plead--that supple
musician's hand of his, once so skilful on the lute--so that Mr. Sherwin
had to lift it for him out of the furred cuff in which he had wrapped it,
kissing it tenderly as he did so, in reverence for its sufferings; and he
saw, too, the sleek face of Eliot, in his red yeoman's coat, as he stood
chatting at the back, like another Barabbas whom the people preferred to
the servant of the Crucified. And, above all, he heard Campion's stirring
defence, spoken in that same resonant sweet voice, though it broke now
and then through weakness, in spite of the unconquerable purpose and
cheerfulness that showed in his great brown eyes, and round his delicate
humorous mouth. It was indeed an astonishing combination of sincerity and
eloquence, and even humour, that was brought to bear on the jury, and all
in vain, during those days.

"If you want to dispute as though you were in the schools," cried one of
the court, when he found himself out of his depth, "you are only proving
yourself a fool."

"I pray God," said Campion, while his eyes twinkled, "I pray God make us
both sages." And, in spite of the tragedy of the day, a little hum of
laughter ran round the audience.

"If a sheep were stolen," he argued again, in answer to the presupposition
that since some Catholics were traitors, therefore these were--"and a
whole family called in question for the same, were it good manner of
proceeding for the accusers to say 'Your great grandfathers and fathers
and sisters and kinsfolk all loved mutton; _ergo_, you have stolen the
sheep'?"

Again, in answer to the charge that he and his companions had conspired
abroad, he said,

"As for the accusation that we plotted treason at Rheims, reflect, my
lords, how just this charge is! For see! First we never met there at all;
then, many of us have never been at Rheims at all; finally, we were never
in our lives all together, except at this hour and in prison."

Anthony heard, too, Campion expose the attempt that was made to shift the
charge from religion to treason.

"There was offer made to us," he cried indignantly, "that if we would
come to the church to hear sermons and the word preached, we should be
set at large and at liberty; so Pascall and Nicholls"--(two apostates)
"otherwise as culpable in all offences as we, upon coming to church were
received to grace and had their pardon granted; whereas, if they had been
so happy as to have persevered to the end, they had been