THE BURNING OF THE WHORE OF BABYLON, As it was Acted, with great Applause, in the Poultrey, London, on Wednesday Night, (being the 5th of November last) as Six of the Clock.
IT was the saying of good Bishop Latimer to his fellow-Sufferer, when he came to dye at the Stake in Oxford, Be of good cheer Brother, for we shall light such a a Fire this day in England, as by God's Grace the Papists shall never be able to quench it; and how much this hath been verified, let the World judge. For, notwithstanding [Page 2]the Romanists have made it their business to quench the fire of the Gunpowder-Treason, in the thoughts of the present Generation, yet with all their Arrifices, they have not been able to do it, but the memory of that never to be forgotten day, is carefully transmitted from the Elder to the Younger, so that the Child, as well as the Man of years considers it; and the middle-age, as well as either; nor is there any degree of men in the Kingdom that have not (as they have had occasion) testified their abhorrency of the Papist Principles and practices, the Zeal whereof is again renewed from the Highest to the Lowest; and because that Religion hath made such great use of fire for its propogation, and the fiery Jesuit retains still his heat to blow up all the Gunpowder, if it lay in his power; therefore Bonfires and Squibs are the usual Trophies that the Juvenal fry in England make use of on that day, to testifie their joy and gladness for the wonderful preservation of their fore-Fathers.
And now again, his Sacred Majesty, (whom God preserve) and his Parliament, having so lately renewed their joynt desires and endeavours for the Supressing of the growth of Popery in this Kingdom, to the great satisfaction of all good Subjects: The Citizens rejoyceing, seemed to swel the banks last Wednesday Night, where you might have seen the broad Streets of London so thick with Bonfires, as if they had been but one Hearth, and the Fire-works flying in such numbers, that the Serpents flew like Bees through the Ayre, and could scarce have room for one another to pass: The Bells were very early up that Morning, and rung so loud, as if they had prefaced in a Jubilee.
BUt that being no more than what was common for kind, though not in degree; The Apprentices were resolved to make a new Addition, which was, a large Effigie of the Whore of Babylon, drest up Cap-a-Pe, with all the Whorish Ornaments, having a Cross and Two Keyes in his hand; I know not if they were the Keys of the Cellar that Guy Faux had, but I suppose they might belong to Purgatory, because the Pope formerly kept one, and Donna Olympia the other; he had a string of Beads in the other hand: and never more need you will say, to fall to his Beads, when I shall tell you how near he was to his End: (I do not think they were the same that Father Gardner carried with him to Tyburn;) he gorgiously appear'd with the Triple Crown on his head, and holding a Placate in his hand, extended to the people, Proclaiming general Pardons; but I saw none very forward to accept them, notwithstanding the Market was ready to be shut up, and himself so near his End; in this posture he was carried, not in a Chaire, but as the Traytors heads are upon the Bridge, fixed upon a Pole in Procession, all about the Poultrey Market-place, attended with near an hundred Torches, and more than a thousand people. This Ceremony lasted some considerable time; after which, the Effigies was hung up, upon a high Rope that was tyed at two Garret windows, cross the Poultrey Street about two hours, with a great Bonfire before it, lest it should catch cold by hanging so long in the Ayr.
That being ended, there was a Hogshead filled with small fuel & combustible stuff, which was set right under his feet; but such was the forwardness of some of the Spectators, that they must imploy some other weapons for his destruction, some letting flie at him with Pistols, and [Page 4]others with Fowling-Peices; but the fire over-powering it, soon spoyled their sport, by burning the Mark; yet they were loth to omit the use of Guns, in memory of the Monk that contrived them two hundred and ninety-three years agoe.
Now having filled themselves with good Liquor, and gratified their own humors, every Man and Boy went to his own home, and so the Play ended.
The Reader is desired to take Notice of the following matter, which stands upon Record.
the deliverance of our Church and State from the hellish Powder-plot.
The Plot was to undermine the Parliament house, and with Powder to blow up the King, Prince, Clergy, Nobles, Knights, and Burgesses, the very confluence of all the flower of Glory, Piety, Learning, Prudence and Authority in the Land: Fathers, Sons, Brothers, Alleys, Friends, Foes, Papists, and Protestants, all at one blast.
The intent, when that irreligious atchievement had been performed, was, to surprize the remainder of the Kings issue, to alter Religion and Government, and to bring in a forreigne power: Sir Edmond Baynam, an attainted person (who stiled himself Prince of the damned crew) was sent unto the Pope as he was a temporal Prince, to acquaint him with the Gunpowder-plot: and now to the Plot it self.
The Sessons of Parliament being dissolved, July the 7th. Anno Christi, 1605. and prorogued to the seventh of February following: Catesby heing at Lambeth, sent for Thomas Winter, who before had been employed into Spaine, and acquainted him with the designe of blowing up the Parliament house, who readily aprehending it, said, This indeed strikes at the root, only these helps were wanting, a house for residence, and a skilful man to carry the Mine: But the first, Catesby assured him was easie to be got, and for the man, he commended Guy Fawkes, a sufficient soulder, and a forward Catholick: Thus Robert Catesby, JOhn Wright, Thomas Winter, and Guy Fawkes had many meetings, and conferences about this businesse, till at last Thomas Percy came puffing in to Catesby's lodging at Lambeth, saying, What Gentlemen, shall we alwayes be talking, and never do any thing? You cannot be ignorant how things proceed? To whom Catesby answered, that something was resolved on, but first an oath for secresse was to be administred: for which purpose they appointed to meet some three dayes after, behind Clements Church beyond Templebarre; where being met, Percy professed that for the Catho lick cause himself would be the man to advance it, were it with the slaughter of the King, which he was there ready to undertake and do.
No Tom (said Catesby) thou shalt not adventure thy self to so small purpose, if thou wilt be a Traytor, there is a plot to greater advantage, and such an one as can never be discovered: hereupon all of them took the Oath of secresie, heard a Masse, and received the Sacrament, after which Catesby told them his devillish devise by Mine and Gunpowder to blow up the Pasrliament house, and so by one stroke with the destruction of many, effect that at once which had been many years attempting: And for case of conscience to kill the innocent with the nocent, he told that it was warrantable by the authority of [Page 6] Garnet himself the superiour of the English Jesuites, and of Garrard, and Tresmond (Jesuitical Priests likewise) who by their Apostolical power did comment the fact, and absolve the actors The Oath was given them by the said Garrard in these words: ‘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 exe-Cution thereof untill the rest shall give you leave.’
Niether were the Priests and Jesuities slack on their parts, who usually concluded their Masses with prayers for the good successe of their expected hopes, about which Garnet made these verses.
And others thus. ‘Prosper Lord their paines that labour in thy cause day and night: Let Heresie vanish away like smoake: Let their memory perish with a crack like the ruine and fall of a broken house.’