ally to share his Master's
Spirit, which is the only true way of imitating Him.

The punishments were cruel and vindictive. They lasted through many
weeks. Half way through, many 'persons of note' signed a petition to
ask that he might be allowed to miss the rest of the penalties, owing
to his enfeebled condition. In spite of this, the whole barbarous
sentence was carried out. James Nayler bore it unflinchingly. I am
only going to tell you one or two of the cruel things that were done
to him--and those not the worst. He was sentenced to have the letter
'B' burned on his forehead with a hot iron. 'B' stands for
'Blasphemer,' and it was to show everybody who saw him, wherever he
came, that he had been found guilty of saying wicked things about God.
The worst part of this punishment must have been knowing in his heart
that the accusation was, more or less, true.

There he stood before the Old Exchange in London, on a bitter December
day, in the presence of thousands of spectators. He bore not only the
branding with a red-hot iron on the forehead until smoke arose from
the burning flesh, but also other worse tortures with 'a wonderful
patience.' The crowd, who always assembled on such occasions, were
touched by his demeanour. Instead of jeering and mocking, as they
were accustomed to do to criminals, all these thousands of people
lifted their hats in token of respect, and remained standing
bareheaded as they watched him in his agony. It is said that 'he
shrinked a little when the iron came upon his forehead,' yet on being
unbound he embraced his executioner. One faithful friend, Robert Rich,
who had done his utmost to save Nayler from this terrible punishment,
stood with him on the pillory and held his hand all through the
burning, and afterwards licked the wounds with his tongue to allay the
pain. 'I am the dog that licked Lazarus' sores,' Robert Rich used to
say, alluding to that terrible day. Long years after, when he was an
old man with a long white beard, he used to walk up and down in
Meeting in a long velvet gown, still repeating the story of his
friend's sufferings and of his patience.

* * * * *

After this punishment Nayler was sent down to Bristol to undergo the
rest of his sentence there. He was made to enter the city again in
deepest humiliation, no longer with excited followers shouting
'Hosanna!' before him, but seated on a horse _facing to the tail_,
with the big 'B' burne