Gardiner, the unlucky artist received a violent reprimand, was called " villain and traitor," and had to daub over the book and paint a glove in its room-in doing which, as the story goes, he spoiled the king's hand, for he "wiped away a portion of the fingers withal."* Scripture texts had been painted on the walls of churches, but in October, 1554, a mandate came from Bonner, now Bishop of London, forbidding the practice, and commanding churchwardens and parishioners to "abolish and extinguish such manner of Scriptures, so that by no means they be either read or seen. If after monition this was neglected to be done, parish priests were to cause the aforesaid Scriptures to be razed, abolished, and extinguished forthwith."

In 1555 a London apprentice, found reading his Bible in Brentwood Church, was told by a priest that "it was never merry world, since the Bible came forth in English." After this he was accused of heretical opinions relative to the Lord's Supper; and on that account, not as the penalty of his Bible reading, he was condemned to the stake, and suffered death accordingly, in the village of Brentwood. "In my little pain which I shall suffer," said the youth, "which is but a short braid, Christ hath promised me, mother, a crown of joy; may you not be glad of that, mother?" She knelt down and cried, "I pray God strengthen thee, my son, to the end. Yea, I think thee as well bestowed as any child that I ever bare." †

The press now ceased to be employed in Bible printing. No new editions appeared whilst Mary occupied the throne; and in June, 1555, a proclamation appeared, forbidding the importation of works by Tyndale, Coverdale, Cranmer, Fryth, Latimer, Hooper, and others.

Eadie, vol. i. p. 427.

+ Foxe, vol. vi. pp. 723, 727.

Amongst the martyrs of Queen Mary's reign were two men who have come before us in these pages, both zealous in promoting the printing and circulation of the English Bible. The first is John Rogers, who took the lead in suffering, and "bravely brake the ice." After editing Matthew's Bible, he had charge of a congregation at Wittemberg, being sufficiently acquainted with the German language for that purpose.* It is interesting to think of this Englishman residing at the head-quarters of the Saxon Reformation, walking up and down these quaint streets, and dropping in at Luther's lodgings in the Augustinian convent, or at Melancthon's house in the Main Strasse. He returned to England under Edward VI., and became Canon of St. Paul's and a lecturer on divinity, holding at the same time the vicarage of St. Sepulchre. Tried and condemned as an obstinate heretic in January, 1553, he suffered from the revival of Henry IV.'s Act, "de heretico comburendo;" and in connexion with his martyrdom one of those touching scenes occurred, which at the time, as witnessed by immense crowds, and afterwards as related in the chimney-nooks of England, did more than anything else, save the circulation of the Bible, to strengthen the Protestantism of our fathers. Rogers asked Gardiner that his wife, being a foreigner, might be allowed to visit him, "for," said he, "she hath ten children, which are hers and mine, and somewhat I would counsel her what were best for her to do." "No," replied the chancellor; "she is not thy wife. She shall not come to thee." "Then I have tired out all your charity," was the good man's meek reply. On February 4th he was led forth to execution from the walls of Newgate; on the way, probably by the corner of St. Sepulchre's Church, where the martyr had been vicar, Foxe, vol. vi. p. 591.

and which is just opposite the prison, stood the poor German stranger, with her children, one a babe at the mother's breast. The sheriffs led the victim to Smithfield, priests and others chanting the Miserere, and "all the people,” no doubt including many of his old parishioners, "wonderfully rejoicing at his constancy, with great praises and thanks to God for the same." "The fire was put under him, and when it had taken hold both upon his legs and shoulders, he, as one feeling no smart, waved his hand in the flame, as though it had been cold water. And after lifting up his hands unto heaven, not removing the same until such time as the devouring fire had consumed them, most mildly this happy martyr yielded up his spirit into the hands of his heavenly Father.” *

The death of Cranmer at Oxford need not be described. Community in suffering, as well as in labour, links his name to those of Tyndale and Rogers, who had preceded him, as in Bible work, so also in pains and penalties along the fiery way. And if the infirmity of the man triumphed over the heroism of the Christian, there was not wanting in the case of the faltering archbishop, at last, a strength of faith which made him more than conqueror, and illumined his exit from the world with radiance, like a broad flash bursting from the smoke which enveloped and darkened the pyre.

Coverdale narrowly escaped. Through solicitation on his behalf addressed by his brother-in-law to the King of Denmark, that monarch wrote to Queen Mary for his liberation and pardon, supposing he was in prison. She wrote back that he was not under restraint for his religion, but because of debts he owed the Crown. She again wrote * Foxe, vol. vi. p. 611.