Fawkes alone, with the extraordinary courage which he had diaplayed throughout the transaction, took up his station in the cellar. Thus they passed three days of anxiety aud suspense. On Monday the chamberlain, with Lord Mouuteagle, commenced the search, which appears to have been somewhat strangely delayed. Their suspicions were excited both at finding that Percy was the occupier of a house of which he was known to make no use, and at the unaccountably large store of fuel which filled the cellars, and by the side of which a tall dark suspicious-looking man (Fawkes) was standing. They there fore gave orders to Sir Thomas Knevet, a magistrate in Westminster, to search the houses, the cellars, and the whole neighbourhood. The search was commenced, and about twelve o'clock on the night of the 4th, Fawkes was seized as ho came out of the cellar : matchea and touchwood were found upon his person, a dark lantern with a lighted candle stood behind the cellar door, and under the faggots thirty-six casks of gunpowder. Fawkes at once avowed his purpose to the magistrate, and declared that "if he had happened to be within the Louse when he took him, he would not have failed to have blown him up, house and all." Hia courage and composure were not disturbed when he was examined before the king and council. He gave hia name as John Johnson, the servant of Thomas Percy, declared his intention to blow up the king, lords, and bishop; and others who should have assembled at the opening of the parliament, refused to accuse any one as his accomplice, and upon being asked by the king how ho could enter upon so bloody a conspiracy against ao many innocent persons, declared that "Dangerous diseasea require a desperate remedy." After having received the news of the apprehension of Fawkes, it was agreed by tho conspirators, who had assembled at Ashby Ledgers, to take up arms with the few followera they could collect, and to endeavour to excite to rebellion the Roman Catholics in the counties of Warwick, Worcester, and Stafford, together with those of Wales.
This scheme was immediately adopted; arms and horses were aeized upon, and different parties despatched over the country. But all their
efforts were in vain and the failure of the project ao complete, that their proceedings served no other purpose than to point them ont as members of the confederacy. A party of the king'a troops pursued some of the conspirators to Holbeach, ausl here an obstinate defence was made, in which the two Wrights, Percy, and Catesby were killed, and Rookwood and Thomas Winter wounded. The others were eventually taken. Tresham died a natural death in prison, and on the 27th of January 1606, eight persons namely, Robert Winter, Thomas Winter, Guy Fawkea, John Grant, persona, itookwood, Robert Keyes, and Thomas Bates, were tried at Westminater by a special commission, for being concerned in the powder-plot. Sir Everard Digby was arraigned and tried separately for the same crime. Upon the trials no witness was orally examined : the evidence consisted of the written declarations of Digby's servant and of the prisoners them selves. There is reason to believe that Fawkes was tortured iu order to make him confess more fully. All the prisoners were found guilty, and upon all the sentence of death was pasaed. Cara waa taken to render their execution, which took place on the following Thursday and Friday, as solemn and impressive al possible.
Of the implication of the Jeauits in this conspiracy we Anil speak in the article GARNET.
The atrocity of the design and the extent of the mischief con.
templated form the principal features of the gunpowder-plot. It is Ilse remarkable for having been imagined and contrived, not by needy and low-born adventurers, but by gentlemen of good family end for the most part ample fortuue. Its affect continued long to be felt ; for it not only determined the feeble and wavering mind of the king against the Roman Catholics, but prejudiced the whole nation against them to such an extent, that not only were the severe seta then in force against them left uurepealed, but others equally harsh were enacted.
(Abridged and extracted from Criminal Trials, vol. ii.)