ALMIGHTY and ever-living God, who gavest thy servant Edmund Campion courage to witness to the Gospel of Christ even to the point of giving his life for it: grant that, by his prayers, we may endure all suffering for love of thee, and may seek thee with all our hearts, for thou alone art the source of life; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
A reading from the Acts of Martyrdom of St Edmund
Campion
He said that his commission was to preach the
gospel of Christ Jesus freely and without all earthly interest, to administer
the sacraments of the Catholic Church, to instruct the unlearned in the true
ancient religion, to exhort the wicked from their sinful ways, to convince
errors and heresies, to strengthen and confirm the good, and in one word to
sound the sacred trumpet of spiritual and ghostly war against the tyranny of
foul vice and proud ignorance wherewith a number of his dear countrymen were
oppressed. [. . .]
Considering that this only was his end and cause
of his coming, he desireth most humbly of their honours that they would
vouchsafe for better informing themselves to hear him treat and dispute with
all modesty of these important points in their presence as also in the presence
of the learned Divines and lawyers of the land for that he did not doubt by the
help and assistance of Almighty God that he should be able to show by all
authority both of holy Scriptures, General Councils, holy Fathers,
Ecclesiastical Histories and ancient laws which unto this day were in force
within the land that the old Catholic faith of our forefathers was the only
true faith and religion and all novelties raised up since Was nothing else but
falsehood and vanity.
He desired their honours most humbly to pardon
this earnest offer of trial and disputation for that it proceeded not of any
confidence of his own ability which was the least of thousands of his brethren
in the Catholic Church, and much less of arrogancy Of of vain worldly glory
which he so much contemned as he had utterly renounced the world and was ready
to cast himself at the feet of any for the service of his Master Jesus, whose
only glory was that which had moved him to this enterprise, and the hope of his
assistance gave him courage and confidence in the same, together with the known
weakness and ignorance of the teachers of heresies, who the better they should
come prepared to this trial the more glad he would be, for he the truth
should better appear. [. . .]
Turning his speech to the Councilors themselves,
he besought them as men of great wisdom and experience in worldly affairs to
consider deeply this matter that so much concerned their souls and the
salvation of infinite others that depended of them, that they should ponder the
weak foundations which their new religion was grounded on, and why they had
left the holy and honourable course of all their ancestors, kings, princes, and
councilors of this realm since it was first converted to the Christian faith;
that they should weigh with what love, zeal, and piety men of their own nation
came hence from beyond the seas to teach and maintain this faith not respecting
the danger of persecution and death but holding up their hands daily to God for
their good and salvation and that it is impossible by temporal torments to
extinguish this zealous offspring which every day increased and would by God's
help continue to the end and that his Order of religious had fully purposed by
the help of Jesus Christ to prosecute this most heavenly enterprise of doing
good to England so long as they should have subjects to employ in the same
which no doubt would never cease, and that the account of this was already made
seeing the fine thereof was but paying of blood which would always be ready if
the Queen and Council continued their persecution,
Lastly, he concluded, touching his own person,
that if all these protestations, offers, and reasons would not serve to procure
him grace nor grateful audience with them, then would he turn himself only to
Almighty God that knew his thoughts and desires and would beseech him to take
his cause and labours in protection and would extend his mercy to their honours
until the last universal and great accounting day at what time they should well
perceive with what integrity of mind and perfect love towards them, his prince,
and country he had spoken then, and then there should be no memory of hatred
nor suspicion of enmity between them.
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