by His sufferance; and now I tell you, God hath heard the
prayer of His servants, which hath been poured forth with tears for His
afflicted saints, whom you daily persecute, as now you do us. But this
I dare be bold in God to say (by whose Spirit I am moved), that God will
shorten your hand of cruelty, that for a time you shall not molest His
Church. And this you shall in a short time well perceive, my dear
brethren, to be most true. For after this day, in this place, there
shall not be any by him put to the trial of fire and faggot."

The Bishop replied that "he should yet live to burn, yea, and he would
burn, for all this prattling:" and so went his way, and Mr Holland was
taken back to Newgate.

But the Bishop, like many another, laid his plans without reference to
Him who sat above the water-floods. Roger Holland had an unction from
the Holy One, and his prescience was true. The commandment was gone
forth from the presence of the King--"Hitherto shalt thou come, and no
further." After that once, by Bonner, and in Smithfield, there was
never another "trial of fire and faggot."

Yet for that once, the Devil and Edmund Bonner had their way. Waiting
for Roger Holland were the white robe and the martyr's palm; and with
his name the muster-roll of soldiers slain in the great battle of
England was closed in Heaven.

It is not entirely unedifying to note _why_ this man was martyred. So
long as he pursued the profligate course on which he had embarked in
early youth, Rome had not a word to say to him. Sin does not come under
her cognisance, except to be muffled up in absolution, and hidden from
the eyes of the sinner--but not from the eyes of God. But the moment
that Holland's course was altered, and he began to try so to walk as to
please God, that moment he came under the ban of her who dares to stand
up in the face of the world, and with unblushing effrontery to call
herself the Church of God.

Very late on the 28th of June, Augustine Bernher brought the news of the
last martyrdom. His face told, before he spoke, that he came to say
something terrible. The first thoughts of those at the Lamb, as usual,
flew to Robin and Mr Rose; but Austin quickly turned them into a
different channel.

"I am come," he said, "from Roger Holland's martyrdom."

"Eh, Austin! is it over with Mr Holland?" cried Isoult.

"It is over with him, and he shall suffer no more pains of death for
ever. He and the other six taken wi