ABSTRACT
The Anglo-Scottish 'Brittons' might appear united according to King James's proclamation calling for the 'blessed Union' of 'England and Scotland, under one Imperiall Crowne', but this fragile, incomplete construct seems shattered by an act of Catholic terrorism. In his 1610 polemic, Popish Pietie, Francis Herring voices the concerns of a Protestant establishment coming under attack from foreign Catholic powers. For Herring, a London physician and avowed Protestant, Guy Fawkes simultaneously personifies Satan, Catholic priest and disguised infiltrator, all of whom are capable of stirring susceptible 'male-contents' into bloody 'powder-treason'. The Catholic implication of Fleer's presence in a barely disuuised London only adds to the potential danger of Sharpham's disguised ruler plot. Administered by a Catholic priest, Catholic Sacrament ensured his compatriots' absolute commitment to their treacherous Plot. Whether Catholic disguised ruler, Jesuit priest, Guy Fawkes traitor or impecunious courtier, all threaten the security of a nation made painfully aware of the mortality of their ruling elite.
