engaged, that he displayed such a temper, and seemed to labour under a sort of black inspiration. For oh, what a change had come over the spirit of this man, within the last ten years! It was but a little before then that Erasmus drew his character, with graphic minuteness, and so beautifully. If only the half had been true, and there is no reason for questioning the general portrait, one can scarcely believe that it was the same individual who lived on, under the same name. But when writing his Utopia, or rather when lecturing, in earlier days, to a crowded audience, on Augustine's work, "De civitate Dei," More was one man; and when, approaching to 50, after that he attacked "the new learning," he was another. The course on which he entered in 1528, is also the more deeply to be lamented from the fact, that there still continued to be redeeming points in his character, standing out in bold contrast. The rights of persons and property he well understood; to the human mind only, would he allow none whatever. More's superiority to the love of money, and his sterling integrity as Chancellor, in all civil causes, were alike remarkable; nor was his despatch of business less conspicuous. Coming into Chancery, which was clogged with suits, some of which had been there nearly twenty years, at the end of his second year not one was depending. Sir Thomas Audley, his successor, was far, very far, from being a man of such despatch. In these causes, too, More would not have known his mother's children; for, on various occasions, he nobly shook his hand from receiving of bribes, or presents in money or plate, to any amount, or of whatever description. When he retired from the Chancellorship, he did so most honourably poor. Nay, when the Bishops came to offer him a sum of four or five thousand pounds, as their grateful return for these wordy exertions in their favour, he not only declined its acceptance, but, on the hint of their wish to present the money to his family, he replied, "I had rather see it all cast into the Thames, than that I, or any of my family, should have a penny of it."

45 If the following lines were written on the occasion, as it has been said, they at least mark the public admiration

When More two years had Chancellor been,

No more suits did remain ;

The same shall never more be seen,

Till More be there again."

66

Had the unsuccessful controversialist only not suffered his vanity to be flattered by Tunstal, when he called on him, with mock solemnity, by his prelatic license, to "play the Demosthenes in English," as he had done in Latin, and write down Tyndale and his translation;-had he only kept to his Bench, and judged between parties in civil causes, he had retired with such honour, that there had been not one individual among the King's servants, who would have stood so high in the eye of posterity. But it is a dangerous thing for any man to set himself in opposition to Divine Revelation, or attempt to mingle with it, the chaff of human tradition. Sir Thomas, however, had taken his ground, and the consequence was, that he wrought himself into such a fury, that even the violent death of his antagonist would not have allayed it. Too like one of old, who thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they showed him the people of Mordecai ;" so the Chancellor must not only write himself into obloquy, but wash his hands in the blood of those who believed as his opponent did; that is, in the blood of any man, who saw farther than himself, or went not, with him, into the depths of superstition. For him, it was truly an evil hour, when he delivered himself up to the blind rage of an infatuated priesthood; for now, in the end, what did it all avail? Independently of his interference proving an entire failure as to argument, the same want of brevity having distinguished his writings to the very close, the same consequences followed, with those which he has himself detailed, after his Confutation was finished. He was not read! Some curious peculiarities of the times, may, indeed, be picked out of these writings, here and there, but it may be safely affirmed that few men have ever read his controversy through. Perhaps not one man ever will.

It is, however, now not unworthy of enquiry, whether Sir Thomas More was not writing throughout the whole of this tedious warfare, under the influence of apprehension, as well as professed hot displeasure; and that from his penetrating more deeply than others, into the signs of the times. If we are to depend upon a remarkable conversation with his own son-in-law, Roper, there seems to be some good ground for the supposition. "It fortuned," says Roper, "before the matter of the said matrimony was brought in question, when I, in talk with Sir Thomas More, commended unto him the happy estate

of this realm, that had so catholic a prince that no heretic durst show his face; so learned a clergy, so grave and sound a nobility, and so loving obedient subjects, all in one faith agreeing together!"—"Troth it is indeed, son Roper," quoth he, "and yet I pray God," said he, "that some of us, as high as we seem to sit upon the mountains, treading heretics under our feet like ants, live not the day that we would gladly wish to be at league and composition with them; to let them have their churches quietly to themselves, so that they would be contented to let us have ours, quietly to ourselves.”

In conclusion, the peroration was worthy of the entire controversy. To compensate for his extreme prolixity, Sir Thomas intended to print a ninth book to his Confutation, as a summary of the whole. He commenced and went on so far, but at last he grew weary, or faltered, and never finished it! The fragment, more than twenty years after his death, was inserted in his Works. And so ended all his efforts against the man whom he had now confessed to be "the Captain of our English heretics." Tyndale's advantage lay in his being the advocate of truth; but it was no mean proof of his power as a writer, that, from motives of the purest patriotism, he had so successfully exposed one Lord Chancellor, and from his zeal for the diffusion of the Word of God, now so effectually opposed a second.

Whether there had been another edition of Tyndale's New Testament, since his reprint of 1530, we have not been able to ascertain. Owing to his residence in Antwerp itself, and the promise of his revising the translation, the printers were probably restrained. By this time, however, there were the tokens of increasing demand, perhaps not altogether unconnected with the reigning Queen of England; but, from whatever cause, the prospect of a large and ready sale will prove by far too strong for these Antwerp printers to remain still. Let the market be never so inviting, among all the English printers, of course, not one dared to move; but to these foreign workmen, George Joye represents himself as saying," If Tyndale amend it (the translation) with so great diligence as he promiseth, yours will never be sold."—"Yes," they replied, "for if he print two thousand, and we as many, what is so little a number for all England? And we will sell ours better cheap, and therefore we doubt not of the sale."

Thus, notwithstanding the martyrdom of Fryth in June, nay, all that the Bishops had yet done to terrify the people at home, or the King and his ministers, to prevent importation of books from abroad; notwithstanding all that Sir Thomas More had written and published; and though there was yet no symptom of any favourable regard, on the part of even one official man in all England; it becomes evident that there was to be no wisdom, nor counsel, nor might, which should be able to resist a tide which had now set in with greater power than

TYNDALE ALL ALONE AFTER FRYTH'S DEATH-GENESIS, SECOND EDITION—

FRESH ISSUE OF THE PENTATEUCH-SURREPTITIOUS EDITION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT BY JOYE-THE CORRECTED AND IMPROVED EDITION BY TYNDALE JOYE'S INTERFERENCE EXPLAINED-STATE OF ENGLAND— PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED SEPARATION FROM ROME CONSTRUCTIVE TREASON-MORE AND FISHER IN TROUBLE-THE PONTIFF'S SUPREMACY AT AN END-THE IMPORT OF THAT EVENT EQUALLY MISUNDERSTOOD IN ENGLAND, BY SOVEREIGN AND SUBJECT-DIVINE TRUTH IN PROGRESS— HARMAN IN LONDON-RESTORED TO FAVOUR BY THE QUEEN-GLANCE AT THE PAST AND PRESENT THE NEW TESTAMENT IMPORTING IN SEVERAL EDITIONS, IN FORCIBLE CONTRAST WITH THE IDLE DREAMS OF THE CONVOCATION,

IN returning to Tyndale at the commencement of this year, it is impossible to do so without feelings of sympathy. By a cruel death, and in the prime of life, on the 4th of July, he had been bereft of that companion who was dearer to him than any man living. That stroke must have been deeply felt still, and long would the feeling of bereavement return upon him, more especially when he sat down to his beloved employment. He had, indeed, toiled in this hazardous undertaking before Fryth came to him from England, but having for years enjoyed his company and aid, as well as so highly prized them both, it must have demanded no inferior degree of Christian submission and fortitude, now to plough through the deep all alone. Tyndale actually had no man like-minded, and the place of Fryth was never to be supplied. We by no means

forget another valuable agent, John Roger, into whose hands came all that Tyndale had translated; and who proved so admirable a posthumous friend.

But still, in the death of Fryth, there were alleviating circumstances, as there always have been in the afflictions of the faithful. Such a glorious exit was well fitted to prepare Tyndale for his own, and to render it so much the easier, nay, welcome, when it arrived. We have seen how intensely anxious he was for the character of his friend, and in this he might now well exult. That young man had fought a good fight, had finished his appointed course; and above all, had preserved his fidelity. He had come home from beyond sea, and shown to all England, how a martyr for the truth of God ought to die, if he must. Nothing remained for him but the Christian's great metropolis, the heavenly Jerusalem, the palace of the Great King; into which he had entered, no doubt, with joy upon every side. In him there had been no mis-giving, not a single word of hesitation, no shift or evasion, no halting between two opinions, no love of life, no fear of death. His crown of martyrdom was, unquestionably, by far the brightest which had yet been won upon English ground, ever since this war of opinion had commenced. As Stephen of old had fallen asleep amidst the shower of stones at Jerusalem; so Fryth, also praying for his enemies, had done the same, in the midst of the flames at London. But, besides all this, there were the noted effects, the impression his Christian heroism had produced, and the season that almost immediately ensued. The sky had begun to clear over England for a little season, and this was quite sufficient to convey fresh vigour to our Translator. It was this year, therefore, that there appeared a second impression of Genesis, and an improved, because a revised edition of the New Testament, both of which now deserve notice.

That it was the fixed and unalterable intention of Tyndale to print an edition of the entire sacred text, there can be no question. He had already commenced with "the first book of Moses called Genesis," newly corrected and amended by W.T. MDXXXIIII. His initials were now, of course, perfectly sufficient to point out the author; and thus, in the very teeth of a tempest of more than eight years' standing, he modestly intimated his firm determination to proceed as he had begun. Of the four other books of the Pentateuch, copies being still