Fox's Book of Martyrs
Chapter XV
During
his residence here, he became intimately acquainted with those eminent lights
of the Gospel, Martin Luther and Philip Melancthon; from whose writings and
doctrines he strongly attached himself to the Protestant religion.
The
archbishop of St. Andrews (who was a rigid papist) learning of Mr. Hamilton's
proceedings, caused him to be seized, and being brought before him, after a
short examination relative to his religious principles, he committed him a
prisoner to the castle, at the same time ordering him to be confined in the
most loathsome part of the prison.
The
next morning Mr. Hamilton was brought before the bishop, and several others,
for examination, when the principal articles exhibited against him were, his
publicly disapproving of pilgrimages, purgatory, prayers to saints, for the
dead, etc.
These
articles Mr. Hamilton acknowledged to be true, in consequence of which he was
immediately condemned to be burnt; and that his condemnation might have the
greater authority, they caused it to be subscribed by all those of any note who
were present, and to make the number as considerable as possible, even admitted
the subscription of boys who were sons of the nobility.
So
anxious was this bigoted and persecuting prelate for the destruction of Mr.
Hamilton, that he ordered his sentence to be put in execution on the afternoon
of the very day it was pronounced. He was accordingly led to the place
appointed for the horrid tragedy and was attended by a prodigious number of
spectators. The greatest part of the multitude would not believe it was
intended he should be put to death, but that it was only done to frighten him,
and thereby bring him over to embrace the principles of the Romish religion.
When
he arrived at the stake, he kneeled down, and, for
some time prayed with great fervency. After this he was fastened to the stake,
and the fagots placed round him. A quantity of gunpowder having been placed
under his arms was first set on fire which scorched his left hand and one side
of his face, but did no material injury, neither did it communicate with the
fagots. In consequence of this, more powder and combustible matter were
brought, which being set on fire took effect, and the fagots being kindled, he
called out, with an audible voice: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! How
long shall darkness overwhelm this realm? And how long wilt Thou suffer the
tyranny of these men?"
The
fire burning slow put him to great torment; but he bore it with Christian
magnanimity. What gave him the greatest pain was, the clamor of some wicked men
set on by the friars, who frequently cried, "Turn, thou heretic; call upon
our Lady; say, Salve Regina, etc." To whom he replied, "Depart from
me, and trouble me not, ye messengers of Satan." One Campbell, a friar,
who was the ringleader, still continuing to interrupt
him by opprobrious language; he said to him, "Wicked man, God forgive
thee." After which, being prevented from further speech by the violence of
the smoke, and the rapidity of the flames, he resigned up
his soul into the hands of Him who gave it.
This
steadfast believer in Christ suffered martyrdom in the year 1527.
One
Henry Forest, a young inoffensive Benedictine, being charged with speaking
respectfully of the above Patrick Hamilton, was thrown into prison; and, in
confessing himself to a friar, owned that he thought Hamilton a good man; and
that the articles for which he was sentenced to die, might be defended. This
being revealed by the friar, it was received as evidence; and the poor
Benedictine was sentenced to be burnt.
Whilst
consultation was held, with regard to the manner of
his execution, John Lindsay, one of the archbishop's gentlemen, offered his advice, to burn Friar Forest in some cellar;
"for," said he, "the smoke of Patrick Hamilton hath infected all
those on whom it blew."
This
advice was taken, and the poor victim was rather suffocated, than burnt.
The
next who fell victims for professing the truth of the Gospel, were David
Stratton and Norman Gourlay.
When
they arrived at the fatal spot, they both kneeled down,
and prayed for some time with great fervency. They then arose, when Stratton,
addressing himself to the spectators, exhorted them to lay aside their
superstitious and idolatrous notions, and employ their time in seeking the true
light of the Gospel. He would have said more, but was
prevented by the officers who attended.
Their
sentence was then put into execution, and they cheerfully resigned up their
souls to that God who gave them, hoping, through the merits of the great
Redeemer, for a glorious resurrection to life immortal. They suffered in the
year 1534.
The
martyrdoms of the two before-mentioned persons,
were soon followed by that of Mr. Thomas Forret, who, for a considerable time,
had been dean of the Romish Church; Killor and
Beverage, two blacksmiths; Duncan Simson, a priest; and Robert Forrester, a
gentleman. They were all burnt together, on the Castle-hill at Edinburgh, the
last day of February, 1538.
The
year following the martyrdoms of the before-mentioned persons, viz. 1539, two
others were apprehended on a suspicion of herresy; namely, Jerome Russell and Alexander Kennedy, a youth
about eighteen years of age.
These
two persons, after being some time confined in prison, were brought before the
archbishop for examination. In the course of which
Russell, being a very sensible man, reasoned learnedly against his accusers; while they in return made use of very opprobrious
language.
The
examination being over, and both of them deemed
heretics, the archbishop pronounced the dreadful sentence of death, and they
were immediately delivered over to the secular power in order
for execution.
The
next day they were led to the place appointed for them to suffer; in their way to which, Russell, seeing his fellow-sufferer have the appearance of timidity in his
countenance, thus addressed him: "Brother, fear not; greater is He that is
in us, than He that is in the world. The pain that we are to suffer is short, and shall be light; but our joy and consolation shall
never have an end. Let us, therefore, strive to enter into
our Master and Savior's joy, by the same straight way which He hath taken before
us. Death cannot hurt us, for it is already destroyed by Him, for whose sake we
are now going to suffer."
When
they arrived at the fatal spot, they both kneeled down
and prayed for some time; after which being fastened to the stake, and the
fagots lighted, they cheerfully resigned their souls into the hands of Him who
gave them, in full hopes of an everlasting reward in the heavenly mansions.
He
was a man modest, temperate, fearing God, hating covetousness; for his charity
had never end, night, noon, nor day; he forbare one
meal in three, one day in four for the most part, except something to comfort
nature. He lay hard upon a puff of straw and coarse, new canvas sheets, which,
when he changed, he gave away. He had commonly by his bedside a tub of water,
in the which (his people being in bed, the candle put
out and all quiet) he used to bathe himself. He loved me tenderly, and I him. He taught with great modesty and gravity, so that
some of his people thought him severe, and would have slain him; but the Lord
was his defence. And he, after due correction for
their malice, by good exhortation amended them and went his way. Oh, that the
Lord had left him to me, his poor boy, that he might have finished what he had
begun! for he went into scotland with divers of the
nobility, that came for a treaty to King Henry.
In
1543, the archbishop of St. Andrews made a visitation into various parts of his
diocese, where several persons were informed against at Perth for heresy. Among
those the following were condemned to die, viz. William Anderson, Robert Lamb,
James Finlayson, James Hunter, James Raveleson, and Helen Stark.
The
accusations laid against these respective persons were as follow: The four
first were accused of having hung up the image of St. Francis, nailing ram's
horns on his head, and fastening a cow's tail to his rump; but the principal
matter on which they were condemned was having regaled themselves with a goose
on fast day.
James
Reveleson was accused of having ornamented his house with the three crowned
diadem of Peter, carved in wood, which the archbishop conceived to be done in
mockery to his cardinal's cap.
Helen
Stark was accused of not having accustomed herself to pray
to the Virgin Mary, more especially during the time she was
in childbed.
On
these respective accusations they were all found guilty, and
immediately received sentence of death; the four men, for eating the goose, to
be hanged; James Raveleson to be burnt; and the woman, with her sucking infant,
to be put into a sack and drowned.
The
four men, with the woman and the child, suffered at the same time, but James
Raveleson was not executed until some days after.
The
martyrs were carried by a great band of armed men (for they feared rebellion in
the town except they had their men of war) to the place of execution, which was
common to all thieves, and that to make their cause appear more odious to the
people. Every one comforting another, and assuring
themselves that they should sup together in the Kingdom of Heaven that night,
they commended themselves to God, and died constantly in the Lord.
The
woman desired earnestly to die with her husband, but she was not suffered; yet,
following him to the place of execution, she gave him comfort, exhorting him to
perseverance and patience for Christ's sake, and, parting from him with a kiss,
said, "Husband, rejoice, for we have lived together many joyful days; but
this day, in which we must die, ought to be most joyful unto us both, because
we must have joy forever; therefore I will not bid you good night, for we shall
suddenly meet with joy in the Kingdom of Heaven." The woman, after that,
was taken to a place to be drowned, and albeit she had a child sucking on her
breast, yet this moved nothing in the unmerciful hearts of the enemies. So,
after she had commended her children to the neighbors of the town for God's
sake, and the sucking bairn was given to the nurse,
she sealed up the truth by her death.
Being
desirous of propagating the true Gospel in his own country George Wishart left
Cambridge in 1544, and on his arrival in Scotland he first preached at
Montrose, and afterwards at Dundee. In this last place he made a public
exposition of the Epistle to the Romans, which he went through with such grace
and freedom, as greatly alarmed the papists.
In
consequence of this, (at the instigation of Cardinal Beaton, the archbishop of
St. Andrews) one Robert Miln, a principal man at Dundee, went to the church
where Wishart preached, and in the middle of his discourse publicly told him
not to trouble the town any more, for he was determined not to suffer it.
This
sudden rebuff greatly surprised Wishart, who, after a short pause, looking
sorrowfully on the speaker and the audience, said: "God is my witness,
that I never minded your trouble but your comfort; yea, your trouble is more
grievous to me than it is to yourselves: but I am assured to refuse God's Word,
and to chase from you His messenger, shall not preserve you from trouble, but
shall bring you into it: for God shall send you ministers that shall fear
neither burning nor banishment. I have offered you the Word of salvation. With
the hazard of my life I have remained among you; now
you yourselves refuse me; and I must leave my innocence to be declared by my
God. If it be long prosperous with you, I am not lede
by the Spirit of truth; but if unlooked-for troubles come upon you, acknowledge
the cause and turn to God, who is gracious and merciful. But if you turn not at
the first warning, He will visit you with fire and sword." At the close of
this speech he left the pulpit, and retired.
After
this he went into the west of Scotland, where he preached God's Word, which was
gladly received by many.
A
short time after this Mr. Wishart received intelligence that the plague had
broken out in Dundee. It began four days after he was prohibited from preaching
there, and raged so extremely that it was almost
beyond credit how many died in the space of twenty-four hours. This being
related to him, he, notwithstanding the importunity of his friends to detain
him, determined to go there, saying: "They are now in troubles, and need
comfort. Perhaps this hand of God will make them now to magnify and reverence
the Word of God, which before they lightly esteemed."
Here
he was with joy received by the godly. He chose the east gate for the place of
his preaching; so that the healthy were within, and
the sick without the gate. He took his text from these words, "He sent His
word and healed them," etc. In this sermon he chiefly dwelt upon the
advantage and comfort of God's Word, the judgments that ensue upon the contempt
or rejection of it, the freedom of God's grace to all His people, and the
happiness of those of His elect, whom He takes to Himself out of this miserable
world. The hearts of his hearers were so raised by the divine force of this
discourse, as not to regard death, but to judge them the more
happy who should then be called, not knowing whether he should have such
comfort again with them.
After
this the plague abated; though, in the midst of it,
Wishart constantly visited those that lay in the greatest extremity,
and comforted them by his exhortations.
When
he took his leave of the people of Dundee, he said that God had almost put an
end to that plague, and that he was now called to another place. He went from
thence to Montrose; where he sometimes preached, but he spent most of his time in private meditation and prayer.
It
is said that before he left Dundee, and while he was engaged in the labors of
love to the bodies as well as to the souls of those poor afflicted people,
Cardinal Beaton engaged a desperate popish priest, called John Weighton, to
kill him; the attempt to execute which was as follows: one day, after Wishart
had finished his sermon, and the people departed, a priest stood waiting at the
bottom of the stairs, with a naked dagger in his hand under his gown. But Mr.
Wishart, having a sharp, piercing eye, and seeing the priest as he came from
the pulpit, said to him, "My friend, what would you have?" and
immediately clapping his hand upon the dagger, took it from him. The priest
being terrified, fell to his knees, confessed his intention, and craved pardon.
A noise was hereupon raised, and it coming to the ears
of those who were sick, they cried, "Deliver the traitor to us, we will
take him by force"; and they burst in at the gate. But Wishart, taking the
priest in his arms, said, "Whatsoever hurts him shall hurt me; for he hath
done me no mischief, but much good, by teaching more heedfulness for the time
to come." By this conduct he appeased the people and saved the life of the
wicked priest.
Soon
after his return to Montrose, the cardinal again conspired his death, causing a
letter to be sent him as if it had been from his
familiar friend, the laird of Kennier, in which it
was desired with all possible speed to come to him, as he was taken with a
sudden sickness. In the meantime the cardinal had
provided sixty men armed to lie in wait within a mile and a half of Montrose, in order to murder him as he passed that way.
The
letter came to Wishart's hand by a boy, who also brought him a horse for the
journey. Wishart, accompanied by some honest men, his friends, set forward; but
something particular striking his mind
by the way, he returned, which they wondering
at, asked him the cause; to whom he said, "I will not go; I am forbidden
of God; I am assured there is treason. Let some of you go to yonder place, and tell me what you find." Which doing, they
made the discovery; and hastily returning, they told Mr. Wishart; whereupon he
said, "I know I shall end my life by that bloodthirsty man's hands, but it
will not be in this manner."
A
short time after this he left Montrose, and proceeded to Edinburgh, in order to propagate the Gospel in that city. By the way he
lodged with a faithful brother, called James Watson of Inner-Goury. In the middle of the night
he got up, and went into the yard, which two men hearing they privately
followed him. While in the yard, he fell on his knees, and prayed for some time
with the greatest fervency, after which he arose, and returned to his bed.
Those who attended him, appearing as though they were
ignorant of all, came and asked him where he had been. But he would not answer
them. The next day they importuned him to tell them, saying "Be plain with us, for we heard your mourning, and saw your
gestures."
On
this he with a dejected countenance, said, "I had rather you had been in
your beds." But they still pressing upon him to know something, he said,
"I will tell you; I am assured that my warfare is near at an end, and
therefore pray to God with me, that I shrink not when the battle waxeth most hot."
Soon
after, Cardinal Beaton, archbishop of St. Andrews, being informed that Mr.
Wishart was at the house of Mr. Cockburn, of Ormistohn,
in East Lothian, applied to the regent to cause him to be apprehended; with
which, after great persuasion, and much against his will, he complied.
In
consequence of this the cardinal immediately proceeded to the trial of Wishart,
against whom no less than eighteen articles were exhibited. Mr. Wishart
answered the respective articles with great composure of mind, and in so
learned and clear a manner as greatly surprised most of those who were present.
After
the examination was finished, the archbishop endeavored to prevail on Mr.
Wishart to recant; but he was too firmly fixed in his religious principles and
too much enlightened with the truth of the Gospel, to be in the least moved.
On
the morning of his execution there came to him two friars from the cardinal;
one of whom put on him a black linen coat, and the other brought several bags
of gunpowder, which they tied about different parts of his body.
As
soon as he arrived at the stake, the executioner put a rope round
his neck and a chain about his middle, upon which he fell on his knees and thus
exclaimed:
"O
thou Savior of the world, have mercy upon me! Father of heaven, I commend my
spirit into Thy holy hands."
After
this he prayed for his accusers, saying, "I beseech thee, Father of
heaven, forgive them that have, from ignorance or an evil mind, forged lies of
me: I forgive them with all my heart. I beseech Christ to forgive them that
have ignorantly condemned me."
He
was then fastened to the stake, and the fagots being lighted immediately set
fire to the powder that was tied about him, which blew into a flame and smoke.
The
governor of the castle, who stood so near that he was singed
with the flame, exhorted the martyr, in a few words, to be of good cheer, and
to ask the pardon of God for his offences. To which he
replied, "This flame occasions trouble to my body, indeed, but it hath in
nowise broken my spirit. But he who now so proudly looks down upon me from
yonder lofty place (pointing to the cardinal) shall, ere long, be ignominiously
thrown down, as now he proudly lolls at his ease." Which prediction was soon after fulfilled.
The
hangman, that was his tormentor, sat down upon his knees, and said, "Sir,
I pray you to forgive me, for I am not guilty of your death." To whom he
answered, "Come hither to me." When that he was come to him, he kissed his cheek, and said: "Lo,
here is a token that I forgive thee. My heart, do thine office." And then
he was put upon the gibbet and hanged,
and burned to powder. When that the people beheld the great tormenting,
they might not withhold from piteous mourning and complaining of this innocent lamb's
slaughter.
It
was not long after the martyrdom of this blessed man of God, Master George
Wishart, who was put to death by David Beaton, the bloody archbishop and
cardinal of Scotland, A.D. 1546, the first day of March, that the said David
Beaton, by the just revenge of God's mighty judgment, was slain within his own
castle of St. Andrews, by the hands of one Leslie and other gentlemen, who, by
the Lord stirred up, brake in suddenly upon him, and in his bed murdered him
the said year, the last day of May, crying out, "Alas! alas! slay me not!
I am a priest!" And so, like a butcher he lived, and like a butcher he
died, and lay seven months and more unburied, and at last like a carrion was
buried in a dunghill.
The
last who suffered martyrdom in Scotland, for the cause of Christ, was one
Walter Mill, who was burnt at Edinburgh in the year 1558.
This
person, in his younger years, had travelled in Germany, and on his return was
installed a priest of the Church of Lunan in Angus, but, on an information of
heresy, in the time of Cardinal Beaton, he was forced to abandon his charge and
abscond. But he was soon apprehended, and committed to
prison.
Being
interrogated by Sir Andrew Oliphant, whether he would recant his opinions, he
answered in the negative, saying that he would 'sooner forfeit ten thousand
lives, than relinquish a particle of those heavenly principles he had received
from the suffrages of his blessed Redeemer.'
In
consequence of this, sentence of condemnation was immediately passed on him,
and he was conducted to prison in order for execution
the following day.
This
steadfast believe in Christ was eighty-two years of age, and exceedingly
infirm; whence it was supposed that he could scarcely be heard. However, when
he was taken to the place of execution, he expressed his religious sentiments
with such courage, and at the same time composure of mind, as astonished even
his enemies. As soon as he was fastened to the stake and the fagots lighted, he
addressed the spectators as follows: "The cause why I suffer this day is
not for any crime, (though I acknowledge myself a miserable sinner) but only
for the defence of the truth as it is in Jesus
Christ; and I praise God who hath called me, by His mercy, to seal the truth
with my life; which, as I received it from Him, so I willingly and joyfully
offer it up to His glory. Therefore, as you would escape eternal death, be no
longer seduced by the lies of the seat of Antichrist: but depend solely on
Jesus Christ, and His mercy, that you may be delivered from condemnation."
And then added that he trusted he should be the last who would suffer death in
Scotland upon a religious account.
Thus
did this pious Christian cheerfully give up his life in defence
of the truth of Christ's Gospel, not doubting but he should be made partaker of
his heavenly Kingdom.
Chapter 16 - Persecution in England Under Queen Mary
Fox's Book of Martyrs - Introduction
Chapter 14 - Persecutions in Britain and Ireland
Before Queen Mary I