Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/192

REIGN OF ELIZABETH. 53- touch property, and the object was to make sure of the forfeitures. Lord Sussex still received ' hard constructions ' at the Court ; ' he was supposed to have connived at the Earls' escape, and to have neglected precautions which would have prevented them from reaching Scotland/ 1 The Queen therefore determined to make him the instru- ment of her severity, and he was directed to make a list of all the principal persons known to have been with the rebels, or to have assisted them with armour, food, or money. These persons he was immediately to arrest. If he was anywhere at a loss, he might take men on suspicion. He was to commit them ' to strait prison/ ' and as need should be ' ( pinch them with some lack of food and pain of imprisonment till they declared the names of as many as they could remem- ber.' This done, on a given night, and at the same hour, there could be a general seizure ; especial care being taken to apprehend ' all priests, constables, bailiffs, and others that had held any office.' 2 The fish thus netted were then to be sorted into two classes : ' of those who had no freeholds, copyholds, nor any substance of lands,' a sufficient number were to be selected, and to be immediately hanged by martial law in the parish green or market-place where the rebels had held their assem- blies : the servants of any principal insurgent were to suffer also, the scene of their execution being the neigh- 1 Cecil to Sadler, December 25. 2 Cecil added in a separate clause : ' Some notable example to be made of the priests that have of- fended in this rebellion.'