"Rome thundred death, but Tyndale's dauntless eye
Looked in death's face and smiled, death standing by.
In spite of Rome, for England's faith he stood,

And in the flames he sealed it with his blood."

Many times have I stood upon the spot, a rising ground near the prison at Vilvoord, where these awful cruelties were inflicted; and my soul has felt humbled at the recollection of the atrocious deeds of my fellow men. Here, during the revolution at Brussels in 1830, I was taken prisoner by a detachment of Dutch troops, and for about two hours was detained in the prison built on the ruins of the castle where the immortal Tyndale was confined. Inquiries which I had formerly made of an aged jailor, were renewed to the one who had taken his place. For a moment, the sickening horrors of war, the sound of the artillery, the wretchedness of the fugitives, the wounded and the dying, were effaced by these eager inquiries; but no vestige of the martyr remained.

Several times I have searched the archives at Brussels; but, although most kindly assisted by a friend high in the establishment,

nothing could be found relative to Tyndale. Many waggon-loads of valuable papers were not arranged. The only discovery worthy notice was, that it cost the Government for rushes, post, chains, &c. a sum nearly amounting to one pound thirteen shillings, to burn a poor Scotchman for heresy.

The conduct of Tyndale in jail won the heart of his keeper, who, with his daughter and some of the household, became converts to the cross of Christ. Even the Emperor's attorney-general, who had obtained the sentence against him, solemnly declared that he was a learned, a good, and a godly man.

His character is thus drawn by Francis Quarles, author of the Divine Emblems.*

"Zeal crowned his heart and made him to outvie
Papistick stories of hell-bred tyranny;

He fear'd them not, but boldly would dispute
Against their swelling errours, and confute
Their principles with a most dexterous art;
His tongue was never traytor to his heart;
Truth was the hand that pointed to the way,
Where full content and rich salvation lay.
'Twas not a loathsome prison could devorse
His ready lips from the profound discourse
Of true religion, nothing could prevent
His just endeavours. Time he thought mispent
If not employed to good; reader, admire,
His body flam'd to make his soule a fire."

* Fuller's Abel Redivivus, 4to. 1651. p. 130.

CHAPTER X.

"He, living, stopt Rome's breath,

And dead will be Rome's death."

HIS DYING PRAYER ANSWERED-SPREAD OF HIS OPINIONS-THE BIBLE TRIUMPHS-ACT TO ABOLISH TYNDALE'S WORKS-LIST OF HIS WRITINGS COMPARISON OF HIS FIRST EDITION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT WITH THAT FINALLY REVISED BY HIM.

THE dying voice of the Martyr had scarcely been uttered, before his prayer was answered, and the eyes of the King were so far opened, that he issued an injunction, ordering that the Bible should be placed in every church for the free use of the people. In this year (1536) were published seven or eight editions of the New Testament in English. One of them, in royal 8vo. probably executed in Paris, is a peculiarly beautiful specimen of blackletter typography.

cross.

During the short period that the people were allowed the use of the Scriptures, many learned to read, that they might enjoy those treasures which had been so long hid. Amongst this number, Strype narrates the adventures of one who suffered from the deadly animosity to the Scriptures engendered by ignorance and the errors of education. It excited a father to a state of diabolical frenzy against his son, for denying that worship was due to a wooden When The name of the sufferer was William Malden. the King had allowed the Bible to be read in all churches, several poor men at Chelmsford bought the New Testament, and on Sundays sat reading it at the lower end of the church. Many flocked about them to hear it read, and he, among the rest, came every Sunday to hear the glad and sweet tidings of the gospel. But his father observing it, angrily fetched him away, and would have him say the Latin matins with him. This led him to learn English, that he might read the New Testament himself; which when he had

by diligence effected, he and his father's apprentice bought the New Testament, and, to conceal it, laid it under the bed straw, and read it at convenient times. One night, his father being asleep, he and his mother chanced to discourse concerning the crucifix,— the kneeling down to it and knocking on the breast, then used, and the holding up the hands to it when it came by on procession. This, he told his mother, was plain idolatry, and against the commandment of God, where he saith, Thou shalt not make any graven image, nor bow down to it, nor worship it. His mother, enraged at his words, said, Will thou not worship the cross, which was about thee when thou wert christened, and must be laid on thee when thou art dead? In this heat the mother and son parted, and went to their beds. The sum of the evening's conference she presently repeats to her husband, who boiling with fury, arose and went into his son's chamber, where, like a mad zealot, taking him by the hair of his head with both his hands, he pulled him out of the bed and whipped him unmercifully. And when the young man bore this beating with joy, considering it was for Christ's sake, and shed not a tear, his father was more enraged, and ran down and fetched an halter, and put it about his neck, saying he would hang him. At length, with much entreaty of the mother and brother, he left him, almost dead.

The New Testament of this translation was most extensively multiplied. Twenty-three different editions are in my library, besides ten of Coverdale's translation, printed during the same period.

In 1538, Coverdale superintended the printing of the great Bible in Paris. In this, he took Tyndale's version as his basis, making many alterations from his own translation, and some probably at the suggestions of Cranmer and the English reformers. This is the version now used in the Psalter and lessons printed in the Book of Common Prayer.* Numerous interpolations were introduced into the text. This continued to be the authorised Bible for nearly thirty years.

Such was the amazing zeal of the people to receive the Scriptures,

The interpolations are printed in the Prayer-book as part of the text: see Psalm 14, and in the Commination. In the great Bible, they were printed between brackets, and in a different type.

that, before the close of the year 1541, sixteen distinct editions of the whole Bible were printed, each of which consisted of from fifteen to twenty-five hundred copies.

Upon their being set up for public use in the churches, great numbers resorted to read or hear them read, insomuch that the people selected one who had the clearest voice to read for the benefit of the multitude, who resorted to them instead of hearing mass. This gave great offence to the clergy, and they seriously complained that the service of the mass was interrupted. The bishops placed over these public Bibles, orders and regulations, threatening to remove them unless the strictest decorum was preserved. Those for the diocese of London were to this effect:"The Bible is to be read with all devocion, humilitie, and quyetnesse, the reader leuing behynde hym vayne glorye, hypocrisie, and all other carnall and corrupte affections, bring with him discretion, honeste intente, charytie, reuerence, and quyet behauiour; he is not to expound nor to reade with a lowde voyce, and without disputacion." At length, an order was issued that none should read aloud. The King also issued a proclamation to the same effect. Soon after this, Henry became restless and unstable; and the popish party prevailed. Every means was employed to prevent the Bible from being read, and orders were given to the curates to search their parishes for Tyndale's Testaments and his works. At length, on the 20th of January, 1543, an act of parliament was passed rigorously to suppress all the writings of Tyndale, and to limit the reading of Cranmer's or Coverdale's translations to certain classes of persons. The bill is entitled most strangely, “An act for the aduauncement of true religion, and for the abolishment of the contrary." The original edition printed by Berthelet in 1544, is in my possession, from which the following extracts are made:-"That all manner of bookes of the Old and Newe Testament in Englishe, beinge of the crafty, false, and vntrue translacion of Tyndall, shall be clerely and vtterlie abolished, extinguished, and forbidden to be kept or vsed." The punishment of disobedience was, for the first offence, ten pounds sterling fine, equal to about fifty pounds at the present value of money, and three months' imprisonment for every book; and for the second offence,