 His acquittal was due in part to his own eloquent defence (he has been described as one of the ablest priests of his generation), and in part due to his good fortune in being tried with Sir George Wakeman, personal physician to Queen Catherine of Braganza.The Crown was determined to save Wakeman, and Lord Chief Justice William Scroggs, formerly a firm believer in the Plot, now turned on Oates and the other informers, denouncing them as liars.Despite his notorious antipathy to Catholic priests, Scroggs made no effort to distinguish between Wakeman and the three priests who were tried with him, warning the jury that no accused person, priest or layman, should suffer death for treason if there was any doubt as to their guilt.