The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1901-07-26

to give ear to '.The humble petition Of
Titus Oates, D. d.
Your petitioner so ran this dolefrl
document, twas upon the evidence Of
those very witnesses who had confronted
him in three former trials and were dis
havior of the Chief Justice Jeffreys, in
browbeating his witnesses and mislead-
ing the jurors, convicted of pretended
perjuries and received this inhuman and
unparalleled sentence follow ng: To pay
TWO thousand marks to the King; to be
Invested o. his canonical habit; to be
brought into Westminster hall with a
ton: Titus Oates, convicted upon full
evidence Of two horrid perjuries; to stand
in and upon the pillory two several days
for the space Of an hour; to be whipped
by the common hangman from Aldeate to
Newgate, on Wednesday, and to be
whipped again on Friday following from:
Newgate to Tyburn; to stand in and upon
life and to remain prisoner during his
life'
(which sentence being intended, as
your petitioner hath just reason to be-
leye. to murder him, was accordingly
executed with all the circumstances Of
barbarity. Neither did their cruelty cease
here. but because your petitioner, by
Gods mercy miraculously supporting
him land the extraordinary skill of a
judicious surgeon), outlived that bloody
usage, some Of them afterwards got into
your petitioners chamber, whilst he was
weak in his bed. and attempted to pull
off the plasters applied to cure his back,
and threatened to destroy him."
Oates wanted Parliament to grant him
relief. and bill reversing his sentence
was passed by the Commons, but was
amended by the Lords, proceeding
which resulted, on July 20, 1889, in a
memorable conference between the two
houses. which was abruptly terminated
by the adjournment of Parliament. The
only favor Oates could obtain from the
Parliament was a resolution recommend
ing his case to the favorable considera-
ton of the King. William III. after
wards took Oates under his protection.
and granted him pension, proceeding
which Bishop Kenneth says ''occasioned
various retexions.'
Full of Mummery.
Naturally there were some whom blind
prejudice did not prevent from detecting
the many absurdities in Oates nara
tive. The very extravaganza Of many
| of his statements was such as to inspire
suspicion in the minds Of those who were
not carried away by the hue and cry.
James Pickering. who was lay brother
and lived with the Jesuits at Somerset
house. was to have thirty thousand
masses said ''for the health of his SOUL
| in the event Of his being hanged, as a
result of an attempt to shoot the King,
while he walked in St. James park. The
Jesuits We're charged with having set the
great London fire Of 1866, in which in
cendiary work, Oates said, ''they spent
seven hundred fire balls.' Conyers, one
Of the Benedictine monks mentioned as
being concerned in the plot. was accused
Of meditating regicide, because he had,
while in convent in Savoy, made a
wager OF one hundred pounds that his
majesty would eat no more Christmas
pies. incorporated in Oates first affida-
Wit was a list Of Catholic clergymen
! whom the Pope was alleged to have fixed
upon for the various bishoprics Of Eng
land: also list of men commissioned to
offices Of the papal army. in which Lord
Baltimore. at whose lodgings FIVE hun
dred cases of pistols were said to have
| been hidden. figured as colonel of horse.
Other parts of the narrative We're pure
mummery. such as that Forty eight
would not last long in England. for it
was high time to hinder Forty-nine from
being effected; that Barley-broth trade
should grow dead, and twelve would be
cut off: that Mum and Chocolate should
| be put down and the order Of Magpies
should be turned into their primitive in
E.! sttution and habit
This passage Oates explained by say
ing that Forty-nile was an expression
used by the Jesuits to indicate the tax
ing off of the King, signifying that he
should not be permitted to attain the age
Of ~ years; by barley-broth they referred
to the House of Commons. the members
Of which were to be turned out, to sit in
Parliament no more: by Mum and Choc-
olate were meant the Protestant peers,
and by the order Of Magpies the bishops.
whose parliamentary habit of black and
white was to be discarded for the purple
vestment of Rome.