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Then a convenient time being appointed, they brought them forth to their Trial, in order to their condemnation. When the time was come, they were brought before their enemies, and arraigned. The Judge's name was lord Hategood. Their indictment was one and the same in substance, though somewhat varying in form, the contents whereof was this:
That they were enemies to and disturbers of their trade; that they had made commotions and divisions in the Town, and had won a party to their own most dangerous opinions in contempt of the Law of their prince.
Now Faithful play the man, Speak for thy God: Fear not the wicked's malice, nor their rod: Speak boldly man, the Truth is on thy side; Die for it, and to Life in triumph ride.
Then Faithful began to answer, that he had only set himself against that which had set itself against Him that is higher than the highest. And said he, as for disturbance, I make none, being myself a man of peace; the parties that were won to us, were won by beholding our Truth and innocence, and they are only turned from the worse to the better. And as to the king you talk of, since he is Beelzebub, the enemy of Our Lord, I defy him and all his angels.
Then Proclamation was made, that they that had ought to say for their lord the king against the prisoner at the bar, should forthwith appear and give in their evidence. So there came in three witnesses, to witness, Envy, Superstition, and Pickthank. They were then asked if they knew the prisoner at the bar; and what they had to say for their lord the king against him.
Then stood forth Envy, and said to this effect: My lord, I have known this man a long time, and will attest upon my oath before this honourable bench, that he is -
Judge: Hold! Give him his oath.
So they sware him. Then he said, My Lord, this man, notwithstanding his plausible name, is one of the vilest men in our Country. He neither regardeth prince nor people, law nor custom; but doth all that he can to possess all men with certain of his disloyal notions, which he in the general calls principles of faith and holiness. And in particular, I heard him once myself affirm that Christianity and the customs of our Town of Vanity were diametrically opposite, and could not be reconciled. By which saying, my lord, he doth at once not only condemn all our laudable doings, but us in the doing of them.
Judge: Then did the Judge say to him, Hast thou any more to say
Envy: My Lord, I could say much more, only I would not be tedious to the Court. Yet if need be, when the other gentlemen have given in their evidence, rather than anything shall be wanting that will dispatch him, I will enlarge my testimony against him. So he was bidden to stand by. Then they called superstition, and bid him to look upon the prisoner. They also asked, "what he could say for their lord the king against him?" Then they "sware him"; so he began:
Superstition: My Lord, I have no great acquaintance with this man, nor do I desire to have further knowledge of him; however, this I know, that he is a very pestilent fellow, from some discourse that the other day I had with him in this Town; for then talking with him, I heard him say, That our Religion was naught, and such by which a man could by no means please God. Which sayings of his, my lord, your lordship very well knows, what necessarily thence will follow, to wit, That we still do worship in vain, are yet in our sins, and finally shall be damned; and this is that which I have to say.
Then was Pickthank sworn, and bid say what he knew, in behalf of their Lord the King, against the Prisoner at the Bar.
Pickthank: My lord, and you gentlemen all, this fellow I have known of a long time, and have heard him speak things that ought not to be spoke; for he hath railed on our noble prince Beelzebub, and hath spoken contemptibly of his honourable friends, whose names are the lord Old Man, the lord Carnal Delight, the lord Luxurious, the lord Desire of Vain Glory, my old lord Lechery, Sir having greedy, with all the rest of our nobility; and he hath said moreover, That if all men were of his mind, if possible, there is not one of these noble men should have any longer a being in this Town; besides, he hath not been afraid to rail on you, my lord, who are now appointed to be his Judge, calling you an ungodly villain, with many other such-like valifying terms, with which he hath bespattered most of the gentry of our Town.
When this Pickthank had told his tale, the Judge directed his speech to the prisoner at the bar, saying,
"Thou Runagate, Heretic, and Traitor, hast thou heard what these honest Gentlemen have witnessed against thee?"
Faith: May I speak a few words in my own defence?
Judge: Sirrah, sirrah, thou deservedst to live no longer, but to be slain immediately upon the place; yet that all men may see our gentleness towards thee, let us see what thou hast to say.
Faithful: 1. I say then, in answer to what Mr Envy hath spoken, I never said ought but this, That what rule, or laws, or customs, or people, were flat against the Word of God, are diametrically opposite to Christianity. If I have said amiss in this, convince me of my error, and I am ready here before you to make my recantation.
2. As to the second, to witness, Mr Superstition, and his charge against me, I said only this, That in the worship of God there is required a divine faith; but there can be no divine faith without a divine revelation of the will of God: therefore whatever is thrust into the worship of God that is not agreeable to divine revelation, cannot be done but by a human faith, which faith will not be profit to Eternal Life.
3. As to what Mr Pickthank hath said, I say, (avoiding terms, as that I am said to rail, and the like) that the prince of this Town, with all the rabblement his attendants, by this gentleman named, are more fit for a being in hell, than in his Town and country: and so, the lord have mercy upon me.
Then the judge called to the jury (who all this while stood by, to hear and observe) gentlemen of the jury, you see this man about whom so great an uproar hath been made in this Town: you have also heard what these worthy gentlemen have witnessed against him: also you have heard his reply and confession: It lieth now in your breasts to hang him, or save his life; but yet I think meet to instruct you into our law.
There was an Act made in the days of Pharaoh, the great servant to our prince, that lest those of a contrary Religion should multiply and grow too strong for him, their males should be thrown into the river. There was also an Act made in the days of Nebuchadnezzar the great, another of his servants, that whoever would not fall down and worship his golden image, should be thrown into a fiery furnace. There was also an Act made in the days of Darius, that whoso, for some time, called upon any God but him, should be cast into the lion's den. Now the substance of these Laws this rebel has broken, not only in thought (which is not to be borne) but also in word and deed; which must therefore needs be intolerable.
For that of Pharaoh, his Law was made upon a supposition, to prevent mischief, or crime being yet apparent; but here is a crime apparent. For the second and third, you see he disputeth against our Religion; and for the treason he hath confessed, he deserveth to die the death.
Then went the Jury out, whose names were, Mr Blindman, Mr No-good, Mr Malice, Mr Love-lust, Mr Live-loose, Mr Heady, Mr High-mind, Mr Enmity, Mr Lyar, Mr Cruelty, Mr Hate-light, and Mr Implacable; who every one gave in his private verdict against him among themselves, and afterwards unanimously concluded to bring him in guilty before the Judge. And first among themselves, Mr Blind-man the Foreman, said, I see clearly that this man is an heretic. Then said Mr Nogood, Away with such a fellow from the earth. Nay, said Mr Malice, for I hate the very looks of him. Then said Mr Love-lust, I could never endure him. Nor I, said Mr Live-loose, for he would always be condemning my way. Hang him, hang him, said Mr Heady. A sorry scrub, said Mr High-mind. My heart riseth against him, said Mr Enmity. He is a Rogue, said Mr Lyar. Hanging is too good for him, said Mr Cruelty. Let us dispatch him out of the way, said Mr Hate-light. Then said Mr Implacable, Might I have all the world given me, I could not be reconciled to him; therefore let us forthwith bring him in guilty of death.
Interpretation:
The lord of the vanity town is the False Prophet who is the manifestation of Devil himself. The Holy Spirit has no role in the Town of Vanity except warning its residents through prophets. The Holy Spirit never organizes any such event in the vanity town. Both the Devil and the Holy Spirit cannot reign in this vanity town. The true servants of God who discern the work of the False Prophet are dubbed as heretic. Those who are on the jury to judge the true servants of God are blind to the truth; they are no good; they are full of malice; they lead a loose life; they are heady being intoxicated with false doctrines; they are high-minded; they are enemies to the Cross; they are liars; they are cruel; they are haters of the light; they are implacable. We can read in the Fox book of martyrs about the unfair trial and unrighteous judgment those ministers of God who were consigned to sward, fire, beasts, etc. by the Bloody Queen Mary, Catholic Church.
Next..........Martyrdom of Faithful
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