Early in the morning of the 24th of March, 1592-3, the prisoners were brought out, their irons struck off, the cart driven to the door, and their last adieus and embraces made, preparatory to their immediate execution; when a reprieve was unexpectedly brought to them, and they were returned to prison. This reprieve doubtless was in accordance with the queen's pleasure; for, at the conclusion of the trials, Attorney Egerton wrote to Lord Keeper Puckering an account of the trial, to the end, as he says, "that if her majesty's pleasure should be to have execution deferred, it might be known this night, and order given accordingly, otherwise the direction given by the judges in open court will prevail." According to custom in those days, condemned criminals were executed the day after they were sentenced to death.*

Two days after this, March 26th, certain doctors

Studley, after four years' imprisonment, was banished from the country, and Bellot and Bowle, not long after, died in Newgate."

Henry Ainsworth, in An Apologie of such True Christians as are commonly (but unjustly) called Brownists, published in 1604, a few years after the occurrence of these events, speaks of "Mr. Daniel Studley as a citizen of London, one of the elders of our church, who, after four years' imprisonment, was exiled, and so remaineth." He says nothing of Bellot's recanting; and the treatment which Bellot received, seems to throw some doubt on this imputation for he, with Bowle, was remanded to prison, and there remained until he died." Mr. Scipio Bellot, gentleman, and Robert Bowle, citizen of London, both of them died awhile after in the prison, in Newgate, at London.” ― Apologie, p. 95.

* Egerton's letter, in Camden Soc. Pubs.; and in Waddington's Penry, p. 116; also Strype's Whitgift, 11. 186.

and deans were sent to Barrowe and Greenwood by the bishops, to persuade them to recant their opinions and thus save their lives. Attorney-General Egerton accompanied them, and labored hard to convert the prisoners. But, men who had for nearly six years endured with unflinching constancy the cold, and hunger, and nakedness, and filth, and nameless plagues of a London prison, among vile, filthy, and debased felons, drunkards and murderers-men who could endure this, in defence of Scriptural principles, were not likely to be persuaded into apostasy by a company of priests clothed in soft raiment and fed daintily on royal bounty. Barrowe, in giving an account of this interview, says: "We showed how they had neglected the time. We had been wellnigh six years in their prisons; never refused, but always humbly desired of them Christian conference, but could never obtain it at their hands; that our time now was short in this world, neither were we to bestow it unto controversies, so much as unto more profitable and comfortable considerations."

After this fruitless attempt to shake the constancy of these noble men, for four days they lay bound in chains, waiting in hourly expectation their end. Early in the morning of the 31st of

*Letter to a Countess; Hanbury, 1. 48; and in Penry. "When sentence of death was given against the said Barrowe, Doctor Andrews (now bishop of Ely) Dr. Bisso, and Dr. White were sent unto him, to counsel him for his soul's health. There also accompanied them, Dr. Parry, now bishop of Worcester." - Paule's

March, 1593, Mr. Greenwood and Barrowe were once more led out of their dungeons, conveyed to Tyburn in a cart and placed under the gallows, the halters adjusted and all the preparations made for their immediate execution. Liberty being given them to speak a few words, they addressed the assembled crowd; for though it was very early, and these movements had been made very secretly, a crowd had assembled to witness the execution of these champions of Congregational principles. First, recognizing the fact that they stood in the sight of that judge who knoweth and searcheth the heart, in whose more immediate presence they were directly to appear, they solemnly protested their loyalty and innocency towards her majesty, the nobles, governors, magistrates, and the whole State. They protested, that in their writings, they had no malicious or evil intent towards any of these, or towards any person in the world; and declared, that wherein they had, through zeal or

Whitgift, p. 67. "It was thought convenient to have these men conferred with, [Barrowe and Greenwood,] as they were, March 26th. The manner and success of the conference with Barrowe, and what terms he stood on, and what disputations he required, the said attorney [Egerton] in a letter acquainted the lord treasurer with in short, that he spent the whole afternoon at a fruitless, idle conference ". Strype's Whitgift, 11. 186. Waddington gives Mr. Attorney's letter entire, though he says it was addressed to "the Lord Keeper," as follows: "I have spent the whole of this afternoon at a fruitless, idle conference, but now returned, both weary and weak. If my health will serve me, I will wait upon your lordship to-morrow morning, and make report of this day's exercise." - Life of Penry, p. 119.

unadvisedly, let fall any word or sentence that had caused offence, or had any appearance of irreverence, they were heartily sorry; and humbly besought pardon for the same, of all thus offended.

They then exhorted the people to obedience and aearty love of their prince and magistrates, and even to lay down their lives in their defence against all enemies; yea, at their hands to receive meekly and patiently death itself, or any punishment they should inflict, whether justly or unjustly. They exhorted them, also, to walk orderly, quietly and peaceably in their respective callings, and in the holy fear and true worship of God. And, as to the books written by them, they charged their hearers to receive nothing contained in them except they should find sound proof of the same in the holy Scriptures. Then, craving pardon of all men whom they had in any way offended, and freely forgiving the whole world, they engaged in prayer, for her majesty, the magistrates, people, and even their adversaries. Having both of them almost finished their last words, amidst the sobs and tears of the multitude, suddenly a messenger appeared, proclaiming a second reprieve from her majesty. The ropes were immediately removed from the necks of the prisoners, and Greenwood thus ended his prayer amidst the hushed but joyful emotions of the crowd: "Amen, and amen. And now, O most gracious Father, King of kings, who holdest the hearts of princes in thine own hands, what shall we render unto thee for thy most

signal mercy unto this realm, in bestowing upon us a queen, who doth plentifully, daily imitate thee in mercy

As soon as his prayer was concluded the multitude burst forth with renewed shouts; and all the way back to prison, the people "in the ways, streets and houses," greeted the prisoners "with exceeding rejoicing and applause."

For this second reprieve, the prisoners were supposed to be indebted to the interposition of the lord treasurer, Burleigh, who seems ever to have inclined to the side of mercy in these ecclesiastical prosecutions. A supplication had reached himthough Whitgift had intercepted one to the queen †

* Letter to a Countess, Hopkins, 111. 512, 513, and note 1; Stow's Chronicle, 765, ut sup.

† Neal, 1. 527. Barrowe in his letter to Mr. Fisher, charges Whitgift with not only suppressing petitions to her majesty, but with "making and warning his gaolers, by extraordinary favor and entertainment, to give up a favorable, if not a partial certificate of the prisoners, living and dead." The Master of Requests, Barrowe says, was also accustomed to suppress all complaints sent from the prisoners to her majesty. - Waddington's Penry, p. 248. These studious efforts to keep the queen in ignorance of the true character of the prisoners, implies a consciousness on the part of the archbishop that his treatment of them would not bear examination.

It is noteworthy, that these Separatists, though sometimes bitterly denunciatory towards the lord bishops, were ever respectful to the secular lords, and confiding and reverential towards the queen. They protested their entire and fervent love for her, and prayed, that "the long and most blessed government of our dread and sovereign lady and queen, Elizabeth," might continue "to Melchizedek's age," if it were God's good pleasure; and that God