ECCLESIASTICAL SONNETS
XXXV. CRANMER
ECCLESIASTICAL SONNETS
OUTSTRETCHING flameward his upbraided hand (O God of mercy, may no earthly Seat Of judgment such presumptuous doom repeat!) Amid the shuddering throng doth Cranmer stand; Firm as the stake to which with iron band His frame is tied; firm from the naked feet To the bare head. The victory is complete; The shrouded Body to the Soul’s command Answers with more than Indian fortitude, Through all her nerves with finer sense endued, 10 Till breath departs in blissful aspiration: Then, ‘mid the ghastly ruins of the fire, Behold the unalterable heart entire, Emblem of faith untouched, miraculous attestation!