66 The H ISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. III. Mary, a religion in king Edward's time. And then they befeech the nobility and t555 " common people, to interceed with her majefty, to put a ftop to this " iffue of blood, and at leaft grant her fubje is the fame liberty, the allowed " , firangers, of tranfporting themfelves into foreign parts." But it had no effe& King Philip being informed of the artifices of the bifhops, caufed bis confeffor Alpbonfus to preach againft thefe feverities, which he did in the face of the whole court ; Bonner himfelf pretended to be lick of them ; but after fome little recefs he went on. And though Philip pretended to Rapin, p. be for milder meafures, yet on the 24th of May, he and the queen fgned 184, 188. a letter to Bonner, to quicken him to his paftoral duty; whereupon he redoubled his fury, and in the month of ,une condemnednine proteflants at once to the flake in E //ex ; and the council wrote to the Sheriffs, to gather the gentry together, to countenance the executions with their prefence. Mr. Brad- In the month of 7uly Mr. yohn Bradford late prebendary of St. Paul's, ford burnt. and a molt celebrated preacher in king Edward's days, fuffered martyrdom. He was an eminent chriflian, and is Paid to have done as much fervice to the reformation by his letters from prifon, as by his preaching in the pulpit. . Endeavours were oled to turn him, but to no purpofe. He was brought to the flake with one yohn Leafe, an apprentice of 59 years old ; he kiffed the flakeand the faggots ; but being forbid to fpeak to the people, he only prayed with his fellow-fufferer, and quietly fubmitted to the fire. His laft words were, Strait is thegate, and narrow the way, that leadeth unto eter- nal life, andfew there be that find it. From Smithfield the perfecution fpread all over the country; in the months of yune and yuly eight men and one woman were burnt in feveral parts of Kent ; and in the months of Augufi and September twenty-five more in Sufolk, Eil:ex, and Surry. Bp. Ridley But the greatefi facrifice to popifh cruelty was yet to come: On the sndLatimer. r 6th ofOEtober the bifhops Ridley and Latimer, were martyr'd at one flake in Oxford. Latimer died prefently, but Ridley was a long time in exquifite torments, his lower parts being burnt before the fire reached his body. His laft words to his fellow- fufferer were, Be ofgoodheart, brother,for God will either a/wage thefury of theflame, or enable us to abide it. Latimer replied, Be ofgoodcomfort,for wefhall this day lightfilch a candle in Eng- 8p. Garth- land, as I'rufi by God's grace /hall never beput out. The very fame day ner'sdeath. Gardiner their great perfecutor, was ftruck with the illnefs of which he died ; it was a fuppreffion of urine, which held him in great agonies till the 12th of November, when he expired. He would not fit down to din- ner, till he had received the news from Oxford of the burning of the two bifhops, which was not till four of the clock in the afternoon ; and while he was at dinner, he was feizedwith the diflemper that put an end tohis life. When bifhop Day fpoke tohimof juftification through the blood of Chrift, he
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