De preached on a stage than in a pulpit; for at last you said, I wear a pair of red gloves, I should say bloody gloves,' quoth you, that I should not be cold in the midst of my ceremonies.'

Dr. Barnes answered, “I spa. nothing but the truth, out of the scriptures, according to my conscience, and according to the old doctors." And then he delivered him six sheets of paper written to confirm and corroborate his sentiments.

The cardinal received them smiling, saying, "We perceive then that you intend to stand to your articles, and to show your learning."

"Yea," said Barnes, "that I do by God's grace, with your lordship's favour."

He answered, "Such as you bear us little favour and the catholic church. I will ask you a question; whether do you think it more necessary that I should have all this royalty, because I represent the king's majesty in all the high courts of this realm, to the terror and keeping down of all rebellious treasons, traitors, all the wicked and corrupt members of this commonwealth, or to be as simple as you would have us, to sell all these things, and to give them to the poor, who shortly will cast them into the dirt; and to pull away this princely dignity, which is a terror to the wicked, and to follow your council?"

"I think it necessary," said Barnes, "to be sold and given to the poor. For this is not becoming your calling; nor is the king's majesty maintained by your pomp and poll-axes, but by God, who saith, kings and their majesty reign and stand by me."

Then answered the cardinal, "Lo, master doctors, here is the learned wise man that you told me of." Then they kneeled down and said, "We desire your grace to be good unto him, for he will be reformable."

"Then," said he, "stand you up; for your sakes and the university we will be good unto him.-How say you, master doctor, do you not know that I am able to dispense in all matters concerning religion within this realm, as much as the pope may ?" He said, "I know it to be so.'

"Will you then be ruled by us? and we will do all things for your honesty, and for the honesty of the university." 24*

He answered, "I thank your grace for your good wil, I will stick to the holy scripture, and to God's book, ac cording to the simple talent that God hath lent me.”

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Well," said he, "thou shalt have thy learning tried at the uttermost, and thou shalt have the law."

He was then committed to the custody of the sergeant at arms, who had brought him to London and by whom he was the next morning brought before the bishops; who, on examining the articles of his faith, which he had deli vered to the cardinal, asked him if he would sign them, which he did, and was thereupon committed to the Fleet.

On the Saturday following he was again brought before the bishops, who called upon him to know whether he would abjure or burn. He was then greatly agitated, and felt inclined rather to burn than abjure; but was persuaded by some persons to abjure, which he at length consented to do, and the abjuration being put into his hand, he abjured as it was there written, and then he subscribed it wi his own hand; yet his judges would scarcely receive ha into the bosom of the church as they termed it. Ther they put him to an oath, and charged him to do all that thes commanded him, which he accordingly promised.

He was then again committed to the Fleet; and the next morning was brought to St. Paul's church, with five others who had abjured. Here the cardinal, bishops, and clergy being assembled in great pomp, the bishop of Rochester preached a sermon against the doctrines of Luther and Barnes, during which the latter was commanded to kneel down and ask forgiveness of God, and the catholic church, and the cardinal's grace; after which he was ordered, at the end of the sermon, to declare that he was used mor charitably than he deserved, his heresies being so horrible and so detestable: once more he kneeled, desiring of the people forgiveness and to pray for him. This farce be ing ended, the cardinal departed under a canopy, with the bishops and mitred abbots, who accompanied him to the outer gate of the church, when they returned. Then Barnes, and the others who had abjured, were carried thrice about the fire, after which they were brought to the bishops, and kneeled down for absolution. The bishop of Rochester standing up, declared that Dr. Barnes with the others were received into the church again.

After

which they were recommitted to the Fleet during the cardinal's pleasure.

Dr. Barnes having remained in the Fleet half a year, was placed in the custody of the Austin Friars in London; from whence he was removed to the Austin Friars of Northampton, there to be burned; of which intention, however, he was perfectly ignorant. Being informed of the base designs of his enemies, however, he, by a stratagem, escaped, and reached Antwerp, where he dwelt in safety, and was honoured with the friendship of the best and most eminent reformers of the time, as Luther, Melancthon, the duke of Saxony, and others. Indeed, so great was his reputation, that the king of Denmark sent him as one of his ambassadors to England; when sir Thomas More, at that time lord chancellor, wished to have him apprehended on the former charge. Henry, however, would not allow of this, considering it as a breach of the most sacred laws, to offer violence to the person of an ambassador, under any pretence. Barnes therefore remained in England unmolested; and departed again without restraint. He returned to Wittemberg, where he remained to forward his works in print which he had begun, after which he returned again to England, and continued a faithful preacher in London, being well entertained and promoted during the ascendency of Anne Boleyn. He was afterward sent ambassador by Henry to the duke of Cleves, upon the business of the marriage between Anne of Cleves and the king; and gave great satisfaction in every duty which was entrusted to him.

Not long after the arrival of Gardiner from France, Dr. Barnes and other reformed preachers, were apprehended and carried before the king at Hampton Court, where Barnes was examined. The king being desirous to bring about an agreement between him and Gardiner, granted him leave to go home with the bishop to confer with him. But they not agreeing, Gardiner and his party sought to entangle and entrap Barnes and his friends in further danger, which not long after was brought to pass. For, by certain complaints made to the king of them, they were enjoined to preach three sermons the following Easter at the Spittle; at which sermons, besides other reporters which were sent thither, Stephen Gardiner also was there

present, sitting with the mayor, either to bear record of their recantation, or else, as the Pharisees came to Christ, to ensnare them in their talk, if they should speak any thing amiss. Barnes preached first; and at the conclusion of his sermon, requested Gardiner, if he thought he had said nothing contradictory to truth, to hold up his hand in the face of all present; upon which Gardiner immediately held up his finger. Notwithstanding this, they were all three sent for to Hampton Court, whence they were conducted to the Tower, where they remained till they were brought out to death.

Story of Thomas Garret.

Thomas Garret was a curate of London. About the year 1526, he came to Oxford, and brought with him sundry books in Latin, treating of the Scriptures, with the first part of Unio dissidentium, and Tindal's first translation of the New Testament in English, which books he sold to several scholars in Oxford.

After he had been there awhile, and had disposed of those books, news came from London that he was sought for in that city, to be apprehended as a heretic, and to be imprisoned for selling those heretical publications, as they were termed. For it was not unknown to cardinal Wolsey, the bishop of London, and others, that Mr. Garret had a great number of those books, and that he was gone to Oxford to sell them, to such as he knew to be lovers of the gospel. Wherefore they determined to make a privy search through all Oxford, to apprehend and imprison him, and to burn all his books, and him too if they could. But, happily, one of the proctors gave Mr. Garret secret warning of this privy search, and advised that he should immediately and privately depart from Oxford.

By means of another friend, a curacy was procured for him in Dorsetshire, and he set out for that country, but being waylaid by his enemies, was unable to proceed, and therefore returned to Oxford, where he was, on the same night, apprehended in his bed, and was ordered, by the commissary of the University, to be confined in his own chamber, till further directions were received respecting him. He escaped in disguise, but was retaken, and being

convicted as a heretic, carried a fagot in token of his abjuration, at St. Mary's church, in Oxford; after which we neet with nothing further respecting him till his apprehension with Dr. Barnes.

Story of William Jerome.

William Jerome was vicar of Stepney, and being convinced of, and disgusted at, the errors of the church of Rome, he preached with great zeal, and set up the purs and simple doctrines of the gospel against the perversions and traditions of man. Thus proceeding, he soon became known to the enemies of truth, who watched him with malignant jealousy.

At length, in a sermon at St. Paul's, on the fourth Sunday in Lent, wherein he dwelt upon the justification by faith, he so offended the legal preachers of the day, that he was summoned before the king at Westminster, and there accused of heresy.

It was urged against him, that he had insisted, according to St. Paul, in Galatians iv. "That the children of Sarah (allegorically used for the children of the promise) were all born free, and, independent of baptism, or of penance, were, through faith, made heirs of God." A Dr. Wilson argued against him, and strongly opposed this doctrine. But Jerome defended it with all the force of truth, and said, "that although good works were the means of salvation, yet that they followed as a consequence of faith, whose fruits they were, and which discovered their root, even as good fruit proves a good tree."

Notwithstanding his arguments, so inveterate were his enemies, and so deluded was the king, that he was com mitted to the Tower, in company with the other two so diers of Christ, Barnes and Garret.

Burning of Barnes Garret and Jerome

Here they remained, while a process ensued against them by the king's council in parliament, by whom, without any hearing, or knowledge of their fate, they were attainted of heresy, and sentenced to be burned. On the 30th of the following June, therefore, they were brought