ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN DECEMBER
Saints celebrated on the 5th of December
SAINT JOHN ALMOND, PRIEST AND MARTYR
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| London Oratory, The Martyrs of Tyburn Tree (detail) |
John Almond, who in his examination before the bishop of London calls himself Francis Lathome, and who was known upon the mission by the name of Molineux, was born on the skirts of Allerton near Liverpool, in Lancashire, and brought up at school at Much Woolton in the same county, and from hence he passed over into Ireland, and so abroad into the world. He must have left home when he was about 15 or 16 years old, if he be the Almond whom I find in the Douay Diary, sent from Rheims to Rome in 1582: but then he must have been more than ten years abroad, which is the time that my old manuscript affirms he employed beyond the seas to improve himself in virtue and learning. Certain it is, that he was at least 45 years old when he suffered, though his grey hairs seemed to speak him older; and that he did not return to England till 1602; at which time I find in the register of Douay, that John Almond, priest, coming from Rome visited the college of Douay in his way to England. T. W. also in his catalogue informs us, that he was a priest of Rome; and there publicly sustained Theses of universal divinity with great applause in 1601. I have met with little or nothing of the particulars of his missionary labours, only my author (the manuscript) gives him the following character, in his introduction to the account of his death.
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| Saint John Almond |
Upon Saturday being the 5th of December, 1612, between seven and eight of the clock in the morning, came to suffer at Tyburn for the catholic religion John Almond, a man of the age of forty-five, by his own relation; yet in his countenance more grave and staid, beginning to be besprinkled with hairs that were white, who having tarried beyond the seas about tan years to enable himself by his study with learning and virtue, returned into his native country, where he exercised an holy life with all sincerity, and a singular good content to those that knew him, and worthily deserved both a good opinion of his learning and sanctity of life; a reprover of sin, a good example to follow of an ingenious and acute understanding, sharp and apprehensive in his conceits and answers, yet complete with modesty. Full of courage, and ready to suffer for Christ that suffered for him. Of his stature, neither high nor low, but indifferent; a body lean, either by nature or through ghostly discipline; a face lean, his head blackish brown, in his conversation mild, learned and persuasive, and worthy to be remembered of those that did converse with him. As I said, not only a sharp reprover of sin, but a good encourager besides, by his own example, of those that sought the way to heaven, which he himself found at the last by persecutions, crosses, and many afflictions." So far the manuscript.
Mr Almond was apprehended on the 22nd of March, 1611-12, and brought before Dr John King, lately advanced to the [government] bishopric of London. What passed in his examination here, was penned by himself, of which I shall here set down an abstract.
Bishop What is your name? Almond. My name is Francis. B. What else? A. Lathome. B. Is not your name Molineux? A. No. B. 1 think I shall prove it to be so. A. You will have more to do, than ever you had to do in your life. B. What countryman are you? A. A Lancashire man. B. In what place were you born? A. About Allerton. B. About Allerton! mark the equivocation; then not in Allerton. A. No equivocation, I was not born in Allerton, but in the edge or side of Allerton. B. You were born under a hedge then, were you? A. Many better man, than I or you either, had been born under a hedge. B. What, you cannot remember that you were born in a house? A. Can you? B. My mother told me so. A. Then you remember not that you were born in a house but only that your mother told you so, so much I remember too. B. Were you ever beyond the seas? A. I have been in Ireland. B. How long since you came thence? A. I remember not how long since, neither is it material. B. Here is plain answering, is it not? A. More plain than you would give, if you were examined yourself before some of ours in another place. B. I ask, are you a priest? A. I am not Christ; and unless I were Christ, in your own grounds, yours I mean, I cannot be a priest. B. Though you cannot be one in our grounds, are you one in your own? A. If I be none, nor can be any in your grounds, which allow no other priesthood, nor other priest but Christ, and you are bound to maintain your own grounds, and uphold the truth of them, you might well forbear this question, and suppose for certain that I am no priest. B. Are you a priest, yea or no? A. No man accuseth me. B. Then this is all the answer shall have. A. All I can give unless proof come in. B. Where have you lived, and in what have you spent your time? A. Here is an orderly course of justice sure! What is it material where I have lived, or how I have spent my time, all the while I am accused of no evil? B. Will you take the oath of allegiance! A. Any oath of allegiance, if it contain nothing but allegiance.
And with that the bishop reaches out his arm for the oath, lying towards the middle of the table; which I perceiving said, that oath you cannot with a good conscience offer. B. Yes, that I can; and I thank God, I have taken it myself seven times. A. God forbid! B. Why? A. You have been seven times perjured. B. Wherein? A. In taking this false clause, 'And I do further swear that I do from my heart abhor, de test and abjure as impious and heretical, this damnable doctrine and position, that princes excommunicated or deprived by the pope may be deposed, &c.' B. There is no perjury nor falsehood in it. A, If in taking it you abjure that position as heretical which is not heretical, then is it perjury and falsehood to take it. But in taking it you abjure that position as heretical which is not heretical, ergo, &c. B. I grant your major, I deny your minor. A. No position in your grounds can be heretical, unless it be expressly censured for heretical by the word of God, or the contradictory expressly contained in the word of God. But this position is not expressly censured for heretical by the word of God; nor is the contradictory expressly contained in the word of God. Ergo, it is not heretical. B. It is censured as heretical by the word. A. Allege the text, give us a bible. B. Bring in a bible. Then turning it with an evil will, he said it was censured in the 13th of the Romans. A. You mean those words, He that resisteth power, resisteth God's ordinance. But I ask, where is this position censured? There is not one word of the position in hand. Other place he alleged none. B. You would have it censured in express words? A. You are bound to bring a censure in express words: which, because I see you cannot answer this consequence: This position is not set down at all in the bible: Ergo, it cannot be censured by the bible. He answered not; but said, I was a proud arrogant jack, To which I replied, God forgive you, your words trouble me not; and so two several times more I prayed God to forgive him, when he miscalled me and abused me in words.
Then leaving the oath, which he was weary of, he asked, Have you gone to the [government enforced] church? And added, I forgot it before; but I go beyond you now. A. I have not gone to the church! B. Will you go! A. I will not: is not this plain dealing? B. Now you deal plainly. A. If it would not offend you, I must tell you, that you went beyond yourself: for you confessed even now that you should have asked it before, and so go beyond yourself in asking it now.
Much more passed betwixt us before about a disjunctive position, wherein the bishop needeth not to boast of his logic: at part of which a certain dean coming in, after the bishop was weary, the dean began to talk of the pope's power to depose kings, saying, it was essential to the pope, and a matter of faith in our doctrine. To whom I replied, It was not essential to the pope's power, nor any matter of faith: and that whether the pope could or could not depose, it was perjury to take the oath in their grounds, and yours too: which, I said I would undertake to demonstrate before all the bishops in England, or else I would lose my hand and my head. The dean said, I was too quick with him; and that my logic would deceive me, if I builded so much upon it; wishing me to look to a good conscience. I replied, It was my conscience which I did stand upon, and therefore refused the oath for the reasons alleged. Yet to give satisfaction, this oath I offered that I would swear. I do bear in my heart and soul so much allegiance to king James (whom I prayed God to bless now and evermore) as he, or any christian king could expect by the law of nature, the law of God, or the positive law of the true church, be it which it will, ours or yours. The bishop and the dean said they were fair words: but the dean added, he knew well which church I meant - to which I answered, Let you and me try that, and then put it out of question: but he was deaf on that ear.
Then the bishop bad me put my hand to my examination. I first perused it; and in the end of it, where the register had set down, Being asked whether he would take the oath of allegiance; he answered he could not without perjury: I bid him add also, as I had said, I could not in their grounds nor ours. The bishop would not suffer him to add that, but said I should have another time; upon that, I put my hand to it, though I said he had put it in by halves. Thus ended the pageant, saving that I said publicly (giving the honour to God) that I had not sworn any oath, not so much as in faith, in 16 years before; and therefore they needed not wonder that I now refused'an oath with falsehood and perjury in it.
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| An engraving of Newgate Prison, London, where St John Almond was held |
After this examination he was committed to Newgate, from whence after some months he was brought to his trial, upon an indictment of high treason, for having taken orders beyond the seas, by authority of the see of Rome, and for remaining in this kingdom. contrary to the laws. At his trial, he shewed, it seems, the same vivacity of wit and resolution, as he had done in his examination; but was brought in guilty by his jury, though he neither confessed nor yet denied his being a priest; and what proofs were brought of his being such, does not appear.
The day appointed for his execution was the 5th of December 1612, when being brought out of Newgate between 7 and 8 o'clock in the morning, he stepped with a smiling countenance into the sledge prepared for him, and so was drawn to Tyburn. When he arrived there being taken off the sledge, and having his hands untied, he put off his hat, and blessed God with a loud voice, that he had held him worthy, and had brought him to that place to die for his name and glory.
Then asking what he was to do, the sheriff told him that he must get up into the cart that stood under the tree where he must die. Which he did, though not without much difficulty, the cart being high and his legs weak and stiff, with his ill and cold lodging for ten days before. Being up, he cheerfully said I am now, I thank God, up: and kneeling down, he first blessed himself with the sign of the cross, in token that he was not ashamed of Christ, who was crucified thereon for his redemption; then prayed a little to himself; afterwards rising up he mildly asked the sheriff, whether it would please him to permit him to speak to the people; who very courteously told him, he might. He having leave to speak, kneeled down and said, Domine labia mea aperies, & os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam. And then protesting that he would speak nothing derogating to the power of his sacred majesty, or injurious to any person whatsoever; he proceeded and told the people that he was a catholic, and came thither to die for the catholic religion, and for Christ's case, who had shed his blood for him and his redemption. That he was glad and willing to lose his life for his honour, and sorry be had no more lives to lose, nor more blood to shed for the cause of his blessed Redeemer. That he did acknowledge from the bottom of his heart, that his majesty king James the first was true and lawful king of these realms; and had the same power and authority over his dominions, and his subjects therein born, which the king of Spain, or the king of France had in theirs: that he himself was his true subject, and had never harboured so much as any treasonable thought against him which he did protest freely and sincerely before God and the whole host of heaven. Moreover, that if he had known of any treasonable design against the king or state, any way whatsoever, he should think himself obliged to have put a stop to it, to the utmost of his power. Then he earnestly prayed to God for the king and all the royal family, and that his posterity might inherit the crown of England for ever. Adding again, that he acknowledged his authority for making laws, and that his subjects were bound to obey them. But here he was interrupted by a minister, who asked him, How then he, being a priest, offered to come into the kingdom against those laws? Mr Almond answered, that Christ was the greater king, and that laws made against Christ's laws were not binding: and that in case he were a priest, which they had not proved him to be, be had a commission derived from Christ, (who sent his disciples, St Matthew 28:19, to teach all nations) to come and teach in England; as he supposed protestants, if their religion were true, might be sent into Turkey, India, or elsewhere for saving of souls, notwithstanding the laws of those countries might make it death so to do. The minister farther objected, that he had at his arraignment delivered dangerous doctrines, as that a priest had power to absolve and forgive any man that should kill a king; and that he had treated the bench with disrespect. He answered, that the minister did mistake him, and belied the catholic doctrine; and that he had dealt modestly at his arraignment, which he referred to the standers by and for matters of murdering kings, he declared murder to be a heinous crime, of a king most of all, and that the doctrine of the catholic church, no ways encouraged any of her children to commit any sin whatsoever, much less murder or treason but on the contrary teaches them humility, patience, long-suffering and obedience. And yet the greatest sinner that ever was, even a king-killer, than which he thought none could be worse: through true contrition, confessing himself with hearty repentance to his ghostly father, and ready to make satisfaction according to his power and the rules of the catholic church, might be forgiven through the merits of Christ's bitter passion, one drop of whose precious blood was sufficient to have saved ten thousand worlds, how much more one sinner, though never so vile. And that Christ himself had declared as much, St John 20:27, and given this power to his church, and the true ministers of the sacraments thereof, that whose sins soever they did remit should be remitted, &c, and that this was his doctrine and meaning; and there was his warrant. And then he pressed the minister to tell him if this was not the protestant doctrine also? who could not deny but it was, if the sinner had faith; but then he asked what satisfaction could be made for the death of a king. Mr Almond replied, that faith was not sufficient, except it was applied right; for the devils believed and trembled, and yet could not be saved: and that Christ's death had made satisfaction. The minister pressing farther with an argument concerning faith and satisfaction; Mr Almond denied the consequence: but withal desired that he might now be allowed to pray. When another minister interrupting him, asked if he had not equivocated in his former answers and protestations of loyalty; Mr Almond protested upon his soul, No, as he should answer before God; ner had spoken with any mental reservation; and that the only reason why he had refused the oath of allegiance, as they called it, was out of tenderness of conscience, by reason of the ensnaring clauses contained therein: protesting withal; that if the pope, or any foreign prince whatsoever, should by war and hostility invade this his native country, and thereby seek to overthrow the state, or make a conquest of the kingdom, or divest his majesty of any of his dominions, he ought to be resisted by every good subject, to the best of his power, and that by force and arms; and that this was the catholic doctrine and religion, which was to be brought in by preaching and miracles, after the example of Christ and his apostles; and not by blood and force of arms: that this he had ever professed and taught, and this he was ready to seal with his blood.
Then being almost unstripped, having nothing on but his waistcoat and breeches, the halter having been long about his neck, he kneeled down and began to pray, by giving thanks to God, who had strengthened him by his grace and brought him thither who the catholic religion, which he most firmly believed to every tittle without the least doubt or wavering.
And here again he was interrupted by a minister that stood near, who told him he had forgot to ask forgiveness of his sins. Mr Almond replied, he did not do well to interrupt him, that he could not do all at once, and yet he could do that without the minister's counsel. Then rising up he pulled several things out of his pockets, which he flung away, looking round about in the disposing of them as his affection guided him. He also flung away some three or four pounds in silver, amongst the poor that crowded about the gallows; saying, I have not so much to bestow or give, for the keeper of Newgate hath been somewhat hard unto me and others that way, whom God forgive, for I do. For I having been prisoner there since March, we have been ill-treated continually, but now at last without charity; for we were all put down into the hole or dungeon, or place of little ease, whence was removed since we came thither two or three cartloads of filth and dirt; we were kept twenty-four hours without bread, or meat or drink, loaded with irons, lodging on the damp ground, and so continued for ten days or thereabouts.
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| The place of little ease mentioned by Saint John Almond - a tiny, most uncomfortable cell |
Here Mr Sheriff told him, that the keeper had done nothing but by orders, and was commanded to do what he had done. I had thought, said Mr Almond, it had been done of his own head; but since it was done by power I will neither resist it, nor speak farther of it. Then turning to the executioner he gave him a piece of gold of eleven shillings: adding "I don't give thee this to spare me, for I am ready, as my duty doth bind me, to lose both life and blood, and therefore he might, if he would, rip him up alive, and cut off his hands, for that no torment was sufficient to satisfy his obedience to his redeemer; wishing he had the heart of St Vincent, or the body of St Laurence to be broiled upon a gridiron; for he was ready to suffer all, even to be pulled in pieces joint by joint without any favour, so much he hoped God would strengthen him with his power; and that all that blood which he had to shed for his master Christ was too little, and not enough."
And then kneeling down again, he humbly acknowledged himself to be a sinner, and earnestly begged God's mercy and forgiveness; not doubting but that what sins soever he had committed, which he confessed were many, Christ by his mercy, his death, and the shedding of his blood, would remit and pardon; and that be would now accept his willingness to shed his blood for his glory. Of which words a minister presently taking hold, asked Mr Almond, What! do you match and compare then your blood-shedding with Christ's blood-shedding; as if Christ were not able to work your salvation, without your own means; "You mistake me, quoth Mr Almond; my sins, though venial, deserve Christ's wrath and punishment. It is his death alone, and the shedding of his blood alone, that is not only sufficient, but also efficient to save us all. I have not much more to say, one hour overtaketh another, and though never so long, at last cometh death; and yet not death, for death is the gate of life unto us, whereby we enter into everlasting blessedness; and life is death to those whe do not provide for death, for they are ever tossed and troubled with vexations, miseries, and wickedness; but to use well this life is the pathway, yet through death, to everlasting life.
Then being in his shirt he kneeled down, and often repeating, In manus tuas Domine, &.c. Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth: he waited whilst the hangman prepared for the execution, at no time showing there any sign of fear or faintheartedness through all the course of his martyrdom; but as he began smiling, so he continued constant with a cheerful countenance, instantly desiring all the true professors of the true catholic religion to pray for him and with him and he often repeated upon his knees, looking up towards heaven, In manus tuas. And so with a sure hope having commended himself to God, he protested he died a chaste maid, which he did acknowledge was Christ's special grace, and not his own ability or worthiness, and that he ever hated all carnal acts, and such sins for which the catholic religion or profession had been slandered; for which grace he rendered thanks to God. Then - "I have been, saith he, indicted and accused that I was a priest, but I will neither confess nor deny the same but at the last day, when all secrets are revealed, and Christ shall come in glory to judge the world, to whom I hope I am now going, he will then reveal what I am."
Then, being ready to die, having stood long in his shirt, the weather being cold, and the morning frosty, yet shewed he no shivering, nor once to quake, but most readily yielded his hands to be tied by the executioner and the cart being ready to be drawn away, he asked if it were not good, or the fashion to have a handkerchief over his eyes! The people cried, Yes!, one offering a foul one, which was refused. Mr Almond said, it was no matter. Then a stander-by gave him a clean one, and tied it over his face, which still looked cheerful. Then he desired the executioner to give him a sign when the cart was to be drawn away, "that he might die with the name of his blessed Saviour Jesus, that sweet name of comfort in his mouth." He often repeated these words, In manus tuas Domine, &c. and the sign being given, he cried Jesu, Jesu, Jesu; and then, hanging for about the space of three Pater nosters, some of the standers by pulling him by his legs to dispatch his life; he was cut down and quartered, his soul flying swiftly to him that redeemed us all, for whose quarrel he protested he died. So far the MS. written by an eye-witness.
As for Dr King, bishop of London, who is supposed to have been the principal promoter of Mr Almond's death; instead of reaping any joy from the execution of this good priest, he is said to have been ever after a man of sorrows. And if we may believe what is confidently asserted by the catholic writers of those times, he was before his death favoured by a grace seldom granted to persecutors, to become himself a catholic, and to die in the communion of that church, which he had cruelly persecuted.
In the preface of a book published in his name after his death, and called, The bishop of London's Legacy: he is introduced thus addressing himself to our martyr. "O happy Almond, who here upon earth didst mask thyself under the name of Molineux! in thy blood, even in thy blood did I wash my hands: it was I that did further the death. Be thou, O blessed saint, who now seest and hearest me - (what does he not see, who sees him that sees all things?) be thou, I say, out of thy seraphical charity, as propitious to pray for the remitting of that crying sin, as I am ready to acknowledge the sin and let thy blood (guilty of no other treason than in not being a traitor to Christ and his church) not resemble the blood of Abel, which cried for revenge against brother, but rather the blood of Christ, which prayed for pardon of his crucifiers." (Epistle to the reader, p. 10, 11.)
Mr Almond suffered at Tyburn, December the 5th, 1612, in the 45th year of his age, the 11th of his mission.
From a Copy of his Examination before Dr King, Bishop of London, written by himself; and from an old Manuscript by an eye-witness of his death, amongst the collections of the Reverend Mr Knaresborough.
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