THE BOOK OF MARTYRS. 113 engravings which told the terrible tale still more vividly to young children and unlettered rustics, it did more than all other books to suffuse a halo around the martyr names, and perpetuate a wholesome dread of Popery. And what added unspeakably to its value was the affectionate diligence with which the faithful chronicler preserved the history of the humblest sufferers. It was not only the beheading of the Lady Jane, or the burning of Archbishop Cranmer, but the extent of the danger and the greatness of the deliverance came home to every craftsman's workshop and every cottage fireside, when people listened to the martyrdom of John Noyes the shoemaker, or Matthew Plaise the weaver, or to the "tragical, lamentable, and pitiful history, full of most cruel and tyrannical murder, done by the pretensed Catholics upon three women and an infant in the Isle of Guernsey.” With one or two of the shorter narratives contained in these painful but unimpeachable records, we close this portion of our survey. The Burning of Dr Rowland Taylor. "The night after he was degraded, his wife and son Thomas resorted unto him, and were, by the gentleness of the keepers, permitted to sup with him. For this difference was ever found between the keepers of the bishops' prisons and the keepers of the king's prisons, that the bishops' keepers were ever cruel, blasphemous, and tyrannous, like their masters; but the keepers of the king's prisons shewed, for the most part, as much favour as they possibly might. So came Dr Taylor's wife, his son, and A careful reprint of "The Acts and Monuments" appeared in 1839, in eight large octavos, carefully edited by the Rev. S. R. Cattley, M.A., and accompanied by a biographical dissertation from the pen of the late warm-hearted and truly learned Dr Townsend of Durham. It is said that Archbishop Laud ordered Foxe's Martyrology, along with Bishop Jewel s Reply to Harding, to be removed from the churches. See Brook's Puritans, vol. i., 333. John Hull his servant, to sup with him; and at their coming-in afore supper, they kneeled down and prayed, saying the Litany. After supper, walking up and down, he gave God thanks for his grace, that had so called him, and given him strength to abide by his holy word; and turning to his son Thomas, he said- My dear son, Almighty God bless thee, and give thee his Holy Spirit to be a true servant of Christ, to learn his word, and constantly to stand by His truth all thy life long. And, my son, see that thou fear God always. Flee from all sin and wicked living: be virtuous, serve God with daily prayer, and apply thy book. In any wise, see that thou be obedient to thy mother love her and serve her be ruled by her now in thy youth, and follow her good counsel in all things. Beware of lewd company, of young men that fear not God, but follow their lewd lusts and vain appetites. Another day, when God shall bless thee, love and cherish the poor people, and count that thy chief riches is to be rich in alms. And when thy mother is waxed old, forsake her not, but provide for her to thy power, and see that she lack nothing; for so will God bless thee, and give thee long life upon earth, and prosperity,-which I pray God to grant thee.' "Then, turning to his wife, he said thus:-'My dear wife, continue steadfast in the fear and love of God; keep yourself undefiled from their popish idolatries and superstitions. I have been unto you a faithful yoke-fellow, and so have you been unto me; for the which I pray God to reward you; and doubt not, dear wife, but God will reward it. Now the time is come that I shall be taken from you, and you discharged of the wedlock-bond towards me; therefore I will give you my counsel what I think most expedient for you. You are yet young, and therefore it will be most convenient for you to marry. For doubtless you shall never be at a convenient stay for yourself and our poor children, nor out of trouble, till you be married. Therefore, as soon as God will provide it, marry with some DR ROWLAND TAYLOR. honest, faithful man, that feareth God. 115 Doubt you not, God will provide an honest husband for you, and he will be a merciful Father to you and to my children; whom I pray you bring up in the fear of God, and in learning, to the uttermost of your power, and keep them from this Romish idolatry.' "When he had thus said, they with weeping tears prayed together, and kissed one the other. And he gave to his wife a book of the church-service, set out by King Edward, which he, in the time of his imprisonment, daily used. And unto his son Thomas he gave a Latin book, containing the notable sayings of the old martyrs, gathered out of 'Ecclesiastica Historia;' and in the end of that book he wrote his testament and last 'vale,' as hereafter followeth : The last will and testament of Dr Rowland Taylor, parson of Hadley, written in the book which he gave to his son. "I say to my wife, and to my children, The Lord gave you unto me, and the Lord hath taken me from you, and you from me: blessed be the name of the Lord! I believe that they are blessed which die in the Lord. God careth for sparrows, and for the hairs of our heads. I have ever found Him more faithful and favourable than is any father or husband. Trust ye, therefore, in Him, by the means of our dear Saviour Christ's merits: believe, love, fear, and obey Him: pray to Him, for He hath promised to help. Count me not dead, for I shall certainly live and never die. after, to our long home. I go before, and you shall follow I go to the rest of my children, Susan, George, Ellen, Robert, and Zachary : I have bequeathed you to the only Omnipotent. I say to my dear friends of Hadley, and to all others which have heard me preach, that I depart hence with a quiet conscience as touching my doctrine, for the which I pray you thank God with me. For I have, after my little talent, declared to others those lessons that I gathered out of God's book, the blessed Bible. Therefore if I, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any other gospel than that ye have received, God's great curse upon that preacher ! "Beware, for God's sake, that ye deny not God, neither decline from the word of faith, lest God decline from you, and so do ye everlastingly perish. For God's sake, beware of Popery; for though it appear to have in it unity, yet the same is vanity and antichristianity, and not in Christ's faith and verity. "Beware of the sin against the Holy Ghost, now after such a light opened so plainly and simply, truly, thoroughly, and generally, to all England. "The Lord grant all men his good and holy Spirit, increase of His wisdom, contemning the wicked world, hearty desire to be with God and the heavenly company; through Jesus Christ, our only Mediator, Advocate, righteousness, life, sanctification, and hope. Amen, amen. Pray, pray. "Departing hence in sure hope, without all doubting of ""The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom then shall I fear?" """God is he that justifieth: who is he that can condemn ?” """In thee, O Lord, have I trusted: let me never be confounded." "On the next morrow after that Dr Taylor had supped with his wife in the compter, as is before expressed, which was the 5th day of February, the sheriff of London, with his officers, came to the compter, by two o'clock in the morning, and so brought forth Dr Taylor, and without any light led him to 'The Woolsack,' an inn without Aldgate. Dr Taylor's wife, suspecting that her husband should that night be carried away, watched all night in St Botolph's church-porch, beside Aldgate, having PARTING WITH HIS FAMILY. 117 with her two children, the one named Elisabeth, of thirteen years of age (whom, being left without father or mother, Dr Taylor had brought up of alms from three years old), the other named Mary, Dr Taylor's own daughter. "Now, when the sheriff and his company came against St Botolph's Church, Elisabeth cried, saying, 'O my dear father! mother, mother, here is my father led away!' Then cried his wife, Rowland, Rowland, where art thou?' for it was a very dark morning, that the one could not see the other. Dr Taylor answered, 'Dear wife, I am here;' and staid. The sheriff's men would have led him forth, but the sheriff said, 'Stay a little, masters, I pray you, and let him speak to his wife;' and so they staid. "Then came she to him, and he took his daughter Mary in his arms; and he, his wife, and Elisabeth kneeled down, and said the Lord's Prayer. At which sight the sheriff wept apace, and so did divers others of the company. After they had prayed, he rose up and kissed his wife, and shook her by the hand, and said, Farewell, my dear wife; be of good comfort, for I am quiet in my conscience. God shall stir up a father for my children.' And then he kissed his daughter Mary, and said, 'God bless thee, and make thee His servant;' and, kissing Elisabeth, he said, 'God bless thee. I pray you all stand strong and steadfast unto Christ and his word, and keep you from idolatry.' Then said his wife, 'God be with thee, dear Rowland; I will, with God's grace, meet thee at Hadley.' "And so was he led forth to the Woolsack, and his wife followed him. As soon as they came to the Woolsack, he was put into a chamber, wherein he was kept with four yeomen of the guard, and the sheriff's men. Dr Taylor, as soon as he was come into the chamber, fell down on his knees, and gave himself wholly to prayer. The sheriff then, seeing Dr Taylor's wife there, would in no case grant her to speak any more to |