veil their faces, because, like the face of Moses, they shone with a brightness only to be derived from communion with their God. Well might the conscience-stricken idolators shrink from beholding that brightness; and labour to conceal it from the wavering people! How, in the great and awful day, will they endure to look upon His countenance, whom they thus murderously persecuted in His saints?

In the meantime, the natural joyousness of Dr. Taylor's character was increased to a greater height than ever; while his fervent and affectionate exhortations, calling on his guards to repent and amend their lives, drew tears from many of them. Three of the yeomen used him very kindly, being often compelled to wonder and rejoice at his beautiful constancy and zeal: the fourth was a dark and malignant persecutor.

At Chelmsford, the sheriff of Suffolk met them, to take charge of the victim. The Essex sheriff, moved no doubt to sympathy by what he had seen of Taylor, most earnestly laboured, as they all supped together, to prevail on him to save his life, by recanting. Many strong arguments did he muster, many inducements, and warm assurances, no doubt perfectly sincere, of his help in procuring a full pardon. He was heartily joined by the rest; who ended by saying, "Upon that condition, master doctor, we will all drink to you."

The cup being passed to Dr. Taylor, he paused awhile, as though pondering what answer he should best give. At last he said, "Master sheriff, and my masters all, I heartily thank you for your good will; I have hearkened to your words, and marked well your counsels. And to be plain with you, I do perceive that I have been deceived myself, and am like to deceive a great many at Hadleigh of their expectation." Great was the joy of his companions on hearing these words; which the sheriff said were the comfortablest they had yet heard him speak. They continued very merry for a time, congratulating him on his wise purpose. At last, the sheriff inquired the exact meaning of his expressions, "that he had been deceived himself, and should deceive many in Hadleigh." They all seemed anxious for a fuller confirmation of good resolves, and urged him to speak out plainly.

Dr. Taylor replied, "I will tell you how I have been deceived, and, as I think, I shall deceive a great many. I

am, as you see, a man that hath a very great carcase, which I thought should have been buried in Hadleigh church-yard, if I had died in my bed, as I well hoped I should have done; but however I see I was deceived: and there are a great number of worms in Hadleigh church-yard, which should have had jolly feeding upon this carrion, which they have looked for many a-day. But now I know we be deceived, both I and they; for this carcase shall be burnt to ashes, and so shall they lose their bait and feeding, that they looked to have had of it."

The sheriff and his company could only gaze on each other in silent wonder at this speech, which, under a strain of that playfulness which was inseparable from Dr. Taylor's character, disclosed so undaunted a resolve: disclosing also, how, in the days of security and worldly prosperity, he had accustomed himself to meditate on the end of all earthly things-that he should feed worms in a grave. From Chelmsford, he was conducted by the sheriff of Suffolk to Lanham, not far from Hadleigh, where they rested for two days; a great number of gentlemen assembling there, and earnestly labouring to turn Dr. Taylor to popery. Not only pardon, but promotion, and even a bishopric, were offered him, but all were alike disregarded by the man who had built his house on Christ the immovable Rock, and could not be shaken by the utmost efforts of those who desired to save his life at the price of his soul.

After two days they resumed their journey, and being come within two miles of Hadleigh, Dr. Taylor obtaining permission to alight from his horse, gave two or three playful skips as in dancing. The sheriff asked him how he felt now? He replied, "Well, God be praised, master sheriff; never better: for now I know I am almost at home; I lack not past two stiles to go over, and I am even at my Father's house. But, master sheriff, shall we not go through Hadleigh?" "Yes," said the sheriff, "you shall." Dr. Taylor exclaimed, "O good Lord, I thank thee! I shall yet once, ere I die, see my flock, whom thou, Lord, knowest I have most heartily loved, and truly taught. Good Lord, bless them, and keep them steadfast in thy word and truth."

At the foot of Hadleigh bridge stood a poor man with five small children watching their approach. On seeing Dr. Taylor, they all fell on their knees, and held up their hands, the man crying.out in a loud voice, "O good father

and dear shepherd, Dr. Taylor! God help and succour thee, as thou hast many a time favoured me and my poor children." Thus openly were the needy led to testify of his good deeds, in the presence of those who were leading him to death, as a malefactor. They sharply rebuked the poor man; but vain were their efforts to overawe the people. The streets were lined on either side with men and women, loudly lamenting, with bitter groans and cries, "Ah! good Lord! there goeth our good shepherd from us, that so faithfully hath taught us, so fatherly hath cared for us, and so godly hath governed us. O merciful God! what shall we poor scattered lambs do? what shall come of this most wicked world? Good Lord! strengthen him, comfort him!" and similar expressions were uttered in most piteous tones; while the sheriff and his fellows angrily reproved them; and Dr. Taylor repeatedly said, "I have preached to you God's word and truth; and am this day come to seal it with my blood."

And now they reached the alms-houses, the poor inmates of which stood at the doors to see their benefactor led by. It had been the custom of this blessed man to call once in every fortnight on the rich manufacturers of his parish, prevailing on them to accompany him to the dwellings of the very poor, that by actually seeing their privations they might be moved the more liberally to succour them. Most diligently did he attend to the distribution of the bounty thus obtained, adding thereto comfort, exhortation, or rebuke, as he saw needful. He had now for two years been himself sustained by the help of the charitable, in prison; and he had carefully tied up in a glove all that he could save from his own necessities, to bestow upon these, his beloved pensioners. As he passed, he threw them money; and coming to the last alms-house, not seeing the occupants at their door, he inquired whether the old blind man and woman who dwelt there were still alive. Being told that they were, he carefully tied up the glove, with the remainder of the money in it, and threw it in at their open window.

They soon reached Aldenham common, and seeing a multitude of people assembled, he inquired the reason: he was told it was the place where he should die, and the people were come to see him suffer. "Thanked be God!" he exclaimed, "I am even at home;" and alighting from his horse, he rent with both hands the hood from his head.

That venerable head had been sorely disfigured, by the hands of bishop Bonner; part of the foolery of their de gradation being to notch and clip the hair, by way of erasing, as they called it, the tonsure, or regular shaving of the crown. When the people saw this, with his aged face, and long white beard, they burst into loud weeping, and cries; saying, "God save thee, good Dr. Taylor; Jesus Christ strengthen thee and keep thee. The Holy Ghost comfort thee!" with such-like pious ejaculations. He desired permission to address them, but the sheriff refused, bidding him remember his promise to the council, on which he acquiesced, saying that a promise must be kept. It was generally understood that the queen's sanguinary ministers, dreading the effect of what was spoken by the martyrs at the stake, extorted from them a promise of silence by the threat of depriving them of their tongues: to which the martyrs yielded in order that at least the people might hear them pray to the last. The reason assigned by these wicked persecutors was the apprehension of tumult and violence if the people were stirred up by the eloquence of their former teachers; but this was a false and groundless assertion; for in no instance, in England, was there the slightest manifestation of such a movement among the multitudes assembled, and if there was one thing more remarkable than others in the conduct of the sufferers, it was the pattern of perfect obedience to the magistrates and officers which they uniformly set.

Dr. Taylor finding he could not be allowed to speak to the people, sat down; and seeing one Soyce, an evil and malignant fellow, near, called to him, "Soyce, I pray thee come and pull off my boots, and take them for thy labour. Thou hast long looked for them; now take them." He then took off his clothes, to his shirt, giving them away; and being prepared, he said with a loud voice, "Good people, I have taught you nothing but God's holy word, and those lessons that I have taken out of God's blessed book, the Holy Bible; and I am come hither this day to seal it with my blood." On that, Holmes, the yeoman of the guard who had used him unkindly all the way, struck him a violent blow on the head, saying, "Is that the keeping of thy promise, thou heretic?" When the martyr kneeled down to pray, a poor woman from among the crowd, drew near, and prayed with him. They thrust her away, and threatened to trample her down with horses, but in vain:

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she would not leave him. He then went to the stake, kissed it, and quietly placed himself in a pitch-barrel, where he stood upright, his hands folded together, and his eyes raised to heaven, in constant prayer.

They passed some chains around him and the stake, and then called on a butcher named Dunningham, to place the fagots, and set fire to the pile; but he, pleading lameness, refused: nor could the threat of sending him to prison induce him to act the murderer's part. Soyce, already named, and three others, then undertook to do it; and one of them, named Warwick, who had been branded for sedition in king Edward's days, had the savage cruelty to cast a fagot at the face of the venerable martyr, who, while the blood flowed fast from the wound, meekly said, "O friend, I have harm enough; what needed that?" Nor was this thought sufficient; for while Dr. Taylor, as he stood at the stake, prayed, repeating the 51st Psalm in English, sir John Skelton struck him on the lips, saying, "Thou knave, speak Latin, or I will make thee." At last the fire was appli ed, and the martyr having said, uplifting his folded hands, "Merciful Father of heaven, for Jesus Christ my Saviour's sake, receive my soul into thy hands," stood still in that position, neither moving nor crying out, until Soyce struck him so fiercely on the head with his halberd, that his brains came out, and the body, scarcely at all burnt, fell dead into the fire.

Thus rendered this man of God his happy spirit into the hands of his merciful and his most dear Redeemer, Jesus Christ, whom he entirely loved, faithfully and earnestly preached, obediently followed through life, and glorified in a cruel, but triumphant death.

CHAPTER XV.

WINCHESTER DISCOURAGED-BONNER'S ALACRITY-MYLES COVERDALE DELIVERED JUDGE HALES-TOMKINS-WILLIAM HUNTER-COUSTON

-HIGBAD-PYGOT-KNIGHT-LAURENCE.

HITHERTO Stephen Gardiner had exercised his unlimited authority in the realm, so as to strike terror into all bosoms where the perfect love of God had not cast out all slavish