Treason > Guy Fawkes, or The history of the gunpowder plot

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J'ederatos, according to a previous agreement, as¬
sembled in the house about the 11th of Decem¬
ber, and a mine was immediately commenced.
The stone wall, however, which separated them
from the Parliament House, being found three
yards in thickness, Keyes and the younger
brother of John Wright (who was enlisted as the
others had been) were called in to assist, and
the seven men were thus occupied until Christ-
mas-eve without their ever appearing in the
upper part of the house. ‘ All which seven,’
says Fawkes in his examination, ‘ were gentle¬
men of name and blood ; and not any was em¬
ployed in or about this action, no, not so much
as in digging and mining, that was not a gen¬
tleman. And while the others wrought, I stood
as sentinel to descry any man that came near; E
and when any person came near the place, up- |
on warning given by me, they ceased until they
had again notice from me to proceed ; and we
seven lay in the house, and had shot and pow¬
der, and we all resolved to die in that place be¬
fore we yielded or were taken.’
During their laborious employment, they had
much consultation respecting the scheme to be
adopted. It was supposed that Prince Henry
would accompany the King to the Parliament
House, and perish there with his father. The
Duke of York, afterwards Charles I., would then
be the next heir, and Percy undertook to secure
his person, and carry him off in safety as soon as
the fatal blow was struck. If this scheme should
fail, the Princess Elizabeth, who was under the
care of Lord Harrington at his house near Co¬
ventry, might be easily surprised and secured by
a party provided in the country. It was the in-