The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-09-30

DenIuu Juoul u WatCu Luo oNchb.
Sir John may have noted an EXPRESSION of
miseration in the eye Of Dame Dorothy as
she gazed upon the elderly gentleman before
him, which induced him to make sign TO one
Joachim accepted the boon with gratitude,
bowling his thanks to the baronet.
~ understand from my brother-justice,'
said Sir John, as soon 40 the accused was seat
ed, shat you are here to answer certain
charges touching your loyalty. May ! ask
you. sir, your profession and antecedents :"
81 am gentleman" replied the Minorite,
" sufficiently wellknowu for these last twenty
years in Worcestershire, to all sorts of people"
"And your oallingp enquired the baronet.
"None; IL you intend thereby my trade"
rejoined the Franciscan.
"What estate are you possessed off" asked
the former.
81 am not landed man." returned the reli
gious.
take the oaths." observed the Justice.
81 do not understand them" said Father
Joachim.
"Will You take them sir, or will You not ~
retorted Sir John with slight movement of
impatiepce.
'.If you will please to let me see them, will
return you my answer" replied the priest who
felt that in order to make public declaration
of his faith, he ought to state his objections
to the substance of the oaths 30 as to clearly
manifest that it was for his religion and not
for his loyalty that he was about to suffer con-
demnation.
Here are the oaths," said Sir John, fnmb-
ling through u volume before him. land, re-
member sir, that if you take them honestly, as
every loyal Euglishmsn is bound to do, you
shall be free az air. No good subject can, I'll
vouch for it. depur tc such terms as these"
A sort of factotum, who occasionally acted
ss clerk and amanuensis to Sir John, and was
seated to the left of the table, took up the
book and brought it round to the Father.
suffer me to read it privately, Sir john"
said the minorite, "before 1 swear to what this
page contains"
"Nay," quoth Mr.. To wnshend, "read it aloud
that we my hear"
"IfI were to do that in this public place be-
fore all these householders and strangers"
observed the old man calmly, IL should fear
lest those who heard me might think l
swearing to what read, and SO might go forth
and report thet they had heard me- take the
oaths before the Justices"
They will not think that" returned Sir
John, "bnt do as you please, SO as you swear
to them in the end"
Father Joachim then attentively perused the
oaths of supremacy and objura,on together
with the Declaration, placed before hiD. He
conned them over two or three times, to the
manifest impatience of the audience. On
passing to her seat near Lady Pakington Dora
had only slightly bowed IN answer to her
fathers nod of recognition. The latter profited
by this interval to step across and greet both
her hostess and herself, and briefly to inform
his daughter that her mother was anxiously
awaiting her return to Elmley. As he hastily
returned to his place, the Franciscan quietly
laid down the volume upon the table and said
e..
All eyes were fixed upon him, and before Sir
John coud ask him whether he was prepared
to swear to the oaths, he continued
am ready to swear as followeth: That l
ever all my lifetime have been, and now am,
and ever will be to my last breath, as faithful
subject to the King any subject whatso-
ever, as faithful as if should take the oaths
now offered by your worships to me, an hun
dred times over but as for taking these oaths
which you have offered me, l could not take
them, whatever may have to suffer, and the
reason is, because / understand what an oath |
is, and the conditions which God hath pre-.
scribed to each of us, before any one can law
fully call Us to witness in taking of any sucS
osths."
l do not understand you," quoth Sir John.
What conditions do you allude TOT"
The conditions which God has prescribed,
pursued the ninorite, are these: Thou shalt
swear as the Lord liveth in Truth, aud in judg-
ment and in righteousness, saith the Prophet
Jeremias; 80 that in every oath, the life of God
the Judgment of God and His righteousness
included; aud the oeths we take musT pos-
sess these conditions of truth, Judgment, and
righteousness. Therefore, if l should take
these oaths, which are concerning damnable
dootrin 90 and heresies must call God to witness
that no more believe Him to be q living aud
true God, a just and righteous God, than be-
lieve these things contained in the oaths to be
true, just, and righteous, which do not nor
cannot in my conscience believe to be So
For, before Cor any man else) can apprehepd
the contents of these osths to be true 80 as to
call God to witness that believe them to he
true, just, and righteous must be able to dis.
tipquish between what is of faith and what Is
heretical in their contents, and must fully
know the nature and extent in all cases of the
power which God hath left to temporal princes,
and must also understand the full extent in
| all of that species of spiritual power
which God hath left in His Church in or over
| the Christian Kingdoms of temporal monar chs,
| which power in the oaths am called upon to
acknowledge on the one hand ard forswear on
the other. confess, gentlemen, that have
neither the capacity nor knowledge requisite
| to set the confines to each power, nor to de-.
termine or define the extent given by God to
| all in this nature, to swear and csll Gou
| to witness that an sure of it ss that He is
living God, which must do if take tb ese
oaths-the extcpt of which do not understand
in my conscience so Ss to believe them. There
fore, gentlemen, 1 cannot and will not swear
to them"
Then, sirrah, you refuse to take the oatbs I"
said Sir John.
IL Idow replied the father.
"It is useless to proloDg this sitting" re-
turned the baronet. "You and /, Mr.. Towns
hend, may as we'll retire and make out the
mittimus upon this distinct refusal"
Thereupon the two Justices rose and Quilted
the hall, followed by the clerk. The accused
closed the book which lay before him, and
bending down his eyes remained perfectly i'm
Of ia