suspected man named Tibauld, who had come to see him, and Chapman their host, carried them off to separate prisons. Chapman was imprisoned for five weeks, three of which he sat in the stocks; and was delivered at last by much suit to the chancellor. Tibauld escaped, but was obliged to sell all his possessions. Hewit suffered a long and cruel imprisonment in Lollard's tower; after which he was brought before the chancellor of London, and examined: but the charge against him being so very heinous as that of flatly denying transubstantiation, they called in the bishops of London, Lincoln, and Winchester, to deal with this poor tailor. On being asked by them what he thought touching the sacrament of the Lord's supper, he answered, "Even as John Frith doth." One of the bishops said, "Dost thou not believe that it is really the body of Christ, born of the Virgin Mary?" He replied, "So do not I believe." 66 Why not?" said the bishop. "Because," answered Hewit, "Christ commanded us not to give credit rashly unto all men which say, 'Behold here is Christ, and there is Christ; for many false prophets shall rise up, saith the Lord.' At this, some of the bishops could not forbear smiling, and Stokesby of London said, "Why Frith is a heretic, already judged to be burned; and except thou revoke thine opinion thou shalt be burned also with him." "Truly," replied Hewit, "I am content therewithal." Being urged to recant, all his reply was, that he would do as Frith did. The bishops used every persuasion, but in vain: so he was taken to Frith in the prison; and on the fourth of July they went to Smithfield together being chained to the same stake.

When the martyrs were thus awaiting the fire, one Dr. Cook, a London priest, openly addressed the people, admonishing them not to pray for those men, any more than they would for a dog. Frith smiled on hearing this, and prayed the Lord to forgive them; while considerable indignation was justly excited among the spectators, many of whom, no doubt, had heard the terms of the hypocritical sentence, where the judges affected to pray that the sufferings of the victims might be to the salvation of their souls. The faggots being heaped around, Frith embraced them with a cheerful aspect, and the fire also; testifying thereby how willingly he welcomed death for Christ's sake, and gave his blood for a testimony to the truth. The wind blowing strongly, he suffered long; for after the flames had

taken him, they were borne away by it, and consumed his fellow-martyr first: whereat Frith appeared to rejoice on the other's account, whose torments were shortened by the protraction of his own. He manifested no impatience: the power and strength of Christ strove and vanquished in his saints: together with whom may He sanctify us, and direct us in all things to glorify His most holy name. Amen.

CHAPTER V.

BENNET-THE REFORMATION IN ENGLAND-TINDAL.

THOMAS BENNET was a native of Cambridge, and gra. duated at that university; he was probably also a priest. The acquaintance of Bilney, with whom he was familiar, seems to have been greatly blessed to him. Disgusted by the corruptions of the Romish religion, he married, and went into Devonshire, where he kept a school in Torrington; afterwards he removed to Exeter, where he succeeded better. He was a stranger there, of retired habits, courteous, humble, and devout. His greatest delight was in attending sermons; and all the time that he could spare from his school was entirely devoted to the study of the Scriptures; having no intercourse with any, save those whom he believed to be consistent and zealous Christians. When he heard of a Devonshire gentleman, with whom he was totally unacquainted, being cast into the bishop's prison at Exeter, on suspicion of heresy, he wrote to him encouraging and consolatory letters; and in every way approved himself a sincere disciple of the Lord Jesus.

But as his view of the idolatrous and blasphemous abominations of popery became more deep and clear, Bennet found his spirit so stirred within him, that he declared to his godly friends he could no longer endure to keep silence, but must needs utter some testimony, where, as he said, "God was dishonoured, his word contemned, and his people, whom he so dearly bought, were by blind guides carried headlong to everlasting perdition." He declared his readiness to shed his blood patiently, so far as God should give him grace, for the testimony of his conscience, and

the defence of true religion. His friends promised him their prayers, that he might be strong in the cause, and continue a faithful soldier unto the end; and then he set his house in order, distributing among them the books that he had; and very shortly after he wrote out his mind on scrolls of paper, which he privily affixed to the doors of Exeter cathedral. Their purport was, that the pope is antichrist; and that we ought to worship God, and no saints.

It may readily be imagined what a commotion was excited on the discovery of these bills: the ecclesiastics appeared stung to the quick; and while the civil officers were busily searching for the heretic, order was given that all the learned doctors in Exeter should, in daily rotation, mount the pulpit, and confute the heresy. Bennet, keeping his own secret, went to the cathedral the following Sunday; and happening to sit by two men who were employed in seeking him out, they suspected, and proposed to examine him but his quiet reverend aspect, his devout manner, attention to the preacher, and the earnestness with which he evermore was occupied in his book, a Latin Testament, so overawed them, that they had no power to molest him, but departed, leaving him with his book.

Foiled in their attempts to discover the offender, the priests, including friars both grey and black, resolved on publicly cursing him, in order the more to terrify the people from giving heed to his bills. This they executed as follows: a priest robed in white ascended the pulpit, and, while the cross was elevated, with holy candles of wax fixed to it at all points, and the two orders of friars, with some monks of St. Nicholas, stood round about, he preached a long and violent sermon against the blasphemy of the foul and abominable heretic who had published the bills; and concluded by beseeching God, the Virgin, St. Peter, patron of that church, with all the holy company of martyrs, confessors, and virgins, to reveal the heretic, that God's people might avoid the vengeance. After this, the curse was pronounced by the bishop; and as a similar form is now in frequent use, particularly in Ireland, in cases of rebellion against priestly authority, it is here inserted. It is worth encountering the horror and disgust of reading it, to appreciate our own deliverance from bondage so degrading and so impious.

The prelate said, "By the authority of God the Father

Almighty, and of the blessed Virgin Mary, of St. Peter and Paul, and of the holy saints, we excommunicate, we utterly curse and ban, commit and deliver to the devil of hell, him or her, whatsoever he or she be, that have, in spite of God, and St. Peter whose church this is, in spite of all holy saints, and in spite of our most holy father the pope, God's vicar here on earth, and in spite of the reverend father in God, John, our diocesan, and the worshipful canons, masters, and priests, and clerks, which serve God daily in this cathedral church, fixed up with wax such cursed and heretical bills, full of blasphemy, upon the doors of this and other holy churches within this city. Excommunicate plainly be he, or she, plenally, or they, and delivered over to the devil, as perpetual malefactors and schismatics. Accursed might they be, and given body and soul to the devil. Cursed be they, he, or she, in cities and towns, in fields, in ways, in parks, in houses, out of houses, and in all other places, standing, lying, or rising, walking, running, waking, sleeping, eating, drinking, and whatsoever they do besides. We separate them, him, or her, from the threshold, and from all the good prayers of the church, from the participation of holy mass, from all sacraments, chapels, and altars, from holy bread and holy water, from all the merit of God's priests and religious men, and from all their cloisters, from all their pardons, privileges, grants, and immunities, which all the holy fathers, popes of Rome, have granted to them; and we give them over utterly to the power of the fiend, and let us quench their souls, if they be dead, this night in the pains of hell-fire, as this candle is now quenched and put out (here he extinguished one of the candles), and let us pray to God, if they be alive, that their eyes may be put out, as this candle light is, (then he put out another candle.) And let us pray to God and to our lady, and to St. Peter and Paul, and to all holy saints, that all the senses of their bodies may fail them, and that they may have no feeling, as now the light of this candle is gone, (he quenched the third,) except they, he, or she, come openly now and confess their blasphemy, and by repentance, as in them shall lie, make satisfaction unto God, our lady, St. Peter and the worshipful company of this cathedral church and as this holy cross staff now falleth down, so might they, except they repent and show themselves." The cross being at the same time removed, the great staff which had supported it fell down: while the trembling peo

ple held up their hands, and uttered a shout of terror at the denunciation of that fearful curse!

The absurdity of this monstrous demonstration of impotent malice, so overcame Bennet, that whilst others were shuddering around, he was convulsed with suppressed laughter. Some who were near him espied this, and asking him the cause, he answered "My friends, who can forbear, seeing such merry conceits and interludes played by the priests?" Immediately a great cry was raised, here is the heretic, here is the heretic! hold him fast, hold him fast!" However, for that time, it seems that he escaped and went home, where, inflamed with greater zeal by what he had heard, he renewed his bills, and sent his boy, early on the following morning, to fix. them again upon the gates of the church-yard. It happened that a mass was said at five o'clock in the morning; and a person going to attend it, detected the boy thus employed: this man pulled down the bill, and bringing it, together with the boy, to the mayor, Bennet was of course, taken, and thrust into prison.

On the morrow, being examined, he said, "It was even I that put up those bills; and if it were to do, I would do it again; for in them I have written nothing but what is very truth." When asked whether he could not as well have declared his mind by word of mouth as in that way, he answered, No, for that he desired many should read them, that they might the better know the priests' blasphemy, and that their Antichrist, the pope, was that boar out of the wood, which destroyeth and throweth down the hedges of God's church. "For if," said he, "I had been heard to speak one word, I should have been clapped fast in prison, and the matter of God hidden. But now I trust more of your blasphemous doings will thereby be opened and come to light; for God so will have it; and no longer will suffer you.

On the day following he was strongly ironed, and placed in the stocks in the bishop's prison. The bishop, his chancellor, and several others of the clergy, held much disputation with him; wherein Bennet so soberly and scripturally answered them, and defended his principles, that they were compelled both to admire him and to pity his case, earnestly seeking to prevail on him to save himself by recantation. But God had chosen him to bear witness to the truth, and their labour was in vain. One Gregory Bosset, who had himself denied. the faith to escape torture, and