"Post has tenebas spero lucem."
These four letters evidently designate Henry, Edward, Elizabeth, and James.
The copy of Balaam's Ass in the Cambridge University Library consists of forty eight pages of small folio, neatly written in a hand of the seventeenth century.[30]
The following account of Williams's execution is taken from the State Papers of the period.[31]
"Immediatly upon his comming to the gybbett, hee ascended up the ladder, where, turning his face to the people, hee first began with a hearty prayre for the longe lyfe and prosperous raigne of the King, and then hee proceeded to the acknowledgment of his fault, saying that hee had bin too buisy and sawcy with his majesty, and that hee was heartily sory for that hee had so much offended and distasted the King in wryteing that booke, which hee was ledd to doe out of an inconsiderate love to his contry; then hee told Mr. Dean and Mr. Fanshaw who told him that confession was not answerable to his offence that hee wold gladly speak and express him self in any thing they doubted of, wherupon Mr. Fanshaw demaunded of him if there were noe more of them bookes abroad; to which hee protested that there was not an other booke nor a peece of itt in the world besydes that. Hee questioned him further why hee wrote an Epistle to his Contrymen; he said, because it might come the sooner to his majestie's veiwe: and why he wrote a Propesy in his booke of the desolation of Whytehall, wherin he tooke upon him to tell so precyzely the year, the month, and the day, when the sayd howse shold be ruyened; to which hee aunswered, that hee hoped they wold not thinke him so fond as to conceave himself to be illuminated with any divine or propheticall spiritt, but that which hee wrote was Ironiee. Then he fell to clear himself of an imputation ... upon him yesterday that hee was an Atheist, by reason of a passage in his booke, but hee professed himself to bee a right Romayne Catholicke, and that his fayth was, that he hoped to be saved cheifly and more effectually by the blood of our Saviour shed for his sins; to which Mr. Dean answered that hee ought absolutely to relye upon the death and passion of our Saviour, and alleadged a place in Saint John that noe man cold come to the Father but by the Son only, wherupon hee demanded that if they wold have him make repetition of his fayth againe ... was the same as before hee wold. Mr. Dean told him that they wold willingly joyne with him in his prayres to God, hee said hee had done his devotions ere he came to that place, and so gave the executioner a handkerchef, which hee tyed about his head, and whylst hee was so doeing hee prayed in Latin, and pulling the handkercheif over his eyes hee said, 'Post tenebras spero lucem,' and so dyed."
48.
David Paræus, D.D., The Works of.
In June, 1622, the works of this writer were burnt at Paul's Cross by order of the Privy Council. They were also burnt at Oxford by order of the University, as seditious; and at a Senate of the University of Cambridge they were "condemned to eternal infamy," and forbidden to be read.[32] Paræus was a celebrated Calvinistic divine of the Reformed Church. He was born in Silesia in 1548, and died in 1622, having been Professor in the University of Heidelberg.
49.
Mercurius Gallo Belgicus. 1623.