the battle, relate that "he was thrown down by a rush of the multitude, he rose up three several times, but was at last pierced under the chin with a spear, and fell down on his knees, when he said, This is no great evil,' &c. In this position, surrounded by the dead bodies of the brave Zurichers, with clasped hands, and with uplifted eyes, he evidently prayed: his voice was not clear, but he gently moved his lips." A great part of the hostile army pursued the Zurichers, and wherever they found any of them prostrate and half alive, they pressed them to use the Roman Catholic confession, and to acknowledge the invocation of saints. Among others, Zuinglius was interrogated by them; when, by a motion of his head, refusing to acknowledge their doctrine, and turning his eyes towards heaven, to signify that he invoked the God of heaven, one of the by-standers rushed forward with a great sword, and thrust it through his neck *. JOHN FISHER. Executed June 22d, 1535, aged about 76. Death has feigned evils, nature shall not feel; BISHOP of Rochester. After his trial, he was conveyed back to the Tower, and when he arrived there, he turned round to the officers and persons who had attended and guarded him thither, and * Adami Vitæ, fol. 17. said to them with great cheerfulness, "My masters, I thank you all for the great labour and pains you have taken with me this day. I am not able to give you any thing in recompense, for I have nothing left, and, therefore, I pray you accept, in good part, my hearty thanks." While he remained in the Tower, after his condemnation, he applied himself very fervently to his devotions. Though he was in daily expectation of death, he discovered no uneasy apprehensions on that account, but behaved with great cheerfulness and fortitude. On the 22d of June, he was acquainted by the Lieutenant of the Tower, at five o'clock in the morning it was the king's pleasure he should be executed that day. He received the news with great cheerfulness, thanked the lieutenant for his information, and slept soundly two hours after it. And when he got up, he dressed himself in a much finer and neater manner than usual: at which his man expressed much wonder, seeing his lordship knew well enough that he must put all off again within two hours, and lose it. "What of that?" said the bishop, "dost thou not mark that this is our marriage-day, and that it behoves us, therefore, to use more neatness for solemnity of the marriage sake?" About nine o'clock, the lieutenant came to him again, and finding him almost ready, told him he was now come for him. "I will wait upon you straight," said he," as fast as this thin body of mine will give me leave." He then desired his man to reach him his furred tippet, to put about his neck: and taking a New Testament in his hand, went along with the lieutenant. But he was so extremely weak, that he was scarcely able to go down stairs, and therefore, at the bottom of them, he was taken up in a chair by two of the lieutenant's men, and carried to the Tower gate, and while they were waiting to know whether the sheriffs were in readiness to receive him, he rose out of his chair, and leaning himself against the wall, opened his New Testament, and prayed (we are told) to this purpose: "that as that book had been his companion and chief comfort in his imprisonment, so then some place might turn up to him that might comfort him in his passage." Having said this, he opened the book, and read these words in St. John's Gospel, "This is life eternal, to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." Upon which he shut the book, and said, "Here is even learning enough for me to mý life's end." And so the sheriffs being ready for him, he was taken up again among certain of the sheriffs' men, with a new and much greater company of weapons than was before, and carried to the scaffold on Tower Hill, himself praying all the way, and repeating the words he had just read. When he was come to the foot of the scaffold, they that carried him offered to help him up the stairs. On this he said, "Nay, masters, seeing I am come so far, let me alone, and ye shall see me shift for myself well enough," and so went up the stairs, without any help, so lively, that it was marvellous to them that knew before of his debility and weakness: but as he was mounting up the stairs, the south-east sun shined very bright in his face, whereupon he said to himself these words, lifting up his hands, "Accedite ad eum," &c. By that time he was on the scaffold, it was about ten of the clock, and the executioner being ready to do his office, kneeled down to him, and asked him forgiveness: "I forgive thee," said he, “with all my heart, and I trust thou shalt see me overcome this storm lustily." Then was his gown and tippet taken from him, and he stood in his doublet and hose in sight of all the people, whereof was no small number assembled to see this execution. When he came upon the scaffold, he spake to the people in effect as followeth. "Christian people, I am come hither to die for the faith of Christ's holy Catholic Church, and I thank God, hitherto my stomach hath served me very well thereunto, so that yet I have not feared death; wherefore I desire you all to help and assist with your prayers, that at the very point and instant of death's stroke, I may, in that very moment, stand stedfast, without fainting, in any one point of the Catholic faith, free from any fear. And I beseech Almighty God, of his infinite goodness, to save the king and this realm: and that it may please him to hold his hand over it, and send the king good counsel." These, or the like words, he spake with such a cheerful countenance, such a stout and constant courage, and such a reverend gravity, that he appeared to all men not only void of fear, but also glad of death. Besides this, he uttered his words so distinctly, and with so loud and clear a voice, that the people were astonished thereat, and noted it for a miraculous thing, to hear so plain and audible a voice come from so weak and sickly an old body; for the youngest man in that presence, being in good and perfect health, could not have spoken to be better heard and perceived, than he was. Then after these few words by him uttered, he kneeled down on both his knees, and said certain prayers, among which one was the hymn of Te Deum, to the end, and the Psalm, "In thee, O Lord, have I hoped," &c. Then came the executioner, and bound a handkerchief about his eyes; and so this holy father, lifting up his hands and heart towards heaven, said a few prayers, which were not long, but fervent and devout; which being ended, the executioner, at one blow, severed his head from his body *. Biog. Brit. &c. |