Page:History of the Scottish martyrs.pdf/9

9 is in my sleeve," replied the persecuted man. On this his accuser, starting to his feet, rudely pulled the book, which was the New Testament, out of his sleeve; and, holding it aloft, exultingly exclaimed, "Behold, he has that book of heresy in his sleeve, which alone has created all the schisms and disturbances in the church." "Brother," said Forrest, still maintaining the calm equanimity of temper which was natural to him, "Brother," he said, "God forgive you; ye ought and, should speak with more reverence of the evangell of Jesus Christ than to call it a book of heresy." "Heretic," furiously exclaimed his accuser, "dost thou not know that it is contrary to the canons of our church to have a Testament in the English language? Art thou ignorant that this alone is sufficient guilt to bring thee to the stake?" For such crimes and sentiments as these were men, at this period; doomed to suffer death in one of its most terrible forms.

To this brief sketch of the martyrdom of Thomas Forrest, we shall add an anecdote of the bishop of Dunkeld, with which the former is connected. The bishop, who was Forrest's ordinary, having learnt that he was in the habit occasionally of introducing heresies into his discourses, desired him to forbear: adding that, it he persevered in taking such liberties, he would certainly draw down the vengeance of the church upon his head: "but," continued he, if you can find a good gospel, or a good epistle, that makes for the liberty of the holy church, teach that, and leave the rest alone." To this orthodox piece of advice Forrest answered, “I have read both the new Testament and the old, and I never found an ill epistle, or an ill gospel, in any of them.” “That may be," replied the ignorant but good natured