"Be not dismayed, mine ever kind friend Plantagenet, nor deem me in this to have wandered from the path of Christian faith. Rather would I say, do thou also read the gospels of the evangelists, with the deeds of the apostles, as the good preacher of Lutterworth hath rendered them into English, than join in blaming those whose happiness it hath been thus to know them. Why, Richard, why, I pray you, should the unbounded light of Christ be in anywise concealed or shaded unto the eyes of men? or wherefore should we hide from the lowlier children of God, the holy Scriptures, which for them, as well as for us, do in truth contain the words of eternal life? Truly, methinks there may well be urged in this matter, that which holy Peter of old answered unto them that reproached him, saying, 'If God gave the same grace to them, as to us that believeden in the Lord Jesu Christ, who are we that we may forbid the Lord, that He give not the Holy Ghost to them that believeden in the name of Jesu Christ?'"

I may not here set down with what declining life, frequent pausings, and faint speech, the Lady Bride held on throughout this converse, albeit they were so piteous, and her weakness did so greatly increase, as to move me to entreat of her not to discourse farther at that season: whereunto she replied, that the matter of which she spake seemed charged upon her soul to deliver unto me, and that until this was done, she was borne up by a strength which she knew well was far greater than her own. In response, therefore, unto her former words, I noted unto her

what divers holy and venerable men have said upon the sin, as they deemed it, of giving the Word of God in the common speech.

Whilst I spake, she sighed heavily, and replied, "Such I do well know hath been the language of many wise men in the church, and often have I blamed mine own desire herein; much fearing that, in coveting to read the Holy Book in English, I sinned like Eve, who first sought to eat of the fruit of the forbidden tree of knowledge. Yet, good Richard, have I been most wondrously refreshed and comforted, by the close union which was thus formed between mine own soul and the immortal Word of God; though I was doomed to hide, and even somewhat to discountenance, that which in my secret heart I could not but approve as most excellent. And for such as desire that the Gospel shall never be spread abroad in the common tongue, it seemeth unto me that they follow the guileful artifices of the heathens; whose holiest precepts were not given openly, to make mankind virtuous or blessed, but veiled under evil rites, and confined unto their cruel and mysterious priests."

"Oh! dearest Lady Bride," then said I," not in this most solemn hour, let voice of thine sanction these mad and daring novelties, with which the adversaries of our holy church are even now striving to overthrow it."

"Fear not for me," answered she, as her voice sank lower and her eyes again closed, "Fear not for me, since I know in whom I have believed."

-Then, after pausing awhile, the prioress again raised herself, and with new and sudden anima

tion, and a wondrous light on her visage, she continued," Thou hast well said, Plantagenet, it is indeed a solemn hour with me, seeing that I am standing between life and death; and, like him who stood upon the top of Pisgah, overlooking both the wilderness of this world and much of the glorious Canaan to which I am hastening. And, perchance, this solemn hour, giveth even unto mortal creatures somewhat of immortal knowledge; since I feel it written upon my soul, that the Lord is about to rise and mightily to refresh the nations with his presence! That a great overthrow is coming upon the corrupted clergy of this realm! That many of our superstitious rites shall wane and die away, in the plain puritives of the advancing Gospel; and that the TRANSLATED WORD shall speedily be spread through this land, from the throne even unto the hovel! For kings shall come unto the brightness of its rising. I depart in the twilight of these things, but you shall behold the sun rise; and I pray that he may shine forth upon you with healing in his wings!"

As the dying prioress spake, I stood and gazed upon her with utter amazement, for unto me she seemed like some holy prophetess, in the very moment when unmeasurable inspiration was poured into her soul; I spake not, from wonder at the power and eloquence of her speech, and I almost doubted to breathe, lest I should interrupt her wondrous discourse.

Howbeit, her strength was now almost spent, and it was in a fainter and more broken voice that she said, "Truly, Plantagenet, even in this last hour of mine existence, I cannot but feel a

full strong assurance, that to make the Word of Truth plainly and widely known, is to spread the power and realm of the Most High; whilst to keep it in an unspoken tongue is to bury the eternal jewel of mankind. For, I beseech you, are all unlettered men to perish because they wist not the speech of heathen Rome? or why should our land be the lowest of Christendom, in that it hath not the Scriptures, the law of God, and our faith, in its own language? Oh, Richard! Richard! friend of the friendless Bride Plantagenet,-who art the dearest object in my closing eyes, believe me when I say, that I desire nothing better for thee than well to know and revere this most holy book in our own tongue. Alas! Plantagenet, my death is so far like that of my beloved mother in Bermondsey Abbey, that I may well say, as she did in her will, I have no worldly goods to do any a pleasure with, nor to reward any according to mine heart and mind. Yet unto thee, most dear friend, do I give this book of the English New Testament, by the learned and holy Wiclif, for such I dare well think him to have been; and this little tome of offices, which thou gavest me at our last parting, and which hath never left me since that hour. I can well think that thou hast preserved my ring, if it have not been rent from thee; and so I ween that I shall not be altogether forgotten by thee."

As she gave the books into mine hands, and spake these words, my spirit was again suddenly melted within me, and I said, "Forgotten! Oh! dearest Lady Bride, when thou art forgotten,

Richard Plantagenet will have neither power of memory, nor aught to remember.”

"These confessions being past, then," resumed the prioress, "my soul is full of blessed expectancy and ready to be gone; having now nought to sorrow or to hope for, saving that I yet lament mine harshness, or that of mine office, unto one whose feelings I do gladly partake of."

It was my great desire, however much mine heart should be disquieted by the sorrows of the hour, to keep my spirit yet tranquil and unshaken,

-but now my tears flowed in despite of all mine efforts to restrain them, and, moreover, my soul was in great dread from the peril which I feared might await the Lady Bride, from her holding what I then deemed most hazardous and evil doctrines. Yet even whilst I did what was in me to recall her therefrom into the bosom of the church, I much wondered at the more than human courage with which she had prepared to encounter the last enemy. For, all throughout mine interview with her, even unto her death, a heavenly hope seemed to flourish healthfully and vigorously upon her countenance; even as I have seen some fair and fallen column, wreathed around with sweet flowers and green moss, and blooming with all the fresh and living verdure of the spring.

But now the hour had arrived, when she was to render up her spirit unto the God who gave it, since she faintly said, "I can no more, Richard; give me thine absolution and benediction,-for the moment hath now arrived when we must part for the last time; and may He, whom I im