in England. For, notwithstanding the horror of the fact, the guilt of his conscience, his sudden surprizing, the terror which should have been struck in him, by coming into the presence of so grave a Council, and the restless and confused questions, that every man all that day did vex him with; yet was his countenance so far from being dejected, as he often smiled in scornful manner, not only avowing the fact, but repenting only with the said Scaevola, his failing in the execution thereof, whereof he said the devil, and not God, was the discoverer; answering quickly to every man's objection, scoffing at any idle questions which were propounded unto him, and jesting with such as he thought had no authority to examine him. All that day could the Council get nothing out of him, touching his accomplices, refusing to answer to any such questions which he thought might discover the plot, and laying all the blame upon himself; whereunto, he said, he was moved, only for religion and conscience' sake, denying the King to be his lawful sovereign, or the Annointed of God, in respect he was an heretic, and giving himself no other name than John Johnson, servant to Thomas Percy. But the next morning being carried to the Tower, he did not there remain above two or three days, being twice or thrice, in that space, reexamined, and the rack only offered and shewed unto him,[1] when the mark of his Roman fortitude did visibly begin to wear and slide off his face; and then
- ↑ This cannot be accepted as correct. By it, we are asked to believe that Faukes began to confess before being actually tortured, whereas we know that he refused to utter a word until constrained by the pain of the punishments of the torture-chamber.
