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Show 168 ..\TltOCIOt"S JGDGES. [A. D.1 G~9 . The fh· ~ t of the Popi~h plot judicial rnnn1er·- which are more di,.graceful to England than the n1as~1.cre of St. BartholOlnew's i ~ to France- wa ~ that of Stayly, the Roman Catholic banker. Being trie<l at the bar of the Court of IGnO''s I~ench, Scroo-()'~, aecon1in!! to the old fashion, which 0 bO '-' had gone out during the Cotnn1011\Ycahh, r epeatedly put que~tion " to the prisoner, ntte1npting to intimidate him, or lo involve hitn in contradictions, or to elicit from him omc indiscreet admi:3...ion of fact:-;. .A. \Vitnes having stated that '~he had often heard the prisoner ~ ay he would lo e hi blood f{)r the king, and speak as loyally as n1an could ~peak," Scrogg::s exclaimed, '' "I'ltat t·s, wlten he spol-c to a Protestant!" In summing up, haYing run himself out of br ·ath by the violence with which he declaimed against the ]_>ope and the Jc-uits, he thus apologi.cd to the jury:- " Excuse n1c, gentlcme11, if I an1 a little warm, "·hen perils arc so 1nany, 1nnrdcr:~ so :::;ccr •t. \Vhen thing~ arc tran sacted so closely, nnd our king j, in great danger, and religion i3 at ·take, I may be excused for being a lirtlc warm. You may think it better ()'entle1nen to be warn1 here than in ' 0 ' Smithfield. Discharge your con. cienccs as you ought to do. If guilty, let the prisoner take the r ward of hi · crime, for perchance it tnay be a terror to the rest I hope I shall never go to that heaven \vherc men arc 1nade saints for killing kings." whigs, however, in imitation of the poliev of C11arles II., and nnder the leadership of the late Daniel " rcbstcr, so~1ght to turn thi::; pretended plot to their own advantage, by coming out still more furious Union-save:s than even the democrat:-., and denouncing the abolitioni::;ts with .still greater fury- thus working up the public mind into a terror at the 1ma-gm. ary d anger of the Um.o n, much h.k c that of the Engh.s - h peop lo· 'a t the time of the Popish plot. \V c too have had our trials for treason, (see ante, p. 168-161 ; ) a.nu if we hav' e ha'd no bloody executions, 1· t has no t been for want of Scroggses, both on an<l Qff the bench. - Ed. A. D.l679.] 'VILI-IA:.\t SCI\OGG ...... 16~ The verdict of guilty being recorded, Sc·roggs, 0 . J. ·aid, "Now, you may die a H.on1an Catholic; and, when you cornc to die, I doubt you will be found a priest too. The matter, manner, and all the circumstance of the case, n1ake i t plain; you may harden your hear~ a" n1uch. as you will, and lif't up your eyes, but you seem, instead of being sorrowful, to be obstinate. Betwe n God and your con ·ciencc be it; I have nothing to do wiLh that; my duty is only to pronounce judgment upon yon according to law- you hall be tlrawn to the place of execution, where you ·hall be hanged by the 11 ·ck, cut down alive," &c. (.~c. The unhappy con viet'· frienu:-; were allowed lo (rive !tim 0 decent burial ; ·* but, bccau ·e they aid a 1na~:-; for hi, oul, hi · body wa~, by order of L ord Chief Ju ·tice Scrorrgs, taken out of the grave, his quarter.:; were ilxed upon the gates of the city, and his heau, at the top of a pole, wa, ·et on London Bridge. So proud was Scrogg"' of this exploit, that be had an account of it written, for which he gnmted an nirruMATUR, signed with hi · own name. I n1u ·t not run the ri~k of di~gu "ling n1y readers by a detailed account of Scrogg. 's cnormitie~ on the trial · of Coleman, Ireland, 'Vhitcbean1, Langhord, and the other victims whom he sacrHi.ced to the popular fu ry under pretenee that they were implicateu in the Popi~h plot. l\rttether sitting in his own court at W estmin ter, or at the Oltl Bailey in the city of London, a long a he LelieYcd that government favored the pro ccu tion. , by a display of' all the unworthy arts of cajoling and intimidation he .. ecured convictions. A modern historian, hirn. elf a I~oman Catholic priest, says, with ·t· For this he probably reech·cd a good sum of money. 15 |