york00orns

SEVERE TREATMENT OF ROMANISTS. 357
Cardinal Allen distinctly denies that any questions as
to depriving or excommunicating princes formed a
part of the syllabus of instruction at Douay, " no, not
so much as in generalities, and much less the particularising
of any point in our queen's case."^ It is
observable also that all the unfortunate sufferers, of
whose words at the supreme moment of their existence
any record remains, protested their loyalty to the
queen's person. Whatever view we may take of the
religion they professed, it
degree to suppose that they all
were ungenerous to the last
died with a lie in their
mouths.
The statute of 1581 was soon acted upon. The
first who suffered was Cuthbert Maine. From the
catalogue contained in Chaloner's " Memoirs of Missionary
Priests, &c.," it appears that 188 altogether
were put to death in Elizabeth's reign. Of these, 41
were executed at York. It is a large proportion to be
furnished by one county, wide though its area is. Of
these, 26 were in holy orders, the remaining 15 being
lay persons, one of whom was a female. This disproves
the statement made by some writers that none
except priests were executed in Elizabeth's reign.
Ciiving shelter and sustenance to priests, as they went
to and fro to minister the rites of religion to the
scattered members of their Church, was usually the
sole offence of which these lay persons could be
proved guilty. The only privilege they had was that
they were simply hanged. Their offence was only
felony. They had not to endure the ghastly and
'
See Card. Allen's " Answer to the Libel of English
Justice," p. 64.