The priest was as white as
death, with the excitement, it seemed, of having to tell such a tale.
His host beside him seemed downcast and quiet, but perfectly composed.
Mrs. Manners had her eyes closed; Anthony Babington was frowning to
himself with tight lips; Marjorie he could not see.
With a great effort the reader resumed:
"'When he was laid on the hurdle he refused to ask pardon of the Queen's
Grace; for, said he, I have never yet offended her. I was beside him,
and heard it. And he added, when those who stood near stormed at him,
that it was better to be hanged than to burn in hell-fire.
"'There was a great concourse of people at Tyburn, but kept back by the
officers so that they could not come at him. When he was in the cart,
first he commended his spirit into God's Hands, saying _In manus tuas_,
etc.; then he besought all Catholics that were present to pray for him;
I saw a good many who signed themselves in the crowd; and then he said
some prayers in Latin; with the psalms _Miserere_ and _De Profundis_.
And then he addressed himself to the people, telling them he died for
his religion, which was the Catholic Roman one, and prayed, and desired
them to pray, that God would bring all Englishmen into it. The crowd
cried out at that, exclaiming against this _Catholic Romish Faith_; and
so he said what he had to say, over again. Then, before the cart was
drawn away from him to leave him to hang, he asked pardon of all them he
had offended, and even of the Queen, if he had indeed offended her.
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