Page:A history of the gunpowder plot-The conspiracy and its agents (1904).djvu/169

Rh above a hundred men, armed with guns and all kinds of weapons, more fit for an army than an orderly search.' He came, acting under the direct instructions of Salisbury, but it is a disputed point whether he expected to find Garnet concealed in the house. That he fully expected to find Oldcorne is an established fact, but I rather incline, to the idea that the other, and more important quarry, for whom he had come in search, was Greenway, and not Garnet. Hendlip, standing on high ground, afforded good opportunities for those on the watch, to observe the approach of an enemy, so that by the time Bromley battered at the door, all four Jesuits had been hidden away: Fathers Garnet and Oldcorne together in one 'hole,' Brothers Chambers and Owen together in another. Mr. Abington was not at home when Bromley arrived, but his wife gave over to Bromley all the keys of her mysterious house, Mr. Abington not returning till the following night.

Under Bromley's supervision, the most rigorous and drastic inspection was made of the house. 'He began,' writes Gerard, 'after the accustomed manner to go through all the rooms of the house, which were many and very large; he had with him Argus' eyes, many watchful and subtle companions, that would spy out the least advantage or cause of suspicion; and yet they searched and