their heresy. The trial was still going on when two priests
arrived, who declared they had been on board a Portuguese ship, bringing
over numerous images and relics and indulgences to Saint Vincente, when
she was captured by a French man-of-war, the captain of which had
sacrilegiously thrown them into the sea. I, of course, knew that they
spoke of the _Madeline_; and, as you remember, Monsieur Lieutenant, I
was on board, I began to fear that I might be recognised. Monsieur
Laporte, of course, stated that he was not there, and could, therefore,
not be considered guilty of the act of which they complained, supposing
that it had taken place. The priests, however, who were eager to find
some one on whom to wreak their vengeance, declared that it mattered
nothing, even had he not been there, as the act was performed by those
of his faith, and was the result of the pernicious doctrines he taught.
He defended himself nobly, but was condemned to be burnt alive in the
centre of a wide spot, which had been marked out for a square.

"Hoping that I had not been recognised by the priests, I was making my
way out of the church, when the keen eyes of one of them fell on me. He
instantly ordered me to be seized, and at once declared that he had seen
me on board the _Madeline_, engaged in throwing the trumpery overboard.
I would not deny this, but said that I was but doing my duty, and
obeying my captain, and that, had he ordered me to throw the two priests
themselves overboard, to look after their saints, I should certainly
have done so. This enraged them more than ever, and they threatened to
burn me with the minister. As I was, however, known to be a good
carpenter, the civil officers were not willing to lose my services, and
I was sent back to prison.

"In vain they tried to make the good minister recant. He refused to do
so. They promised him his life and full pardon, and a good post under
government, but he refused all their offers, saying that he would rather
die a hundred deaths than abandon the faith of the pure gospel. The
next day he was led to the place of execution. We were compelled to be
present. The faggots were piled round him. Some of the people, moved
with pity, cried out that he should be strangled first, and the
executioner himself seemed unwilling to light the pile; when one of the
priests, seizing the torch, set fire to the faggots, which quickly
blazed up, and our good minister's soul went to that h