N20568:1059
The new and complete book of martyrs; or, An universal history of martyrdom: being…
The new and complete book of martyrs; or, An universal history of martyrdom: being Fox's Book of martyrs, revised and corrected, with additions and great improvements. : Containing an authentic account of the lives, persecutions and sufferings of the holy martyrs; and the many dreadful persecutions against the Church of Christ in all parts of the world, by pagans, Jews, Turks, papists, and others, from earliest ages of the church to the present period. ... The whole forming at once a general Christian martyrology, and a complete history of persecutions. / By the Rev. Mr. John Fox, M.A. late of Magdalen College, Oxford. ; Now revised, corrected and improved, with many additional articles, relating to the acts and monuments of the church. By Paul Wright, D.D. ; Embellished with forty elegant copper plate engravings. ; In two volumes. Vol. I[-II].The new and complete book of martyrs; or, An universal history of martyrdom: being Fox's Book of marytrs, revised and corrected, with additions and great improvements. : Containing an authentic account of the lives, persecutions and sufferings of the holy martyrs; and the many dreadful persecutions against the Church of Christ in all parts of the world, by pagans, Jews, Turks, papists, and others, from earliest ages of the church to the present period. ... The whole forming at once a general Christian martyrology, and a complete history of persecutions. / By the Rev. Mr. John Fox, M.A. late of Magdalen College, Oxford. ; Now revised, corrected and improved, with many additional articles, relating to the acts and monuments of the church. By Paul Wright, D.D. ; Embellished with forty elegant copper plate engravings. ; In two volumes. Vol. I[-II].
New-York: printed by William Durell, 1794
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
AT Paris, Alexander Kanus, a reformed clergyman, was burnt in a slow fire; four men were committed to the flames for distributing about papers that ridiculed their saying mass. One had his tongue bored through for speaking ill of the Romish superstitions. Peter Gaudet, a Genoese, was burnt by the desire of his own uncle, a bigoted Roman catholic; and John Pointer, a surgeon, had his tongue cut out, and was then committed to the flames.
AT Arras, Foutanis, and Rutiers, many were martyred for being of the reformed religion; in particular, at the latter place, one Stephen Brune was condemned to be burnt for refusing to attend mass. When the fire was kindled, the flames were driven from him by a brisk gale of wind: this occasioned the executioner to heap more faggots round him, and pour oil on them. Still, however, the wind blew the flames in a contrary direction, when the executioner absurdly grew angry with Stephen Brune, and in his passion struck him on the head. Brune very calmly said in return, "As I am condemned only to be burnt, why do you strike me wit• a staff like a dog." This expression so greatly ••raged the executioner, that he ran him through with a pike, and then burnt the body when dead.
AYMOND de Lavoy, a minister of Bordeaux, had a complaint lodged against him by the Romish ⟨p. 115⟩clergy of that city. On hearing this, his friends advised him to abscond; but he absolutely refused so to do, and told them, "That should he be absent himself, the people might well imagine what he had preached consisted only of dreams and fables, and not extracted from the pure word of God; but to prevent them from entertaining such a notion, he determined to seal his testimony of the truth with his blood." When he was seized upon, the people would have rescued him, but he desired them to forbear, saying, "Since it is the will of God that I should suffer for him, I will not resist his will." He remained nine months in prison on the information only, and patiently suffered all the inclemencies of a gaol. Being brought to trial, he was ordered to be racked; when in the extremity of the torture he comforted himself with this expression; "This body must once die, but the soul shall live; for the kingdom of God endureth for ever." At length he swooned away; but on recovering, prayed for his persecutors. The question was then put to him, "Whether he would embrace the Roman catholic persuasion; which positively refusing, he was condemned to be burnt. At the place of execution he said, "O Lord, make haste to help me; tarry not; despise not the work of thy hands." And perceiving some who used to attend his sermons, he addressed them thus, "My friends. I exhort you to study and learn the gospel; for the word of God abideth for ever. Labour to know the will of God, and fear not them that kill the body but hae no power over the soul." The executioner then strangled him, and afterwards burnt his body.