are the names that come in the
chaplain's prayers."

"Do you acknowledge the authority of his Holiness the Pope of Rome?"

Another look of consultation, and Ned shook his head. Nick answered.
"We do not believe in the Pope. We did as boys during Mary's reign."

"Why did you change?"

"Queen and Parliament no longer believe in him, but hate him for an
enemy. We believe in our Queen and Parliament. Will that do, brother?"

"Beautifully. Tell the truth and shame the devil. We have drunk
confusion to the Pope in many a cup of sack, and in good company
too--with Franky Drake and Jack Hawkins, Jacob Whiddon, and a host of
bonny sailor-men. No, brother, we do not believe in the Pope, although
there are some honest fellows and many rogues who do. We must stand by
the words passed to old comrades."

There was a brief consultation on the judges' bench, and the bishop
gave it as his opinion that the two men were utterly ignorant on
religious questions, and simply believed what they were told to
believe. He himself, in pursuance of the duties of his sacred office,
would expound the true faith to them, and show them the heresies of
their own lightly-held belief. Whereupon his lordship addressed the
prisoners for the better part of an hour in very dignified Spanish and
scholarly Latin. The two paid earnest attention, for the
ecclesiastic's tone was kindly, almost fatherly. They understood
little of what he said, and Basil was not allowed to interpret, as the
bishop believed that his own voice and words would have greater weight,
and it was acknowledged that the Englishmen had a fair knowledge of
Spanish.

As the good man sipped a cup of wine and fanned himself after his
episcopal exhortation, Basil briefly questioned the prisoners again.
The bishop had shown them their errors in matters of faith; were they
prepared to recant, and re-enter the fold from which they had
ignorantly strayed?

These questions were plain enough, and the brothers looked at one
another once more. Both heads shook. Nick spoke out. "We are not
able," he said, "to judge between Pope and Parliament, or between one
bishop and another. Our faith and our country are one; our home and
our Church are one. We are loyal Englishmen, and will stick to Queen,
Parliament, and friends because we love them and believe in them and
know that they will never betray or desert us. We hold the faith of
our friends, and cannot, without dishonour, turn an