him coming after him O are you there said he yes said Mr. Latimer I am coming after you as fast as I Can. When they both came to the stake Bishop Ridly holding up both his hands and looking towards heaven prayed and seeing Mr. Latimer come he ran to him and embraced him and Kissed him saying Be of good heart Brother for God will either asswage the fury of the Flame or else streâ—gthen us to abide it With that he Kneeled down at the Stake Kissing it and then fell to prayer and Mr. Latimer behind him both earnestly calling upon God After they arose and talked a little while together when Dr. Smith who in King Ed. days had renounced Popery now embracing it preached to the people on this Text Tho I give my Body to be burnt c. inveighing very much against the opinions of the Lutherans after he had done both Dr. Ridly and Mr. Latimer had a desire to have reply'd to what he had said but as soon as they began to open their mouths some ran to them and stop'd them telling them unless they would recant they should not be suffered to speak Gods will be done then said Bishop Ridly but so long as I have breath in my body I will never deny my Lord Christ and his known truth Then he said with a loud voyce I Commit our cause to Almighty God who will indifferently Judg all Then Mr. Latimer said what is hid shall be revealed They were then Commanded to make themselves ready which they did and were both Chained to the Stake and Dr. Rilleys brother-in-law brought each a Bag of Gunpowder to tye about them which they accepted of as sent them from God Dr. Ridley stripped himself and gave away his things among his friends there being great striving to have some remembrance from this good Man but Mr. Latimer suffered himself to be strip'd by the officers haveing nothing worth bestowing Dr. Ridly being now at the stake prayed saying holding up both his hands O heavenly Father I give thee most hearty thanks for that thou hast called me to be a professor of thee even unto Death I beseech the O Lord have mercy upon this Realm of England and deliver the same from all her Enemies Then he made a Request to the Lord Williams to intreat the Queen to be good to several poor people to whom he had let Leases that they mought injoy them which he promised to do but Bishop Bonner like a wretch took them all from them Then fire was put to them when Mr. Latimer said be of good comfort Mr. Ridly and play the Man we shall this day light such a Candle by God's Grace in England as I trust shall never be put out Dr. Ridly when he saw the flame approach him he cryed out In manus tuas Domine commendo Spiritum meum Domine recipe Spiritum meum that is Into thy hands O Lord I commend my Spirit O Lord receive my Spirit which latter part he often repeated in English Mr. Latimer crying as vehemently on the other side O Father of Heaven receive my Soul Who receiving the flame as it were imbracing it soon dyed with little or no Pain But Bishop Ridly by reason of the fire being ill made endured great torment having all his lower parts burnt before his upper were touched so that he was heard to cry to them often for the Lords sake to put the fire to him I cannot burn and then crying out Lord have mercy upon me he Continued a long time and all one side of him remained untouch'd till aâ—â—â—â—st tâ—â— Gâ—â—â—oweâ—cr â—â—â—k firâ— after which he wâ—◠〈◊〉 seâ—n to move â—y more And this was the eâ—â—â—â—th sâ—â— two â—oly Martyrs Blessed Bishops for the Gospel of Christ's sake by the hands of persecuting Papisis and by the Religion â—hen established by Law The Death of pâ—â—seâ—â—ting Gardner Wit in a wâ—ilt afâ—â—r the B oody persecuting Pâ—â—lâ—â— Stephâ—â— Gâ—â—dâ—â— dyed for that day the last mentioned Mâ—rtyâ—s were put to death tho the Duke of No â—â—hfolk and other persons of Quality came to dine with him he would not go to dâ—nner till 3 or 4 of the Clock expecting to hear of the Death of these wâ—mâ—n and assâ—on as his man riâ—â—â—g post had brâ—â—ght him word of it he began to be merry and sat down to dinner but was emmediately struck with the hand of God the first but â—e put â—nto his mouth being carried from the Table Continuing for â—5 days in great Torments nor being able to evacuate Naturâ— any way and his Tongue that had so often blaspherâ—ed God swollen and black lolling out of his mouth till he dyed Tho he weâ—e dead yet persecution Continued and the Devil found Instruments to do his Work For in the Month of November three flour Champions of Jesus Christ suffer'd in one Fire in Canterbury viz Jâ—hn wâ—bb Gentleman George Roâ—er and Gâ—egory Parke being all condemned to the fire by the Bishop of Dover and Nicâ—oâ—as Harspfield As they went to the plâ—ce of their Martyrdom they sung Psalms two of them were will striâ—ken in years but Râ—per was a younger man of a fresh Complexion going all â—ith whi e Linnen and their gowns upon it They all shewâ—d great Constancy but Râ—per especially who coming to the place leâ—ped for Joy and whâ—n fiâ—e waâ— put to hâ—m he streatched out both his Aâ—ms into â—â—e â—lâ—mes standing like a Cross unmevable and so continued never stirring them till they were both burnt â—ff and afterwards his Body to Ashes Several dyed in Prison in the â—â—llards Tower through the bâ—â—â—arity of the Papists and were Cast into t he open fields for doggs and swine to tear with command that none 〈…〉 hâ—m yet by night some were â—ound to be â—o Câ—â—â—table as to fling Eartâ— over thâ—m Archdeacon Philpot burnt in Smithfield The next 〈…〉 mâ—â—tâ—â—â— Wâ—â—â—â—ought to the stâ—ke by thâ—se blood sâ—â—kâ—â—â— wâ— Mr Jâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 Archdeacon â—f Wincâ—â—â—â— â—â—e wâ—â— tâ—e 〈…〉 Gentâ—emaâ—â—f 〈◊〉 goâ—d fâ—â—mâ—ly in 〈…〉 brought up in Nâ—â—â— Coâ—â—cagâ— in Oxâ—â—â—◠〈…〉 died thâ— Civil â—â—ws 6 or 7 yeaâ—s wâ—◠〈…〉 â—â—ral Arts 〈◊〉 â—â—ence and â—spâ—â—â—ly 〈…〉 in which he profiteâ— and more 〈…〉 Hebrew He wâ—s of a preâ—anâ—â—â—â—t 〈…〉 and resolution fervent in Religioâ— â—ree from 〈◊〉 â—â—â—tery and hypocrisie and hated â—â—ssiâ—â—ulatiâ—n Fâ—â—m Oxford he went to travel to improve himself going thorow Italy and other parts where he increaâ—â—d his knowledg and lost nor as many do good m nners and Love to God Returning into England he was made Arcâ—dâ—acon of Winchester in King Edwâ—rds days under the Bishop Dr. Poinet who had succeeded Gardner But â—fter that Queen Mary came in and caused a Convocation of Prelates to Assemble about Religion this good man believing they might there speak freely he manfully maintained the cause of the Gospel against all its Adversaries for which he was afterwards â—â—pâ—â—ioned and after a twelve months time or more w s had to be examined before Bâ—shop Gardner
faithfully and truly set down and I hope God will give a blessing to these my true endeavours and this very useful Book at this time that all Protestants of whatsoever denomination may joyn together in the bond of unity to oppose this Bloody Cruel and Common Enemy of all that profess the Truth of the Gospel and to endeavour that the Hierarchy of Rome may never get Power and Dominion in this Land Which I pray God avert and protect us from And to which Prayer let all good People say Amen The Introduction THe Corruptions and great abominations together with the Heretical Idolatrous Impious and Blasphemous Doctrines and practices of the Church of Rome as also its bloody Persecutions abroad have been shewn in several volumes and by several Authors but since what hath been transacted by that Church in our own Kingdom more nearly concerns us I have here given you a true view of the Persecutions of the Papists from the beginning against all such as dissented from them and would not bow down to their Images or Worship God after their way by which you may see what Spirit they are of quite contrary to that of Christ and his Apostles and to what slavery we should be brought if God should permit once more the Papal Authority to get footing in these reformed Kingdoms which for so many years at the expence of blood and the lives of many holy Men and Martyrs have shaken off that Tyrannical Yoak of the See of Rome It is my design not to transcur the Bounds of our own Country for where ever the Papists have set up themselves they have continuâ—lly exercised the like bloody power of the Sword contrary to the Doctrine of Christ and the practice of his Successors for some Centuries when the purity of the Gospel was professed in times near the first lighting up of the bright Candle of Christianity But I shall shew and expose to the World in this little Tract the bloody Cruelties and Persecutions of that Idolatrous Church exercised in this Kingdom only against such as dissented from them or that opposed the evil of their Doctrine and practises After that Errors were crept into the Church and that the Romish Church had sought and obtained by many impious practises the supremacy over other Churches she endeavoured to maintain this her usurpt Authority by Tyranny and bloody Persecution as she doth to this Day where ever her rule is permitted That is a most ridiculous Question of some of the Papists to many ignorant Protestants Where was your Religion before Luther All your Forefathers in England were Papists why should you then change your old Religion for many hundred years establish'd in England for one of a new date and but of the other days standing This has taken with some but they are such as are very ignorant or else they may reply to such Querors that though the Name of Protestants be new and came from Germany in Luthers time from protesting against the Romish decrees that were to have been imposed upon them yet the Doctrine and Discipline of the Protestant Churches are as ancient as Christianity itself and nearest to that of Christ and his holy Apostles and Successors in the primitive times before Rome came to challenge a supremacy over other Churches or to pretend to be the Spiritual Head of the World In all Ages and thorow the most Corrupt of times the purity of the Gospel has been preserved like a shining light has manifested itself in its dissent from the evil sinful practises from the false and heretical Doctrines of the Church of Rome and has been still persecuted by it long before the times of Luther as is manifested by the Albingenses and the Waldenses in France as also in Germany and Italy itself where many professing the purity of the Gospel and testifying against the errors and corruptions of the Romish Church fell under the bloody Sword of its Persecution But designing as I have said to speak only of our own Country we shall begin with the earliest Persecutions of the Romanists in this Land who always hated Dissenters from them or such as would not own their unjust Supremacy over their Brethren Christianity began very early in England and a Christian Church was planted here almost as soon as at Rome and continued without any acknowledgment of her Authority all the time of the British Reign for the Brittish Churches never owned any forreign Church supream or above them or suffered any to exercise Dominion or Authority over them but submitted themselves to their Kings and their Metropolitan as their head Austine the Monk was the first who endeavoured to bring into this Land the Authority of Rome and because the Brittish Bishops would not own it he stirred up the Heathen Saxon Kings then Conquerors of this Land to persecute them and others Converted to Christianity and of the Papistical Principles of setting up the Church of Rome above others to kill and destroy the Brittish Christians as dissenters from them But yet till about the year 980 the purity of the Christian Doctrine preserved itself against Popish errors about which time Popery that is the Supremacy of that Church or the owning it to the head over others getting ground in England as well as in other places and with it all the filthinesses and abominations which dissenting Protestants disown and speak against all that any ways opposed this supremacy and erroneous Doctrines were persecuted and troubled by them tho they were not as yet come to fire and faggot wanting not will but power to do it I shall but mention only that good Bishop of Lincoln Robert Grosthead who wrote against the wickedness of the Popish Clergy in the time of King Henry the 3d. which vext them so much that Pope Innocent would have had the Bishops bones after his death to have been dug up and flung out of the Church where he was buried and intending to have wrote to the King of England for that purpose he was strucken by the said Bishop appearing to him in his sleep with his Crosiers staff reproving him of his wicked intention which prohibited him from proceeding therein After which time the Papal wickednesses increasing in this Nation Sathan was let loose and greater Persecutions began to arise against those who made a profession of the Gospel and opposed the Romish Superstition or dissented from it I shall therefore here end this introduction and begin the History of Popish persecutions here in England about the Reign of King Edward the 3d about which time they began more eminently to appear and so God willing I shall briefly prosecute them to our own times thorow that flood of Martyrs blood shed in Queen Maries days A TRUE VIEW OF ALL THE Popish Persecutions AND CRUELTIES IN ENGLAND The First Part. LOng before the namâ— of Protestants gave a distinction of such as dissented from the Corruptions of the Church of Rome and made them subject to
shine as bright as new tryed Silver to the great amazement of the beholders He suffered on the 31th day of August Anno 1555. About the beginning of September following one William Allyn a labouring man but very upright and honest of an unblemish'd reputation was Martyr'd at Walsingham for denying to fall down before the Cross and to follow in procession when he went to the Fire By reason of his former upright coversation he was suffer'd to go untyed and when he came to suffer and the chain was fastned about him he shewed such constancy that he stood quietly without the leâ—st noise or shrinking till he dyed Roger Coo and Thomas Cob Martyrs In the same Month of September Roger Coo of Milford in Suffolk Sheerman was brought into trouble and brought before the Bishop who had a long dispute with this poor man among other his discourses he asked him if he would not obey the Kings and Queens Laws To which he replyed as far as they were agreeable to the word of God he would Whether they agree with the word of God or not said the Bishop we are bound to obey them if the King were an Infidel Mark the large Conscience of this Popish Bishop To which this honest Martyr repâ—y'd If Shadrac Mesac and Abednego had so done Nebâ—chadnezzar had never confessed the living God But in the end after many troubles and afflictions he was Condemned and suffered at Yexford in Suffolk where being very aged this blessed Martyr ended his days The same month was burnt in the Town of Thetford one Thomas Cob a Butcher being condemned to the fire by the Bishop of Norwich his bloody Chancellor Dunnings In the same Month also at Canterbury about the 6th day five persons were burnt in one fire their names were George Catmir Robert Streater Anthony Burward George Brodbridge and James Tuttâ— Condemned by the Bishop of Dover upon the Arâ—icles of the Sacrament It will be too tedious to give you the relation of all that suffered for now bonfires were made of mans flesh by these Tyrannous Papists almost thorow out England but fell more or less in those places where the Bishops were more or less merciful or tyrannical and we find the chief persecution and havock to be made in London and the Counties about it as Essex Northfolk Suffolk Kent Surry and the like yet in other places we find several Martyr'd for about the midst of this month Thomas Hayward and John Goreway were Condemned and burnt at the Town of Litchfield Robert Glover and Cornelius Bongey Martyrs On the 20th of September two blessed Martyrs to wit Robert Glover and Cornelius Bongey were burnt at Coventry Robert Glover was the Son of a Gentleman of good estate whose elder Brother John Glover lived in Coventry and was one who professed the Gospel for which the Bishop of that Diâ—câ—ss sent to apprehend him but the Major being his friend gave him timely notice of it so that with another Brother he made his escape leaving Râ—bert in his Chamber who by reason of a long sickness was not able to go out of it or scarce from his Bed yet these Papistical Catch-poles full of all manner of cruelty not finding the prey they look'd for violently haled this Martyr out of the House and carried him before the Sheriffs who knowing he was not the person nominated in the warrant would have dismissed him but the Bishops Catch-poles would right or wrong though in a very weak condition have him before the Bishop which they did who examining him and finding that he also held the same opinions with his Brother and also learnedly disputed the same with the Bishop being a Master of Arts of the University of Cambridge he was sent to prison mark the Bishops Charity and put into a Cold place next the Dungeon in Lichfeild without bed only a pad of straw to lye on which in his condition was enough to have kill'd him had not God in his great mercy supported him From thence he was had to Coventry where he was kept in prison strictly without letting his relations come at him and without Pen Ink and Paper or any Books but a Latin Testament Prayer book he had about him unknown to them After he was condemned and the writ for his burning came down he found himself very heavy and lumpish at which being troubled he complained to a friend nâ—med Austin fearing that God had forsaken him His friend bid him to wait the Lord's pleasure which he did fervently praying that God would send him comfort yet he Continued heavy pensive and without alacrity tho not distrusting till the day he went to be burnt and he was no sooner in sight of the Stake but he was suddenly replenish'd with the power and Love of God feeling such comfortable and heavenly Joyes that he Clapt his hands together crying out O Austin Austin He is come he is come with such joy as if he had escaped some eminent danger rather than going to dye such was the wonderful change of this good man With him was Burned Cornelius Bongey a Capper of Coventry condemned by the same Bishop and both patiently dye I together praysing the Lord. As for John and William the other Brothers who fled they both not long after dyed the latter in Shropshire the Former some where in the Country near Coventry being often sought for so that by lying in the woods he caught cold and an Ague which kill'd him he was privatly inter'd in a Church-yard without Parson or Clark but it coming to the Ears of the Bishops Chancellor he sent a Command to the Parson to have him taken up and his body to be thrown into the high way the Parson returned answer that the body was by this time putrified and stunk that none could come near it he then sent word that he should lye for a year and that then his bones should be dug up and thrown into the high way for horses to trample on them and that then he would come and hallow the Church yard Williams body lay two dayes and a night without burial being cast out in the fields till some Charitable people buryed it by night in a broom feild several others they served after the same manner and taking up the bones of others not letting them rest quiet in their Graves On the 9th of October following were condemned on the 16th burnt at Ely two more the one named Râ—b Pigot a painter the other Wâ—â—liam Wolsey both of Wishbich These two tho burnt together were of different tempers the former was meek gentle and humble saying often to his adversaries he would yeild to them if they could convince him by the Scriptures but he could not do any thing against his Conscience the other was bold stout and vehement detesting their doings and shewing a great aversion of Spirit against them knowing he should receive nothing from them but Cruelty unless he would prove an Idolater like them and forsake