whatever country we were, respect ought At the age of twenty-six years, he was, to be paid to the religion of that country: by his master, sent to Lisbon, to act as facthat such knowledge to him was essential, tor. Here he applied himself to the study who, as a merchant, was obliged to visit of the Portuguese language, executed his various countries, and conform to the re-business with assiduity and fidelity, and ligious and civil ceremonies of all." behaved with the most engaging affability

This defence, however, availed him to all persons with whom he had the least nothing they proceeded to torture him, in concern. He conversed privately with a order to gain information. Failing in this, few, whom he knew to be zealous protesthey condemned him for invincible obstina- {tants; and, at the same time, cautiously cy, and at the next auto-da fé he was burnt. { avoided giving the least offence to any who When the flames first touched him, he bore were Roman catholics; he had not, howthe torments with such exemplary patience, {ever, hitherto, gone into any of the popish and appeared with so smiling a counten-churches.

ance, that one of the priests, enraged at his A marriage being concluded between the
serenity, said, with great malice and absur- {king of Portugal's son and the infanta of
dity: "The reason why he does not seem{ Spain, upon the wedding-day the bride-
to feel, is to me very evident; the devil has groom, bride, and the whole court, went to
already got his soul, and his body is of the cathedral church, attended by multi-
course deprived of the usual sensations."{tudes of all ranks of people, and among the
(See engraving.)
rest William Gardener, who stayed during
the whole ceremony, and was greatly
shocked at the superstitions he saw.

About the time of Mr. Burton's martyrdom, several others of the English in Spain were put to death by the inquisitors; particularly, John Baker, William Burgate, and William Burgess, were burnt, and William Hooker was stoned to death; freely giving up their lives for Him who shed his blood for them.

"Jesus, who dies a word to save,
Revives, and rises from the grave,
By his almighty power;

From sin and death, and hell, set free,
He captive leads captivity,

And lives to die no more.

"The Lord, who spoke the world from naught,
Hath for poor sinners dearly bought,
Salvation by his blood;

Lo how he bursts the bonds of death,
And reassumes his vital breath,
To make our title good.

"God's church is still his joy and crown,
He looks with love and pity down,

On those he did redeem;

He tastes their joys, he feels their woes,
Decrees that they may spoil their foes,
And ever reign in him."

THE LIFE OF WILLIAM GARDENER.

WILLIAM GARDENER was born at Bristol, received a tolerable education, and was, at a proper age, placed under the care of a merchant, named Paget.

The erroneous worship which he had seen ran strongly in his mind; he was miserable, to behold a whole country sunk into such idolatry, when the truth of the gospel might be so easily obtained. He, therefore, took the inconsiderate, though laudable design, into his head, of making a reform in Portugal, or perishing in the attempt; and determined to sacrifice his prudence to his zeal, though he became a martyr upon the occasion.

To this end he settled all his worldly affairs, paid his debts, closed his books, and consigned over his merchandise. On the ensuing Sunday he went again to the cathedral church, with a New Testament in his hand, and placed himself near the altar.

The king and the court soon appeared, and a cardinal began mass at that part of the ceremony in which the people adore the wafer, Gardener could hold out no longer, but springing toward the cardinal, he snatched the host from him, and trampled it under his feet.

This action amazed the whole congrega

~

tion, and one person drawing a dagger, tortured to make them confess if they knew wounded Gardener in the shoulder, and anything of the matter; in particular, a perwould, by repeating the blow, have finish-son who resided in the same house with ed him, had not the king called to him to Gardener was treated with unparalleled desist. barbarity to make him confess something Gardener being carried before the king, which might throw a light upon the affair. the monarch asked him what countryman Gardener himself was then tormented in he was to which he replied: "I am an the most excruciating manner; but in the Englishman by birth, a protestant by re-midst of all his torments he gloried in the ligion, and a merchant by occupation. What deed. Being ordered for death, a large fire I have done is not out of contempt to your was kindled near a gibbet. Gardener was person, God forbid it should, but out of an { drawn up to the gibbet by pulleys, and then honest indignation, to see the ridiculous let down near the fire, but not so close as superstitions and gross idolatries practised to touch it; for they burnt or rather roasted here." him by slow degrees. Yet he bore his sufferings patiently, and resigned his soul to the Lord cheerfully.

The king, thinking that he had been stimulated by some other person to act as he had done, demanded who was his abettor, It is observable that some of the sparks to which he replied: "My own conscience were blown from the fire (which consumed alone. I would not hazard what I have Gardener) toward the haven, burnt one done for any man living, but I owe that and of the king's ships-of-war, and did other all other services to God." considerable damage. The Englishmen Gardener was sent to prison, and a gene- who were taken up on this occasion were, ral order issued to apprehend all English-soon after Gardener's death, all discharged, men in Lisbon. This order was in a great except the person that resided in the same measure put into execution (some few es- house with him, who was detained two caping) and many innocent persons were years before he could procure his liberty.

W

THE PERSECUTIONS IN ITALY.

E shall now enter on
an account of the
persecutions in Ita-
ly, a country which
has been, and still

is:

1. The centre of popery. 2. The seat of the pontiff.

3. The source of the various errors which have spread themselves over other countries, deluded the minds of thousands, and diffused the clouds of superstition and bigotry over the human understanding.

In pursuing our narrative we shall include the most remarkable persecutions which happened, and the cruelties which have been practised:

1. By the immediate order of the pope. 2. Through the power of the inquisition. 3. At the instigation of particular orders of the clergy.

4. By the bigotry of the Italian princes.

"A pleasant country, in whose fertile plains
Sweet verdure smiles, and endless plenty reigns;
But reigns in vain, while bigotry's control,
With tyrant power enchains the human soul;
And superstition lords it o'er the mind,
Deludes the sense, or keeps the reason blind.
The haughty pope, with triple honors crowned,
In error's clouds diffuses darkness round;
And pampered priests without remorse deceive,
While bigot minds implicitly believe;
Credit whatever their wily teachers say,
And, by command, think, act, speak, fast, or pray,
But priests, to no austerities confined,
Mind not the rules by which they others bind,
They leave to vassal laymen worldly cares,
Sharp penance, meager abstinence, and prayers;
In open air for venal sins to lie,

To dress in sackcloth, or the scourge to ply.

Let pining anchorets in grottoes starve,
Who from the liberties of nature swerve;
Who, curbed by moderation, sparing eat,
And by false zeal deceived, abstain from meat.
Italian priests their appetites will please,
And live in luxury and pampered ease;
But if their power enormous you'd control,
A fury rises in the bigot soul;
Malicious rage strains superstition's throat,
And blood for heresy is all the note.

Use every instrument they loud exclaim,
To darken truth, and render reason tame.
Let the inquisition rage, fresh cruelties

Make the dire engines groan with tortured cries;
Let Campo Flori every day be strewed
With mangled carcases, and clotted blood;
Repeat again Lombardian slaughter o'er,
And Piedmont valleys drown with floating gore.
Swifter than murdering angels, when they fly
On errands of avenging deity;

Fiercer than storms let loose, with eager haste
Lay cities, countries, realms, whole nature waste;
Sack, ravish, massacre, destroy, burn, slay,
Act what you will, so popery makes its way.'
Such are the thoughts that fill each popish mind,
And such the enmity they bear mankind."

THE FIRST PERSECUTIONS UNDER THE PAPACY IN ITALY.

N the twelfth century the first
persecutions under the papacy
began in Italy, at the time that
Adrian, an Englishman, was
pope, being occasioned by the
following circumstances:-

A learned man, and an excellent orator of Brixia, named ARNOLD, came to Rome, and boldly preached against the corruptions and innovations which had crept into the church. His discourses were so clear, consistent, and breathed forth such a pure spirit of piety, that the senators, and many of the people, highly approved of, and admired his doctrines.

This so greatly enraged Adrian, that he commanded Arnold instantly to leave the city, as a heretic. Arnold, however, did not comply, for the senators and some of the principal people took his part, and resisted the authority of the pope.

Frederic Barbarossa arriving at the imperial dignity, requested that the pope would crown him with his own hand. This Adrian complied with, and at the same time asked a favor of the emperor, which was, to put Arnold into his hands. The emperor very readily delivered up the unfortunate preacher, who soon fell a martyr to Adrian's vengeance, being hanged, and his body burnt to ashes, at Apulia. The same fate attended several of his old friends and companions.

ENCENAS, a Spaniard, was sent to Rome, to be brought up in the Roman catholic faith; but having conversed with some of the reformed, and read several treatises which they had put into his hands, he became a protestant. This, at length, being known, one of his own relations informed against him, when he was burnt by order of the pope, and a conclave of cardinals. The brother of Encenas had been taken up Adrian now laid the city of Rome under about the same time, for having a New an interdict, which caused the whole body Testament, in the Spanish language, in of clergy to interpose; and, at length, per- his possession; but before the time apsuaded the senators and people to give up pointed for his execution, he found means the point, and suffer Arnold to be banished. {to escape out of prison, and returned to This being agreed to, he received his sen-Germany. tence of exile, and retired to Germany, where he continued to preach against the pope, and to expose the gross errors of the

FANINUS, a learned layman, by reading controversial books, became of the reformed religion. An information being exhibited against him to the pope, he was apprehend

church of Rome. Adrian, on this account thirsted for hised, and cast into prison. His wife, children, olood, and made several attempts to get him into his hands; but Arnold, for a long time, avoided every snare laid for him. At length,

relations, and friends, visited him in his confinement, and so far wrought upon his mind, that he renounced his faith, and ob