The Persecution Under Elizabeth

Extract

This subject has been ignored by the majority of writers of English history. Some have assumed that the unfortunate persons who suffered death and lesser penalties for their religion during this reign, were also guilty of what we should admit to be acts of treason against the State. This theory is not supported by facts. Modern research (and the word “ modern,” in this case, means that of the last ten or fifteen years) has proved beyond question the utter falsity of Coke's statement, “That in the reign of Elizabeth there was put to death for religion not one.” The most has been made of the persecution under Queen Mary, and the names of the sufferers have become as household words, yet even now but little is generally known of similar deeds that were done in the reign of her sister.