The effect of this persecution appears in Brandt's History of the Reformation in the Low Coun tries, where it is said that "in 1539, there were put to death at Delft, one and thirty Anabaptists that had fled from England, the men beheaded and the women drowned." Brandt, i. 77.

his servant told me the Duke of tists, and were on the 3d of May, Suffolk sent such word to Hooper, brent on the high-way beyond who was not himself ignorant what Southwark towards Newington. they were doing." This passage P. 579. and others which I shall quote are omitted by Fox with more tender. ness to the Reformers, as Mr. Peirce has hinted, than fidelity as an historian, in his English work. That work was certainly designed by its horrid details, assisted by the engraver's art, to excite a popular and unqualified odiumagainst papists, who must not be suffered to On the death of Henry, the Andivide with Protestants even in any abaptists appear to have again proportion the guilt of persecution. visited this country, where, whatYet these bishops, who would have ever commotions some under that killed Hooper and thought they name had raised in Germany, they did God service, would not surely proved themselves a pacific, sufferhave voluntarily contented them- ing people. Burnet (ii. 105.) says selves with imprisoning Bonner that "they were generally Gerand Gardiner because they refused to act the farce of a Protestant profession. Their lives could have been spared only, because, as soon appeared on the accession of Mary, the majority of the nation were their adherents and might have be. come their avengers.

But

mans, whom the revolutions there had forced to change their seats.” Those called "the gentle or mod. erate Anabaptists, only thought that baptism ought not to be given but to those who were of an age capable of instruction. This opinion they grounded on the silence There were, however, a power. of the New Testament about the less people against whom Protes- baptism of children, and they said tant persecution might be exercised the great decay of Christianity without reserve. These were the flowed from this way of making Anabaptists, who had appeared children Christians, before they and suffered in the former reign, understood what they did. as I find by the following pas- others who carried that name, sages in Stowe's Annals, ed. 1631. denied almost all the princi. 1538. The 24th November, four ples of the Christian doctrine." Anabaptists, three men and one Burnet was writing his history by woman, all Dutch, bare faggots command of the parliament, and at Paul's Cross. And on the 27th had the 39 articles of a parliamenof November, a man and a woman, tary religion to support. He had Dutch Anabaptists, were brent in just before stated, that this most Smithfield. P. 576. heretical class of Anabaptists agreeing with Luther, "that the scripture was to be the only rule of Christians, argued that the mys teries of the trinity, and Christ's incarnation and sufferings, of the

1540. The 29th of April, one named Mandeveld, another named Colens, and one other were examined in St. Margaret's Church, and were condemned for Anabap

4

fall of man and the aids of grace, to bring us to the acknowledging were indeed philosophical subtle of his holy power by the Testa-. ties, and only pretended to be de- ment." duced from scripture, and there- The poor affrighted John Ashefore they rejected them; among ton is then brought in detesting these the baptism of infants was, and abhorring" such "damned opinions," and "willingly and

one."

Strype, in his Memorials of with all his power affecting hereArchbishop Cranmer, (p. 179.) after firmly, to believe in the true describes as the "heresies now and perfect faith of Christ and his vented abroad, the denial of the holy church. That faith is de-. trinity, and of the deity of the scribed according to the tenor of Holy Ghost, and the assertion, modern orthodoxy, and the scene. that Jesus, Christ was a mere man thus concludes. John Asheton and not true God, because he had " lifting up his hand, beseeched the accidents of human nature, his Grace to deal mercifully and such as hungering and thirsting graciously with him; and touchand being visible; and that the ing the gospel gave his faith, that benefit men receive by Jesus Christ, he would faithfully and humbly was the bringing them to the true obey the commands of the Holy knowledge of God." A clergy. Mother Church, and whatsoever man of the name of Asheton, penance the said most reverend "preached these doctrines," for Father should lay upon him," which he " was summoned, 28th Mr. Ling-ey, in his Historical Dec. 1548, to Lambeth." Two View, (p. 65.) has quoted at large of the archbishop's chaplains soon this passage from Strype. Nor formed out of them, the following can I forbear to add my late ven "schedule of diverse heresies, erable friend's remarks on the and damned opinions," which transaction. (P. 69.) Asheton was now tempted to re-,

nounce.

For

"Thus, by promises of life, and fears of the most dreadful fuf "1. That the trinity of persons ferings, were unhappy men dealt was established by the confession of with and prevailed upon to make Athanasius,, declared by a psalm abjuration of their heresies, i, e. to Quicunque, vult, &c, and that the dissemble and speak contrary to Holy Ghost is not God, but only their inward persuasion. a certain power of the Father. 2. hardly any one, who, on such That Jesus Christ, that was.con- good grounds, as this Asheton, ceived of the Virgin Mary, was believed Jesus Christ to be truly a holy prophet, and especially one of the human race; or who beloved of God the Father; but that he was not the true and living God: forasmuch as he was seen, and lived, hungered and thirsted. 3. That this only is the fruit of Jesus Christ's passion, that where as we were strangers from God and had no knowledge of his Testament, it pleased God by Christ,

believed the Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit, to be only the power of the Father; could soon, or, indeed, at all, be brought to believe these two to be, each of them, the most high God, and equal to the Father of all."

Cranmer, however, having thus begun in the flesh was not likely

to end in the spirit. He soon
found that the power of his chap-
lains to worry a heretic was une
qual to the now rapidly advancing
mischief. As a persecutor, he
determined to 66
go on unto per
fection," and, like a civil tyrant,
began to cry" havoc, and let slip
the dogs of war.”

mer the archbishop, seven bishops, (among whom was Ridley) Drs. Latymer and Rowland Taylor, Sir Thomas Smith, and others, die vines and laymen, amounting in the whole to 25, three to constitute a quorum. The tit e expresses the grant of authority to inquire concerning heretical delinquency, De potestatibus ad inquirendum super hæretica pravitate. The royal boy, not then 12 years of age, is made to declare the duty of all Christian kings to maintain the Christian faith pure and entire

especially of himself, a defender of the faith. After enlarging on the idea of preserving that field of the Church committed to his care from the pernicious seeds of false doctrine, he complains of those who are reviving and instilling into the minds of the rude vulgar the impious errors of the Anabaptists and other heretics.

Burnet (ii. 105.) says, that "on the 12th of April, 1549, there was a complaint brought to the council that, with the strangers that were come into England, some of the Anabaptist persuasion had come over, and were disseminating their among their subjects, but more errors and making proselytes. So a commission was ordered to examine and search after all Anabaptists, heretics, or contemners of the Common Prayer, "sacrificing," as Robert Robinson remarks, (Lect. p. 5.) "the rights of all the na. tion to a fancied prerogative of a boy." Strype (Mem: ii: 214,) says, that" Arianism now shewed itself so openly, and was in such All such the commissioners are danger of spreading farther, that it directed to search out, to call for was thought necessary to suppress papers in evidence, and swear and it by using more rigid methods than examine witnesses. Then, should seemed agreeable to the merciful these usual methods not reach the principles of the professors of the urgency of the case, they are emgospel." Yet neither Strype hor powered to set up a Protestant Burnet ventured to place this inquisition; for I know not what commission among their large col to make less of the direction, omlection of records, though they nibus aliis viis modis et formis could not reach the manly inde- quibus meliùs et efficacius poteritis, pendence, becoming impartial his. de veritate premissorum etiam sumtorians, of protesting against its in- mariè et de plano, ac sine strepitu quisitorial and sanguinary clauses. et figura judicii, cognoscendum inIt is preserved, in the original la- quirendum et investigandum. The tin, in that great collection of recommendation especially to prostate papers, Rymer's Fadera, ceed without noise or the forms of (xv. 181,) from whence I shall a court of justice, sine strepitu et give some account of it, as the figura judicii, carries our thoughts first English Protestant manifesto to the secret chamber of an Inquiagainst religious liberty. sitor-General, surrounded by his

This commission is dated April familiars. 12, 1549, and directed to Cran. The commissioners are next di

rected to restore heretics who ab. gregation in Leeds, which has jure, and appoint penances; but been repeatedly mentioned in the to proceed against the pertinacious Repository.

The first founder of the society

and obstinate, desperately immersed in their errors, erroribus which afterwards assembled in suis desperatè immersum. Per. Call Laue chapel, Leeds, was the haps here is a pleasantry upon the Rev. Christopher Nesse, (in regard mode of the Baptists. Persecution to whom, see the Nonconformist's relaxing her brow for a moment, Memorial, vol. ii. 567.) ejected to grin horribly a ghastly smile, from his preferment in Leeds, Such, however, are to be cast out A. D. 1662. After suffering of the communion of the faithful, much persecution, he was at last and delivered over to the secular excommunicated three times; and, arm. There is added a full power upon the fourth, a writ was issued of calling before them all sus- out de excommunicato capienpected persons, of committing do;" to avoid which, he removed them to prison, and putting them to London in 1675. The followin irons, carceri et vinculis, si opus fuerit, mancipandi.

Such was the formidable engine of oppression of which the English Protestant Reformers now accepted the use, or rather which they had prepared for their own purpose, as it would be unfair to fix upon the memory of the royal child the deep disgrace of this sanguinary commission.

I designed, when I began this letter, to trace the steps of English Protestant Persecution to the conclusion of the reign of Edward. But I have already sufficiently intruded on your pages, and must reserve an account of the sufferers under this commission for the subject of another letter.

ing anecdote will shew that he was a man very much superior to vulgar prejudices (but you will either insert or suppress it at pleasure). Going one Christmas with one of his hearers to pay some visits in the congregation, a good woman brought out the great Yorkshire goose-pie for the enterMr. tainment of her visitors. Nesse's friend objected to this dish, as savouring of superstition. "Well then, brother (said Mr. Nesse), if these be walls of superstition, let us pull them down." I need not add that he immediately set about the business of demolition. After him was Mr. Thomas Whitaker, who is mentioned in the Monthly Repository, (vol. vi. pp. 9, 260.). as having been a pupil of the Rev. Richard Frankland. He too suffered much for conscience sake, Call and was imprisoned for some time in York castle. He died, minis ter at Call Lane, Nov. 19, 1710. aged 66, (See M. Rep.) He was succeeded by the Rev. William Moult (whose son Samuel was minister at Rotherham, and died there, Sep. 16, 1766, aged 58). Mr. Moult died in 1727 or 1728:

R. G. S.

Dissenting Congregation,
Lane, Leeds.

SIR, March 7, 1812. Perceiving that you seem inclined to insert accounts of Dissenting congregations and their successive ministers, I take the li. berty of sending you a few particu. lars relating to a Dissenting con

"The Unknown God."-" Nolo Episcopari."

I am, Sir,
Yours sincerely,

225

J. T. E.

"The Unknown God,"

He was succeeded, by the Rev. be, known to the religious world,
Thomas Whitaker, jun. son to Mr. as the author of a volume of Ser
T. W. above-mentioned. With mons, published in 1804, in which
this excellent man, the writer had are united, elegance of composi
the honour and pleasure of being tion, serious piety, and striking
for a while connected; and gladly addresses to the heart and con
takes this opportunity of bearing science.
testimony to a character uniformly
respectable and amiable. Mr.
Whitaker was pastor to the Call
Lane society, more than fifty years.
He was assisted for some time by
his son, the Rev. William Whita SIR, March 7, 1812.
ker, who died of a consumption,
Permit me, in answer to your
Jan. 7, 1770. The two last ser- correspondent A. Z., (p. 81.) to
mons he ever preached, were pub. remind him that Dr. Whitby, in
lished after his death, by his fel. his note on Acts xvii. 23. has
low-student and friend, the Rev. given a quotation from Oecumeni-
Samuel Palmer, of Hackney (M. cus, in which it is asserted, that
Rep. vol. vi. p. 261.); and to the inscription upon the altar there
them is prefixed, An Address to mentioned, was at full length, "To
the Reader, on the danger of de- the gods of Asia, Europe and
laying the concerns of the soul, in Libya; and to the unknown and
hope of a lingering death (which foreign God." Will not this cir.
your correspondent, Quercus, M. cumstance decisively prove, that
R. vi. 212. so queerly describes this altar was dedicated-not as a
as a preface about consump- public acknowledgement of an all.
tions"). Mr. Whitaker died Aug. perfect, yet incomprehensible,
4, 1778, aged 80, universally es. Deity-but as the result of igno
teemed and beloved. He was a rance in regard to the author of a
plain, serious, practical preacher; calamity then suffered, and as an
but not forward to introduce act of homage and supplication to
controverted points, either in any and every being, (known or
his sermons or in his conversa- unknown) who might be able to
tion. Whether or not the old remove it? And does not the
gentleman (as Quercus expresses Apostle's address to the Athenians
himself,) was wider in his senti. take it for granted, that they were
ments than the young one," no ignorant of the being, to whom
one who knew him only or chiefly they had, in this instance, paid
in the latter part of his life, would religious worship, and whom he
venture to decide, excepting those proceeded to make known to
(and there were several persons of them?

વર

this sort
his hearers at that
among
time) who construe the omission
of their favourite tenets into a
denial of them. He was succeeded
by the Rev. Joseph Bowden who
had been his assistant about three

J. T. E.

"Nolo Episcopari." Reading, March 10th, 1812 SIR,

Permit me to return my thanks

years; and who is, or deserves to to S. P. for the notice he has