what passed in saint bartholomew’s church.
a great crowd had assembled in smithfield to witness the sad spectacle, but a circular space was kept clear in the centre of the area exactly opposite the ancient gateway leading to the priory.
within this ring, which was guarded by a double line of halberdiers, stood a stout square oak post, about nine feet high, driven securely into the ground, and having a heavy iron chain attached to it by a staple. hard by was an immense pile of fagots, with some blocks of wood. a little further off there was another pile, consisting of bundles of dried reeds.
close by the stake stood three men, of savage and repulsive aspect, clothed in leathern jerkins and tight-fitting hose of blood-red hue, having long iron prongs in their hands.
as the cortége entered smithfield, and the intended martyr was descried, a murmur of commiseration rose from those who sympathised with him, but it was instantly drowned by a hurricane of fierce and exulting yells from the romanists.
meantime, the mounted arquebusiers having cleared a passage through the crowd, the long line of priests with their banners and crosses, the recusants with the tapers, the deprived protestant divines, bonner and the condemned, passed through the gateway, and, traversing the court, proceeded 273to the ancient conventual church, the bell of which sounded dolefully the while.
at the portal they were met by the prior of the black canons, with several of the brethren in their sable robes, and conducted to the places appointed for them in the sacred edifice.
the recusants were ranged on one side, and the protestant divines on the other, while the romish priests proceeded to the presbytery. a chair opposite the pulpit was assigned to the doomed man, on which he sat down, with two halberdiers standing behind him.
on a faldstool near the altar sat philip, who had come there quite privately, and was only attended by his confessor, father alfonso de castro. in the choir sat gardiner, with some members of the council.
beneath a circular arch, resting on massive cylindrical pillars, near the north transept, stood osbert clinton, who, having accompanied the cortége from saint paul’s, had entered the church at the same time with it, and stationed himself where he could best see constance without being observed by the king. she soon became aware of his presence, but only ventured occasionally to look towards him, and then her glances yielded him little comfort.
after a brief delay, bonner ascended the pulpit, and taking for his text saint paul’s words to the galatians, “i would they were cut off that trouble you,” he preached a violent sermon on the necessity of punishing heretics and false brethren with death, citing many authorities in favour of his views, and asserting that to maintain that heresy ought to go unpunished would be to maintain that the worst crimes should be unchastised. “heresy,” he said, “being treason against heaven, deserves the punishment of treason. as such a traitor,” he added, turning to rogers, “thou wilt be consigned to a fire, which will be to thee a foretaste of the flames in which thou shalt burn everlastingly. thy fate will be a terrible lesson to all who think with thee.”
“it will be a lesson to them how to testify to their faith,” rejoined the prebend.
bonner having descended from the pulpit, a votive mass for taking away schism was performed by gardiner, who 274solemnly pronounced the oration:—deus qui errata corrigis, et dispersa congregas, et congregata conservas; qu?sumus, super populum christianum tu? unionis gratiam clementer infunde: ut divisione rejecta, vero pastori ecclesi? tu? se venies, tibi dignè valeat famulari.
mass ended, the dies ir? was sung by the choir of the black canons, and, while this was proceeding, the cortége began to move, passing slowly before the altar, preparatory to quitting the church.
as before, a long array of priests with banners walked with noiseless tread, bowing reverently as they passed the altar. then came the recusants, carrying their lighted tapers, but not a knee was bent amongst them, not a head inclined.
last amongst these walked constance, alone. she had to pass close by philip, who was seated on the faldstool, with gardiner and father alfonso beside him, and as she approached him, her strength began to fail, and her knees tottered. she tried to summon all her energies, but in vain. in another moment she felt she must sink. philip’s gaze was fixed steadily upon her. a desperate effort to pass deprived her of the little strength left, and with a cry she let fall the taper, and would have sunk upon the pavement if the king himself had not caught her.
“oh that i could die!” she gasped.
“no, you must live for me, constance,” whispered philip, passionately.
she looked at him for a moment with mingled fear and aversion, and then closed her eyes.
“she has swooned,” said the king, consigning her to rodomont, who had been marching behind her. “take her where she can be tended.”
in obedience to the injunction, rodomont bore her to the sacristy, where restoratives were applied by a monk, who acted as physician to the brotherhood of the black canons.
this incident, as may be supposed, had not passed unnoticed by osbert clinton, whose eyes had never quitted constance for a moment. as she tottered and fell into the king’s arms, his agony became almost insupportable; and when she was borne to the sacristy by rodomont, he would have flown instantly to her assistance if he had dared.
275meanwhile the cortége continued to pass slowly by the king. the protestant divines made him an obeisance as they passed, but sedulously abstained from bowing to the altar. lastly came the intended martyr, who walked with a firm step, and head erect.
as he came near, gardiner commanded him to stop, and thus addressed him: “john rogers, somewhile priest, but now an excommunicate person, we have striven to convert thee, and by wholesome admonitions to reduce thee again unto the true faith and unity of the universal catholic church, but we have found thee obstinate and stiff-necked, stedfastly continuing in thy damnable opinions and heresies, and refusing to return to the lap of the holy mother church. wherefore, not being willing that thou shouldst infect the lord’s flock with thine heresy, we have cast thee out from the church as an obstinate, impenitent sinner, and have left thee to the judgment of the secular power, by whom thou hast been justly condemned to perish by fire. the punishment is inflicted upon thee for the salvation of thine own soul, and as a step towards the extirpation of heresy.”
“what consequences may follow my punishment, my lord, none of us can tell,” rejoined rogers; “but i am fully prepared to die.”
“sinner as thou art, wilt thou be converted and live?” cried gardiner. “here is her majesty’s pardon,” he added, showing him a scroll.
“i reject it,” said rogers, stoutly. “i maintain that the catholic church of rome is the church of antichrist. item, that in the sacrament of the altar——”
“a truce to thy blasphemies,” interrupted gardiner, furiously. “away with him to the stake!”
“i am ready,” said rogers. “i bid you all to my funeral pile. you shall see how a true believer can die. if i blench, proclaim me a renegade.”
hereupon, the protestant divines, who had listened with great satisfaction, moved on, and rogers followed them with a firm step.
while this occurred, osbert clinton had contrived to steal unperceived to the sacristy. constance had just recovered from her swoon. luckily, no one was with her but 276rodomont, the monk who had tended her having just quitted the chamber.
“why have you come here, sir?” cried rodomont. “matters were bad enough before, but your imprudence will make them ten times worse. if the king discovers you, you are lost.”
“i care not what happens to me,” replied osbert. “i could not keep away. fear nothing, constance,” he added, “i will not quit you more.”
“this is madness,” cried rodomont. “the king is certain to come hither, and then you will be arrested. hide yourself in this cupboard,” he added, opening the door of a large oak ambry reared against the wall. “it only contains a few priestly vestments, and you can stand upright within it.”
but osbert refused to move.
“do as he recommends, i implore you,” said constance to him. “you will throw away your life by staying with me.”
“to be sure he will,” rejoined rodomont, dragging him away, and forcing him into the ambry, the door of which he shut.
the step was only just taken in time. in another moment, the king came into the sacristy, and seeing that constance had recovered, he signed to rodomont to leave the chamber.
“i have much to say to you, constance,” he began, “but this is not the moment for it. are you still in the same mood as when i saw you last? has no change been wrought in your sentiments?”
“none, sire,” she replied. “i am quite happy in the life i lead with the good cardinal, and only pray it may continue.”
“but you still maintain your heretical opinions?” said the king.
“firmly as ever, sire.”
“and does not this awful ceremonial shake you?”
“on the contrary, it strengthens my convictions.”
“all heretics are alike—all obstinate and contumacious,” muttered philip. “constance, you cannot go back to the cardinal. he is much too lenient to you. i shall deliver you to bishop bonner, who will treat you very differently.”
277“oh! sire, do not deliver me to that cruel man. let me go back to the good cardinal, who has been as a father to me. have compassion upon me.”
“you have no compassion upon me, constance,” rejoined philip. “you care not for my sufferings. relent towards me, and i will be less rigorous towards you.”
“it cannot be, sire,” she rejoined.
“be not hasty. reflect. if i consign you to bonner, your fate is certain. after the execution, the sight of which i will spare you, i will return for your answer. a guard will be placed at the door to prevent your exit, but no one shall disturb you. again, i say, reflect. on your own decision hangs your fate.”
so saying, he quitted the sacristy, the door of which was locked outside.
