SIR,—We all admire the devotion of brave men who have
endured sufferings and met their death for the sake of their deeply rooted con- victions, not least some of the Roman Catholic missionaries in different parts of the world. But it should be remembered that the Jesuits and others who suffered in the reign of Eliza- beth did not meet their death specifically for their religious views, but for their treasonable activities.
In 1570 Pope Pius V issued the Bull of Excommunication deposing Elizabeth from her throne and absolving her subjects from their allegiance, and offering a reward to any- one who should compass her destruction. In view of this and of the activities of the Jesuits, Elizabeth and her government had to take measures for the preservation of her life and the security of the realm.
The martyrs in Mary's reign were burnt at the stake for doctrinal reasons—fidelity to the Word of God and purity of the Christian faith. Mr. Benson Perkins is not the only one who is astonished at the 'strange comments' of Mr. Evelyn Waugh about Hugh Latimer. Mr. Waugh's conjecture about the impossibility of finding a Bishop and the difficulty of finding any communicant member of the Church of England who holds the views for which Latimer was burned would be nearer the truth if it were in reverse.
Most people have some knowledge of the broad meaning of the Reformation. Com- municants have had some instruction. They have tile Bible and the Prayer Book. Clergy assent to the Thirty-Nine Articles and the Bishops. Many of them, if not all, have been preaching or taking part in celebrations of the memory of Cranmer's martyrdom this year. So it seems probable that they would have affinity with the views of Latimer.—Yours Westhorpe, Goring-by-Sea, Sussex
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