And now, and forasmuch as I have come To the last end of life, and thereupon Hangs all my past, and all my life to be, Either to live with Christ in Heaven with joy, Or to be still in pain with devils in hell; And, seeing in a moment, I shall find [_Pointing upwards_. Heaven or else hell ready to swallow me, [_Pointing downwards_. I shall declare to you my very faith Without all colour. COLE. Hear him, my good brethren. CRANMER. I do believe in God, Father of all; In every article of the Catholic faith, And every syllable taught us by our Lord, His prophets, and apostles, in the Testaments, Both Old and New. COLE. Be plainer, Master Cranmer. CRANMER. And now I come to the great cause that weighs Upon my conscience more than anything Or said or done in all my life by me; For there be writings I have set abroad Against the truth I knew within my heart, Written for fear of death, to save my life, If that might be; the papers by my hand Sign'd since my degradation--by this hand [_Holding out his right hand_. Written and sign'd--I here renounce them all; And, since my hand offended, having written Against my heart, my hand shall first be burnt, So I may come to the fire. [_Dead silence_. PROTESTANT _murmurs_. FIRST PROTESTANT. I knew it would be so. SECOND PROTESTANT. Our prayers are heard! THIRD PROTESTANT. God bless him! CATHOLIC _murmurs_. Out upon him! out upon him! Liar! dissembler! traitor! to the fire! WILLIAMS (_raising his voice_). You know that you recanted all you said Touching the sacrament in that same book You wrote against my Lord of Winchester; Dissemble not; play the plain Christian man. CRANMER. Alas, my Lord, I have been a man loved plainness all my life; I _did_ dissemble, but the hour has come For utter truth and plainness; wherefore, I say, I hold by all I wrote within that book. Moreover, As for the Pope I count him Antichrist, With all his devil's doctrines; and refuse, Reject him, and abhor him. I have said. [_Cries on all sides_, 'Pull him down! Away with him!' COLE. Ay, stop the heretic's mouth! Hale him away! WILLIAMS. Harm him not, harm him not! have him to the fire! [CRANMER _goes out between Two Friars, smiling; hands are reached to him from the crowd_. LORD WILLIAM HOWARD _and_ LORD PAGET _are left alone in the church_. PAGET. The nave and aisles all empty as a fool's jest! No, here's Lord William Howard. What, my Lord, You have not gone to see the burning? HOWARD. Fie! To stand at ease, and stare as at a show, And watch a good man burn. Never again. I saw the deaths of Latimer and Ridley. Moreover, tho' a Catholic, I would not, For the pure honour of our common nature, Hear what I might--another recantation Of Cranmer at the stake.