Poor Robin’s Almanac 1695 records: 
“Let Papists now with bluishing cheks remember, 
What they were practicing this month November, 
When as by powder they did vaunt and vapour, 
To make king, prince and lords i’th’ air to caper 

Nicholas Asherton from Lancashire notes on Nov. 5, 1617 
“Gunpowder treason, twelve years since, should have been’ but God’s mercy and goodness delivered us from the snare of devilish invention. To church; parson preached; dined parsonage.” 
-F.R. Raine (ed.) The Journal of Nicholas Assheton. (Chetham Society, 1848) 

Gunpowder in the 16th and 17th century was a mysterious high-tech substance. The only parallel in modern times is perhaps atomic power. Gunpowder had long been used with magic and was just beginning to be used in modern cannon and firearms. The use of Gunpowder by the plotters was regarded as a bold and devilish act.  The involvement of gunpowder raised the plot itself to the level of the supernatiural. Here we have provided quotations from writings of the time which illustrate contemporary perceptions of gunpowder.
 

Thomas Campion (1567 - 1620)  From : De Pulverea Coniuratione (c.1605-1615)
There is an ancient hall,  father, reserved for their highest councils, where King and Peers have agreed to convene on an appointed day, together with a portion of the better sort of commoners. As soon as these chambers are full, destroy them with a single blast. Gunpowder is at your disposal, and buried fire; this is our invention, created for such purposes."  This advice pleased the Devil, and with cypress he crowned the shaven pate of its author; both were cheered by the omen.- Campion, De Pulverea Coniuratione., "Book One"

My plan is to do away with the King himself, and his offspring, together with Parliament and Lords, in a single blast of black powder." All quaked at his
announcement, the blood deserted the speaker's face, and, despite themselves, a shared horror enforced a sober and protracted silence. As when a song has begun, reducing varied voices to a concord, and one discordant voice happens to disrupt the others with its harsh bleat, so all the others fall silent as its harshness is shunned,  in no other wise they fell silent, when they heard the word gunpowder, that destroys all with its horrible confusion.-Campion, De Pulverea Coniuratione., "Book One"

Wright clearly approved these statements and heaped the speaker with praise, eager to express his wonder at the gunpowder device: nothing could more assuredly throw all into confusion in a trice, or offer better opportunity for revolution, or renew the hope of restoring their languishing faith's ancient honor for the benefit of the exhausted British. Thus they cloaked these impious monstrosities under the guise of a pious mind. "Hasten where you are going," said Winter, "be it fair or foul, if this is your decision I am unshrinking, I shall go wherever our common destiny might carry us. Now let all piety leave the heart in me, and in all of us: may that man die who stands in the way of our action's success--Campion, De Pulverea Coniuratione., "Book One- "

And so, exhausted by their effort, as men used to visit Delphi's temples, they went to the chambers of a King filled with greater divine inspiration, such as haughty Greece used to claim for Phoebus. They produced the writing and begged the assistance and illumination of his superior wit, this cloud removed. The King took the missive and pondered on it, scanning it thrice or four times with his keenness of eye and happy intellect. The missive advised that the Lord keep absent from Parliament in the morning, for that day would be unhappy for those present, who would be visited by a terrible stroke, unsuspecting, though there was no appearance of any disturbances. And, just as flammable gunpowder, when prepared by the right method, readily takes the fire when it is applied, so the King, having weighed these words in due order, understood this powdery deception in a terrible stroke of
revelation. Everyone justly applauded him, and next they quickly dashed out, so that Parliament's precincts might be carefully searched, to find what contrivance might be visible, or what cause for alarm might lie hidden. And Knyvett,  a well-known knight, was put in charge of the task itself; its pretext was a search for some garments taken from the Queen by theft, and the stolen tapestries of the King. --Campion, De Pulverea Coniuratione., "Book One"

Stationing guards at the chamber, they straightway led the bound monster to the sacred palace, cursing him as they went, as happens when men drag a bear through the streets as faithful dogs yap and a large crowd tags along.  At Court sleepless Lords awaited to discover what tidings a messenger would bring concerning the gunpowder, and when Knyvett disclosed the news they were amazed; nor, though it was late at night, could they restrain themselves from sharing their joy with the scepter-wielding prophet-king, like waking visions seen in sleep. The Lord Chamberlain, the scion of a Duke, Lord Suffolk,  led the way, a man who loved his nation and sovereign as no other, and, impatient of delay, he shouted at his master, though he was scarce fully awake. "The entire plot stands revealed, as does a great ineffable crime. The places in Parliament about which we have been suspicious are packed with gunpowder. The watch has in hand the author of this great stratagem. O glory of kings, o thrice-great seer, you alone have preserved yourself for your people, your people for
yourself, as well as three kingdoms, your forecasts never disappoint us. Thanks to you and your godhead, you, your divine wife, your royal offspring, and we too live and breathe. To you is owed the civic laurel, to your head is owed a brilliant crown of genuine stars."--Campion, De Pulverea Coniuratione., "Book Two- "

 For if it had turned out well, if the powder had done its work and Parliament had gone a-flying, wholly destroyed by Roman gunpowder along with its
King, how much glory would have been won? What fame would have quite rightly shone for me and for mine? How much our wonderful order would have filled the world with all sorts of fear! But Glory begrudged us things, and cheated with bile my sons, whom Hope had fed on nectar. So farewell to both goddesses, let a new hope inspire your minds, a new glory happily with follow. Turn your minds to arms, and let treachery not absent itself from them: first, broadcast idle rumors, frighten Papists with fear of a coming massacre;   feign that extermination awaits them, that the business is being managed in secret but that a sudden violent stroke is readied and impends, unless they are the first to resort to violence.-Campion, De Pulverea Coniuratione., "Book Two- "

THE FOURTH EPIGRAM 

 Rome tries to cure so-called heretics with a powder neither holy nor Catholic, though she claims to dominate Catholics and holy alike, albeit with the Satanic powder of a monk.--Campion, De Pulverea Coniuratione.

There is a new priestly order which usurps the name of Jesus for its own use; Ignatius was its founder, whence in happier years they were called Ignatians , but nowadays Ignitians,  since they have justly taken their title from ignitable powder. The golden Tagus spawned this Hydra, comely enough in appearance, and fair at first glance, but in truth if you cast a closer eye on it, that infamous swamp at Lerna,  foul with its toxins, never bore anything more disgraceful and horrid, nor did the waters of Avernus in Greekish legend. In their bellies such monsters hide schemes, arson, murder, daggers, poisons, riots, and unjust wars, nor does this one region confine these serpents as they all flit about on swift wings, causing unforeseen destruction and unanticipated ruin.-Campion, De Pulverea Coniuratione. Book I.

They girded themselves for the job, and by night stealthily brought picks and mattocks through the dark streets, wood for tunneling and props for walls. Against the horrible moment they filled casks with the great force of that powder which holds within itself flame and noise. Next they provided for themselves with concealed food and wine. Nor, when they had entered, could they exit again, lest a sign of their frequent and novel assembly render them suspect. Fawkes himself procured what was needful, for he was unknown, operating under an alias,  and his station had changed: he was thought to be your servant, Percy, and adroitly feigned to be such.--Campion, De Pulverea Coniuratione. Book I.

Once upon a time we were vexed enough by conspiracies and warfare, and now by fire set beneath us: what else are we to expect? Our hidden enemies, I shudder to say, aspired to explode our kingdom's hope and glory in a single blast, scattering them through the blood-red air; they did not know how to spare a peaceable King or even, in the last analysis, how to refrain from harming their own kind. They have put beneath this House heavy casksful of powder meant to flash into lightning bolts for our destruction, and with much scrap iron mixed in they make up their volcanic subterfuges so that the blow might
strike us unawares the surer, with greater loss of life, thus destroying the limbs along with the sacred head. Alas, in what darkness would poor Britain have lamented, bereft of her sun, moon, and lesser stars, with her sovereign lord and his starlike children removed?  Who would have illuminated her churches? Who would have employed his skill to emend her rough-grown fields, imposed peace on her armaments? In her courts who would have settled suits by fatherly lawgiving? And, lastly, whose care would have guarded against foreign insults? What power could restrain the frenzy of this victorious crime, as it assaulted us internally? What solace could then have eased the grieving of mothers and wives, if in a trice such a great and unexpected slaughter had befallen the British, wholly at peace, with all orders of society thrown into confusion by a single bolt of lightning? Thus your madness rages, Rome, the fearful sons of Ignatius, a half-breed offspring with plenty of Devil in their blood.-Campion, De Pulverea Coniuratione. Book 2.

They loaded their thundering muskets for a fight, drying their damp powder by a handy fireplace. But when a servant poked at the slow-burning fire, behold, the Fury (unseen to all) guided the shivering fellow's hand and dropped some embers in among the black grains. These quickly took fire and, like a thunderbolt, the house exploded, a hole blown through the roof, begriming their half-burnt faces and throwing everything into confusion with pitch-black night. But as soon as the fumes cleared and the nurturing daylight returned, and they could make out each
others' fearsome faces, "It was these," cried out Winter, "these faces that I saw in my sleep, alas, these are the all too true signs of divine wrath! Alas, how well this explosion suits our endeavors." They raised their hands and monstrous faces to heaven,  praying pardon and mercy for their horrendous enterprise, but the Fury quickly turned aside their piety, wafting through the air a thousand imaginary drumbeats to their ears. The gang leapt to arms and dashed out the open doorways, scarcely out of any hope for victory, but eager to gain an honorable death. Walsh fought back with his untrained militia. At their initial onrush, Percy and Catesby were the first to die, struck by the selfsame shot, and next both Wrights shed their crimson blood. But Grant, Rookwood, and both the Winters were arrested and led off by their foe, along with Bates and Keyes, not to meet a very different fate: for soon they all paid the price with richly deserved bloodshed. -Campion De Pulverea Coniuratione. Book 2.

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Cum simul in regem nuper satrapasque Britannos 
Ausus es infandum perfide Fauxe nefas, 
Fallor? an & mitis voluisti ex parte videri, 
Et pensare malâ cum pietate scelus; 
Scilicet hos alti missurus ad atria cæli, 
 Sulphureo curru flammivolisque rotis. 
Qualiter ille feris caput inviolabile Parcis 
Liquit Jördanios turbine raptus agros. 

In proditionem Bombardicam. 
[On the Gunpowder Plot] 
 Treacherous Fawkes, when you plotted your unspeakable crime against the King and the British nobles, did you-- and correct me if I am wrong-- wish to seem merciful as if your crime was pious in some wicked way? No doubt you meant to blow them up to the highest circles of heaven in their sulphur chariot with wheels aflame, just like the untouchable man, whom Parcae could not harm, caught up from the banks of the Jordan in a whirlwind. 

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But your Nolumus hunc,  for this king, who had made no Inquisition for blood, who had forborne the very pecuniary penalties , who had  (as himselfe witnesses of himselfe) made your partakers, with his Subjects of his own religion, in matters of grace, in reall benefits, and in titles of  honor, Quare fremuerunt,  why did these Men rage, and imagine a vayne thinge? what they did historically we know:
They made that House which is the hyve of this kindome, from whence all her Hony comes, That House, where justice herselfe is conceyud, in their preparing of good laws, and inanimated and quickned and borne by the Royall assent then given, they made that whole house, one Murdring peece: and having put in their powder they charged that peece with Peers, with people with Princes, with the King, and ment to discharge it upward at the face of heaven, to shoote god at the face of god, Him, of whome god had sayd, Dij estis,  you are gods, at the face of that god who had said so : as though they would have reproched the god  of heaven, and not have been beholden to him for  such a king, but shoote him up to him and bid him take  his king againe, for  Nolumus hunc regnare,  we will not have this king to reigne over us.  This was our case historically, and what it is prophetically, as longe as that remains their doctrine, which he against whome that attempt was principally made, found by theyr Examinations to be theyr doctrine, That they, and no sect in the world but they, did make treason an article of Religion,  That theyr Religion bound them to those attempts, so long they are neuer at an end, tyll they disauow those Doctrines, that conduce to yt,
prophetically they wish, prophetically they hope for better success in worse attempts. 

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"Now as this Powder-Treason is in itself prodigious and unnatural, so it is in the Conception and Birth most monstrous, as arising out of the dead Ashes of former Treasons. For it had three Roots, all planted and watered by Jesuits, and English Romish Catholicks: The first Root in England, in December and March; the second in F1anders, in June; the third in Spain, in July. In England it had two Branches, one in December was twelve Months before the death of the late Queen of blessed Memory; another in March wherein she died".-The Effect of the Indictment. 

"To conclude, against all the most honourable and prudent Counsellors, and all the true-hearted and worthy Nobles, all the Reverend and Learned Bishops, all the grave Judges and Sages of the Law, all the principal Knights, Gentry, Citizens and Burgesses of Parliament, the Flower of the whole Realm. Horret Animus, I tremble even to think of it: Miserable Desolation! no King, no Queen, no Prince, no Issue Male, no Counsellors of State; no Nobility, no Bishops, no Judges! O barbarous, and more than Scythian or Thracian Cruelty! No mantle of Holiness can cover it, no pretence of Religion can excuse it, no shadow of good Intention can extenuate it; God and Heaven condemn it, Man and Earth detest it, the Offenders themselves were ashamed of it; wicked People exclaim against it, and the Souls of all true Christian Subjects abhor it: miserable, but yet sudden had their Ends been, who should have died in that fiery Tempest, and Storm of Gunpowder. But more miserable had they been that had escaped; and what horrible Effects the blowing up of so much Powder and Stuff would have wrought, not only amonsgt Men and Beasts, but even upon insensible Creatures, Churches, and Houses, and all places near adjoining; you who have been martial Men best know. For my self, Vox faucibus hæret: So that the King may say with the kingly Prophet David; "-2. The second Consideration

"If by what Law they meant to proceed; it was Gunpowder-Law, fit for Justices of Hell. But concerning those Laws which they so calumniate as unjust, it shall in few words plainly appear, that they were of the greatest both Moderation and Equity that ever were any."-4. We are to consider the Place

"6. Now the sixth Point, which is the Means to compass and work these Designs, were damnable; by Mining, by 36 Barrels of Powder, having Crows of Iron, Stones and Wood laid upon the Barrels, to have made the Breach the greater. Lord, what a Wind, what a Fire, what a Motion and Commotion of Earth and Air would there have been! But as it is in the Book of Kings, when Elias was in the Cave of the Mount Horeb, and that he was called forth to stand before the Lord, behold a mighty strong Wind rent the Mountains, and brake the Rocks; sed non in vento Dominus, but the Lord was not in the Wind. And after the Wind, came a Commotion of the Earth and Air; Et non in Commotione Dominus, the Lord was not in that Commotion: And after the Commotion came Fire; & non in igne Dominus, the Lord was not in the Fire. So neither was God in any part of this monstrous Action. The Authors whereof were in this respect worse than the very damned Spirit of Dives, who, as it is in the Gospel, desired that others should not come in locum tormentorum." -6. Now the sixth Point, which is the Means

"Note, that Gunpowder was the Invention of a Fryar, one of the Romish Rabble, as Printing was of a Soldier. "-And thus much as touching the Considerations: the Observations 

"I am not ignorant, that this seditious and false Alarm hath awaked and incited many working Spirits to the prejudice of the present State, that might otherwise have slept as before with silence and sufferance ; it hath served for a Shield of Wax against a Sword of Power : it hath been used as an Instrument of Art to shadow false Approaches, till the Trojan Horse might be brought within the Walls of the Parliament, with a Belly stuffed, not as in old time with armed Greeks, but with hellish Gunpowder. But howsoever God had blinded you and others in this Action, as he did the King of Egypt and his Instruments, for the brighter Evidence of his own powerful Glory ; yet every Man of Understanding could discern, that a Prince whose Judgment had been fixed by Experience of so many Years upon the Poles of the North and the South, could not shrink upon the sudden : no nor since with fear of that Combustion which Catesby that Arch-Traitor, like a second Phaeton, would have caused in an instant in all the Elements. His Majesty did never value Fortunes of the World, in lesser Matter than Religion, with the Freedom of his Thoughts : he thought it no safe Policy (professing as he did, and ever will) to call up more Spirits into the Circle than he could put down again ; he knew, that omne regnum in se divisum desolabitar, Philosophy doth teach, that whatsoever any Man may think in secret thought, that where one doth hold of Ciphas, another of Apollo, openly Dissension ensues, Quod insitum alieno solo est, in id que alitur natura vertente degenerat ; and the World will ever apprehend, that Quorum est commune symbolum, facillimus est transitus. "-And then being severally asked, What they could say, wherefore Judgment of Death 
 

-Source: A Complete Collection  O F  S T A T E - T R I A L S, A N D   P R O C E E D I N G S  F O R  H I G H - T R E A S O N, A N D    O T H E R   CRIMES and MISDEMEANOURS; T H E    F O U R T H    E D I T I O N ; COMMENCING WITH The Eleventh Year of the Reign of KING RICHARD II. AND ENDING WITH The Sixteenth Year of the Reign of KING GEORGE III. WITH TWO ALPHABETICAL TABLES TO THE WHOLE. TO WHICH IS PREFIXED, A    N E W    P R E F A C E, By FRANCIS HARGRAVE, ESQUIRE. V O L U M E    T H E    F I R S T.  L O N D O N :Printed by T.WRIGHT, Essex-Street, Strand;And Sold by G. KEARSLY, NO. 46, near Serjeant's-Inn, Fleet-Street.MDCCLXXVI.,"XIX. The Trials of Robert Winter, Thomas Winter, Guy Fawkes, John Grant, Ambrose Rookwood, Robert Keyes, Thomas Bates, and Sir Everard Digby, at Westminster for High-Treason, being Conspirators in the Gunpowder-Plot. 27 Jan. 1605. 3 Jac. l. "
 
 
 

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