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of so slight an offence, was hunted down, while traitors far c ™ p -more criminal and far more eminent were allowed to ransom “16857“themselves by giving evidence against him, seemed to requireexplanation; and a disgraceful explanation was found. WhenOates, after his scourging, was carried into Newgate insen-sible, and, as all thought, in the last agony, he had been bledand his wounds had been dressed by Bateman. This was anoffence not to be forgiven. Bateman was arrested and in-dicted. The witnesses against him were men of infamouscharacter, men, too, who were swearing for their own lives.

None of them had yet got his pardon; and it was a popularsaying, that they fished for prey, like tame cormorants, withropes round their necks. The prisoner, stupifiedby illness,was unable to articulate or to understand what passed. Hisson and daughter stood by him at the bar. They read aswell as they could some notes which he had set down, andexamined his witnesses. It was to little purpose. He wasconvicted, hanged, and quartered.*

Never, not even under the tyranny of Laud, had the con-dition of the Puritans been so deplorable as at that time, [j, 0 ”Never had spies been so actively employed in detecting con- JJ. s s lontgregations. Never had magistrates, grand jurors, rectors senters.and churchwardens been so much on the alert. Many Dissen-ters were cited before the ecclesiastical courts. Others foundit necessary to purchase the connivance of the agents of thegovernment by presents of hogsheads of wine, and of glovesstuffed with guineas. It was impossible for the separatists topray together without precautions such as are employed bycoiners and receivers of stolen goods. The places of meetingwere frequently changed. Worship was performed sometimesjust before break of day and sometimes at dead of night.

* Bateman’s Trial in the Collection of State Trials; Sir JohnHawles’s Remarks. It is worth while to compare Thomas Lee’s evidenceon this occasion with his confession previously published hy authority.

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