Saints celebrated on the 30th of May
BLESSED WILLIAM SCOT, PRIEST AND MARTYR
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| The Manner of Execution at Tyburn |
William Scot O.S.B. [Scott], who in religion was called F. Maurus, was a gentleman by birth; and bred up to the study of the civil law in Trinity Hall in the University of Cambridge. He was converted by reading catholic books, and went beyond the seas; where he was for some time alumnus of one of the Spanish seminaries, I believe of that of Valladolid. and from thence entered into the order of Saint Benedict; being one of the first of the English that entered himself amongst the Spanish monks of the congregation of Valladolid. He was professed in the famous abbey of St Facundus in the town of Sahagun and having received the holy order of priesthood, returned into England to labour there in the Vineyard of his Lord.
For a welcome at his first arrival at London, he beheld the priest by whom he had formerly been taken into the church, hurried away to death for his faith and character; and he himself within three days after was apprehended and cast into prison for the like cause. He was kept in confinement for about a twelvemonth, and then transported into banishment and this happened to him more than once; for a certain contemporary author informs us, that he was several times imprisoned, and several times banished. "Post crebros carceres & exilia. Apostolatus Bened. 247."
In his last banishment he went to Douay, and lived there for some time amongst his brethren in their monastery of that town. But he returned again to his Master's work, and quickly fell into the hands of the persecutors. His chief adversary, who caused him to be prosecuted and condemned, was George Abbot, who from being bishop of London was advanced to the archbishopric of Canterbury.
Mr Scot upon his apprehension was brought before this protestant prelate to be examined, he refused the new oath of allegiance, but neither confessed nor denied his priesthood: the chief proof that was brought for his being a priest was, that as he came by water from Gravesend to London, upon some danger of being discovered, he flung into the Thames a little bag, where were his breviary and faculties, with some medals and crosses; which bag a fisherman catching in his net, had carried to the said George Abbot.
The following account of his trial and death was written by an eyewitness, whose manuscript relation is preserved by the England Benedictines in their monastery of Douay, who favoured me with a copy of it.
On Monday the 25th of May, Mr Scot was removed from the Gatehouse to Newgate, in order to take his trial in the sessions which were to begin at the Old Bailey the following Thursday. Whilst he was here preparing himself for his last conflict, his conversation gave great edification to his fellow prisoners; but it was particularly taken notice of, that he seemed much mortified when anyone would be saying that it was not likely the court would proceed at that time to the execution of any priest. On Thursday morning, when he understood by the jailor, that the bishop of London, (King) would be at the sessions-house to attend his trial, at three o'clock that afternoon; he began to take heart, and to prepare himself for that hour. At which time he and his companion Mr Newport were conducted to the Old Bailey; where were sitting the lord mayor, the bishop of London, the lord chief justice Cook, the lord chief justice of the common-pleas, the recorder of London, with many other justices.
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| Newgate Prison, London, c. 1810. Newgate Prison was a prison at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey Street, London, originally at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. It was built in 1188 and demolished in 1904. For much of its history, a succession of criminal courtrooms were attached to the prison, commonly referred to as the "Old Bailey". |
Here Mr Scot's indictment was read; which, he said, contained falsehood and therefore he pleaded not guilty. They urged him to say directly, whether he was a priest or no but this he would neither confess not deny; saying, that it was the business of his accusers to make it out hat he was a priest. They would needs infer from hence that he certainly was a priest; and lord chief justice Cook urged, that in cases of præmunire it was judged sufficient to find any man guilty, if he neither owned nor denied the fact. Mr Scot replied, that however it might be in cases of præmunire, it was certain that in cases of life and death they were to proceed only according to what had been legally made out by witnesses.
It was then objected, that he had been sent into banishment as a priest, and that by his accepting of this banishment with the rest, he had sufficiently owned himself a priest. He answered, that he had never accepted of any banishment: that he had been released indeed with others, at the request of the embassador of Savoy; but when he obtained this liberty, which he had never petitioned for, he neither owned himself a priest, nor ever promised himself, or any other for him, to his knowledge, that he would not return again into England. And whereas the bishop of London was very active in this cause, Mr Scot told him, it did not become his lordship, or any one of his cloth, to meddle in causes of life and death. But this did not silence the protestant prelate, who amongst other things urged against the prisoner, that in the bag mentioned above, was found a paper giving leave to say Mass above or below ground, &c. Giving leave! said Mr Scot. But to whom? was my name there expressed? If not, your lordship might have kept that argument to yourself, with the rest of the things in the bag.
The bishop still urged him to answer, if he was a priest, or no. My lord, said he, are you a priest? No, said the prelate. No priest, no bishop, said Mr Scot. I am a priest, said the bishop, but not a massing priest. If you are a priest, said Mr Scot, you are a sacrificing priest, for sacrificing is essential to priesthood; and if you are a sacrificing priest, you are a massing priest. For what other sacrifice have the priests of the new law, as distinct from mere laicks, to offer to God, but that of the Eucharist, which we call the Mass? If then you are no massing priest, you are no sacrificing priest; if no sacrificing priest, no priest at all, and consequently no bishop.
But as Mr Scot perceived the judges were resolved to proceed upon bare presumptions to direct the jury to bring him in guilty; he told them, he was sorry to see his cause was to be committed to the verdict of those poor ignorant men who knew not what a priest was, nor whether he was a man or a mouse. Then, turning himself to the jury, be said, it grieved him much that his blood was to fall upon their heads; but withal bid them consider, for the securing their own consciences, that nothing had been alleged against him but mere presumptions; and as he was not to be his own accuser, they were to proceed according to what had been legally proved, and not upon presumptions.
The jury withdrew, but quickly returned again, and gave in their verdict by the mouth of the foreman guilty: which word Mr Scot had no sooner heard, but he fell upon his knees, and said with a load voice, Thanks be to God: adding, that never any news was more welcome to him; and that there was nothing that he had ever wished for more in his life, than the happiness of dying for so good a cause.
Then, turning himself to the people, he said, "I have not as yet confessed myself a priest, that the law might go on in its course; and that it might appear whether they would proceed to condemn me upon mere presumption and conjectures without any witness, which you see they have done. Wherefore, to the glory of God, and of all the saints in heaven, I now confess I am a monk of the order of Saint Bennet, and a priest of the Roman catholic church. But be you all witnesses, I pray you, that I have committed no crime against his majesty, or my country; I am only accused of priesthood, and for priesthood alone I am condemned.'
Mr Newport, a man of great zeal and fervour, who had twice before been imprisoned, and sent into banishment, and through the desire of martyrdom had returned a third time upon the mission, and had been a third time apprehended; after seven months imprisonment (during which he had prepared himself, as he had done for many years before for the conflict for which God had designed him) was brought to the session-house with Father Scot, but for want of time was not tried that afternoon, but sent back to prison to which Mr Scot returned with as much calmness and unconcernedness in his looks, as if nothing had been done that day against him.
The next morning, being Friday, Mr Newport alone was brought to the bar, where he acknowledged himself to be a priest, and that he had been twice banished, &c. but denied the indictment, not owning himself guilty of any treason against his king or country. The recorder told him, it was high treason for a priest ordained beyond the seas to return into England. Mr Newport answered, whatever it might be by the law of England, it could be no treason by the law of God: that their new laws were made according to their new religion, and could not be of any force against the law of God, and that authority which Jesus Christ himself had given to priests, in those words, go teach all nations, &c. And as it could be no treason to be a priest, so he could not comprehend how he could be a traitor for returning into his own country, having been always both at home and abroad a faithful subject to his majesty. He added, that by the laws which they had lately made against priests, they might condemn Christ himself if he were upon earth, because he was a priest. The recorder told him, that priests were the first men that had plotted against his present majesty. No, no, said Mr Newport, but protestants and puritans were the men that plotted against him, and sought to rob him of his life, whilst he was yet in his mother's womb. These and other such like words, says my author, who was present at his trial, be spoke with wonderful constancy and fortitude. He seemed very unwilling his blood should lie at the door of the poor ignorant jury; but was obliged to acquiesce to the custom of the law. The twelve brought him in guilty; which verdict he received with great courage and cheerfulness. The bishop of London was present at his trial, but said nothing; for he had gained but little credit, even amongst protestants, by what he had said the day before at the trial of Father Scot.
Friday in the afternoon the two confessors of Christ were again brought to the bar: and being asked what they had to say for themselves, why the sentence of death should not pass upon them; they replied, that they could not be justly condemned, either for being priests, or for returning into England, for neither the one or the other could possibly be criminal; as nothing else could be objected against them. The recorder would not suffer them to proceed; but taking occasion from that constancy and alacrity, which appeared in their countenance (by which, as well as by their courageous answers, the people was much edified) to reproach them, as if they had not behaved with that modesty as other priests had done before them, hoping thereby to disgrace then with the standers-by, who had very much applauded them, he pronounced separately the sentence of condemnation against them in the usual form. After which, their hands being tied, they were sent back to prison; where they remained that night full of joy at their approaching happiness, and giving great comfort and edification to their fellow prisoners.
The next morning, being the 30th of May, at six of the clock, they were brought out to the hurdle. And first Mr Newport was appointed for the right-hand side, who laid himself down with a smiling countenance, and lifting up his hands, which were tied, in the best manner he could, gave his benediction to the people. Then Father Scot, who had come down in his religious habit, with a design to have worn it at his execution, but was ordered to put it off again, advanced to the hurdle: and standing over it declared to the people, that he was a faithful subject of his majesty, and daily prayed for him; and that he begged of God, to turn away his stripes and punishments from this island; that he wished as well to the king as to his own soul; and had never harboured so much as one evil thought against him and that if by his death he could do any service to the soul or body of his sovereign, he should be no less willing to die for his service, than he was now to lay down his life for God's honour, and the testimony of the truth.
After this speech, at which my author says he was present, Mr Scot was pinioned down upon the hurdle, and so drawn to Tyburn with his companion, and there executed according to sentence, May 30, being Whitsun Eve, 1612.
From B. W.'s Manuscript concerning the English Benedictine Congregation; and from a relation of his trial, by an eye-witness.
It is somewhat extraordinary that Dodd in his Church History has furnished no details of this gentleman, and has even emitted to notice him in his lives of Regulars; although he has inserted his name in the Catalogue of those who suffered under James Ist, upon account of their sacerdotal functions. Ed.
Source: Bishop Richard Challoner, Memoirs of Missionary Priests, Volume 2
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