1558.]

Horn, Cook, and others burned,

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had recanted." He was ordered to come to London, and answer for what he had done; on his arrival he was committed to the Fleet Prison and fined! The friends of Bainbridge who assisted in putting out the fire, were also imprisoned.

EDWARD HORN, of Newent in Gloucestershire suffered about this period; his wife was accused with him, but recanted before she was finally condemned. At his burning he sung the 146th Psalm, until his lips were burned away, but his tongue continued to move until he fell down into the fire. Fox does not mention this martyr; but the circumstance is recorded by Strype, whose informant had the particulars from two men who made the fire to burn him.

We now approach towards the end of these painful details. The queen had for some time visibly declined in health. Her gloomy bigoted temper preyed upon her mind; this disposition was increased by the neglect of King Philip and the national misfortunes, especially the loss of Calais. It was evident that her end drew near; but instead of pausing in their bloody proceedings, the Romanists continued to persecute with unabated rigour.

In the beginning of August four men, named Cook, MILES, LANE, and ASHBY, were burned at Bury. Three others, PHILIP HUMPHY, JOHN DAVID, and HENRY DAVID, were also burned there in the month of November, only a fortnight before the decease of the Queen, and when it was well known that her death was hourly expected!

On the 4th of November, ALEXANDER GOосн, and ALICE DRIVER, were burned at Ipswich. A persecuting Justice, one of the sub-inquisitors, searched for them. They took refuge in a large quantity of hay; but the Justice causing pitch-forks to be thrust into it, they were discovered. At their examination they conducted themselves with much boldness. When required to answer respecting the Sacrament of the Altar, Alice Driver asked what a Sacrament was? The Romanists told her it was a sign. "How then," she demanded, "can it be the thing signified?" On this, as on other occasions, the Romanists asserted that the sub- ́ stance, eaten by the disciples at the last Supper, was Christ's own body; actually the same body that was crucified the next day! We cannot but admire the readiness with which the poor woman met the specious sophistries of the Romish

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A woman named Prest,

clergy. There was of course some rudeness in her replies, though not more than might be expected from one, who, as she said "was an honest man's daughter, never brought up in the University as you have been, but I have driven the plough before my father many a time: yet in the cause of my Master Christ, by his grace, I will set my foot against the foot of any of you all in the maintenance and defence of his cause; and if I had a thousand lives they should go in payment thereof." She was then condemned.

They were led to the stake by seven o'clock in the morning, having already been brought six miles, from Melton Gaol. They engaged in prayer and singing psalms; but Sir Henry Dowell, the Sheriff, compelled them to leave off, and they were fastened to the stake. The general expression of popular feeling in behalf of the sufferers was again manifested. All persons were forbidden from expressing sympathy or sorrow on these occasions; but several came and shook hands with these Martyrs, when bound to the stake. The Sheriff, in a rage, ordered them to be taken up; upon which so many more ran forwards to the pile that the Sheriff was unable to execute his design.

The persecution now extended into parts where, previously, it was almost unknown. About this time, a Cornish woman named PREST, was burned at Exeter. Her husband and children were much addicted to Popery, so that she was obliged to leave them, and get her living by spinning, and other labour, as well as she could. After a while, she was brought home to her husband; and as she could not be silent respecting the truths of the Gospel, she was accused by the neighbours and sent from Cornwall to Exeter. The Bishop enquired whether she was married. She replied that she had a husband and children, and had them not; and said, that so long as she was at liberty, she refused neither husband nor children; but now, added she, "standing here as I do, in the cause of Christ and his truth, where I must either forsake Christ or my husband, I am contented to cleave only to Christ, my heavenly spouse, and renounce the other." She then quoted the words of our Lord, that those who were not willing to forsake their nearest relatives, and even to lay down their lives, if need be, for His sake, could not be his disciples. The Bishop told her that Christ spoke these words in reference to the holy Martyrs, who died rather than

burned at Exeter.

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1558.] offer sacrifice to false gods. "Surely, Sir," she exclaimed; "and I will rather die than do any worship to that Idol, which, with your Mass, you make a God." "What," said the Bishop, "will you say that the Sacrament of the Altar is an idol ?" "Yea, truly," she replied, "there never was such an idol as your Sacrament is, made by your priests and commanded to be worshipped by all men; whereas Christ did command it to be eaten and drunk in remembrance of his most blessed sufferings for our redemption." He told her she wished to be a Martyr. She answered, "Indeed, if denying to worship that bready god be my martyrdom, I will suffer it with all my heart." In the course of this examination, she said, "If Christ be to be worshipped in spirit and in truth, why do you worship a piece of bread?" Being blamed for leaving her husband, she said that she fled not for theft, or evil life, but because she would not worship the Mass. Her faithful testimony to the truth was so new in those parts, that the clergy were disposed to think her insane, and to treat her as such, rather than as a heretic. She was employed in the prison rather as a servant than an offender, and even allowed at times to go abroad. One day she entered St. Peter's Church, and found a Dutchman at work, making new noses to some images of saints, which had been disfigured in King Edward's time. "What a madman art thou," said she, "to make them new noses, when shortly they shall lose their heads." An altercation ensued, which being reported to the Bishop she was imprisoned more closely.

While in confinement she was visited by many persons, and took every opportunity of declaring the truth, of which she was very capable, being so well versed in Scripture, that

if

any passage were mentioned she could tell the chapter in which it was to be found. The clergy used to dispute frequently with her, and made sport of the earnest energetic manner in which she was enabled to set forth the doctrines of the truth, and expose the errors of the church of Rome. One of the principal among them, named Blackstone, used to send for her as a subject of ridicule, for the amusement of his guests, while a favourite female and others feasted with him!

On one occasion when some priests examined her respecting the Sacrament of the Altar; she said, "they ought to

be ashamed to assert that a piece of bread should be turned by a man into the body of Christ, which bread doth vinow (decay), and mice ofttimes do eat it, and it doth mould, and is burned. God's own body will not be so handled, nor kept in prison or boxes, or aumbries (cupboards). Let it be your God; it shall not be mine; for my Saviour sitteth at the right hand of God, and doth pray for me. And to call the sacramental bread instituted for a remembrance, the very body of Christ and to worship it, is mere foolishness, and devilish deceit." At another time, she energetically summed up the doctrines of Rome in the following terms: "Do you not damn souls when you teach people to worship idols, stocks, and stones, the work of men's hands, and to worship a false god of your own making, of a piece of bread? When you teach that the Pope is God's Vicar, and hath power to forgive sins? When you teach that there is a purgatory, when the Son of God hath, by his passion (sufferings), purged all? And say you make God, and sacrifice him, when Christ's body was sacrificed once for all? Do you not teach the people to number their sins in your ears, and say they be damned if they confess not all, when God's word saith, Who can number his sins? Do you not promise Trentals, and Diriges, and Masses for souls, and sell your prayers for money, and make them buy pardons, and trust to foolish inventions of your own? Do you not teach us to pray upon beads, and pray unto saints, and say they can pray for us? Do you not make holy bread and holy water to scare devils? Do you not a thousand more abominations? And yet you say you come for my profit, and to save my soul. Farewell you, with your salvation."

At length she was condemned. After the sentence had been read, the clergy offered that her life should be spared if she would recant. 66 Nay, that will I not," said she; "God forbid that I should lose the life eternal, for this carnal and short life. I will never turn from my heavenly husband to my earthly husband, from the fellowship of angels to mortal children. If my husband and children be faithful, then am I theirs; God is my father, God is my mother, God is my sister, my brother, my kinsman; God is my friend, most faithful!"

She was led to the place appointed for her burning, on the Southernhay, just without the walls of Exeter. The

1558.] The last Martyrs in Queen Mary's Reign. 327 Romish priests again beset her; she would not reply to them but continued to repeat, "God be merciful to me a sinner;" and suffered with much patience.*

Our painful task is now nearly concluded, for we are to notice the last sufferers in the days of Queen Mary, JOHN CORNEFORD, CHRISTOPHER BROWN, JOHN HIRST, KATHERINE KNIGHT, and a young woman named ALICE SNOTH. They were condemned at Canterbury some time before, as appears from a document especially directed against them by Cardinal Pole; but orders were not yet issued for their burning, when Harpsfield, the Archdeacon of Canterbury, being in London, found that the Queen was not expected to live many days; upon which he sent down the writ for their execution, and they were committed to the flames on the 15th of November. This cruelty was the more apparent, as Bonner had paused in his career, and several Martyrs ready for the stake were allowed to live. The last sufferers in the days of Queen Mary were condemned for the same reasons as those who preceded them. They were sentenced to this cruel death because they denied the Romish doctrine of the Sacrament; for saying that a wicked man was not partaker of Christ's body; for saying that it was idolatry to creep to the cross; and that we should not pray to "Our Lady," and the saints, because they were not omnipotent.

It is related, that when Alice Snoth was at the stake, she requested that her godfather and godmothers might be sent for. They dared not to come forward till the Justices assured them they should not be hurt. When they came, she repeated the belief and the commandments, and required them to say whether they had promised in her behalf any thing else. They stated this was all. "Then," said she,

The reader will be interested with the particular description given of her. "She was as simple a woman to see to, as a man might behold; of a very little and short stature, somewhat thick, about fifty-four years of age. She had a cheerful countenance, so lively, as though she had been prepared for the day of her marriage, to meet the Lamb. Most patient in her words and answers, sober in her apparel, meat, and drink, and would never be idle; a great comfort to those who talked with her; good to the poor; she would take no money when in her troubles; For,' said she, am going to a city, where money beareth no mastery, (value,) and whilst I am here, God hath promised to feed me."