light of the gospel. He would have said more, but was prevented by the officers, at the desire of the archbishop, who attended.

Their sentence was then put into execution, and they cheerfully resigned up their souls to that God who gave them, hoping, through the merits of the great Redeemer, for a glorious resurrection to life immortal. They suffered in the year 1534.

The martyrdoms of the two before-mentioned persons were soon followed by that of Mr. Thomas Forret, who, for a considerable time, had been a dean of the Romish

The great attention these two persons paid to the duties of religion, made them so distinguished, that an information of heresy was laid against them by their enemies before the archbishop, who now determined to punish Stratton for the treatment he had received from him before his conversion. They were accordingly both apprehend-church. ed and committed to prison, where they This person, having himself been enwere confined for some weeks, during lightened with the truth of the gospel, was which they were very cruelly treated. desirous of conveying the knowledge of it They had scarce sufficient refreshment al- to others. To effect this he preached evlowed them to preserve their miserable ex-ery sabbath to his parishioners, from the istence, nor were they suffered to be seen by any of their friends or acquaintances.

epistles and gospels of the day, which highly offending the friars (who claimed At length they were brought before the that privilege to themselves only) they acarchbishop, at Holy-Rood house, for exam-cused him of heresy, and laid an informaination, the king himself being present on tion against him before the bishop of Dunthe occasion.

keld.

Several articles of heresy were exhibited against them, all which they answered with great fortitude and composure of mind. The archbishop endeavored to prevail on them to recant their errors, and return to the mother-church; but they denied having committed any offence, and said they were determined to preserve their religious sen-lowing dialogue ensued :timents, in opposition to every effort that might be offered to make them alter their opinions.

Though the bishop would willingly have avoided concerning himself in this matter, yet, from the persons who laid the information, he thought it most prudent to take some notice of it. He accordingly ordered Dean Forret to appear before him, which being immediately complied with, the fol

In consequence of this the archbishop pronounced on them the dreadful sentence of death, which was that they should be first hanged, and then burnt; and in the afternoon of the same day they were led to the place appointed for their execution.

As soon as they arrived at the fatal spot, they both kneeled down, and prayed for some time, with great fervency. They then arose, when Stratton addressing himself to the spectators, exhorted them to lay aside their superstitious. and idolatrous notions, and employ their time in seeking the true?

Bishop. My good dean, I love you well, and therefore I must give you counsel how to govern yourself. I am informed that you preach the epistle and gospel every Sunday to your people, and that you take not your dues from them, which is very prejudicial to the churchmen. Therefore, my good dean Thomas, I would advise you to take your dues, otherwise it will be too much to preach every Sunday; for by so doing you make the people think we should do the same. It is enough for you, when you find a good epistle or gospel, to set forth and preach the liberty of the holy mother-church.

Dean. My lord, I presume none of my

parishioners complain for my not taking my dues. And whereas, you say it is too much to preach every Sunday, I think it is too little, and wish your lordship would follow my example.

Bishop. Nay, nay, Dean Thomas, let that be, for we are not ordained to preach.

Dean. My lord, you told me to preach when I meet with a good epistle and gospel; I have read them all over, and I know no bad ones among them, but when your lordship shows me such I will pass by them.

Bishop. I thank God I never knew what the Old and New Testaments were, and I desire not to know anything more than my pontifical. Go your ways, and lay aside all these fancies; for if you persevere herein, you will repent when it is too late. Dean. I trust my cause is good and just in the presence of God, and therefore I care not what follows.

The dean then took leave of the bishop,? but was, a short time after, summoned to appear before Cardinal Beaton, archbishop of St. Andrew's, by whom, after a short examination, he was condemned to be burnt as a heretic.

fore the archbishop for examination. Kennedy's tender years inclining him to pusillanimity, he would at first have recanted; but being suddenly refreshed by divine inspiration, and feeling himself, as it were, a new creature, his mind was changed, and falling on his knees, he, with a cheerful countenance thus expressed himself:

"O eternal God! how wonderful is that love and mercy thou bearest unto mankind, and to me, a miserable wretch above all others! for even now, when I would have denied thee, and thy son our Lord Jesus Christ, my only Savior, and so have cast myself into everlasting damnation, thou, by thine own hand, hast pulled me from the very bottom of hell, and made me to feel that heavenly comfort which has taken from me that ungodly fear where with I was before oppressed. Now I defy death; do with me as you please; I praise God I am ready."

In the course of their examination, Russel, being a very sensible man, reasoned learnedly against his accusers. They, in return, made use of very opprobrious language; to which Russel replied as follows: "This is your hour and power of darkness: The like sentence was pronounced, at now ye sit as judges, and we stand wrongthe same time, on four others, namely, Kil- fully accused, and more wrongfully to be lor and Beverage, two blacksmiths; Dun- condemned; but the day will come when can Simson, a priest; and Robert Forrest-our innocence will appear, and ye shall see er, a gentleman. They were all burnt to-your own blindness, to your everlasting gether, on the castle hill, at Edinburgh, the confusion. Go on, and fill the measure of last day of February, 1538. your iniquity."

They endured their sufferings with great fortitude, and died in the most lively exercise of faith in Christ, to obtain eternal life in that glorious state, where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at

rest.

The year following the martyrdoms of the before-mentioned persons, viz., 1539, two others were apprehended on a suspicion of heresy: namely, Jerom Russel, and Alexander Kennedy, a youth about eighteen years of age.

These two persons, after being some time confined in prison, were brought be

The examination being over, and both of them deemed heretics, the archbishop pronounced the dreadful sentence of death, and they were immediately delivered over to the secular power in order for execution.

The next day they were led to the place appointed for them to suffer; in their way to which Russel, seeing his fellow-sufferer have the appearance of timidity in his countenance, thus addressed him: "Brother, fear not; greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world. The pain that we are to suffer is short, and shall be light; but our joy and consolation shall never

have an end. Let us, therefore, strive to enter into our Master and Savior's joy, by the same strait way which he hath taken before us. Death can not hurt us, for it is already destroyed by him, for whose sake we are now going to suffer."

On the day appointed for the execution of the former, they were all conducted, under a proper guard, to the place where they were to suffer, and were attended by a prodigious number of spectators.

As soon as they arrived at the place of execution, they all prayed fervently for some time; after which Robert Lamb addressed himself to the spectators, exhort

When they arrived at the fatal spot, they both kneeled down and prayed for some time; after which, being fastened to the stake, and the fagots lighted, they cheer-ing them to fear God, and to quit the pracfully resigned their souls into the hands of tice of papistical abominations. Him who gave them, in full hopes of an ev- The four men were all hanged on the erlasting reward in the heavenly mansions. same gibbet; and the woman and her In 1543, the archbishop of St. Andrew's sucking child were conducted to a river made a visitation into various parts of his adjoining, when, being fastened in a large diocese, where several persons were in-sack, they were thrown into it, and drowned. formed against at Perth for heresy. Among They all suffered their fate with becomthese the following were condemned to die, ing fortitude and resignation, committing viz., William Anderson, James Finlayson, their departing spirits to that Redeemer Robert Lamb, James Hunter, James Ravel- { who was to be their final judge, and who, son, Helen Stark. they had reason to hope, would usher them The accusations laid against these re-into the realms of everlasting bliss. spective persons were as follow:

The first four were accused of having hung up the image of Sir Francis, nailing ram's horns on his head, and fastening a cow's tail to his back; but the principal matter on which they were condemned, was having regaled themselves with a goose on a fast day.

James Ravelson was accused of having adorned his house with the three-crowned diadem of Peter, carved in wood, which the archbishop conceived to be done in mockery of his cardinal's cap.

Helen Stark was accused of not having accustomed herself to pray to the virgin Mary, more especially during her confine

ment.

On these respective accusations they were all found guilty, and immediately received sentence of death; the four men for eating the goose to be hanged; James Ravelson to be burnt; and the woman, with her sucking infant, to be put into a sack, and drowned.

When we reflect on the sufferings of these persons, we are naturally induced, both as men and Christians, to lament their fate, and to express our feelings by dropping the tear of commiseration. The murdering four men, for little other reason than that of satisfying nature with an article sent by Providence for that very purpose (merely because it was on a day prohibited by ridiculous bigotry and superstition), is shocking indeed; but the fate of the innocent woman, and her still more harmless infant, makes human nature shake, and almost tremble, to think there is such a being as man. O horrid bigotry, to what lengths wilt thou not go! What sacrifice wilt thou not make, to gratify the basest and most inhuman of passions! (See engraving.)

Many others were cruelly persecuted during the archbishop's stay at Perth, some being banished, and others confined in loathsome dungeons. John Rogers, a pious man, was murdered in prison, and his body thrown over the walls into the street; The four men, with the woman and child, after which the archbishop caused a report suffered at the same time; but James Rav-to be spread, that he had met with his elson was not executed till some days after. death by attempting to make his escape.