The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-04-19


to consent to her kinswomans death. Ponet,
"that the lords of the council who had been
most instrumental at the death of Edward vi.
in thrusting royalty upon poor Lady Jane. and
proclaiming Mary illegitimate, were the
sorest forcers of men, yea, became earnest
councillors for that innocent lady's DEATH
What had religion to do with this Mary was
made to believe that as long as Lady Jane
lived, similar scenes of bloodshed would take
place and similar plots would continue against
her crown-and matter of State policy
the lovely and gentle lady put to death,
an innocent victim, of Northumberland's
ambitious schemes. Lady James death is
stain upon Mary's reign which no one can
deny; but if the Queen considered herself
impelled to the sacrifice by memorable neces-
sity, I" she neither aggravated it by malicious
observations, nor by hypocritical conduct"
The Chaplain Tickenham, who attended
the innocent Jane in her last moments, has
preserved the beautiful message of Christian
resignation sent by her to Queen Mary and
who, according to Strickland, though he
succeeded not in turning the heavenly minded
prisoner from the Protestant religion, won her
friendship and gratitude. Her last words bore
ceived from him."
This priest endured in the reign of Elizabeth,
a captivity of twenty-five years, and died, at
last, in the noxious castle of Wisbeach in the
Fens.
Which of the two, Lady Jane, or the Chap
lain Tickenham, was prosecuted for religions
sake?
But to come to the days of persecution which
have stamped Mary's name with infamy and
| branded her bloody monster, what shall
we say of them A few words will suffice.
During the greater part of those fearful times,
Mary was ill almost unto death-and the shame
aud responsibility belong to her Council, not
to the poor, suffering Queen.
The Council was composed of Protestants as
we'll as Catholics, and when the arm of flesh
was relied upon by these cruel men, it was
Roman Catholic who headed the noble band
| that retired from the House of Commons
| whose violence they could neither approve nor
| moderate.
This brave man the great jurist, Ser
| geant Plowden, Catholic SO firm, that when
offered the CHARACTERISTIC by Elizabeth, he
refused it because he would not change his
religion. Sir James Macintosh, in his history
of England says: "Of fourteen bishoprics,
the Catholic prelates used their influence so
successfully as altogether to prevent blood
shed in nine, and reduce it to limits in the re-
naming FIVE" Now it must be remembered
that religious federation not understood
in that early day; but is it fair to crown
Marys name with excess of cruelty because
the venal councillors of her Parliament, who
had burned and quartered Catholics in her
| fathers reign, now burned and quartered
Protestants in hers
Fuller the historian of the Established
Church, said of Mary: "She had been a
worthy princess, if as little cruelty had been
done under her, as BY her."
The " stout gospeller," Edward Underhill
escaped all persecution for his religion during
her reign, and always remained firm friend
and admirer of the sorely tried Queen, al
til ough his zeal was we'll known and fierce
as to earn for him this queer designation.
That Mary's disposition was merciful, every
action of her life clearly indicates-that her
reign was marked by blood, belongs to her
Common Council-compesed, as we said be
fore, of Protestants and Catholics. During
III ost of her married life shezwas a wretched
invalid, unconscious of what going on
within her realm. Fox, in his Martyrology
says: "Sometimes she laid weeks without
speaking, as one dead, and moro than once the
rumor went that she had died." etc.
With Henry Wits tyrannical example be-
fore her, with her own Protestant subjects
praying for her death, with plots and cabals
constantly going on against her throne, with
Spain urging her to destroy her enemies, still
she took no step without consent of Parlia-
ment, SO that as one who reigned according to
constitutional law, she claims prominence
and yet every act of tyranny or cruelty is
ascribed to her though she had been a
despot, overbearing law and people. If her
Parliamens had been honest herself
her reign would have been the pride of her
country, instead of it's reproach but reproach
it should not be, for she restored law and
order, which had ceased in Henry's reign and
gave to the servile mobiles chance to be men
again. She instructed her judges herself in
their duties towards her subjects, saying in
her eloquent address to them, that they were