Foxe - The Book of Martyrs

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
When he had prayed, he went to the stake and kissed it, and set himself into a pitch barrel,
which they had put for him to stand in, and stood with his back upright against the stake, with
his hands folded together, and his eyes towards heaven, and continually prayed. They then
bound him with the chains, and having set up the fagots, one Warwick cruelly cast a fagot at
him, which struck him on his head, and cut his face, sot hat the blood ran down. Then said
Dr. Taylor, "O friend, I have harm enough; what needed that?"
Sir John Shelton standing by, as Dr. Taylor was speaking, and saying the Psalm Miserere
in English, struck him on the lips:
"You knave," he said, "speak Latin: I will make thee." At last they kindled the fire; and
Dr. Taylor holding up both his hands, calling upon God, and said, "Merciful Father of heaven!
for Jesus Christ, my Savior's sake, receive my soul into Thy hands!" So he stood still without
either crying or moving, with his hands folded together, until Soyce, with a halberd struck
him on the head until his brains fell out, and the corpse fell down into the fire.
Thus rendered up this man of God his blessed soul into the hands of his merciful Father,
and to his most dear Savior Jesus Christ, whom he most entirely loved, faithfully and earnestly
preached, obediently followed in living, and constantly glorified in death.
Martyrdom of William Hunter
William Hunter had been trained to the doctrines of the Reformation from his earliest
youth, being descended from religious parents, who carefully instructed him in the principles
of true religion.
Hunter, then nineteen years of age, refusing to receive the communion at Mass, was
threatened to be brought before the bishop; to whom this valiant young martyr was conducted
by a constable.
Bonner caused William to be brought into a chamber, where he began to reason with him,
proimising him security and pardon if he would recant. Nay, he would have been content if
he would have gone only to receive and to confession, but William would not do so for all the
world.
Upon this the bishop commanded his men to put William in the stocks in his gate house,
where he sat two days and nights, with a crust of brown bread and a cup of water only, which
he did not touch.
At the two days' end, the bishop came to him, and finding him steadfast in the faith, sent
him to the convict prison, and commanded the keeper to lay irons upon him as many as he
could bear. He continued in prison three quarters of a year, during which time he had been
before the bishop five times, besides the time when he was condemned in the consistory in
St. Paul's, February 9, at which time his brother, Robert Hunter, was present.
Then the bishop, calling William, asked him if he would recant, and finding he was
unchangeable, pronounced sentence upon him, that he should go from that place to Newgate
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