, to advocate with the queen the
cause of some poor men to whom he had, when bishop, granted leases, but
which the present bishop refused to confirm. A lighted fagot was now
laid at Dr. Ridley's feet, which caused Mr. Latimer to say, "Be of good
cheer, Ridley; and play the man. We shall this day, by God's grace,
light up such a candle in England, as, I trust, will never be put out."
When Dr. Ridley saw the flame approaching him, he exclaimed, "Into thy
hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit!" and repeated often, "Lord receive
my spirit!" Mr. Latimer, too, ceased not to say, "O Father of heaven
receive my soul!" Embracing the flame, he bathed his hands in it, and
soon died, apparently with little pain; but Dr. Ridley, by the
ill-adjustment of the fagots, which were green, and placed too high
above the furze was burnt much downwards. At this time, piteously
entreating for more fire to come to him, his brother-in-law imprudently
heaped the fagots up over him, which caused the fire more fiercely to
burn his limbs, whence he literally leaped up and down under the fagots,
exclaiming that he could not burn; indeed, his dreadful extremity was
but too plain, for after his legs were quite consumed, he showed his
body and shirt unsinged by the flame. Crying upon God for mercy, a man
with a bill pulled the fagots down, and when the flames arose, he bent
himself towards that side; at length the gunpowder was ignited, and then
he ceased to move, burning on the other side, and falling down at Mr.
Latimer's feet over the chain that had hitherto supported him.

Every eye shed tears at the afflicting sight of these sufferers, who
were among the most distinguished persons of their time in dignity,
piety, and public estimation. They suffered October 16, 1555.

In the following month died Stephen Gardiner, bishop of Winchester and
Lord Chancellor of England. This papistical monster was born at Bury, in
Suffolk, and partly educated at Cambridge. Ambitious, cruel, and
bigoted, he served any cause; be first espoused the king's part in the
affair of Anne Boleyn: upon the establishment of the Reformation, he
declared the supremacy of the Pope an execrable tenet, and when queen
Mary came to the crown, he entered into all her papistical bigoted
views, and became a second time bishop of Winchester. It is conjectured
it was his intention to have moved the sacrifice of Lady Elizabeth, but
when he arrived at this point, it pleased God to remove him.

It