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the stake, the one after the other; when, first, Doctor Ridley entering the place, marvellously earnestly holding up both his hands, looked towards heaven; then, shortly after, espying Master Latimer, with a monstrous cheerful look, he ran to him, embraced and kissed him; and, as they that stood near reported, comforted him, saying Be of good heart, brother, for God will either assuage the fury of the flame, or else strengthen us to abide it.' With that went he to the stake by it, kissed it, and effectuously prayed; and behind him, Master Latimer, as earnestly calling upon God as he. After they arose, the one talked with the other a little while, till they, which were appointed to see execution, removed themselves out of the sun. What they said I can learn of no man.

When Dr. Smith began his sermon to them upon this text of St. Paul, in the 13th chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians, "If I give my body to the fire to be burnt, and have not charity, I shall gain nothing thereby." Wherein he alledged that the goodness of the cause, and not the order of death, maketh the holiness of the person; which he confirmed by the example of Judas, and of a woman in Oxford that of late hanged herself; for that they, and such like as he recited, might then be adjudged righteous, which desperately sundered their lives from their bodies, as he feared that those men who stood before him would do; but he cried still to the people to beware of them, for they were heretics, and died out of the church; and, on the other side, he declared their diversities in opinion, as Lutherans, Ecolampadians, Zuinglians, of which sect they were, he said, and that was the worst. But the old church of Christ and the catholic faith, believed far otherwise. At which place they lifted up both their hands and eyes to heaven, as it were, calling God to witness of the truth, the which countenance they made in many other places of his sermon, whereas they thought he spake amiss. He ended with a very short exhortation to them to recant, and to come home again to the church, and save their lives and souls, which else were condemned. sermon was scant in all a quarter of an hour.

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Doctor Ridley said to Master Latimer, "Will you begin to answer the sermon, or shall I?" Master Latimer said, Begin you first, I pray you." "I will," said Doctor Ridley,

Then the wicked sermon being ended, Doctor Ridley and Master Latimer kneeled down upon their knees towards my Lord Williams of Tame, the vice chancellor of Oxford, and divers other commissioners, appointed for that purpose, which sate upon a form thereby, unto whom Doctor Ridley said, "I beseech you, my lord, even for Christ's sake, that I may speak out two or three words;" and, whilst my lord bent his head to the mates and vice chancellor, to know (as it appeared) whether

he might give him leave to speak, the bailiffs, and Doctor Marshall, vice chancellor, ran hastily unto him, and with their hands stopped his mouth, and said, "Master Ridley, if you will revoke your erroneous opinions, and recant the same, you shall not only have liberty so to do, but also the benefit of a subject, that is, have your life." "Not otherwise," said Master Ridley. "No," quoth Doctor Marshall; "therefore if you will not so do, then there is no remedy but you must suffer for your deserts.' "Well, (quoth Doctor Ridley,) so long as the breath is in my body I will never deny my Lord Christ and his known truth: God's will be done in me.' And with that he rose up, and said, with a loud voice, "Well, then, I commit our cause to Almighty God, which shall indifferently judge all."

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To whose saying, Master Latimer added his old posie : Well, there is nothing hid but it shall be opened;" and he said he could answer Smith well enough if he might be suffered. Incontinently they were commanded to make them ready, which they, with all meekness, obeyed. Master Ridley took his gown and his tippet, and gave it to his brother-in-law, Master Shipside, who, all his time of imprisonment, although he might not be suffered to come to him, lay there, at his own charges, to provide him necessaries, which, from time to time, he sent him by the serjeant, that kept him. Some other of his apparel, that was little worth, he gave away, other the bailiffs took.

He gave away, besides, divers other small things to gentlemen standing by, and divers of them pitifully weeping. As to Sir Henry Lea he gave a new groat; and to divers of my Lord Williams' gentlemen, some napkins, some nutmegs, and races of ginger, his dial, and such other things as he had about him to every one that stood next him. Some plucked the points off his hose happy was he that might get any rag of him.

Master Latimer gave nothing, but very quietly suffered his keeper to pull off his hose and his other array, which to look unto was very simple; and being stripped into his shroud, he seemed as comely a person to them that were there present, as one should lightly see; and whereas in his clothes he appeared a crooked and silly old man, he now stood bolt upright as comely a father as one might lightly behold.

Then Master Ridley, standing as yet in his truss, said to his brother, "It were best for me to go in my truss still ?"" No, quoth his brother," it will put you to more pain, and the truss may do a poor man good." Whereunto Master Ridley said, "Be it in the name of God," and so unlaced himself. Then being in his shirt, he stood upon the foresaid stone, and held up his hands and said, "Oh! heavenly Father, I give thee most hearty thanks for that thou hast called me to be a pro

fessor of thee, even unto death: I beseech thee, Lord God, take mercy upon this realm of England, and deliver the same from all her enemies."

Then the smith took a chain of iron and brought the same about both Doctor Ridley's and Master Latimer's middles; and as he was knocking in a staple, Doctor Ridley took the chain in his hand and shaked the same, for it did gird in his belly, and looked aside to the smith, said, “ Good fellow, knock it in hard, for the flesh will have.his course." Then his brother did bring him gunpowder in a bag, and would have tied the same about his neck; Master Ridley asked what it was; his brother said, "Gunpowder;" then, said he, "I will take it to be sent of God, therefore I will receive it as sent of him. And have you any," said he, " for my brother?" meaning Master Latimer. "Yea, that I have," (quoth his brother) "then give it unto him," said he, "betime, lest ye come too late.” So his brother went and carried of the same gunpowder unto Master Latimer.

In the mean time, Doctor Ridley spake unto my Lord Williams, and said, My lord, I must be a suiter unto your lordship in the behalf of divers poor men, and especially in the cause of my poor sister. I have made a supplication to the queen's majesty in their behalves. I beseech your lordship, for Christ's sake, to be a mean to her grace for them. My brother here hath the supplication, and will resort to your lordship to certify you hereof. There is nothing in all the world that troubleth my conscience, (I praise God,) this only excepted. Whilst I was in the Tower of London, divers old men took leases of me, and agreed with me for the same; now I hear say, the bishop, that now occupieth the same room, will not allow my grants unto them made, but contrary to all law and conscience hath taken from them their livings, and will not suffer them to enjoy the same. I beseech you, my lord, be a mean for them, you shall do a good deed, and God will reward you.

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Then they brought a faggot kindled with fire, and laid the same down at Dr. Ridley's feet. To whom M. Latimer spake in this manner: "Be of good comfort D. Ridley, and play the man, we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as, I trust, shall never be put out."

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And so the fire being given unto them, when Dr. Ridley saw the fire flaming up towards him, he cried with a wonderful loud voice, In manus tuas Domine commendo spiritum meum; Domine recipe spiritum meum! And after repeating this latter part often in English, "Lord, Lord, receive my spirit !" Master Latimer crying on the other side, Oh, Father of heaven receive my soul! who received the flame, as it were embracing of it. After that he had stroaked his face with his hands, and as it were

bathed them a little in the fire, he soon died, as it appeareth, with very little pain or none. And thus much concerning the end of this old and blessed servant of God, Master Latimer, for whose laborious travel, fruitful life, and constant death, the whole realm hath cause to give thanks to God.

But Master Ridley, by reason of the evil making of the fire unto him, because the wooden faggots were laid about the gosse, and over high built, the fire burned first beneath, being kept down by the wood, which, when he felt, he desired them for Christ's sake, to let the fire come unto him; which, when his brother-in-law heard, but not well understood, intending to rid him out of his pain, (for the which cause he gave attendance,) as one in such sorrow, not well advised what he did, heaped faggots upon him, so that he clean covered him, which made the fire more vehement beneath, that it burned clean all his nether parts, before it once touched the upper, and that made him leap up and down under the faggots, and often desire them to let the fire come unto him, saying, I cannot burn; which, indeed, appeared well, for after his legs were consumed, by reason of his struggling through the pain, (whereof he had no release but only his contentation in God,) he showed that side. towards us clean, shirt and all untouched with flame. Yet, in all this torment, he forgot not to call unto God, still having in his mouth, "Lord, have mercy upon me!" intermingling his cry, "Let the fire come unto me, I cannot burn." In which pain, he laboured till one of the standers by, with his bill, pulled off the faggots above, and where he saw the fire flame up, he pressed himself into that side; and when the flame touched the gunpowder, he was seen to stir no more, but burned on the other side, falling down at Master Latimer's feet. Which, some said, happened by reason that the chain loosed: others said that he fell over the chain by reason of the poise of his body, and the weakness of the limbs. Some said, that before he was like to fall from the stake, he desired them to hold him to it with their bills. However it was, surely it moved hundreds to tears, in beholding the horrible sight. For I think there was none that had not clean exiled all humanity and mercy, which would not have lamented to behold the fury of the fire so to rage upon their bodies. Signs there were of sorrow on every side. Some took it grievously to see their deaths, whose lives they had held full dear. Some pitied their persons, that thought their souls had no need thereof. His brother moved many men, seeing his miserable case, seeing (I say) him compelled to such infelicity, that he thought then to do him best service when he hastened his end. Some cried, out of the luck to see his endeavour who most dearly loved him, and sought his release, turn to his greater vexation and increase of pain. But whoso

considered their preferment in time past, the places of honour that they sometime occupied in this commonwealth, the favour they were in with their princes, and the opinion of learning they had, could not choose but sorrow with tears, to see so great dignity, honour, and estimation, so necessary members sometime accounted, so many godly virtues, the study of so many years, such excellent learning, to be put into the fire and consumed in one moment. Well, dead they are, and the reward of this world they have already. What reward remaineth for them in heaven, the day of the Lord's glory, when he cometh with his saints, shall shortly, I trust, declare.

ART. VIII.-Memoirs of the Duke of Sully, Prime Minister of Henry the Great; with the Trial of Francis Ravaillac, for the Murder of Henry the Great. 1649.

If we except those solemn inquiries connected with his future existence, there is no subject of research or consideration so interesting and important to man as that of history. It is the golden chain by which we fathom the depths of time, and obtain the lessons of experience every link, however remote, is full of vitality-the errors and sufferings, the melancholy degradations, and the glorious capabilities of our nature, pass in procession before us; and we feel a conscious relationship to every performer in the great drama of human life, of which we cannot be sensible in any other branch of philosophic pursuit, or scientific examination.

To the historian we are indebted not only for distant records and insulated facts, but that developement of the progress of existence, which renders recollections of the past a code of instruction for the future; through every gradation of intellect, every impulse of passion, and peculiarity of situation, he traces the slowly-forming organizations of civilized legislature, the duties of social life, and the virtues which belong to its complicated and extended claims. Philanthropy, patriotism, the love of liberty, the approbation of order, the energies of valour, the attachments of loyalty, the affections of humanity, spring successively in the bosom, as we peruse the page which unites us in the trials, conduct, and feelings of our departed brethren; and even when, sickened with the review of crime and suffering, we turn from the scene, yet we are rendered rather humble than misanthropic, from the contemplation

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