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,
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!
Read all of William Wordsworth's poems · About William Wordsworth
More by William Wordsworth
- Ecclesiastical Sonnets - Part II. - XXXVI - General View Of The Troubles Of The Reformation
- Ecclesiastical Sonnets - Part II. - XXXVII - English Reformers In Exile
- Ecclesiastical Sonnets - Part II. - XXXVIII - Elizabeth
- Ecclesiastical Sonnets - Part III. - I - I Saw The Figure Of A Lovely Maid
- Ecclesiastical Sonnets - Part III. - II - Patriotic Sympathies
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