henceforth carry, or convey, or cause to be conveyed or carried
through the said Cathedral Church of St. Paul any manner of great
vessel or vessels, basket or baskets, with bread, ale, beer,
flesh, fruit, fish, fardells of stuff, wood billets, faggots,
mule, horse, or other beasts, or any other like thing or things,
upon pain of forfeiture and losing for every such his or their
offence iii_s._ iiij_d._, and for the second like offence vi_s._
viij_d._, and for the third offence x_s._, and for every other
offence after such third time to forfeit and lose like sum, and
to suffer imprisonment by the space of two whole days and nights
without bail or mainprise. The one moiety of all which pains and
penalties shall be to the use of the poor called Christ's Hospital
within Newgate for the time being, and the other moiety thereof
shall be to the use of him or them that will sue for the same in
any Court of Record within same City by bill, original plaint,
or information, to be commenced and sued in the name of the
chamberlains of the said city for the time being, wherein none
essoyne [exemption] or wages of law for the defendants shall be
admitted or allowed.
"God save the King and Queen."
(Guildhall Records.)
We have had the grand ceremonial at the Reconciliation to Rome.
Another procession--oh! the pity of it--was held on St. Paul's Day,
1550, of 160 priests, with Bishop Bonner at the head, singing their
thanksgiving that the Queen was about to become a mother, and on the
following April 30th, came the report that a prince was born. Again
the bells rang out, and solemn _Te Deum_ was sung! Machyn tells of the
disappointment which followed, and expresses his hope for the future,
hope not to be fulfilled.
What was it turned the tide of religious opinion? The answer admits of
no doubt. John Rogers, the proto-martyr of the English Reformation,
was a prebendary of St. Paul's, a man of saintly life. He had given
much help to Tyndale, the translator of the Bible, had brought the MS.
to England, and published it. He was sentenced to be burned only three
days after the reception of Pole, and died with dauntless courage,
even his wife and children encouraging him. In the following October,
his Bishop and patron, Ridley, also died the same fiery death. Machyn
records, with apparent callousness, the burnings which went on in
Smithfield day after day, along with trifling incidents and stately
ceremonials at St. Paul's. He does not realise that these things were
horrifying the English people, and turning their hearts steadfastly
to the persecuted faith. The greater number of the martyr fires took
place in London, and St. Paul's was the place of trial. On the 13th of
November, 1558, the Queen issued a brief to Bonner, giving him command
to burn heretics without mercy, and four days later she died, as, on
the same day, did Cardinal Pole.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account