to ask.

Mr Rogers, being sentenced to be burned, and remanded back to prison, was on Monday morning, the fourth day of February, 1555, awakened out of a very sound sleep, with great difficulty, by the keeper's wife, who suddenly warned him to make haste and prepare himself for the fire. If it be so, said he, I need not tie my points."-He was then had down to bishop Bonner, who degraded him; of whom (he said) he had one favour Bonner asked what that should be: 66 Nothing, "answered Mr Rogers, but that I may speak a few "words to my wife before my burning." This request not being granted; he added, "You declare your charity, what it is." The time being come, he was brought out to Newgate, and delivered up to the sheriffs of London to be taken to Smithfield; one of whom said, Mr Rogers, will you revoke your abominable doctrine, • and your evil opinion of the sacrament of the altar?' Mr Rogers answered, "That, which I have preached, "I will seal with my blood." Then, (said the 'sheriff,) thou art an heretic.' "That shall be known, (replied "Mr Rogers,) at the day of judgment." Well, (said the sheriff,) I will never pray for thee.' "But I will "pray for you," said Mr Rogers; and so they proceeded towards Smithfield; Mr Rogers saying the 51st Psalm, and the people exceedingly rejoicing and giving thanks to God for his constancy. His wife and ten children by her side, with one at her breast, met him by the way, being the only opportunity they had even of seeing one another any more in the flesh; but neither did this very affecting scene seem in the least to shake his confidence, so graciously was he supported, in the trying hour, by HIM, who hath promised, I will never, never, leave thee; never, never, forsake thee. When he came to the stake, he shewed great constancy and patience; but not being suffered to speak many words, he briefly exhorted the people steadily to remain in that faith and true doctrine, which he had before taught them, and for the confirmation of which he was not only content patiently

to

day, who announce the fame creed with their bloody fore-fathers, will not, whenever it is in their power, be found in their forefathers' cruel practices; especially when, through ignorance and fuperftition, they believe, that while they kill you, they do God fervice? in short; almost every doctrine, they hold, is framed to footh the pride, and flatter the vanity of fallen mar, and calculated to gratify thofe fenfual paffions and defires, which rule in a heart deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.

to suffer all such bitterness and cruelty, as had been already shewn him, but also most gladly to resign up his life, and to give his flesh to the consuming fire, for a testimony of the same. They then again brought him a pardon, upon condition that he would recant; but he, with the magnanimity of a true martyr, refused it; not preferring life upon such terms to the cruel death of burning; which he suffered with the greatest patience and fortitude; washing, as it were, his hands in the flames, and ejaculating with his last breath; "Lord, receive my "spirit!"

It is remarked of Mr Rogers, that, during the year and a half that he was imprisoned, he was always chearful, but very earnest and intent upon every thing he did. He wrote much, especially his examinations, which were wonderfully preserved: For they frequently made diligent search for his writings; and it is supposed, that they refused his wife visiting him, lest she should convey them. away. And when he was taken out of Newgate and led to Smithfield, they again searched his room, but found nothing. They therefore readily admitted his wife and son Daniel into his apartment, upon their return from Smithfield, who looked in every corner, as they supposed, and were coming away, supposing others had been before hand with them, when Daniel spied something black in a dark corner under a pair of stairs, which proved to be his examinations and writings; to which the reader has been already referred in Fox's martyrology, where they are inserted at large. He was charitable to the poor prisoners, agreeing with Mr Hooper and others, to take but one meal a day, and to give the rest to those on the other side of the prison, that were ready to die for hunger; but the cruel keeper withheld it from them. The Sunday before he suffered, he drank to Mr Hooper, being then underneath him, and desired them to commend him unto him, and to tell him, There was never a little fellow "would better stick to a man, than he would stick to «him;" supposing, contrary to what happened, that they should have been both burned together. Thus died, triumphant in the faith, this blessed proto-martyr, and proved the reality of the ancient observation, that the

blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church;' for instead of being intimidated, multitudes were encouraged by his example, and those, who had no religion before, were put upon inquiries; What was the cause, for which such pious and learned men were contented to die; and so,

from

from being atheists or papists, they were led, by God's blessing, to a knowledge and profession of that gospel, the darkening of which was the main end and design of all this bloody persecution.

LAURENCE SAUNDERS.

ΤΗ THIS gracious man, descended from an opulent family, and eminent as a scholar, but still more respectable for the grace given him of God; was educated at Eaton, and from thence chosen to King's-College, in Cambridge; where, for three years, he applied himself closely to study, and made a considerable proficiency in learning But his mother, with a view to increase his plentiful fortune, bound him to a capital merchant, in the city of London, to be instructed in trade. The merchant, being a religious man, soon perceived that Saunders's natural bias was to learning, rather than trade; and, from his seriousness, presuming that the Lord had some employment for him, far more important than that of merchandize, he gave him his indentures. Upon this, Saunders returned again to Cambridge, where he made a further progress in his studies. He was a man, exercised with very severe temptations and inward conflicts, but graciously supported, and much comforted. These trials wrought in him such experience, as qualified him afterwards, in his ministerial labours, to administer comfort to others. He remained some considerable time in the university, after he had taken his master of arts degree; and in the reign of King Edward, he entered into hely orders, and was made lecturer of Fotheringhay; about which time he married. He was next made a reader in the cathedral of Litchfield; where he was very successful in winning souls to God; and, by his holy life and conversation, obtained a good report, even of his adversaries. He was from thence removed to Church-Langton in Liecestershire;

cestershire; and, lastly, to the rector of Allhallows, in Bread-Street, London.

He went down frequently to Church-Langton, intending to resign it; but queen Mary coming to the throne, he changed his mind, knowing that none but a papist would succeed him. In his way thither, he preached at Northampton, and, being filled with zeal for the truth, he bore a noble testimony against the errors of popery: Which (said he) are likely to spring up again, as a just visitation of God, for the little love that England hath borne to the truths and privileges of the gospel, so plentifully afforded her. He was apprehensive of the troubles that afterwards came to pass; and therefore applied himself, with all diligence, to confirm his people in the truth, (notwithstanding the proclamation to the contrary) and to arm them against all false doctrines; but he was at length opposed, and finally hindered by open violence. He was then much advised to leave the kingdom, which he positively refused, and went straight for London to visit his flock in Bread-street. In his way, pretty near to town, he was overtaken by Mordaunt, the queen's counsellor, who asked, If he did not preach at such a time in Bread-street: He answered, Yes: And will you, said Mordaunt, preach so again? Yes, said he, to-morrow you may hear me there; where I will confirm, by God's word, all I then preached. I would advise you, said Mordaunt, to forbear. Mr Saunders said, If you will forbid me by lawful authority, I must then forbear.-Nay, said the other, I shall not forbid you: So they parted. The next day being Sunday, he expounded the eleventh chapter of the second epistle to the Corinthians; and in the afternoon, designing to give his people another exhortation, he went again to church; but when he came there, the bishop of London's officers prevented him, by taking him before his lordship [Bonner,] Mordaunt, and some of the bishop's chaplains.

The bishop charged him with treason, heresy, and sedition, and required of him his opinion about transubstantiation in writing; which being obliged to comply with, he said, "You seek my blood, and you shall have "it: I pray God you may be so baptized in it, that you "may hereafter loath blood-sucking, and become a "better man." Bishop Bonner sent him to bishop Gar diner; where he was kept standing uncovered four hours at the door of the room, in which were sitting Mordaunt and some others; till at length the bishop, returning

from

from court, ordered him into a proper place for examination; and then interrogated him in the following manner. How dare you to preach, notwithstanding the queen's proclamation to the contrary?' Mr Saunders answered, he was moved in his conscience so to do from the apostle's command, to obey God rather than "man." A goodly conscience surely, said the bishop, which could make our queen a bastard, or misbegotten; is it not, I pray?' Mr Saunders said, "I do not say, "or go about to make the queen base or misbegotten; but let those be careful about that matter, who have published the same to the world, to their shame and re"proach." (For it seems the bishop had prefaced the book of true obedience, in order to curry favour with Henry VIII. in which queen Mary was openly declared to be a bastard.) Mr Saunders added, "We do only preach in sincerity the purity of the word; which although we are now forbid to do with our mouths; yet I doubt not, but that our blood hereafter shall more fully manifest the <<< same." Upon which the bishop cried out, to take away the frantic fool to prison. To which Mr Saunders said, "I thank God, who has at last given me a place of rest and quietness, where I may pray for your lordship's conversion."

Mr Saunders being sent to prison, and there confined a year and three months, wrote a letter to the bishop of Winchester, by way of answer to several particulars, with which the bishop had charged him. The following is all of the letter that has been preserved.

*

"Touching the cause of my imprisonment, I doubt whether I have broken any law or proclamation. In my doctrine I did not; for at that time it was permitted by the proclamation to use, according to our "consciences, such service as was then established. My doctrine was then agreeable to my conscience and the same service then used. The act which I did (alluding to his expounding the scriptures in his own church in Bread-street) was such, as being indifferently weighed, sounded to no breaking of the proclamation, "or at least no wilful breaking of it; as I caused no bell to be rung, neither occupied I any place in the pulpit, after the order of sermons or lectures. But be it, that I did break the proclamation, this long imprisonment may be thought more than a sufficient punishment for such a fault.

"Touching