus triumfed
on the world, the flesh, the diuell,
and receiued his long desired crown,
M. Rodulph Sherwine, a stoute, wise
discret, and lerned Preist, was brought
vnto the cart, a man so mortified,
so febled with fasting, watching, and
suche like spirituall exercise, as was
wonderful vnto suche, who had conuersed
with him before his imprisonment.
He standing vpon the carte,
with closed eyes, with handes lifted
vp to heauen in contemplation and
prayer, al men marking his demeinor,
with milde voyce first made this
demaund : Doth the people expect that
I should speake? Being answered
of many, and some of nobilitie, yea,
yea, with stoute courage and strong
voyce saide : Then first I thanke the
omnipotent and most mercifull God
the father for my creation, my sweete
and louing sauiour Christ Iesus for
my redemption, and the holy Ghoste
for my sanctification, three persons
and one God. After this thanks geuing
vnto the holy and blessed trinity,
entring in discourse of his faith, his
condemnation and death, was interrupted
and stayed by Sir Frauncis
Knowles and the sherifs, saying You
haue declared your faith, & we know
it, come to the poynt, and confesse
your treason & disloyalty towardes
your Prince. Wherupon he constantly
said : I am innocent & guiltles.
And being stil vrged, answred, I wil
not belye my selfe, for so should I condemne
mine owne soule. And although
I haue confusion in this world
yet I doubt not of my saluation in
Christ Iesus, in whom only I looke
to be saued, and in whose death, passion,
and bloud I only trust : and so
made a sweete prayer to Iesus, acknowledging
the imperfection, misery
and sinfull wretchednes of his owne
nature, still protesting his innocency
from al treason and traiterous practises,
and that his going out of this
Realme beyonde the seas, was onely
for his soules health, to lerne to saue
his soule And being againe interrupted
by Sir Frauncis Knowles, said in
this wise : Tush, tush, you and I shal
answere this before an other Iudge,
where my innoce~cy shal be knowen,
& you see that I am guiltles of this.
Wherevpon Sir Frauncis saide, We
knowe you are no contriuer or doer
of this treason, for you are no man of
armes, but you are a traytor by consequence.
O miserable consequence,
that hath depriued vs of so worthye
members, and is like to imbrue our
country & nation with much innocent
bloud, do not our Soueraigne and
queene deny the same so strangely inferred
vpon no premisses, and turne
her Highnesse hande of indignation
from many our afflicted brethren, her
hart to wonted mercy and clemencie
towards her true, loyal, and naturall
Catholike subiectes. But to M Sherwine,
who boldly answered, If to be
a Catholike onely, if to be a perfecte
Catholike, be to be a traytor, then
said he am I a traytor. After which
wordes being by authoritie debarred
of further speach, he sayd, I forgeue
al, who either by general presumption,
or particuler error haue procured
my death, and so deuoutly prayed
vnto Iesus : after which prayer
he was vrged to speake his opinion
touching the said bull of Pope Pius :
to which poynt he gaue no answere.
Then beeing willed to pray for the
queenes Maiesty, answered, I haue
and do. At which wordes the Lorde
Howard againe asked, which queene
he ment, whether Elizabeth queene?
to whom somewhat smiling he sayd,
yea for Elizabeth queene, I nowe at
this instant pray my Lorde God to
make her his seruant in this life; and
after this life coheir with Christ Iesus.
When he had prayed to God to
make her his seruant, there were,
which said openly, that he ment, to
make her a Papist, to whom he boldly
replied, Els God forbid. And so
collecting himself to prayer, dyed paciently,
stoutly, and mildly, crying,
Iesus, Iesus, Iesus, esto mihi Iesus.
Here I can not omit a practise of
some of our yong masters, slaunderously
geuen out against M. Sherwin,
dreamed out by them of his wordes
here, as that he dyed a protestant, because
he disclaiming from the wretchednes
of his owne mortalitie, and
nature, reposed himselfe wholy vpon
Christ and his passion. These minions
would, no doubt, make Catholiks
monsters in poyntes of religion and
faith, and do labour to perswade the
people, that the Catholike religion
both euacuate the comfort of our fraylties
and price of our souls, the sheding
of Christes moste pretious bloud,
in which we do acknowledge all
our suffitiency, and in which only as
the sole foundation spring and cause
of all merit, the merite of all our wel
doing, so iniuriouslie to Christe his
passion abolished by protestants, is,
hath, and shal be by vs maintayned,
not againste these naked solifidians
onely, but euen againste the gates of
hell. What web soeuer some sottish
weauer or sutch like shall weaue in
the meane tyme of a suposid suttelty
touching iustification in M. Sherwins
woordes here vttered, his fyne
suppose is coming out with great labour
and much ado and all not woorthe
a rush. Truly it is a world to see
the raggid rable of these petti pratres
who since M. Campions imprisonment
and death, haue caste vp their chargid
gorge againste priesthoode, priests
and the societie of Iesus, who yf
it would please her Highnes and her

D

honorable Counsel to lay open ether
pulpit, or print, would shortly plume
these dawes in suche short, that their
nakednes aparantly discouerd, wold
shew them in their kind then should
nether Charke, Hanmer, Whitakers,
Fyld, Keltrigh, Eliot, kogging Munday,
ruing Elderton, and Iohn Nichols
the disciple of Bawdy Bale, all
worshipful writers at this time against
Preistes and Iesuites, so daunse
in their nettes, as now by sway
of time they do, to the great hurte of
infinite innocent soules then should
not William Wiborns Magg Howlet
a false and malicious practise of
some fewe melancholike heretikes
first broched, and now renued by him
selfe to diminish the credite and autoritie
of Councels flye free in the
day from pursuite and wonder of other
birds : at whom nowe with the
rest I think the lerned and wise Catholike
will looke and laugh, as not
worthy of refutation & answere, howsoeuer
some yonger scoler may shortly
exercise him selfe in reply vpon
him whom all Englishe Catholikes
as they say can not answere.
After these two glorious Martirs,
was brought vnto his martirdome
M. Alexander Brian, a man although
in lerning & knowledge inferior to
them, yet equal in patience, constancie
and humilitie, whose pressures in
prison and tortures, strange I dare
say, among heathens, more monstrous
among Christians, may be thought
vncredible, and are signified vnto
his brethren abrode by him selfe. To
omit his rackings, what practise was
it of vncharitable Protestants to put
pinnes vnder his nayles? What hart
could see his famine so extreme, that
for his corporal sustenanse he was
driuen to lick the moysture of walls?
His vsage is abrode in mens hands,
written by him selfe, a testimonye of
their cruell and harde hartes, who in
sutche wise abused a sacred prieste of
God. Being in the cart prepared to
death, began first to declare his bringing
vp in the Catholike faith & religion,
his being in Oxford, vpon whiche
worde he was stayed by one, saiing :
What haue we to do with Oxford?
come to the purpose, and confesse
thy treason. Wherupon he answered,
I am not guyltye of any suche
death, I was neuer at Rome, nor
then at Rhemes, when D. Sanders came
into Ireland, To this ende he spake
and protested, as he woulde answere
before God. He spake not much,
but where as he was vrged more
then the other to speke what he thought
of the said Bull of Pius quintus,
he sayd he did beleue of it as al Catholiks
and the Catholike faith doth,
and therupon protesting him selfe to
dye a true catholike, saying Miserere
mei Deus, was deliuered of the carte
with more payn by negligence of the
hangman the~ either of the other, who
after his beheading, himself dismembred,
his hart bowels and intrels burned,
to the gret admiration of some,
being layd vpon the blocke his bellye
downward, lifted vp his wholy body
then remayning from the grounde :
and this I adde vpon report of others,
not mine owne sight.
Here you haue the speach and demeinor
of these three glorious martirs
at their last hower, and in their
last breth, of the true report whereof
I doe referre my selfe vnto diuers of
nobility and worship, vnto those gallant
and braue courtiers who beheld
and hard the same, who pittied their
innocency so punished, who commended
their death so patie~tly sustained,
who through mere pittye procured
them fauor, and preuented the bloudy
purposes of some cruel tormenters :
for which fauour God rewarde
that Gentleman, who after M. Sherwin
was put from the cart, turned
back and said, This man was a wise
man. God, I say, rewarde him, God
encrease his honour, God make him
a sheepe of his foulde, a childe of his
Church, God boord him in that arke
which hath, doth, and shal preserue al
Christs folowers from the floud and
deluge, in which only is grace, security,
and saluation, out of whiche is
nought but desperate miserie, & perdition.
To conclude, vpon this occasion
I haue
not thoght impertinent
to remember al Catholikes, and specially
vs Preistes, of some woordes
of a lerned and famous Doctor, whiche
to this ende I haue, as it foloweth,
gathered out of his exhortation
to martirdome, largely and streetely
deliuered vs in an Apologye of the
English Seminaries : That as the
cause, not the paine, or persecution,
whereof our Heretikes only vaunt
them selues iustifieth all men : so
Christ, and these good mens consciences
formed in al pietie, mekenesse,
and modesty, so their last protestation,
washed, sealed, & confirmed with
their blood, so their resolute death for
religion, for our faith, for the church,
no doubt by Gods grace shal animat
and strengthen vs, who remayne eyther
in the furnace of Gods probation,
or in the burden or broyle of this
hote haruest of our Lorde, or by suer
treading, threshing, and winowing,
are laide vp for well tried wheate in
the barne floore of Christes Church.
And further may moue her Maiesties
hart to haue compassion, maye
open her graue Counselors eyes to
see our innocency, may alter our enemies
and ill informers mindes to
loue and charitie, may stirre vp the
minds of al men inwardly & in conscience
to co~sider the cause of our sufferance,
affliction, & imprisonments,
and giue them such sense, reason, and
religion, that they may acknowledge
our vndeserued calamities : I saye,
this may the deathes of so good and
holy martirs worke, as they did sufficiently
testifie, that they were not
acquainted with any conspiracie against
our Prince and country, but
did suffer for the honor, peace, and
vnitie of the Churche, for sauing of
their soules, and the soules of our beloued
parentes, children, & friendes,
for the defence of Christes priesthood
and souerainty in earth, for his eternall
sacrifice and sacramentes, who
moue the hart of our noble Prince to
tender her true and trustiest subiects
afflicted Catholikes. Amen.
God saue the Queene.