so many of his subjects.

Catharine and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the noble Cranmer, stood
at his bedside: and whilst in convulsive agony he grasped Catharine's
hands, he listened to the devout prayers which Cranmer was saying over
him.

Once he asked with mumbling tongue: "My lord, what kind of a world then
is that where those who condemn others to die, are condemned to die
themselves?"

And as the pious Cranmer, touched by the agonies and tortures of
conscience which he read in the king's looks, and full of pity for the
dying tyrant, sought to comfort him, and spoke to him of the mercy of
God which has compassion on every sinner, the king groaned out: "No, no!
No mercy for him who knew no mercy!"

At length this awful struggle of death with life was ended; and death
had vanquished life. The king had closed his eyes to earth, to open them
again there above, as a guilt-laden sinner in the presence of God.

For three days his death was kept a secret. They wanted first to have
everything arranged, and to fill up the void which his death must make.
They wanted, when they spoke to the people of the dead king, to show
them also at the same time the living king. And since they knew that the
people would not weep for the dead, they were to rejoice for the living;
since they would sing no funeral psalms, they were to let their hymns of
joy resound.

On the third day the gates of Whitehall were thrown open, and a gloomy
funeral train moved through the streets of London. In dead silence the
populace saw borne past them the coffin of the king, before whom they
had trembled so much, and for whom they now had not a word of mourning
or of pity--no tears for the dead who for seven-and-thirty years had
been their king.

They were bearing the coffin to Westminster Abbey to the splendid
monument which Wolsey had built there for his royal master. But the way
was long, and the panting horses with black housings, which drew the
hearse, had often to stop and rest. And all of a sudden, as the carriage
stood still on one of the large open squares, blood was seen to issue
from the king's coffin. It streamed down in crimson currents and flowed
over the stones of the streets. The people with a shudder stood around
and saw the king's blood flowing, and thought how much blood he had
spilt on that same spot, for the coffin was standing on the square where
the executions were wont to take place, and where the scaffolds were
erected and t