A New Martyrology, Martyrology · Life 12
Dr. Oats, Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Dangerfield.
WE are now obliged, by the thrid of our History, to resume a Subject, which, 'tis not doubted will be ungrateful enough to some Persons; and that is, — the Popish Plot; the belief of which, by the indefatigable Industry of that Party, and the weekly pains of their Observator, and especially this last pretended Plot against the Government, was now almost entirely obliterated out of the minds of the less thinking part of the Nation. To accomplish which more fully, 'twas thought necessary by the Managers, either quite to take off, or expose to Miseries and Disgraces worse than Death, all those few Persons who remain'd honest and firm to their first Evidence; the generality of the World judging by outward appearance, and thinking it impossible but that one who stood in the Pillory, and was whipt at the Carts-Arse, must be a perjur'd Rogue without more ado. Mr. Bedloe was dead, and his Testimony therefore would be easier forgotten: tho' at his last Breath after the Sacrament, he Solemnly and Juridically confirmed every word of it before one of the Judges, who was happily in Bristol at the time of his Death. Most of the Under-Evidences in the Plot were threatned, or promised, or brought off from what they had witness'd, or forc'd to leave the Land for the securing their Persons. None remain now besides Oats and Dangerfield, with whom all means possible, fair and foul, had been used, to make 'em turn Villains, and deny their Evidence; but to their eternal Praise, they still continued firm to their first Testimony, to the Rage and Confusion of their Enemies. They therefore went first to work with the Doctor; and 'twill be worth the while to consider the Reason of his first Prosecution, by which men that are not very much prejudiced may see the Reason and Justice of those which follow, and 'twas [For scandalizing the Duke of York with that notorious Truth—That he was reconciled to the Church of Rome, adding, What every one knows, that 'twas High Treason so to be.] Would but the Doctor's greatest and most passionate Enemies reflect on this beginning of his Sorrows; as well as calmly examine all that's to come, they must form a ju…ter Judgment of his Person and Actions, than what seems too deeply fixed in 'em, ever to be rooted out; for which he was adjudged to pay that reasonable little Fine of a 100000 Pounds, which, till he paid, tho' there was no great haste for his doing it, he was committed to …he Bench.
Having him thus in Limbo, they resolved to strike at the root with him, and therefore after new fruitless attempts to make him qu…t and revoke his Evidence, they made the last Effort on his Constancy and Honesty; and indeed Life it self, Indicting him on the 8th and 9th of May, 1685. for Perjury in some branches of his Evidence, given in some of it, almost Seven Years before. His first Accusation wa…, [For-Swearing in Ireland's Tryal, he himself was here in London, whereas twas pretended he was at that very time at St. Omers] The Second, That Ireland was at that time in Town, when they would have it believed he was in Staffordshire.
The Evidence for the first were all Lads of St. Omers, who, though they blunder'd ill-favour'dly in former Attempts the same way, and were accordingly told so by the Court in other Tryals, were now grown expert in the Business, being all of a Religion that makes Perjury meritorious; all Youths and Boys, and under such a Discipline as oblige them to obey their Superiors, without any reserve, or questioning the Reason or Justice of the thing; all, or most of 'em afterwards, rewarded with Places of Trust and Profit under King James, as no doubt promised 'em before for their good Service. They all swore point blank, That Oats was at St. Omers, when he swears he was here at the Consult. Not one of these Witnesses who had not been bred at St. Omers, and but one who pretended to be a Protestant. For the second Indictment— Of Irelands not being in Town in August, as Oats had sworn him: They brought several Witnesses to prove it, and that he was at that time in Staffordshire; most, if not all of which were great Papists.
In answer to which, let's first be persuaded fairly to consider what may be said in his Defence, and most part of his Vindication is over: And first—These were most, or all of 'em, the self-same Witnesses, who in the successive Tryals, Whitebreads, Harcourts, &c. and Mr. Langhorns, could not find Credit; and who had several Witnesses who swore point-blank contrary to what they affirmed, some of whom were dead before this last Tryal. Let's then consider what Defence Oats made for himself, which in spite of his own and Jeffreys passions, seems strenuous and unanswerable.
He had in the former Tryals produced no less than Eight Persons who swore positively to his being in Town at that very time, when the Jesuits and their Younkers would so fain had him been out of it, whose Names were Mr. Walker, an ancient Minister of the Church of England, Sarah Ives, Mrs. Mayo, Sir Richard Barker, Mr. Page, Mr. Butler, William Smith, and Mr. Clay, a Romish Priest, four of which, Mayo, Butler, Page and Walker he now produced again at his Tryal; the two first of whom positively swore the same they did before; the Minister was too old to remember, and the last too fearful positively to affirm what they had before done.
As to the 2d Indictment, a Crowd of Witnesses, such as they were, came to testifie Ireland was in Staffordshire when Oats swore him to be in London.
To this same Objection he had formerly answerd, and prov'd by the Oaths of Mr. Bedloe, Sarah …ain, and afterwards of Mr. Jennison, That Ireland was in Town, when others witness he was in the Country. But now, at his Tryal, Bedlo and Pain being dead, and Jennison fled into Holland, he was absolutely incapacitated of making any Defence that way; and so was found Guilty of both Indictments.
The Judgment against him was just as merciful as could be expected from Papists, acting by a Jeffreys, part of which was, [To be whipt from Algate to Newgate on Wednesday, and on the Friday following from Newgate to Tyburn, and stand on the Pillory five times a year, and be Prisoner during Life.] Which he bore with a great deal of Strength and Courage; tho had not Providence provided him a Body and Soul, made, one would think, on purpose for it, 'twould have kill'd him, if he'd had the strength of twenty Men. He had in all above two thousand Lashes, as some that were by reckon'd em up—Such a thing as was never inflicted by any Jew, Turk, or Heathen, but Jeffreys; nay, the merciful Jews thought one less than God Almighty had appointed sufficient, and never gave but 39 at a time; all St. Paul's 3 times not coming near the third part of the Doctors. Had they hang'd him, they had been merciful; had they flead him alive, 'tis a question whether it had been so much torture. How good and merciful those Persons, who will vindicate this worse than barbarous and inhumane Action, are, let the World and future Ages be Judges; in the mean while we'll safely defy all History to shew one Parallel of it either on man or Dog, from the Creation of the World to the year 1685.
But there needs no more aggravation of it, or urging what is plain enough, that the thus dealing with him, even supposing his Crime as great as they'd have it was yet the highest affront and indignity even to Humanity it self. 'Twill besides this be an unanswerable Observation,— That it had been impossible for a Man to have held out the Second Whipping after the first was over, while the Wounds were fresh about him, and every new stroke more than a double torment, either to have undergone this without Confession, or dropping down Dead with extremity of pain, had he not both had truth on his side, and also a more than common support and assistance from him who saw his Innocency. This Whipping of his being the greatest Confirmation to his Evidence that was possible to be given.
After his return, to Prison, after all this Usage, yet if possible, more barbarous, tearing off the Plaisters from his Wounds, crushing him with Irons, thrusting him into Holes and Dungeons, and endeavouring to render him as infamous to the Nation, and all the World, as Cain or Judas; he bore up against a…l this, and more, with so strange and almost mir…culous a Patience, that during his four y…a…s Imprisonment, he was never once heard to sigh, or maniifest any impatience under his Condition. He refused all the Offers of the Jesuits, who even after this had the Impudence to pro…ose to him his recanting his Evidence. He had still a strong Belief that he s…ould see better …imes, and get his freedom again▪ which he had in that General Goal-delivery, gra…ted all England by the then Prince of Orange's Heroick Undertaking. Since that he has presented his Case and Petition to the Parliament; to the House of Commons, as well as the House of Lords: And tho the Honourable House of Lords were offended at what they judged a slight of their Jurisdiction, in his Addressing to the House of Commons, while his Cause lay before them, and exprest their resentments thereof accordingly; The Commons have since that taken his Case into Consideration, and, as well as four succeeding Parliaments before 'em, own'd his Cause, and censur'd the Proceedings of Jeff…eys against him; and 'tis not doubted but will appoint him Rewards suitable to his Sufferings and Merit.
His Character.
HIs Firmness and Courage, even perhaps to a Fault, have been visible through these mentioned, and all his other Actions since he appear'd on the publick Stage: His Passions are lively and warm and he's the worst made for a Dissembler, an Hypocrite, or a secret Villain of any Man in the World: Nor have all his Sufferings much sunk him, tho he be a little alter'd in this particular. He's open and frank, and speaks whatever he thinks of any Persons or things in the World, and bearing himself justly enough, on his Services to his Country, is not careful to keep that Guard which others do, on his Words and Actions. He has Wit enough, a pleasant Humour and sufficiently divertive to those he knows, and his Learning is far from contemptible. He has a good Library, is no mean Critick in the Greek, and well acquainted with the Schoolmen and Fathers. He's owner of as much Generosity as any Man, and as much tenderness to any in Misery, scorning to strike at those below him; an example of which very remarkable there was in his inhumane Judges Fall, he being almost the only Person who has been heard to pity him; tho' one would have thought he should have been the last. In a word, as this present Age has now begun to do him Justice, so tis not doubted will make an end on't, and those succeeding joyn with it in making honourable mention of his Name and Services to the Protestant Religion.