The king, wishing to follow the pope's wishes, according as he had sent him word by his letters patent, sent word to the court of Parliament not to proceed any more with such rigor as they had shown heretofore.

For this cause were there no more rigorous proceedings on the part of justice." [_Journal d'un Bourgeois de Paris,_ p.

456.] Search has been made to discover whether the assertion of the Bourgeois de Paris has any foundation, whether Pope Paul III.

really did write in June, 1535, the letter attributed to him, and whether its effect was, that the king wrote to Parliament not to proceed against the Reformers "with such rigor." No proof has, however, been obtained as to the authenticity of the pope's letter, and in any case it was not very effectual, for the same _Bourgeois de Paris_ reports, that in September, 1535, three months after that, according to him, it was written: Two fellows, makers of silk ribbons and tissues, were burned all alive, one in the Place Maubert and the other in St.John's cemetery, as Lutherans, which they were.

They had handed over to their host at Paris some Lutheran books to take care of, saying, 'Keep this book for us while we go into the city, and show it to nobody.' When they were gone, this host was not able to refrain from showing this book to a certain priest, the which, after having looked at it, said incontinently, 'This is a very wicked book, and proscribed.' Then the said host went to the commissioner of police to reveal that he had such and such a book of such an one, the which sent forth with to the house of the said host to take and carry off the said two fellows to the Chatelet.