Saints celebrated on the 5th of July
WELCOME!
BLESSED GEORGE NICOLS, PRIEST AND MARTYR
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| The Catherine Wheel Pub, Henley Road, Sandford on Thames, Oxfordshire |
George Nicols [Nichols] was a native of Oxford, and an alumnus and priest of Douay College, during its residence at Rheims; from whence he was sent upon the mission, in 1583. My author gives him the character of a man of extraordinary virtue and learning, and of a zealous and laborious missioner, who, during the six years of his mission was the happy instrument, in the hands of God of the conversion of many souls. His mission was chiefly in and about Oxford: where, amongst other pious adventures, the writers of his life particularly take notice of the reconciliation of a noted highwayman, who being apprehended and committed to Oxford Castle, was by the conversation of some catholics, who were prisoners there for their religion, brought to a sense of his crimes, and a desire of confessing them, and dying in the catholic faith; insomuch that he did nothing else, night and day, but bewail his sins, longing for the hour when he might cast himself at the feet of a catholic priest to confess them. His catholic fellow prisoners found means to acquaint Mr Nicols with these particulars, and failed not to instruct their convert how to prepare himself for a visit from this gentleman; who, on the very morning of the day of execution (no opportunity offering before) came to the jail, together with a crowd of others, whose curiosity brought them to see this famous malefactor before his death and passing for a kinsman and acquaintance of the prisoner, after mutual salutations, he took him aside, as it were to comfort and encourage him, and heard his confession, for which he had prepared himself by spending the whole night before in prayers and tears: and which he made with great signs of a truly contrite heart, and having given him absolution, he left him wonderfully comforted, and armed against the terrors of death, which he now with joy was ready to welcome. The prisoner then declared himself a catholic; and though many persuasions were used to make him return to the protestant religion, he persisted to the end in his resolution of dying in the old faith, and professed under the gallows, that if he had a thousand lives, he would joyfully part with them, rather than renounce the Catholic Roman faith.
Richard Yaxley, who was Mr Nicols's companion in death, was born at Boston, in Lincolnshire, of a gentleman's family, and was also an alumnus and priest of the same college, and was sent from Rheims upon the English mission, in 1586. He was by many years younger than Mr Nicols, and having his mission in the same country, regarded him as his father. They were apprehended together at the house of a pious catholic widow, who kept the St Catharine's Wheel, in Oxford, by the officers of the university, who broke in at midnight, and hurried them away, together with Mr Belson, a catholic gentleman, who was come thither to visit his ghostly father, Mr Nicols, and Humphrey Pritchart, the servant of the inn. The next morning they were all carried before the vice-chancellor, where several doctors were assembled, with many others who had the curiosity to see and hear the prisoners. Here they were examined concerning their religion, and they all readily answered they were catholics. Then they were farther interrogated, if there were not any priest among them? After some demur, for fear of prejudicing any other persons, Mr Nicols, judging that it would be for the greater glory of God, to confess his character, stoutly said, I confess, that by the grace of God, and of the holy see apostolic, I am a priest of the true holy catholic roman church. The vice-chancellor and his assessors, from hence inferred, that he must needs be a traitor; and withal some of them charged him with blasphemy, in taking to himself the name of priest, which, as they pretended, belonged to Christ alone. This brought on a dispute concerning religion, in which Mr Nicols pressed his adversaries so close, that the standers-by appearing not a little moved with his arguments, the vice-chancellor thought proper to put an end to the controversy, by sending away the two priests to one prison, and Mr Belson and the servant to another; and ordered them all to be put in irons. Having thus, as they flattered themselves, tamed their spirits, they sent one of their most celebrated divines to the two priests, to confer with them concerning the blessed Sacrament: but Mr Nicols managed this controversy also so well, and urged so home the plain words of Christ, in the institution of the blessed Sacrament, together with the current doctrine of the holy fathers, and of all antiquity, and the authority of the church, and of her general councils, compared with the novelty of the opposite doctrine, the inconstancy and infinite dissentions of its teachers, and uncertainty what they would be at, that he stopped the mouth of his adversary, to the great advantage of the catholic cause, in the minds of many who came into the prison to hear the dispute. Henceforward it was thought proper to let disputing alone, and to attack them another way. Therefore, the next day, they were all four brought, in their irons, before the vice-chancellor and his council, and examined again; not now concerning their faith, but why they, being priests, had presumed to come over into England? How they had employed their time here? with whom they had conversed? and upon what subjects? what acquaintance they had amongst catholics, &c.? To these questions the servants of God answered, that they came over upon no other errand, but to win souls to Jesus Christ, and to teach them the catholic faith; that this was their whole business here; and that they neither knew, nor treated, nor thought of any thing else, but how to discharge this great duty, though they were sensible of the danger which they thereby incurred by the laws; but they thought this was the least they could do for the honour and service of Him who had died for them; and for whom they should be glad to sacrifice their lives. But as for any other catholics, they could not be prevailed on to name any, or bring any into danger. Upon this they were sent back to their prisons, and the queen's council was informed of all that had passed.
Soon after this, an order came down from the council, to have the prisoners sent up to London; who, pursuant to the instructions given from above, were set upon Rosinantes, with their hands tied behind them, and the two priests also for greater disgrace, with their legs tied under their horses' bellies; and, in this manner, were conducted, under a strong guard, from Oxford to London, being treated all the way with great cruelty by their guards, and affronted and abused by the populace, more especially when they came to London, where they were attended from the very skirts of the town to the gate of the prison by an insolent mob, loading them with reproaches and injuries, which they bore with an invincible patience, setting before their eyes the sufferings of their Redeemer. And to add to their affliction, a young gentleman of the university, a graduate in arts, who, out of pure compassion, had attended them all the way from Oxford, and afforded them what service he could, was, in reward of his charity, taken up as soon as he came to London: and whereas the persecutors could not proceed against him with any colour of law, they charged him with being mad, and as such, confined him to Bedlam, to be there treated (as one that had lost his senses) with low diet, and to be beaten into his senses again. In which manner they kept him a long time, for no other fault, but that of having been serviceable to these servants of God in their journey.
After they had remained some days in prison, at London, they were carried before secretary Walsingham, the capital enemy of the catholics, who put the like questions to them as the vice-chancellor had done before; to which Mr Nicols would give no other answer, but that they were all catholics, and that he, for his own part, was, though unworthy, a priest of the holy Roman Church. If you are a priest, said the secretary, then, of course, you are a traitor. A strange consequence, honoured sir, said Mr Nicols, since, it is certain, that they, who first converted England from paganism, were all priests. But they, said the secretary, did not disturb the nation as you do, nor stirred up seditions against their sovereigns. To which the confessor replied, that, if preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, if instructing the ignorant in the catholic faith, be disturbing the nation, or stirring up sedition, they were they equally guilty; if not, both we and they are equally innocent; nor can there be any treason in the case. With this the two priests were ordered to Bridewell, were they were tortured, and hanged up in the air, for the space of five hours together, to make them confess by whom they had been harboured or entertained, &c. But these torments they bore with great courage and constancy, and generously refused, to the end, to name any one who might be brought into trouble upon their account. Artifices were also employed, and a pretended convert was sent to Mr Nichols, desiring to be addressed by him to some priest, that was at liberty for further instructions. But the man of God, who was very discreet, discovered the trick, and would have nothing to say to the false catechumen. After this they separated the two priests from each other, and thrust Mr Nicols down into a dark and stinking dungeon, full of nauseous insects; but translated Mr Yaxley from Bridewell to the Tower, where he was every day put upon the rack, till, at length, it was resolved in the council, that they should be sent back to Oxford to be executed there, for an example to the scholars, and other inhabitants of that city.
This resolution was no sooner taken, than the prisoners, under the. same guard as before had brought them up to town, and with the like cruel treatment, were conducted back again to Oxford, to be tried at the assizes there; and that none of them might escape, Sir Francis Knollys, one of the privy council, was appointed to be present at their trial, to overawe the jury, that they might bring in a verdict agreeable to the inclinations of the court. And first the good widow, their hostess, was tried and cast in a praemunire, condemned to the loss of all her goods, and to perpetual imprisonment; which sentence she received with joy, only regretting that she was not to die with her ghostly fathers. Then the two priests were condemned to die, as in cases of high treason and lastly, Mr Belson and the servant being convicted of having been aiding and assisting the priests, were, on that account, sentenced to die, as in cases of felony. They all received their respective sentences with cheerfulness, giving thanks to God for the honour he did them of dying for his cause; and mutually embraced one another with extraordinary marks of the inward joy of their hearts. They were drawn to the place of execution, on July the 5th, 1589, still retaining the same serenity in their countenance, and joy in their hearts; and meeting there with an infinite multitude of people, assembled to see their last conflict, they saluted them, saying, behold, we are here brought to die for the confession of the catholic faith, the old religion, in which our forefathers and ancestors all lived and died.
The first that was called upon to go up the ladder was Mr Nicols, who, after having made his prayer to God, and to the people the profession of his faith, would have spoken more at large upon the subject, but was interrupted and forbidden to go on; so recommending his soul into the hands of his Creator, he was thrown off the ladder, and happily finished his course. He was followed by Mr Yaxley, who, after having embraced the dead body of his companion with great affection, and recommended himself, in this his last conflict, to the prayers of his happy soul, going up the ladder, and beginning to speak to the people, was, in like manner interrupted; and, after a short profession of his faith, was also flung off. The standers-by seemed to have a more than ordinary compassion for him, upon account of his youth, beauty, and sweet behaviour, and the consideration of his family; but all these things he despised for the sake of his Master; for whom he willingly offered himself a sacrifice. Their bodies were cut down, bowelled and quartered; and their heads were set on the old walls of the castle, and their quarters over the gates of the city. Some false zealots disfigured their faces, cutting and hacking them with their knives, because of the extraordinary beauty which was observed in them; and it was much taken notice of, that, in the disposing of their quarters, the right hand of Mr Nicols, instead of hanging down from the shoulder, as is natural on the like occasions, stood up erected on high, and turned against the city, in the posture and manner of one that was threatening.
From the Douay Catalogues, from Father Ribadneira, in his Appendix to Dr Saunders, chap. 3. from the Bishop of Tarrasona's history of the persecution, book V. chap. 3. and from Dr Champney's manuscript.
Source: Bishop Richard Challoner, Memoirs of Missionary Priests, Volume 2
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