"God, who blesses the righteous and punishes and destroys sinners,
be with thee and with us all!" said Gardiner.

But Anne Askew recoiled with a shudder from the touch of his hand,
and with an impetuous movement pushed it away from her shoulder.

"Touch me not; you are the hangman of those poor people whom they
are putting to death down yonder," said she impetuously; and as she
turned to the king and extended her hands imploringly toward him,
she cried:

"Mercy, King Henry, mercy!"

"Mercy!" repeated the king, "mercy, and for whom? Who are they that
they are putting to death down there? Tell me, forsooth, my lord
bishops, who are they that are led to the stake to-day? Who are the
condemned?"

"They are heretics, who devote themselves to this new false doctrine
which has come over to us from Germany, and who dare refuse to
recognize the spiritual supremacy of our lord and king," said Bishop
Gardiner.

"They are Roman Catholics, who regard the Pope of Rome as the chief
shepherd of the Church of Christ, and will regard nobody but him as
their lord," said Bishop Cranmer.

"Ah, behold this young maiden accuses us of injustice," cried the
king; "and yet, you say that not heretics alone are executed down