Maurus Scott
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (November 2022) |
Maurus Scott (c. 1579 – 30 May 1612), born William Scott, was an English lawyer who became a
Early life and conversion
Scott was born in
It was at this time that he began to seriously consider his religious faith. He had been firmly of the position that Catholicism and its claims were both false and treasonable, however, while visiting a Catholic friend, he began casually flicking through a book of theology and was struck by the force of an argument he read there. This caused him to enter into a period of intensive study and prayer, and it was only after two years of intellectual and spiritual struggle that he finally decided to be received into the Catholic Church.
Entry into Benedictine life
A notable catalyst in the process of Scott's conversion was the
As a Benedictine
Witness to the martyrdom of John Roberts
Immediately after arriving in England, he was to discover that John Roberts, who had had such a profound influence upon him, had been arrested for serving as a priest. He was able to join Roberts for his last meal the night before he was put to death. The next day Scott watched as John Roberts was
After the execution, wishing to preserve Roberts' body as a relic, Scott watched to see where it was thrown. The limbs had been thrown into a large trench, and upon them were heaped the bodies of 16 criminals executed at the same time. Nonetheless, two days later Scott was part of a group which successfully recovered the body parts from the trench, although one quarter was lost when the party was disturbed by watchmen, and Scott was subsequently arrested. Following this, he was imprisoned for a year, until in December 1611 the ambassador for Savoy negotiated the release of imprisoned Catholic priests. Scott was banished from the country and went back to Douai. Nonetheless, he was extremely keen to return to England. Around the Easter week of 1612 he was arrested on a boat on the River Thames before he was even able to set foot in London.
Arrest, trial and martyrdom
After his arrest, he was examined by
Scott was tried on the 28 May 1612 at the Old Bailey. Again, his legal training was in evidence, as he skillfully avoided the questioning of those accusing him of being a priest, and insisted that it was the business of the prosecutor to bring evidence against him, not for him to convict himself. He entered a plea of not guilty. Only after the jury had found him guilty did he fall to his knees, crying out Deo Gratias, and admitted to his being a priest. He then addressed the people in the court, explaining that the only reason that he had not yet confessed himself as a priest was to see if the law would take its course, or whether he would be condemned on presumption of guilt without any proof.
On the morning of May 30 he was to be executed with Richard Newport, another Catholic priest. He appeared wearing his Benedictine
Beatification
Scott was one of a number of English martyrs
References
- ^ "Scott, William (SCT593W)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
Sources
- Camm, Bede (1931) Nine Martyr Monks, pp. 180–237.
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