persuaded, that willingly your majesty will not offend, nor do against your conscience for any thing.

"But I fear there are contradictions in your oaths, and that those who should have informed your grace thoroughly, did not their duties therein. And if your majesty ponder the two oaths diligently, I think you shall perceive you were deceived; and then your highness may use the matter as God shall put in your heart. Furthermore, I am kept here from the company of learned men, from books, from counsel, from pen and ink, except at this time, to write unto Your Majesty, which were all necessary for a man in my case. Wherefore I beseech your majesty that I may have such of these as may stand with Your Majesty's pleasure. And as for my appearance at Rome if Your Majesty will give me leave, I will appear there. And I trust that God shall put in my mouth to defend his truth there as well as here. But I refer it wholly to your majesty's pleasure."

All the artifice and treachery of which popish intrigue is capable, was put in practice, to seduce Cranmer to sign his unhappy recantation; severity was first tried, but finding that useless, he was placed in the house of the Dean of Christchurch, where he was treated with every indulgence; his enemies promised him his former greatness as well as the Queen's favour, although they knew at the same time that his death was determined in council: six different papers at various times were presented for his signature, the first of which being couched in general terms, and once signed, the others were stated to be explanatory, until finally he put his hand to the following

instrument; which the papists immediately printed and circulated, exulting in but a short lived triumph, the glorious termination of which has already been described.

RECANTATION.

"I, THOMAS CRANMER, late Archbishop of Canterbury, do renounce, abhor, and detest, all manner of heresies and errors of Luther and Zuinglius, and all other teachings which are contrary to sound and true doctrine. And I believe most constantly in my heart, and with my mouth I confess one holy and catholic church visible, without which there is no salvation; and, therefore, I acknowledge the Bishop of Rome to be supreme head on earth, whom I acknowledge to be the highest bishop and pope, and Christ's vicar, unto whom all Christian people ought to be subject.

And as concerning the sacraments, I believe and worship in the sacrament of the altar the very body and blood of Christ, being contained most truly under the forms of bread and wine the bread through the mighty power of God being turned into the body of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and the wine into his blood.

And in the other six sacraments, also (alike as in this) I believe and hold as the universal church holdeth, and the church of Rome judgeth and determineth.

Furthermore I believe that there is a place of purgatory, where souls departed be punished for a time, for whom the church doth godlily and wholesomely pray, like as it doth honour saints and make prayers to them.

Finally, in all things I profess, that I do not otherwise believe, than the catholic church and church of Rome holdeth and teacheth. I am sorry that ever I held or thought otherwise. And I beseech Almighty God, that of his mercy he will vouchsafe to forgive me, whatsoever I have offended against God or his church, and also I desire and beseech all Christian people to pray for me.

And all such as have been deceived either by mine example or doctrine, I require them by the blood of Jesus Christ, that they will return to the unity of the church, that we may be all of one mind, without schism or division.

And to conclude, as I submit myself to the catholic church of Christ, and to the supreme head thereof, so I submit myself unto the most excellent majesties of Philip and Mary, king and queen of this realm, &c. and to all other their laws and ordinances, being ready always as a faithful subject ever to obey them. And God is my witness, that I have not done this for favour or fear of any person, but willingly, and of mine own conscience, as to the instructions of others."

Cardinal Pole succeeded Cranmer as Primate, being consecrated the day after Cranmer was burned a week after he entered London in state, and was invested with the pall in Bow Church, this pall was a robe of honour sent from a very early period by the Popes to Archbishops.

The Papists having now removed by fire and faggot the most influential of their opponents, were still not satisfied, but continued to pursue with avidity this horrible career of murder and blood; but with this difference, that most of the unfortunate victims after this period, were persons in humble life, many of them defenceless women, who nevertheless passed through the fire to eternity with a constancy and firmness that has been the admiration of all succeeding generations.

AGNES POTTEN and JOAN

TRUNCHFIELD, were

burned at Ipswich about the same time that Cranmer suffered, and three persons were also burned at Salisbury, viz. JOHN MAUNDRELL, WILLIAM COBERLEY and JOHN SPICER, the first named martyr, while under examination, being asked, "whether images were not necessary in churches?" replied, "if wooden images were good for any thing, it was to make a fire to roast a shoulder of mutton." Six other individuals were burned in Smithfield, on the 23rd of April, all inhabitants of Essex, Iwithin the diocese of London; their names were the Rev. ROBERT DRAKES, minister of Thundersley in Essex, the Rev. WILLIAM TYMS his curate, RICHARD SPURGE, sheerman ; THOMAS SPURGE, fuller; JOHN CAVEL, weaver, and GEORGE AMBROSE, fuller. When Tyms was before the Bishop of Winchester, the latter seeing him meanly dressed said, are you dressed like a deacon," "My Lord ?" replied Tyms, "my dress does not so much vary from that of a Deacon, as your's does from that of an Apostle." These martyrs were however all condemned by Bonner and suffered in the usual manner.

JOHN HARPOLE and JOAN BEACH suffered about this time, having been condemned by Maurice Bishop of Rochester.

The Rev. JOHN HOLLIER, of King's College Cambridge, was burned on the 2nd of April, condemned by Thirlby Bishop of Ely. Six persons were also burned at Colchester on the 28th of the same month. Their names were, CHRISTOPHER LYSTER, husbandman; JOHN MACE, apothecary; JOHN SPENCER, weaver; SIMON JOYNE, sawyer; RICHARD NICHOLS, weaver; JOHN HAMMOND, tanner, the last five, inhabitants of Colchester.

Even the lame, the blind and the imbecile could not escape the sanguinary proscription, we find one JOHN LAVEROCK, a cripple 68 years of age, and JOHN APPRICE, a blind man, burned at Stratford-le-bow, May 15th, they were condemned by Bonner one day after dinner at Fulham. When Bonner, with his wonted brutality, turned to the poor blind Apprice, demanding what he had to say, the martyr made the following excellent reply-" Your popish doctrine is so agreeable with the world, that it cannot be agreeable with the scripture of God. And you are not of the catholic church; for you make laws to kill men, and make the Queen your executioner." When Laverock was secured to the stake, he threw away his crutch, and addressing his fellow martyr, said, "Be of good cheer, brother, for my Lord of London is our good physician, he will heal us both shortly, thee of thy blindness and me of my lameness."

On the next day, at Smithfield, were burned CATHERINE