to Rome and there to encounter with the adversary of Christ Thither they came and after a few daies two of them behaving themselves modestly did in secret manifest to some there the truth of the Gospell who being betrayed were imprisoned and put to death without any further adoe The third having resolved to act his part in publique gave over himselfe to suffer all the extremities the wit of man could invent It came to passe one day that this man espying the Pope in the middest of his massing devotion stept quickly unto him plucked the consecrated Host out of his hands cast it to the ground trod it under foot uttering invective spéeches against the Masse and Antichrist The people in a rage fell upon the Englishman who being altogether bruised with their fists and féet said you hangman finde out as many forments as you can the hand of the Almighty will shew it self the more gloriously My soule is resolved to vanquish death valiantly He was forthwith bound and set upon an Asse sixe Torches were lighted and from stréet to stréet the erecutioners bare them by him burning therewith his face mouth and tongue first for he had said before to one of the formentors thou hast no power over my soule thou wretch knowest thou not that God understands the voice of my secret thought and complaint When the flames came overthwart his chéekes he was heard to cry Lord forgive these men for they know not what they doe After they had burned all his face put out his eyes scorched and rosted his body in the end they consumed it wholly to ashes The learned author who set forth this History in a notable work of his notes neither the yeare nor the names of these Englishmen It should séeme to be about the time of Pope Clement the eighth in Anno 1595. for in his ample discourse he mentions an old wise man le sage veillard burned at Rome after these English men who before he went to the fire spake with such efficacy to his confessor sent unto him who also left him not till he yéelded up his spirit in the middest of the flames into the hands of Christ that this confessor going the next day into the Pulpit maintained tâ—â—â—rause of the old wise man with such boldnesseâ—nd zeale that all the audience hearing him attentively without any resistance understood his meaning and never accused the Preacher But in Lent following a Capuchin Fryer An admirable Eapuchin preaching before Pope Clement the eighth called him Antichrist and during that Lent ceased not to Preach the truth of the Gospell in the Chaire of postlience under the robe and habit of a Liar c In the same work my author saith our Historian mentions another Italian preacher called Nâ— Montalchin who in describing his History hath these words The Pope perceiving that by executing the Martyrs thus opénly in the sight of the people in stead of terrifying them thereby many were the more encouraged he resolved with himselfe thenceforward to conceale his open violence out of the sight of the Sun and to exercise it rather in the dark and in the night season The inquisitors who had Montalchin in their hands were preparing a way to murther him privâ—ly according to the Popes intention It so fell out that the Iaylour smelling the injustice which these reverend Fathers were devising against the poore prisoner adventured to give him notice of it to the end he making his peace with God might fit himselfe for death This experienced souldier of Iesus Christ plotted a way under hand by a spirituall wile to catch the wise in their craftinesse faining therefore a repentance he called for his judges telling them he was now minded to revoke his errors after they had pronounced sentence against him and would in the hearing of all recant what he had in publike maintained against the truth His Iudges beléeving he had spoken in good earnest promised him his life upon those tearmes Now that they might the rather satisfie their pride they made known to every one the time and place appointed for his abjuration All the city assembled together to take knowledge of this so unexpected a novelty Montalchin was brought and placed on a scaffold for that purpose He stood there in his shirt holding in his hands two torches lighted then silence being obtained he began to speake to the people as followeth Deare brethren and Children I have a long time taught you such a doctrine as hath troubled you I am now brought hither to open my minde unto you Montalchin is a sinfull man and therefore may erre But lend me your attention a while and I will let you sée the difference betwéen both opinions Thrée words seul seule seulement will serve to distinguish betwéene falshood and truth 1 I have taught you that Christ is our only sacrifice our only priest who only was once offered for us But the Doctors teach the contrary to wit that the true body of Christ without bread is offered up for the living and for the dead that the priests ought daily to offer up the naturall body of Christ really in the Masse 2 I have taught that in taking the visible signes in the Sacrament we doe therein by faith only take the spirituall and heavenly bread of our soules The Doctors say that Christs body is taken flesh and blood into the mouth and belly of the communicant 3 I have preached that Iesus Christ is our only mediator and that by him alone we have accesse unto the Father But the Doctors goe further and will have us to come to the Virgin Mary making her and all the Saints departed our Mediators and Intercessors 4 I have declared that we are justified only by faith in Iesus Christ and that the frée mercy of God is the foundation of our salvation The Doctors would have us to help out faith and grace by good workes as meritorious causes of salvation 5 You have heard me preach that Christ only gives grace and that he alone pardons this They affirm that the Church hath a Coffer or Chest of which the Pope kéeps the keyes whereinto are put the merits of saints which he largely distributed abroad to such as will buy his pardons Anno 1611. with money 6 I have told you that the Canonicall bookes of the old and new Testament are the onely ground of our faith and salvation The Doctors adde thereto their unwritten verities 7 I have taught you that after this life ended there are only two places prepared for them to goe unto who die and depart out of this world One the place of joy and comfort the other of torment The Doctors say there are foure viz. Paradise Hell Limbus and Purgatory 8 I have preached that the Pope is not a god on earth but only a Bishop and that only of one place if he therein behave himselfe as a good Biship ought to doe The Doctors make him Lord of the world and
when the time was now come that God had given them power to prove and try his Church they foreflowed not to exercise their cruelty upon if which long before they had plotted and contrived Upon Saturday then the sixth of March Ann. 1556. betwéene nine and ten of the Clocke in the night the Provost of the City with his Sergeants armed themselves to make search if they could finde any met together â—t houses but as then there was no assembly Therfore they came to the house of one whose name was Robert Oguier which was a little Church for all both great and small men-servants and maâ—ds were familiarly instruded thers in the knowledge of God as the issue well manifested Being violently entred into the said house and séeking here and there for their prey they found certaine bookes which they carried away But he whom they principally aimed at was not then in the house viz. Baudicon the sonne of the said Robert Oâ—â—uler who at that time was gone abroad to commune and talke of the word of God with some of the brethren as he oft used to do Returning home he knocked at the dore Martin his younger brother watching his conunting bad him be gone willing him not to come in But Baâ—dicon thinking his brother mistooke him for some other said it is I open the dore with that the sergeants approching nigh unto it opened the same and causing him to enter in said Ah Sir you are well met to whom he answered I thank you my friends you also are welcome hither Then said the Provost I arrest you all in the Emperors name and with that commanded each of them to be bound to wit the husband his wife with their two sons leaving their two daughters to looke to the house Now as they conveied them along through the stréets Baudicon with a voice somewhat extended which might easily be heard The prayer which Baudicon made as he was led to prison at that time of the night said O Lord assist us by thy grace not onely to be prisoners for thy name sake but to confesse thy holy truth in all purity before men so farre as to seale the same with our blouds for the edification of thy poore Church Thus were they brought into severall prisons where they were severally handled yet ceased they not to praise and blesse the Lord with one consent within a few daies after the prisoners were presented before the Magistrates of the City and examined as touching their course of life who directed their spéech first to Robert Oguier in these words It is told us that you never come to masse yea and also dissuade others from comming thereto wee are further informed that you maintain conventicles in your house causing erroneous doctrines to be preached there contrary to the ordinance of our holy Mother the Church whereby you have transgressed the lawes of the Imperiall Maiesty Robert Oguier answered whereas first of all you lay to my charge that I goe not to Masse I refuse so to do indéed because the death and pretious bloud of the sonne of God and his sacrifice is utterly abolished there and troden under foot For Christ by one sacrifice hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified The Apostle saith by Heb. 10. 14. one offering For do we read in all the scriptures that either the Prophets Christ or any of his Apostles ever said masse for they knew not what it meant Christ indéed instituted the holy Supper in which all Christian people doe communicate together but they sacrificed not If you please to read the Bible over you shall never finde the Masse once mentioned therein And therefore it is the méer invention of men You know then what Christ saith In vain do they worship me Mat. 15. 9. teaching for doctrines the commandements of men If either my selfe or any of mine had béene at Masse which is ordained by the commandement of men Christ would have told us we had worshipped him in vaine As for the second accusation I cannot nor will deny but there have met together in my house honest people fearing God I assure you not with intention to wrong or harme any but rather for the advancement of Gods glory and the good of many I knew indéed that the Emperor had forbidden it but what then I knew also that Christ in his Gospell had commanded it Where two or Mat. 18. 20. three saith he are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them Thus you sée I could not well obey the Emperour but I must disobey Christ In this case then I choose rather to obey my God then man One of the Magistrates demanded what they did when they met together To which Baudicon the eldest son of Robert Oguier answered if it please you my Masters to give mée leave I will open the businesse at large unto you The Sheriffes séeing his promptnes looking one upon another said well let us heare it then Baudicon lifting up his eies to heaven began thus when we méet together in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ to heare the word of God we first of all prostrate upon our knées before God and in the humility of our Spirits doe make a confession of our sinnes before his divine Maiestie Then we pray that the word of God may be rightly divided and purely preached wee also pray for our Soveraigne Lord the Emperour and for all his honourable Counsellors that the Common-wealth may be peaceably governed to the glory of God yea we forget not you whom we acknowledge our superiors intreating our good God for you and for this whole City that you may maintaine it in all tranquility Thus I have summarily related unto you what we do thinke you now whether wée have offended so highly in this matter of our assemblies Moreover if you will not be offended to heare the tenour of the prayers we make there I am ready to recite the same unto you One of the Magistrates gave him a signe by which hée might understand that they desired to heare it Baudicon then knéeling downe before them prayed with such fervency of affection that the like ardency of zeale never appeared in him in so admirable a maner as at that time Insomuch that the Magistrates were forced to burst forth into tears beholding what a gratious Spirit the yong man was endued withall Then standing up hée said now your Masterships may take a scantling by this how wée are imployed in our méetings Whilst they were thus examined ech of them made an open confession of the faith which they held After this being returned againe into prison they not long after were put to the torture to make them confesse who they were that frequenteÌ„d their house but they would discover none unlesse such as were well knowne to the Iudges or else were at that time absent About foure or five daies after they were convented againe before their Iudges namely the
into his hands Having made a short prayer he willingly presented his body to the murtherer who shot him in with his pistoll and so he died by and by Not long after the King sent Puygaillard who drowned nine or ten and amongst other the wife of this Minister de la Riviere above named who expressed a singular constancy of faith even to her last breath This Minister and Martyr formerly mentioned sirnamed Launay was the eldest son of Sieur de Launay a man excéeding rich and wealthy but an obstinate Papist When as the old man observed how his son was inclined to be a professor of the Gospell he threatened to dismherit him unlesse he would abjure promising on the contrary to bestow great matters upon him and to marry him honorably if he would be ruled by him All which his son refusing his fathers love began to be turned into hatred insomuch that the young man was forced to fly to Paris where in time he was called to bee a Minister of the first reformed Church planted in that City under the raigne of King Henry the second from which reformed Church other Churches in divers Cities in France fetched their light ¶ Persecution at Rovan WHen the Massacrers began to play their parts in this City they counselled those of the religion to get themselves into the prisons as into places of greatest security from the fury and rage of the people But such as followed this advice were there even ready to be devoured as poore Shéep by these gréedy wolves at their pleasure Those who were murthered in the city in a few Six thousand massacred in few dayes at the city of Rovan dayes some in their houses and others in the prisons amounted to six thousand besides more than fifty women upon whom they exercised no lesse cruelty than upon men Their names for brevities sake are here omitted The dead bodies being piled together were conveyed in tumbrils out of City and throwne by heaps one upon another into great pits digged for that purpose Their garments being washed in the river from their bloud by certaine poore women were afterwards distributed here and there to the poore by the Papists that they might séeme with their unjust cruelty to mingle some workes of justice and charity ¶ A Note touching the shamefull revolt of a Minister called Du Rosier with the event of it WIthin a mile of Paris there is a place where those of the Religion which dwelt thereabouts were wont to assemble to heare Sermons and to participate of the Sacraments Over this flocke was Huges Sureau called Du Rosier placed as overseer Being in times past Minister at Orleance he was discharged from thence as one of a contentious spirit and given to affect novelties In processe of time he came to be established the Minister of this foresaid Church nigh unto Paris Hearing newes of the Massacre hée fled with the rest for company Being apprehended he began to waver perswading many prisoners to revol◠as he had done which caused him afterwards if his repentance was sound to utter these words in a booke which I have wherein hée bittérly lamented his wofull fall The murtherers saith he by their cruell hands murthered mens bodies whilst their souls escaped safe but I by my perswasions have béen a killer of soules in turning them from the truth which before they professed The Iudge who had him in bonds sent letters presently to Paris to give notice of his apprehension as also of some apparent signes which gave him hope of the Ministers conversion The King by and by sent for him who being brought into his presence subscribed instantly to an abjuration with detestation of the Huguenots profession before the King of Navarre and the Prince of Conde maintained the Romish Religion consented therto with the Sorbonists at that time there present against whom a few yeares before he had learnedly defended the truth In this abjuration he endeavoured to confute many articles which were maintained by Calvin and Beza against the Romish Religion In these disputes this Minister being of a prompt wit and having ability to expresse himselfe well handled the matter so cunningly that the King of Navarre the Princesse his sister and the Princesse of Conde so far yéelded that within five or six dayes after they went to masse and received absolution of the Cardinall of Bourbon The points about which this Roster disputed were these First concerning the markes of the Church Secondly of the Trinity of Persons Thirdly of the Incarnation of Iesus Christ Fourthly of Christs descent into hell Fifthly of originall sinne Sixthly of the providence of God Seventhly of predestination and reprobation Eightly of mans frée will Ninthly of Iustification Tenthly of succession Eleventhly of intercession of Saints Twelfthly of the sacrifice of the masse and lastly of Transubstantiation The Sorbonists caused this confession to be printed to which the Ministers of the reformed Religion would not vouchsafe an answer knowing that hée who made it did it contrary to his own conscience adding nothing thereto which had not béen confuted a thousand times All this upon his repentance he afterwards revoked as is to be séene by his booke printed here in London in the French tongue in the yere 1573 which confession of his contrary to his abjuration I have in my custody Now touching the Prince of Conde the King propounded to him thrée things either to goe to masse to die or else perpetuall prison and therefore to bethink himselfe well which of the thrée he liked best The Prince answered as it is reported That by Gods grace he would never chuse the first as for the two later he referred himselfe to the Kings pleasure ¶ A massacre at Tholouse in France ON Sunday which was the eight day after the massacre of Paris about eight of the clocke in the morning the chiefe of the Papists received advertisement of that which had passed with letters directing them what they were to doe Then a Councell was called at the breaking up whereof the great gates of the City were shut only the wickets left open at which there was set such to watch as they thought fitting Soone after it was noysed through all the City that the Lords and Gentlemen of the Religion were massacred at Paris Which the Protestants at Tholouse nothing being gone forth about five of the clocke in the morning to heare the Sermon at Castanet some thought it fit not to returne but to resort to some other place others resolved to goe backe againe that they might take order about their affaires These being ill advised were suffered to enter in peaceably leaving their swords and daggers at the gate At evening souldiers were placed Anno 1527. here there but in regard many Counsellors of the Religion were abroad that they might the better entrap them the next day the gates were not so carefully looked unto but who would might come in and goe out at their leisure without