There is another name for this day; it is sometimes called Gunpowder
Plot Day, and that name informs us how it happened that the 5th November
became famous in English history. That was the day upon which a few
Catholic gentlemen, over-zealous for their religion, determined to
destroy King James I., and the Houses of Lords and Commons, by means of
gunpowder. It was a gentleman named Catesby who conceived this murderous
plot, and he was joined by several other conspirators. The most famous
of these, although he can scarcely be regarded as the most guilty, was a
gentleman called Guy Fawkes who had fought bravely with the Spanish army
in Flanders. He was brought over to England in order to carry out the
plot, and like all the other conspirators he took a vow of secrecy.
In itself the plot was very simple. The conspirators hired a house near
to the building where Parliament met, and their intention was to dig an
underground passage-way between the two buildings, and to prepare under
Parliament House a large mine charged with gunpowder. They found
difficulties, however, in carrying out this scheme, chief of these being
the thickness of the wall through which they had to pierce. Eventually,
the digging of this underground passage-way was abandoned, because the
conspirators found that they could hire a cellar right under the House
of Lords. This would be far more convenient, they thought; so they hired
it from a coal-dealer, and put thirty-six barrels of gunpowder into it.
The barrels were carefully covered with faggots, and in the month of
May, 1605, all was ready to blow the King and his Parliament into the
air.
But Parliament did not meet until the 5th November, and by that time the
secret had leaked out. There have been great differences of opinion
regarding the manner in which the plot was revealed. It appears,
however, that a mysterious letter was sent by Mr. Francis Tresham, one
of the conspirators, to his brother-in-law Lord Monteagle, warning him
regarding the coming disaster. This letter is said to have led to a
search in the cellars under Parliament House, but it is quite probable
that the plot was revealed in a more direct manner. In any case, the
gunpowder was discovered in the cellar, and beside it was Guy Fawkes. He
was arrested on the early morning of the 5th November by a Westminster
magistrate and a party of soldiers. When the other conspirators heard
that the plot had failed they fled into the country, but the most of
them were captured, tried for high treason along with Guy Fawkes, and
with him were hanged as traitors in St. Paul's Churchyard.
For many years after this plot was discovered the 5th day of November
was kept as a national holiday, and the people expressed their
patriotism and their Protestantism in huge bonfires, with shoutings and
the ringing of bells. Also, it was regarded as the proper thing on this
day to parade a scarecrow effigy of Guy Fawkes, which was finally burned
as a warning to traitors. Now the day is only remembered by boys who are
bent upon a frolic, for this old rhyme has lost much of its
significance:
Remember, remember!
The fifth of November,
The Gunpowder treason and plot;
There is no reason
Why the Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!