So they did every way conclude that their estate was desperate; they could die but once, and their religion was more precious unto them than their lives.

They did further consider their misery; how they were debarred in any course of life to help themselves.
They could not practise law,--they could not be citizens,--they could have no office; they could not breed up their sons--none did desire to match with them; they had neither fit marriages for their daughters, nor nunneries to put them into; for those few which are beyond seas are not considerable in respect of the number of recusants, and none can be admitted into them without great sums of money, which they, being exhausted, could not supply.

The Spiritual Court did not cease to molest them, to excommunicate them, then to imprison them; and thereby they were utterly disenabled to sue for their own." Such is a faithful picture of the state of the Catholic party at the commencement of the reign of James the First.
Pressed down by these intolerable grievances, is it to be wondered at that the Papists should repine,--or that some among their number, when all other means failed, should seek redress by darker measures?
By a statute of Elizabeth, all who refused to conform to the established religion were subjected to a fine of twenty pounds a lunar month; and this heavy penalty, remitted, or rather suspended, on the accession of the new sovereign, was again exacted, and all arrears claimed.

Added to this, James, whose court was thronged by a host of needy Scottish retainers, assigned to them a certain number of wealthy recusants, and empowered them to levy the fines--a privilege of which they were not slow to avail themselves.

There were other pains and penalties provided for by the same statute, which were rigorously inflicted.