the Romish
superstition, and prove that it was founded merely on false miracles and
lying stories.[***] The lady Mary remained obstinate against all
this advice, and declared herself willing to endure death rather than
relinquish her religion; she only feared, she said, that she was not
worthy to suffer martyrdom in so holy a cause: and as for Protestant
books, she thanked God, that as she never had, so she hoped never to
read any of them. Dreading further violence, she endeavored to make
an escape to her kinsman Charles; but her design was discovered and
prevented.[****] The emperor remonstrated in her behalf, and even
threatened hostilities if liberty of conscience were refused her: but
though the council, sensible that the kingdom was in no condition to
support with honor such a war, was desirous to comply, they found great
difficulty to overcome the scruples of the young king. He had been
educated in such a violent abhorrence of the mass and other popish
rites, which he regarded as impious and idolatrous, that he should
participate, he thought, in the sin, if he allowed its commission: and
when at last the importunity of Cranmer, Ridley, and Poinet prevailed
somewhat over his opposition, he burst into tears; lamenting his
sister's obstinacy, and bewailing his own hard fate, that he must suffer
her to continue in such an abominable mode of worship.

* Wood, Hist. and Antiq. Oxon. lib. i. p. 271, 272.

** Strype, vol. ii. p. 249.

*** Fox, vol. ii. Collier, Burnet.

**** Hayward, p. 315.

The great object, at this time, of antipathy among the Protestant
sects was Popery, or, more properly, speaking, the Papists. These they
regarded as the common enemy, who threatened every moment to overwhelm
the evangelical faith, and destroy its partisans by fire and sword: they
had not as yet had leisure to attend to the other minute differences
among themselves, which afterwards became the object of such furious
quarrels and animosities, and threw the whole kingdom into combustion.
Several Lutheran divines, who had reputation in those days, Bucer, Peter
Martyr, and others, were induced to take shelter in England, from the
persecutions which the emperor exercised in Germany; and they received
protection and encouragement. John Alasco, a Polish nobleman, being
expelled his country by the rigors of the Catholics, settled during
some time at Embden in East Friezland, where he became preacher to a
congregatio