Foxe's Book of martyrs; being a history of the persecutions of Christians in all ages

Preface

The records of the past contain little that is of more thrilling interest than the stories of Christian Martyrs. Assailed in the early centuries after Christ by their pagan foes, and in later years by enemies who professed, themselves, to be the followers of a gentle and merciful Saviour — yet who seem to have been destitute of human pity or compassion — these brave upholders of our faith were imprisoned, tortured, and slain by' thousands.

In an age of religious liberty such as the present, when justice, and the freedom, happiness, and well-being of the multitude are jealously guarded — when offenders against the laws are subjected to no avoidable physical pain, and even science is called upon to provide for the most dangerous of them the least painful of deaths — it is with amazement that we read of the barbarous punishments of the past.

Appalling as some of these accounts of "man's inhumanity to man" may be, yet it is only by their preservation that we, who live in happier times, can properly appreciate the blessings we enjoy, and be enabled to compare our present freedom with the tyranny and injustice of earlier days. But a few hundred years ago the most cruel punishments were inflicted, not merely upon criminals dangerous to the State, but upon innocent men and women, the best and noblest people of their time, whose only offence was a refusal to renounce their faith in a religion dearer to them than life.

The steadfast courage of the Martyrs, when confronted with death in terrible forms, almost leads us to believe they could not have been mere

VI PREFACE.

human creatures, subject to the same fears, having the same love of life, affections, and sensibility to pain as ourselves ; but another order of beings, so formed as to be indifferent to physical suffering and proof against mental weakness. But the records of their lives proves this not to be so. Their words, their acts, their writings, their often impassioned defence, and affectionate leave-taking of family and friends show them to have been of the very same flesh and blood as we of to-day ; only differing in being upheld by a fiery zeal and fervent faith which grew stronger with persecution, defied prisons and tormentors, and shone yet brighter than the flames in which their bodies finally perished.

Histories of the Martyrs have for centuries held a high place in Christian literature ; for ages works of this kind have been found side by side with the sacred writings and books of devotion. Some of the stories in the present volume have been drawn from these sources ; those telling of early persecutions being traditional and from the pens of ancient writers about the church, while those of a later period are from Foxe's Book of Martyrs. From whatever source taken, however, only such stories have been selected as are best adapted for general reading ; they have also, in many instances, been re-written for this book. At the same time effort has been made to retain in them, as far as possible, the quaint style and graphic descriptions which characterize the originals. The stories have also been connected together by a brief outline of history, which is intended to assist the reader in tracing the progress of Christianity, and the Bible, from early times throughout the principal nations of the world.

INDEX OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE i. Christian Martyrs in the Roman Colosseum . . . Frontispiece.

2. St. Stephen is Stoned to Death 25

3. Crucifixion of St. Andrew 31

4. Nero's Torches 39

5. Christians are Slain by the Pagans 49

6. Perpetua and Felicitas in the Arena 69

7. The Persians Take Antioch and Torture the Christians . 79 m

8. Martyrdom of St. Lawrence 87

9. The Emperor Valerian in the Hands of the Persians ... 93 ^

10. Zoe Put to Death for Refusing to Worship Mars 97

11. St. Alban Refuses to Kneel to the Statue of Jupiter ... 101 v

12. St. Sebastian Shot with Arrows . . . 107 s

vii

Vlll INDEX of illustrations:

PAGE

13. Eulalia Given to the Soldiers 115.

14. Irene Burned at Thessalonica , . 119^

15. Persecution of the Christians by the King of Persia ... 133 /

16. Severus Scourged for Refusing to Worship Venus 141 V

17. Marcus is Stung to Death by Wasps . 145 .

18. Telemachus Slain in the Arena 157

19. Bishop Boniface Slain by Barbarians 169

20. The Danes Take Archbishop Alphage 175

21. Waedenses Take Refuge in a Cave 183 v

22. City of Bezieres Taken and the People Slain 189 *

23. Death of Count Simon of Montfort 201

24. The Men of Rosa Roll Down Stones 211

25. Waldenses Drowned at Venice 217

26. The Turks Take Constantinople 227

27. Tortures of the Inquisition :— the Rope and Pulley .... 237

28. Tortures of the Inquisition :— the Rack 243

29. Strangled in a Spanish Prison m 251

30. Auto de Fe in Spain 255 tNDEX OP TLLUSTRATIOMS. IX

PAGE

31. Tin: Burning of John Huss 269 .

32. Jerome of Prague in the Stocks 273

33. Massacre of Huguenots at Paris 291

34. Sixty Huguenots Slain at Vassy 301

35. Prince of "Wales Tries to Save Badby 329

36. Execution of Sir John Oldcastle 331

37. Burning Tyndale's Testaments in London 355

38. William Tyndale, the Translator, is Strangled 363

39. John Lambert's Trial before Henry VIII 371

40. Kerby Replies to Dr. Rugham 403

41. Saunders' Wife and Child Visit Him in Prison 427

42. Rowland Taylor Parts from His W t ife and Children . . . 447

43. Rawlins W t hite Kneeling at the Stake 461

44. Thomas Hawkes Keeps His Promise to His Friends 467

45. Ridley and Latimer are Burned at Oxford 485

46. John Philpot in Newgate Prison 489

47. Cranmer's Confession 505

48. Cranmer's Death: — "This Unworthy Right Hand" 507

X INDEX OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE

49. Thirteen Martyrs at Stratford-le-Bow 513 ^

50. Palmer's Mother Turns Him Away 517 '*

51. Ten Martyrs at Lewes 531

52. Burning of Cicely Ormes 535 .

53. Edmund Tyrrel and Rose Allen 539

54. The Sheriff Visits Mrs. Joyce Lewis 545

55. John Noyes Seized at His Door 551

56. The Arrest at the Saracen's Head 559

57. cuthbert slmson refuses to answer 563

58. John Fetty and His Son in Lollards' Tower 569

59. Thomas Hinshaw Maltreated at Fulham 575 '

60. Richard Yeoman and John Dale Taken to Bury 581

THE.

WORLD'S CHRISTIAN MARTYRS,

Chapter I

The first Christian Martyrs were those who suffered under the persecution of the Romans in the early ages of the Church. For two hundred and forty years, or from about the year 64 after Christ to the time of the emperor Constantine (306), the cruel punishments inflicted upon the Christians by their heathen enemies are described by the ancient historians as being as various and horrible as the mind of man, inspired by the devil, could invent.

" Some," we are told, " were slain with the sword ; some burned with fire ; some scourged with whips ; some stabbed with forks of iron ; some fastened to the cross or gibbet ; some drowned in the sea ; some had their skins plucked off; some were stoned to death ; some killed with cold ; some starved with hunger ; some, with their hands cut off or otherwise disabled, were left naked, to the open shame of the world. Yet, notwithstanding the sharpness of their torments, such was the constancy of those who suffered — or rather, such was the power of the Lord in his saints — that they generally remained faithful to the end."

The first Martyr to our holy religion — He who gave up his place in paradise, endured a life of hardship upon earth, and at last suffered a lingering death upon the cross, that mankind might be saved from eternal punishment for sin — was Jesus Christ himself. His history has been handed down to us in the New Testament, but it may be proper here to give a brief outline of it before beginning to tell of the men and women who afterward endured martyrs' deaths for His sake.

A SHORT HISTORY OF CHRIST'S EIFE ON EARTH.

In the reign of Herod, king of the Jews, an angel of the Lord appeared to a young woman whose name was Mary. This maiden lived in Nazareth, a town of Galilee. She was betrothed to a man named Joseph, who was a carpenter. The angel told Mary that she was highly favored by God above all women, for she should have a son, not by man but by the Holy Spirit. And the angel said, " He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest ; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David : and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever ; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."

Birth of Jesus.

After this, Mary and her husband Joseph left Nazareth and went to Bethlehem in Judea, in order to pay a tax that had been ordered by the Roman emperor. Each man went to his own city to be taxed, and Joseph went, with his wife, to the city of David, which was called Bethlehem, "because he was of the house and lineage of David." The town was so crowded that the only lodgings they could get were in a stable, and there, in that poor place, Mary gave birth to Jesus, the Saviour of mankind. The great event was made known to the world by a bright star in the heavens and by an angel. The Wise Men of the East saw and followed the star, while the Shepherds were visited by the angel.

After this, Mary and Joseph took the infant Jesus and went to Jerusalem, where they presented the child in the temple, upon which occasion Simeon, an aged man to whom it had been revealed that he should not die until he had seen the Christ, said, " Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word." Luke 2 : 29.

Herod Slays the Children at Bethlehem.

When Herod the king heard that a child had been born who would be called the King of the Jews, he tried to kill him ; and as he did not know the child, he sent soldiers to Bethlehem to kill all the children there not more than two years old, thinking that among them Jesus might be slain. But God sent an angel to Joseph, who told him to take the young child and his mother, and to flee into Egypt ; therefore Herod's soldiers did not find him.

When Jesus was twelve years old his parents once found him sitting in the temple at Jerusalem, among the most learned priests, both hearing them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. After this he went back with his parents to Nazareth, and was obedient to them.

When Jesus had grown to manhood he was baptized by John the Baptist, in the river Jordan ; the Holy Ghost then descended upon him in the form of a dove, and a voice came from heaven which said, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

After this Jesus went into the wilderness. When he had fasted forty days and nights he was tempted by the devil, but resisted all his wiles.

Jesus Performs his First Miracle.

Jesus went to a city called Cana ; and there he performed his first miracle, by turning water into wine, at a marriage feast. While going through Galilee he brought back to life a nobleman's dead child. At Nazareth Jesus went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and spoke to the Jews, telling them he was the Saviour whom God had sent down from heaven ; but the Jews were angry and would not believe him. They tried to kill him by throwing him down from the top of a steep hill on which the city was built ; but because he had the power of God they were not able to do him any harm ; and he left them and went away from Nazareth.

Coming to Capernaum, Jesus preached to the people from the fishing boat of Peter, who afterward was his apostle ; and he sent Peter and Andrew out on the sea to draw their net, when he caused it to be filled by a miraculous number of fishes, so that the net broke and two boats would not hold them all. Jesus relieved many sick people by curing them of their diseases ; the blind, the lame, the lepers, and those possessed of evil spirits were cured merely by his word or touch.

Among other kind and merciful acts, Jesus cured, at the pool of Bethesda, a paralytic man, who had been helpless and bed-ridden for thirty-eight years, bidding him take up his bed and walk. He afterward cured a man whose right hand was shrunk up and withered. And all that were sick, or lame, or had evil spirits in them, crowded around him to touch him, so that just by his touch they might be made well. And Jesus cured them all; yet the Jews hated him and tried to find some way to put him to death.

Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles.

After a night spent in a desert place, praying to God, Jesus called together his disciples and followers, and chose from among them twelve men whom he named Apostles. Apostle means messenger. Jesus called these twelve whom he had chosen, apostles, because he sent them out as messengers among the people, to teach them. The names of the twelve apostles were these : Peter and Andrew, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, Simon, and Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot

After this Jesus went up on a little hill, which raised him above the crowd, and calling his disciples around him, sat down and taught them in the beautiful words of the Sermon on the Mount.

Travelling from place to place, Jesus continued to teach the people, often using for this purpose parables, or stories with a double meaning. He performed wonderful miracles also, such as men had never seen before. He brought back to life the son of a widow at Nain who was being carried out to his burial ; and he made alive again the daughter of Jairus, a ruler among the Jews.

Jesus Feeds the Multitude.

Jesus fed a great number of people by making five loaves of bread and two fishes increase until all had enough. He walked on the surface of the sea ; he raised Lazarus to life after he had lain in his grave four days ; besides healing many persons who were sick, blind and lame. Many of the Jews w r hen they saw these great miracles which Jesus did, believed on him. But some went to the Pharisees and told them of what they had seen. Then the Pharisees and chief priests gathered together, and said to one another, What shall we do ? for this man w r orketh many miracles. If we let him alone, all the people will believe on him and make him their king ; and then the Romans will be angry, and come and take away our city and destroy our nation. From that time they talked with one another about some way of putting him to death.

The Jews Conspire to Kill Jesus.

The feast of the passover, which was celebrated by the Jews every year, drew many of them to Jerusalem ; therefore the chief priests and scribes agreed together to seize Jesus when he should come to keep the feast. Jesus knew that they had planned to take him, and told his disciples, two days before the feast, that he would be betrayed and put to death, but would rise again from the dead on the third day. When Peter heard this he was surprised, and said, " No, these things shall not happen to thee." He thought, as did all the other disciples, that their Saviour had come to set them free from the Romans and make them into a kingdom, and to reign over them like other earthly kings. For although they saw he was now a poor man, they did not think he would stay so, but expected he would soon become rich and great and would make them great also. They had not yet learned that he had come to rule only in their hearts, and to have his kingdom there ; and that, instead of fighting battles for them and ruling over them as a king, he was going to die on the cross for their sins.

Now when the time came for Jesus to be betrayed, Judas Iscariot, one of the apostles, went to the chief priests and asked them how much money they would give him if he would deliver Jesus into their hands ; and they agreed to pay him thirty pieces of silver. From that time he tried to find Jesus alone, that he might betray him to them.

The Last Supper.

Jesus went to eat the feast of the passover at Jerusalem, with his twelve apostles ; and as he sat with them he told the apostles that it was the last time he would eat with them. He told them that he would not eat again of the lamb that had been sacrificed, until he himself had been sacrificed for the sins of the people ; and he said that one of the twelve who sat there with him would betray him. The apostles were astonished at this, and began, each of them, to say to him, Lord, Is it I ? Is it I ? Jesus said it was the one he would give a piece of bread to, after he had dipped it in the dish. When he had dipped the bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot ; and Judas rose up from the table and went out into the street.

While they were at table, Jesus took some bread in his hands, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave the pieces to the apostles. And he said to them, Take it and eat it, for this is my body, which is broken for you. He meant that the bread was like his body, and that it represented his body, because his body was very soon to be broken, and wounded on the cross, for them and for us all.

After he had given them the bread, he took some wine in a cup, and gave thanks, and handed it to the apostles and told them to drink of it. He said, This wine is my blood which is shed for the forgiveness of sins.

He meant that the wine was like his blood, and that it represented his blood, because his blood was very soon to be poured out from the wounds in his hands and his feet, while he was being nailed to the cross. And the reason he would let himself be nailed there was, because he wanted all the people in the world to have their sins forgiven.

Then he told the apostles that after he was dead, they should meet together and eat of the bread and drink of the wine, in the same way that he had shown them. And whenever they did it, he said, they should remember him.

Judas Betrays Jesus.

After supper they went out from the house to the mountain called the Mount of Olives, which was not far from Jerusalem. And they came into a garden that was there, called the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus went a little way from the apostles to a place by himself, and kneeled down on the ground and prayed, and while he prayed he was in an agony, for he was suffering for the sins of all mankind.

Now Judas was watching for a time when he could betray Jesus to the chief priests. And because it was night, and the garden was a lonely place, and only the apostles were with Jesus, Judas thought that this was the best time to betray his Master.

So he went to the chief priests and Pharisees, and told them where Jesus had gone. Then they called together a band of men and gave them swords and clubs to fight with, and sent them with Judas to take Jesus. Jesus knew they were coming, yet he did not make haste to go away, but waited to let them take him, because he knew that the time had come for him to die.

While he was yet speaking to the apostles and telling them that the one who would betray him was coming near, Judas came, and the band of men with him carrying swords and clubs and lanterns.

Now Judas had told these men how they should know which one was Jesus. He had said to them, The one I shall kiss is he ; take him and hold him fast. Then Judas came to Jesus and pretended he was glad to see him ; he said, Master, Master, and kissed him. But Jesus said to him, Judas, dost thou betray me to my enemies by a kiss ? Then the men whom the chief priests had sent, when they saw Judas kiss him, took hold of Jesus and bound him with fetters, to take him away.

When the apostles saw them do this to their Master whom they loved, they wanted to fight against them. They said to Jesus, Lord, shall we fight them with swords ? And Peter, who had a sword, drew it out of the sheath, and struck one of the men and cut off his right ear.

But Jesus told Peter to put his sword back again into its sheath. His Father, he said, would send thousands of angels to fight for him and save him from dying, if he would ask for them. And he stretched out his hand and touched the man's ear that Peter had struck with the sword, and made it well again. Then the apostles, being afraid of the band of men, all left Jesus and made haste to flee away.

Jesus is Taken Before the High Priest.

The men took Jesus and led him to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest. Peter followed Jesus to the house, and being asked if he was his disciple, denied it three times, as Jesus had foretold. Peter was reminded of this by the crowing of a cock, and he went out and wept bitterly. When it was morning they took Jesus before the chief court of the Jews, held in a room near the ternpie. False witnesses were brought to testify against him, but they could not prove that he had done any wrong. The high priest asked Jesus if he was the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus answered, I am. And I say unto you, Hereafter you shall see me sitting on the right hand of God, and coming back to earth again in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest was angry, and rent his clothes, and cried, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses ?

Jesus Before Pontius Pilate.

After the Jews had mocked Jesus, and expressed their hatred and contempt for him, they took him to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, to be condemned to death. Pilate questioned Jesus, and could find no fault in him. Now 7 , every year, at the feast of the passover, it w-as the custom for the Roman governor to set free one Jewish prisoner; and there was at this time in prison one named Barabbas, w T ho was a murderer. Then Pilate said to the people, Which one shall I set free? Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ? For he knew they had brought Jesus to be punished only because they hated him.

While Pilate was speaking with them, his wife sent word to him, saying, Do no harm to that just man, for I have been much troubled this day in a dream concerning him.

But the chief priests persuaded the Jews to ask that Barabbas might be set free. Pilate answered, What then shall I do with Jesus, who is called Christ? They all said, Let him be crucified. Pilate said, Why, what evil has he done? But they cried out the more with loud voices, Crucify him ! When Pilate saw r that he could not persuade them to ask for Jesus, he took some water and washed his hands before the people, saying, " I am innocent of the blood of this just person : see ye to it." Then answered all the Jews, " His blood be on us and on our children."

The Roman Soldiers Scourge Jesus.

Then the Roman soldiers who were to put Jesus to death took him and scourged him. After they had done this they mocked him by putting on him a purple robe; and they plaited a wreath of thorns, which they put on his head. Instead of a golden sceptre, or rod, such as kings held when sitting on their thrones, they put a reed in his right hand, and they bowed down before him, pretending he was a king, saying, Hail, King of the Jews ! And they took the reed from him and struck him on the head; they struck him also with their hands.

After all these things had been done to Jesus, Pilate thought the Jews would be willing to let him go ; so he brought him out where the Jews could see him, with the crown of thorns on his head, and wearing the purple robe. But when the chief priests and all the Jews saw Jesus, they cried out, Crucify him ! Crucify him ! Pilate said to them, take him yourselves then and crucify him, for I find no fault in him.

When Judas Iscariot saw that Jesus was really to die, he was greatly afraid for what he had done. And he came to the chief priests and rulers with the thirty pieces of silver, to give it back to them. But they would not take it, and he threw the money on the ground and went and hanged himself.

Jesus is Crucified.

The soldiers, after they had mocked Jesus, took off the purple robe, and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

When a person was led out to be crucified he was made to carry his cross ; but because Jesus could not carry his cross alone, the soldiers made a man named Simon, from Cyrene, help him cany it.

And they brought Jesus to Mount Calvary, which was a little way from Jerusalem, and there they nailed him to the cross. Even while they were crucifying him he prayed for them, saying, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

Pilate made a writing and had it fastened to the cross. These were the words that he wrote : Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews.

At the same time that they crucified Jesus, they crucified two thieves with him, one on a cross at his right hand, and another at his left.

And the soldiers took his garments and divided them among themselves. While Jesus hung upon the cross in the agonies of death, the people mocked him and said, " If thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross." The chief priests and scribes also reviled him, and said, " He saved others ; himself he cannot save." One of the thieves who was crucified with him, also cried out, and said, " If thou be Christ, save thyself and us." But the other, having greater faith, exclaimed, " Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." To him Jesus replied, This day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

From the sixth until the ninth hour — that is, from twelve until three o'clock — while Jesus was upon the cross, the earth was covered with darkness and the stars appeared at noon-day, which made the people afraid. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Then one of the men standing near held up to him, upon the point of a reed, a sponge dipped in vinegar. When Jesus, therefore, had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished : and he bowed his head, and died. Then the curtain, called the veil, which hung in the temple, was torn in two from the top to the bottom; the earth shook, the rocks were broken in pieces, and the graves were opened, and many of the dead came forth. When the Roman soldiers who were watching Jesus saw these things, they feared greatly, and said, Surely this man was the Son of God!

Jesus is Buried, and Rises from the Tomb.

The body of Jesus was taken down from the cross by his disciples, and buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. After the burial the Jews caused a watch to be set ; for they said, His disciples may come and steal him away. But in the night the angel of the Lord rolled back the stone from the door of the sepulchre. His face was bright like lightning, and his garments white as snow ; the soldiers trembled for fear of him, and fled from the sepulchre.