THE BOOKE OF MARTYRS VVherein are set downe the names of such Martyrs as suffered persecution and laid downe theire lives for witnesse-bearing unto the Gospell of CHRIST JESUS drawne downe from the Primitive Church to these later times especially respecting such as have suffered in this Land under the tyranny of Antichrist in opposition to Popish Errours LONDON Printed by I. B. 1639. A Briefe CATALOGVE of such Martyrs as suffered persecution and laid downe their lives for witnesse-bearing unto the Gospel of Christ Iesus drawne downe from the Primitive Church to these later times especially respecting such as have suffered in this Land under the tyranny of Antichrist in opposition to Popish Errors I Sing their deaths who dying made death yeeld By Scriptures sword faiths vnbatterd shield Whom Satan men or monsters could not tame Nor force them to deny their Saviours Name Evangelists that did the Gospel write Apostles and brave Martyrs that did fight Gainst death and hell and all the power of sin And boldly di'd eternall life to win Iohn Baptist by King Herod lost his head Who to the world repentance published Our blest Redeemer in his love did follow And conquered death mans sinful soule to hallow He was the death of death and he did quell The sting and power of Satan sin and hell And vnder his great standard valiantly A number numberlesse have dar'd to dye Through bondage famine slavery sword and fire Through all divised torments they aspire Victoriously to gaine th'imortall Crowne Of never ending honour and renowne Saint Steven was the third that lost his breath And for his Masters sake was ston'd to death And after him in Scripture may be read Th' Apostle Iames was brain'd and butchered Saint Marke th'Evangelist in fire did burne And Bartholmew was flead yet would not turnes Saint Andrew like a valiant champion di'd And willing on a crosse was crucifi'd Mathias Philip Peter and Saint Paul Ston'd crucifi'd beheaded Martyrs all Th' Apostles of their lives no reckoning make And think them wel spent for their Saviors sake The Tyrant Emperours in number ten Most cruell barbarous and inhumane men More Christians by their bloody meanes did slay Then for a yeere five thousand to each day And many Romish Bishops in those daies Were Martyr'd to their high Creators prayse And though each day so many thousands bleed Yet doubly more and more they daily breed As Camomile growes better being trod So death and tortures drawes more unto God Or as the Vine that 's cut and prun'd beares more In one yeere than it did in three before This bloody persecution did out-weare After Christs death the first 300. yeares Thus did the Primitive Church first indure Being Catholike Apostolike and pure Then over all the world was truely knowne That Romish Bishops claimed but their owne In their owne Dioces to be chiefe Pastor And not to be the worlds great Lord and Master And now our Britains glory will I sing From Lucius raigne the worlds first Christian King Vnto these daies of happy peacefull state A Catalogue of Martyrs I 'll relate First Vrsulae and eleven thousand with her All Virgins for Christs faith did die together Then Hengist with the Saxons hither came Who many kill'd with sword and furious flame Besides eleven hundred Monkes were kill'd At Bangor Abby all their bloods were spill'd And when the Saxons race to end was run The Danes came in and all the Kingdome won Before whose swords did many thousands fall Which on the name of Iesus Christ did call Then William Conqueror with a multitude Vnto the Normans yoake this Land subdu'd The Pope then caus'd all Priests to leave their wives To lead foule Sodomitick single lives Then afterward in second Henries raigne Was sawcie Saint Thomas Becket slaine A Popish Saint and Martyr made because He di'd a traytor to his Soveraignes Lawes King Henry and King Richard dead and gone Their brother Iohn by right ascends the throne Whom all his life the Pope of Rome did vex And with oppressions all the Realme perplex With candle booke and bell he curst and blest And Bulls and Legates did the King molest Vntill such time he on his knees fell downe And to the Pope surrendred up his Crowne At last because he durst the Pope withstand He di'd impoysoned by a Friers hand When thus by treason they had kil'd King Iohn Then the third Henry Englands Crowne put on Then England bought the Romish doctrine deare It cost her threescore thousand marks a yeare For Agnus Dei pardons Peter pence For which the Pope had all this coine from hence King Henry died then Edward tooke the sway His sonne and grandchilde England did obey The first of them call'd Long shankes conquests won Lost by Carnarvan his unhappy son Who by his Queene was in a dungeon cast Till being murder'd sadly breath'd his last Edward the third a brave victorious King Did Frenchmens pride into subjection bring Richard the second next to Raigne began Who lost more then his royall Grandsire wan Then 'gan Iohn Wiekliffe boldly to begin To preach 'gainst Antichrist that man of sin Who many troubles stoutly did abide Yet spight the Pope he naturally di'd And being dead from out his grave was turn'd And had his martyr'd bones to ashes burn'd Which ashes they did cast into a brooke Because he had the Romish faith forsooke Yet whilst the second Richard here surviv'd No Martyrs were by fire of life depriv'd Henry the fourth was in the Throne invested In whose raigne many were too much molested And William Sautre first his life did give Through flames of fire who now in heav'n doth live The next Iohn Badby in the furious flame And William Thorp but wan immortall fame Then the fifth Henry a victorious Prince The Realme of France did conquer and convince The good Lord Cobham then Oldcastle nam'd By Popish Priests an Hereticke was proclaim'd Was hang'd and burn'd by the unlawfull doome Of Satans servants slaves to hell and Rome And leaving some unnam'd Iohn Browne Esquire Iohn Beverly a Preacher di'd in fire Besides a number from the Lollards tower Racks tortures halters and the flame devoure Iohn Hus a glorious Martyr of the Lord Was in Bohemia burned for Gods Word And reverend Ierom did to Constance come From Prage and stoutly sufferd martyrdome In Smithfield one Iohn Claidon sufferd death And with him Richard Turming lost his breath At this time sixteene godly folkes in Kent The Antichristian vassalls did torment Then death cut off the fifth King Henries raigne The Crowne the sixth King Henry did obtaine And William Taylor a true zealous Priest Did passe through fire unto his Saviour Christ. Good Richard Hoveden with him William White Each unto God through fire did yeeld his sprite Duke Humphrey though no Martyr kild in 's bed And Richard Wych a Priest was burned dead Then Saint-like good King Henry was depos'd By the fourth Edward in the Tower inclos'd Then Edward fled
and Henry once againe By Warwicks power the Kingdome did obtaine Thus did the various state of humane things Make Kings of Captive and of Captives Kings Vntill at last King Edward turned backe Brought Henries royalty to finall wracke In whose raigne Iohn Goose as the story saith Was the first Martyr burned for Christs Faith King Henry in the Tower was stab'd to death And Edward yeeldeth up his life and breath His sonne young Edward of that name the fift Whom the third Richard from his life did lift Who by foule murders blood and tyranny Vsurp'd the throne of Englands Monarchy Till valiant Henry of that name the seven Kill'd him and made uneven England even Then first Ioan Broughton a man call'd Babrane By Faith thorow fire went to old father Abram An old man was in Swithfield burn'd because Hee did resist against the Roman Lawes One Ierom hang'd and burned on the Gallowes In Florence with two other of his fellowes And William Tilsworth Thomas Bernard and Iames Morton cause they did the Pope withstand Burned all and Father Rogers and old Reine Did die by fire a better life to gaine One Thomas Novice and one Thomas Chase Di'd constant Martyrs by the heavenly grace A woman and a man call'd Laurence Guest By death gain'd everlasting life and rest Besides a number past mens reckoning up For Iesus sake dranke of afflictions cup. Some carried faggots through a world of mocke Some rackt some pin'd some fetred in the stocks Some naked strip'd and scourged with a lash For their rejecting of the Romish trash Some branded in the cheeke did alwaies beare The badge and marke of their Redeemer deare Thus the insulting tyrannizing Pope With cursings fagot fire and sword and rope Did force the soules and consciences of men To run despairing to damnations den And they that valiantly his power withstood Did seale their resolution with their blood Before his triple treble trouble Crowne In adoration Emperours must fall downe Were they as high as any Caesar borne To kisse his feet they must not hold it scorne Henry the sixth the Emperour did fall downe Whom with his feet Pope Celestine did crowne Henry the fourth his Empresse and young son All three to Rome did barefoote goe and run And three daies so these three did all attend His holinesse a godlesse eare to lend Which afterward was granted on condition That he should give his crowne up in submission Pandulphus the Popes Legat with a frowne Did make King Iohn of England yeeld his crown King Henry of that name the second hee Kneeld downe and kist the Romish Legats knee The Emperour when Pope Adrian was to ride Did hold his stirrop on the meere wrong side For which his Holinesse in angry sort Disdainfully did checke the Emp'rour for 't When as the Pope doth ride in Cope of gold Kings like to foot-men must his bridle hold In pomp he must be borne upon mens shoulders With glorious shew amazing the beholders Whilst Kings and Princes must before him goe To usher him in his vaine-glorious showe This being true as no man can deny Those that will not be blind may plainly spy That their insulting proud commanding Priest Is absolute and onely Anti-Christ H'exalts himselfe 'bove all that 's called God Vpon the Emperours necke he proudly trod He is th'abomination void of grace That mounts himselfe into the holy place He makes the Princes of the earth drinke up And quaffe the poyson of the cursed cup Who being drunken with the dregs of sin They have his sworne and forsworne vassals bin Bewitched with his soule inchanting charmes Gainst one another they have rose in Armes By forraigne and domesticke bloody broiles Whilst he hath fild his coffers with their spoiles His double dealing too too plaine appeares In setting Christian Princes by the eares Whilst he into his avaritious hands Hath seiz'd their persons moveables and lands And as the Christian kings thēselves made weak The Turke into their Kingdomes 'gan to break And thus the Turk and Pope ioin'd with the devil Have beene the authors of all Christian evil The second BOOKE VVHen the 7th Henry in his grave was laid And the 8th Henry Englands Scepter swaid Romes bloody persecution raged more In England than in ten Kings raignes before And therefore Reader in this little Booke For every Martyrs name thou must not looke But men of chiefest note respect and fame That died in England onely those I name And first the Papists tyranny began In murthering Richard Hun a zealous man For being kept in prison by their power They closely hang'd him in the Lollards Tower And then they all in generall decreed Reporting Hun himselfe had done the deed And sixteene daies just after this was done They burn'd the foresaid corps of Richard Hun. Then to the number of full thirty five The furious flames did all of life deprive In severall places of this wofull Land Because they did the Pope of Rome withstand At which time Thomas Bilney did beginne To preach and teach 'gainst Antichristian sinne Where in Saint Georges Church in Ipswich town The Papists from the Pulpit pluckt him downe And as in dolefull prison he did lie He put his finger into the flames to trie He prov'd God did give him strength to beare His death to live with his Redeemer deare The next of note was one Iohn Frub a man Of learning great a Martyrs fame he wan Then learned Luther and grave Zwinglius With Calvin Beza Oecolampadius All glorious gracious reverend lamps of light Were instruments to clear bleard Englands sight In Flanders William Tindall for Gods Word Was sacrific'd to glorifie the Lord. Iohn Lambert valiantly his death did take And burn'd in Smithfield for his Saviours sake About this time that honourable man Lord Cromwell life and timelesse death began He like an earth-quake made the Abbies fall The Fryeries and the Nunneries all This famous noble worthy Essex Earle This Iem this Iewell this most Orient Pearle Was for his truth from all he had discarded And with his heads losse all his Faith rewarded The next of worthy note by fire that dide Was good Anne Ayscough who did strong abide Racks torturs the cruel raging flame To magnifie her high Creators name Then'gan the kings eies to be opened quite Inlightned by the everlasting light He banisht superstitious idle fables And packt the Papists hence with all their bables Then Bonner Gardner brethren both in evill Factors and actors blood-hounds for the Devill Their burning fame to infamy soone faded They godlesse gracelesse were disgrac'd degraded The King then having this good worke begun He died and left the Kingdome to his son Then raign'd young Edward that sweete princely child By whom all Popery was cleane exil'd But he too good to live 'mongst wicked men Th' Almighty tooke him hence to heaven agen No sooner Edward was laid in his Tombe But England was the slaughter-house of Rome Gardner and Bonner were
from prison turn'd Aud whom they pleas'd were either sav'd or burn'd Queene Mary imitating lezabel Advanc'd againe the Ministers of hell Then tyranny began to tyrannize Tortures and torments then they did devise Then Master Rogers with a faith most fervent Was burn'd and di'd in Smithfield Gods true servant Next unto him did Laeurence Sanders die By fire for Iesus sake at Covenerie He did imbrace and kindly kisse the stake To gaine heav'ns glory did the world forsake Good Bishop Hooper was at Gloster burn'd Cause he against the Romish doctrine spurn'd And Doctor Tayler a true zealous man At Hadley burned eternall glory wan Then Bishop Farrer next his life did spend In fire to gaine the life shall never end Next William Flower first did lose his hand Then burn'd because he did the Pope withstand In Essex Thomas Hawkes with faith victorious Did die with fire to gaine a life most glorious Master John Bradford for his Saviours sake In Smithfield burn'd a godly end did make Two reverend Bishops Father Latimer And Ridley each of them a heavenly star Liv'd in Gods feare and in his favour di'd At Oxford burn'd and now are glorifi'd John Philpot gladly did the fire imbrace And died and lives in his Redeemers grace Then that grave Father and religious man Arch-bishop Cranmers troubles hot began His pomp his state his glory and his pride Was to know Iesus and him crucifide He liv'd a godly Preacher of Gods Word And dy'd a glorious Martyr of the Lord. Iohn Careles in close prison carefully Did change his cares for joyes eternally But this small volume cannot well containe One quarter of the Saints in England slane In Henries raigne and Maries cruell Queene Eight thousand people there hath slaughterd bin Some by the sword some hang'd some burnt in fire Some starv'd to death in prison all expire Twelve thousand and seven hundred more beside Much persecution trouble did abide Some rackt some whipt some tortur'd some in stocks Some doing pennance with a world of mocks Some with an Iron in the faces burn'd Some out of all their goods to beggry turn'd Some bar-foot baring faggots on their shoulders Were made a wondring stocke to the beholders All this and more much more they did endure Because they would not yeeld to live impure But now to speake the law lesse cause wherefore And why these people troubled were so sore Because they would not make their plaints and mones To senslesse images dead stocks stones Because they said the sacramentall bread Is not the Lord which shall judge quick dead Because they not beleev'd a Purgatory And held the Popes decrees an Idle story Because they would not creepe unto the crosse And change Gods sacred Word for human drosse Because they held the Masse an Idoll soule At once which pickt the purse and damn'd the soule Because they knew the Pope and all his crue Hell-hounds whom heaven in rage on earth did spue And in a word they thus were over-trod Because they truly serv'd the living God This was the maine and onely cause of all Because they would not offer unto Baal The Popes outragious aud contagious actor Was Bishop Benner hells most truly factor Romes hang-man the firebrand of this Realme That with a flood of blood did overwhelme The true beleevers of Gods holy truth He butchered not regarding age or youth With him was joyn'd a man almost as il Who tooke delight Gods servants blood to spil Call'd Steven Gardner Englands Chanceller And Bishop of the See of Winchester These two did strive each other to excell Who should doe greatest service unto hell Vntill at last God heard his servants cry And each of them did die immediatly Thus when Iehovah heard the just complaints Of his beloved poore afflicted Saints Then this too cruell Pope defending Queen The bloodiest Princesse that this land hath seen She did decease and persecution ceast And tired wofull England purchast rest Queene Mary being dead her welcome death Reviv'd our joyes in blest Elizabeth Innumerable were her woes and cares Abundant were the subtill wyles and snares Which Satan and his Ministers oft laid To rave the life of that most harmelesse maid She was accus'd abus'd revil'd miscal'd She was from prison unto prison hal'd Long in the Tower she was close prisoner shut Her loving servants all away were put From thence to Windsor thence to Woodstock sent Closely mewd up from all the worlds content But God whose mercies ever did defend her Did in her greatest sorrowes comfort send her He did behold her from his Throne most high And kept her as the apple of his eye Let Hell and Hell-hounds still attempt to spill Yet the Almighty guards his servants still And he at last did ease her sorrowes mone And rais'd her to her lawfull awfull throne This royall Debora this princely Dame VVhole life made all the world admire the same As Iudith in Bethulia's same was spread For cutting off great Holophernes head So our Eliza stoutly did beginne Vntopping and beheading Romish sinne Shee purg'd the Land of Papistry agen She liv'd belov'd of God admir'd of men She made the Antichristian Kingdome quake She made the mighty power of Spaine to shake As farre as Sunne or Moone disperst their raies So far and further went her matchlesse praise She was at home abroad in every part Load-starre and Load-stone to each eye and heart Supported onely by Gods powerfull hand She foure and forty yeeres did rule this Land And when she left this royall princely seat She chang'd earths greatnes to be heavenly great Thus did this westerne worlds great wonder die She fell from height to be advanc'd more hie Terrestriall Kings and Kingdomes all must fade Then blest is she that is immortall made Her death fill'd wofull England full of feares The Papists long'd for change with itching eares For her decease was all their onely hope To raise againe the doctrine of the Pope But he whose power is all omnipotent Did their unhappy hopelesse hopes prevent Succession lawfully did leave the Crowne Vnto a prince whose vertue and renowne And learning doth out-strip all Kings as far As doth the Sunne obscure a little star VVhat man that is but man could baffle more Romes seven headen purple whore How wisely hath he Bellarmine confuted And how divinely hath he oft disputed How zealously he doth Gods faith defend How often on Gods word he doth attend How clement pious and how gracious good Is he as fits the greatnesse of his blood VVert not for him how would the Muses doe He is their patterne and their patron too He is th'Appollo from whose radiant beames The Quintessence of Poetry out-streames And from the splendor of his piercing raies A world of worthy Writers wins the baies Yet all the worthy vertues so transparent And so well knowne in him to be inherent Cannot perswade Papists leave their strife With cursed treasons to attempt his life For when their disputations help'd them not They would dispute in a damn'd powder-plot In which the Romish went beyond the Divell For hell could not invent a plot so evill But he that plac'd him on his royall throne The God of Iacobs Iudahs holy one That God for Iesus sake I doe beseech With humble heart and with unfaigned speech That he and his may Britaines Scepter sway Till time the world and all things passe away FINIS * Daughter of Sir 〈◊〉 Ayscough Knight