was abroad, and Mary's reputation a vindication of her innocence. But this (To be Continued.) JOHN WICKLIFFE. A SKETCH FROM THE GERMAN. in condemning him as a heretic at two synods held at Oxford and at London, and he was dismissed from the professor's chair he held in the University of Oxford. He bore this with patience and resignation, saying, "God is my witness that I chiefly seek the honour of God and the glory of the Church, from respect to the word of God, and in obedience to the commands of Christ; but if I have been actuated by any desire for worldly favour or filthy lucre, or if any base and malignant feelings have, unperceived by myself, infested these high aspirations, I beg to express the sincerest sorrow and contrition, and to declare that I trust, by the grace of God, to keep on my guard against all unholiness." Wickliffe closed his last days, in peace. He died, in 1384, at Lutterworth, where he had been appointed a preacher, and where he perseveringly and earnestly continued to struggle to the end against the darkness In the 14th century after the birth of Christ the nations of Europe lay under a heavy burden of dark and grovelling superstitions. Learned and pious men were not wanting at that time; but they seldom were possessed of the courage that was necessary to declare boldly against the spiritual tyranny of the popes and the clergy. In the year 1360, however, a man of great learning and fervent piety, named John Wickliffe, a professor in the University of Oxford, commenced to preach against several of those false doctrines at that time generally received. He maintained, among other things, that, as Peter had no ascendancy over the other apostles, the Church of Rome was not the head of other churches; that the Pope, as far as regarded his power to forgive sins, was like every other ecclesiastic; and he boldly attacked the monks, especially the begging friars, whom he called "Lazy Bellies," and "Spiritual Idlers," who made their pretended poverty a cloak for impudence and fraud. Christ and the apostles, he declared, had commanded all to support themselves by bodily labour; while alms, he said, were intended for the feeble and the sick. He also spoke sharply against indulgences, the adoration of relics, and other prevalent errors, whereby the souls of men were misled and deceived. This teaching was received readily, Wickliffe being a man of extraordinaryWickliffe's persecution did not end parts, moved by the grace of God, and with his death. In the year 1410, his wielding powerfully the sword of the writings were burned at Oxford; in Spirit; but it was to be expected that 1428, the sanctuary of his last restinghe who had lifted up his voice so de- place was rudely and inhumanly violatcidedly against the spiritual wickedness ed; his bones were dug up out of the in high places, should be hated and grave in which they had been laid by persecuted by the Pope and the clergy. his sorrowing followers, and his ashes. strewed into the river which flows past Lutterworth, the scene of his last At last, after several unsuccessful attempts, Wickliffe's enemies succeeded of his time. He translated the Bible into English; and his numerous writings were circulated by his followers throughout the whole of Europe, particularly in Bohemia; and wherever they went, they affected the hearts and changed the thoughts of earnest and godly men, besides kindling a light amidst the general darkness, the effect of which we everywhere see in our own day. that all his actions had been upright and praiseworthy; and that he, through the help of the grace of God, had overcome all who had reviled the religion of Christ the crown of martyrdom, which gives a victory over this world." Some time after this he was excommunicated by the Pope, and summoned to appear before a great ecclesiastical council, which was held at Constance, in Switzerland, in the year 1414. He went thither relying on the power of God to sustain him against the spiritual darkness and temporal tyranny arrayed against him. On setting out, he was addressed by one of his hearers, who bade him a mournful and affectionate "God be farewell in these words:with thee, John Huss, thou who hast remained steady and firm in the truth, I fear much that I shall never behold thee more. May 'the King of Heaven shield and protect thee, and bestow on thee all grace, for the faithful and diligent instruction in the pure and holy doctrines I have been privileged to have from thee." labours; but his friends bore witness to his many excellencies, and the University of Oxford confessed openly that his walk through life, from youth even unto death, had been most exemplary, JOHN HUSS. A SKETCH FROM THE GERMAN. THE writings of John Wickliffe bore rich fruit throughout Europe, particularly in Bohemia. They were highly prized in the famous University of Prague, where they were much studied, and a man soon appeared who proclaimed the truth without fear to fall the world. This man was named John Huss, of Hussineg, in Bohemia, where he was born, on the 6th July, 1373. His father dying soon after his birth, he had his first instruction from monks; afterwards he studied in the University of Prague, to which he was accompanied by his mother, and where he found many kind benefactors. At the early age of twenty years he was appointed a teacher in the University, and three years afterwards he took the degree of Master of Arts. Through the grace of God, he learned soon to distinguish truth from error. In the year 1402 he was placed as a preacher in Prague, in a chapel which had been erected by a pious merchant, in conjunction with one of the royal counsellors, for the purpose of preaching the gospel to the people in the Bohemian language. At this time he fell in with Wickliffe's writings, and he was animated still more by them to fight fearlessly against the errors of his time with the truths of the gospel. Soon, however, a violent persecution arose against him. Wickliffe's writings were publicly burned in Prague, and Huss was ordered to recant what he had taught, to which he replied "I will defend the truth that has been revealed in the Holy Bible even unto death, because I know that truth will abide for ever, and ultimately conquer all. If I have found grace in the sight of God, he will invest me with On the journey, Huss, by his affability, charmed all hearts. On leaving the houses where he had been entertained, he gave generally to the landlords, as an acknowledgment of their kindness and hospitality, a copy of the ten commandments. On the 30th November, he descried at a distance the spires of the town of Constance, when he joyfully exclaimed, "If God is for us, who dare be against us?" On his arrival at Constance, when it was found that he would not submit to the demands of the Pope, he was thrown into a damp unwholesome dungeon, where he lay for a long time, and in which his health was soon injured. At last the Emperor Sigismund took his place in the Council, when on the 7th and 8th days of June, 1415, Huss was examined publicly before 35 cardinals, 20 archbishops, 160 bishops, and 250 other ecclesiastical dignitaries, with 4 electors, 20 dukes, and 80 counts; but as he would not recant his former statements, he was remanded to his dungeon, to await the sentence he daily expected. On the 5th July, the Emperor demanded from him a last declaration out of prison, to which this most intrepid man answered, "I solemnly declare before God, that I am ready, from my heart, to change my opinions as soon as I am shown out of God's Word proofs for better;" but this answer did not satisfy his accusers, and the following day was appointed to be the day of his death. The Emperor Sigismund had given Huss a letter of protection, guaranteeing his personal safety; and at this juncture of affairs, Huss had the courage to remind Sigismund of the royal pledge. At this, a deep blush diffused itself over the Emperor's countenance, from which it was evident that he was fully aware of the injustice he was committing in the violation of his written safe-conduct; yet, the animosity against a man who had proclaimed the truth with zeal and boldness, was so great, that Huss well knew he had no hope of release. He looked calmly for death, in the face of which he wrote to a young friend, named Peter Mladonowitz, some parting words :"God be with you," said he, "may he grant you all bliss for the many favours you have shown me. I entreat you to live according to the Word of God, as I have taught you. Greet your family and friends in my name. Pray to heaven for me. I pray for you; with the Divine assistance we will all come to God. Amen." The 6th of July was the anniversary day of Huss' birth, and this day was fixed on to be the day of his death, which took place in the year 1415. It was decreed that he should be burned, and on his sentence being read over to him, in the cathedral of Constance, he fell on his knees, and with hands clasped, exclaimed:-"O Lord, thou alone knowest whether these men judge me right." He then prayed fervently for the forgiveness of his enemies. After this, they crowned him with a paper crown, on which was painted the figures of horribly shaped devils, and on doing this, they said, "We deliver over thy soul to the devils in hell;" to which he replied, "I recommend thee to our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, the first one who bore a crown of thorns. On the way to execution, which took place on one of the islands of the Rhine, his writings were burned before his eyes. When he arrived at the place of suffering, he knelt down and prayed, "Into thy hands, O God, do I yield up my spirit." He then took a last farewell of his friends, thanking those persons who had attended him during his sickness. His hands were now tied behind his back, his body fastened by six wet ropes to a stake, and his neck by means of a chain. As the wood was about to be kindled, he was asked again to abjure his heresies, but he persisted in his former answer. The pile was then fired, when he began to sing, with a clear voice, "Jesus Christ, thou son of the living God, who hast suffered for us, have compassion on me." After repeating this three times he was suffocated by the smoke. His esteemed friend and follower, Hieronymus, of Prague, had wished much to defend him at Constance, but was prevented by being thrown into prison, from which he was released only to suffer the same fate as his great teacher. He met his death with great firmness, refusing to approve of the cruel sentence passed on Huss. When the pile of wood, at the execution, was being lighted behind the sufferer, according to the usual custom, Hieronymus desired that it should be fired before his eyes, as, he said, it gave him no fear. As the flame blazed up, he addressed a few words to God in prayer, and was soon out of the reach of the malice of his enemies. THE FEELING OF THE EDINBURGH CLERGY TOWARDS PRINCE CHARLES. AFTER the victory of Preston Pans, the prince issued a proclamation, giving the ministers of the city full liberty to continue the usual religious services on the following Sabbath, and only making the moderate stipulation, that in praying for the royal family, no name should be mentioned. One only of the city clergy availed himself of the permission burdened by this condition, and lectured in the forenoon in the Tron Church; but St. Cuthbert's, an extra-mural parish, was then filled by an incumbent, the Rev. Neile M'Vicar, famous in his day, and still commemorated among the faithful pastors of the Church of Scotland, as one whom no dread of personal danger could deter from fulfilling his duty as a minister of Christ. This worthy successor of the faithful band that suffered to the death, rather than submit to the tyranny of Charles and James II., gave public notice that he would continue the regular services of the day, and proceeded to the pulpit, accordingly, as usual. The church was crowded with an unusually numerous auditory, attracted thither by various motives, and among them he recognized THE GREYFRIARS' CHURCHYARD. THE general view from this ancient cemetery will repay the visitor, commanding as it does some of the most picturesque masses of the old town, and the castle, rising boldly from the intervening valley on its abruptly precipitous rock. Like other great cemeteries, this old burial-ground has supplied the last peaceful resting-place of rival statesmen and politicians, and of many others famous in their day, "when a large space little sufficed for those who now poorly fill their few feet of earth." Here mingle the ashes of the celebrated historian and Latin poet, George Buchanan, The preceptor of James VI.; George Herbst, the father of the royal goldsmith, Alexander Henderson, famous among the great men who guided the struggles for liberty in the seventeenth century, and whose monument, after being destroyed at the Restoration, was replaced at the Revolution; Sir George M'Kenzie, the founder of the Advocate's Library; Sir James Stewart; Principal Carstairs; Sir John de Medina, the painter; Allan Ramsay; Colin McLaurin; and many others, distinguished in their age for rank or genius. But far more than all these, a simple monument, though on a somewhat large scale, styled "The Martyrs' Tomb," forms the chief object of unfailing popu lar interest. A small compartment of this burial-ground was set apart in former days for the interment of malefac tors. Thither the martyrs of the Covenant were brought, after they had suffered death at the hands of the public executioner in the adjacent Grassmarket; and their mangled and mutilated remains were crowded into this little spot, until from being the degraded burialplace of outcast criminals, it became, in the estimation of the citizens, holy ground. Here accordingly a monumental memorial was erected soon after the Revolution, and again renewed at a later date when suffering from decay. The central tablet of the martyrs' monument is occupied with a metrical inscription of some length; while a Bible, sculptured on the lower mould ing, stands open at these words in the book of Revelation: “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." Lotes for the Month. MAY. Welcome! dawn of summer's day. Where the sun of nature beams, precise localities. to visit "the holy places." But none could now point out, either the spot where Christ had been crucified, or the place where his body had been buried. The Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine, had resolved to discover the site of Calvary. In a dream-so says the legend-she was directed to a spot where the cross on which Christ was crucified lay buried, but undecayed. But on removing the earth from the spot three crosses were discovered, and the conclusion was at once come to, that one of them was the Saviour's, and At the period to which we have referred, the spirit of pilgrimage to places deemed sacred in Palestine had very greatly increased. It had necessarily become an important object for superstition and artifice, as well as devotion, question had then to be settled, which the others the crosses on which the two malefactors had suffered! The |