whore in the fornication of her whorish dispensations pardons Idolatrye suche like abhominations so shall ye drinke with her except ye repent betime of the cuppe of the Lordes indignation and euerlasting wrath which is prepared for the beast his false prophetes and all theyr partakers For he that is partner with them in theyr whoredome and abhominations must also be partner with them of theyr plagues and on the latter day shall be throwne with them into the lake burning with Brimstone and vnquenchable fire Thus fare ye wel my Lords all I pray God geue you vnderstanding of his blessed will and pleasure and make you to beleue and embrace the truth Amen * An other farewell to the Prisoners in Christes Gospelles cause and to all them whiche for the same cause are exiled and banished out from theyr owne countrey choosing rather to leaue all worldly commodity then theyr mayster Christ. FArewell my dearely beloued brethren in Christ bothe ye my felow prisoners and ye also that be exiled and banished out of your countryes because ye will rather forsake all worldly coÌ„modity then the Gospell of Christ. Farewell all ye together in Christ farewell and be mery for ye know that the triall of your fayth bringeth forth patience and pacience shall make vs perfecte whole and sound on euery side and such after triall ye knowe shall receiue the crowne of lyfe according to the promise of the Lorde made to his dearely beloued let vs therefore be pacient vnto the comming of the Lord. As the husbandmanne abideth pacientlye the former and latter rayne for the encrease of his croppe so let vs bee paciente and plucke vp our hartes for the comming of the Lord approacheth apace Let vs my deare brethren take example of pacience in tribulation of the Prophetes which spake likewise Gods word truely in his name Let Iob be to vs an example of pacience the end which the Lord suffered which is full of mercy and pitty We know my brethren by Gods worde that our fayth is muche more precious then any corruptible golde and yet that is tryed by the fire euen so our fayth is therfore tried likewise in tribulations that it may be found when the Lord shal appeare laudable glorious and honorable For if we for Christs cause do suffer that is gratefull before God for thereunto are we called that is our state and vocation wherewith let vs be content Christ we know suffered for vs afflictions leauing vs an example that we shoulde folow his footesteps for he committed no sinne not was there any guile found in his mouth when he was rayled vpon and all to reuiled he rayled not agayne when he was euill entreated he dyd not threaten but committed the punishment therof to hym that iudgeth a right Let vs euer haue in freshe remembraunce those wonderfull comfortable sentences spokeÌ„ by the mouth of our Sauior Christ Blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousnes sake for theirs is the kingdome of heauen Blessed are ye when men reuile you persecute you speake all euill against you for my sake reioyce and be glad for great is your reward in heauen for so did they persecute the Prophets which were before you Therfore let vs alway beare this in our mindes that if any incommodity doe chaunce vnto vs for righteousnes sake happy are we whatsoeuer the world doth thinke of vs. Christ our mayster hath tolde vs before hand that the brother should put the brother to death the father the sonne and the children should rise agaynst their pareÌ„ts and kill them and that Christes true Apostles should be hated of all men for his names sake but he that shall abide paciently vnto the end shal be saued Let vs then endure in all troubles paciently after the example of our Mayster Christ and be contented therewith for he suffered being our mayster and Lord how doth it not then become vs to suffer For the disciple is not aboue his mayster nor the seruaunt aboue his Lord. It may suffice the disciple to be as his maister and the seruaunt to be as his Lord. If they haue called the Father of the family the Mayster of the householde Belzebub howe much more shall they call so them of his householde Feare them not then sayth our Sauiour for all pâ—iuityes shall be made playne there is nowe nothing secret but it shall bee shewed in light Of Christes wordes let vs neither be ashamed nor afrayd to speake them for so Christ our mayster commaundeth vs saying that I tell you priuily speake openly abroade and that I tell you in your eare preach it vpon the house toppe And feare not them which kill the body for the soule they cannot kill but feare hym which can cast both body and soule into hell fire Know ye that the heauenly Father hath euer a gracious eye and respect towarde you and a Fatherly prouidence for you so that without his knowledge and permission nothing canne doe you harme Let vs therefore cast all our care vpon him and hee shall prouide that whiche shall be best for vs. For if of two small sparrowes whiche both are sold for a mite one of them lighteth not on the grounde without your father and all the heares of our head are numbred feare not them sayth our Mayster Christ for yee are more worth then many small sparrowes And let vs not sticke to confesse our Mayster Christe for feare of daunger whatsoeuer it shal be remeÌ„bring the promise that Christ maketh saying whosoeuer shall confesse me before men him shall I confesse before my father whiche is in heauen but whosoeuer shall denye me him shall I likewise denye before my father which is in heauen Christ came not to geue vnto vs here a carnall amity and a worldly peace or to knitte his vnto the world in ease and peace but rather to separate and deuide them from the world and to ioyne them vnto himselfe in whose cause we must if wee will bee his forsake father and mother and sticke vnto him If wee forsake him or shrinke from him for trouble or deathes sake which hee calleth his crosse he will none of vs we cannot bee hys If for his cause we shall lose our temporall liues here wee shall finde them agayne and enioy them for euermore but if in his cause we will not be contented to leaue nor loose them here then shall we loose them so that we shall neuer finde them again but in euerlasting death What thoughe our troubles here bee paynefull for the time and the sting of death bitter and vnpleasaunt yet we know that they shall not last in comparison of eternity no not to the twinckling of an eye that they pacieÌ„tly taken in Christes cause shall procure and gette vs vnmeasurable heapes of heauenly glory vnto the which these temporall paines of death and troubles compared are not to be estemed but to be reioyced vpon Wonder
English seruice so causing vs to sinne against our redemption For such as willingly and wittingly agaynst their consciences shall so do as it is to be feared many one doth they are in a miserable state vntill the mercy of God turn them which if he do not we certainly beleeue that they shall eternally be damned and as in this world they deny Christes holy word and Communion before men so shal christ deny them before his heauenly father and his Aungelles And where as it is verye earnestly required that we should go in Procession as they call it at whiche time the Priest say in Latine such thinges as we are ignoraunt of the same edifieth nothing at all vnto godlinesse And wee haue learned that to follow Christes Crosse is an other matter namely to take vp our Crosse and to follow chryst in pacient suffering for his loue tribulations sicknes pouertie prison or anye other aduersitie whensoeuer Gods holy wil pleasure is to lay the same vppon vs. The tryumphant Passion and death of Christ wherby in his own person he conquered death sinne hell and damnatioÌ„ hath most liuely bene preached vnto vs and the glory of Chrystes crosse declared by our Preachers whereby wee haue learned the causes and effectes of the same more liuely in one Sermon then in all the Processions that euer wee went in or euer shall go in When wee worshipped the diuine Trinitie kneelyng and in the Letanie inuocating the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost asking mercye for our sinnes and desiring such petitions as the neede of oure frayle estate and thys mortall life requireth we were edified both to know vnto whom all Christian praiers should be directed and also to know that of Gods hand we receaue all thinges as well to the saluation of our soules as to the reliefe of our mortall necessities And we humbly beseech the Queenes maiestie that the same most holye prayers may bee continued amongest vs that our Ministers praying in oure mother tongue and wee vnderstanding their prayers and petitions may aunswere Amen vnto them At euening seruice we vnderstoode our Ministers prayers we wer taught admonished by the scriptures then read whiche in the latine Euensong is all gone At the ministration of holy baptisme we learned what league and couenauâ—t God had made with vs and what vowes and promises we vpon our part had made namely to beleue in him to forsake Satan and his workes to walke in the way of Gods holy word commandemeÌ„tes The Christian Catechisme continually taught called to remembraunce the same wheras before no man knew any thing at all And many good men of lx yeares that hadde bene godfathers to xxx children knew no more of the godfathers office but to wash their handes ere they departed the Church or els to fast fiue Fridayes bread and water O mercifull God haue pittie vpon vs. Shall we be altogether cast from thy presence We may well lament our miserable estate to receaue such a commaundement to reiect and cast out of our Churches all these most godly praiers instructions admonitions and doctrines thus to be compelled to deny God and Christ our Sauiour hys holy word al his doctrine of our saluation the candle to our feete and the light to our steppes the bread comming downe from heauen that geueth life whiche who so drinketh it shall be in him a well spring streaming vnto eternall life wherby we haue learned all righteousnes al true Religion al true obedience towardes our gouernours al charitie one towardes an other all good workes that god would vs to walk in what punishment abideth the wicked and what heauenly rewarde God will geue to those that reuerently walke in his wayes and commaundementes Wherefore right honourable Commissioners wee can not without impietie refuse and caste from vs the holye word of God which we haue receaued or condemne anye thing set forth by our most godly late king Edward hys vertuous proceedinges so agreable to Gods worde And our most humble suite is that the coÌ„maundement may be reuoked so that we be not constrayned thereunto For we protest before God we thinke if the holy word of God had not taken some roote amongest vs we could not in tyme past haue done that poore duety of ours which wee did in assisting the Queene our most deare soueraigne agaynst her Graces mortall foe that then fought her destruction It was our bounden duetie and wee thanke God for the knowledge of his worde and grace that we then did some part of our bounden seruice And we meekely pray and beseeche the Queenes Maiestie for the deare passion of Iesus Christ that the same word be not takeÌ„ away out of her Churches nor from vs her louyng faythfull and true subiectes lest if the like necessitie should hereafter chaunce which God for his mercies sake forbid and euer saue and defeÌ„d her grace and vs all the want of knowledge of due remembrauÌ„ce of Gods word may be occasion of great ruine to an infinite number of her graces true subiectes And truely we iudge this to be one subtile part of the deuil enemy to all godly peace and quietnesse that by takyng Gods word from among vs and plantyng ignoraunce he may make a way to all mischief and wickednes by banishyng the holy Gospell of peace he may bring vpon vs the heauy wrath of God with all maner of plagues as death straunge sicknes pestilence morren most terrible vprores commotions seditions These thyngs did the Lord threaten vnto the Iewes for refusing his word saying Goe and thou shalt say vnto this people Ye shall heare in deede but ye shall not vnderstand ye shall playnly see and not perceiue Harden the hart of this people stop their eares and shut their eyes that they see not with their eyes heare not with their eares and vnderstand not with their hartes and conuert and be healed And I said how loÌ„g Lord And he aunswered Vntill the Cities be destroyed vtterly wasted without habiters and the houses without men till the laÌ„d also be desolate lye vnbuilded And the Prophet Micheas considering the contempt of Gods word amoÌ„g the Israelites threatned them thus When the day that thy preachers warned thee of commeth thou shalt be wasted away And let no man beleue his frend or put confidence in his brother Keepe the doore of thy mouth from her that lyeth in thy bosome for the sonne shall put his father to dishonour and the daughter shal rise agaynst her mother the daughter in law agaynst the mother in the law and a mans foes shal be eueÌ„ they of his owne houshold The same plague threatned Christ vnto the Iewes for refusing his peace profered them in the Gospel and he wept on the Citie Ierusalem which murdered the Prophetes and stoned such as were sent vnto her The same plagues we are afrayd will also fall vpon vs. For whereas
but yet he eate not the body of Christ as you haue declared by your wordes For you had a hell burning in your conscience because you were in doubt that the commissioners vnderstoode by your wordes that Iudas had eaten the body of Chryst because you sayd he eat more then bread Therefore thou haddest a great sorte of Deuils in thee for in hell he many Deuils and therefore the Deuil and Iudas is thy mayster by thyne owne wordes Wood. Nay I defie Iudas and the Deuill and his seruauntes for they bee youre maysters and you serue them for any thing that I can see I tell you truth Winchest Nay they bee thy maysters For the deuill is mayster wher hell is and thou saydest thou hadst a hell burning in thee I pray thee tell me howe thou canst auoyde it but that the Deuill was in thee by thine owne saying Wood. The hell that I hadde was the louing correction of GOD toward me to call me to repentance that I should not offend God and his people in leauing thinges so darke as I left that For the whiche cause my conscieÌ„ce bare me record I had not done wel as at al times I haue felte the sting of it when I haue broken the commaundemeÌ„ts of God by any meanes as al gods people do I dare say and it is the louing kindnes of god towardes them to driue them to repentaunce But it is to be thought that your conscience is neuer troubled how wickedly soeuer you do For if it were it shoulde not be so straunge to you as you make it which declareth playnely whose seruaunt you be Winch. What a naughty fellow is this This is such a peruerse villayne as I neuer talked with in all my lyfe Hold him a booke I will make him sweare to aunswere dyrectly to such thinges as I will demaund of him and if he will not aunswere I will condemne him Wood. Call you me a fellow I am suche a fellowe I tell you that will driue you all to hell if you consent to the shedding of my bloud and you shall haue bloud to drynke as sayd S. Iohn in his Reuelation the ix chapter and being in hell you shall be compelled to say for payne of conscience this is the man that we had in derision thought his life madnes and his ende to be without honour but now we may see how he is counted among the sayntes of God and wee are punished This shall you see in hell if you repent it not if you do condemne me This you shall finde in the fift chapter of the booke of wisedome therefore take heede what you doe I geue you counsell Winchester Wisedome What speakest thou of wisdome thou neuer haddest it for thou art as very a â—oole as â—uer I heard speake Wood. Do you not know that the foolishe thinâ—es of thys world must confound the wise thinges Wherâ—ore it greeueth me not to be called a foole at your hand Winchest Nay thou art none of those fooles thou art an obstinate foole and an heretike Lay hand on the booke and aunswere to suche thynges as I wyll laye agaynst thee Woodman I will not laye hand on the booke for none of you all You be not my Byshop and therefore I wil haue nothing to do with you Winch. I wyll haue to doe with you This man is with out law he careth not for the king nor Queene I dare say for he will not obey theyr lawes Let me see the Kynges Commission I will see whether hee will obeye that or not Wood. I would you loued the king and Queenes Maiesty no worse then I do if it pleased God You would not do as you doe then Winch. Holde him a booke he is a ranke hereticke Thou shalt aunswere to suche thynges as I wyll demaund of thee Wood. I take heauen and earth to recorde I am no hereticke neither can I tell wherfore I am brought to prison no more then any man can here tel and therwith I looked round about on the people and sayde to the Bishoppe If you haue any iust cause agaynst me worthy of death â—ay it agaynst me and let me haue it for I refuse not to dye I praise God for the truthes sake if I hadde x. liues If you haue no cause let me goe home I pray you to my wife children to see them kept and other poore folk that I would set a worke by the helpe of God I haue set a worke a hundreth persons ere this all the yeare together and was vniustly taken from them but God forgeue them that dyd it if it be his will Winchester Do you not see how he looketh about for help But I would see any man shewe thee a cheereful countenaunce and especially you that be of my Dioces If any of you bid God strengthen him or take him by the hand or embrace him or shew hym a chearefull countenaunce you shall be excommunicated and shall not bee receaued in agayne till you haue done open penaunce and therfore beware of it Wood. I looke for no helpe of men for God is on my side I prayse him therefore and therefore I neede not not care who be agaynst me neither do I care Then they cryed away with him and bring vs an other So I was caryed agayne to the Marshalsea where I am now mery I prayse God therfore as a sheep appointed to be slayne But for lack of time I haue left out much of our talke but this is the chiefest of it ¶ The 6. and last examinations of Richard Woodman written and copyed with his owne hand BE it knowne vnto all men by this present writing that I Richard Woodman sometime of the parishe of Warbelton in the County of Sussex was condemned for gods euerlasting truth an 1557. Iuly 16 by the byshop of Winchester in the churche of S. Mary Oueries in Southwarke there sitting with him the same time the byshop of Chichester the Archdeacon of Caunterbury Doctor Langdale M. Roper with a fatte headed Priest I cannot tell his name All these consented to the shedding of my bloud vpon this occasion as here after followeth I affirmed that Iudas receaued the sacrament with a sop and the Deuill withall and because I would not bee sworne vppon a booke to aunswere directly to suche Articles as hee woulde declare to me and because I would not beleue that there remained neither bread nor wine after the words of consecration and that the body of Christ could not be receaued of any but of the faithfull For these Articles I was condemned as hereafter shal follow more at large by the help of God First the Bishop sayd when I came before him Win. You were before vs on Monday last past there you affirmed certayne heresies Howe say you now Doe you hold them still or will you reuoke them Wood. I held no heresyes then neyther do I now as the Lord knoweth Win. No did you not affirme
them in any wise Their leauen is not good Their salte is all vnsauery And vnder good ententes They mayntayne all their knauery And murder Innocentes They seeke to sit in Christes seate And put him out of place And make all meanes that may be made His doynges to deface They keepe him downe with bils batâ— That made the blinde to see They make a God for myce and Rattes And say the same is he They shew like sheepe sweate like Wolues Their baytes be all for bloud They kill and slay the simple soules And rob them of ther good The darke illusions of the deuill Haue dimned so their eyes That they cannot abide the truth To sturre in any wise And if ye keepe the perfect path As I haue hope you doe Ye shall be sure to haue suche shame As they may put you to For all that leade a godly life Shall surely suffer losse And eke the world will seeke theyr shame And make them kisse the crosse Ye shal be killed sayth Christ Your sorrowes shall not cease And yet in your afflictions I am your perfect peace For in the worlde ye shall haue woe Because ye are vnknowne And for because ye hate the world The world will loue his owne Be feruent therefore to the death Agaynst all their decrees And God shall surely fight for thee Agaynst thine enemies Commit your cause vnto the Lord Reuenge not any euill And thou shalt see the wicked want When thou shalt haue thy will For all afflictions that may fall That they can say or doe They are not sure of the wealth We shall attayne vnto For I haue seene the sinners spread Theyr braunches like a bay And yet ere one could turne his head Were withered cleane away Beware that mony make ye not In riches to aryse Agaynst the goodnes of the Lord Among the worldly wise For many mischiefes it hath made That may not be exprest And many euils it hath begonne Which may not be redrest For money maketh many one In riches to rebell And he that maketh gold a God He hath a soule to sell. It maketh Kinges to kill and slay And wast their wittes in warre In leauing of the Wolfe at home To hunt the Foxe a farre And where they should see iustice done And set their realme in rest By mony they be made a meane To see the poore opprest It maketh Lordes obey the lawes That they doe ill and nought It maketh Bishops suck the bloud That God hath dearely bought And where they shuld be faythfull friends And father to the flocke By money they do turne about Euen like a weather Cock The Prieste doth make a mony meane To haue agayne his whoores To put away his wedded wife And children out of doores It holdeth backe the husbandman Which may not be forborne And will not suffer him to sow And cast abroad his corne In like case it doth let agayne When that the seede they sowe It choketh vp the corne agayne So that it cannot growe The husband he would haue a wife With nobles new and olde The wife would haue the husband hangd That she might haue his gold It maketh murthers many a one And beareth much with bloud The childe would see the parentes slayne To sease vppon their good And though it be a blessed thing Created in the kinde It is a necessary euill Annexed to the mind For who so playeth with the pitch His fingers are defiled And he that maketh gold a God Shall surely be beguiled Be frendly to the fatherles And all that are opprest Assist them alwayes out of hand And see them set at rest In all your doinges and your deedes Let mercy still remayne For with the measure that ye meate Shall ye be mette agayne Be alwayes lowly in your life Let loue enioy her owne The highest trees are seldome sure And soonest ouerthrowne The Lyons lacke and suffer sore In hunger and in thurst And they that doe oppresse the poore Continue still accurst The Bee is but a little beast In body or in sight And yet she bryngeth more encrease Then other Crow or Kyte Therefore beware in any wise Keepe well your watche alway Be sure of oyle within your lampe Let not your light decay For death despiseth them that lacke And hateth them that haue And treadeth downe the riche and poore Together in the graue Exhort your Children to be chast Rebuke them for their ill And let them not at any wise Be wedded to theyr will Laugh not with them but keep them low Shew them no mery cheare Least thou doe weepe with them also But bryng them vp in feare And let your light and liuing shyne That ye be not suspect To haue the same within your selfe For which they are correct Be meeke and modest in a meane Let all your deedes be done That they which are without the law May see how right ye runne Keepe well the member in your mouth Your tongue see that ye tame For out of little sparkes of fire Proceedeth out a flame And as the poyson doth expresse The natures of the Tode Euen so the tongue doth manifest The hartes that feareth God For therewith blesse we God aboue And therewith curse we men And therby murders doe aryse Through women now and then And seeing God hath geuen a tongue And put it vnder power The surest way is for to set A hatch before the doore For God hath set you in a seate Of double low degree Fyrst vnto God and then to man A subiect for to be I write not that I see in you These thinges to be suspect But onely set before your face How sinne should be correct For flesh and bloud I know ye are As other women be And if ye dwell in flesh and bloud There is infirmitie Receaue a warning willingly That to thy teeth is tolde Accompt the gift of greater price Then if he gaue thee gold A wiseman sayth Salomon A warning will embrace A foole will sooner as sayth he Be smitten on the face And as your members must be dead From all thinges that are vayne Euen so by Baptisme ye are borne To liue with Christ agayne Thus fare well free and faythfull frend The Lorde that is aboue Encrease in thee â— perfect fayth And leade thee in his loue And as I pray with perfite loue And poure out bitter teares For you and all that are at large Abroad among the bryers Euen so I pray thee to preferre My person and my bondes Vnto the euerlasting God That hath me in his handes That I may passe out of this ponde Wherein I am opprest Inclosed in a clod of clay That here can haue no rest That as he hath begon in me His mercies many one I may attayne to ouertake My brethren that be gone That when the death shall do his worst Where he shall point a place I may be able like a man To looke him in the face For though he catch away my cloke
Baptisme is a marke of Christes Church a seale and confirmation of our acception into the grace fauour of God for Christes sake For his innocencie his righteousnesse his holinesse his iustice is ours geuen vs of God and our sinnes and vnrighteousnesse by his obedience and abasing of him selfe to the death of the crosse are his whereof Baptisme is the signe seale and confirmation Baptisme is also a signe of repentaunce to testifie that we be borne to the waues of pearils and chaunges of life to the intent that we should die continually as loÌ„g as we liue from sinne and rise againe like new men vnto righteousnesse Rom. 6. The other Sacrament which is the supper and holy Maundie of our Sauiour Christ whereby the church of Christ is knowen I beleeue to be a remembraunce of Christes death and passion a seale and confirmation of his moste precious bodye geuen vnto death euen to the vile death of the crosse wherewith wee are redeemed and deliuered from sinne death hell and damnation It is a visible woorde because it worketh the same thing in the eyes which the worde worketh in the eares For like as the worde is a meane to the eares whereby the holy Ghost mooueth the heart to beleue Romanes 10. so this sacrament is a meane to the eyes whereby the holy Ghost moueth the hart to beleue it preacheth peace betweene God and man it exhorteth to mutuall loue and all godly life and teacheth to contemne the world for the life to come when as Christ shall appeare which now is in heauen and no where els as concerning his humane body Yet do I beleeue assuredly that his very body is present in his moste holy Supper at the contemplation of oure spirituall eyes and so verely eaten with the mouth of our faith For as soone as I heare these most comfortable and heauenly woordes spoken and pronouÌ„ced by the mouth of the Minister This is my body which is geuen for you when I heare I say this heauenly harmonie of Gods vnfallible promises and truthe I looke not vppon neyther doe I beholde breade and wine for I take and beleue the wordes simply and plainly euen as Christe spake them For hearing these wordes my senses be rapt and vtterly excluded for faith wholely taketh place and not flesh nor the carnall imaginations of our grosse fleshly and vnreuerent eating after the maner of our bodily foode whiche profiteth nothinge at all as Christe witnesseth Iohn 6 but with a sorrowfull and wounded conscience an hungry and thirsty soule a pure and faithfull mind do fully embrace beholde and feede and looke vppon that most glorious body of Christ in heauen at the right hande of God the father very God and very man which was crucified and slaine and his bloud shed for our sinnes there nowe making intercession offering and geuing his holy body for me for my body for my raunsome for my full price and satisfaction who is my Christ and all that euer hee hath and by this spirituall and faithfull eating of this liuelye and heauenlye breade I feele the moste sweete sâ—ppe and taste of the fruites benefites and vnspeakeable ioyes of Christes deathe and passion fullye disgested into the bowelles of my soule For my minde is quieted from all worldly aduersities tormoylinges and trouble my conscience is pacified from sinne deathe hell and damnation my soule is full and hathe euen enough and will no more for all things are but losse vile dounge and drosse vayne vanitie for the excellent knowledge sake of Christ Iesu my Lord and Sauiour Thus nowe is Christes flesh my very meate in deede and hys bloud my very drinke in deede I am become flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones Nowe I liue yet not I but Christe liueth in me yea I dwell in him and he in mee for thorough faithe in Christe and for Christes sake we are one that is of one consente minde and fellowshippe with the Father the Sonne and the hol Ghost Iohn 17. Thus am I assured and fullye perswaded and on this rocke haue I builded by Gods grace my dwelling and resting place for body and soule life and death And thus I commit my cause vnto Christe the righteous and iust iudge who will an other day iudge these debates and controuersies whome I humbly beseeche to cast his tender and mercifull eyes vppon the afflicted and ruinous Churches and shortly to reduce them into a godly and perpetuall concorde Amen Thus do I beleeue and this is my faith and my vnderstanding in Christ my Sauiour and his true and holy religion And thys whosoeuer is ashamed to doe among this adulterous and sinnefull generation of hym shall the sonne of man be ashamed when he commeth in the glory of his father with the holy Angels Robert Samuel William Allen Martyr NExt after the suffering of Robert Samuel aboute the beginning of September was burned William Allen in Walsingam labouring man seruaunte sometime to Iohn Houghton of Somerton He being broughte before the Bishop and asked the cause why he was imprisoned aunsweared that he was put in prison because he woulde not followe the Crosse saying that he woulde neuer go on Procession Then being willed by the Bishoppe to returne againe to the Catholicke Churche he aunsweared that he would turne to the Catholicke Churche but not to the Romishe Church and said that if he saw the King and Quene and all other folowe the crosse or kneele downe to the crosse he would not For the which sentence of condemnation was geueÌ„ against him the 12. of August and he burned at Walsingham about the beginning of September who declared suche constancie at hys Martyrdome and hadde suche credite wyth the Iustices by reason of hys vprighte and well tried conuersation among them that he was suffered to goe vntied to hys suffering there being fastened with a chaine stoode quietly without shrinking vntill he dyed The Martyrdome of Roger Coo of Melforde in Suffolke Shereman first examined before the Byshop of Norwich and by him condemned Anno 1555. August 12. ROger Coo broughte before the Bishop first was asked why he was imprisoned Coo· At the Iustices commaundement Bishop There was some cause why Coo. Heere is my accuser let hym declare And his accuser sayde that hee woulde not receyue the Sacrament Bish. Then the Bishop sayde that he thought he had transgressed a lawe Coo. But Coo answered that there was no law to transgresse Bish. The Bishop then asked what he sayd to the law that then was Coo. He answered how he had bene in prison a long time and knew it not No sayd his accuser nor wilt not My Lord aske him when he receiued the Sacrament Coo. When Coo heard him say so he sayde I pray you my Lord let him sit downe and examine me him selfe Bish. But the Bishoppe woulde not heare that but sayde Coo why will ye not receiue
daunger to libertie of life then as one passing out of the world by any paines of death Such was the change of the meruailous workyng of the Lordes hand vpon that good man ¶ Cornelius Bongey felow Martyr with Mayster Robert Glouer IN the same fire with him was burned also Cornelius Bongey a Capper of Couentrey and condemned by the sayd Radulph Byshoppe of Couentry and Liechfield As concerning the Articles which were to him obiected the effect therof was this Firste it was articulate agaynste him that these three yeres last in the City of Couentry and Liechfield other places about he did hold mainteyne argue and teach that the Prieste hath no power here to absolue any sinner from his sinnes Secondly that by Baptisme sinnes be not washed away because he sayd that the washing of the flesh purgeth the flesh outwardly and not the soule Thirdly that there be in the Church onely two sacramentes that is Baptisme and the Lordes Supper Fourthly that in the sacrament of theyr popish aulter was not the reall body bloud of Christ but the substance of bread wine there remayning stil because S. Paul calleth it bread and wine c. Fiftly that he within the compasse of the sayd yeares time did hold maintayne and defend that the Pope is not the head of the visible church here in earth c. Sixtly that he was of the dioces and iurisdiction of the Bishop of Couentry and Liechfield c. Seuēthly that the premises are true manifest and notorious and that vpō the same there hath bene is a publick voice and fame as well in the places aboue rehearsed as in other quarters also about c. ¶ His aunsweres Unto the which articles he aunswering agayne to the first he graunted and to euery part therof meaning after the Popish maner of absolution The second he graunted first after reuoked the same To the thyrd also he graunted adding withall that in scripture there be no more conteined To the fourth touching the sacrament he graunted to euery part therof To the fift concerning the Pope likewise Also to the sixt he graūted and likewise to the seuenth Upon these articles and his answeres to the same the sayd Radulph the Bishop read the sentence and so cōmitted him also after the condemnation of Mayster Roberte Glouer to the seculer power Thus this foresayd Cornelius falsely condēned by the Bishop before mentioned suffered at the same stake wyth the Christian Martyr Mayster Robert Glouer at Couentry about the xx day of September ¶ The burning of Mayster Robert Glouer and Cornelius Bongey at Couentry ¶ Here foloweth the story of Iohn Glouer and William Glouer how they were excommunicate and cast out after theyr death and buried in the fieldes NOwe that wee haue discoursed the storye of Mayster Robert Glouer something also woulde bee touched of his other two brethrē Iohn and William Glouer Who albeit they were not called to finishe theyr course by lyke kinde of Martyrdome in the fire as the other did yet because for theyr constaunt profession of Gods Gospell vnto the latter ende they were exempted after theyr death cast out of the same Church as the other was I thought them not vnworthy therefore in the story to be ioyned together which in one cause and the same profession were not sūdered one from the other And first concerning Mayster Iohn Glouer the eldest brother what inward stormes and agonies he susteined by the ghostly enemy partly ye heard before described nowe what his bodily enemies wrought against him remaineth to be declared Whose rage and malice although god so restrained that they coulde litle preuayle agaynst him so long as his life endured yet after his decease hauing power vpon him what they did ye shall now vnderstand After the Martyrdome of mayster Robert Glouer although Iohn Glouer seing his brother to be apprehended for him had small ioy of his life for the great sorow of his hart wherewith he was sore oppressed and would gladly haue put himselfe in his Brothers stead if frendes had not otherwise perswaded with him shewing that in so doyng he might intangle himselfe but should doe his brother no good He thus in great care and vexation endured yet notwithstanding rubbing out as well as he could til at lēgth about the latter end of queene Mary there was a new search made for the sayd Iohn Glouer Whereupon the Sheriffes with theyr vnder Officers and seruauntes being sent to seek him came into his house where he and his wife were It chaūced as he was in his chamber by himselfe the Officers brusting into the house and searching other roomes came to the Chamber doore where this Iohn Glouer was Who being within and holding the latch softly with his hand perceiued and heard the Officers buskeling about the doore amongest whome one of the sayd officers hauing the string in his hand was ready to draw and plucke at the same In the meane time an other comming by whose voice he heard and knew bad them come away saying they had bene there before Whereupon they departing thence wēt to search other corners of the house where they found Agnes Glouer his wife who being had to Liechfilde there examined before the bishop at length after much ado was constrayned to geue place to their tyranny Ioh Glouer in the meane time partly for care of his wife partly through cold taken in the woodes where he did lye tooke an Agew whereupon not long after he left this life which the cruell Papistes so long had sought for Thus by the mighty protectiō of the almighty Lord how Iohn Glouer was deliuered and defended frō the handes of the persecuting enemies during all the time of hys life ye haue hearde Nowe what befell after his death both to him to William his brother it is not vnworthy to be remēbred Who after that he was dead buried in the churchyard without Priest or Clerke D. Dracot then Chauncellour sixe weekes after sent for the parson of the Towne demaunded howe it chaunced that hee was there buryed The parson aunswered that he was then sicke and knewe not of it Then the Chauncellour commaunded the parson to go home and to cause the body of the said Iohn Glouer to be taken vp to be cast ouer the wall into the hie way The Parson agayne answered that he had bene 6. weekes in the earth so smelled that none was able to abide the sauor of him Well quoth D. Dracot then take this byll and pronounce him in the pulpit a damned soule and a twelue moneth after take vp his bones for then the fleshe will be consumed and cast thē ouer the wall that cartes and horses may tread vpon them and then will I come hallow againe that place in the churchyard where he was buried Recorded by the Parson of the towne who tolde the same to Hugh Burrowes dwelling at
doe offende me in the Masse I will rehearse vnto you those thinges whiche be moste cleare and seeme to repugne most manifestly agaynst Gods worde And they be these The straunge tongue the want of the shewynge of the Lordes death The breaking of the Lordes commaundement of hauing a communion the sacrament is not coÌ„municated to all vnder both kindes according to the word of the Lord. The signe is seruilely worshipped for the thing signified Christes Passion is iniuried for asmuch as this Masse sacrifice is affirmed to remayne for the purging of sinnes to be shorte the manifolde superstitions and triflyng fondnesse whiche are in the Masse and aboute the same Better a few thinges well pondered then to trouble the memory with to much you shall preuayle more with praying theÌ„ with studying though mixture be best For so one shall alleuiate the tediousnes of the other I entend not to contend much with them in wordes after a reasonable account of my fayth geuen for it shall be but in vayne They will say as theyr fathers sayd when they haue no more to say We haue a law and by our law he ought to dye Be ye steadfast and vnmoueable sayeth Saynt Paule and agayne persistito stand fast And how oft is this repeated if ye abide if ye abide c. But we shall be called obstinate sturdy ignorant heady and what not So that a man hath need of much pacience hauing to do with such men But you knowe howe greate a crime it is to separate your selfe from the communion or felowship of the Churche and to make a schisme or diuision you haue bene reported to haue hated the secte of the Anabaptistes and alwayes to haue impugned the same Moreouer this was the pernitious errour of Nouatus and of the Heretickes called Cathari that they woulde not communicate wyth the Church I know that the vnity of the Church is to be reteyned by all meanes the same to be necessary to saluation But I doe not take the Masse as it is at this day for the communion of the Churche but a Popishe deuise whereby both the commaundement and institution of our Sauiour Christ for the ofte frequenting of the remembraunce of his death is eluded the people of God are miserablye deluded The sect of the Anabaptistes and the heresy of the Nouatians ought of right to be condemned for as muche as without any iust or necessary cause they wickedly separated themselues from the communion of the congregation for they did not alleadge that the Sacramentes were vnduely ministred but â—urning away theyr eyes from theÌ„selues wherewith according to Saynt Paules rule they ought to examine themselues and caâ—ing theyr eyes euer vpon others either Ministers or Communicantes with them they alwayes reprooued something for the whiche they absteined from the Communion as from an vnholy thing I remember that Caluin beginneth to confute the Interim after this sort with this saying of Hilary The name of peace is beautifull and the opinion of vnitye is fayre but who doubteth that to be the true and onely peace of the Church which is Christes I would you had that litle booke there should you see how much is to be geuen to vnity Saynt Paule when he requireth vnitye he ioyneth straight with al secundum Iesum Christum according to Iesus Christ no further Diotrephes nowe of late did euer harpe vpon vnity vnity Yea Syr quoth I but in verity not in popery Better is a diuersity then an vnitye in Popery I had nothing agayne but scornefull giers with commaundement to the Tower But admitte there be in the Masse that peraduenture might be amended or at least made better yea seing you will haue it so admit there be a fault if you do not consent therto Why do you trouble your selfe in vayne do not you know both by Cyprian and Augustine that communioÌ„ of sacramentes doth not defile a man but consent of deedes If it were any one trifling ceremony or if it were some one thing of it selfe indifferent although I woulde wishe nothing should be done in the Churche which doth not edify the same yet for the continuance of the common quietnesse I coulde be content to beare it But forasmuche as thinges done in the masse tend openly to the ouerthrow of Christes institution I iudge that by no meanes either in word or deed I ought to consent vnto it As for that which is obiected out of the Fathers I acknowledge it to be wel spoken if it be well vnderstanded But it is meant of them which suppose they are defiled if any secret vice be either in the ministers or in them that communicate with them is not ment of them which doe abhorre superstition and wicked traditions of men and will not suffer the same to be thrust vpon themselues or vpon the Church in stead of Gods word and the truth of the Gospell The very marowe bones of the masse are all together detestable and therefore by no meanes to be borne withal so that of necessity the mending of it is to abolish it for euer For if you take away oblation and oration which doe hang vpon consecration and transubstantiation the moste papistes of them all will not set a button by the masse as a thing which they esteme not but for the gayne that foloweth thereon For if the English communion whiche oâ— late was vsed were as gaynefull to them as the Masse hath bene heretofore they would striue no more for theyr masse from thence groweth the griefe Consider into what dauÌ„gers you cast your selfe if you forsake the chuch you cannot but forsake it if you refuse to go to masse For the Masse is the Sacrament of vnity without the Arke there is no saluation The church is the Arke and Peters ship Ye know this saying wel enough He shall not haue God to be his Father which acknowledgeth not the church to be his mother Moreouer without the church sayth S. Augustine be the life neuer so wel spent it shall not inherit the kingdome of heauen The holy Catholicke or vniuersall church which is the communion of saintes the house of God the City of God the spouse of Christ the body of Christ the piller and stay of the trueth this Churche I beleeue accordinge to the Creede This Church I doe reuerence and honour in the Lord. But the rule of this Church is the word of God according to which rule we goe forwarde vnto life And as many as walk according to this rule I say with S. Paul peace be vpon them and vpon Israell which perteyneth vnto God The guid of this church is the holy ghost The markes whereby this church is knowne vnto me in this darâ—ke worlde and in the middest of this crooked and froward generatioÌ„ are these The sincere preaching of Gods holy worde the due administration of the Sacramentes charitye and faythfull
it remayned in the sea of Rome This if you shall confesse with vs acknowledge with all the realme your errours and false assertions then shall you doe that whiche we most desire then shall we rest vppon the first part of our Commission then shall we receiue you acknowledge you one of the Churche and according to the authoritie geuen vnto vs minister vnto you vpon due repentaunce the benefite of absolution to the whiche the Kyng and Queene their Maiesties were not ashamed to submit them selues although they of them selues were vnspotted and therefore needed no reconciliation yet lest the putrification and rottennesse of all the body myght be noysome and do damage to the head also they as I sayd most humbly submitted them selues to my Lorde Cardinall his grace by hym as Legate to the Popes holynes to bee partakers of the reconciliation but if you shall stubburnely perseuer in your blindnes if you wyll not acknowledge your errours if you as you stande nowe alone wyll be singular in your opinions if by schisme and heresie you wyll styll diuide your selfe from our Churche then must wee proceede to the seconde part of the Commission which we would be loth to do that is not to condemne you for that wee can not doe that the temporall sworde of the Realme and not wee will do but to separate you from vs acknowledge you to be none of vs to renounce you as no member of the Churche to declare that you are filius perditionis a lost chylde and as you are a rotten member of the Churche so to cut you of from the Church and so to commit you to the temporall Iudges permittyng them to proceede agaynst you accordyng to the tenor of their lawes Therefore M. Latimer for Gods loue consider your estate remember you are a learned man you haue taken degrees in the Schole borne the office of a Byshop remember you are an olde man spare your body accelerate not your death especially remember your soules health quiet of your conscience consyder that if you shoulde dye in this state you shall be a stinkyng sacrifice to God for it is the cause that maketh the Martyr and not the death consyder that if you dye in this state you dye without grace for without the Churche can be no saluation Let not vayne glory haue the vpper hande humiliate your selfe captiuate your vnderstandyng subdue your reason submit your selfe to the determination of the Churche doe not force vs to doe all that we may doe let vs rest in that parte whiche wee most hartely desyre and I for my part then the Byshop put of his cap agayne with all my hart exhort you After the Byshop had somewhat paused then M. Latimer lift vp his head for before he leaned on his elbowe and asked whether his Lordshyp had sayd and the Byshop answered yea Lati. Then will your Lordship geue me leaue to speake a worde oâ— two Linc Yea M. Latimer so that you vse a modest kynd of talke without raysing or tauntes Lati. I beseech your Lordshyp licence me to sit downe Linc. At your pleasure M. Latimer take as much ease as you wyll Lati. Your Lordshyppe gentlye exhorted mee in manye woordes to come to the vnitie of the Churche I confesse my Lorde a Catholicke Churche spread throughout all the worlde in the whiche no man may erre without the whiche vnitie of the Churche no man can be saued but I knowe perfectly by Gods woorde that this Churche is in all the worlde and hath not his foundation in Rome only as you say and me thought your Lordshyp brought a place out of the Scriptures to confirme the same that there was a iurisdiction geuen to Peter in that Christe bad hym regere gouerne his people In deede my Lord sainct Peter did well and truely his office in that he was byd regere but since the Byshoppes of Rome haue taken a new kynd of regere In deede they ought to regere but how my Lord not as they will them selues but this regere must be hedged in and digged in They must regere but secundum verbum dei they must rule but accordyng to the worde of God But the Byshops of Rome haue turned regere secundum verbum dei into regere secundum voluntatem suam they haue turned the rule accordyng to the woorde of GOD into the rule accordyng to their owne pleasures and as it pleaseth them best as there is a booke set foorth whiche hath diuers poyntes in it and amongest other this poynt is one whiche your Lordshyppe went about to proue by this woorde regere and the argument whiche he bryngeth foorth for the proofe of that matter is taken out of Deuteronomie where it is sayde if there ryseth anye controuersie amonge the people the Priestes Leuitici generis of the order of Leuiticus shall decide the matter secundum legem dei accordyng to the lawe of GOD so it muste be taken This booke perceyuing this authoritie to be geuen to the Priestes of the olde lawe taketh occasion to proue the same to be geuen to the Byshops and other the Cleargy of the new law but in prouyng this matter where as it was sayde there as the Priestes of the order of Leuiticus shoulde determine the matter accordyng to Gods law that accordyng to Gods law is left out and onely is recited as the Priestes of the order of Leuiticus shall decide the matter so it ought to be taken of the people a large authoritie I ensure you What gelding of Scripture is this what clippyng of Gods coyne With the which termes the audience smiled This is muche like the regere whiche your Lordshyp talked of Nay nay my Lordes we may not geue such authoritie to the Clergie to rule all thynges as they wyll Let them keepe them selues within their commission Now I trust my Lord I do not rayle yet Linc. No M. Latimer your talke is more like tauntes then rayling but in that I haue not red the booke which you blame so much nor knowe not of any suche I can say nothyng therein Lati. Yes my Lorde the booke is open to be red and is intituled to one whiche is Bishop of Glocester whom I neuer knew neither did at any tyme see him to my knowledge With that the people laughed because the Byshop of Glocester sat there in commission Then the Byshop of Glocester stoode vp and sayd it was his booke Lati. Was it yours my Lorde In deede I knewe not your Lordshyp neither euer did see you before neither yet see you now through the brightnes of the Sunne shining betwixt you and me Then the audience laughed agayne and Maister Latimer spake vnto them saying Why my maisters this is no laughyng matter I aunsweare vppon lyfe and death Vae vobis qui redetis nunc quoniam flebitis The Byshoppe of Lincolne commaunded silence and then sayde Linc. M. Latimer if you had kept
the truth but seeyng it is so because you will not suffer vs to persist in the first we must of necessitie proceede to the other part of our Commission Therefore I pray you harken what I shall say and forthwith did read the sentence of condemnation which was written in a long processe the tenour of which because it is sufficiently already expressed before we thought meete in this place to omitte forasmuche as they are rather wordes of course then thinges deuised vpon deliberation Howbeit in deede the effecte was that for as much as the sayd Nic. Ridley dyd affirme maintaine and stubbornely defende certaine opions assertions and heresies contrary to the worde of God and the receiued fayth of the Churche as in denying the true and naturall body of Christe and his naturall bloud to be the Sacrament of the Altar Secondarily in affermyng the substaunce of bread and wine to remayne after the wordes of the Consecration Thirdly in denying the Masse to be a liuely Sacrifice of the Churche for the quicke and the dead and by no meanes woulde be perduced and brought from these his heresies they therefore the sayde Iohn of Lincolne Iames of Glocester Iohn of Bristowe did iudge and condemne the sayd Nic. Ridley as an Hereticke and so adiudged hym presently both by woorde and also in deede to be degraduated from the degree of a Byshoppe from Pristhoode and all Ecclesiasticall order declaryng moreouer the sayde Nic. Ridley to be no member of the Churche and therefore committed hym to the secular powers of them to receyue due punishment accordyng to the tenour of the temporalll lawes and further excommunicatyng hym by the great excommunication ¶ The last appearaunce and examination of M Latimer before the Commissioners THis sentence beyng published by the Bishop of Lincolne M. Ridley was committed as a prisoner to the Maior and immediatly M. Latimer was sent for but in the meane season the Carpet or cloth whiche lay vpon the table whereat M. Ridley stode was remoued because as men reported M. Latimer had neuer the degree oâ— a Doctor as M. Ridley had But eftsones as M. Latimer appeared as he did the day before perceiuyng no cloth vpon the table layde his hat which was an olde felte vnder his elbowes and immediatly spake to the Commissioners saying Lati My Lordes I beseech your Lordships to set a better order here at your entraunce for I am an olde man and haue a very euill backe so that the presse of the multitude doth me much harme Linc. I am sory M. Latimer for your hurt At your departure we will see to better order With that M. Latimer thanked his Lordshyp making a very low curtesie After this the Bishop of Lincolne began on this manner Linc. M. Latimer although yesterday after we had taken your aunsweres to those Articles whiche we proposed might haue iustly proceeded to iudgement against you especially in that you required the same yet we hauyng a good hope of your returning desiring not your destruction but rather that you woulde recant reuoke your errours and turne to the Catholicke Church differred farther processe tyll this day and now accordyng to the appoyntment we haue called you here before vs to heare whether you are content to reuoke your hereticall assertions and submitte your selfe to the determination of the Church as we most hartely desire and I for my part as I did yesterday most earnestly doe exhort you eyther to know whether you perseuer still the man that you were for the which we would be sory It seemed that the Bishop woulde haue farther proceeded sauyng that M. Latimer interrupted hym saying Lati. Your Lordship often doth repeate the Catholike Church as though I should deny the same No my Lord I confesse there is a Cotholicke Church to the determination of the which I will stande but not the Churche which you call Catholicke which soner might be termed diabolike And where as you ioyne together the Romish and Catholicke Church stay there I pray you For it is an â—ther thing to say Romish Church and an other thing to say Catholicke Church I must vse here in this myne aunswere the counsell of Cyprianus who at what tyme he was ascited before certayne Bishoppes that gaue him leaue to take deliberation and counsell to try and examine his opinion he answered them thus in stickyng and perseueryng in the truth there must no counsel nor delibera tion be taken And agayne beyng demaunded of them sitting in iudgement which was most like to be of yâ— Church of Christe either he whiche was persecuted eyther they which did persecute Christ sayd he hath foreshewed that he that doth follow hym must take vp his crosse and follow him Christ gaue knowledge that the disciples should haue persecution and trouble Howe thinke you then my Lords is it like that the sea of Rome which hath bene a continual persecutor is rather the Church or that swal flocke which hath continually ben persecuted of it euen to death Also the flock of Christ hath ben but few in comparison to the residue and euer in subiection which he proued beginning at Noâ—s tyme euen to the Apostles Linc. Your cause and S. Cyprians is not one but cleane contrary for he suffered persecution for Christes sake and the Gospell but you are in trouble for your errours and false assertions contrary to the worde of God and the receiued trueth of the Church Lati. M. Latimer interruptyng hym sayd yes verely my cause is as good as S. Cyprians for his was for the worde of God and so is myne But Lincolne goeth forth in his talke Also at the beginnyng and foundation of the Churche it coulde not be but that the Apostles shoulde suffer great persecution Further before Christes commyng continually there were very fewe whiche truely serued God but after his commyng beganne the tyme of grace then beganne the Churche to encrease and was continually augmented vntyll that it came vnto this perfection and now hath iustly that iurisdiction whiche the vnchristian Princes before by tyranny dyd resist there is a diuerse consideration of the estate of the Churche nowe in the tyme of grace and before Christes commyng But Maister Latimer although we had instructions geuen vs determinately to take your aunsweare to suche Articles as we shoulde propose without any reasonyng or disputations yet wee hopyng by talke somewhat to preuayle with you appoynted you to appeare before vs yesterday in the Diuinitie Schole a place for disputations And whereas then notwithstanding you had licence to saye your mynde and were aunsweared to euery matter yet you coulde not be brought from your errours We thynkyng that from that tyme ye would with good aduisement consider your state gaue you respite from that tyme yesterday when we dimissed you vntill this tyme and now haue called you agayne here in this place by your aunsweres to learne whether you are the same man you were
comely a person to them that were there present as one should lightly see and where as in his clothes he appeared a withered and crooked silke olde man he now stood bolt vpright as comely a father as one might lightly behold Then M. Ridley standyng as yet in hys trusse sayde to his brother it were best for me to goe in my trusse still No quoth hys brother it will put you to more payne and the trusse will do a poore man good Whereunto Maister Ridley sayd be it in the name of God and so vnlaced hymselfe Then beyng in his shirt he stoode vpon the foresayd stone and held vp hys handes and sayd Oh heauenly Father I geue vnto thee most harty thankes for that thou hast called me to bee a professour of thee euen vnto death I beseech thee Lord GOD take mercy vpon this Realme of England and deliuer the same from all her enemies Then the Smith tooke a chaine of iron and brought the same about both D. Ridleis and M. Latimers middles and as he was knockyng in a staple D. Ridley took the chayne in his hand and shaked the same for it did gird in his belly and lookyng aside to the Smith sayd good felow knocke it in hard for the flesh will haue hys course Then his brother did bring hym gunpouder in a bag and would haue tied the same about hys necke M. Ridley asked what it was His brother said gunpouder Then sayd he I take it to be sent of God therefore I will receyue it as sent of hym And haue you any sayd he for my brother meanyng M. Latymer Yea sir that I haue quoth hys brother Then geue it vnto hym sayd he betyme least ye come to late So hys brother went and caried of the same gunpouder vnto M. Latymer In the meane tyme D. Ridley spake vnto my L. Williams and sayd My L. I must be a suter vnto your lordship in the behalfe of diuers poore men and especially in the cause of my poore Sister I haue made a supplication to the Queenes Maiestie in their behalfes I beseech your Lordship for Christes sake to bee a meane to her grace for them My brother here hath the Supplication and wyll resort to your lordship to certifie you hereof There is nothing in all the world that troubleth my conscience I praise God this onely excepted Whiles I was in the Sea of London diuers poore men tooke Leases of me and agreed with me for the same Now I heare say the B. that nowe occupieth the same roume wil not allow my graunts vnto them made but contrary vnto all law and conscience hath taken from them their liuynges and will not suffer them to enioy the same I beseech you my Lord be a mean for them you shall doe a good deed and God wil reward you Then brought they a fagot kindled with fire and layd the same downe at D. Ridleys feete To whome Maister Latymer spake in this maner Be of good comfort maister Ridley and play the man wee shall this day light such a candle by Gods grace in England as I trust shall neuer be put out And so the fire beyng geuen vnto them when D. Ridley saw the fire flamyng vp toward hym he cryed wyth a wonderfull lowd voyce In manus tuas Domine commendo spiritum meum Domine recipe spiritum meum and after repeated this latter part often in English Lord Lord receyue my spirit M. Latymer crying as vehemently on the other side Oh Father of Heauen receyue my soule who receyued the flame as it were embrasing of it After as he had stroked hys face with hys hands as it were bathed them a little in the fire he soone died as it appered with very litle payne or none And thus much concerning the end of this old and blessed seruaunt of God M. Latymer for whose laborious trauails fruitfull lyfe constāt death the whole Realme hath cause to geue great thankes to almighty God But M. Ridley by reason of the euill makyng of the fire vnto hym because the wooden fagots were laid about the gosse and ouer high built the fire burned first beneath beyng kept downe by the woode Which when he felt hee desired them for Christs sake to let the fire come vnto him Which when hys brother in law heard but not well vnderstood entendyng to ridde hym out of his payne for the which cause he gaue attendance as one in such sorow not well aduised what he did heaped fagots vpon hym so that he cleane couered hym which made the fire more vehement beneath that it burned cleane all hys neather parts before it once touched the vpper and that made him leape vp and downe vnder the fagots and often desire them to let the fire come vnto him saying I cannot burne Which in deed appeared well for after hys legs were consumed by reason of his struglyng through the payne whereof he had no release but only his contentation in God he shewed that side toward vs clean shirt and all vntouched with flame Yet in all this torment he forgate not to call vnto God still hauyng in his mouth Lord haue mercy vppon me intermedling this cry let the fire come vnto me I can not burne In which paynes he laboured till one of the standers by with his bill pulled of the fagots aboue and where he saw the fire flame vp hee wrested himselfe vnto that side And when the flame touched the gunpouder hee was seene stirre no more but burned on the other side fallyng downe at M. Latymers feete Which some said hapned by reason that the chaine loosed other sayd that he fell ouer the chaine by reason of the poise of his body and the weakenes of the neather limmes Some say that before he was like to fall from the stake he desired them to holde him to it with their billes Howsoeuer it was surely it moued hundredes to teares in beholding the horrible sight For I thinke there was none that had not cleane exiled all humanitie and mercy which would not haue lamented to behold the fury of the fire so to rage vpon their bodies Signes there were of sorrowe on euery side Some tooke it greuously to see their deaths whose lyues they held full deare Some pitied their persons that thought theyr soules had no neede thereof His brother mooued many men seyng his miserable case seeyng I say hym compelled to such infelicitie that he thought then to doe hym best seruice when he hastened hys ende Some cryed out of the lucke to see his endeuor who most dearely loued hym and sought his release turne to hys greater vexation and encrease of payne But who so considered their preferments in tyme past the places of honor that they sometyme occupied in this common wealth the fauour they were in with their princes and the opinion of learnyng they had could not chuse but sorow with teares to see so great
dignitie honour and estimation so necessary members sometime accounted so many godly vertues the study of so many yeares such excellent learnyng to be put into the fire and consumed in one moment Wel dead they are and the reward of this world they haue already What reward remayneth for them in heauen the day of the Lordes glory when he commeth with his saints shall shortly I trust declare Albeit I haue differred and put ouer many treatises letters exhortations belongyng to the story of the Martyrs vnto the latter appendix in the ende of this volume thinkyng also to haue done the lyke with these farewels exhortations followyng of D. Ridley yet for certain purposes moouing me thereunto and especially consideryng the fruitfull admonitions wholesome doctrine and necessary exhortations conteyned in the same I thought best here to bestow and consequently to adioyne the sayd tractations of that learned pastour with the lyfe and story of the authour Whereof the two first be in a manner of hys farewels the one to his kinsfolks and generally to all the faithfull of the number of Christes congregation the other more speciall to the prisoners and banished ChristiaÌ„s in the gospels cause the third containeth a fruitfull and a generall admonition to the citie of London and to all other with necessary precepts of christian office as by the tenour of them here followeth in order to be seene ¶ A treatise or a letter written by D. Ridley in steade of his last farewell to all hys true and faythfull friendes in God with a sharpe admonition withall vnto the Papistes AT the name of Iesus let euery knee bow both of thynges in heauen and thynges in earth and things vnder the earth and let euery tongue confesse that Iesus Christ is the lord vnto the glory of God the Father Amen As a man mynding to take a farre iourney and to depart from his familiar frendes commonly and naturally hath a desire to bidde his frendes farewell before his departure so lykewise now I looking daylye when I should be cauled to depart hence from you O all ye my dearely beloued brethren sisters in our Sauiour Christ that dwell here in this worlde hauing a lyke mynde towardes you all and blessed be God for such tyme and leasure whereof I right hartely thanke his heauenly goodnesse to byd you all my deare brethren sisters I saye in Christ that dwell vpon the earth after such maner as I can Farewell Farewell my deare brother George Shipside whom I haue euer found faythfull trusty and louyng in all sâ—ate and conditions and now in the tyme of my crosse ouer al other to me most frendly and stedfast and that which lyked me best ouer all other thynges in Gods cause euer hartye Farewell my deare sister Alice his wyfe I am glad to heare of thee that thou doest take Christes crosse which is layd now blessed be God both on thy backe and myne in good part Thanke thou God that hath geuen thee a godly and louyng husband see thou honour hym and obey hym accordyng to Gods law Honour thy mother in law hys mother and loue all those that pertaine vnto him beyng redy to do them good as it shall lye in thy power As for thy children I doubt not of thy husband but that hee which hath geuen him an hart to loue and feare God and in God them that pertaine vnto him shall also make hym friendly and beneficiall vnto thy children euen as if they had bene gotten of his owne body Farewell my welbeloued brother Iohn Ridley of the Waltoun and you my gentle and louing sister Elizabeth whom besides the naturall league of amitie your tender loue which you were sayde euer to beare towardes mee aboue the rest of your brethren doth bynde mee to loue My mynde was to haue acknowledged this your louyng affection and to haue acquited it with deedes and not with wordes alone Your daughter Elizabeth I bid farewell whome I loue for the meeke and gentle spirite that God hath geuen her which is a precious thyng in the sight of God Farewell my beloued sister of Unthanke with al your children nephewes and neeces Since the departing of my brother Hugh my mynd was to haue bene vnto them in stead of their father but the Lord God must and wyll bee their father if they will loue hym and feare hym and lyue in the trade of hys law Farewel my welbeloued and worshipful Cosins M. Nich. Ridley of Willimountswike and your wyfe and I thanke you for all your kindnes shewed both to me and also to all your owne kinsfolke and myne Good Cosine as God hath set you in our stocke and kindered not for any respect of your person but of hys aboundaunt grace and goodnesse to be as it were the belweather to order conduct the rest and hath also endued you with hys manifold gyfts of grace both heauenly and worldly aboue others so I pray you good Cosin as my trust and hope is in you continue and encrease in the maintenaunce of the truth honesty righteousnesse and all true godlinesse and to the vttermost of your power to withstand falshoode vntruth vnrighteousnesse and all vngodlinesses whiche is forbidden and condemned by the worde and Lawes of God Farewell my young Cosin Rafe Whitfield Oh your tyme was very short with mee My mynde was to haue done you good and yet you caught in that litle time a losse but I trust it shall bee recompensed as it shall please almighty God Farewel all my whole kinred and countreymen farewell in Christ altogether The Lord which is the searcher of secrets knoweth that according to my harts desire my hope was of late that I should haue come among you to haue brought with me aboundance of Christes blessed Gospell according to the duetie of that office and ministerie whereunto among you I was chosen named and appointed by the mouth of that our late peerelesse Prince K. Edward and so also denounced openly in his Court by his priuy Counsaile I warne you all my welbeloued kinsfolke countrymen that ye be not amased or astonied at the kynde of my departure or dissolution for I ensure you I thinke it the most honour that euer I was called vnto in all my lyfe and therefore I thanke my Lord God hartily for it that it hath pleased him to call me of his great mercy vnto this high honour to suffer death willingly for his sake and in hys cause vnto the which honour he hath called the holy Prophetes and dearely beloued Apostles and his blessed chosen Martyrs For know ye that I doubt no more but that the causes wherefore I am put to death are Gods causes and the causes of the truth then I doubt that the Gospell which Iohn wrote is the Gospell of Christ or that Paules Epistles are the very word of God And to haue a hart willyng to abide and stand in
Gods cause and in Christes quarell euen vnto death I ensure thee O maÌ„ it is an inestimable and an honourable gift of God geuen onely to the true elects and derely beloued childreÌ„ of God and inheritours of the kingdome of heauen For the holy Apostle and also Martyr in Christes cause S. Peter saith If ye suffer rebuke in the name of Christ that is in Christes cause and for hys truths sake then are ye happy and blessed for the glory of the spirit of God resteth vpon you If for rebukes sake suffred in Christes name a maÌ„ is pronounced by the mouth of that holy Apostle blessed happy How much more happy blessed is hee that hath the grace to suffer death also Wherefore all ye that bee my true louers and friends reioyce and reioyce with mee againe render with me hartie thanks to God our heaueÌ„ly father that for his sonnes sake my sauiour redeemer Christ he hath vouchsafed to call me beyng els without his gracious goodnes in my selfe but a sinnefull a vyle wretch to call me I say vnto this high dignitie of hys true Prophets of his faithfull Apostles of his holy elect chosen Martyrs that is to dye and to spend this temporall lyfe in the defence maintenance of his eternal and euerlasting truth Ye know that be my Countreymen dwelling vppon the borders where alas the true man suffereth oftentymes muche wrong at the thieues hande iâ— it chaunce a man to be slayne of a thiefe as it oft chanceth there which went out with his neighbour to helpe him to rescue hys goods agayne that the more cruelly he bee slayne and the more stedfastly he stucke by his neighbour in the fight agaynst the face of the thiefe the more fauour and frendship shall all his posteritie haue for the slayne mans sake of all them that be true as long as the memory of his fact and his posteritie doth endure Euen so ye that be my kinsefolke and countreymen know ye how so euer the blynd ignorant wicked world hereafter shall rayse vppon my death which thyng they caÌ„not do worse then their fathers did of the death of Christ our Sauiour of his holye Prophets Apostles Martyrs know ye I say that both before God all them that be godly and that truly knâ—w follow the lawes of God ye haue and shall haue by gods grace euer cause to reioyce to thanke God highly and to thinke good of it and in God to reioyce of me your fleshe bloud whom God of his gracious goodnes hath vouchsafed to associate vnto the blessed coÌ„pany of his holy Martyrs in heauen and I doubt not in the infinite goodnes of my Lord God nor in the faithful fellowship of his elect chosen people but at both their hands in my cause ye shall rather finde the more fauour and grace For the Lord saieth that he will be both to them and theyrs that loue him the more louyng agayne in a thousand generations the Lord is so full of mercy to them I say and theirs which doe loue hym in deed And Christ saith againe that no maÌ„ can shew more loue then to geue his lyfe for his friend Now also knowe ye all my true louers in God my kinsfolke and Countreymen that the cause wherefore I am put to death is euen after the same sort and condition but touching more neere Gods cause in more waightie matters but in the general kynd all one For both is gods cause both is in the maintenance of right and both for the common wealth both for the weale also of the ChristiaÌ„ brother although yet there is in these two no small difference both concernyng the enimies the goods stolne the maner of the fight For know ye all that lyke as there wheÌ„ the poore true maÌ„ is robbed by the thiefe of his own goods truly gotten whereupon he and his househould should lyue he is greatly wronged the thiefe in stealing robbyng with violence the poore maÌ„s goods doth offend god doth transgres his law and is iniurious both to the poore man and to the common welth so I say know ye all that euen here in the cause of my death it is with the Church of England I meane the congregation of the true chosen children of GOD in this Realme of England whiche I knowledge not only to be my neighbours but rather the congregation of my spirituall brethren sisters in Christ yea members of one body wherein by Gods grace I am and haue bene grafted in Christ. This Church of England had of late of the infinite goodnesse and aboundaunt grace of almighty God great substaunce great riches of heauenly treasure great plenty of Gods true and sincere worde the true and wholesome administration of Christes holy Sacramentes the whole profession of Christes Religion truely and plainely set foorth in Baptisme the playne declaration vnderstandyng of the same taught in the holye Catechisme to haue bene learned of all true Christians This Church had also a true and sincere forme maner of the Lordes Supper wherein accordyng to Iesus Christes owne ordinaunce and holy institution Christes commaundementes were executed and done For vpon the bread and wyne set vppon the Lordes Table thankes were geuen the commemoration of the Lords death was had the bread in the remembrance of Christes body torne vpon the crosse was broken and the cuppe in the remembraunce of Christes bloud shed was distributed and both communicated vnto all that were present and would receyue them and also they were exhorted of the Minister so to doe All was done openly in the vulgar tong so that euery thyng might be both easily heard plainly vnderstand of all the people to Gods high glorye and the edification of the whole Church This Church had of late the whole diuine seruice all common and publike prayers ordeined to be said and heard in the common congregation not onely framed and fashioned to the true vayne of holy scripture but also set foorth accordyng to the commaundement of the Lord and S. Paules doctrine for the peoples edification in their vulgare tong It had also holy and wholesome Homelies in commendation of the principall vertues which are commended in Scripture and likewyse other Homelies agaynst the most pernicious and capitall vices that vseth alas to raigne in this Realme of England This Church had in matters of controuersie Articles so penned and framed alter the holy Scripture and grounded vpon the true vnderstandyng of Gods word that in short tyme if they had bene vniuersally receiued they should haue bene able to haue set in Christes Church much concorde and vnitie in Christes true religion and to haue expelled many false errors and heresies wherewith this Church alas was almost ouergone But alas of late into this spirituall possession of the heaueÌ„ly treasure of these godly riches are entred in theues that
haue robbed and spoyled all this heauenly treasure away I may well complayne on these thyngs and cry out vpon them with the Prophet saying Deus venerunt gentes in haereditatem tuam c. Psal. 72. O Lord God the Gentiles Heathen nations are come into thy heritage They haue defiled thy holy Temple and made Ierusalem an heape of stones that is They haue broken beaten down to the ground thy holy Citie This Heathenish generatiō these thieues of Samaria these Sabei and Chaldei these robbers haue rushed out of their dennes and haue robbed the Church of England of all the foresayd holy treasure of God they haue caried it away and ouerthrown it and in stead of Gods holy worde the true and right administration of Christes holy Sacramentes as of Baptisme and others they mixte theyr ministerie with mens foolish fantasies and many wicked and vngodly traditions withall In stead of the Lordes holy Table they geue the people with much solemne disguising a thyng which they cal their Masse but in deed and in truth it is a very masking and mockerie of the true Supper of the Lord or rather I may call it a crafty iuglyng whereby these false theeues iuglers haue bewitched the myndes of the simple people that they haue broght them from the true worship of god vnto pernicious idolatry and make them to beleeue that to be Christ our Lord and Sauiour which in deed is neither God nor man nor hath any lyfe in it selfe but in substance is the creature of bread and wyne and in vse of the Lordes Table is the Sacrament of Christes bodye and bloud and for this holy vse for the whiche the Lord hath ordained them in hys table to represent vnto vs his blessed body torne vpon the crosse for vs and his bloude there shed it pleased him to call them his body bloud whiche vnderstanding Christ declareth to be his true meanyng when he sayth Do this in the remembraunce of me And agayne Saint Paule likewyse doth set out the same more plainly speaking of the same Sacrament after the words of the consecration saieng As often as ye shall eat of this bread and drinke of this cup ye shall set forth he meaneth with the same the Lordes death vntill his commyng agayne And here agayne these thieues haue robbed also the people of the Lordes cup contrary to the plaine words of Christ written in his Gospell Nowe for the common publike prayers whiche were in the vulgare tongue these theeues haue brought in agayne a strange tongue whereof the people vnderstande not one worde Wherein what doe they els but robbe the people of their Diuine seruice wherein they ought to pray together with the minister and to pray in a strange tong what is it but as Saint Paule calleth it barbarousnesse childishnes vnprofitable folly yea and plaine madnesse For the godly Articles of vnitie in religion for the wholesome Homelies what doe these Thieues place in the stead of them but the Popes Lawes and Decrees lying Legends fayned fables and miracles to delude and abuse the simplicitie of the rude people Thus this robbery and theft is not onely committed nay sacriledge and wicked spoyle of heauenly thyngs but also in the stead of the same is brought in and placed the abhominable desolation of the tyrant Antiochus of proud Senacherib of the shamelesse faced kyng and of the Babilonicall beast Unto this robbery this theft and sacrilege for that I cannot cōsent nor God willyng neuer shall so long as the breath is in my body because it is blasphemy agaynst God hygh treason vnto Christ our heauenly kyng Lord Maister our onely Sauiour and redeemer it is playne contrary to Gods word and to Christes Gospell it is the subuersion of all true godlinesse and agaynst the euerlastyng saluation of myne owne soule and of all my brethren and sisters whom Christ my Sauiour hath so dearely bought wyth no lesse price then with the effusion and shedyng foorth of hys most precious bloud Therfore all ye my true louers in God my kinsfolke and countreymen for this cause I say knowe ye that I am put to death which by Gods grace I shall willingly take with hearty thankes to God therefore in certayne hope without any doubtyng to receyue at Gods hande agayne of his free mercy and grace euerlastyng lyfe Although the cause of the true man slayne of the thiefe helpyng hys neighbour to recouer hys goods agayne and the cause wherfore I am to be put to death in a generality is both one as I sayd before yet know ye that there is no small difference These thieues agaynst whom I do stand are much worse then the robbers and thieues of the borders The goodes which they steale are much more precious and their kynds of fight are far diuers These thieues are worse I say for they are more cruell more wycked more false more deceitfull and crafty for those wyll but kill the body but these will not sticke to kill both body and soule Those for the generall theft and robbery be called are in deed theeues and robbers but these for their spirituall kynd of robbery are called Sacrilegi as ye would say Church robbers They are more wicked for those goe about to spoyle men of worldly thynges worldly riches gold and siluer worldly substance these go about in the wayes of the deuill their ghostly father to steale from the vniuersall Church and perticularly from euery man all heauenly treasure true faith true charity hope of saluation in the bloud of our Sauiour Iesus Christ yea to spoil vs of our sauior Iesus Christ of his gospel of his heauēly spirit of the heauenly heritage of the kingdom of heauē so derely purchased vnto vs with the death of our maister and Sauiour Christ. These be the goodes and godly substance whereupon the christian before God must liue and without the which he cannot lyue These goods I saye these theeues these Church robbers go about to spoile vs of The which goods as to the man of God they excell and farre passe all worldly treasure so to withstand euen vnto the death such theeues as go about to spoyle both vs the whole Church of such goods is most high and honourable seruice done vnto God These church robbers be also much more false crafty and deceitfull then the theeues vpon the borders for these haue not the craft so to commend their theft that they dare auouch it and therefore as acknowledging themselues to be euill they steale commonly vpon the nyght they dare not appeare at iudgements and Sessions where Iustice is executed and when they are taken and brought thether they neuer hang any man but they bee oft tymes hanged for theyr faults But these Church robbers can so cloke colour their spiritual robbery that they can make the people to beleeue falshood to be truth and truth falshood good
to be euill and euill good lyght to be darknesse and darknesse lyght superstition to be true religion and Idolatry to be the true worship of God and that which is in substance the creature of bread and wyne to bee none other substaunce but onelye the substaunce of Christ the liuyng Lord both God and man And with this their falshoode craft they can so iuggle and bewitch the vnderstanding of the simple that they dare auouch it openly in Courte and in Towne and feare neyther hangyng nor headyng as the poore theeues of the borders doe but stout and strong lyke Nembroth dare condemne to bee burned in flamyng fire quicke and alyue whosoeuer wil go about to bewray their falshood The kynd of fight against these Churchrobbers is also of another sort and kynd then is that which is agaynst the theeues of the borders For there the true men go forth agaynst them with speare and launce with bow and hyll and all such kynd of bodily weapons as the true mē haue but here as the enemies be of another nature so the watch men of Christes flocke the warrioures that fight in the Lordes warre must be armed fight with another kynd of weapons and armour For here the enemies of GOD the souldiours of Antichrist although the battaile is set foorth agaynst the Church by mortall men beyng flesh and bloud and neuerthelesse members of their father the deuill yet for that their graund maister is the power of darknesse their members are spirituall wickednes wicked spirites spirits of errors of heresies of all deceit and vngodlinesse spirits of Idolatry superstition hypocrisy which are called of S. Paule Principates and powers Lordes of the world rulers of the darkenes of this world spirituall subtleties concernyng heauenly thyngs and therfore our weapons must be fitte and meete to fight agaynst such not carnall nor bodily weapons as speare launce but spirituall and heauenly we must fight agaynst suche with the armour of God not entendyng to kill their bodies but their erroures their false craft and heresies their idolatry superstition and hypocrisie and to saue as much as lyeth in vs both their bodies and soules And therfore as s. Paul teacheth vs we fight not against flesh and bloud that is we fight not with bodily weapon to kil the man but with the weapons of God to put to flight his wicked errors vice to saue both body and soule Our weapons therfore are faith hope charitie righteousnes truth patience prayer vnto God our sword wherwith we smite our enemies we beat and batter and beare downe all falshood is the worde of God With these weapons vnder the banner of the crosse of Christ we do fight euer hauing our eye vpon our graund maister Duke and captaine Christ then we reckon our selues to triumphe to win the crowne of euerlasting blisse when enduryng in this battail without any shrinking or yeldyng to the enemies after the example of our graund capitaine Christ our maister after the example of his holy prophets Apostles Martyrs when I say we are slaine in our mortal bodies of our enemies are most cruelly without all mercy murdered down like a many of sheepe And the more cruell the more painful the more vile spiteful is the kind of the death whereunto we bee put the more glorious in God the more blessed and happy we reckon without all doubts our martyrdome to be And thus much dere louers friends in God my coūtreyman kinsfolke I haue spoken for your comfort lest of my death of whose life you looked peraduenture sometymes to haue had honestie pleasures commodities ye might be abashed or thinke any euill wheras ye haue rather cause to reioyce if ye loue me in deed for that it hath pleased God to cal me to a greater honor and dignitie thē euer I did enioy before eyther in Rochester or in the sea of London or euer should haue had in the Sea of Durham whereunto I was last of all elected named yea I count it greater honour before God in deede to dye in hys cause whereof I nothing doubt then is any earthly or temporal promotion or honor that can be geuen to a man in this world And who is he that knoweth the cause to be Gods to be Christes quarel of his Gospell to be the common weale of all the elect and chosen children of God of all the inheritours of the kyngdome of heauen who is he I say that knoweth this assuredly by Gods worde and the testimony of hys owne conscience as I thorough the infinite goodnesse of GOD not of my selfe but by his grace acknowledge my selfe to doe who is hee I saye that knoweth this and both loueth and feareth GOD in deed and in truth loueth and beleeueth his maister Christ and his blessed Gospel loueth his brotherhoode the chosen children of God and also lusteth and longeth for euerlasting lyfe who is he I say agayne that would not or can not finde in his hart in this cause to be content to die The Lord forbidde that any such should bee that should forsake this grace of God I trust in my Lord God the GOD of mercies the Father of all comfort through Iesus Christ our Lord that he which hath put this mynd will affection by his holy spirit in my hart to stand against the face of the enemy in his cause and to chuse rather the losse of al my worldly substance yea and of my lyfe too then to deny his known truth that he will comfort me ayde mee and strengthen me euermore euen vnto the end and to the yeldyng vp of my spirit soule into hys holy hands whereof I most hartily beseech his most holy sacred Maiestie of his infinite goodnes and mercy through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen Now that I haue taken my leaue of my countriemen and kinsfolke and the Lord doth lend me lyfe and geueth me laisure I will bid my other good friends in God of other places also farewell And whom first or before other then the Uniuersitie of Cambridge wheras I haue dwelt longer found more faithfull and hartie friendes receyued more benefits the benefits of my naturall parents onely excepted then euer I did euen in myne own natiue countrey wherein I was borne Farewel therfore Cambridge my louyng mother and tender nurse If I should not acknowled thy manifold benefits yea if I should not for thy benefits at the least loue thee agayne truly I were to be counted to vngrate vnkynde What benefites hadst thou euer that thou vsest to geue bestow vppon thy best beloued children that thou thoughtest too good for me Thou didst bestowe on mee all thy schoole degrees of thy common offices the Chaplaynship of the vniuersitie the office of the Proctorship of a common Reader of thy priuate commodities emoluments in colledges what was it that
dissolution of my Body and soule should be expired and therefore know ye that I had before mine eies onely the feare of God and christian charity toward you which moued me to write for of you hereafter I looke not in this worlde either for pleasure or displeasure If my talke shall doe you neuer so much pleasure or profit you cānot promote me nor if I displease you ye cannot hurte me or harme me for I shall be out of your reach Now therfore if you feare God can be content to heare the talke of him that seeketh nothing at your hands but to serue God and to do you good harken what I say I say vnto you as S. Paule sayth to the Galathians I wonder my Lordes what hath bewitched you that yee so sodenly are fallen from Christ vnto Antichrist from Christes Gospell vnto mans traditions from the Lorde that bought you vnto the bishop now of Rome I warne you of your perill be not deceiued except you wil be foūd willingly cōsēters vnto your own death For if ye think thus We are lay men this is a matter of religion we folowe as we are taught and led if our teachers and gouernors teach vs lead vs amisse the fault is in thē they shall beare the blame My Lordes this is true I graunt you that both the false teacher and the corrupt gouernour shall be punished for the death of theyr Subiecte whom they haue falsely taught and corruptly ledde yea and his bloud shall be required at theyr handes but yet neuerthelesse shall that Subiecte dye the deathe hymselfe also that is he shall also be damned for his owne sinne for if the blinde leade the blinde Christ sayth not the leader onely but he sayth both shall fall into the Ditch Shall the Sinagogue and the Senate of the Iewes trowe ye which forsooke Christ and consēted to his death therfore be excused because Annas and Cayphas with the Scribes and Pharesies and theyr Cleargy did teache them amisse yea and also Pilate theyr Gouernour and the Emperours Lieuetenaunt by his tyranny did without cause put him to death Forsooth no my Lordes no. For notwithstanding that corrupt doctrine or Pilates washing of his handes neither of both shall excuse either that Sinagogue and Seigniory or Pilate but at the Lordes hand for the effusion of that innocent bloud on the latter day all shall drinke of the deadly whippe Ye are wittye and vnderstande what I meane therfore I will passe ouer this and return to tell you how ye are fallen from Christ to his aduersarye the Bishop of Rome And least my Lords ye may peraduenture think thus barely to call the Bishop of Rome Christes aduersary or to speake it in playne termes to call him Antichrist that it is done in mine anguish and that I doe but rage and as a desperate man doe not care what I say or vpon whō I doe rayle therefore that your Lordshippes may perceiue my minde and thereby vnderstand that I speake the wordes of the trueth and sobriety as Saynt Paule sayde vnto Festus bee it knowne vnto your Lordshippes all that as concerning the Bishoppe of Rome I neither hate the person nor the place For I ensure your Lordshippes the liuing Lorde beareth me witnesse before whome I speake I do thinke many a good holye man many Martyrs and Sayntes of God haue sitte and taughte in that place Christes Gospell truely which therefore iustly may be called Apostolici that is true Disciples of the Apostles and also that Church and Congregation of Christians to be a right Apostolicke churche yea and that certayne hundreth yeares after the same was firste erected and builded vppon Christ by the true Apostolicall doctrine taught by the monthes of the Apostles themselues If ye will know how long that was and how many hundreth yeares to be curious in poynting the precise number of the yeares I will not be too bolde but thus I say so long and so manye hundreth yeares as that Sea did truely teache and preach that Gospell that Religion exercised that power and ordered euery thing by those Lawes and rules whiche that Sea receiued of the Apostles and as Tertullian saith the Apostles of Christ and Christ of God so long I say that Sea might wel haue bene called Peter and Paules chaire and Sea or rather Christes chaire the bishop thereof Apostolicus or true disciple and Successor of the apostles a Minister of Christ. But since the time that that Sea hath degenerated frō the trade of trueth and true Religion the which it receiued of the Apostles at the beginning and hath preached an other Gospell hath set vppe an other Religion hath exercised an other power and hath taken vpon it to order and rule the Church of Christ by other straunge Lawes Canons and Rulers then euer it receiued of the Apostles or the Apostles of Christ whiche thinges it doth at this daye and hath continued so doing alas alas of too too long a time since the time I say that the state and condition of that Sea hath thus bene chaunged in truth it ought of dutye and of righte to haue the names chaunged both of the Sea and of the sitter therein For vnderstand my Lords it was neither for the priuiledge of the place or person thereof that that Sea and Byshop thereof were called Apostolicke but for the true trade of Christs religion which was taught and mainteined in that Sea at the first and of those godly men And therfore as truely and iustlye as that Sea then for that true trade of religion and consanguinity of doctrine with the Religion and doctrine of Christes Apostles was called Apostolicke so as truely and as iustly for the contrariety of religion and diuersity of doctryne from Christ and his Apostles that Sea and the Bishoppe thereof at this day both ought to be called and are in deed Antichristian The Sea is the seate of Sathan and the Bishop of the same that mainteineth the abhominations therof is Antichrist himselfe in deede And for the same causes this Sea at this day is the same whiche S. Iohn calleth in his reuelation Babilon or the Whore of Babilon and spirituall Sodoma and Egyptus the Mother of Fornication and of the abhominations vpon the earth And with this Whore doth spiritually medle and lieth with her and committeth most stincking and abhominable adultery before God all those kinges and Princes yea and all nations of the earth which doe consent to her abhominations and vse or practise the same that is of the innumerable multitude of them to rehearse some for example sake her dispensations her pardons and pilgrimages her inuocation of Saynts her worshipping of Images her false counterfayt religion in her Monkery and Fryerage and her traditions whereby Gods lawes are defiled as her Massing and false Ministring of Gods word and the Sacramentes of Christ clean cōtrary to Christes word
not sayth S. Peter as though it were any straunge matter that ye are tryed by the fire he meaneth of tribulation which thing sayth he is done to proue you nay rather in that ye are partners of Christes afflictions reioyce that in his glorious reuelation ye may reioyce with mery hartes If ye suffer rebukes in Christes name happy are ye for the glory and spirit of God resteth vpon you Of them God is reuiled and dishonored but of you he is glorified Let no manne be ashamed of that he suffereth as a Christian and in Christes cause for nowe is the time that iudgement and correction must beginne at the house of GOD and if it begin first at vs what shall be the end of those thinke ye which beleue not the Gospell And if the righteous shall bee hardlye saued the wicked and the sinner where shall he appeare Wherefore they which are afflicted according to the wil of God let thē lay downe and commit theyr soules to him by well doing as to a trustye and faythfull maker This as I sayde maye not seeme straunge to vs for we know that al the whole fraternity of Christes Congregation in this worlde is serued with the like and by the same is made perfect For the seruent loue that the Apostles had vnto their maister Christ and for the great commodities and increase of all godlines which they felt by theyr fayth to insue of afflictions in Christes cause thirdly for the heapes of heauenly ioyes which the same doe get vnto the godly which shall endure in heauen for euermore for these causes I saye the Apostles of their afflictions did ioy and reioyced in that they were had and accounted worthy to suffer contumelies rebukes for Christes name And Paul as he gloried in the grace fauor of God whervnto he was brought stoode in by fayth so he reioyced in hys afflictions the heauenlye and spirituall profites which he numbred to rise vpon them yea he was so farre in loue wyth that that the carnall man lothed so much that is with Christes crosse that he iudged himselfe to know nothing els but christ crucified he will glory he sayth in nothing els but in Christes crosse yea and he blesseth all those as the onely true Israelites elect people of God with peace and mercy whiche walketh after that rule and after none other O Lord what a wonderfull spirit was that that made Paule in setting forth of himselfe agaynst the vanity of Satans Pseudopostles and in his clayme there that he in Christes cause did excell and passe them all what wonderfull spirite was that I saye that made him to reckon vppe all his troubles his laboures hys beatinges his whippinges and scourginges his shippewrackes his daungers and perilles by water and by land his famine hunger nakednesse and colde with many moe and the dayly care of all the congregations of Christ among whom euery mans payne did pearce his heart and euery mannes griese was grieuous vnto him O Lord is this Paules primacye whereof hee thought so much good that he did excell other Is not this Paules sayinge vnto Timothy his owne scholer and doth it not perteyn to who so euer will be Christes true souldiours beare thou sayth he affliction like a good souldiour of Iesu Christ This is true if we dye with him he meaneth Christ we shall liue with him if we suffer with him we shall raigne with him if we deny him he shall denye vs if we be faythlesse he remayneth faythfull he cannot denye himselfe This Paule would haue knowne to euery bodye for there is none other way to heauen but Christ and his way all that will liue godly in Christ shall sayth S. Paule suffer persecution By this way went to heauen the Patriarches the Prophets Christ our Mayster his Apostles his Martyrs and all the godly since the beginning And as it hath bene of olde that hee which was borne after the flesh persecuted him which was born after the spirite for so it was in Isaacks time so sayde S. Paule it was in his time also And whether it be so or no now let the spirituall man the selfe same man I meane that is indued with the spirit of almighty God let him be iudge Of the crosse of the Patriarches as ye may read in theyr storyes if ye reade the booke of Genesis ye shall perceiue Of other S. Paule in few wordes comprehendeth much matter speaking in a generality of the wonderfull afflictions death and tormentes which the men of GOD in Gods cause and for the truth sake willingly and gladly did suffer After much particuler rehearsall of many he sayeth other were racked and despised and would not be deliuered that they might obteyne a better resurrection Other agayne were tried wyth mockinges and scourginges and moreouer with bondes imprisonment they were stoned beweene asunder tempted fell were slayne vpon the edge of the sword some wandred to fro in sheepes pilches in goates pilches forsaken oppressed afflicted such godly men as the world was vnworthy of wandring in wildernesse in mountaynes in caues and in dennes and all these were commended for theyr fayth And yet they abide for vs the seruauntes of God and for those theyr brethren which are to bee slayne as they were for the word of Gods sake that none be shut out but that we may all go together to meete our Mayster Christ in the ayre at his comming and so to be in blisse with him in body and soule for euermore Therefore seing we haue so muche occasion to suffer and to take afflictions for Christes names sake paciently so many commodities thereby so waighty causes so many good examples so great necessitye so pure promises of eternall life and heauenlye ioyes of him that cānot lye Let vs throw away whatsoeuer might let vs all burden of sinne and all kinde of carnality and paciently and constantly let vs runne for the best game in this race that is set before vs euer hauing our eyes vpon Iesus Christ the ringleader Capitayne and Perfiter of our fayth which for the ioye that was set before him endured the crosse not passing vpon the ignominy and shame thereof and is set now at the right hande of the throne of GOD. Consider this that he suffered such strife of sinners agaynst himselfe that yee shoulde not geue ouer nor faynt in your mindes As yet brethren we haue not withstand vnto death fighting agaynst sinne Let vs neuer forget deare Brethren for Christes sake that Fatherly exhortation of the wise that speaketh vnto vs as vnto his children the Godlye wysedome of God saying thus My sonne despise not the correction of the Lord nor fall not from him when thou art rebuked of hym for whom the Lord loueth him doth he correct and scourgeth euery childe whom he receiueth What childe is he whom the father doth not chasten If ye
bee free from chastisement whereof all are partakers then are ye bastardes and no children Seing then when as we haue had carnall parents which chastened vs we reuerenced them shall not we much more be subiect vnto our spirituall father that we might liue And they for a litle time taughte vs after theyr owne mind but this father teacheth vs to our commodity to geue vnto vs his holinesse Al chastisment for the present tyme appeareth not pleasaunt but paynefull but afterward it rendereth the fruite of righteousnesse on them which are exercised in it Wherefore let vs bee of good cheere good Brethren and let vs plucke vppe our feeble members that were fallen or beganne to faynt hart handes knees and all the rest and let vs walke vpright and straight that no limping no◠〈…〉 bring vs out of the way Let vs looke not vpon the thinges that be present but with the eyes of our fayth let vs stedfastly behold the thinges that be euerlasting in heauen and so choose rather in respecte of that whiche is to come with the chosen members of Christ to beare Christes Crosse then for this short life time to inioy all the riches honours and pleasures of the broade worlde Why should we Christians feare death Can death depriue vs of Christ which is all our coÌ„â—ort our ioy and our life Nay forsooth But contrary death shall deliuer vs from this mortall body whiche lodeth and beareth downe the spirite that it cannot so well perceiue heauenly thinges in the which so long as we dwell wee are absent from God Wherefore vnderstanding our state in that we be Christians that if our mortall body which is our earthly house were destroied we haue a building a house not made with handes but euerlasting in heauen c. therefore wee are of good cheere and know that when we are in the body we are absent from GOD for we walke by fayth and not by cleare fight Neuerthelesse we are bolde and had rather be absent from the bodye and present with GOD. Wherefore we striue whether we be present at home or absent abroad that we may alwayes please him And who that hath true fayth in our Sauior Christ whereby he knoweth somewhat truely what Christ our Sauiour is that he is the eternall sonne of God life light the wisedome of the father all goodnesse all righteousnesse and whatsoeuer is good that heart canne desire yea infinite plentye of all these aboue that that mans hart canne either conceiue or thinke for in him dwelleth the fulnesse of the Godheade corporally and also that he is geuen vs of the Father and made of GOD to be our wisedome our righteousnesse our holâ—nesse and our redemption who I say is he that beleueth this in deede that woulde not gladly bee with his mayster christ Paul for this knowledge coueted to haue bene loosed from the body and to haue beene with Christ for that he counted it muche better for himselfe and had rather to be loosed then to liue Therefore these wordes of Christe to the thiefe on the Crosse that asked of him mercy were full of comfort and solace This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise To dye in the defence of Christes Gospell it is our bounden duety to Christ and also to our neighbour To Christ for he dyed for vs and rose agayne that he might be Lord ouer all And seing he dyed for vs we also sayth S. Iohn shoulde ieopard yea geue our life for our Brethren And this kinde of geuing and loosing is getting and winning in deede for hee that geueth or looseth his life thus getteth winneth it for euermore Blessed are they therefore that die in the Lord and if they dye in the Lordes cause they are most happy of all Let vs not then feare death which can do vs no harme otherwise then for a momeÌ„t to make the flesh to smart but that our fayth whiche is surely fastened and fixed vnto the worde of GOD telleth vs that we shall be anon after death in peace in the handes of GOD in ioye in solace and that from death we shall go straight vnto life For Saynt Iohn sayeth he that liueth and beleeueth in me shall neuer dye And in an other place he shall depart from death vnto life And therefore this death of the Christian is not to be called death but rather a gate or entraunce into euerlasting life Therefore Paule calleth it but a dissolution and resolution and both Peter and Paul a putting of this Tabernacle or dwelling house Meaning thereby the mortall body as wherein the soule or spirite doth dwell here in this worlde for a small time Yea this death may be called to the Christian an end of all miseries For so long as we liue here we must passe through many tribulations before we canne enter into the kingdome of heauen And nowe after that death hath shot his bolt all the christian mans enemies haue done what they canne after that they haue no more to doe What coulde hurte or harme poore Lazarus that lay at the rich mannes Gate His former penury and pouerty his misery beggery and horrible sores and sickenesse For so soone as death had stricken him with his dart so soone came the aungels and caryed him straight vp into Abrahams bosome What lost he by death who from misery and payne is set by the ministery of Aungels in a place both of ioy and solace Farewell deare brethren farewell and let vs comforte our hartes in all troubles and in death with the worde of God for heauen and earth shall perish but the word of the Lord endureth for euer Farewell Christes dearely beloued spouse here wandering in this world as in a straunge land farre from thine owne couÌ„try coÌ„passed about on euery hand with deadly enemies which cease not to assault thee euer seeking thy destruction Farewell farewell O ye the whole and vniuersall congregation of the chosen of God here liuing vpon earth the true churche militant of Christ the true misticall body of Christ the very house holde and family of God and the sacred temple of the holy ghost Farewell Farewell O thou litle flocke of the highe heauenlye pastour Christ for to thee it hath pleased the heauenlye father to geue an euerlasting and eternall kingdome Farewell Farewell thou spirituall house of God thou holy and royall priesthood thou choseÌ„ generatioÌ„ thou holy nation thou wonne spouse Farewell Farewell N. R. ¶ An other treatise of B. Ridley wherein is conteyned first a lamentation for the chaunge of Religion in England then a comparison betwene the doctrine of the Gospell and the Romish religion with wholesome instructions in the end to all christians how to behaue themselues in time of tryall ALas what misery is thy church brought vnto O lord at this day Where of late the worde of the Lord was truely preached was read and heard in euery towne in euery Church
thing but for present death and yet hee that rayseth the dead to lyfe agayne did bring him out of all hys troubles taught him all other that be in troubles for christes cause not to trust to theÌ„selues but in almighty God Of Gods gracious ayde in extreeme perilles toward them that put theyr truste in hym all Scripture is full bothe olde and new What daungers were the Patriarcks ofteâ— brought vnto as Abraham Isaac and Iacob but of all other Ioseph and how mercifully were they deliuered agayne In what perilles was Moises when he was fayne to flye for the sauegard of hys life And when was he sent agayne to deliuer the Israelites from the seruyle bondage Not before they were brought into extreme misery And when did the Lorde mightely deliuer his people from Pharao hys sword Not before they were broughte into such straightes that they were so compassed on euery side the mayne sea on the one side and the maine hoste on the other that they could looke for none other yea what did they els in deede looke for but eyther to haue bene drowned in the sea or els to haue fallen on the edge of Pharao his sword These iudges whiche wrought most wonderfull thinges in the deliuerye of the people were euer geuen when the people was brought to most misery before as Othoniel Aioth Saugar Gedeon Iephthe Samson And so was Saull indued with strength and boldnes froÌ„ aboue agaynst the Ammonites Philistines and Amalechites for the defence of the people of God Dauid lykewise felt Gods helpe most sensibly euer in his extreme persecutions What shall I speake of the Prophetes of GOD whome God suffered so oft to be broughte into extreame perilles and so mightely deliuered them agayne as Helâ—as Ieremy Daniell Micheas and Ionas and many other whome it were but to long to rehearse and set out at large And did the Lord vse his seruauntes otherwise in the new lawe after Christes incarnation Read the Actes of the Apostles and you shall see no. Were not the Apostles cast into Prison and brought out by the mightye hande of God Dyd not the Aungell deliuer Peter out of the stroÌ„g prison and bryng hym out by the yron gates of the Cittie and set hym free And when I pray you Euen the same night before Herod appoynted to haue broughte him to iudgement for to haue slayne hym as he had a little before killed Iames the brother of Iohn Paule and Silas wheÌ„ after they had bene sore scourged and wer put into the inner prison and there were layde fast in the stockes I pray you what appearaunce was there that the Magistrates should be glad to come the next daye themselues to them to desire them to be content and to depart in peace Who prouided for Paule that hee shoulde bee safely conducted out of all daunger and brought to Felix the Emperoures Deputie when as both the hygh Priestes the Phariseis and rulers of the Iewes had conspired to require iudgement of death agaynst hym he being fast in prison and also more then xl men had sworne eche one to an other that they would neuer eate nor drynke vntill they hadde slayne Paule A thing wonderfull that no reason could haue inueÌ„ted or man could haue looked for God prouided Paule hys owne sisters sonne a younge man that disapoynted that conspiracie and all theyr former coniuration The maner how the thing came to passe thou mayst read in the xxiii of the Actes I will not be tedious vnto thee here with the rehearsall thereof Nowe to descend from the Apostles to the Martyrs that followed next in Christes Churche and in them likewise to declare how gracious oure good God euer hathe bene to worke wonderfully with them which in his cause haue bene in extreme perilles it were matter enoughe to write a longe booke I will here name but one manne and one woman that is Athanasius the greate clarke and godly man stoutely standing in Christes cause against the Arrians and that holy woman Blandina standinge so constantly in all extreme paynes in the simple confession of Christe If thou wilt haue examples of moe looke and thou shalt haue both these and a C. moe in Ecclesiastica historia of Eusebius and in Tripartita historia But for al these examples both of holy scripture and of other historyes I feare me the weake man of God incombred with the fraylty and infirmitie of the fleshe wil haue now and then such thoughtes and quawmes as they call them to run ouer hys hart and to thinke thus All these thinges which are rehearsed out of the scripture I beleue to be true and of the rest truely I do thinke well can beleue theÌ„ also to be true but all these we must needes grauÌ„t were speciall miracles of God which nowe in our dayes are ceased we see and to require them at Gods handes were it not to tempt God Welbeloued brother I graunt such were great wonderfull workes of God and wee haue not seene many of such myracles in our tyme eyther for that our sight is not cleare for truely God worketh with hys his parte in all tymes or els because we haue not the lyke faythe of them for whose cause God wrought suche thinges or because after that he had set forth the truth of his doctrine by such miracles then sufficiently the time of so many myracles to bee done was expired withall Which of these is the most speciall cause of all other or whether there be any other God knoweth I leaue that to God But knowe thou this my welbeloued in God that Gods hand is as strong as euer it was he may do what his gracious pleasure is hee is as good and gracious as euer he was Man changeth as the garment doth but God our heauenly father is euen the same now that he was and shal be for euermore The world without doubt this I do beleue and therfore I say draweth towardes an end and in al ages God hath had hys owne maner after hys secrete and vnsearchable wisedome to vse hys electe sometimes to delyuer them and to keepe them safe and sometymes to suffer theÌ„ to drinke of Christes cuppe that is to feele the smart and to feele of the whip And though the fleshe smarteth at the one and feeleth ease in the other is gladde of the one and sore vexed in the other yet the Lorde is all one towardes them in both and loueth them no lesse when hee suffereth theÌ„ to be beaten yea to be put to bodily deathe then when he worketh wonders for theyr marueilous deliuery Nay rather he doth more for them wheÌ„ in anguish of the torments he standeth by them strengthneth them in theyr fayth to suffer in the confession of the truth his fayth the bitter panges of death then when he openeth the prison dore and letteth them go lose for here hee doth but respite theÌ„ to an other time leaueth theÌ„ in
daunger to fall in like perill again there he maketh them perfite to be without danger paine or perill after that for euermore But this hys loue towards thē howsoeuer the worlde doth iudge of it is al one both when he deliuereth when he suffereth thē to be put to death He loued as well Peter and Paul whē after they had according to hys blessed will pleasure and prouidence finished their courses and done theyr seruices appoynted them by hym here in preaching of his Gospel the one was beheaded and the other was hanged or crucified of the cruell tyraunt Nero as the Ecclesiasticall hystory sayth as when hee sent the Aungell to bringe Peter out of prison and for Paules deliuery he made all the dores of the prison to flye wide open and the foundation of the same like an earthquake to tremble and shake Thinkest thou O thou man of God that Chryst our sauiour had lesse affection to the first martyr Stephen because he suffered his enemies euen at the first conflicte to stone him to death No surely nor Iames Iohns brother which was one of the three that Paule calleth Primates or Principals amongst the Apostles of Christ. Hee loued him neuer a whit the worse thē he did the other although he suffered Herode the tyrauntes sword to cut of his head Nay doth not Danyell say speaking of the cruelty of Antichristes time Et docti in populo docebunt plurimos ruent in gladio in flamma in captiuitate rapina dierum c. Et de eruditis ruent vt conflentur eligantur dealbentur c. That is and the learned hee meaneth truely learned in Gods lawe shall teache many and shall fall vppon the sworde and in the flame that is shall bee burned in the flaming fire and in captiuitie that is shall bee in prison and be spoyled and robbed of theyr goodes for a longe season And after a little in the same place of Daniell it followeth and of the learned there be whiche shall fall or be ouerthrowne that they may be knowne tryed chosen made white he meaneth be burnished scoured a new picked and chosen and made fresh and lustye If that then was foreseene for to be done to the godly learned and for so gracious causes let euery one to whom any such thing by the will of God doth chaunce be mery in God and reioyce for it is to Gods glory and to his owne euerlasting wealth Wherefore well is he that euer he was borne for whom thus graciously God hath prouided hauing grace of God and strength of the holy Ghost so stand steadfastly in the height of the storme Happy is he that euer hee was borne whome God his heauenly Father hath vouchsafed to appoynt to glorifie him and to edifie hys Churche by the effusion of hys bloud To dye in Christes cause is an high honour to that whiche no man certaynly shall or can aspire but to whō God vouchsafeth that dignitie For no man is allowed to presume for to take vnto hym selfe any office of honour but he which is thereunto called of God Therfore Ioh. saith well speaking of them which haue obtayned the victorye by the bloud of the Lambe and by the worde of hys testimony that they loued not theyr liues euen vnto death And our sauiour Christ sayth He that shall lose his life for my cause shall finde it And this manner of speach pertayneth not to one kinde of Christians as the worldly dothe wickedly dreame but all that doe truelye pertayne vnto Christ. For when Christe had called vnto hym the multytude together with hys Disciples he said vnto thē mark that he sayde not this to the Disciples and Apostles onely but he sayd it to al who soeuer wil follow me let him forsake or deny hymselfe and take vp his crosse and followe me for who soeuer will saue his lyfe shall lose it he meaneth who soeuer will to saue hys life both forsake or leaue hym and his truth and whosoeuer shall lose his lyfe for my cause and the Gospels sake shall saue it For what shall it profite man if he shall winne the whole world and lose his owne soule hys owne lyfe or what shall a manne geue to recompence that losse of his owne lyfe and of hys own soule Who soeuer shal be ashamed of me my words that is to confesse me and my Gospell before this adulterous and sinful generation of him shall the sonne of man be ashamed when he commeth in the glory of hys Father with the holy Aungels Know thou O man of God that all thinges are ordayned for thy behoufe and to the furtheraunce of thee towardes thy saluation All thinges saith Paule worketh with the good to goodnes euen the enemies of God such kind of punishmentes whereby they goe about to destroy them shall be forced by Gods power might fatherly prouidence for to do them seruice It is not as the wicked thinketh that pouerty aduersitie sickenes tribulation yea paynfull death of the godly be tokens that God doth not loue them but euen cleane the contrary as all the whole course of scripture doth euidently declare for then he would neuer haue suffered hys most dearly beloued the Patriarkes to haue had such troubles his Prophetes his Apostles his martyrs and chiefe Champions and mayntayners of hys truth and Gospell so cruelly of the wicked to haue bene murdered and slayn Of the which some were racked as the Apostle sayth and woulde not be deliuered that they might receaue a better resurrection Some were tryed by mockinges scourginges yea moreouer by bondes and imprisonment they were stoned they were hewen and cut a sunder they were tempted they were slayne with the sword they wandered vp and down in sheepes skinnes and Gotes skinnes beyng forsaken afflicted and tormented such men as the world was not worthy to haue wādring in wildernes in moūtaynes in Dennes and Caues of the earth All these were approued by the testimony of fayth and receaued not the promise because God did prouide better for vs that without vs they should not be consummated They tary nowe for vs vndoubtedly longing for the day but they are commaunded to haue pacience yet saith the Lord a litle while vntill the number of theyr fellow seruauntes bee fulfilled and of theyr brethren whiche are yet to be slayne as they were Now thou O man of God for our Lordes sake let vs not for the loue of thys lyfe tary then to long and bee occasion of delay of that glorious consummation in hope and expectation wherof the departed in the Lord and the whiche also the liuing endued with Gods spirite ought so earnestly to desire and to grone for with al the creatures of God Let vs all with Iohn the seruaunt of God cry in our harts vnto our sauiour Christ Veni Domine Iesu come Lorde Iesu come For then when Christ which is our life
shall be made manifest and appeare in glorye then shall the Children of God appeare what they be euen like vnto Christ for this oure weake body shall bee transfigured and made like vnto Christes glorious body and that by the power wherby he is able to subdue vnto himselfe al thinges Then that which is now corruptible shall be made incorruptible that nowe is vile shall then bee made glorious that is now weake shal rise then mighty and strong that is grosse and carnall shall be made fine and spirituall for then we shal see and haue the vnspeakable ioy and fruâ—tion of the glorious maiestie of our Lord euen as he is Who or what then shall let vs to ieoparde to ieopard yea to spende this lyfe whiche wee haue here in Christes cause in our Lorde God his cause O thou therefore man of God thou yâ— art loden so letted like vnto a great bellied woman that thou canst not flie the plague yet if thou lust after suche things as I haue spoken of stand fast what soeuer shall befall in thy maysters cause and take this thy letting to flye for a calling of God to fight in thy mayster Christ his cause Of this be thou certaine they can do nothing vnto thee whiche thy father is not aware of or hath not foreseene before they can do no more theÌ„ it shal please hym to suffer them to do for the furtheraunce of his glory edifying of his Church and thine owne saluation Let theÌ„ then do what they shall seeing to thee O man of God all thinges shall be forced to serue and to worke with thee vnto the best before God O be not afrayd and remember the end All this whiche I haue spoken for the comforte of the lamentable case of the man whome Christ callethe greate bellied woman I meane to bee spoken of likewyse to the captiue and prisoner in Gods cause for suche I counte to be as it were already summoned and pressed to fight vnder the banner of the crosse of Chryste and as it were souldiours allowed and taken vp for the Lordes warres to do their Lorde and mayster good and honourable seruice and to sticke to him as men of trusty seruice in hys cause euen vnto death and to thinke their lyfe lost in his cause is to win it in eternal glory for euermore Therfore now to conclude and to make an end of thys treatise I say vnto all that loue God our heauenly father that loue Christ Iesus our redeemer and sauioure that loue to follow the wayes of the holy Ghost whiche is our comforter and sanctifier of all vnto al that loue Christs spouse and bodye the true catholicke Churche of Christe yea that loue lyfe and theyr owne soules health I say vnto al these hearken my deare breathren and sisters all you that be of God of all sortes ages dignities or degrees hearken to the word of our sauiour Iesus Christ spoken to his Apostles and meant to all his in S. Mathewes Gospel Feare not them whiche kill the body for they cannot kil the soule but feare hym more which may destroy and cast both body and soule into hell fire Are not two small sparrowes sold for a mite and one of them shall not fall or light vpon the ground without your father All the heares of your head be numbed Feare them not you are muche more worthe then are the litle sparrowes Euery one that confesseth me before men him shal I likewise confesse before my Father which is in heauen But who soeuer shall deny me before men I shall deny him likewise before my father which is in heauen The Lord graunt vs therfore of his heauenlye grace and strengthe that here wee maye so confesse him in thys world amongst this adulterous and sinneful generation that he may confesse vs agayne at the latter day before hys father whiche is in heaueÌ„ to his glory and our euerlasting comfort ioy and saluation To our heauenly Father to our sauiour and redemer Iesus Christ and to the holy Ghost be all glory and honour now and for euer Amen Thus with the deathe and martyrdome of these two learned Pastorsr and constant souldiours of Christ mayster Latimer and B. Ridley you haue dyuers of theyr letters and other writinges of theirs expressed with the Farewels also of B. Ridley wherein he tooke hys leaue of the world taking hys iourny to the kingdome of heauen Diuers and sondry other treatises of his remayne also in my hand both in Latine and English to be remembred by the leaue of the Lorde in time and place conuenient The death and end of Stephen Gardiner Byshop of Winchester THe next moneth after the burning of Doctor Ridley and mayster Latimer which was the moneth of Nouember Stephen Gardiner Byshop and Chauncelloure a man hated of God and all good men ended hys wretched lyfe Concerning the quallities nature and disposition of which man for somuch as somewhat hath bene declared before in the storye of kinge Edwardes raygne I shall neede therefore the lesse now to stand greatly vpon the same First this Uipers byrd crept out of the towne of Bery in Suffolke brought vp most parte of his youth in Cambridge his wit capacitie memorye and other indumentes of nature not to bee complayned of if he hadde wel vsed and rightly applyed the same wherein ther was no great want of Gods part in hym if hee had not rather hymselfe wanted to the goodnes of his gifts Through this promptnes actiuitie towardnes of hys he profited not a little in such studyes as he gaue hys head vnto as first in the law ciuil then in languages and such other like especially in those artes and faculties which had any prospect to dignitie and preferment to be hoped for Besides other ornaments or helpes of nature memory chiefly seemed in hym very beneficiall rather then dilligence of study To these giftes and quallities were ioyned agayne is great or greater vices which not so much followed hym as ouertooke him not so muche burdened hym as made hym burdenous to the whole realme Hee was of a proude stomacke and high minded in hys owne opinion and conceit flattering himselfe to much in wit crafty and subtile towarde his superiour flattering and faire spoken to hys inferiours fierce agaynst hys equall stoute and enuious namely if in iudgement and sentence he any thyng withstoode hym as appeared betweene the good Lorde CroÌ„well and hym in the raygne of kyng Henry being of like hauâ—inesse of stomacke as the Poets wryte of Pelides Cedere nescius Who although would geue no place to men yet notwtstanding I wish he woulde haue geuen place to truth according as he semed not altogether ignorant of the truth What his knowledge was therin it is euident partly to vnderstand as wel by his book De vera obedientia as also by his sermon before king Edward also by his aunsweres to the Councell the same time and
but yet at last perceauing that asmel sir Henry as also the other gentlemen did beholde him somewhat fixedly he brake of his talke Wherewith sir H. Knyuet making as though he had noted nothing did louingly dismisse him praying him that when he had receiued the B. letters he would also repaire to him for a packet to an Englyshe Gentleman of his acquaintaunce at Myllan which he promised to do and so departed againe When sir Henry had thus made sufficieÌ„t tryall of this matter he forthwith wrote his letters vnto the K. Maiestie signifiyng vnto him the whole at large as he had learned In the meane while Ludouicke the next morning repaired vnto the B. of Winchesters lodging to demaunde an answere of those letters the Legate had sent vnto hym but how he vsed him selfe or whether he vttered the talke he had with sir H. Knyuet and with Wolfe whom he supposed at the first to be the B. man it is not certainely knowen But the B. perceiuing that by mistaking one for an other and in supposing Wolfe to be the B. seruaunt Ludouicke had vttered all his message from the Legate vnto Wolfe and that thereby his practises would come to light in great hasty rage caused Ludouicke to be stayed in his owne house while in the meane time him self went to Grauuela one of themperors counsell so practised with him that Ludouick was secretly committed vnto prison in the custody of one of themperours Marshals so as he could be no more talked withall all the tyme of their aboad there And then sending in great hast to sir H. Knyuet to come and speake with him which he did he fell into very hot speach with him saying that he had poyson in his dysh and that a knaue was suborned to be his distructioÌ„ with many such like words Sir Henry told him again how he vnderstode it and prayed him that Ludouicke might be brought face to face to be examined in both their presentes Which the B. would in no case agree vnto affirming that he had so declared the case to Grauuela being indifferent as he thought to them both that he woulde not meddell with Ludouicke nor speake with him but that themperours counsell should examyne hym try what he was for hym To whom sir H. Knyuet againe very earnestly obiected that he maruayled that the B. in matter touching the K. Maiestie their Maister would vse the ayde or means of Grauuela a forraine Princes minister to make him priuie of their question But stay do what he would he would neuer come to the speach of Ludouicke any more euer after Whereupon there rose great and long controuersies betweene them both wryting letters vnto the K. about that matter vntill at last the K. Maiestie perceiuing his affayres otherwaies to slacke therby wrote vnto them both that they should lay all those things vnder foote and ioyne together in his seruice as before which they did accordingly But how soeuer this matter was afterwardes salued here with the K. Maiestie as eyther by the death of sir H. Knyuet which I thinke was not very long after or by other friendes the B. had here at home I know not yet Wolfe who within two monethes after died of a long cough of the Longues vpon his death bed did agayne affyrme the premisses to be most true and therefore in the presence of sir H. Knyuet diuerse other of his seruauÌ„ts he protested that he had not inuented sought or procured this at Ludouickes handes for any malice or displeasure borne to the B. but only for discharge of his fayth duetie vnto the K. Maiesty desiring that the same his protestation might be inserted in the end of his last will and testament which was then presently done thereunto set his hand Now whether this was the matter that the K. moued so often M. Secretary Paget being after L. Keeper to keepe safe as sore matter agaynst the B. I know not but yet it appears by some depositions of the Nobilitie and others in the processe agaynst hym had in K. Edwardes dayes that the K. Maiestie Henry .8 had this matter euer in his mynd for in euery generall pardon that he graunted by Parliament after this practise he did styll except all treasons committed beyond the seas meaning thereby as it was supposed that the B. should not take any benefite by any general pardon if at any time his Maiestie would call him to accompt and therfore all thinges wel wayed he had smal cause to vaunt of his great fauour he had of K. Henry his M. How beit it seemeth he was brought into this fooles paradize by the L. Paget who as he himselâ—e reporteth in his depositions in his messages from the K. to the sayd B. deluded hym telling him muche otherwyse then the K. had spoken counsaling alwayes the K. hard speches agaynst him which thing puffed vp this vaine-glorious Thraso not a litle All whiche premises appeare more at large by the depositions of the Nobles others examined in the long processe against him in K. Edwardes raigne as appeares in our first edition of actes and monumentes from the .804 Page vnto the ende of that processe in that booke at large mentioned But whatsoeuer he was seeing he is nowe gone I referre him to his Iudge to whom he shall stand or fall As concerning his death and maner thereof I woulde they which were present thereat would testifie to vs what they saw This we haue all to thinke that his heath happened so opportunely that England hath a mighty cause to geue thankes to the Lord therfore not so much for the great hurt he had done in times past in peruerting his Princes in bringing in the vi Articles in murderyng Gods saintes in defacing Christes sincere Religion c. as also especially for that he had thought to haue brought to passe in murdring also our noble Queene that now is For what soeuer daunger it was of death that she was in it did no doubt proceede froÌ„ that bloudy bishop who was the cause therof And if it be certain which we haue heard that her highnes being in the Tower a writte came downe from certaine of the Counsell for her execution it is out of controuersie that wily Winchester was the onely Dedalus framer of that ingine Who no doubt in that one day had brought this whole Realme into wofull ruine had not the Lordes moste gratious counsell through M. Bridges then the Lieuetenaunt comming in hast to the Queene certified her of the matter and preuented Architophels bloudy deuises For the which thankes be to the same our Lord and sauiour in the congregacion of al English churches Amen Of thinges vncertaine I must speake vncertainely for lacke of fuller information or els peraduenture they be in the Realme that can say more then here I haue expressed For as Boner Story Thornton Harpsfielde Dunning with other were occupied in puttyng the poore braunches of
Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. Mary in deed you M. Doctour put me in good remeÌ„braunce of the meaning of S. Paule in that place for Apotasia is properly a departing from the fayth and thereof commeth Apostata whiche properly signifieth one that departeth from his fayth and S. Paule in the same place after speaketh of the decay of the Empyre Cole Apostasia doth not onely signify a departing froÌ„ the fayth but also from the Empyre as I am able to shew Phil. I neuer read it so taken and when you shal be able to shew it as you say in woordes I will beleue it and not before Worcest I am sory that you shoulde be agaynst the Christen world Phil. The world commonly and such as be called Christians for the multitude hath hated the truth and bene enemies to the same Gloc. Why M. Philpot doe you thinke that the vniuersall church hath erred and you onely to be in the truth Phil. The church that you are of was neuer vniuersall for two parts of the world which is Asia Africa neuer consented to the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome as at this day they do not neither do folow his decrees Gloc. Yes in Florentines Councell they did agree Phil. It was sayde so by false report after they of Asia and Africa were gone home but it was not so in deed as the sequele of them all hitherto doth proue the contrary Gloc. I pray you by whom will you be iudged in matters of controuersy which happen dayly Phil. By the word of God For Christ sayth in S. Iohn The word that he spake shall be Iudge in the latter day Gloc. What if you take the word one way and I an other way who shall be iudge then Phil. The Primitiue Church Gloc. I know you meane the Doctors that wrote thereof Phil I meane verely so Gloc. What if you take the Doctors in one sense and I in an other who shal be iudge then Phil. Then let that be taken whiche is moste agreeable to Gods word Cole My Lordes why do you trouble your selues to answere him in this matter It is not the thing which is laid to his charge but his error of the sacrament and he to shift himselfe of that brought in another matter Phil. This is the matter M. Cole to the which I haue referred all other questions and desire to be satisfied Worc. It is wonder to see how he standeth with a few agaynst a great multitude Phil. We haue almost as many as you For we haue Asia Africa Germany Denmarke and a great part of France and dayly the number of the Gospel doth encrease so that I am credibly informed that for this Religion in the whiche I stande and for the whiche I am like to dye a greate multitude doth dayly come out of Fraunce through persecution that the Cityes of Germany bee scarse able to receiue them and therefore your Lordship may be sure the word of God will one day take place doe what you can to the contrary Worc. They were wel occupied to bring you such newes and you haue bene well kept to haue such resort vnto you Thou art the arrogantest felow stoutest fond felow that euer I knew Phil. I pray your Lordship to beare with my hasty speech for it is part of my corrupt nature to speake somewhat hastily but for all that I meane with humility to do my duty to your Lordship Boner M. Philpot my Lordes will troule you no further at this time but you shall goe from whence you came and haue such fauor as in the mean while I can shew you and vpon wednesday next you shal be called agayn to be heard what you can say for mainteinaunce of your error Phil. My Lorde my desire is to be satisfied of you in that I haue required and your Lordship shall finde me as I haue sayd Worc. We wish you as well as our selues Phil. I thinke the same my Lordes but I feare you are deceiued and haue a zeale of your selues not according to knowledge Worc. God send you more grace Phil. And also God encrease the same in you and opeÌ„ your eyes that you may see to mayneteyne his trueth and hys true Church Then the bishops rose vp consulted together caused a writing to be made in the which I think my bloud by theÌ„ was bought sold thereto they put to theyr handes and after this I was caried to my Colehouse agayne ¶ Thus endeth the fourth part of this tragedy God hasten the end therof to his glory Amen BEcause I haue begon to write vnto you of mine examinations before the Bishop other more to satisfy your desire then it is any thing woorthy to be written I haue thought it good to write vnto you also that whiche hath bene done of late that the same might come to light which they do in darcknes and priuy corners and that the world now and the posterity hereafter might knowe how vnorderly vniustly vnlearnedly these rauening wolues doe proceed agaynst the seely and faythfull flocke of Christ and condemne persecute the sincere doctrine of Christ in vs which they are not able by honest meanes to resist but only by tyranny and violence * The 5. examination of Iohn Philpot had before the Bishops of London Rochester Couentry S. Asses I trow and one other whose Seas I know not Doctor Story Curtop Doctor Sauerson Doctor Pendleton with diuers other Chaplaynes and Gentlemen of the Queenes Chamber and diuers other Gentlemen in the Gallery of my Lord of Londons Palace BOner M. Philpot come you hither I haue desyred my Lordes here and other learned meÌ„ to take some paines once agayne and to do you good because I do minde to sit in iudgement on you to morow as I am commauÌ„ded yet I would you should haue as much fauor as I caÌ„ shew you if you wil be any thing coÌ„formable Therfore play the wise man and be not singuler in your opinioÌ„ but be ruled by these learned men Phil. My Lord in that you say you will sit on me in iudgement to morrow I am glad thereof For I was promised by them which sent me vnto you that I should haue bene iudged the next day after but promise hath not bene kepte with me to my farther griefe I looke for none other but death at your hands and I am as ready to yeld my life in Christes cause as you be to require it Boner Lo what a wilfull man this is By my fayth it is but folly to reasoÌ„ with him neither with any of these heretickes I am sory that you wil be no more tractable that I am compelled to shew extremity agaynst you Phil. My Lord you need not to shew extremity against me vâ—les you list neither by the law as I haue sayd you haue any thing to do with me for that you are not mine Ordynary albeit I am contrary to
tribulations that being founde constant to the end he may crowne his owne giftes in them in heauen highly reward thē Whether I trust to goe before looking for you to followe my faythfull frend that we maye sing perpetuall praise to our louing Lord God for victory ouer Sathan and sinne won for vs by Iesus Christ God and man our onely and sufficient Sauiour and Aduocate Amen Farewell and pray in fayth Yours Thomas Whittell Minister and nowe condemned to dye for the Gospels sake 1556. Ianuary 21. ¶ All my felowes salute you Salute all our faythful brethren with you ¶ To my deare frend and brother Iohn Went and other his prison felowes in Lollardes Tower HE that preserued Ioseph prisoner in Egypt fed Daniel in the Lions denne and deliuered Paul Peter and the Apostles out of prison vouchsafe of his goodnes to keep feed and deliuer you my good brother Went with the other our felow souldiors your prison felowes as may be most to his glory to your consolatiō and the edification of his Church I cannot but praise God most earnestly when I heare of your constancy in the fayth and ioye in the crosse of Christ which you now beare and suffer together with many other good members of Christ which is a token that by Christ you are counted worthy the kingdome of God as Paule sayth And though the world counteth the yoake and crosse of Christ as a most pernicious and hurtfull thing yet we which haue tasted how frendly the Lord is cannot but reioice in this persecution as touching our selues in as much as the cause for the which we suffer is the Lordes cause and not ours at whose hand if we endure to the end we shall receiue through his liberall promise in Christ not onely a greate reward in heauen but also the kingdome of heauen it selfe also in the meane season be sure to bee defended and cared for so that we shall lacke no necessarye thinges neither a heare of our heades shall perishe without his knowledge Oh what is he that would mistrust or not gladly serue so louing a father O how vnhappy are they that forsake him and put theyr trust in man But how blessed are they that for his loue and for his holy woordes sake in these troublesome dayes doe committe theyr soules and bodyes into his handes with wel doing counting it greater happines and riches to suffer rebuke with Christ and his Church thē to enioy the pleasures of this life for a litle short seasō This crosse that we nowe beare hath bene common to all the faythfull from Abell hitherto and shal be to the end because the Deuill hauyng great wrath agaynst God and his Christ can not abide that hee should for his manifolde mercies bee lauded and magnified and Christ to be taken and beleued vpon for our onely and sufficient redemer Sauiour and aduocate and therefore because we will not deny Christ nor dissemble with out fayth but openly protest and professe the same before the world he seeketh by all meanes to styrre vp his wicked members to persecute and kill the bodies of the true Christians as S. Iohn sayth the Deuill shall cast some of you into prison And Dauid sayth I beleued and therfore haue I spoken but I was sore troubled This notwithstanding goe forward deare brethren as ye haue begon to fight the Lords battel considering Christe the Captayne of your warre who will both fight for you geue you victorye and also highlye rewarde your paynes Consider to your comfort the notable and chiefe shepheardes and souldiours of Christe whiche are gone before vs in these dayes I meane those learned and godly Bishops Doctours other ministers of Gods word whose fayth and examples we that be inferiours ought to folowe as S. Paule sayth Remember them that haue declared vnto you the worde of God the ende of whose conuersation see that ye look vpon and folow theyr faith The grace blessing of God with the ministery of his holy Angels be with you for euer Amen All my prison felowes greete you From the Colehouse this 4. of December By your poore brother Thomas Whittell an vnworthy Minister of Christ nowe his prisoner for the Gospels sake Amen ¶ To all the true professors and louers of Gods holy Gospell within the City of London THe same faith for the whiche Abraham was counted righteous and Mary blessed the Lorde GOD encrease and make stable in your hartes my deare and faithfull brethren sisters of London for euer and euer Amen Dearely beloued be not troubled in this heat which is now come amongest you to try you as though some straunge thing had happened vnto you but reioyce in as much as ye are partakers of Christes passions that when his glory appeareth ye may be mery and glad c. Out of these wordes of S. Peter I gather most specially these 4. notes First the persecution happeneth to Christes Church for their triall that is for the probation and proofe of their fayth Which fayth like as it is knowne with God in the depth of our hartes so will he haue it made manifest to the whole worlde through persecution that so it may euidently appeare that hee hath such a Churche and people vpon earth which so trusteth in hym and feareth his holy name that no kinde of persecution paynes nor death shal be able to seperate them from the loue of hym And thus was Abraham tried and Iob tempted that their fayth whiche before laye hid almost in their hartes might bee made knowne to the whole world to be so stedfast and stronge that the deuill naturall loue nor no other enemie coulde bee able to bereaue them thereof Whereby also GOD was to be magnefied who both tryeth his people by many tribulations and also standeth by them in the middest of their troubles to deliuer them by lyfe or death as he seeth best like as he assisted Loth and deliuered hym out of his enemies handes Ioseph out of the handes of his Brethren and out of Prison Paule from his enemies in Damasco and the Apostles out of the Stockes and Prison These with many mo he deliuered to lyfe And also he deliuered Abell Eleazar Steuen and Iohn Baptist with other manye by deathe and hathe also by the tryall of their fayth made them good presidentes and examples to vs and all that come after to suffer affliction in the like cause as Saynt Iames sayeth Take my brethren sayth he the prophets for an ensample of suffering aduersity and of long pacience which spake vnto you in the name of the Lord beholde we count them happy which endure Y◠haue heard of the pacience of Iob and haue knowne what end the Lord made with him for the Lord is very pitifull and mercifull Also the Lorde tryeth vs to let vs see our owne hartes and thoughtes that no Hypocrisy or Ambitiō deceiue vs that the strong
in Christ may pray that he fall not but endure to the ende and that those that fall through fearefull infirmity might speedely repent and rise agayne with Peter and also that the weake ones mighte bewayle theyr weakenes and crye with Dauid haue mercy vpon me O Lord for I am weak O Lord heale me for all my bones are vexed Of this opening of the heart by persecution spake holy Simion to Mary Christes mother when he sayde the Sworde that is the Crosse of persecution shall pearse thy Soule that the thoughtes of many hartes may be opened For like as a king that should go to battell is cōpelled to looke in his cofers what treasure he hath and also what number and puisaunce of menne and weapons hee hath so that if he himselfe be vnready and vnarmed to bicker with hys enemye he surceaseth and taketh truice for a time euen so wee by persecutions haue our heartes opened that wee maye looke therein to see what fayth in Christ we haue and what strength to withstand the enemies and to beare the Crosse that if we be riche in these treasures we might reioyce and valiauntly go to Battell or if we want these thinges with all speede to call and crye vppon him which geueth all good giftes to those that aske them Item the crosse trieth the good people from the bad the faythfull from the worldlinges and hipocrites and also cleanseth and scoureth the faythfull hartes from all corruption and filthinesse both of the flesh and the spirit And euen as yron except it be often scoured will soone waxe rusty so except our sinnefull hartes and flesh be often scoured with the whetstone of the Crosse they will soone corrupt ouergrowe with the ruste of all filthinesse and sinne And therefore it is meete and good for vs as the wise man sayeth that as gold siluer are tryed in the fire so should the hartes of acceptable men be tried in the fornace of aduersity Abide the triall deare frendes that yee may obteyne the Crowne of life Fighte manfully in this the Lordes cause that ye may obteyne a glorious victorye here and receiue a greate rewarde in heauen hereafter As yee are called Christians and woulde be angry to be called Iewes or Turkes so declare your Christianity by folowing the steps of Christ whose name ye beare suffer with hym and for his Gospelles sake rather then to denye him or to defile your fayth and conscience with false worshipping of Romish religion Take vp your Crosse my deare hartes now when it is offered you and go vp with Christ to Ierusalem amōgest the Bishoppes Priestes and Rulers if God call you thereto and they will anone sende you to Caluery from whence dying in the cause of the Gospell wherein our good Preachers and Brethren haue geuen theyr liues your soules I warrant you through Christ Iesu shall ascend to God that gaue them and the body shall come after at the last day and so shal ye dwell with the Lord for euer in vnspeakeable ioy and blisse O blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousnesse sake as Christes people in this Iewish Englande nowe doth for theyrs is the kingdome of heauen O my beloued set your mindes on this kingdome where Christ our head and king is considering that as the brute beast tooketh downewardes with the face towardes the earth so man is made contrariwise with his face looking vpward towardes the heauens because his conuersation should be in heauen and heauenlye thinges and not vpon the earth and earthly thinges and S. Paule sayth set your mindes on thinges whiche are aboue where Christ is And agayne he sayth our conuersation is in heauen from whence we looke for our Sauiour who will chaunge our vile bodyes and make them like to his glorious body Oh the glorious estate that we be called vnto The Lord preserue vs harmeles to his eternal kingdome through Christ Iesus our Lord. Amen The second thing that I note in the foresayde wordes of Peter is that he calleth persecution no straunge thinge And trueth it is for which of the Prophetes were not persecuted with Christ and his Apostles and some of them in the end cruelly killed for the truthes sake Cain killed Abell Isaac was persecuted of Ismaell Iacob was hated of Esau Ioseph was prisoned and set in the Stockes the Prophet Esay was cut in two with a Saw Ieremy was stoned Micheas was buffeted and fed with bread and water Helias was sore persecuted Eleazar and the woman with her 7. sonnes were cruelly killed What Christ and the Apostles suffered it is well knowne So that by many tribulations as Paul sayth we must enter into the kingdome of Heauen All the holy Prophetes Christ and hys Apostles suffered such afflictions not for euill doing but for preaching Gods word for rebuking the world of sinne and for theyr fayth in Iesus Christ. This is the ordinance of GOD my Frendes this is the high way to heauen by corporall death to eternall life as Christ sayth he that heareth my woordes and beleeueth in him that sent mee hath eternall life and shall not come into iudgement but is escaped from death to life Let vs neuer feare death which is killed by Christ but beleue in him and liue for euer as Paule sayth There is no damnation to them that are in Christ Iesu which walke not after the fleshe but after the Spirit And agayne Paule sayth Death where is thy styng Hell where is thy victory Thankes be to God which hath geuen vs victory through Iesu Christe Besides this ye haue seene and dayly doe see the bloud of your good Preachers and Brethren which hath bene shed in the Gospelles cause in this sinnefull Sodome this bloudy Ierusalem this vnhappy City of London Lette not theyr bloud be forgotten nor the bloud of your good Bishop Ridley who like a Shepheard to your comforte exāple hath geuen his life for his sheepe good S. Paule sath remember them that haue spoken to you the word of God and looke vpon the end of theyr conuersation and folow theyr fayth The Deuill euer stirreth vp false teachers as he hath done now ouer all Englande as Peter Paule and Iude prophesied it should be to poyson and kill our soules with the false doctrine And where he fayleth of his purpose that way then mooueth he his members to persecute the seely carcases of the Saynctes because they will not denye nor dissemble theyr pure fayth in our liuing Christ and confesse a dead breadye Christ and honour the same as Christ God and man contrary to Gods commaūdement This is the working of Sathan who knowing hys owne iust damnation woulde all mankinde to be partakers wyth him of the same such a mortall hatred beareth he agaynst GOD and his people And therefore when this wicked Tempter coulde not kill Christe with subtle tentation to fall downe and worship him then
was passed contrary to hys allegations Hee moste humblye thancked the Kings maiestie of hys greate goodnesse towardes hym and them for all their paines saying I hope in God that heereafter my allegations and authorityes shall take place to the glorye of God and the commoditie of the Realme in the meane time I will satisfie my selfe wyth the honourable consent of your honoures and the whole Parliament Heere is to be noted that this mans stoute and godly defence of the truthe heerein so bounde the Princes conscience that he woulde not permitte the truth in that man to be cleane ouerthrown wyth authoritie and power and therefore this way God woorking in the Princes minde a playne token was declared heereby that all thynges were not so sincerely handled in the confirmation of the sayde sixe Articles as it oughte to haue beene for else the Prince mighte haue hadde a iust cause to haue borne hys great indignation towardes the Archbishop Let vs pray that both the like stoutnesse maye be perceiued in all Ecclesiasticall and learned men where the truthe ought to be defended and also the like relenting and flexibilitie maye take place in Princes and Noble menne when they shall haue occasion offered them to maintaine the same so that they vtterly ouerwhelme not the truth by selfe wil power and authority Now in the end this Archb. cōstancie was such towardes Gods cause that he confirmed al hys doinges by bitter death in the fire without respecte of anye worldly treasure or pleasure And as touching hys stoutnesse in his Princes cause the contrary resistaunce of the Duke of Northumberland against him prooued right wel his good minde that waye which chaunced by reason that hee woulde not consent to the dissoluinge of Chaunteries vntill the Kynge came of age to the intent that they myghte then better serue to furnishe hys royall estate then to haue so greate treasure consumed in hys nonage Which his stonenesse ioyned with suche simplicitie surely was thought to diuers of the Counsaile a thing incredible specially in such sorte to contende with him who was so accounted in this realm as few or none would or durst gainstande him So deare was to him the cause of God and of hys Prince that for the one he would not keepe his conscience clogged nor for the other lurke or hide his heade Otherwise as it is sayde his very enemies might easily intreat him in any cause reasonable and such things as he graūted hee did without any suspition of rebroiding or meede therefore So that hee was altogether voide of the vice of stubbernnesse and rather culpable of ouer muche facilitie and gentlenesse Not angrie Then foloweth Not angrie Surely if ouermuch pacience may be a vice this man maye seeme peraduenture to offend rather on this part then on the contrary Albeit for all his doings I cannot say for the most parte suche was his mortification that way that few we shal finde in whom the saying of our Sauiour Christ so much preuailed as with him who would not onely haue a man to forgiue his ennemies but also to pray for them that lesson neuer went out of his memory For it was knowen that he had many cruel ennemies not for his owne deserts but only for his religion sake and yet what soeuer he was that either sought his hinderance either in goods estimation or life and vpon conference woulde seeme neuer so slenderly any thing to relent or excuse himself he would both forget the offence committed and also euermore afterwards frendly entertaine him shew such pleasure to him as by any meanes possible he might performe or declare In so muche that it came into a common prouerb Do vnto my Lord of Canterb displeasure or a shrewed turne and then you may be sure to haue him your frende whiles he liueth Of which his gentle disposition in abstaining from reuengement amongst many examples thereof I wil repeat heere one It chaunced an ignoraunte Priest and parsone in the North parties the Towne is not now in remembrance but he was a kinsman of one Chersey a grocer dwelling within London being one of those priestes that vse more to studie at the alehouse then in his chamber or in his studie to sit on a time with his honest neighbours at the alehouse within his owne Parish where was communication ministred in commendation of my Lorde Cranmer Archbishop of Cant. This said parson enuying his name only for Religion sake sayd to his neighbors what make you of him quod he he was but an Hostler and hathe no more learning then the Goslings that goeth yonder on the greene with suche like sclaunderous and vncomelye woordes These honest neighbours of his not well bearing those his vnseemely woordes articled against hym and sent their complaint vnto the Lorde Cromwell then Uicegerent in causes Ecclesiasticall who sent for the priest and cōmitted hym to the Fleete minding to haue had him recant those his sclaunderous woordes at Paules Crosse. Howbeit the Lord Cromwell hauing great affairs of the Prince then in hand forgate his prisoner in the Flete So that this Chersey the Grocer vnderstanding that his kinsmanne was in duraunce in the Fleete onely for speaking woordes against my Lord of Canterb. consulted wyth the Priest and betwene them deuised to make sute rather vnto the Archbishoppe for his deliuerance then to the Lord Cromwel before whome he was accused vnderstanding right well that there was greate diuersitie of natures betweene those two estates the one gentle and full of clemencie and the other seuere and somewhat intractable namely against a Papist So that Chersey tooke vppon him firste to trie my Lorde of Caunterburies benignitie namely for that his cousins accusation touched onely the offence against him and none other Whereupon the sayde Chersey came to one of the Archbish. Gentlemen whose father bought yearely all his spices and fruite of the sayde Chersey and so thereby of familiar acquaintance with the Gentleman who openinge to him the trouble wherein his kinsman was requested that hee woulde be a meanes to my Lorde his maister to heare his sute in the behalfe of his kinsman The matter was mooued The Archbishop like as he was of nature gentle and of much clemencie so woulde he neuer shewe him selfe straunge vnto suters but incontinently sent for the saide Chersey When hee came before him Chersey declared that there was a kinsman of his in the Fleete a Priest of the North countrey and as I maye tell your grace the truth quod Chersey a man of small ciuilitie and of lesse learning And yet he hath a personnage there which now by reason that my lord Cromwel hath laid him in prisone being in his cure is vnserued and hee hath continued in durance aboue 2. monethes and is called to no answer and knoweth not when he shall come to any ende so that this his imprisonment cōsumeth his substaunce and will vtterly vndoe him vnlesse your grace be
purpose the rest they committed to all aduenture as became men of that religion to doe The Queene hauing nowe gotten a time to reuenge her old grieef receiued his recantation very gladly but of her purpose to put him to death she would nothing relēt Now was Crāmers cause in a miserable taking who neither inwardly had any quietnes in his owne cōscience nor yet outwardly any helpe in his aduersaries Besides this on the one side was praise on the other side scorne on both sides daunger so that neither he could die honestly nor yet vnhonestly liue And where as hee sought profite hee fell into double disprofite that neyther with good men he could auoid secrete shame nor yet with euill men the note of dissimulation In the meane time while these things were a doyng as I said in the prison among the doctours the Queene taking secrete Counsel howe to dispatch Cranmer out of the way who as yet knew nothing of her secrete hate and looked for nothing lesse then death apoynted D. Cole and secretely gaue him in commandement that against the 21. of March he should prepare a funerall sermon for Cranmers burning so instructing him orderly and diligently of her wil pleasure in that behalfe sendeth him away Soone after the Lord Williams of Tame the Lorde Shandoys syr Thom. Bridges and syr Iohn Browne were sent for with other woorshipfull men and Iustices commanded in the Queenes name to be at Oxford at the same day wyth their seruauntes and retinue least Cranmers death should raise there any tumult Cole the Doctor hauing this lesson geuen hym before and charged by her commandement returned to Oxford ready to play hys part who as the day of execution drewe neare euen the day before came into the prison to Cranmer to try whether he abode in the catholicke faith wherin before he had left him To whom when Cranmer had aunsweared that by Gods grace he would daily be more confirmed in the catholicke faith Cole departing for the tyme the next day following repaired to the Archb. agayne geuing no signification as yet of hys death that was prepared And therefore in the morning which was the 21. day of Marche appoynted for Cranmers execution the sayde Cole comming to hym asked if he hadde any money To whome when he answeared that he had none he deliuered hym 15. crownes to geue the poore to whome hee woulde and so exhorting him so muche as hee coulde to constancie in Faith departed thence aboute hys businesse as to hys Sermon appertained By this partly and other like Argumentes the Archbishop began more and more to surmise what they went about Then because the day was not farre past and the Lordes and Knightes that were looked for were not yet come there came to him the Spanish frier witnes of hys recantation bringing a paper with articles which Cranmer shoulde openly professe in hys recantation before the people earnestly desiring him that hee woulde wryte the sayd instrument with the articles with his owne hande and signe it with his name which when he had done the said frier desired that he would wryte an other copy thereof which should remaine with him and that he did also But yet the Archbishop being not ignoraunt whereunto theyr secreat deuises tended and thinking that the time was at hande in which he could no longer dissemble the profession of his faith with Christes people he put secretely in hys bosome his Prayer with his exhortation wrytten in an other paper which he minded to recite to the people before he should make the last profession of hys faith fearing least if they had heard the confession of his faith first they woulde not afterward haue suffered hym to exhort the people Soone after about 9. of the clocke the Lord Williams Syr Thomas Bridges syr Iohn Browne and the other Iustices wyth certaine other noble men that were sent of the Queenes counsell came to Oxford with a great traine of wayting men Also of the other multitude on euerye side as is wōt in such a matter was made a great concourse and greater expectation For first of all they that were of the Popes side were in great hope that day to heare somthing of Cranmer that should stablish the vanitye of their opinion the other parte which were endued with a better minde coulde not yet doubte that he which by continuall studie and labour for so many yeres had set foorth the doctrine of the gospel either would or could nowe in the last Acte of hys life forsake his part Briefly as euery mannes wil enclined eyther to this part or to that so accordyng to the diuersitie of their desires euery mā wished and hoped for And yet because in an vncertaine thing the certaintye could be knowen of none what would be the end al theyr mindes were hanging betwene hope and doubt So that the greater the expectation was in so doubtfull a matter the more was the multitude that were gathered thether to heare and beholde In this so great frequence and expectation Cranmer at length commeth from the prison Bocardo vnto s. Maries churche because it was a foule and a rainy daye the chiefe church in the vniuersity in this order The Mayor went before next him the Aldermen in their place and degree after them was Cranmer brought betwene two friers which mumbling to and froe certaine Psalmes in the streetes aunsweared one an other vntill they came to the Church doore and there they began the songe of Simeon Nunc Dimittis and entering into the Churche the Psalme saying Friers brought hym to his standing and there left him There was a stage set vp ouer against the pulpit of a meane height from the ground where Cranmer hadde hys standing wayting vntill Cole made him ready to his Sermone The lamentable case and sight of that man gaue a sorrowfull spectacle to al Christian eyes that beheld him He that late was Archbishop Metropolitane and Primate of England and the Kings priuy Councellor being now in a bare and ragged gowne and ill fauouredly cloathed wyth an olde square cappe exposed to the contempt of all men did admonish men not onely of his owne calamitie but also of theyr state and fortune For who woulde not pitie hys case and bewaile his fortune might not feare his owne chaunce to see such a Prelate so graue a Councellour and of so long continued honoure after so manye dignities in hys olde yeares to be depriued of his estate adiudged to die and in so painefull a death to end his life and now presently from such fresh ornaments to discende to such vile and ragged apparell In this habite when hee had stoode a good space vpon the stage tourning to a piller neare adioyning thereunto he lifted vppe hys handes to heauen prayed vnto God once or twise till at the length D. Cole comming into the pulpit and beginning his sermon entred first into mention of Tobias and Zacharie
Idole at the commandement of sir Iohn Tirrell knight of Gippyng hall in Suffolke and certaine other Iustices there who sent both hym and them to Eay dungeon in Suffolke till at length they were all three together broght before Dunnyng then Chauncellor of Norwich and M. Myngs the Register sittyng at the Towne of Beckles to be examined And there the sayd Chancellour perswading what he could to turne them from the truth could by no meanes preuaile of his purpose Whereby mynding in the ende to geue sentence on them he burst out in teares intreatyng them to remember themselues and to turne agayne to the holy mother church for that they were deceiued and out of the truth and that they should not wilfully cast away thēselues with such like wordes Now as he was thus labouryng them and semed very loth to read the sentence for they were the first that he condemned in that dioces the Register there sittyng by beyng weary belike of tarying or els perceiuyng the constant Martyrs to be at a point called vpon the Chauncellour in hast to ridde them out of the way and to make an ende At which wordes the Chauncellour read the condemnation ouer them with teares and deliuered them to the secular power ¶ Their Articles THe Articles obiected to these and commonly to all other condemned in that Diocesse by Doctor Hopton Bishop of Norwich and by Dunnyng his Chauncellor were these 1. First was articulate agaynst them that they beleeued not the Pope of Rome to bee supreme head immediately vnder Christ in earth of the vniuersall Catholike Church 2. Item that they beleeued not holy bread and holy water ashes palmes and all other lyke ceremonies vsed in the Churche to be good and laudable for stirring vp the people to deuotion 3. Item that they beleeued not after the wordes of consecration spoken by the Priest the very naturall body of Christ and no other substance of bread and wine to be in the sacrament of the Altar 4. Item that they beleeued it to be Idolatry to worship Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar 5. Item that they tooke bread and wine in remembrance of Christes Passion 6. Item that they would not follow the Crosse in procession nor be confessed to a Priest 7. Item that they affirmed no mortall man to haue in himselfe free will to do good or euill For this doctrine and articles aboue prefixed these three as is aforesayd were condemned by Doctor Dunning committed to the secular power Syr Iohn Sylliard being the same tyme hyghe Sheriffe of Northfolke and Suffolke And the next day following vpon the same they were all burnt together in the sayd towne of Beckles Whereupon it is to be thought that the writte De comburendo was not yet come downe nor could not be the Lord Chaunlour Bish. Heath being the same time at London Which if it be true then it is playne that both they went beyond their Commission that were the executioners also the Clergy which were the instigatours thereof cannot make good that they now pretend saying that they did nothing but by a lawe But this let the Lord finde out when he seeth his tyme. In the meane tyme while these good men were at the stake had prayed they sayd there beliefe and when they came to the reciting of the Catholicke Church Syr Iohn Silliard spake to them That is well sayd Syrs quoth he I am glad to heare you say you do beleeue the Catholicke Church That is the best word I heard of you yet To which his sayinges Edmund Pole aunswered that though they beleeue the Catholicke Churche yet doe they not beleeue in their Popish Church which is no part of Christes Catholicke Churche and therefore no part of their beliefe When they rose from prayer they all went ioyfully to the stake and being bounde thereto and the fire burning about them they praysed God in such an audible voyce that it was wonderfull to all those which stoode by and heard them Then one Robert Bacon dwelling in the sayd Beckles a very enemye to Gods truth and a persecutour of his people being there present within hearing thereof willed the tormentours to throw on fagots to stoppe the knaues breathes as he termed them so hotte was his burning charitye But these good men not regarding there malice confessed the truth and yelded their liues to the death for the testimony of the same very gloriously ioyfully The which their constancye in the lyke cause the Lord graunt we may imitate and follow vnto the ende Whether it be death or lyfe to glorifye the name of Christ Amen And forasmuch as we haue here entred into the persecution of Northfolke and Suffolke it commeth therefore to minde by occasion hereof brieflye to touche by the way some part for the whole matter cannot bee so exprest as it was done touching the troubles of the towns of Winson and Mendlesam in Suffolke raysed and stirred by the sayd Syr Iohn Tyrrell other Iustices there of the lyke affinitye The summe and effecte of which briefly is thus signifyed to me by writing * The persecution in the Townes of Winson and Mendlesam in Suffolke BY the procurement of Syr Iohn Tyrrell Knight and other of his Colleagues there were persecuted out of the Towne of Winson in Suffolke these persons hereafter following Anno. 1556. Maistresse Alice Twaites Gentlewoman of the age of three score yeres and more and two of her seruaunts Humfrey Smith and his wyfe William Katchpoole and his wyfe Iohn Maulyng and his wyfe Nicholas Burlingham and his wyfe And one Rought and his wyfe Such as were persecuted and driuen out of the towne of Mendlesam in the Countie of Suffolke Symon Harlstone and Katherine his wife with his fiue children William Whitting and Katherin his wife Thomas Dobson and his wife Thomas Hubbard and his wife Iohn Doncon and his wife his maide William Doncon Thomas Woodward the elder One Konnoldes wife A poore widow One mother Semons maide Besides those that were constrained to do against their conscience by the helpe of the parishe Priest whose name was sir Iohn Brodish ¶ These be the chiefest causes why those aboue named were persecuted FIrst they did hold and beleeue the holy word of God to be the sufficient doctrine vnto their saluation Secondly they denied the Popes vsurped authoritie and did hold all that church of Antichrist to be Christs aduersaries And further refused the abused sacraments defied the masse and all popish seruice and ceremonies saying they robbed God of his honour Christ of his death and glory and would not come at the Church without it were to the defacyng of that they did there Thirdly they did hold that the ministers of the church by Gods word might lawfully marry Fourthly they helde the Queene to be as chiefe head and wicked rulers to bee a great plague sent of God for sinne c. Fiftly
that I haue receaued your letter for the which I hartely thanke you In dede I thinke it very shorte although it seemeth something sharpely to rebuke me in the beginning for the breach of my promise in not writing to you of this long tyme. Well brother I am contente to beare it with pacience considering that you are troubled otherwise the Lorde comforte you and all heauy hartes neyther will I spende ynke paper for my purgation in this poynte God he knoweth whether I bee so mindeles of my promise as it appeareth in your sight I am Your request I will truely performe to the vttermost of my power as gladly as any poore wretch shall do in the world and I thanke God I haue done no lesse of longe tyme. And as my poore prayer shall be a handmayd to waite vpon you which way soeuer you ryde or go so I beseech you that my simple counsell may take some place in you in this tyme of your pilgrimage whiche you passe in no small perill God keepe and preserue you for his names sake I doe not disalowe but muche prayse and commende your harty boldenesse in putting your selfe in preasse when any one of Gods people needeth your helpe in any poynte But yet I would not haue you thrust your selfe in daunger when you canne doe them no good or at least wise when they may well inough spare that good you woulde doe them For if you should then chaunce to be taken you shall not onely be no comfort vnto them but also a great discomfort adding sorrow vnto their sorrow I doe not perswade you to absent your selfe from any place where your presence of necessity is required for in all such places I know God will preserue you as he hath hitherto wonderfully done praysed be his name therefore or if it shall please him to permit you in any such place to be taken I know he will most sweetely cōfort your consciēce with this consideratiō that it is the very prouidēce appointmēt of God that you should there and then be taken vp for a witnes of his truthe vnto the worlde but I cannot alowe nor be contented that you shoulde rashly or negligently thrust your selfe into that place where your wicked enemyes do continually haunt yea and lay wayte for you when no necessitye of your selfe nor of any other of Gods people dothe require your company If they neede any of your godly counsel you may write vnto them that thinge that you thinke good which I dare say will be sufficient vnto them For continuall thankes and prayses be giuen vnto the euerlasting God there is none of those that be cruelly condemned for Gods truthe that now be weakelings for they haue manfully passed throughe the pikes and they haue boldly abidden the brunt of the battell and therefore I recken the worste is paste with them alreadye So that nowe and thē a godly letter from you to them shall doe as much good as your company shall doe and perchaunce more too for writing sticketh longer in the memorye then wordes doe yea though your letters were as shorte to them as your laste was to me so that the same bee something sweeter and not althing so sharpe This deare brother is the simple counsell which I woulde gladly haue you obserue partely for that I hartely pray for your preseruation to the commoditye of Christes Church and partly for that I vnfainedly wish the peace comfort and tranquility of your owne conscience which I knowe will be quickely ready to accuse you if you do any thing wherein you haue not the worde of God for your warrante For in a glasse that is cleare a small mote will soone appeare euen so the good conscience of Gods chosen children being more cleare then Cristall will quickely accuse them at the least fault they do commit whereas the wicked worldlinges haue their conscience so clogged corrupted thorough the custome of sinne that they cannot once see or perceiue their owne shamefull deedes wicked workes vntill God set the same before them for their vtter destruction then dispayre they immediately But seing that God hathe geuen you a cleare conscience and a pure sharpe quicke and liuely sight in your soule I woulde wishe you to beware that you doe nothing vnaduisedly but vpon a good ground For an accusing conscience is a sore thing when death doth approche and then Sathan will not sticke to tell you that you haue to much tempted God when peraduenture you haue done nothing so at all For thys cause I say partly I haue thought it good to admonishe you as I haue done often to be cirumspecte according to the counsell of Christ whiche biddeth you to beware of men Other thynges I haue not to write for I knowe this bearer can certifie you of all thinges at large better then I can declare it by writing I beseeche you good Augustine helpe me forwardes with your harty prayers for I trust I haue but a small time to tary in this troublesome worlde Doctour Story tolde oure Marshall that we should all be dispatched so soone as hee came from Oxford whether he and other bloudy butchers bee gone to make slaughter of Christes sheepe that lye there appoynted to be slain God for Christes sake put them and such like besides theyr cruell purpose if it be his good will and pleasure Amen good Lord. I pray you doe my moste harty commendations to my deare sister and faythfull friend good Mistres Mary glouer I beseeche God be her comforte as I doubte not but hee is I am verye glad to heare that she doth so ioyfully and so patiently beare this great crosse that God hath layde vppon her I pray God strengthen her and all other his deare Sayntes vnto the end Amen Commende me vnto my deare and faythfull sister Elizabeth B. I thanke her most hartily for my napkin and so I doe youre deare brother for my sherte Truely that day that wee were appoynted to come to oure aunswere before the Commissioners which had sent word the same morning that they woulde come to the kinges Benche by viii of the clocke and the house and all thinges were trimmed and made ready for them I got that sherte on my backe and that napkin in my hand and me thoughte that they did helpe to harnesse me and weapon me well to goe fight agaynst that bloudy beast of Babilon And trust me truely if they had come I woulde haue stricken three strokes the more for your two sakes as well as God would haue abled me to haue set them on as by Gods grace I will not fayle to do at the next skirmish that I come to Wherfore I pray you pray for me that I may be stronge and hardy to laye on good loade Oh that I might so strike him downe that hee should neuer be able for to rise agayne But that stroke belongeth onely vnto the Lorde to strike at his comming
time out she intended no lesse but honestly to be brought to bed and to nurse vp her childe neither caryng for shame of the world nor fearyng anye sclaunder to the Gospell Whereby may be argued that no suche intent of murder was euer in her thoughte For how is it like that shee whiche had gone so longe with childe almost to the full time of her deliueraunce neuer thought nor wrought any hurt to the infant al that while shoulde nowe goyng to her owne death mynde more hurte to her childe then she did before hopyng her selfe to liue Secondly how knoweth M.H. to the contrarye but that she was knowne in the towne to be with childe and went boldly abroad without note of any shame before the time she came in trouble Whiche being true shame then could be no cause why she should conceale her child more now after her condemnation then she did before she was condemned Thirdly admitte the case it was not knowne before what aduauntage thereby should ryse to her beyng nowe appoynted to dye by concealing her being with childe She should haue eschued sayth M.H. the publike shame and obloquie of the worlde in that none should haue knowen her to be with childe First what shame was it for a maryed wife to be noted to be with childe Agayne what gayne had that bene to her to auoyde the shame and fame of the world which hadde not to liue in the worlde being now condemned to dye Fourthly how is it like that for shame shee meant to conceale that from the world which both knew she shuld not liue in the worlde and also suffer that kinde of death whereby her childe could not be hidden from the sight of the worlde though she had gone about her self neuer so much to conceale it Fiftly how is it to be thought that any woman going to suche a sharpe punishment of fire to bee consumed would let for any worldly shame to reschue her owne life from so bitter torment at least so long as she might beside the safegard also of her childe if by any meanes she hadde knowne any remedy Sixtly for so much as M. Harding doth so haynouslye charge her with the wilfull murdering of her owne naturall childe let all indifferente consciences thys consider with themselues what was the cause that moued her so willinglye to recant as shee did but partly to saue her owne life and especially the poore innocent Whereby it is manifest to be vnderstanded what a motherly affection she had to saue her infant if the fathers of the spiritualtie had not bene so cruell agaynst all order of law to cast both her and her childe away all this her sayd recantation not withstanding Seuenthly and lastly when M.H. hath inueyed al that euer he can agaynst this poore Perotine yet is all the same but a by matter from this principall purpose pretented supposing thereby through his deprauing of her to iustifie and excuse the Pope holye Clergy which wrought her death Which will not bee For what soeuer her lyfe was besides yet for so much as the cause of her death condemnation was neither for their whoredome nor murder but onely and merely for Religion whiche deserued no death I therefore hauing in my story no further to deale as I sayd before so doe I say agayne that the cause of her condemning was wrongfully her deathe was cruell the sight of the babe was ruefull the proceding of the Iudges was vnlawfull the whole story is pittifull and of al thys the priestes and Clergye were the authors principall All which being considered and well expended M.H. I trust may stand sufficiently contented Or if hee thinke murder to be a thing whiche ought not as it ought not in deede lightly to bee passed ouer let him then finde out murder where it is and tell vs truely without affection of partialitie where the true murder lyeth whether in the poore woman whiche together with her childe was murdered or in them which without all law and conscience brought them both to death Briefly and finally to conclude with this manne what soeuer the woman was she is now gone To bite so bitterly agaynst the dead it is little honesty And thoughe the accusation had in it some truth yet this accusatiō here needed not Now the same being false it is to much vnmercifull At least being doubtfull and to him vnknown charytie would haue iudged the best Humanitie woulde haue spared the dead And if he coulde not foorde her his good word yet he might haue left her cause vnto the Lord whiche shall iudge bothe her and him To pray for the dead he findeth in his Masse but to backbite the dead he neyther findeth in his Masse Mattens nor Euensong And no doubt but in hys Dirige commendations he commēdeth many one lesse deseruing to be commēded then this woman let Catholicke affection be set aside And thoughe the merites of her cause deserued not his commendations yet did she neuer deserue at M. Hardinges handes to geue her suche a Kyrieleson as they saye after her departure Cruelty she suffered enough aliue thoughe M. H. hadde not added this cruell inuectiue to her former afflictions wherein notwithstanding he hurteth not her but hurtethe peraduenture himself neither so much destaineth her honesty as he blemisheth his owne It hath bene the maner of learned men in time past with theyr defending oration euer to be more ready then to accuse And if they dyd at anye tyme accuse yet neuer but enforced neyther did they accuse any but such onely as were aliue and that neyther but in such matters wherein eyther the common wealth or themselues were vehemently touched Now if this greue hym so greatly that in my storye I haue termed her to be a martyr let him consider the cause wherfore she suffered which was neyther for felony murder nor whoredome but onely for the religion in K. Edwardes time receaued and when hee hath confuted that religion I shall crosse her out of the booke and fellowship of Martyrs In the meane time my exhortation shall be this to M. Harding First that if he will needes become a writer in these so furious and outragious dayes of ours he will season hys veyne of writing with more mildenes and charitie not to geue such example of rayling to others Secondly that hee will moderate hys iudging condemning of other with more equitie and indifferencie and not to be so rash and partiall For if shee be to be accompted a murderer which so carefully went about by recantation to saue both her selfe and her childe from the fire what is to be sayd of them which condemned her so cruelly and caused both her and the infant to be burned notwithstanding that she for safegard of theyr lyues had as I sayd recanted And yet so partiall is hee that in all this inuectiue crying out so intemperately agaynst the woman and the childe that
poore blinde womans life and deathe in suche sorte as is aboue prefixed hath bene confessed to be very true by diuers persons of worthy credite and yet liuing and also hath bene specially perused and examined by W. Baynbridge tofore mentioned Bayliffe then of Darbye who aswell of his own knowledge as by speciall enquiry and conference by him made with diuers others hath certified vs the same to be vndoubted besides the Testimoniall of Iohn Cadman Curate of the sayd towne and of other also vppon whose honesty well knowne and theyr report herein nothing differing from such as were best acquaynted with that matter I haue bene here the more bold to commit this story to posteritie for all good men to consider and to iudge vpon * Edwarde Sharpe ABout the beginning of the next month folowing whiche was September a certayn godly aged deuout zelous person of the Lords glory borne in Wiltshyre named Edward Sharpe of the age of lx yeares or thereabout was condemned at Bristow to the like Martyrdom where he constantly manfully persisting in the iust quarrel of Christes Gospell for misliking and renouncing the ordinaunces of the Romishe Churche was tryed as pure gold and made a liuely sacrifice in the fire in whose death as in the death of all hys other saynts the Lord be glorified and thanked for his great grace of constancy to whom be praise for euer Amen ¶ Foure suffered at Mayfield NExte after the Martyrdome of Edward Sharpe aboue sayd followed iiii which suffered at Mayfield in Sussex the xxiiii day of September anno 1556. Of whose names ii we finde recorded and the other two we yet know not and therefore according to our register here vnder they be specified as we find them Iohn Hart. Thomas Rauensdale A Shomaker And a Coriar Which sayd .4 being at the place where they shoulde suffer after they hadde made theyr prayer and were at the stake ready to abide the force of the fire they constantlye ioyfully yelded their liues for the testimony of the glorious Gospell of Iesus Christ vnto whome be prayse for euer and euer Amen The day after the Martyrdome of these foresayde at Mayfield which was the 24. of September an 1556. was a young man which by science was a Carpenter whose name we haue not put to death for the like testimonye of Iesus Christe at Bristowe where he yelding himselfe to the tormentes of the fire gaue vp his life into the handes of the Lord with such ioyfull constancye and triumphe as all the Church of Christe haue iust cause to prayse God for him The martyrdome of Iohn Horne and a woman NOw not long after the death of the sayde young man at Bristow in the same moneth were two mo godly Martyrs cōsumed by fire at Wotton Underhedge in Glocestershyre whose names are aboue specified which dyed very gloriously in a constaunt fayth to the terrour of the wicked and comforte of the Godly So graciously did the Lord worke in them that death vnto them was life and life with a blotted conscience was death ¶ A pitifull storye concerning the vnmercifull handling of W. Dangerfield and Ioane hys wife beyng in childbed taken out of her house wyth her sucking infant of 14. daies old layd in the common Iayle amongest theeues and murderers WHen I had written and finished the story of the Garnsey women with the young infant there with them burned and also had passed the burning of the poore blind woman Ioane Wast at Darby I well hoped I shoulde haue found no moe such stories of vnmerciful cruelty shewed vppon seely women with theyr children and young infantes but now cōming to the persecution of Glocester shyre about the partes of Bristow I finde an other story of such vnmercifulnes shewed agaynst a woman in child-bed as farre from all charitie and humanitie as hath ben anye other storye yet hetherto rehearsed as by the sequele hereof may appeare In the Parish of Wotton Underhedge not farre from Bristow was dwelling one W. Dangerfield a right honest and godly poore man who by Ioane Dangerfield his wife had ix Children and she nowe lying in childbed of the tenth Thys William after he had bene abroad from his house a certayne space for feare of persecution hearing that his wife was brought to bed repayred home to visite her as naturall duety required and to see his children she being now deliuered foure dayes before The returne of this man was not so soone known to some of his vnkinde vncharitable neighbours but they incensed with the spirite of Papistrye eftsoones beset the house about and there tooke the sayd W. Dangerfield caryed him to prison and so at length hee was brought to the Bishop being then Doctor Brookes in whose cruell handling he remayned a certayne space so longe till hys legges almost were freated off with yrons After the apprehension of the Husband the wife likewise was taken with her younge borne childe being but 14. dayes olde as is sayde out of her childbed and caryed into the common Iayle and there placed amongst theues and murderers where both shee and her poore innocent found so small charitie amongest the catholicke men that she neuer could come to any fire but was driuen to warm the clothes that she should put about the childe in her bosome In the meane season while they lay thus inclosed in seuerall prisons the husband and the wife the Bishop beginneth to practise not with the woman first as the serpent did with Eue but with the man craftily deceiuing his simplicitie with fayre glosing wordes falsely perswading him that his wife had recanted and asking him wherfore he should more stande in his owne conceate then shee being as well learned as he and so subtilly drew out a form of recantation wherewith hee deceiued the simple soule Whereunto after that he had once graunted that hee would consent although hee had not yet recanted they suffered hym to to go to his wife where shee laye in the common Iayle Then they with melting hartes opening their minds one to an other when he saw hys wife not released perceauing that he had not done well he declared vnto her the whole matter how falsely he was circumuented by the subtile flatteringes of the Byshop bearyng him in hand that certaynly she had recanted and thus deceiuing me sayde he brought this vnto me and so plucked out of hys bosome the copy of the recantation whereunto he had granted his promise At the sight whereof the wife hearyng what her husband had done her hart claue a sunder saying Alacke thus long haue we continued one and hath Satan so preuayled to cause you to breake your first vow made to Christ in Baptisme And so departed the saide W. and Ioane his wife with what heartes the Lorde knoweth Then began hee not a little to bewayle his promyse made to the Bishop and to make hys prayer to almighty God
desiring him that he might not liue so long as to cal euill good and good euill or light darkenes or darkenes light and so departed he home toward hys house where by the way homeward as it is affirmed he took his death and shortly after departed according to his prayer after he had endured in prison xii weekes After this Ioane his wife continued still in prison with her tender infant till at last she was brought before that Bishop to be examined Whereunto what her aunswers were it is not certainely knowne Howbeit most like it is what soeuer they were they pleased not the Bishoppe as appeared by his ire increased agaynst the poore woman her long continuance in the prison together with her tender babe which also remayned with her in the Iayle partaker of her Martyrdome so long as her milke would serue to geue it sucke till at length the childe being starued for colde and famine was sent away when it was past al remedie and so shortly after dyed And not long after the mother also followed besides the olde woman whiche was mother of the husband of the age of 80. yeares and vpwarde Who being left in the house after their apprehēsion for lacke of comfort there perished also And thus haue ye in one story the deathe of foure together first of the old woman then of the husband after that of the innocent childe and lastly of the mother What became of the other nine children I am not perfectly sure but that I partly vnderstand that they were all vndone by the same This story is reported and testified as well by other as namely by Mistres Bridges dwelling in the same town and partaker then of the like afflictions and hardly escaped with her life A Shomaker suffering in Northamton IN the moneth of October folowing was burned at the towne of Northampton a Shomaker a true witnesse and disciple of the Lorde who accordinge to the grace of God geuen vnto him cleauing fast to the sounde doctrin and preaching of Gods woord renounced the vntrue and false coloured religion of the Romish sea wherein manye a good man hath bene drowned After whom not long after in the same month of October died also in the Castle of Chichester thre godly confessors being there in bonds for the like cause of Christes Gospel who also should haue suffred the like Martyrdom had not theyr naturall deathe or rather as it is to be suspected the cruel handling of the papists made them away before and afterward buried them in the fielde I reade moreouer that in this present yeare to witte An. 1556. was burnt one called Hooke a true witnes of the Lordes truthe at Chester ¶ Fiue famished in Caunterbury Castell by the vnmercifull tyrannie of the Papistes about the beginning of Nouember AS among all the Bishops Boner bishop of London principally excelled in persecuting the poore members and Saintes of Christe so of all Archdeacons Nicholas Harpesfield Archdeacon of Cāterburie as may by mans sight appeare was the forest and of least compassion only Dunning of Norwich excepted by whose vnmercifull nature and agrest disposition verye many were putte to death in that dioces of Canterbury not onely in the bloudy time of that Queene but some also in the blessed beginning of this our moste renowmed Queene that nowe is as by the grace of Christ heereafter shall appeare Of those that suffered in Queene Maries time within the foresayd diocesse of Canterburie some be recited already with the order and fourme set downe of suche Articles as then were most commōly ministred to the examinates by Thorneton Suffragane of Douer and the sayde Nicholas Harpsefielde and other as before in the volume of this hystorie may appeare pag. 1683. Now to proceede in the order and course of time where we left next followeth the moneth of Nouember In the beginning whereof were together in the Castell of Caunterburie 15. godly and innocent Martyrs of which number not one escaped with theyr life but either were burned or els were famished in prisone Of that which two sortes which is the easier death God knoweth it is hard to iudge Notwithstāding the truth is that of these 15.10 were burned and suffered in the fire of whom in the next booke more shall follow hereafter the Lord willing The other 5. were pined and famished most vnmercifully in the straite prisone of whome we haue heere presently to entreate Whose names were these Whiche two were yet vncondemned 1. Iohn Clearke 2. Dunston Chittenden These were condemned to bee burnt 3. W. Foster of Stone 4. Alice Potkins wife of Stapleherst 5. Iohn Archer of Cranbroke weauer Of these 5. prisonners the firste two were vncondemned the other thre last were condemned and should haue bene burned but suffered no lesse tormentes then if they had abidde the fire being macerate and pined to death by famine What theyr articles and answers were it needeth not heere to recite seeing all they in that time of Queene Mary commonly suffered for one maner sort of cause that is for holding against the 7. Sacraments against the realtie of Christes being in his supper for speaking against the churche of Rome and determinations of the same against Images set vp and woorshipped in the churche for not comming to the church and such other like c. First William Foster answearing to these and like articles sayde that he beleeued well in all the Articles of the Creede but to beleeue to be m0e Sacraments then two and to pray to Saintes either to profite vs or to praye for soules in purgatorie to profit them that faith and works doe iustifie or to alow the popish ceremonies in the church that he denied Moreouer hee sayde to carie Candels vpon Candelmasse daye were as good for him as to carye a dungforke and that it is as necessary to cary the galowes about if his father were hanged as the crosse To come to the church he cannot sayd he with a safe conscience Concerning fish daies and flesh daies hee graunted it good to put difference therein except where necessity required the contrary This William Foster was a labouring man of the age of xl yeares He was apprehended and imprisoned by Sir Thomas Moyle Knight Alice Potkins for the like confession was condemned to be burned for that she was not neyther would be confessed to the Priest for that shee receiued not the sacrament of the aultare because shee would not pray to saincts nor creepe to the Crosse. c. Being demaunded of her age she sayde that shee was xlix yeares olde according to her olde age according to her yong age since she learned Christ shee was of one yeares age and was committed by maister Roberts to prisone The answer and confession of Iohn Archer of Crambroke was muche in like sorte And although certayne of these vpon ignorant simplicitie swarued a litle in the
number of Sacraments some graunting one sacrament that is the body of Christ hanging vpon the crosse some moe some lesse c. yet in the principal matter touching the doctrins of saluation for faith to stay vpon and in disagreing from the dreaming determinations of the Popish church they moste agreed Concerning the not praying to saints and for the deade in Purgatorie for not creepynge to the crosse for faith onely to iustifie for taking of an oth such other like he graunted as the other had done This father Archer by his occupation a Weauer of the towne of CraÌ„broke of the age of 50. yeres was attached and imprisonned by syr Iohn Gilforde knighte And thus haue yee the cause and imprisonment of these 5. godly prisoners Now as touching the cruelty of theyr death for that yee shal not surmise the suspicion or relation thereof to proceede of my selfe ye shall heare theyr own testimonie and certification by their owne letter thrown out of the prison concerning the vnmercifull dealing of the Catholicke tyrantes in famishing them as is aforesayde The woordes and copye of theyr letter is this The copie of a Letter wrytten and cast out of the Castle of Cant. by the prisoners there in bands for Gods word declaring how the Papistes went aboute to famishe them to death of the which companie fiue were famished amongest them all ready BE it knowen to all men that shall read or heare redde these our letters that we the pore prisoners of the Castle of Canterburie for Gods truth are kept and lie in cold yrons our keepers wil not suffer any meat to be brought to vs to comfort vs. And if any man do bring any thyng as bread butter cheese or any other foode the saide keeper wil charge them that so bring vs any thing except mony or raiment to carie it with them againe or els if he do receiue any foode of any for vs he doeth keepe it for himself and he and his seruaunts do spend it so that we haue nothing thereof and thus the keeper keepeth away our victuals from vs. In so muche that there are 4. of vs prisonners there for Gods truthe famished already and thus is it his minde to famish vs all and we thinke he is apoynted thereunto of the Bishops and priestes and also of the iustices so to famish vs and not onely vs of the saide Castel but also all other prisoners in other prisons for the lyke cause to be also famished notwithstanding we wryte not these our letters to that entent we moughte not aforde to be famished for the Lord Iesus sake but for this cause and entent that they hauing no law so to famish vs in prison should not doe it priuely but that the murtherers heartes should be openly knowen to all the world that all menne may know of what church they are who is their father Out of the Castel of Canterburie The trouble and vexation of good people in the Diocesse of Lichfield THese foresayde monethes of September Nouember and December as they were troublesome to diuers other places and especially to the Dioces of Canterburie by reason of the Archdeacon aboue named so likewyse they brought no little busines in the countrey of Lichfield and Couentrie by a cruel bishop there called Rafe Bane and a more cruell Chauncellor named Doctour Draycot through the fierce inquisition of whome great stirre was there amonge the people being called to examination for theyr Faith and many caused to beare fagottes Who althoâ—h they were not put to the torment of death yet because it may appeare what a number there is in the countrys of England abroade which in theyr hearts haue a misliking of the Popes Romish lawes and religion if for fear they durst vtter theyr mindes I thought to make a rehearsall of theyr names which in the foresayde Diocesse of Couentrie and Lichfielde were taken in suspicion and examined for theyr Religion And first amongst them that were detected and inioyned to the popish penance that is to beare a fagot candel and beades about in procession were Agnes Forman detected examined and by witnesse conuicted and bare a fagot the 12. of Septemb. Likewise Margery Kirry Thomas Norreis Thomas Stiffe William Kayme Robert Katrenes Thomas Smith Iohn Borsley the younger Iteâ— Iohn Waterhouse against whom came in witnesse and accusers Richarde Caterbanke I. Edge William Smith Robert Cooke laying against him for seldome coÌ„ming to the Churche for geuing no reuerence at the leuation of the Sacrament but looking vpon his booke for not kissing the paxe c. Robert Bissel Leonard West Richard Baily of the parish of Whiteacre These were depriued Nicholas Cartwright Doctor Richard Iurdian Priest Edmund Crokel Priest Thomas Whitehead Priest William Taylour Priest Anselme Sele Priest Richard Slauie Priest maryed Edward Hawes Priest maried Robert Aston Priest depriued Henry Tecka Priest depriued Rob. Mossey priest maried depriued Beside these were diuers other which in like sort were detected accused and examined although they bare no fagot but were dimissed as Richard Kempe Iohn Frankling William Marler Ielius Dudley Eustache Bysacre William Shene Antonie Afterwittel Tho. Steilbe Henry Birdlim William Mosley Iohn Leeche Iohn Richardson Anthony Iones alias Pulton Thom. Wilson Thomas Lynacres and Hugh Lynacres hys sonne Isabel Parker Martine Newman William Enderby Cicely Preston Thomas Saulter Ihon Stamford shomaker Richard Woodburne Thomas Arnall Shoomaker Iohn Robinson Hugh More Shoomaker Iohn Adale Thomas Arche Fraunces Warde Iohn Auines Richard Foxal Thomas Underdoune Rich. Weauer The next moneth following being October came vnder examination Ioyce Lewes gentlewoman of whome we deferre to speake vntil the next yeare at what time she was burned These forenamed persones with many moe folowing in the next yeare after although they did subscribe and relent through feare of death yet for thys cause I doe heere recite them that by them it myght appeare what a number there were not onely in the countrey of Lichfield but also in other parties in heart set against the Popes procedings if that feare rather then conscience had not compelled them to the contrary ⧠The conclusion of this XI Booke with a briefe storie of Syr Iohn Cheeke c. ANd thus haue yee the whole persecution of thys yere declared which was the yeare of our Lord 1556. and the fourth of Quene Maries raigne with the names and causes of all them which suffered Martyrdome within the compasse of the sayd yeare the number of all which slayne Martyred in diuers places of England at sundry times this yere came to aboue 84. persons whereof many were women wines widowes and maidens besides them which otherwise by secreate practise were made awaye or driuen out of goodes and houses or out of the Realme or els within the realme were put to penaunce and coacted by forceable violence to recante saue onely that I haue omitted the story of Sir Iohn Cheeke Knight
that day or the daye following I should haue sent thence 22. heretickes indited before the Commissioners in dede so I had compelled to beare theyr charges as I did of the other which both stoode me aboue 20. nobles a summe of money that I thought full euill bestowed And these heretickes notwithstanding they had honest Catholicke keepers to conduct and bring them vp to me and in all the way frō Colchester to Stradford of the Bow did goe quietly and obediently yet comming to Stratford they began to take hart of grace and to doe as pleased themselues for there they beganne to haue theyr garde which generally increased till they came to Algat◠where they were lodged Friday night And albeit I tooke order that the sayde heretickes shoulde be with me very early on saterday mornyng to the intent they mighte quietlye come and bee examined by me yet it was ¶ The Picture of xxij godly and faythfull Christians apprehended about Colchester prisoned together in one band and so with three leaders at the most brought vp to London betweene x. and a xi of the clocke before they would come and no waye woulde they take but through Cheapside so that they were brought to my house with about a thousande Persons Which thing I tooke very strange and spake to sir Iohn Gressam then being with me to tell the Mayor and the Sheriffes that thys thing was not well suffered in the City These naughty hereticks all the way they came through Cheapside both exhorted the people to their part and had much comfort à promiscua plebe and being entred into my house and talked withall they shewed thēselues desperate and very obstinate yet I vsed al the honest meanes I could both by my self and other to haue wonne them causing diuers learned men to talke with them and finding nothing in them but pride and wilfulnes I thought to haue had them all hether to Fulham and here to geue sentence agaynst them Neuerthelesse perceiuing by my last doing that your grace was offended I thought it my duetie before I any thing further proceded herein to aduertise first your grace hereof and knowe your good pleasure whiche I beseeche your grace I may doe by thys trusty bearer And thus most humblye I take my leaue of youre good grace beseeching almighty God alwayes to preserue the same At Fulllam postridie Natiu .1556 Your graces most bounden Bedesman and seruaunt Edmond Boner By this letter of Bishop Boner to the Cardinall is to be vnderstand what good will was in this Bish. to haue the bloud of these men and to haue past with sentence of condemnation agaynst them had not the Cardinal somwhat as it seemed haue stayed his feruent headines Concerning the which Cardinal although it cannot be denyed by his Actes and writings but that he was a professed enemy and no otherwise to be reputed but for a papist yet agayne it is to be supposed that he was none of the bloudy cruell sort of papistes as may appeare not only by staying the rage of this Byshop but also by his solicitous writing and long letters written to Cranmer also by the complaintes of certayne papistes accusing him to the Pope to bee a bearer with the heretickes by the popes letters sent to him vpon the same calling him vp to Rome setting Fryer Peto in his place had not Q. Mary by special entreaty haue kept him out of the popes danger All whiche letters I haue if neede be to shewe besides also that it is thought of him that toward his latter end a little before his comming from Rome to England he begā somwhat to sauour the doctrine of Luther and was no lesse suspected at Rome Yea furthermore did there at Rome conuert a certayne learned Spanyarde from papisme to Luthers side notwithstanding the pompe and glory of the world afterward caryed him away to play the papist thus as he did But of this Cardinall enough To returne now to this godly company agayne first how they were brought vp in bandes to London ye haue heard Also how Boner was about to haue red the Sentence of death vpon them how he was stayed by the Cardinall ye vnderstand As touching their confession which they articled vp in writing it were to tedious to recite the whole at length Briefly touching the article of the Lords Supper for the whiche they were chieflye troubled thus they wrote as here followeth The supper of the Lord. WHeras Christ at his last supper took bread whē he had geuē thanks he brake it gaue it to hys disciples and sayd take eate this is my body likewise tooke the cup and thanked c. We do vnderstand it to be a figuratiue speache as the most maner of his language was in parrables darke sentences that they which are carnally minded should see with their eyes and not perceiue and heare with their eares not vnderstand signifying this that as he did breake the breade among them being but one loafe they al were partakers thereof so we through his body in that it was broken and offered vpon the crosse for vs are all partakers thereof and his bloud clenseth vs from our sinnes hath pacified Gods wrath towards vs and made the attonement betwene God vs if we walke henceforth in the light euen as he is the true light And in that he sayd further do this in the remembrance of me it is a memoriall and token of the suffering death of Iesu Christ and he commaunded it for this cause that the congregatiō of Christ should come together to shew his death and to thanke and laud him for all his benefites magnifye his holy name so to breake the bread drinke the wine in remembrance that Christ had geuen his body and shed his bloud for vs. Thus you may well perceiue though Christe called the bread his body the wine his bloud yet it followeth not that the substaunce of his body shoulde be in the bread and wine as diuers places in Scripture are spoken by Christ and the Apostles in lyke phrase of speach as in Iohn 15. I am the true vine also in Iohn the .10 I am the doore and as it is written in the 9. to the Hebrues and in Exodus 24. how Moyses tooke the bloud of the Calues and sprinckled both the booke and all the people saying This is the bloud of the couenant or Testament And also in the 5. chapter of Ezechiell how the Lord said vnto him concerning the third parte of his heare saying This is Hierusalem c. Thus we see the Scriptures how they are spoken in figures and ought to be spiritually examined and not as they would haue vs to say that the bodily presēce of christ is in the bread which is a blasphemous vnderstanding of the godly word and is contrary to all holy scriptures Also we do see
the Guildhall in Norwich where shee remayned vntill her death This Cicelie Ormes was a very simple woman but yet zelous in the Lordes cause beyng borne in East Deram and was there the daughter of one Thomas Haund Tailor She was taken the v. day of Iuly and dyd for a twelue month before she was taken recant but neuer after was she quiet in conscience vntill she was vtterly driuen from all their Poperie Betweene the tyme she recanted and that she was taken she had gotten a letter made to geue to the Chancellor to let hym know that she repēted her recantation from the bottome of her hart would neuer do the like again while she liued But before she exhibited her bil she was taken sent to prison as is before sayd She was burnt the 23. day of September betweene 7. and 8. of the clocke in the morning the sayd two shirifes being there and of people to the number of 200. When she came to the stake she kneeled downe and made her prayers to God That beyng done she rose vp and sayde good people I beleeue in God the father God the sonne and God the holy ghost three persons and one God ¶ The burnyng of Cicelie Ormes at Norwich ¶ The trouble and disturbance among good men and women at Lichfield AFter the death and Martyrdome of maistresse Ioyce Lewys a little aboue specified diuers good men and women in the same towne of Lichfield were vexed and in trouble before the Bishop and his Chauncellor for kissing the sayd Ioyce Lewys and drinking with her about the tyme of her death the names of which persones were these Ioane Loue Elizabeth Smith Margaret Biddell Helene Bouring Margaret Cootesfote Nich. Bird Ioh. Hurlstone and his wyfe Agnes Glyn Agnes Glouer Agnes Penyfather c. These with other were produced to their examination before the Bishop his Chācellor for the cause aboue named and therefore adiudged for heretikes for that they did pray and drinke with the sayd maistresse Lewys but especially Agnes Penyfather sustained the most trouble for that she accompanied the sayde Ioyce Lewys goyng to her death Whiche Agnes beyng examined further of the sayd Bishop what words she had spoken to two priestes of the church of Lichfield called Iohn Adye and Iames Foxe concernyng the sayd Ioyce Lewys after her burnyng sayd as followeth that she beyng asked by the said two priests beyng at her fathers house in the Citie of Lichfield at such tyme as she came frō the burning of the sayd Ioyce Lewys wherefore shee the sayd Agnes did weep for such an heretike meanyng Ioice Lewys whose soule sayd they was in hell the sayd Agnes Penyfather to the demaund made this aunswer that she thought the sayde blessed Martyr to bee in better case then the sayde two Priestes were With the which wordes she beyng charged and willed to submit her selfe as the other had done aboue rehersed to such penaunce as they should inioyne vnto her refused so to do and therfore was commaunded to close prison the shiriffes beyng charged with her vnder payne of one hundred poundes that none should haue any accesse vnto her At length at the perswasion of her friendes shee was compelled to doe as the other had done before And thus much concernyng thyngs done at Lichfield ¶ The Persecution and crueltie exercised by the Papistes in the Diocesse of Chichester ANd now from Lichfield to come to Chichester although we haue but little to report thereof for lacke of certaine relation and recordes of that countrey yet it seemeth no little trouble and persecution there also to haue raged as in other countreys For what place was there almost in all the Realme where the Popes ministers did not besturre them murtheryng some or other as in the Acts of this ecclesiastical history may sufficiently appeare Wherfore as this plague of the popes tiranny was generall to all other people and countries of England so likewyse in the Diocesse of Chichester diuers and many there were condemned and martyred for the true testimony of righteousnesse within the compasse of Queene Maries raigne In the number of whom were these Martyrs Iohn Foreman of Estgrimsted Iohn Warner of Berne Christian Grouer of the Archdeaconry of Lewys Thomas Athoth Priest Thomas Auyngton of Erdinglie Dennis Burgis of Buxsted Thomas Rauensdale of Rie Iohn Milles of Hellinglegh Nich Holden of Withiam Iohn Hart of Withiam Margery Morice of Hethfield Anne Trie of Estgrenested Iohn Oseward of Woodmancote Thomas Harland of Woodmancote Iames Morice of Hethfield Tho. Dougate of Estgrenested Iohn Ashedon of Ketherfield The greatest doers against these godly and true faithfull Martyrs and sitters vpon their condemnation were these Christopherson the Bishop after Day Rich. Brisley Doctour of Lawe and Chauncellour of Chichester Rob. Taylor Bacheler of Lawe his Deputy Tho. Paccard Ciuilian Anth. Clarke Albane Langdale Bach. of Diuinitie c. ¶ The examination of Thomas Spurdance one of Queene Maries seruaunts before the Chauncellour of Norwich THe Bishops Chauncellour did aske me if I had bene with the priest and confessed my sinnes vnto him And I sayd no I had confessed my sinnes to God and God sayeth In what hower so euer a sinner doth repent and be sory for his sinnes and aske hym forgeuenes willyng no more so to doe he will no more recken his sinne vnto him and that is sufficient for me Then sayd the Chancellor Thou deniest the Sacrament of penance I said I deny not penance but I deny that I shoulde shew my sinnes vnto the priest Then sayd the Chancellor that is a deniyng of the sacrament of penance Write this Article Haue you receiued the blessed sacrament of the aulter sayd he at this tyme of Easter And I sayd no. And why haue ye not sayth he I said I dare not meddle with you in it as you vse it Why do not we vse it truly sayd he I sayde no for the holy supper of the Lord serueth for the Christen congregation and you are none of Christes members therfore I dare not meddle with you least I be like vnto you Why are wee none of Christes members sayde the Chancellor I sayd because you teache lawes contrary to Gods lawe What lawes are those sayd he I sayd these 3. articles that you sweare the people vnto here be false and vntrue and you do euill to sweare the people vnto them Then sayd hee Good people take no heede vnto hys words for he is an heretike teacheth you disobedience and so he would no more speake of that matter Then said he how beleuest thou in the blessed Sacrament of the aultar doest thou not beleeue that after it is consecrated it is the very same body that was borne of the virgin Mary I sayd no not the same body in substance for the same body hath a substance in flesh bloud and bones and was a bloudy sacrifice and this is a dry sacrifice And I sayd
till he come and therefore I meruaile ye blushe not before all this people to lye so manifestly as ye doe With that Gascoine held his peace made her no answer for as it seemed he was ashamed of his doyngs Then the Chancellor lift vp his hed of from his cushion and commanded the Gaoler to take her away Dry. Now sayd she ye be not able to resist the truth ye coÌ„maund me to prison agayne Well the Lord in the end shal iudge our cause and to hym I leaue it Iwisse iwisse this geare will go for no payment then So went she with the Gaoler away The second examination of Alice Dryuer THe next day she came before them agayne the Chancellor then asked her what she said to the blessed sacrament of the aulter Dry. I will say nothing to it for you will neither beleeue me nor your selues For yesterday I asked you what a sacrament was and you sayde it was a signe and I agreed therto sayd it was the truth confirming it by the scriptures so that I went not from your owne words now ye come and aske me agayne of such a sacrament as I told you I neuer red of in the scriptures Spens Thou lyest naughty woman we did not say that it was a signe Dry. Why maisters be ye not the meÌ„ that you were yesterday will ye eat your owne wordes Are ye not ashamed to lie before all this multitude here present who heard you speake the same Then stoode vp D. Gascoine said she was deceyued for there were three churches the malignant church the church militant and the church triumphaÌ„t So he would â—ame haue made matter but he could not tell which way Dry. Sir is there mention made of so many Churches in the scripture Gasc Yea. Dry. I pray you where find you this word Church written in the scripture Gasc It is written in the new Testament Dry I pray you sir shew the place where it is written Gasc I cannot tell the place but there it is With that she desired him to looke in his Testament Then he fombled sought about him for one but at that tyme he had none that he knew well enough though he seemed to search for it At the last she said Haue ye none here sir Gasc No. Dâ—y I thought so much in deede that ye were little acquainted withall Surely you be a good Doctor You say you sit here to iudge accordyng to the law and howe can you geue iudgement haue not the booke of the law with you At which words Gascoine was out of countenance and asked her if she had one Dry. No sayd she Gasc Then sayd he I am as good a doctor as you Dry. Well sir I had one but you tooke it from me as you would take me from Christ if you could and since would ye not suffer me to haue any booke at all so burnyng is your charitie But you may well know I thanke God that I haue exercised the same Els could I not haue answered you to Gods glory be it spokeÌ„ as I haue Thus she put them all to silence that one looked on another and had not a word to speake Dry. Haue you no more to say God be honoured You bee not able to resist the spirit of God in me a poore woman I was an honest poore mans daughter neuer brought vp in the vniuersitie as you haue bene but I haue driuen the plough before my father many a tyme I thanke God yet notwithstandyng in the defence of Gods truth and in the cause of my maister Christ by his grace I will set my foote against the foote of any of you all in the maintenance and defence of the same and if I had a thousand lyues it would go for payment thereof So the Chancellour rose vp and red the sentence in Latine of condemnation and committed her to the secular power so went she to prison agayne as ioyful as the bird of day praysing and glorifiyng the name of God ¶ Alexander Gouche Martyr AT which tyme Alexander Gouch also was examined who was taken with her as before is said whose examination here after followeth This Alexander Gouch was examined chiefly of the Sacrament other ceremonies of the popish church And as for that his beliefe was that Christ was ascended into heauen and there remayneth that the Sacrament was the remembraunce of his death and passion and for refusing the Masse and the Pope to be supreme hed of Christs Church for these causes was he condemned died with Alice Dryuer at Ipswich the 4. of Nouember which was the Monday after All Saintes 1558. D. Myles Spenser beyng Chancellor they both endyng their lyues with earnest zeale nothing fearyng to speake their conscience wheÌ„ they were commaunded to the contrary These two godly personnes beyng come to the place where the stake was set by 7. of the clocke in the morning notwithstandyng they came the selfe same mornyng from Melton Gaole which is vj. myles from Ipswich beyng in their prayers and singyng of Psalmes both of them together Sir Henry Dowell then beyng Shiriffe was very much offended with them and wylled the Bailiffes of Ipswich to bidde them make an ende of their Prayers they kneelyng vpon a broome fagot one of the Bailiffes whose name was Richard Smart commaunded them to make an ende saying On on haue done haue done make an ende nayle them to the stake yet they continued in prayer Then sir Henry sent one of his men whose name is Rich. Coue that they should make an end Then Gouch stood vp and sayd vnto the Shiriffe I pray you M. Shirife let vs pray a litle while for we haue but a little tyme to lyue here Then said the Bailife Come of haue them to the fire Then the sayd Gouch and Alice Driuer sayde Why M. Shiriffe and M. Bayliffe wyll you not suffer vs to pray Away said sir Henry to the stake with them The Martyrdome of Alexander Gouch and Driuers wyfe Then diuers came tooke them by the handes as they were bound standing at the stake The shiriffe cryed laye hands on them lay hands on them With that a great nuÌ„ber ran to the stake The shirife seyng that let them all alone so that there was not one taken There was one Bate a Barbour a busie doer about theÌ„ who hauing theÌ„ a freese gowne vpon hym sold it immediately saying it stunke of heretikes with other foule wordes moe After this within three or foure weekes Gods hand was vpon hym and so he dyed very miserably in Ipswich The Martyrdome of three which were burned at Bury for the true testimony of Iesus Christ. ALthough our history hasteth apace the Lord be praysed to the happy death of Queene Mary yet she died not so soone but some there were burned before and moe should haue bene burnt soone after them if Gods
execution done vpoÌ„ the same which for that he had not done the matter he sayd was great and therfore wylled him to look well vnto it how he would aunswere the matter And thus began he fiercely to lay to his charge Wherin note gentle Reader by the way the close and couert hypocrisy of the Papistes in theyr dealinges Who in the forme and stile of their owne sentence coÌ„demnatory pretend a petition vnto the seculer power In visceribus Iesu Christi vt iuris rigor mitigetur atque vt parcatur vitae That is That the rigour of the law may be mitigated and that their life may be spared And how standeth this now with their owne doinges and dealinges when this Chauncellour as ye see is not onely contented to geue Sentence agaynst them but also hunteth here after the Officer not suffering him to spare them although he would What dissimulation is this of men goyng and doyng contrarye to their owne wordes and profession But let vs returne to our mattâ—â— agayne The Sheriffe hearing the ChauÌ„cellours wordes and seeing him so vrging vpon him tolde him agayne that he was no babe which nowe was to be taught of hym If he had any writ to warrant and discharge him in burning those men then he knew what he had to do Why saith the Chauncellour did not I geue you a writ with my hande and 8. moe of the Close set vnto the same Well quoth the Sheriffe that is no sufficient discharge to me and therfore as I told you if ye haue a sufficient writ and warrant froÌ„ the superiour powers I know then what I haue to do in my office otherwise if you haue no other writ but that I tell you I wil neither burne them for you nor none of you all c. Where note agayne good Reader how by this it may be thought and supposed that the other poore Saintes and Martyrs of God such as had bene burned at Salisburye before were burned belike without any authorised or sufficient writ from the superiours but onely vpon the information of the Chauncellour and of the Close through the vncircumspect negligence of the Sheriffes which shoulde haue looked more substantially vpon the matter But this I leaue and referre vnto the Magistrates Let vs returne to the story agayne Doct. Geffrey the Chauncellour thus sent away from the Sheriffe went home and there fel sicke vpon the same for anger belike as they signified vnto me whiche were the partyes themselues both godly and graue persons who were then condemned the one of them which is Richarde White being yet aliue The vnder Sheriffe to this Syr Anthony HuÌ„gerford aboue named was one M. Michell likewise a right and a perfect godly man So that not long after this came down the writ to burne the aboue named Rich. White Iohn Hunt but the vnder Sheriffe receiuing the said writ sayd I will not be guilty quoth he of these mens bloud immediately burnt the writing and departed his way With in 4. dayes after the Chauncellour dyed Concerning whose death this coÌ„meth by the way to be noted that theâ—e 2. foresaid Iohn Hunt and Richard White being the same time in a lowe and darcke Dungeon being Saterday toward euening according to theyr accustomed maner fell to euening prayer Who kneeling there together as they should begin theyr prayer sodeÌ„ly fel both to such a strauÌ„ge weeping tendernes of hart but how they could not tell that they could not pray one word but so coÌ„tinued a great space brusting out in teares After that night was past and the morning come the first word they heard was that the Chauncellour theyr great enemy was dead The tyme of whose death they found to be the same houre wheÌ„ as they fell in such a sodeyne weeping The Lord in all his holy workes be praysed Amen Thus muche concerning the death of that wicked Chauncellour This Richard White and the sayd Iohn Hunt after the death of the Chauncellour the Byshop also being dead a litle before continued still in prison til the happy coÌ„ming in of Queene Elizabeth and so were set at liberty * The Martyrdome of a young lad of eight yeares olde scourged to death in Bishop Boners house in London IF bloudy tormâ—ntes and cruell death of a poore innocent suffering for no cause of his owne but in the trueth of Christ and his Religion do make a Martyr no lesse deserueth the child of one Iohn Fetty to be reputed in the Catalogue of holy Martirs who in the house of Bishop Boner vnmercifuly was scourged to death as by the sequele of this story here folowing may appeare Amongest those that were persecuted miserably imprisoned for the profession of Christes Gospell yeâ— mercifully deliuered by the prouidence of God there was one Iohn Fetty a simple and godly poore man dwelling in the parish of Clerkenwell was by vocation a Taylor of the age of 42. yeres or therabout who was accused and complained of vnto one Brokenbury a priest a parson of the same parish by his own wife for that he would not come vnto the church be partaker of theyr Idolatry superstition therfore through the sayd priestes procurement he was appreheÌ„ded by Rich. Tanner his felow constables there and one Martin the Hedborough Howbeit immediatly vpoÌ„ his appreheÌ„sion his wife by the iust iudgemeÌ„t of God was stricken mad and distract of her wits which declared a maruelous exaÌ„ple of the iustice of God agaynst such vnfaythfull and most vnnaturall treachery And although this example perhaps for lack of knowledge instruction in such cases little moued the consciences of those simple poore meÌ„ to surcease their persecutioÌ„ yet natural pity towards that vngratefull woman wrought so in theyr harts that for the preseruation sustentatioÌ„ of her her 2. children like otherwise to perishe they for that present let her husband alone and would not cary him to prison but yet suffered him to remayne quietly in his own house During whiche time he as it were forgetting the wicked and vnkinde fact of his wife did yet so cherish and prouide for her that within the space of three weekes through Gods mercifull prouidence she was well ameÌ„ded and had recouered agayne some stay of her wits and senses But suche was the power of Sathan in the malicious hart of that wicked woman that notwithstanding his geÌ„tle dealing with her yet she so soone as she had recouered some health did agayne accuse her husband whereupon he was the second time apprehended and caryed vnto Syr Iohn Mordaunt Knight one of the Queenes Commissioners and he vppon examination sent him by Cluny the Bishops Sumner vnto the Lollardes Tower where he was euen at the first put into the paynefull stockes and haâ— a dish of water set by him with a stone put into it To what purpose God knoweth except it were to shew that he shuld look for
sondrye incident to the same and especiallye touching the great stirres alterations which haue happened in other foreine nations and also partly among our selues here at home for so muche as the tractation heereof requireth an other Uolume by it selfe I shall therefore deferre the reader to the next Booke or Section insuing wherein if the Lorde so please to sustaine me with leaue and life I may haue to discourse of all and singulare suche matters done and atchieued in these our latter daies and memorie more at large Now then after these so great afflictions falling vpon this Realm from the first beginning of Queene Maries reigne wherein so many men women and children were burned many imprisoned and in prisones starued diuers exiled some spoyled of goodes possessions a great number driuen from house to home so many weeping eyes so many sobbing hartes so many children made fatherles so many fathers bereft of theyr wiues and children so many vexed in conscience and diuers against conscience coÌ„strained to recant and in conclusion neuer a good man almost in all the Realme but suffered something during all the time of this bloudy persecution after all this I say now we are come at length the Lord be praysed to the 17. day of Nouember which day as it brought to the persecuted members of Christ rest from theyr carefull mourning so it easeth me somewhat likewise of my laborious writing by the death I meane of Queene Mary Who being long sicke before vpon the sayd xvij day of Nouember in the yeare aboue sayde about 3. or 4. a clocke in the morning yelded her life to nature and her kingdome to Queene Elizabeth her sister As touching the maner of whose death some say that she dyed of a Tympany some by her much sighing before her death supposed she dyed of thought sorow Wherevpon her Counsell seing her sighing desirous to know the cause to the ende they might minister the more readye consolation vnto her feared as they sayd that she took the thought for the kinges Maiesty her husband which was gone from her To whom she answering againe In deed sayd she that may be one cause but that is not the greatest wound that pearseth my oppressed minde but what that was she would not expresse to them Albeit afterward she opened the matter more plainly to M. Rise and Mistres Clarentius if it be true that they tolde me whiche hearde it of M. Rise himselfe who then being most familiar with her most bold about her tolde her that they feared she took thought for king Philips departing from her Not that onely sayde she but when I am dead opened you shall find Calice lying in my hart c. And here an end of Queene Mary and of her persecution Of which Queene this truely may be affirmed left in story for a perpetual memorial or Epitaph for al kings and Queenes that shal succeed her to be noted that before her neuer was readde in story of any King or Queene of England since the time of king Lucius vnder whome in time of peace by hanging heading burning and prisoning so much Christian bloud so many Englishmens liues were spilled within this Realme as vnder the sayd Queene Mary for the space of foure yeres was to be sene and I beseech the Lord neuer may be sene hereafter ⧠A briefe declaration shewing the vnprosperous successe of Queene Mary in persecuting Gods people and how mightily God wrought agaynst her in all her affayres NOw for so much as Queene Mary during all the time of her reigne was suche a vehement Aduersary and Persecutour agaynst the sincere Professours of Christ Iesus and his Gospell for the which there be many which do highly magnify approue her doinges therein reputing her Religion to be founde and Catholicke and her proceedinges to be most acceptable and blessed of almighty God to the inteÌ„t therfore that all men may vnderstande howe the blessing of the Lorde God did not onely not proceed with her proceedings but coÌ„trary rather how his manifest displesure euer wrought agaynst her in plaguing both her and her Realme and in subuerting all her counselles and attemptes whatsoeuer she tooke in hand we will bestow a litle time therein to perpend and suruey the whole course of her doinges and â—heuaunces and coÌ„sider what successe she had in the same Which being well considered we shall finde neuer no reigne of any Prince in this Land or any other whiche had euer to shew in it for the proportion of time so many arguments of Gods great wrath displesure as was to be sene in the reigne of this Queene Mary whether we behold the shortnes of her time or the vnfortunate euent of all her purposes who seemed neuer to purpose any thing that came luckely to passe neither did any thing frame to her purpose what so euer she tooke in hande touching her owne priuate affayres Of good kinges we read in the Scripture in shewing mercy and pity in seeking Gods will in his word subuerting the monumentes of Idolatry howe God blessed theyr wayes encreased theyr honours and mightely prospered all their proceedinges as we see in king Dauid Salomon Iosias Iosaphath Ezechias with such other Manasses made the streetes of Hierusalem to swimme with the bloud of his subiects but what came of it the text doth testify Of Queene Elizabeth whiche nowe raigneth among vs this we must needes say which we see that she in sparing the bloud not onely of Gods seruauntes but also of Gods enemies hath doubled now the raygne of Queene Mary her sister with such aboundance of peace and prosperitie that it is hard to say whether the realme of England felt more of Gods wrath in Queene Maryes tyme or of Gods fauour and mercy in these so blessed peaceable dayes of Queene Elizabeth Gamaliell speaking his minde in the Counsaile of the Phariseis concerning Christes religion gaue this reason that if it were of God it should continue who soeuer sayd nay If it were not it could not stand So may it be sayde of Q. Mary and her romishe Religion that if it were so perfect and Catholicke as they pretend and the contrarye fayth of the Gospellers were so detestable and hereticall as they make it how commeth it then that this so Catholicke a Queene suche a necessarye piller of his spouse hys Church continued no longer till shee had vtterly rooted out of the land this hereticall generation Yea how chanced it rather yâ— almightye God to spare these poore heretickes rooted out Q. Mary so soone from her throne after she had reigned but onely v. yeares and v. monthes Now furthermore howe God blessed her wayes and endeuours in the meane tyme while shee thus persecuted the true seruauntes of God remayneth to bee discussed Where first this is to be noted that when shee first began to stand for the title of the Crowne and yet had wrought
and burning them hee denyed not but that he was once at the burning of an herewygge fo◠so he termed it at Uxbridge where he tost a faggot at his face as hee was singing Psalmes and set a wynbushe of thornes vnder his feete a little to pricke him wyth many other words of like effect In the whiche words he named moreouer syr Phillip Hobby an other knight of Kent with such other of the richer and higher degree whom his Counsell was to plucke at to bring them vnder coram wherein sayd he if they had followed my aduise then had they done well and wisely This or much like was the effect of the shameles and tyrannicall excuse of hym selfe more meete to speake with the voyce of a beast then of a man Although in this Parliament some diuersitie there was of iudgement opinion betweene parties yet notwithstanding through the mercifull goodnes of the Lord the true cause of the Gospell had the vpper hand the Papistes hope was frustrate and theyr rage abated the order and proceedinges of king Edwardes time concerning religion was reuiued agayne the supremacie of the Pope abolished the articles and bloudy statutes of Queene Mary repealed briefly the furious firebrandes of cruell persecution which had consumed so many poore mens bodyes were now extinct and quenched Finally the olde Byshops deposed for that they refused the othe in renouncing the pope and not subscribing to the Queenes iust and lawfull title In whose rowmes and places first for Cardinall Poole succeeded D. Mathew Parker Archbishop of Canterbury In the place of Heth succeeded D. Young In steede of Boner Edmund Grindall was Bishop of London For Hopton Thurlby Tonstall Pates Christoferson Peto Coates Morgan Feasy White Oglethorpe c. were placed Doctor Iohn Parkust in Norwich D. Coxe in Ely Iuell in Salisbury Pilkenton in Duresme Doctor Sandes in Worcester Mayster Downam in Westchester Bentam in Couentry and Lichfield Dauid in S. Dauies Ally in Exceter Horn in Winchester Scory in Hereford Best in Carlile Bullingham in Lincoln Scamler in Peterbury Bart let in Bath Gest in Rochester Barlo in Chi. c. ¶ And here to make an end of this Story Now it remayneth to proceed further to the Appendix in supplying such thinges as haue either bene omitted or newly inserted as foloweth ⧠The Appendix of such Notes and Matters as either haue bene in this History omitted or newly inserted IN this Story of Sir Roger Acton aboue mentioned pag. 587. I finde that with him were taken many other persōs that all the prisons in about London were replenished with people The chiefe of thē which were 29. were condemned of heresy atteynted of high treason as mouers of war agaynst theyr king by the temporall law in the Guild hall the 12. day of December and adiudged to be drawne and hanged for treasō and for heresy to be consumed with fire Gallowes and all which iudgement was executed in Ianuary following on the sayde Syr Roger Acton and 28. other Some say that the occasion of theyr death was the cōueyance of the Lord Cobham out of Prison Other write that it was both for treason as the aduersaries termed it and heresy Certayne affirme that it was for feyned causes surmised by the spiritualty more of displeasure thē truth as seemeth more neare to the truth * Concerning Iohn Frith of his life and story this foloweth more to be added and to be referred to the page 103◠FIrst this Iohn Frith was borne in the Towne of Westrame in Kent who after by diligent especialles was takē in Essex flying beyond the seas brought before the Counsaile Syr Thomas More thē being Chauncellor and so from them committed vnto the Tower where he remayned prisoner the space of a quarter of a yeare or there about It chaunced that Doctour Curreyne ordinary Chapleyne vnto King Henry the eighte preached a Sermō in Lent before his Maiesty And there verye sore enueying agaynste the Sacramentaryes as they thē termed and named which fauored not the grosse opinion that Christes body was carnally reall in the Sacrament he so farre discoursed in that matter that at the length he brake out thus far and sayd It is no maruayle though this abhominable heresye doe muche preuayle among vs for there is one nowe in the Tower of London so bolde as to write in the defence of that heresye and yet no man goeth about his reformation meaning Iohn Fryth who then had aunsweared Syr Thomas More in writing agaynste a confutation of that erroneous opinion which of late before the sayd Maister More had writen agaynst Iohn Frythes assertion in that behalfe This Sermon of purpose was deuised and appoynted by the Byshop of Winchester and other to seeke the destruction of Fryth by putting the king in remembraunce that the sayd Fryth was in the Tower there stayd rather for hys sauegarde then for his punishment by suche as fauoured hym as the Lorde Cromwell who being Uicegerent in causes Ecclesiasticall came then into suspition therefore For in suche sorte was the matter handeled before the Kyng that all men mighte well vnderstande what they meant The Kynge then being in no poynte resolued of the true and sincere vnderstanding of the doctrine of that Article but rather a peruerse stout Aduersary to the contrary called to hym my Lorde of Caunterburye and my Lord Cromwell and willed them forthwith to call Fryth vnto examination so that he might eyther be compelled to recant or elles by the Lawe to suffer condigne punishment Frythes long protract in the Tower withouten examination was so heynously taken of the King that nowe my Lorde of Caunterburye with other Byshoppes as Stokesly thē bishop of London other learned mē were vndelayedly appoynted to examine Fryth And for that there shuld be no concourse of Citizens at the sayd examination my L. of Canterbury remoued to Croydon vnto whome resorted the rest of the Commissioners Nowe before the day of execution appointed my Lord of Cant. sent one of his gentlemen and one of his porters whose name was Perlebene a Welchman borne to fetche Iohn Frith from the Tower vnto Croydon This gentleman hadde both my Lords letters and the kings ring vnto my Lord Fitzwilliams Constable of the Tower then lying in Canon row at Westminster in extreme anguish and payne of the strangulion for the deliuery of the prisoner Mayster Fytzwilliams more passionate then patient vnderstanding for what purpose my Lordes gentleman was come banned and cursed Frith and all other heretickes saying take this my King vnto the Lieuetenaunt of the Tower and receiue your man your hereticke with you and I am glad that I am ridde of him When Frith was deliuered vnto my Lord of Canterburyes Gentleman they twaine with Parlebeane sitting in a Wherry and rowing towardes Lambeth The sayd Gentleman much lamenting in his mind the infelicitie of the sayd Frith began in this wise to exhort him to consider in what estate
hee was a man altogether cast away in this worlde if hee did not looke wisely to himselfe And yet though his cause were neuer so daungerous he might somewhat in relenting to aucthoritie and so to geue place for a time helpe both hym selfe out of trouble and when oportunitie and occasion should serue preferre his cause which he then went about to defend declaring farther that he had many welwillers and friendes whiche woulde stande on his side so farre forth as possible then were able and durst do adding hereunto that it were great pitty that he being of such singuler knowledge both in the Latine Greeke both ready and rype in all kind of learning and that namely aswell in the Scriptures as in the auncient Doctours should now sodeinly suffer all those singuler giftes to perishe with him without little commoditie or profite to the world and lesse comfort to his wife and children and other his kinsfolkes friendes And as for the veritie of your opinion in the sacrament of the body and bloud of our sauiour Christ It is so vntimely opened here among vs in England that you shall rather do harme then good wherefore be wyse and be ruled by good counsell vntill a better oportunitie may serue This I am sure of quoth the gentleman that my Lord Cromwell and my Lorde of Caunterbury much fauouring you and knowyng you to bee an eloquent learned young man and nowe towardes the felicitie of your lyfe young in yeares olde in knowledge and of great forwardnes and likelihoode to be a most profitable member for this Realme will neuer permitte you to susteyne any open shame if you will somewhat bee aduised by theyr Counsayle on the other side if you stand stiffe to your opinion it is not possible to saue your lyfe For like as you haue good friendes so haue you mortall foes and enemies I most hartily thanke you quoth Mayster Frith vnto the generall both for your good will and for your counsayle by the which I well perceaue that you minde well vnto me howbeit my cause and conscience is suche that in no wise I may not nor cannot for no worldly respect without daunger of damnation starte aside and flye from the true knowledge and doctrine whiche I haue conceyued of the supper of the Lorde or the Communion otherwise called the sacrament of the aultar for if it be my chance to be demaunded what I thinke in that behalfe I must needes saue my knowledge and my conscience as partly I haue written therein already though I should presently lose xx lyues if I had so many And this you shall well vnderstand that I am not so furnished eyther of Scriptures or auncient Doctors Scholemen or other for my defence so that if I may be indifferently heard I am sure that mine aduersaryes cannot iustly cōdemne me or mine assertion but that they shall condemne with me both S. Augustine and the most parte of the olde writers yea the very Byshoppes of Rome of the oldest sorte shall also say for me defend my cause Yea mary quoth the gentleman you say well if you might be indifferently heard But I muche doubt thereof for that our Mayster Christ was not indifferently hearde nor shoulde bee as I thinke if he were nowe present agayne in the worlde specially in this your opinion the same beeing so odious vnto the worlde and wee so farre off from the true knowledge thereof Well well quoth Fryth then vnto the Gentleman I know very wel that this doctrine of the Sacrament of the Aultar which I holde and haue opened contrarye to the opinion of this Realme is very hard meate to be digested both of the Cleargye and Layety thereof But this I will say to you taking the gentleman by the hand that if you liue but twenty yeares more whatsoeuer become of me you shall see this whole Realme of mine opinion concerning this Sacrament of the Aulter namely the whole estate of the same though some sort of men perticularly shall not be fully perswaded therein And if it come not so to passe then account me the vaynest man that euer you heard speake with tongue Besides this you saye that my death woulde bee sorrowfull and vncomfortable vnto my frendes I graunt quoth he that for a small tyme it would so be But if I should so mollify qualifye and temper my cause in such sort as to deserue onely to be kept in prison that would not onely be a much long griefe vnto me but also to my friendes woulde breede no small disquietnesse both of body and of minde And therfore all thinges well and rightly pondered my deathe in this cause shall bee better vnto me and all mine then life in continuall bondage and penuryes And almightye GOD knoweth what he hath to doe with his poore seruaunt whose cause I now defend and not mine owne from the which I assuredly doe entend GOD willing neuer to start or otherwise to geue place so long as God will geue me life This communication or like in effecte my Lorde of Caunterburyes Gentleman and Fryth had comming in a Whery vpon the Thames frō the Tower to Lambeth Now when they were landed after some repast by them taken at Lambeth the Gentleman the Porter and Fryth went forward towardes Croydon on foote This Gentleman still lamenting with himselfe the harde and cruell destiny towardes the sayde Fryth namely if hee once came amongst the bishops nowe also perceiuing the exciding constancye of Fryth deuised with himselfe some waye or meanes to conuey him cleane out of theyr handes and thereupon considering that there was no mo persons there to conuey the Prisoner but the Porter and himselfe he tooke in hand to winne the Porter to his purpose Quoth the Gentleman vnto Perlebeane the Porter they twayne priuately walking by themseues wythout the hearing of Fryth you haue heard this man I am sure and noted hys talke since he came from the Tower Yea that I haue righte well marked him quoth the Porter and I neuer hard so constant a man nor so eloquent a person You haue heard nothing quoth the gentleman in respecte of his both knowledge and eloquence if he might liberally either in Uniuersity or pulpit declare his learning you woulde then much more maruell at his knowledge I take him to be suche a one of his age in all kind of learning and knowledge of tonges as this Realme neuer yet in mine opinion brought forth yet those singuler giftes in him are no more considered of our Byshops then if he were a very Dolte or an Idiot yea they abhorre him as a deuill therfore couet vtterly to extinguish him as a member of the Deuill without any consideration of gods speciall gifts Mary quoth the Porter if there were nothing els in him but the consideratiō of his personage both comly and amiable of naturall disposition gentle meek and humble it were pity that he should be cast away Cast away quoth the
738. Ammonius a christian writer 59. A N. Anabaptists executed 1049. Anastasius 3. Pope 146. Ananias Saphira his wife their death what information or instruâ—tion it yâ—ldeth to the church 490. Andreas de Castro and Burdealius Gospellers 200. yeares aâ—one 390. Andrew buried in the fields 1702. Andrew the apostle his Martyrdome .32 his wordes to the councell and feruencie against Idolatry ibid. Andrew Alexander keper of Newgate a bloudy persecuter cruel to Gods saints compared to Alexander the Coppersmith 1493. Andrew Hewer Martyr 1036. Andoâ—â—us Martyr 55. Angel of the Popes pallace thrown downe by lightning 734. Angrogne or Angrognians their bloudy persecutions for the truth 955.956.957.958.959.960.961.962 Anne Lacy GentlewomaÌ„ her trouble for the Gospell with her deliuerance 2073.2074 Anne Bullen maried to king Henry the 8. 1049 Anne Queene wife to K. Richard 2. her rare and woorthy commendations 507. Anne of Cleue maried to K. Henry 8.1134 diuorced from him againe 1190.1210 Anne the mother of S. Mary conceiued with child by a kisse as the Papists dreame 801 Anne Wharâ—on an ennemy to the truth and to the good lady Iane. 2128. Anne Askew her story .1234 her examinations .1235.1236.1237 her racking .1239 her condemnation confession and Martyrdome 1240. Anne Albright her story and martyrdome 1859. Anne Kneuet her trouble and deliuery 2072. Annates what it is 853.858 Anne Potten her trouble and persecution for the Gospel 1704. Anne Albright alias Champnes Martyr her story and Martyrdome 1859. Annointing of two sortes in scripture 473.482 Anselme Archb. of Cant. his lyfe and story .185 he contendeth with the king ibid. his pall brought to Cant. ibid. Anselme writeth to the Pope flieth out of England and coÌ„plaineth of the king and bishops 186 Anselme with his successours placed at the right foote of the Pope in generall counsels 186 Anselme recoÌ„ciled to the king putteth priestes from theyr wyues his actes synodall 194 Anselme forbad Priestes mariage first in England 1152.1149 Anselmes reasons agaynst Priests mariage 1165 Aunsweres concerning Marbecke to the cauilling Aduersaryes 1221 Anterius Bishop of Rome Martyr 59 Anthimus Byshop of Nichomedia with many others martirs 78 Anthony Burward martyr 1708 Antiquity of Priestes mariage 1154 Antichrist described 455.478 Antichrist his linage and ofspring described 481 Antichrist who 482 Antichrist head and tayle 563 Antichristes time 480 Antichrist reueiled and why 480 Antichrist compared with Antiochus 763 Antichrist is the Pope 1002.1286 Antichrist of Rome not Christes geneall Uicar 1626 Antioch takeÌ„ of the christians 185 Antiochus a figure of Antichrist 763 Antiquity Uniuersality Unity sufficient to prooue the Church of the Protestantes by 1811 Anthony Dalaber his loue to M. Garret .1195 his trouble persecution .1196 his penaunce 1197 Anthony Parsons his story and persecution .1213 his indictmeÌ„t and condeÌ„nation .1218 his death and Martyrdome 1220 Antoninus Pius his letters to the commons of Asia in fauor of the Christians 41 Anthropophagy what 1443. A P. Appeale not to be made from generall counsels to the Pope 674 Appeale of Cranmer Archbishop of Caunterbury .1882 the causes of his sayd appeale ibid. Appeale can none make out of Englande without the consent and leaue of the king 1851 Appellation to the Pope not vsed in William Conquerors tyme. 185 Appellations to Rome forbidden in England and Fraunce 4. Appellation to Rome agaynst king Henry the third 272 Appellation of the king of Fraunce and the Nobles agaynste Pope Boniface .8 344.346 Appellation of Anselme agaynste the king 185 Appeale of the Monkes of Caunterbury froÌ„ the king to the pope 336 Appeale forbidde to be made to the Pope 697 Appeale to the sea Apostolique 60 Appeale of Iohn Hus to Christ. 611 Appeale of ech countrey to be firste to his Metropolitane then to a prouinciall or general Councell 10 Aper his death 77. Apollonia a godly Martyr 61. Apolonius Martyr his Apology of the Christians to the Emperour accused by his owne seruaunt 52. Apollogie of M. Morice defending the cause of M. Richard Turner a faythfull preacher in Kent 1868.1869 Apology of Cyprian in defence of the Christians 68. Apollinaris his Apology of the Christians 50. Apollogies by Iustine in defence of the Christians 49. Apostata who so called 1729. Apowell a mocker of Gods word and Religion punished of God 2102.2103 Apostles many of them were maryed 1154.1152.1142 Apostles equall in authoritie .1119 and not one superiour to an other in dignitie calling or office 1062. Apostles not authors of binding and losing but munsters therof 1105. Applebie martyr his story persecution and martyrdome for the truth of Gods word 1979.1980 Apprice martyr his story 1909.1910 Appendix of this booke or story containing such things as were eyther omitted in the body of the history or els newly inserted 2126.2127.2128.2129 A. R. Archbishop of Caunterbury hys cruell handling of the Archbish. of Yorke drawing him through mire and dyrt 247. Archbishop and metropolitane not all one 11.12 Archbishop of Caunterbury refuseth to come to the Parliament at Yorke 4.21 Archbishop of Antioche and Constantinople excommunicate the Pope 284. Archbishops of Canterbury from Augustine to Ethelbert 134. Archbishops of Canterb. 167. Archbishops of Canterbury placed at the right foot of the Pope in generall councels 186. Archbishops of London and York made by Austen 118. Archbishops of London and York flie into Wales 114. Archbishoprike of Cant. bought with the tythes of all Eng. 273. Archbishops of London and York one ordayneth an other 121. Archbishoppricke translated from London to Canterbury 120. Archbishops of Canterbury and York at strife about Crossebearing 227. Archbishops of Canterbury from Egbert to William Conqueror 170. Arelatensis his great patience .685 his godly othe 689. Ardly his story and martyrdome 1582.1583 Argumentes assumed of signes tokens how they hold 1948. Arguments prouing the Donation of Constantine to be forged 105. Argumentes for the popes supremacy refelled 14.15 Argumentes for the authoritie of the Romish church confuted 2. Argentine in the daies of king Edward protestant in Q. Maries time a bloudy persecutor of gods saintes 1941. Aristides a Philosopher of AtheÌ„s defendeth Christes veritie before the Emperour 41. Armachanus his story .409.393 his oration agaynst the fryers 410. his death 414. Arnulphus his story and martyrdome 199. Arnaldus de Noua villa condemned 717. Armes of England taken downe and Armes of Spayne set vp 1472. Armoure of Churchmen 19. Arnoldus his story .2106 killed himselfe with his owne dagger ibid. Articles of Richard Gibson propounded to Boner to be aunswered vnto 2034. Articles sent to Winchester by the king and Councell for hym to subscribe vnto 1357. Articles obiected agaynst Cardinall Wolsey 996. Articles propounded agaynst the Pope 343. Articles agaynst Iohn Cardmaker and Ioh. Warne with their aunsweres 1579. Articles agaynst M. Philpot. 1813. Articles for the inquiry of goâ—d bookes to the Wardens of the company 1598. Articles out of Setons Sermon 1206 Articles of queene Mary directed to the Byshops for the installing of Papistry agayne
made Byshop of Winchester 279.57 Peter Moone and his wife theyr trouble and persecution .1942 preserued by Gods merciful prouidence ibid. Petrus Flistedius Martyr 885 Peter GauestoÌ„ his story his pride banished the land receiued agayn apprehended of the nobles .367.368 beheaded 369 Peter Wakefielde a false Prophet hanged 253 Petrus Iohannes burned after hys death 322 Peter Spengler Martyr drowned 880.881 Petrus Lumberdus Mayster of the sentences 201 Peter Pateshul against friers 506 Peter Martyrs wife her cruell handling at Oxforde of the Papistes 1968 Peter the Apostle neuer Byshop of Rome .15 how called head of the Apostles 18 Peters wife her death for the gospell 34 Peter Liset author of the burning chamber plagued 2190 Peter whether euer at Rome or not 34 Peter his body clothed in siluer at Rome 130 Peter had neuer more power geuen him then the rest of the Apostles 14. had no temporal sword geuen him 403 Peter neuer head of the Church 610 Peter no more Uicar of Christ theÌ„ the rest of the Apostles 1119 Peter had no rule or preheminence ouer the rest of the Apostles 1260.1263 Peter neuer built the Churche of Rome .1805 had no greater authority then other the Apostles 1811.1812 Peterborough Abbeies foundatioÌ„ 133 Person his story 641 Petrouill Appleby Martyr her story and martyrdome 1979 Pestilence grieuous in Englande 387 Pestilence great in Basill 688 Pestilence through the whole Romayne Monarchy 66 P H. Phillip thappostle 14. maryed 33. Philippus the first Christian Emperour slayne 59.17 Phillip Melancthon agaynst the sixe articles 1172. Phillip Humfrey martyr burned at Bury for the testimony of Christes Gospell 2049.2050 Phillip Repington his examination .437 his abiuration made bishop and become a bloudy persecutor of Christe in his members 444.530.539.27 Phillip the Frenche King seeketh trayterously the death of Kyng Richard .244 his quipping letter to Pope Boniface 8.343 excommunicate by the Pope 342. Phillips a very Iudas the betrayer of good Maister Tindall .1077.1078 consumed in the end wyth lice 1079. Phillips his history 1042. Phillippus and Eugenia theyr story 73. Phillip king of Fraunce at varyaunce with Pope Boniface 341 Philippus Bishop of Alexandria martyr 74. Phillippus for holding agaynst Images losâ— both hys eyes and kingdome 47.129 Philpot of Tenterden martyr hys story and Martyrdome 1970. Philpot his tragicall story his disputation in the conuocation house .1410.1411.1412 his lyfe hys first examination .1796 hys second 1797. the third 1798. fourth 1999. the fifte 1802. sixt .1806 seuenth .1802 eight .1814 ninth 1814. tenth .1816 eleuenth .1817 twelueth .1822 thirteenth 1824 his last examination and condeÌ„nation .1826.1827 his beyng in the colehouse 1797.1798 hys constant death and moste victorious martyrdome 1830. hys letters 1832.1833.1834.1835.1836.1840.1842.1844 Philoramus his story and Martirdome 92 Phocas bishop of Pontus martyr 40. Phocas the wicked Emperour murthered the Emperor Mauritius 120. Photinus hys constancie in the trueth and martyrdome for the same 47 P L. Plague at Basill in tyme of the Councell 688 Plane hys trouble for the Gospell is racked deliuered and dieth 2128 Plagues of God agaynst such as haue contemned and persecuted the Gospell 31 Plankney of new Colledge in Oxford papist drowned hymselfe 2104 Plantagenet his story 199 Pleimundus teacher to kyng Alfred .144 after made Archb. of Cant. ibid. Plinie hys epistle to Traianus for the staying of persecution 39 Ploughmans complaint 398 Pluralities of benefices 237 Plutarchus and Serenus his brother Martyrs 54 P O. Pope Adrian an enemy to Luther 854 Pope Alexander poisoneth the turks brother committed to his custody 734 Pope AlexaÌ„der refuseth to be pope vnlesse he were confirmed by the emperor and was therefore cast into prison and deposed by Hildebrand 5 Pope Alexander treadeth on the necke of Frederike the Emperour 204 Pope Alexander his death 330 Pope Boniface .8 besieged driuen to a straight is taken hys house ransackt and he imprisoned 348 Pope Clement taken prisoner 988 Pope Celestine crowneth the emperour with hys feete 244 Pope Gregory 9. wageth 35. Gallâ—s to spoyle the Emperoures coasts .305 hys edict agaynst the Emperour refuseth to speake with hys Legates ibid. Pope Gregory the 9. flieth the citie of Rome and warreth against it 281 Pope Hildebrand hys tragicall story 174 Pope Hildebrand excommunicatyng the Emperour hys chayre burst vnder hym .176 he hireth one to slay the Emperor .177 casteth the sacrament into the fire murthereth 3. persons not being conuict ibid. putteth hys friend Centius in a barrell of nayles killeth a widowes sonne after he had done hys penance 177 Pope Ioane 8. a woman and pope her lyfe and story 137 Pope Iohn .15 159 Pope Iohn put in prson his goodly qualities 93 Pope Iohn .13 a wicked pope hys prouerbe deposed wounded in adultery 159 Pope Innocent his conspiracies against Friderike 2. Emperour 297 Pope Innocent his death 256 Pope Innocent the 4. would not be reconciled to the Emperour 265 Pope Leo pleadeth his cause at the barre before the Emperour 8 Pope Leo his death 854 Pope Martin elected his coronation 644 Pope Martin his bloudy inquisition .651 contrary to all Popes 552 Pope Paule 1. excommunicateth the Emperour for pulling downe of Images 130 Pope Siluester coÌ„pacted with the Deuill to be made pope and was so the Deuill promising him that he shoulde liue till he hadde sayde Masse in Ierusalem 167 Pope Sergius chaunged Popes names 137 Pope Stephen .2 130 Pope Urbanus his letter to Baldwine Archbishop of Caunterbury 240 Pope maketh the Emperour and lay men Asses 390 Pope curseth all spirituall persons that submit them selues to theyr liege King 192 Pope iudged and deposed by the Councell of Brixia 181 Pope with the Cardinalles whether they may erre 146 Popes letter for an Italian boy to be Canon or Prebend .323 with aunswere of Grosthead Byshop of Lincolne to the same 324 Popes election wrong oute of the Emperors handes .5 muche different from the election of the old bishops in the primitiue Church 4 Popes power falsly grounded vpon scripturs 490 Pope hath no power or iurisdiction in other Princes dominions 1133 Popes gaynes out of Englande in one yeare 326 Popes Successors rather to Romulus then to Peter 204 Pope subiect to the Councell 672 Popes in old time submitted themselues to kinges and Emperors 6 Popes doctrine more gaynefull theÌ„ the scripture 2 Popes make themselues kinges priestes yea Christ himselfe 482 Popes 3. at once in Rome 167 Popes three at once an other time 553 Pope may erre and how 671 Pope stroken on the side by Robert Grosthead Byshop of Lincolne 326 Popes founde falsifiers of Nicene councell 10 Popedome vacant .2 yeares 342 Pope his iurisdiction 1.2 Pope his errors touching remissioÌ„ of sinnes .28 his errors touching ciuill magistrates 29 Pope hath nothing to do in temporall matters 6 Popes haue bâ—ne maried theÌ„selues 690 Pope and Court of Rome cause of all the mischiefe in Christendom 292 Pope driuen out of Rome 272 Pope not any member of Christes true church 1507
.720 diuorced from his wife and dispensed withall by the Pope 723. Ulstanus archbishop of Yorke 151 V N. Uniuersities iudgementes agaynst the mariage of king Henry 8. with his brothers wife 1049. Uniuersitie of Oxford remoued to Northampton 331. Uniuersitie of Oxford their testimony of Wickliffe 448. Uniuersitie of Oxford by whome it began .144 testimony thereof of Iohn Wickliffe 448. Uniuersitie of Paris when it began 143. Uniuersitie of Oxford conquered of the townes men and the schollers expulsed 393. Uniuersalitie and succession no sufficient reason to proue the true Church by 1825 Uniuersalitie alleadged 1426. Uniuersall defined by time place and person 21. Uniformitie in outward ceremonies a thing not muche required in the primitiue Churche 56. Unwritten verities 1107.1183 Unitie none in the Popes churche to be found 241. Unitie what it is and wherein it consisteth 1067. Unitie in Baptisme not inough 1750. Unitie the papistes would not haue disturbed 1748. Uncertainty of the Popes doctrine 1748.1749 V O. Uow of chastitie brought in 175.194 Uowes of Priestes hauing vowed single life a thinge whiche of of themselues they are not able to performe ought not to stand 1175. Uowes 3. made of king Henry 199. Uowes making .545 making and keeping of them ibid. Uowsions and pluralities of benefices 5. Uolusianus his Epistles in defence of Priestes lawfull mariage 1154.1155.1156.1158 Uortiger causeth his king to bee murthered 265. Uortigerne burned in hys tower 113. Uoyage to the holy land 185. Uoyage agaynst the Turkes 233. V R. Urban the Pope complayneth that no promotion would fall vppon hym .414 beheaded 509. Urbanus the first bishop of Rome martired 58. Urbane excommunicated the Emperour Henry 4. 189 Urbanus and Clemens striuing for the papacy 186. Ursula with vi thousand virgines martyrs 108. V S. Usury in the Popes Church 655. Usurers of the Popes in London 325. Usurers brought into England by the Pope 273 Ustazares his story 97. his constaÌ„t martyrdome 98. V T. Utopia one of M. Mores phantasies 576. Uter Pendragon a King of Brytayne 113. W A. WAddon priest Martyr 661. Wade martyr 1689.1702 Wade Martyr hys story and martyrdome for the Gospell 1678.1679 Wallace his trouble persecution martyrdome 1272.1273 Walter Brute his story .475 hys processe and articles against him 476.477 his godly declarations 478.479 hys great submission 501 Walter archbishop of Caunterbury absolued by the pope for money 273. Waltram Bishop of Margburgh hys Epistle to Ludouicus 189. Waldenses howe they began theyr trouble and persecution .230.954 955.956 their doctrine and articles 230.235.236 Wall fell downe at the coronation of the pope and slewe many nobles 351. Waltam Bishoppe of Salisbury a makebate a brawler 513. Walter Mille Martyr hys story .1274 his examination condemnation and martyrdome 1275. Wales subdued to Englande and Scotland how long in length 57. Walter Appleby martyr hys story 1979. Wardall her memorable story 1940 Warlwast ambassadour of Kyng Henry 1. to the pope hys oration before the Pope 193. Warre betwene king Henry 3. and his nobles 331.332.333.335 Warre betwene king Henry 3. and Earle Marshall 279 Warre betweene king Edward .3 and the Scottes 375. Warre agaynst the Bohemians 656. Warres stirred vp by the pope .494 how lawfull 508. Warres moued by the Pope and papistes 203. Warre by the frenche king and the pope agaynst Tholouse 269. Warres of Christians what .846 how lawfull how vnlawfull ibid. Warres betweene Englande and Scotland 369. Warre betweene king Edward the first and the king of Scots 340 Warre betweene Ladislaus and the Turke 741.730 Warham Archbishop of Caunterbury his death 1121. Wardship first graunted to the king 269. Warran alias Lashford her story and martyrdome 1844.1857 Warne hys confession of hys fayth and christian beliefe 1580.1581 Warne her story 1689. Wast a blinde woman in Darby martyr 1951.1952 Wattes hys trouble and deliueraunce 2071. Wattes Martyr his story sent vp to Boner articulate agaynst coÌ„demned martyred 1594.1595.1596 Watchword of the Saxons 113. Watson Doctor hys superstitious and lying Sermon vppon Candlemas day in Cambridge 1962 hys other rayling sermon at the burning of Bucer and Paulus Phagius bones 1963.1964 Water mixt with Wine in the chalice not inferred by scripture 1146. Waterson whipped in Bridwell for the Gospell 2144. Water coniured and the maner therof 1405. Water mixt with wine in the chalice by Alexander 39 Waterer Martyr his story martyrdome 1970. W E. Webbe Martyr hys story and martyrdome 1794. Webbe hys trouble for the Gospell 1601. Wedding garment what it it is 490 Welchmen theyr rebellion .330 their skirmishe at Oxford 328. Wesalis his story persecuted .724 his articles .725 reuoketh hys opinions 726 Weapons of a christian Warriour 1773 Westminster Church by whome erected and built 133. Weston Doctor condemner of christes blessed Martyrs Cranmer Ridley and Latimer at Oxford 1729. Weston Doctor hys Downfall takeÌ„ in adultry appeleth to Rome and dyeth 2102 Weselus Groningensis a learned man 730. Wendy Doctor of Phisicke senâ— to Queene Katherine 1243. Wendenmuta martyr 885. Went his story and Martyrdome 1857.1858 W H. White Priest and martyr his story 1844. articles agaynst him ibid. beaten on the face by Boner .1845 his condemnation martyrdome 1848.1846 hys letters to hys friendes 1847.1848 White Battayle in Yorkshyre 370. Whitchurch Printer 1191. White Martyr his story 1556. hys condemnation .1557 hys Martyrdome 1559 Whitâ—ington Chauncellor a cruell persecutor slayne with a Bull. 775.776 W I. Wiattes insurrection in Kent 1418 beheaded at tower hill .1419 Wicked councell what hurt it doth 68. Wicked eate not the flesh of Christ nor drinke his bloud truely 1363 1375.1611 Wicked couÌ„cell about princes what mischiefe it bringes 1753 Wicked company hurtfull prouoketh to sinne proued by an excellent example 36 Wicked eate not the body and bloud of Christ truely 1977. Wickliffe his story .423 his bookes and Articles condemned in the councell of Constance .449.450 his boanes burnt after his death 463. hys bookes howe brought into Bohemia .464 his booke called Wickliffes Wicket 815. William Allen Martyr 1707. William Andrew buried in the fields 1702. William Bowes Doctor Londons spye 1212. William Byshoppe of Norwiche a cruell persecutor 660. Wiiliam Burgate Martyr 2058. William Bongeor Martir his story martyrdome at Colchester 2007.2008 William Browne troubled and deliuered through Gods mercifull prouidence 2065. William Coberley martyr his story 1894. William Coker William Hopper Will. Stere and 3. other burned together in one fire at Caunterbury 1688. William Carder Martyr his story 1276. William Courtney Bishop of LoÌ„don .427 his death 509. William Craishfield martyr his story and martyrdome 2010.2011 William CoÌ„querour bastard Duke of Normandy landeth at Hastinges 166. is crowned king of EnglaÌ„d 171. his othe to obserue the lawes of king Edward but goeth from them .166 his death 182 William de le Pole Duke of Suffolke cause of Duke Humfreyes death 705. William Dangerfield and Ioane his wife their trouble and persecution .1953 their tragicall history ibid. William de Plesiano his
7. Measure ought to be in mourning Phil. 4. Example of Christian charitâ—e and compasâ—â—on toward 〈◊〉 afflicted brother An other letter of Iohn Caâ—â—les to faytâ—â—full Augustine Bernheâ—â— counsell him to be circumspâ—â—â— in these daunger dayes He counselleth Augustine to be circumspect and not rashely to thrust himselfe daunger A good conscience 〈◊〉 soone troubled Conscience 〈…〉 â—here none 〈◊〉 commitâ—ed Mâ—â—h 10. Aâ—â—ther 〈…〉 Careâ—â—â— to Henâ—â— AdlingtoÌ„ 〈◊〉 a Marâ—â—â— partly 〈…〉 partly â—â—â—â—selling 〈◊〉 â—ow to 〈…〉 What a Sacrament is He instructeth him how and what to aunswere to the aduersaryes We are bound to follow our true preachers God will require a count of bloud The Catholicke Church in King Edwardes dayes in England Two speciall markes to know the true church in England in K. Edwards dayes 1. Thess 5. The Papistes haue one solution for all maner of questions Of Thomas Harland and Iohn Oswald read in the 2. impression pag. 195. 4. Reg. 2. Freewill A letter of Iohn Caâ—â—â—les writtâ—â—â— with heauenly poâ—â—er to coâ—â—fort an afflicted brâ—â—ther oppressed with pensiuenes and mourning for his sinnes Luke 1. Remission of sinnes Mich. 7. Psal. 1â—3 Testimony of Gods spirite Practise of the true keyes of the Gospell Experience of Christ working in his Chruch An other letter of Iohn Careles to a faythfull friend of his of thankesgeuing He geueth him thaÌ„kes What a treasure a trusty frend is Eccle. 6. There is no true frendship but amongest godle persons Such mourners should we be continually with thiâ— and others Gods deare children and blessed be they that so mourne An other letter of Iohn Careles to a godly christian woman Preparation to the Crosse. Consolation vnder the Crosse. Agaynst Massing Gospellers Exhortation to flye from the Masse A letter of Iohn Careles to Mistres Agnes Glascocke What an high hoâ—our it is to suffer for Christ. He exhorteth her to be strong The charity of Mistres Glaâ—câ—cke to the prisoned Saintes A note or poesy written in Mistâ—es Glascocks 〈◊〉 by Iohn Careles The effectes of fayth An other 〈…〉 letter of 〈◊〉 Careâ—â—◠〈…〉 A. G· 〈◊〉 in 〈…〉 going to 〈◊〉 Masse A G. intised by her husband to go to the Masse The raysing vp of a troubled conscience after his fall God turneth all thinges to the best to them that be his Sathan when he cannot bring a-man to his seruice he prâ—sseth him with distrust of Gods mercye A letter of Iohn Careles to A. B. a faythfull seruaunt of Christ. Psal. 146. The death of the Martyrs is the lyfe of the Gospell A sowing tyme in Christes Church This counsell was that he should marry notwithstanding certayne lettes whereby Sathan sought to hinder his mariage The roote of bitternes to be weded out with the spade of patience How when the husband ought to reproue Faultes sometyme must be couered with loue Not to take vnkindenes for euery trifle An other letter of Iohn Careles to the wyfe of the partye aboue specified Sathan an eneâ—emy to all godly affayres The signe of â—ngratituâ—â— God loueth a thankeful harte A good wyfe is the giâ—tâ— of God God deliteth in the agreement betweene man and wyfe The duety of wiues toward their husbandes A chearefull countenaunce Temporaunce in apparell Note that 〈◊〉 thâ—se departed in 〈◊〉 peace the one 1565. the other 1568. 3 Martyrs 〈◊〉 at Newbery 〈◊〉 Palmer Iohn Gwin Thomas 〈◊〉 Martyrs Ioh. 16. The story of Palmer The story of the godly Martyr Iâ—â—ius Palmer fellow sometyme of Magdalen Colledge in Oxford Iulins Palmer borne in Couentrye Iulins Palmer scholer â— M. Harâ—â—â— â—chooleâ—â—â—er of Magdalen Colledge Iulins Palmer addicted to Philosophye Iulins Palmer beginneth to apply Diuinity The ciuill behauiour of Iulins Palmer Palmers prouerbe Palmer fellow of Magdalen Colledge Palmer reader of Logique in his Colledge Palmer an vtter enemy to sound religion Palmer impugner of true Preachers in K. Edwardes time Libells set vp in Oxford agaynst D. Haddon President Iulins Palmer expelled the Colledge for Poperye Iulins Palmer driuen to teach children Palmer restored agayne to his Colledge Behold the obstinacye of Papistes which knowing the truth will not yelde Behold his 〈◊〉 now he is turne to the truth Playne Palmer could neuer dissemble with his conscience The first occasion of Iulins Palmers conuersion was by the constant death of the Martyrs Note how the bloud of Martyrs worketh Palmer feruent in the Gospells cause Superstitious toyes * By these meanes he meaneth a certayne ceremony of that Colledge 〈◊〉 was 〈◊〉 That in Anno â—â—56 〈◊〉 Palmer 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 Frier 〈◊〉 by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Palmer refuâ—â—â— to 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 Iohn â—arwickes 〈◊〉 to Palmer Palmers godly aunswere to Barwicke Iulins Palmer placed by pateÌ„t to be scholâ—master at Redding Palmer circumuented by false Iudastes Palmers studye searched for bookes Iulins Palmer forced to depart the towne of Redding Vnnaturall wordes of a mother Mothers may giue their owne curse but Gods curse they cannot giue much lesse can the Pope The father shall be diuided against the sonne the mother agaynst c. Luke 12. Palmer driuen fâ—om his mother Alane Cope a helper and supporter of Iulins Palmer Hampton of Reding a disseÌ„bling Hypocrite and a false witnesse Palmer betrayed and apprehended Palmer miserably vsed in prison The first examination of Iulins Palmer Euidence put vp agaynst Palmer Note the worshipfull proces of the quarelling Papistes Palmer cleareth himselfe Note herâ— the fruite of Romish religion Iohn Galante a zealous professor Pâ—lmer called before the Maior of Redâ—ing 〈…〉 of Gods Gospell 〈◊〉 Palâ—â—â— brought 〈◊〉 Newbery Wâ—tnesses to the 〈◊〉 parte 〈◊〉 story The examiâ—â—â—â—â—n of 〈◊〉 Palmer before D â—effâ—ey at Newbeâ—â— D. Ieffrey Syr Richard Abâ—idges Knight M. Iohn Winchcombe the Parson of Inglefield Iudges agaynst Iulins Palmer The holy ghost shall teache you in that howre what you shall aunswere Luke 2. A maruell to the Papistes that young men should haue the gifte of the holy ghost Gods spirite is not bound to place or person Note how these men dare not abide disputatioÌ„ The Churche of Rome is but a particular Church The Church is not to be beleeued for her selfe The Sacrament of the Lordes Supper The wicked receiue not the Lordes bodye The Parson â—â—nfounded 〈◊〉 his owne 〈…〉 Parsons 〈◊〉 stopped Presence in the Sacrament Baptisme of 〈◊〉 Children dying before they come to Baptisme are saued of this it followeth no Ergo children that are brought ought not to be Baptised Sir Richard Abridges â— gentle offer to Palmer Palmer refuseth worldly offers to keepe his conscience God calleth at diuers tymes and howres Iohn Gwin Thomas Askin Martyrs condemned Sir Richard Abridges Sheriffe Palmer required to set his hand to his Articles The Popish 〈…〉 Palmer 〈…〉 The words 〈◊〉 Palmer 〈◊〉 Popâ—â—â— Priests A notable spectacle in the Martyrdome of Iuliâ—s Palmer Epitaphium in Palmerum Iuly A notable story of Agnes Wardall of Ipswich D. Argentine Schoolemaster Wat. Butler Constable Phil. Vlmes Edm. Leach Iohn Steward persecutors Robert
Dangerfield apprehended his owne in house Ioane the wyfe of W. Dangerfield taken with her young infant out of childbed and had to prison Dangerfield made to beleeue falsely that his wyfe had recanted Dangerfield vppon hope of his wiues recaÌ„tation consented to the Bishop The wyfe lamented the fall of her husbaÌ„d Dangerfield lamenteth his promise made to the Bishop The prayer of Dangerfield to God The death of the husband The young infant famished in prison The Martyrdome of the mother The death of the olde woman M. Bridges persecuted the same tyme for Gods word and witnes of this story Anno 1557. Septem October â—â— In Martâ—â—dome of a Sâ—â—maker 〈◊〉 Northaâ—â—ton Octâ—ber 18. 〈◊〉 dyed 〈◊〉 Castle of Câ—â—chester 〈…〉 Hooke 〈◊〉 〈…〉 DuÌ„ning 〈◊〉 persecutors Persecution in Kent â—â— Martyrs 〈◊〉 confessâ—â—â— together 〈◊〉 Canterbury Carying about the Crosse. Necessitye alwayes excused in matters indifferent W. Foster apprehended by Syr Thomas Moyle Mother Potkins Martyr troubled by W. Robertes Alice Potkins in Christ but one yeare olde The aunswere of Iohn Archer Martyr Syr Iohn Gilford committed Father Archer to prison The prisoners letter declaring how they were handled and famished in prison Doctour Bane Doctor Draycot his Chauncellor in Lichfield cruell persecutours Anno 1556. Ianuary The names of them that bare fagottes in the Dioces of Lichfield and Couentrye The names of them which were troubled there and bare no fagottes Ioice Lewes Martyr read hereafter The conclusion of the 11. booke 84. Martyrs and aboue in this yeare 1556. put to death in this realme A briefe declaration of M. Cheekes recantation Astrologye Anno 1557. The cause why the reformation was taken in hande The comming of the Inquisitors and of their entertainment M. Christopherson M. of Trinitye Colledge Bishop elect of Chichester An Oration Gratulatory at their comming thither Watson aunswereth to the Oration Ianuary 9. Ianuary 10. S Maryes and S. Michaels interdicted because of Martyn Bucer and Paulus Phagius buryall Anno 1556. Ianuary Commendation of Martin Bucer Ianuary 11. The Oration of Maister Stokes publike Orator of the Vniuersitye Cardinal Polus The aunswere of M. Scotte Bishop of Cheâ—ter to 〈◊〉 Oration 〈◊〉 Iohn 〈◊〉 The Commiâ—â—ion assigned by tâ—e Cardinall and â—ay The causes â—eclâ—red 〈◊〉 more commended 〈…〉 A Masse at the Kinges Colledge Ormanet Datarye Pecocke preacheth at Saint Maryes The citation of the Maisters of the Colledges Robert Brasseâ—s exception Alterâ—ation betweene D. Brassie and D. Scot B. of Chester Inquisition at the common schooles Ianuary 12. Inquisition at the Kynges Colledge The maner of receiuing the Inquisitors wheÌ„ they went to make Inquisition Note the ambitious pâ—mpe of these Papistes The Commissioners represent the Pope Here was a foule fault commiâ—ted that these men came in without Procession D. Brassey excuseth himselfe for the â—lacknes of his ProcessioÌ„ M. Brassey maketh exception agayne Doctour Scots aunswere to M. Brassey The Popes authoritye swalloweth vp al other priuileges The Legates saluting first their God The othe refuseâ— of some in the kinges Colledge and why The consultation of the Maister vpon 〈…〉 my vp of M. Bucer Inquisition to be made of M. Bucers doctrine Martin Bucers buâ—iall agaynst the holy Canon lawes Causes why Mart. Bucer and Paulus Phagius bodyes ought to be taken vp Andrew Perne Vice chauncellour made factor for the Vniuersitye in the case of M. Bucer Phagius M. Christophersons testimony of Perne A Supplication putte vp to the Inquisitors by the Vniuersitye Note this â—â—ate of coÌ„ueyance The Sentence of condemnation agaynst Martin Bucer and Paulus Phagius copied out by the Datarye Grace asked in the congregatioÌ„ for the taking vp of Martin Bucer 〈◊〉 14. Ianuary 15. 〈◊〉 17. Witnesses sworne agaynst M. Bucer Ianuary 18. Other witnesses sworne agaynst Maister Bucer A Relicke giuen by Ormanet to Trinity Colledge Ormanet in a pelting chafe with M. Dale A commaundement for bringing in of hereticall bookes Graciously considered Ianuary 26. An high matter in a low house The Oration of Doctour Scotte Bishop of Chester before the pronouncing of the Sentence of condemnation What dissembling is here in thesâ— Pope holy Catholickes Tyranny couered with the visor of mercy Sathan transforming himself into an Aungell of light O Lord God as though this were the doing of the Vniuersity and not your owne The Wolfe pretendeth to be a Lambe As though the Cardinall sent you not downe before you came to the Vniuersitye Bucer and Phagius falsely accused of hipocrisie by false hipocrites The Sentence of condemnation agaynst Martin Bucer and Paulus Phagius Agaynst Martyn Bucer Agaynst Paâ—lus Phagius Paulus Phagius 〈…〉 Oeâ—â—lampadiâ—â— Bucer Melaâ—cthoÌ„ 〈…〉 Pernes Serâ—â—â— against Bâ—cer D. Pernes accusation against M. Bucer 〈…〉 noted D. Perne Shamefull of D. Perne agaynst M. Bucer D. Perne speaketh agaynst his ownâ— conscieÌ„ce in rayling against M. Bucer Verses agaynst M. Bucer and Phagius The Sentence of condemnatioÌ„ sent to London with the Commissioners letters A writte for burning of heretickes Watsons SermoÌ„ vpon Candlemas day Mary and Ioseph went a procession with waxe candels or els D. WatsoÌ„ sayth false A question to be spurred to D. Watson The sodayne sownde of Christopherson The day assigned for burning M. Bucer and Paulus Phagius bodyes The taking vp of M. Bucer and Paulus Phagius The burning of Martyn Bucer and Paulus Phagius The talke of the countreyfolke of the burning of M. Bucer and Paulus Phagius Watsons Sermon at the burning of Bucer and Phagius As though in these dayes of Queene Mary had bene raysed no subsidies at all Watson sclaunde◠〈…〉 Watson and Scot had both subscribed to the doctrine of the Gospell in the raigne of K. Edward the 6. The reconciling of the Churches that were interdicted A solemne Procession of the Vniuersitye and of the townesmen The order of Procession in Cambridge Oâ—manet Câ—lâ— proâ—â—â—ded Doctours The departing of â—he 〈◊〉 Swineâ—â—â—nes saying as conâ—â—â—ing the 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 Inquiâ—â—â—rs The Oration of Acworth Anno 1557. Ianuary Anno 1557. Maye 〈◊〉 SermoÌ„ 〈◊〉 Iames 〈◊〉 Anno 1557. February Stephen Gardiner of Winchester â—ande somtyme Maior of the towne Anno 1557. Aprill Iurates sworne agaynst Peter Martyrs wyfeâ— Cardinal Poole earnest in burning dead mens bodyes D. Marshall Deane of Frideswides Peter Martyrs Wiues bones agayne reduced out of the DuÌ„ghill and layd in a decent monument Great ingratitude shewed to Peter Martyr M. Iames Caldfield The bones of Peter Martyrs wyfe coupled with the bones of S. Frideswide Anno 1556. February· Articles of the Cardinall to be enquired in his visitation of Kent Articles of Cardinall Poole to be inquired vpoÌ„ touching the Laitye Anno. 1557. Ianuary â—â—â—uary 15. 〈◊〉 Marâ—â—â—dome of 〈…〉 the Dioces of Canterbury The names 〈◊〉 the Martyrs Concerning their articles read before pag. 1â—72 The cause of 〈◊〉 Martyrdome Examples how kinges Princes the power of the world bend themselues agaynst Christ and his worde and yet could neuer preuayle A terrible proclamation of K. Phillip and Q.
sixt examinatioÌ„ of Richard Woodman before the Byshop of Winchester diuers other in the Church of S. Mary Queryes Richard Woodman agayne refuseth Winchester to be his iudge Truth taken for heresie M. Roper Commissioner and witnes agaynst Woodman Woodmans hand writing brought in agaynst him Woodman first released and yet called to accompt agayne agaynst all good order Sacrament of the Aultar Woodman made an Anabaptist because he will not sweare before him that is not his Ordinary All truth is heresie with these men Woodmans confession of the Sacrament Mistically 1. Cor. 1. What is Mistically Woodman agayne appealeth to his Ordinaâ—â—â—lye M. Christopherson B. of Chichester his Ordinaâ—â— not yet consecrated Woodman for hiâ— feruent speach rebuked This fatte Priest well seene in the Scriptures Ephes 1. Iesus Christ onely Sauiour of 〈◊〉 soule and not man Good woâ—â—eâ— not disallowed Phil. 2. The Archdeacon of Canterbury made Ordinary by the Cardinall to examine Richard Woodman Richard â—oodman â—â—alengeth 〈◊〉 Iudges 〈◊〉 â—e all 〈◊〉 coates 〈◊〉 chaungeâ—â—â—ges The free speach of Woodman 〈◊〉 the Byshops and Priestes Winchester about to read the Sentence Read in the first examination of Woodman pag. in the 2. edition 2176. No man can receiue the body of Christ vnworthely 1. Cor. 11. The place of S. Paule 1. Cor. 11. expounded What it meaneth to make no difference of the Lordes body Winchester readeth sentence against WoodmaÌ„ and cannot tell wherefore Richard Woodman condemned caryed to the Marshalsey being not suffered to speake Phil. 2. Math. 24. Math. 5. God asketh more theÌ„ the hart onely Iames. 2. Phil. 2 Math. 5. Rom. 10. Confessing with the mouth and beleeuing in hart must goe together Anno 1557. August Apoc. 1. Math. 18. Apoc. 13. Sclaunderers of the Gospell Luke 12. Math. 3. Math. 25. Luke 13. Luke 14. Math. 25. Math. 10. Math. 5. Richard Woodman vâ—xed of his own friends Iohn 10. 1. Iohn 4. The manifold troubles which Woodman hath passed through Woodmaâ— comforteâ—â— in his troâ—â—bles Luke 21. Math. 10. Experiencâ— of the Lorâ— to keepe promise with his people 1. Cor. 13. Certayne Iustices charged for burning of Christes people without any lawfull warrant oâ— writte Anno 1557. Iune Ambrose 〈…〉 〈◊〉 articles 〈…〉 this to the story of Iohn Hâ—â—lier â—artyr pag 〈…〉 â—â—ory of Iohn Hulâ—â—â—â— with 〈…〉 Iohn Hulâ—â—â—â— first 〈…〉 in the 〈◊〉 Colledge 〈…〉 Linne 〈…〉 Hâ—llier disgraded Brasey Mayor of Cambridge Brisley Sergeant persecutor Hulliars stedfast trust in God Hullier preparing himselfe to the stake Three notorious Papistes in Trinitye Colledge Boyes Proctour of Cambridge The Martyrdome of Iohn Hullier Bookes burned with Hullier The last wordes of Iohn Hullier at his death Papists of Cambridge forbid the people to pray for Hullier Referre this to Thomas Rede Martyr pag. 1807. Anno 1557. August Iuly 13. Simon Miller a Marchant Martyr The wordes of Simon Miller to the people The cause why Simon Miller was taken Simon Miller examined before Doctour Dunning Simon Millers confession espyed in his shoe Simon Miller dismissed to his house at Linne Simon Miller returneth agayn to his confession is condemned Elizabeth Cooper Martyr Elizabeth Cooper reuoketh her recantation in the open Church The Shrieffe agaynst his will enforced to lay handes vpon Elizabeth Cooper Elizabeth Cooâ—â—â— strengthned 〈◊〉 the stake by Simon Miller August 2. The Martyrdome of 10. godly Martyrs 5. men and 5. women at Colchester W. Mount Alice his wyfe Rose Allin her daughter Thomas Tye Priest a wicked Promoter A supplication of the persecutors to the L. Darcy Cruell persecutors Thomas Tye a false brother a bloudy persecutor Tyeâ— letter 〈◊〉 Biâ—hop Boner W. Simuell Iohn Baker W. Harries persecutors The taking of W. Munt his wyfe and Rose Allin their daughter Talke betweene Edmund Tyrrell and Rose Allin Tyrrell burneth Rose Allins hand The patience of the faythfull The deuill payeth the persecutors their wages Shee reuengeth not euill for euill Helene Ewring apprehendâ—â— the second tyme. Robert Maynard a great enemy to the Gospell William Bongeor Thomas Benolde W. Purcas condemned Agnes Siluerside condemned Helene Ewring condemned Elizabeth Folkes condemned A substanciall lye A reall lye D. Chadsey wept Elizabeth Folkes prayseth God at her owne condemnation Elizabeth Folkes prayeth for 〈…〉 Sleeping Maynard Elizabeth 〈◊〉 might haue eâ—caped and â—ould not W. Munt condemned â—â—hn Iohnâ—on condemâ—â—d Alice Munt â—ondemned Rose Allen. 〈◊〉 Allins answeres Rose Allin condemned W. Munt Alice his wyfe Rose Allin their daughter Iohn Iohnson burnt the same day at afternoone The age of these Tenne made the summe of 406. Iohn Thurston a confessor of Christ. August â— George Eagles Martyred The paynefull trauell of George Eagles Quo non mortalia pectora cogis auri sacâ—a fames Virg. Aeneid 1. George Eaâ—gles inditâ—ment Richard Potto Inâ—older at 〈◊〉 Cocke 〈◊〉 Chelmsâ—â—rd 〈◊〉 iust punishment 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 persecuâ—â—â— W Swallowes wyfe punished with the falling sicknes Gods iudgemeÌ„t vpon Richard Potto an other persecutor of George Eagles August 5. The examinatioÌ„ of Rich. Crashfield before DuÌ„ning Chauncellor of Norwich Sacrament of the Aultar An other examination of Richard Crashfield Worshiping of Images Confessiion to the Priest Playing on the Organes Pâ—ay 56. Luke 19. An other examination of Richard Crashfield The Popes Church taketh Christes office out of his hand Note here the ignorance of these Catholicke men in the Scriptures An other examinatioÌ„ of Richard Crashfield 1. Cor. 10. Vnbloudy Sacrifice of the Masse The Martyrdome of Richard Crashfield Anno. 1557. August 5. August 20. One Frâ—ar the sister of George Eagles â—urned at Rochester The story of Mistres Ioâ—ce â—ewes Martyr Mistres Lewes instructed by M. Iohn Glouer Mistres Lewes impâ—isoned Mistres Lewes a yeare in prison after her condeÌ„nation Anno 1557. September Mistres Lewes refuseth to be confessed of the Priestes Temptations of Mistres Lewes before her death and Martyrdome Ioyce Lewes comforted in he temptations Ioyce Lewes brought to the place of Martyrdome Her prayers Women put to pennaunce for pledging Ioyce â—ewes The Martyrdome of Mistres Ioyce Lewes September 17. The story of Rafe Allerton Rafe AllertoÌ„ attached Thomas Tâ—e Priest 〈…〉 Tâ—e examination of 〈◊〉 Allerton He meaneth belyke Bâ—neâ— and his fâ—lloâ—es 4. Esdr. 16. Three sortes of religion in England The place of Esdraâ— explaned Anno 1556. September Allâ—â—ton charged with his oâ—ne hand writing Syr Thomas Tye lately turned to his â—omeâ— thirsteth for bloud Allerton apprehended contrary to the lawes of the realme Allerton charged with Relaps Allerton brought agayne before Boner certaynâ— Lordes Transubstantiation Bishop Boners parable 〈◊〉 5. 〈…〉 Rafe Allerton Persecutours Information geuen agaynst Rafe Allerton by Syr Thomas Tye Priest a wicked 〈◊〉 4. Esdr. 16. A letter of Rafe Allerton Psal 37. Esay 59. A letter of Rafe Allerton Post scriptum Anno 1557. 〈◊〉 Examination of Iames Austoo Margery his wyfe Anno 1556. September Margery Austoo terrified in prison Examination of Richard Roth. A letter of Richard Roth.
of Richard White Condemnation of Iohn Hunt Richard White The Christen zeale of M. Clifford Example of Christian pietye in a Shrieffe to be noted A note to be obserued concerning the Papists dealinges The Papistes charged with manifest dissimumulation Burning without a sufficient Writtâ— Rich. White now Vicar of Malbrough in Wilshire M. Miâ—hell vnder Sheriffe bâ—â—neth the writte Gods 〈◊〉 kinges 〈…〉 the death 〈◊〉 D. Geffrey Chauncellour of Salisbury The story of Iohn Fetty and Martyrdome oâ— his childâ— Gods dreadfull hand vpon a wife seeking the destruction of her husband The wyfe persecuting her husband Iohn Fetty agayne apprehended The strayte handling of Iohn Fetty by Syr Iohn Mordant Richard Smith dead in prison through cruell handling The cruell handling and scourgâ—â—â— of Iohn Fettyes childe The miserable tyrranny of the Papists in scourging a 〈◊〉 The childe all bloudy brought to his father in prison Cluny caryeth the 〈◊〉 agayne to the Byshops houâ—e The wordes betweene Boner and Iohn Fetty Boners Crucifixe B. Boner compared to Cayphas B. Boner for feare of the law in murdering a childe deliuered the father out of prison The Martyrdome of a childe scourged to death in Boners house The story of Nicholas Burton Martyr in Spayne Nicholas BurtoÌ„ Londoner Nich. Burton layd in prison they hauing no cause to charge him with Nich. Burton caryed to Ciuilâ— Nich. Burton brought to iudgement after a disguised maner The trouble of Iohn FrontoÌ„ Citizen of Bristow in Spaine Note the rauening extortion of these Inquisitours The vyle procedingâ—â— of the Inquisitors of Spayne Iohn Fronton imprisoned by the Spanish Inquisitors for asking his owne goodes Anno 1558. Iâ—hn Fronton iudged 〈◊〉 an heretike for not reding to Aue Maria 〈◊〉 then 〈◊〉 Scripâ—â—re hath 〈…〉 the 〈◊〉 Maâ—chaunt 〈…〉 of his goodes An other â—â—â—lishe 〈◊〉 burnt 〈◊〉 Spayne 〈◊〉 afore 〈◊〉 907. 〈◊〉 Baker 〈◊〉 â—urgate 〈…〉 in 〈◊〉 Marke Burges burnt in Lushborne The scourging of Richard Wilmot and Tho. Fayrefaxe D. Cromeâ— Sermon D Cromes recantation D. Crome caused to recant the second tyme. Richard Wilmot Prentise in Bow lane Lewes one of the Garde a Welchman a Popishe persecutour Wilmot defendeth D. Cromeâ— Sermon The Lord Cromwell wrongfully accused The doinges of the Lord Cromwell defended The common reason of the Papistes why the Scriptures sâ—ould not be in Englishe Gods truth goeth not alwayes by tytle fame of great learning Learned men how farre they are to be credited Wilmot complayned of to his Mayster M. Daubnies seruaunt called Thomas Fayrefaxe taketh Wilmots part Wilmot and Thomas Fayrefaxe sent for to the Lord Mayor Rich. Wilmot and Thomas Fayrefaxe examined before the Lord Mayor and M. Cholmley S. Paules doctrine made heresie with the Papistes Wilmot Fayrefaxe committed to prison Sute made bâ— the company of Drapers for Richard Wilmot and Thomas Fayrefaxe M. Brooke Maâ—ster of tâ—e compaâ—â— of Drapers â—â—ch Wilâ—â—t and â—â—â—mas â—â—â—refaxe â—â—â—urged in Drapers 〈◊〉 The scourâ—â—â—â— of â—â—â—mas Grâ—ene The Master promoteth the serâ—â—â—nt Thomas Greene put in the stockes Thomas Greene examined before Doctour Story D. Story scoffeâ—â— at Christes seruauntes An other examination of Tho. Greene before D. Story Mistres Story sheweth her charitable hart Greene agayne examined before Doctour Story Greene xamined of his belief D. Stories blasphemous scoffing in matterâ— of our fayth The Masse Greene sent agayne to the Colehouse The strayte handling of Greene in prison Talke betweene Thomas Greene and B. Boner Two prisoners brought to B. Boners Salthouse Cruelty shewed vpon prisoners for singing Psalmes Thomas Greene brought before D. Storye and the Commissioners This woman was one Youngs wyfe Thomas Greene examined before M. Hussey Dixon in Bâ—â—chin Lane Iohn Beanâ— Prentise with M. Tottle Thomas Greene adiudged to be whipped Thomas Greene brought to the Gray Fryers Thomas Greene agayne appeareth before D. Story and two gentlemâ—n The scourging of Tho. Greene before Doct. Story 〈…〉 his brother Stephen Cotton twise beatâ—n by Byshop Boner Iames Harâ—â—â— scourged â—eade before pag. 1804. Iames Harris repenteth his comming to the Popish Church The cause of Iames Harris â—courging The scourging of Robert Williams B. Boner causeth certayne boyes to be beaten Boners pityfull hart Boners deuoute Orâ—â—ons A poore begger whipt at Salisbury for not receiuing with the Papistes at Easter Actes 5. A treatise of Gods mercy and prouidence in preseruing good men women in the tyme of this persecution The deliuerance of W. Liuing his wyfe and of Iohn Lithall Deane Constable George Hancocke Beadle persecutors Talke betweene Darbyshire and W Liuing Priest Cluny playeth the theefe Note the couetous dealing of these Papistes W. Liuing layd in the Lollardes tower William Liuing deliuered Talke betweene Darbyshire Liuingeâ— wyfe Liuinges wyfe commaunded to the Lollardes Tower Dale a Promotor Marke the hope of the Papistes The Constable of S. Brides surety for Iulian Liuing Liuing and his wyfe deliuered 〈◊〉 the death of Q. Mary Ioh. Lithall brought to examinatioÌ„ by Iohn Auales Lithall brought before D. Darbyshire Chauncellour Talke betweene Lithall and the Chauncellour Iustification â—y fâ—yth 〈◊〉 Lithall denyeth to kneele before the Roode Lithals neighbours make sute for him S. Iames expounded Esay 65. Actes 16. Heb. â—â— Lithall refuseth to 〈◊〉 in â—onde Apoc. 13. Math. 18. His neighbours 〈◊〉 into bonde for him Edward Grew and Appline his vvyfe M. Browne of Suffolke Robert Blomefield persecutor Edward Goulding vnder Shâ—â—â—ffe Syr Thomas Corn 〈◊〉 high Shrieffe M. Browne persecuâ—â—â—â— and taken M. Browne deliuered Example of Gods punishment vpon a parsecutor The first examination of Elâ—zaâ—beth YouÌ„g Elizabeth Young refuseth to go to masse Elizabeth Young denyeth to sweare and 〈◊〉 The 2. examination of Elizabeâ—h YouÌ„g Elizabeth Young for bringing ouer bookes D. Martyn â—â—reatneth her with the racke Elizabeth Young charged for speaking agaynst the Queene Elizabeth YouÌ„g and her husband deliuered by D. Martyn Elyzabeth YouÌ„g commaunded to close prison to haue one day bread an other day water The 3. examination of Elizabeth Young D. Martyn seeketh to know how many gentlemen were fled ouer the Sea Elizabeth YouÌ„g againe threatned with the racke Shee agayne refuseth to sweare to accuse other Elizabeth YouÌ„g commaunded agayne to the Clinke The 4 examination of Elizabeth Young D. Martyn presenteth her to the Commissiners The booke called Antichrist Elizabeth Young a great while in the Clinke Elizabeth Young refuseth to sweare and why Elizabeth Young thought to be no womaÌ„ Sacrament of the Aultar The confession and fayth of Elizabeth Young The Sacrament to be receaued in spirite and fayth Cholmley cannot abyde spirite and fayth Institution of the Sacrament by Christ onely once for all Confession of Cholmleys fayth Elizabeth Young caryed into the stockhouse The 5 examination of Elizabeth Young Elizabeth Young offereth agayne to declare her beliefe Really Corporally Substantially Fayth commeth of God Ergo no vntruth ought to be beleued Christ is fleshe of our fleshe but not in our fleshe Iohn 6. This man dare not