ceeded. At one time a breach was made by the tremendous cannonade; but, through the undaunted valour of the citizens, assisted even by their wives and daughters, the soldiers were driven back with great slaughter.

The siege lasted seven months, when the duke of Anjou being proclaimed king of Poland, he, in concert with the king of France, entered into a treaty with the people of Rochelle, which ended in a peace; conditions containing 25 articles, having been drawn up by the latter, embracing many immunities both for themselves and other Protestants in France, were confirmed by the king, and proclaimed with great rejoicings af Rochelle and other cities.

The year following died Charles IX. of France, the tyrant who had been so instrumental in the calamities above recorded. He was only in the 25th year of his age, and his death was remarkable and dreadful. When lying on his bed the blood gushed from various parts of his body, and, after lingering in horrible torments during many months, he at length expired.

BOOK VII.

FARTHER ACCOUNTS OF THE PERSECUTIONS IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES.

SECTION. I.

THE severity exercised by the Roman Catholics over the reformed Bohergians, induced the latter to send two ministers and four laymen to Rome, in the year 977, to seek redress from the pope. After some delay their request was granted, and their grievances redressed. Two things in particular were permitted to them, viz. to have divine service in their own language, and to give the cup in the sacrament to the laity. The disputes, however, soon broke out again, the succeeding popes exerting all their power to resume their tyranny over the minds of the Bohemians; and the latter, with great spirit, aiming to preserve their religious liberties.

Some' zealous friends of the gospel applied to Charles, king of Bohemía, A. D. 1375, to call a council for an inquiry into the abuses that had crept into the church, and to make a thorough reformation. Charles, at a loss how to proceed, sent to the pope for advice; the latter, incensed at the affair, only replied, "Punish severely those presumptuous and profane heretics." The king, accordingly, banished every one who had been concerned in the application; and, to show his zeal the reformed Chrisfor the pope, additional restraints upon laid many tians of the country.

17

The martyrdom of John Huss, and Jerome of Prague,* greatly increased the indignation of the believers, and gave animation to their cause. These two great and pious men were condemned by order of the council of Constance, when fifty-eight of the principal Bohemian nobility interposed in their favour. Nevertheless, they were burnt; and the pope, in conjunction with the council of Constance, ordered the Romish clergy, every where, to excommunicate all who adopted their opinions, or murmured at their fate. In consequence of these orders, great contentions arose between the papists and reformed Bohemians, which produced a violent persecution against the latter. At Prague it was extremely severe, till, at length, the reformed, driven to desperation, armed themselves, attacked, the senate house, and cast twelve of its members, with the speaker, out of the windows. The pope, hearing of this, went to Florence, and publicly excommunicated ** the reformed Bohemians, exciting the emperor of Germany; and all other kings, princes, dukes, &c. to take up arms, in order to extirpate the whole race; promising, by way of encouragement, full remission of all sins to the most wicked person who should kill one Bohemian Protestant. The result of this was a bloody war: for several popish princes undertook the extirpation, or at least expulsion, of the proscribed people; while the Bohemians, arming themselves, prepared to repel them in the most vigorous manner. The popish army prevailing against the Protestant forces at the battle of Cuttenburgh, they conveyed their prisoners to three deep mines near that town, and threw several hundreds into each, where they perished in a miserable manner.

A bigoted popish magistrate, named Pichel, seized twenty-four protestants, among whom was his daughter's husband. On their all confessing themselves of the reformed religion, he sentenced them to be drowned in the river Abbis. On the day of the execution, a great concourse of people attended; and Pichel's daughter threw herself at her father's feet, bedewed them with tears, and implored him to pardon her husband. The obdurate magistrate sternly replied, Intercede not for him, child: he is a heretic, a vile heretic." To which she nobly answered, "Whatever his faults may be, or however his opinions may differ from yours, he is still my husband, a thought which, at a time like this, should alone employ my whole consideration." Pichel flew into a violent passion, and said, "You are mad! cannot you, after his death, have a much worthier husband?"—" No, sir,” replied she," my affections are fixed upon him, and death itself shall not dissolve my marriage vow." Pichel, however, continued inflexible, and ordered the prisoners to be tied with their hands and feet behind them, and in that manner thrown into the river. This being put into execution, the young lady watched her opportunity, leaped into the waves, and, embracing the body of her husband, both sunk together. Persecution by the Emperor Ferdinand.

The Emperor Ferdinand, whose hatred to the protestants was unli mited, not thinking he had sufficiently oppressed them, instituted a high

* These two great men were first brought to the light of truth by reading the doctrines of our countryman, John Wickliffe, who, like the morning star of reformation, first burst from the dark night of popish error, and illuminated the surrounding world.

court of reformers, upon the plan of the inquisition, with this differ ence, that the reformers were to remove from place to place. The greater part of this court consisted of Jesuits, and from its decisions there was no appeal. Attended by a body of troops, it made the tour of Bohemia, and seldom examined or saw a prisoner; but suffered the soldiers to murder the protestants as they pleased, and then to make report of the matter afterwards.

The first who fell a victim to their barbarity was an aged minister, whom they killed, as he lay sick in bed. Next day they robbed and murdered another, and soon after shot a third, while preaching in his pulpit.

They ravished the daughter of a protestant before his face, and then tortured her father to death. They tied a minister and his wife back "to back, and burnt them. Another minister they hung upon à cross beam, and making a fire under him, broiled him to death. A gentleman they hacked into small pieces; and they filled a young man's mouth with gunpowder, and setting fire to it, blew his head to pieces. But their principal rage being directed against the clergy, they seized a pious protestant minister, whom, they tormented daily for a month in the following manner; they placed him amidst them, and derided and mocked him; they spit in his face, and pinched him in various parts of his body; they hunted him like a wild beast, till ready to expire with fatigue; they made him run the gauntlet, cach striking him with a twig, their fists, or ropes; they scourged him with wires; they tied him up by the heels with his head downwards, till the blood started out of his nose, mouth, &c.; they hung him up by the arms till they were dislocated, and then had them set again; burning papers dipped in oil, were placed between his fingers and toes; his flesh was torn with red-hot pincers; he was put to the rack; they pulled off the nails of his fingers and toes; he was bastinadoed on his feet; a slit was made in his ears and nose; they set him upon an ass, and whipped him through the town; his teeth were pulled out; boiling lead was poured upon his fingers and toes; and, lastly, a knotted cord was twisted about his forehead in such a manner as to force out his eyes. In the midst of these enormities, particular care was taken lest his wounds should mortify, and his sufferings be thus shortened, till the last day, when the foreing out of his eyes caused his death.

The other acts of these monsters were various and diabolical. At length, the winter being far advanced, the high court of reformers, with their military ruffians, thought proper to return to Prague; but on their way meeting with a protestant pastor, they could not resist the temptation of feasting their barbarous eyes with a new kind of cruelty. This was to strip him naked, and to cover him alternately with ice and burning coals. This novel mode of torture was immediately put in practice, and the unhappy victim expired beneath the torments, which delighted his inhuman persecutors.

Some time after, a secret order was issued by the emperor, for apprehending all noblemen and gentlemen who had been principally concerned in supporting the protestant cause, and in nominating Frederick, elector palatine of the Rhine, to be the king of Bohemia. Fifty of these were suddenly seized in one night, and brought to the castle of Prague; while the estates of those who were absent were confis

cated, themselves made outlaws, and their names fixed upon a gak lows as a mark of public ignominy.

The high court of reformers afterwards proceeded to try those who had been apprehended, and two apostate protestants were appointed to examine them. Their examiners asked many unnecessary and impertinent questions, which so exasperated one of the noblemen, that he exclaimed, opening his breast at the same time, Cut here: search my heart; you shall find nothing but the love of religion and liberty: those were the motives for which I drew my sword, and for those I am willing to die."

466

As none of the prisoners would renounce their faith, or acknowledge themselves in error, they were all pronounced guilty; the sentence was, however, referred to the emperor. When that monarch had read their names, and the accusations against them, he passed judgment on all, but in a different manner; his sentences being of four kinds, viz. death, banishment, imprisonment for life, and imprisonment during pleasure. Twenty of them being ordered for execution, were inform ed they might send for Jesuits, monks, or friars, to prepare for their awful change, but that no communication with protestants would be permitted them. This proposal they rejected, and strove all they could to comfort and cheer each other upon the solemn occasion.. The morning of the execution being arrived, a cannon was fired as a signal to bring the prisoners from the castle to the principal marketplace, in which scaffolds were erected, and a body of troops drawn up to attend. The prisoners left the castle, and passed with dignity, composure, and cheerfulness, through soldiers, Jesuits, priests,.executioners, attendants, and a prodigious concourse of people assembled to see the exit of these devoted martyrs.

SECTION II.

LIFE, SUFFERINGS, AND MARTYRDOM OF JOHN HUSS.

John Huss was born in the village of Hussenitz, in Bohemia, about the year 1380. His parents gave him the best education they could bestow, and having acquired a tolerable knowledge of the classics, at a private school, he was sent to the university of Prague, where the powers of his mind, and his diligence in study, soon rendered him conspicuous.

In 1408, he commenced bachelor of divinity, and was successively chosen pastor of the church of Bethlehem, in Prague, and dean and rector of the university. The duties of these stations he discharged with great fidelity, and became at length so conspicuous for the boldness and truth of his preaching, that he attracted the notice, and raised the malignity of the pope and his creatures.

His influence in the university was very great, not only on account of his learning, eloquence, and exemplary life, but also on account of some valuable privileges he had obtained from the king in behalf of that seminary.

The English reformer, Wickliffe, had so kindled the light of reformation, that it began to illumine the darkest corners of popery and ig

norance. His doctrines were received in Bohemia with avidity and zeal, by great numbers of people, but by none so particularly as John Huss, and his friend and fellow martyr, Jerome of Prague.

The reformists daily increasing, the archbishop of Prague issued a decree to prevent the farther spreading of Wickliffe's writings. This, however, had an effect quite the reverse to what he expected, for it stimulated the converts to greater zeal, and, at length, almost the whole university united in promoting them.

Strongly attached to the doctrines of Wickliffe, Huss strenuously opposed the decree of the archbishop, who, notwithstanding, obtained a ball from the pope, authorizing him to prevent the publishing of Wickliffe's writings in his province. By virtue of this bull, he proceeded against four doctors, who had not delivered-up some copies, and prohibited them to preach. Against these proceedings, Huss, with some other members of the university, protested, and entered an appeal from the sentences of the archbishop. The pope no sooner heard of this, than he granted a commission to Cardinal Colonna, to cite John Huss to appear at the court of Rome, to answer accusations laid against him, of preaching heresies. From this appearance Huss desired to be excused, and so greatly was he favoured in Bohemia, that King Winceslaus, the queen, the nobility, and the uni versity, desired the pope to dispense with such an appearance; as also that he would not suffer the kingdom of Bohemia, to lie under the accusation of heresy, but permit them to preach the gospel with freedom in their places of worship.

Three proctors appeared for Huss before Cardinal Colonna, They made an excuse for his absence, and said, they were ready to answer in his behalf. But the cardinal declared him contumacious, and ac cordingly excommunicated him. On this the proctors appealed to the pope, who appointed four cardinals to examine the process these commissioners confirmed the sentence of the cardinal, and extended the excommunication, not only to Huss, but to all his friends and followers. Huss then appealed from this unjust sentence to a future council, but without success; and, notwithstanding so severe a decree, and an expulsion from his church in Prague, he retired to Hussenitz, his native place, where he continued to promulgate the truth, both from the pulpit, and with the pen.

He here compiled a treatise, in which he maintained, that reading the books of protestants could not be absolutely forbidden.. He wrote in defence of Wickliffe's book on the trinity, and boldly declared against the vices of the pope, and eardinals, and the clergy of those corrupt times. Besides these, he wrote many other books, all of which were penned with such strength of argument, as greatly facilitated the spreading of his doctrines.

In England, the persecutions against the protestants had been car ried on for some time with relentless cruelty. They now extended to Germany and Bohemia, where Huss, and Jerome of Prague, were particularly singled out to suffer in the cause of religion.

In the month of November, 1414, a general council was assembled at Constance, in Germany, for the purpose of determining a dispute then existing between three persons who contended for the papal throne.

These were, John, proposed and set up by the Italians; Gregory, by the