Ridley, Latimer, Cranmer, and Other English Martyrs

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1844. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VIII. P H I L P O T. # # # Next in order comes one of the most renowned and powerful champions of the faith that the antichristian church had to contend with in Mary's days. This was John Philpot, archdeacon of Winchester, who has already appeared in the history, as withstanding the introduction of false doctrine on the queen's accession, when disputing in the convocation-house. He was the son of an honorable house, his father being a knight of Hampshire, and studied at Oxford with distinguished success, being a great proficient in the Hebrew and other tongues, no less than in the liberal arts. He was of a ready wit, singular courage, fervent in spirit, and in religion most zealous; a well-practised divine, by nature plain and honest; far from all flattery, farther still from hypocrisy and dissimulation: and how deeply learned, his enemies could well testify, who, never in argument gained an advantage over him. On leaving Oxford, Mr. Philpot, desirous of seeing other countries, travelled on the continent: at Padua he was in some danger from a Franciscan friar, who, having conversed with him on the journey, threatened to accuse him of heresy. He returned to England, and becoming bolder as the prosperous times of king Edward gave him more liberty, he held various disputations with Stephen Gardiner, whose successor, Dr. Poiret, appointed him to the archdeaconry of that see, where, during the rest of Edward's reign, he continued greatly to profit and instruct the people. When that blessed king was taken away, Mary's first step, on ascending the throne, was, as we have seen, to forward her plan of destroying true religion throughout the realm, by assembling a convocation of prelates and learned men. Perfect freedom of speech was granted, with a prom...