Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 4.djvu/203

1546.] them both in choler, withdrew them; 'This work and judgment of God, although it be secret,' he cried,  yet ought it to be done with greater gravity.' Holding his sword at Beton's throat, 'Repent thee,' he said to him, 'of thy former wicked life, but especially of the shedding of the blood of that instrument of God, Mr George Wishart, which, albeit the flames of fire consumed before men, yet cries it with a vengeance upon thee; and we from God are sent to revenge it. I protest that neither the hatred of thy person, the love of thy riches, or the fear of any trouble thou couldst have done to me in particular, moved or move me to strike thee, but only because thou hast been, and remainest, an obstinate enemy to Christ Jesus and his Holy Evangel.' 'And so he struck him twice or thrice through with a sword,' and so he fell, cut off even in the blossom of his sins, only shrieking miserably, 'I am a priest; I am a priest. Fie! fie! all is gone!'

The cry went out through the castle, and up into the borough of St Andrew's. The alarm-bell rang. The provost and four hundred of the townspeople streamed down under the walls before the gate, and clamoured to bring out the Cardinal. 'Incontinent, they brought the Cardinal dead to the wall head in a pair of sheets, and hung him over the wall by the tane arm and the tane foot, and bade the people see there their god.'

'The faithless multitude, that would not believe till they did see, departed without requiem æternam or