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As for yourself, dear father, you may travel in peace to this land; although no official protection can be offered you for obvious reasons, we will endeavor to ensure your safekeeping, and make sure your identity does not become known.
The king of England, the supreme governor of the Protestant Church of England, is, and has been since 1663, a professed Catholic, acknowledged in secret and taking the rites of the Catholic church. His chief minister, Mr. Be
And all along, Wallis had his obsessions, and Henry Ben-net listened, and encouraged him, so that not only did the story never emerge into the light of day, it would be more obscured than ever. I am sure (but have no proof) that it was Be
If I published this letter, or even delivered it in secret to someone like Dr. Wallis, the monarchy of this country would come to an end within a week, consumed by civil war, so great is the present public detestation of all things Roman. Wallis’s wrath at the humiliation he suffered would be so great he would whip up a campaign of such vitriol that the Protestants of England would soon be on the march, baying for the blood of another king. If I went to the king himself I could become a wealthy man, living in comfort for the rest of my days, for the value of this paper—or its continued obscurity—is beyond price.
I will not do so, for how paltry all this is to a man who has seen such marvels, and felt such grace, as I have seen and felt. I do believe and know that I have seen and heard and touched the incarnate God. Quietly, out of sight of mankind, divine forgiveness descends again, and we are so blind we do not even realize what inexhaustible patience and love is ours. Thus it happened, and has happened in every generation and will happen again in every generation to come, that a beggar, a cripple, a child, a madman, a criminal or a woman is born Lord of us all in entire obscurity, and is spurned and ignored and killed by us to expiate our sins. And I am commanded to tell no one, and I will keep that one commandment.
This is the truth, the one and only truth, manifest, complete and perfect. Beside it, what importance have the dogma of priests, the strength of kings, the rigor of scholars or the ingenuity of our men of science?
Mr. Ta
Dramatis Personae
John Aubrey, 1626–97—Antiquary and gossip, a man of great knowledge and few publications. Best known now for his “Brief Lives,” a set of character sketches of contemporaries. He was interested in all branches of learning, lived in constant financial difficulties and was a member of the Royal Society from 1663 onwards.
Henry Be
Sarah Blundy—Fictitious; the account of her trial and execution is based on that of A
Robert Boyle, 1627–91—The “Father of Chemistry,” fourteenth child of the fabulously wealthy Earl of Cork, discoverer of “Boyle’s Law,” describing the relationship between the elasticity and pressure of gases. In the Sceptical Chemist used the Word element in its modern sense tor the first time; speculated about the existence of atoms. Thought himself to be as much a theologian as a scientist, and was keenly interested in alchemy as well as modern chemistry.
George Digby, Earl of Bristol, 1622–77—Longtime supporter of Charles II who was denied office on the Restoration because of his Catholicism. Formerly a close friend of Clarendon, he spent the 1660s plotting against him, and in particular launched a badly pla
Charles II, 1630–85—Succeeded by the openly Catholic James II who was forced off the throne by the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Lived in exile in France, Spain and the Low Countries until the Restoration of 1660. Charles’s negotiations of 1663 to be received into the Catholic church were first published in the Monthly Review, 13 December 1903.
Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, 1609–74—Lord Chancellor and effective Prime minister after the Restoration of Charles II. Clarendon was the king’s most loyal supporter, having been with him throughout his exile. His position weakened when his daughter A
George Collop, d. 1682—Of Dorset, receiver-general for the Duke of Bedford from 1661 until his death, and overseer of the later phases of the drainage schemes which converted huge parts of Lincolnshire into farmland.
Sir William Compton, 1625–63—Royalist soldier and conspirator, knighted 1643. Described by Oliver Cromwell as “a sober young man and godly cavalier.” Imprisoned for plotting against the Commonwealth in 1655 and 1658, died London 1663 and buried at Compton Wynyates, Warwickshire.
John Crosse—Oxford apothecary, now mainly known to history as Robert Boyle’s landlord while in the city.
Valentine Greatorex (a.k.a. Greatrakes)—Irish faith healer, who came to England and used a technique of stroking to heal victims of scrofula and other ailments. Believed his ability to cure was a special gift from God. His success impressed Boyle and others, and he achieved some success among the English aristocracy. “A strange fellow, full of talk of devils and witches.” Subsequently resumed career in Ireland as Justice of the Peace and landowner.
Robert Grove, 1610–63—Fellow and “amateur astrologer” of New College, Oxford. “Mar 30, being Munday, Mr Robert Grove, senior fellow of New Coll., died. [He] was buried in the west cloister of that Coll.”—Anthony Wood, Life and Times, vol. I, p. 471.
Thomas Ken, 1637–1711—Bishop of Bath and Wells, lecturer in logic and mathematics New College, Oxford, 1661–63, then presented to living of Easton Parva by Lord May-nard, and built up a reputation for piety and charity. A noted preacher, he was made a bishop in 1684. Opposed James II’s Catholic policies, then also opposed his deposition, for which he was deprived of his see by William III after the revolution of 1688.