Chap. III. The HISTORY of the PURITANS. 67 he Paid, if you open that gap to the people, thenfarewel all again. He con- Q Mary, ,555. feffed he had finned with Peter, but had not repented with him. On the ISth of December, Mr. archdeacon Philpot was burnt, and be- hayed at the flake with the courage and relolution of the primitive martyrs. ifbp. Cran- On the a t ft of March following, archbifhop Cranmer fuffered. He had mer burnt. been degraded by the bithops Thirlby and Bonner on Feb. 14th. Bonner in- fulted him in an indecent manner, but Thirlby melted into tears. After this, bymuch perfuaflon, and in hope of life, he fet his hand to a paper, in which he renounced the errors of Luther and Zuinglius, and acknowledged his belief of the corporal pretence, the pope's fuprema- cy, purgatory, and invocation of Saints, &c. This was quickly publdhed to the world, with great triumph among the papifs, and grief to the reform- ers. .But theunmerciful queen was Hill refolved to have his life, and ac- cordingly fent down a writ for his execution : She could never forgive the (hare he had in her mother's divorce, and in driving the pope's authority out of England. Cranmer fufpeéling the defign, before the warrant came down, prepared a true confeffion of his faith, which he carried in his bo- tom to St. Mary's church, on the day of his martyrdom, where he was railed on an eminence, that he might be feen by the people, and hear his own funeral fermon. Never was a more awful and melancholy fpeElacle ; an archbifhop, once the fecond man in the kingdom, now clothed in rags, and a gazing flock to the world ! Cole the preacher magnified `his conver- fion, as the immediate hand of God, and affured himof a great manymaffes tobe Laid for his foul. After fermon he defired Cranmer to declare his own faith, which he did with tears, profefling his belief in the holy fcriptures, and the apoflles creed ; and then came to that, which he faid troubled his confcience more than any thing he had done in his life, and that was, his fubfcribing the abovementioned paper, out of fear of death and love of life and therefore when he came to the fire he was refolved, the hand that figned it, (hould burn fit-ft. The affembly was all in confufion at this dif- appointment ; and the broken- hearted archbifhop (bedding abundance of tears, was led immediately to the flake ; and being tied to it, he flretched out his right hand to the flame, never moving it but once to wipe his face, till it dropt off. He often cried out, That unworthy Hand! which was confumed before the fire reached his body. His laft words were, Lord Jefus receive myfpirit. He died in the 67th year of his age, and the 23 d of his archbifhoprick, and was fucceeded by Cardinal Pool. It is not within the compafs of my defign to writea martyrologyof thefe Further timesi nor to follow bifhop Bonner and his brethren, through the rivers of cruelties. proteflant blood which they (hed. The whole year 1556 was one continued perfecution, in which popery triumphed in all its falfe. and bloody colours. Bonner not content to burn hereticks fingly, lent them by companies to K 2 the
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