while he feemed to be praying. When he flood up, the Recorder finding in his Behaviour as it were an Expectation of a Pardon, wifhed him not to deceive himfelf, nor beguile his own Soul; he was come to die, and muft die; requiring him not to equivocate with his laft Breath, if he knew any thing that might be Danger to the King or State, he should now utter it. Garnet faid, It is no time now to equivocate; how it was lawful, and when, he had fhewed his Mind elsewhere: But, faith he, I do not now equivocate, and more than I have confeffed I do not know. At his afcending up the Ladder, he defired to have Warning before he was turned off. But it was told him, he muft look for no other Turn but Death. Being upon the Gibbet, he ufed thefe Words: I commend me to all good Catholicks, and I pray God preferve his Majefty, the Queen, and all their Pofterity, and my Lords of the Privy-Councel, to whom I remember my humble Duty, and I am forry that I did diffemble with them: But I did not think they had had fuch Proof against me, till it was fhew'd me; but when that was proved, I held it more Honour for me at that time to confefs, than before to have accufed. And for my Brother Greenway, I would the Truth were known; for the falfe Reports that are, make him more faulty than he is. I fhould not have charged him, but that I thought he had been fafe. I pray God the Catholicks may not fare the worfe for my Sake, and I exhort them all to take heed they enter not into any Treafons, Rebellions, or Infurrections against the King: And with this ended Speaking, and fell to praying; and croffing himSelf, faill, In nomine Patris & Filii, & Spiritus Sancti, and prayed, Maria mater gratiæ, Maria mater mifericordiæ, tu me à malo protege, & hora mortis fufcipe. Then, In manus tuas, Domine, commendo Spiritum meum: Then, Per Crucis hoc Signum, (croffing himfelf) fugiat procul omne maf

lignum.

lignum. Infige Crucem tuam in corde meo, Domine. Let me always remember the Cross; and fo returned again to Maria mater gratiæ, and then was turned off, and hung till he was dead.

The Execution of Sir JERVIS ELVIS, Anno 1615.

N Monday the 20th of November, 1615, he was executed at Tower-hill, upon a Gibbet there fet of purpose, about fix a-clock in the Morning.

He came on Foot to the Gibbet from Sheriff Goare's Houfe, between Dr. Whyting and Dr. Felton, two of his Majefty's Chaplains; and coming to the Ladder's Foot, he talked a Word or two to the Executioner.

Then he went up the Ladder four or five Steps, the Executioner fitting over his Head, upon the Top of the Gibbet: Sir Jervis finding the Ladder to ftand too upright for his Eafe, fpake to have it amended, which forthwith (he coming down) was done, being faftened in the Ground; and then he went up again fix Steps, where after a while, fitting eafily, he said:

Nobles, Right Worshipful and others, I am here come, as well to fhew, explain, and unfold that which, at the time of my Arraignment, fo many of you as were prefent expected; as alfo to fhew that then I perceived I had loft the good Opinion of many, in ftanding fo long upon my Innocency, which was my Fault, I confefs, hoping now to recover the fame, and your good charitable Opinions of me; which Fault I then faw not, being blinded with mine Errors, which made me account it no Sin.

But fince my Condemnation, by Means and Help of thefe two Gentlemen here prefent (the two Doctors) I was perfuaded of the Greatness of my Sin, and that it was so much the greater, by how much the more I did

conceal

conceal it; which by God's Mercy I perceiving, con Julted not with Flesh and Blood, but thought, in this my Condemnation, my best way for my Soul's Health, to reveal to the Omnipotent and all-feeing God, the most se cret and inward Intentions and Thoughts of my deceitful Heart, not once fufpecting the Pains or Difpraises of the World, which I regard not at all.

It may be fome will fay, that this Place was most unfit for my Execution, appointed to terrify and daunt me fo much the more; but alas! I fear not Death, Place, nor any fuch like thing, for I account it the King's and Council's Special Favour that I die here; for that I requesting the fame, it was granted, whereby I fee now this Tower, late wherein Ifhould have been called to the State Bufinefs, and still might, if I had perform'd a more loyal Service to my King and Country than I did.

Next, That I was not appointed to Tyburn, a Place of more publick Reproach than now I am brought, being worthy to die by due and lawful Juftice, in profecuting this bloody and enormous Act against a kind Gentleman, who deferved not ill at my Hands, nor at any Man's elfe for ought I know.

But were it I had not trufted him, who was a moft perfidions Wretch, I had not fallen into this fame, which may warn all here prefent to take heed whom they trust in a bad Matter, and to admonish you that are trufted never to break honeft and juft Fidelity.

I was by divers Tricks drawn into this Action, which I received from the Earl of Northampton, Sir Tho mas Monfon, and none other; but had I remembred the 119th Pfalm, 115th Verfe, and faid with that holy Prophet, Away from me ye wicked, for I will keep the Commandments of my God; then had I refu fed fuch like Tricks. Alas! now too late; there was my Fault, that I did not refuse them, and cast my self upon God's Providence, without any Dependency on Man, tho' never fo honourable. Was ever any deceiv'd that did truft in God? there was never any... G

Therefore

Therefore I admonish you all; let none, how honou rable foever he be, or the King himself, move you to any thing not agreeable to God's Word, do it not, reject it; for this was my Fault, that I had not at the first opened this Plot to his Majefty, who no doubt would most justly and righteously have punish'd the fame.

You Nobles, Worfbipful, and others, let my Example teach you thus much, That you prophane not the holy Sabbath of the Lord, nor his good Creatures, nor that you turn (by a lafcivious Course) Nights into Days, and Days into Nights, as I have done; and that in ferving God, you must not only read the Scriptures, but join Practice therewith; for what Good elfe will the fame effect, if the Heart be foul, bloody, and impure?

Some here knew my Forwardness therein; but I plead not Innocency that way, but caft it off, and confefs, that of this great Affembly I am the most wretched Sinner.

You expect Speeches from me of fome concealed Matters, and upon fome of my Speeches used at the clofing up of my Arraignment; but I ftand bere loco Peccatoris, non Oratoris, yet I will fhew you that I have opened to my Lord Chief Juftice of England, fince my Arraignment, that which to the uttermost of my Power I was able to verify, upon which then I took the Body and Blood of Jefus Chrift; and in further Teftimo ny thereof, I will now feal it with my last and dearest Breath.

Nobles and others, to fee your Faces it rejoiceth me whereby you manifeft your Love in granting my Request, to be Witnesses of my Death; I fee a Number of my Friends,there,there,there, [pointing as he fpake] whom, out of their Loves, I entreat to befeech God to ftrengthen me in Death; tho' ignominious to fome, yet to me a bitter Cup, mingled to me with God's Mercy, a Special Favour this way to call me Home, whereas he might have taken away my Life by shooting the Bridge, or fome Fall or otherwife; and then this unrepented Sin, which I ac counted

counted no Sin (fuch was my Blindness) had beenDamnation to me; for God is just, and the unrepented Sinner fhall have no Salvation.

There is none of you prefent here, that knows how or in what fort he shall die, it may be in his Bed, it may be otherwife (God knows); I proteft before you all, I never came over this Hill,in the chiefeft of all my Profperity, with more Foy than now I have at this prefent; for I now know that presently I shall behold the glorious Face and Sight of my Creator.

Take heed, and let my Example incite you to ferve God truly and uprightly, better than I have done, left a fhameful Death overtake you, as it doth me, who am unworthy of my Parents Care in bringing me up.

It may be fome will fay I have a flinty Heart, becaufe I fbed no Tears; my Heart is Flesh as any others, and I am as faint-hearted to look Death in the Face as any others; but because my Ufe hath been not to fhed Tears, I cannot now eafily, except it be for the Lofs of Some great Friend, albeit now my Heart beginneth to melt within me, being wounded [with that the Tears ftood in his Eyes] to fee the Faces of fome there prefent, whom I moft earnestly love, and now muft depart from with Shame; for worldly Regard I refpect not, for well Mr. Sheriff knows, that (to shame this my finful Flesh the more) I wifb (if he had pleafed) to have been brought from Westminster thro' the City, to have warned all Spectators how they should not escape without Judgment for Blood; for God is juft.

I had almoft forgotten to fhew you a ftrange thing, which God brought to my Memory the laft Night, which was this; I confess I have been a great Gamefter, and especially on the other Side, have wafted and played many Sums of Money, which exhaufted a great Part of my Means, which I perceiving, vowed seriously (not flightly or unadvisedly) to the Lord in my Vow and Pray ers, Lord let me be hanged if ever I play any more! which not long after is moft justly come upon me, G 2

whereof