Martyrs Mirror 476OF THE PERSECUTION AND SUFFERING OF THE CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS, BY THOSE OF THE ROMAN CHURCH, A. D. 1400

That the intelligent and God fearing J. Tauler called the prelates of the Roman church blind and leaders of the blind, and taught his fellow believers much concerning the persecution and suffering of the true Christians, we set forth in our account of Holy Baptism, for the year 1400.

In the meantime some of the sheep of the flock of Christ were devoured by the Roman wolf; their names, however, are not known to us, except one, and even respecting him we have not been able to obtain sufficient information with regard to his whole faith, save this much, that in his belief he was opposed to antichrist, that is, the Pope of Rome; on which account the cruel death by fire was inflicted upon him, because he would not apostatize.

Concerning this, the following words, among others, are found in the Chronijck van den Onder; gang: "William Santraus also opposed the (Roman) antichrist at this time; he fell into the power and custody of the archbishop of Canterbury, where he, after a whole year's confinement, ultimately, though with great steadfastness, ended his life in the flames." Chron., page 750, col. 1.

NOTE. A. D. 1400, Franciscus Petrarcha wrote mightily against the Pope, saying, 1. That the pope was antichrist; 2. That his court was Babylon and the whore that sitteth upon many waters (of which we read in John's Revelation), yea, the mother of all idolatry and whoredom; 3. That Rome was a school of errors, a temple of heresy, and a nest of treachery. But speaking thus the truth, the writers say, he could find no shelter, but was persecuted and driven away by the pope. P. J. Twisck, Chron., page 750, col. 1, compared with the twentieth letter of F. Petrarcha, and the poem composed on it; also, Phil. Marn. Tract, fol. 213.