and to suffer a torment of fire seem so grievous a matter unto you, then you should also have the like consideration in other men's perils and dangers, when you do burn your fellows and brethren! Or, if you think it but a light and trifling matter in them, go to now, do you also with like courage, contemn, and with like patience, suffer now the same torments yourselves. And if so be I should now suffer you with the whole church, to be burned to ashes, what other thing should I do unto you than you do daily unto your fellows and brethren? Wherefore, since you so little esteem the death of others, be now content that other men should also little regard the death of you." With this, I say, or with some other like answer, if that either GOD, or human charity, or the common sense of nature would expostulate with them; yea if there had been a fire indeed (as they were more feared than hurt), who would have doubted, but that it had happened unto them according to their deserts? But now, worthy it is the noting, how the vain fear and folly of those Catholics either were deluded, or how their cruelty was reproved; whereby they, being better taught by their own example, might hereafter learn what it is to put other poor men to the fire, which they themselves here so much abhorred.
But to return again to the description of this pageant, wherein (as I said before) there was no danger at all; yet were they all in such fear, as if present death had been over their heads. In all this great maze and garboil, there was nothing more feared than the melting of the lead, which many affirmed that they felt dropping upon their bodies. [For almost all the churches in Kngland are covered with lead, like as in Germany they are for the most part tiled.]
Now in this sudden terror and fear, which took from them all reason and counsel out of their minds, to behold what practices and sundry shifts every man made for himself it; would make not only DEMOCRITUS, and HERACLITUS also, to laugh, but rather a horse well near to break his halter. But none used themselves more ridiculously than such as seemed greatest wise men, saving that in one or two, peradventure, somewhat more quietness of mind appeared; among wrhom was one CLAYMUND, President of Corpus Christi College (whom, for reverence and learning's sake, I do here name), and a few other aged persons with him; who, for their age
