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and to death for their fidelity to conscience and to Christ must be had in everlasting remembrance. But the Popish boast of unchangeableness seems true in the sense of an incapacity of repentance and amendment. In a volume of essays delivered by some of the most intellectual and highly-educated English Roman Catholics, and edited by Archbishop Manning, the right and duty of the Church of Rome to force its creed, not only upon heretics, but also upon heathens, by all possible pains and penalties, is avowed in the plainest and most audacious terms, and argued for with as little shame as mercy. Such being the case, it was well that some monument should be erected which might serve at once to remind us of the unrepented crimes and the unrenounced cruelties of Popery, and stir up our sense of gratitude to that noble army of martyrs to whose courage, fidelity, and fortitude we owe, under God, our peaceful possession of the Gospel and of civil and religious liberty. Such a monument is the Smithfield Martyrs' Memorial Church.

The bare names of all to whom Smithfield was the arena of a martyr's agony and triumph would more than fill the space available for this short article. We can only touch upon a few of the most prominent sufferers.

The first of the long line of holy men and women who were burnt to death in Smithfield was William Sautre, who died here for Christ in the reign of Henry the Fourth. The offence for which he was condemned was the assertion that, "In the Sacrament-after the consecration-there remaineth material bread."

In the same reign and at the same place died at the stake John Badby. The wild Prince

Henry witnessed his execution, and was so moved by his tortures as to command the fire to be quenched. He entreated the martyr to save his life by falsifying his convictions, promising him a royal pension for life if he would yield. The honest man was proof alike against bribes and torments; the fire was relighted and his body was consumed.

We shall next name Richard Bayfield, a monk of Bury St. Edmund's, whose leading offence was the possession of a New Testament. He was burnt in the reign of Henry the Eighth. At his degradation in St. Paul's Cathedral, preparatory to his execution, whilst he was kneeling in prayer, Tonstall, Bishop of London, struck him on the chest with his crozier with such violence that he fell backwards in a state of insensibility. An hour afterwards he was led to the stake. The fire was so slow that he was half-an-hour in burning. He was literally consumed piecemeal.

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James Bainham also suffered in Smithfield during the same reign. When his arms and legs were half consumed, he cried out, "O ye papists, behold, ye look for miracles, and here now ye see a miracle; for in this fire I feel no more pain than if I were in a bed of down it is to me as a bed of roses!"

We may next name Lambert, a man of great learning. When his legs were burnt away the fire was removed, excepting a few embers, and the executioners pitched him upon their pikes as far as the chain would allow. This was the man who, in these circumstances, reiterated the cry which will never cease to be a watchword with lovers of the Gospel, "None but Christ, none but Christ!" The Smithfield Martyrs' Memorial Church was built by voluntary contributions.

Geoffrey Plantagenet, the elder brother of John, had, undoubtedly, the right to the throne on the demise of his uncle Coeur-deLion. But the young Duke had no friends on his side save Philip Augustus, who was silenced and satisfied by the gift of the county of Evreux from John, as a dowry for Blanche of Castile, betrothed to Louis, the heir to the throne of France. Thus John easily supplanted him, and assumed the sovereignty, being crowned on Ascension-Day, 1199. His

reign was one chapter of contention, follies, and crimes. First he entered into conflict with Philip of France, then with the Pope, and then engaged in war with his own barons.

The friendship between Philip and John was of very short duration, and in the strife which broke out between them, Arthur joined with the French King with all the ardour of a youth of sixteen. The Prince had the misfortune, however, to fall a captive into the hands of John, by whom he

was subjected to great cruelties and indignities, his followers being shamefully treated, many of them being starved to death. Arthur's sister, Eleanor, was also imprisoned in Bristol Castle, Arthur himself being transferred to Falaise. Here a party of men were sent by John, instructed to extinguish the light of vision in the young Prince by putting out his eyes. Hubert de Burgh, the governor of the castle, interposed, but his interference and protection of the Prince led to the prisoner's removal to Rouen. Here, it is said, John

himself came, and, enticing Arthur to ride with him on horseback, smote him with his sword and plunged him down the precipitous bank of the Seine into the foaming waters. There is another account of the death of Prince Arthur (represented in our engraving), namely, that he was murdered in prison and the body thrown into the river. Queen Eleanor was so stricken with horror that she retired to a convent, and there, overwhelmed with grief and shame, died, as did her husband, broken-hearted at the guilt of her wicked son.

The whole nobility of France were filled with sadness and anger at the horrible crime, and urged Philip to make war with John, in spite of the Pope's efforts to intervene and prevent a conflict. Thus influenced, Philip summoned John, as a vassal of France, to answer for his crime before his peers. John submitted, on condition that a safe conduct were accorded to him. The King of France promised him safety in going, but would not assure him safety of return-saying that his after security must be decided by the action of his peers. Two months having been allowed, on the appointed day the assembly was duly held and proclaimed; when, John having failed to appear, was adjudged contumacious of court, and as a felon condemned to forfeit his fiefs to the crown.

Philip at once marched into Normandy, and rapidly obtained possession of all the territories once the fiefs of the Normans and Plantagenets. John made but a poor pretence at resistance, and as length withdrew his forces from France. At this distance of time we can recognize the triumph of the Capets over the Plantagenets as having been a cause for joy rather than grief to this country. True, the dominions of the English Sovereign were diminished, but an end was put to those constant wars on the continent, which the union of the crown of England with the coronet of Normandy entailed. The severance of the two tended to the advantage of England, the fusion of the native and Norman

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races, and thus contributed to the building up of that proud and happily independent position which our country occupies to-day among the nations of the earth.

The expenses of this contest gave John a pretext for most oppressive extortions at home. The Jews were the favourite victims of his avaricious rapacity, and it is said that upwards of £700,000 was wrung from this persecuted people by imprisonment, torture, and menace.

Next came the battle between the King and the Pope. The Pope assumed the right to nominate, and declared the right of the monks of St. Augustine's, Canterbury, to elect to the primate's office. In this way Stephen Langton was appointed to the Archbishop's chair, which at this time had fallen vacant. John was furious; for he had intended to appoint a nominee of his own, and defied the Pope, expelling the monks from the kingdom, and forbidding the entrance of the Archbishop designated. At length, in March, 1208, the kingdom was placed under an interdict, and for six years England was ecclesiastically proscribed.

The state of the kingdom during the existence of the papal interdict has been very much over-drawn. It would seem but little inconvenience resulted, and that the issue was to evidence the harmlessness of the thunders of Rome. Finding that this measure was not productive of the desired results, the Pope proceeded to excommunicate the King, and pronounced formal sentence of deposition, pretending that England was a fief of the Church.

Innocent III. committed the execution of this sentence to the French King, promising him for reward both ghostly and material blessings, in the shape of pardon for his sins, and the crown and dominion of England. fleet of 1,700 vessels was made ready, and Philip prepared to cross the Channel in March, 1213.

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John, conscious of the disaffection of his own subjects, and extremely cowardly himself, now stooped to the meanest depths of cringing humiliation. He made terms with the Pope's Legate, presenting to him a gift of money, which the haughty functionary trampled beneath his feet; and resigned to him the crown of England, receiving it again as a fief, acknowledging himself a vassal of Rome. The ban of excommunication and interdict was at once withdrawn, and Philip was bidden to disband his forces and fleet, and not assail the faithful vassal of the Pope. One hardly knows which feeling most prevails in reading this

JAMES YEAMES.

HERE are no narratives which can com

point of interest or instruction. They possess a fascination both for youth and age, and,

though ancient, have a charm which is far greater than the most exciting novelty can boast. They are not, however, always read with intelligence; in many instances their