His imperfect signature to his confession of this date, consisting only of his Christian name and written in a faint and trembling hand, is probably a ghastly testimony to the severity of the torture ("per grad us ad ima") which James had ordered to be applied if he would not otherwise confess and the "gentler tortures" were unavailing, - a horrible practice unrecognized by the law of England, but usually employed and justified at this time in cases of treason to obtain information.