the parson of Honey-lane, eighteen New Testaments of the small volume; and that about Christmas, 1527, a Dutchman, who in Easter following was a prisoner in the Fleet, offered him 300 copies for 161. 5s.: this was probably John Raimund. Awful were the torments inflicted upon those who, in disobedience to the proclamation, dared to read this proscribed book. An aged labourer, father Harding, was seen reading by a wood side, while his more fashionable neighbours were gone to hear mass. His house was broken open, and under the flooring boards were discovered English books of holy scripture: the poor old man was hurried to prison, and thence to the stake, where he was brutally treated, and his body burnt to ashes. The rigour with which these books were suppressed, would naturally excite a strong desire to possess them. It was also calculated to awaken an intense interest in examining their contents. Imminent danger attending the enjoyment of religious observances has a tendency to exalt the mind to the happiest state of feeling which those privileges are capable of producing. Such must have been the case with poor old Harding, who had been imprisoned some years before on the charge of heresy, and knew that there was no mercy extended to a second offence; yet in secret, by the wood side, with the Testament in his hand, he took repeated draughts of the water of life; or, secluded in his humble cottage, he raised the floor, found the precious but forbidden book, and richly enjoyed the heavenly food. With excited feelings, he might imagine that the voice of the inspired writer was peculiarly addressed to him, "Eat, O friend, drink, yea drink abundantly, O beloved." The most powerful or learned of men might envy such moments, enjoyed by a poor old persecuted labourer. Many were fined, imprisoned, and put to death for reading the New Testament. Lawrence Staple was persecuted in 1531 for concealing four copies in his sleeve, and giving them to Bilney, who was burnt. Staple saved his life by abjuring. The sentence of the court of Star Chamber upon John Tyndale, a merchant of London, a brother of the martyr, and Thomas Patmore, a merchant, was mild in comparison with that on Harding. It was, "That each of them should be set upon a horse, and their faces to the horse's tail, and to have papers upon their heads, and upon their gowns or cloaks to be tacked or pinned with the said New Testaments and other books, and at the standard in Chepe should be made a great fire, whereinto every of them should throw their said books, and farther to abide such fines to be paid to the king as should be assessed upon them."* The fine, according to Fox, was to a ruinous amount. What a spectacle to the citizens, two of their wealthy and honourable Lombard merchants treated with indignities, imprisonment and fine, for having the New Testament in their possession! In mercy the progress of the reformation was slow: had it been a rapid revolution, the spirit of retaliation might have produced most awful consequences. The persecution was extended by the influence of Wolsey to Antwerp. Richard Herman, a merchant and citizen, "for that he dyd bothe with his gooddis and pollicie, to his great hurt and hynderans in this world, helpe to the settyng forthe of the Newe Testament in Englisshe," was expelled from his freedom in the company of British merchants. Queen Boleyn made an order for his restoration under her hand and seal, May 14, 1535.† Hollinshed, the historian, with great simplicity states the natural result of prohibition. "Diuers persons that were detected to vse reading of the New Testament, set forth by Tindale, were punished by order of Sir T. More, who helde greatly against such bookes, but still the number of them dayly encreased." The burning of God's word was advocated by the church of Rome, and approved by one of her ablest defenders, more than fifty years after it was perpetrated. Dr. Martin, reader of divinity to the College at Douay, says: "The Catholicke church of our countrie did not il to forbid and burne suche bookes which were so translated by Tyndal and the like, as being not in deede God's booke, word, or scripture, but the Diuels word." To which Fulke replied, "Neither can your heathenish and barbarous burning of ↑ Idem. State paper, British Museum. Martin's Discoverie of the Corruptions of Holy Scripture, p. 65; and Fulke's Reply to Martin, p. 143, edit. 8vo. 1583. the holy scripture so translated, nor your blasphemie in calling it the Deuils worde, be excused for any fault in translation which you have discouered as yet, or euer shall be able to descrye." Tyndale frequently adverts to the burning of the New Testament, and he anticipated with pious resignation the fiery test by which his faith was to be tried. "Some man wil aske parauenture why I take the laboure to make this worke, in so moch as they will brunne it, seinge they brunt the gospel. I answere in brunninge the New Testamente they did none other thinge then I loked for, no more shal they doo if the brunne me also, if it be Gods will it shall be so.' At the close of one of his most interesting tracts, he says, "Whoso fyndythe or redythe this lettre, put it furthe in examynacyon, and suffre it not to be hydde or destroyed, but multyplyed, for no man knoweth what proffyt may come therof. For he that compiled it, purposyth with Goddes helpe to mayntayne vnto the deathe, yf neade be. And therfore all Christen men and women, praye that the worde of God maye be vnbounde, and delyuered from the power of Antichrist, and renne amonge his people. Amen.”† Great zeal was manifested to decry the translation as heretical. Bishop Tonstall declared that there were more than two thousand heresies in it. If he meant that there were more than two thousand texts in the New Testament against popery, it would be difficult to controvert his assertion. The prior of Newnham Abbey, in 1527, wrote to the bishop of Lincoln, relative to opinions called heretical, held by George Joye, of Peter College, Cambridge. The first heresy of which he complained was, that a simple preacher might be the means of a sinner's conversion, and had the same power of binding and loosing as a pope, cardinal, or bishop. The prior also says, "that the scripture in Englisshe wold make sedition, brede errours and heresies, and so be euell." Joy replied: "Wo be to you that say that thing which is good to be euell, and that which is sweet to Preface to the Wicked Mammon. + End of his "Compendious olde Treatyse, shewyng how that the people ought to have the Scryptures in Englyssh," be bitter." Thus is the holye, cleare, good and swete gospell of Christe belyed and blasphemed of you. It is only unsavery, kovered and darke to you that peryshe." Fuller, referring to the hostility of the monks and prelates, relates a melancholy instance of those feelings having extended to a civil officer of the corporation of London. "When Tyndale's translation came over to England, O how were the popish clergy cut to the heart. How did their blear eyes smart at the shining of the Gospel in the vulgar tongue. Hall heard the town clerk of London swear a great oath, that he would cut his own throat rather than the Gospel should be read in English, but he brake promes and hanged himself." " Robert Ridley, a priest,† wrote "to maister Henry Golde, chaplayne to my lorde of Canterbury," a letter in which he uses language in all probability current at the time. "No man would receaue a gospell of soch damned and practised heretikes, thow it wer trew." From his remarks, he must have read the edition with glosses. He charges Tyndale with having in his preface treated moral conduct with indifference. The marginal note which directs to the paragraph so captiously criticised is: "A trewe christyn man beleueth that hevyn ys hys alredy by christes purchesinge, and therfore loveth, and worketh, to honoure god only, and to drawe althinges to God." The point at issue was this: The duty of man being to love God with all his heart, and his neighbour as himself, whether he could do more than his duty, and by such works of supererogation merit the forgiveness of past sins, and even set over some of their meritorious works to the account of others. This Tyndale denies, ascribing all the merit of the forgiveness of sins to the Saviour only; and he maintains that the happy, holy influence of a good hope through faith will cause the sinner so freely pardoned, to devote himself to the glory of God by promoting the happiness of man. Thus he argues: "As no naturall sonne that is his father's heyre, doeth his *Church History, book 5. + Original in British Museum. p. 17. Essex, referred to at Ridley was present at the examination of Pykas in father's will be cause he wolde be heyre, that he is alreddy be birth :-but of puer love doeth he that he doeth. And axe him why he doeth eny thynge that he doeth, he answereth: my father bade, it is my father's will, it pleaseth my father. Bond seruauntes worke for hyre, children for love; for there father, with all he hath, is theres alreddy. So doeth a christen man frely all that he doeth, considereth nothynge but the will of God, and his neghboures wealth only. Yf y live chaste, I doo hit nott te obteyne heven therby, For then shulde y doo wronge to the bloud of Christ: Christes bloud hath obteyned me that. Nether that.y loke for an hyer roume in heven, then they shall have whych live in wedlocke, other then a hoare of the stewes, yf she repent." These are sentiments totally opposed to the inference drawn from them by the angry priest. Ridley then proceeds to find fault with the text: "by this translation shal we losse al thes cristian wordes, penaunce, charite, confession, grace, prest, chirch which he alway calleth a congregation. ye shal not neede to accuse this translation. It is accused and damned by the consent of the prelates and lerned men. And commanded to be brynt both heir and beyonde the see, wher is mony hundreth of them brynt. So that it is to layt now to offer reson why that be condempned, and whiche be the fawte and errours. Shew the people, that ye be maid to declare vnto them that these bowkes be condemned by the Cownsell, and profownde examinacion of the prelates and fathers of the chirche." The reformers were victorious in argument. The only triumph (if such it can be called) of the enemies to the spread of scriptural knowledge, was the burning such as they could not silence in controversy, however unimpeachable their morals, bright and holy their piety, and useful their lives. [D] |