Francis

Esq Son of Sir Tho. Tresham Knight, (who died 11. Sept. 1605.) and he the Son of Sir John Tresham of Rushton in Northamptonshire, was born in that County, where his Family was ancient, gentile, and knightly, educated either in St. Johns coll. or Gloc. hall, or both; in which he laid the foundation of some learning, that he afterwards improved by experience. He hath written, as ’tis supposed,

A Treatise agaist Lying and fraudulent Equivocation.— MS. among those given by Dr. Laud Archb. of Canterbury to Bodlies Library. See more in George Blackwell under the year 1612. After the Gunpowder Treason was discovered, the said book was found by Sir Edw. Coke in a Chamber in the Inner Temple where Sir John Tresham used to lie, 5. Dec. 1605. The said Fr. Tresham wrote.

De Officio Principis Christiani. In which he maintains the lawfulness of deposing Kings, an obstinate Heretick having no right to Dominion. At length this person, who was a strict R. Catholick, being deeply ingaged in the Gunpowder-Treason, (as he had before been in that of Robert Earl of Essex, in 1600.) was taken and committed Prisoner to the Tower of London, where he died of the Stranguary say some, others, that he murthered himself; yet a venerable (*)(*) Godf. Goodman Bish of of Gloc in his Review of the Court of K. James by Sir A. W.—MS. in bib. Bo [•] . 75, 76. author tells us, that he being sick in the Tower, and Dr. Will. Butler the great Physician of Cambridge coming to visit him, as his fashion was, gave him a piece of very pure Gold to put in his mouth; and upon taking out of that Gold, Butler said he was poysoned. He died on the 20. of Nov. 1605 in sixteen hundred and five, aged 38. or thereabouts. Whereupon his head being cut off, and set with the rest of the heads of the Conspirators on London Bridge; his body, I suppose, was buried within the Precincts of the Chappel of St. Peter ad vincula within the Tower of London. Quere. This Francis Tresham was the person who (†)(†) Ibid. p. 73. wrote the Letter to the Lord Mount-Eagle, who lived then at Bednall green near Algate, who communicating it to the Secretary of State, and he to the King, the Plot for blowing up the Parliament House was thereupon discovered. See in Tho. Habington under the year 1647.