prayer sayd these wordes I did often times in Queene Maries tyme saye to the Bishops that they were to busie with Pecora campi for so it pleased him to terme the poore coÌ„mons of EnglaÌ„d chopping at twiges but I wished to haue chopped at the roote which if they had done this gere had not cum now in question and here in most traiterously he ment the distruccion of our dere soueraigne lady Queene Elizabeth For the which wordes spoken in such an audience and in such vehement maner there was no honest nor true hart that hard him but did vtterly abhorre him And sone after that he had declared his trayterous hart to the Queenes highnes and his conscience accusing him he fled and lurked about in sondry corners as did Cain when he had murdered his brother Abell But at the last he was taken in the west countrye rydyng before a Male in a frise coate lyke a seruing man and was apprehended in the highwaie by one maister Ayleworth a gentleman one of the Queenes seruauntes and brought before the counsaill and after sent to prison to the Queenes Bench for more theÌ„ suspicion of Treason in the fyrst yere of her highnes reigne And after the sayd Story had remained there a whyle he espyenge hys tyme and by the helpe of his frendes as commonly suche lewde papistes lacke none he brake the said prison and fled againe beyond the Seas namely into Flaundyrs and there not only practised diuerse wicked treyterous enterprices towardes our Soueraigne lady the Quenes maiestie and the state of this realme by sondry coÌ„ferences that he had with such as haue of late rebelled coÌ„spired the destruccion of the same But also he became an open comon enemi to euery good subiect of this realme of England and obteyned in Flaundyrs of the Duke of Alna a comission and aucthoritie to practise his olde cruetie to arest aprehend al such Englishmens goods as shold arriue in those countries or that did traffique out of England into those parts or from thence into England and to confiscat the same by reason of which aucthoritie he vsed there such extremytie that he was the spoiler vndoer of dyuerse merchauntes and of more would haue bene if he had longer continued wherfore the said Merchauntes were in forced to study and deuyse some remeady and to practise some waye or meane howe to remoue this comber some man from them And among other deuises they hauing experience of hym to be a gredy and rauenous wolfe put into his head by such as he suspected not that ther was a pray for hym of English goodes in a Ship that laiâ— in a certein place which was named vnto him where he should fynd such a treasure of goods to be confiscate as woulde be sufficient for him during his life The wolfe beynge hongry and desyrous of this great pray set forward and came into a Shyp that promysed to brynge hym to the place where the praye was But to be shorte â—â—ssone as he was entered the Shipe the sâ—â—e brought hym cleane a waye out of Flaundirs into England and landed him at Harwyche in the Moneth of Auguste last paste And sone after knowlege being geuen to the Queenes honorable counsail of his landynge he was brought to London and there he was comitted to prison to the lollardes tower in Powles where he contynued a whyle that he myght well peruse that place wherin he had most cruelly tormented many a good Chrystyan But he lacked there one thing which was the monstrous and houge Steckes that hee and Boner his old faithfull frend had vsed to turmoyle and persecute the poore and Innocent christians in hanging sum therin by the heles so high that only their heades laye on the ground Some wer stocked in both feet armes some also wer stocked by both their feet and by both thir thombes and so did hang in the Stockes And some also were stocked by both theyr fete cheyned by the necke wyth collars of Iron made fast behynde theim to a post in the wall and suche other deuelishe and tyrannus engynes and deuyses by hym practised these at his being in the lolardes Tower he myssed and great pitie it was that he had not tasted of theim But alack the good Bisshop Gryndall late Bysshop of London had brent and consumed them with fire But to returne where I left after that Story had contynnued a certaine of tyme in the lollardes Tower had ben diuers tymes examined hee was from thence remoued to the Tower of London wher he remayned vntill the .xxvi. day of Maye 1571. And then was heâ— brought from thence into westminster hall before the iudges of the Queenes Benche and there arayned And after the indictment had ben read vnto hym theffect wherof was that wher as Rychard Norton Thomas Markenfelde Christopher Neuyll Frances Norton Thomas Ienny alias Iennings with other traytors after their offences committed in the north and being therof indicted in the .xii. yere of the Queenes highnes raigne before the right honorable Thomas Erle of Sussex lorde president of the Queenes couÌ„saill in the north partes Iohn lorde Darcye c. they after their indictment did the .xxiii. of Iune in the yere aforsayd embarke theim selues in sundry Shippes and fled this realme vnto Antwarpe in Brabant whych is vnder the gouernment of kyng Phylip and ther contrarye to theyr allegeaunce did lead their liues and the aforsaid Iohn Story D. W. P and I. P being borne in England and the Queenes subiectes did with theim conspire compasse and Imagin the Queenes death and her highnes to depose and depryue And by diuers perswasions and letters did also procure straungiers to inuade this realme of England and to leuy warr against the Queene and her hyghnes to depose And that the aforsayd Iohn Story c. knowing the abouesaid Norton and others to haue committed their treasons here in England did receaue coÌ„fort and helpe theim at Antwarp aforsaid agaynst their allegeaunce c. And after the indictment read he being called vppon by the courte to answere to the same pleaded that he was not the Queenes subiect nor had not bene these vii yeres but was the subiect of the most catholicke and mighty prynce kyng Philip kyng of Spayne to whome hee was sworne and had in Fee of him one hundreth pound by the yere therfore said hee I am not bound to answer to that indictment neyther will I answere vnto it And here he vsed many pretie tauntes as well to the iudges as also pleasyng him selfe with giuinge of pretie nippes and girdes And verye stowtlye he maintayned his former plea affirming also that they were not his lawfull iudges neither that they had law to procede against him being none of the Queenes subiectes And then beyng demaunded where he was borne he answered in England Then sayd they it folowith that you are subiect to the lawes of thys realme and should be so to our Queene
Wherunto he replyed and sayd that God commaunded Abraham to go foorth from the lande and countrey where he was borne from his friendes and kynsfolke into another countrey And so he folowynge his example for conscience sake in religion did forsake his country◠and the lawes of this realme the prince also and had wholy geuen hym selfe to the seruice of a foreyne gouernour kyng Philip kyng of Spayne And herevpon hee stood very stoutlye but to small purpose Then when hee perceaued that they would procede in iudgemēt against him he sayde they had no lawe so to do And with that he turned him about to the people and sayd good people I trust ye see howe violently I am vsed and howe vniustly and contrary to all iustice and equitie they vse mee And he added that he had good hope that he was not destitute of some frendes there that would geue notice and knowlege to the most Catholycke prynce hys maister how cruelly they dealt with him And then againe beyng called vppon to answere one sayd vnto him maister Storye because you thynke it violence that is shewed vnto you in stead of lawe and iustice you shall knowe that wee do nothyng but that wee maye do both by lawe and equitie And then one of the Iudges said this is Scarborowes case Nay said Story my case is not Skarboroughes case but in déede I had Skarborough warnynge to come to this arraignement for I knewe nothynge therof vntyll .vij. of the clocke in the mornynge Then there was a booke delyuered hym to read wherin he might sée what they might doo by lawe and after hée had read it the Iudge demaūded of him how he liked it And he answered God haue mercie vpon mée Then the Lorde chyefe Iustice gaue him Iudgement to be drawen hanged and quartred and so was he agayne sent vnto the Tower. And as he went by the way certayne persons in seuerall places met with him and one said Oh Story Story thou art a strange Story Remember Mayster Bradforde that godly man his blood asketh vengeaunce on thée Story repent in time Another cryed on hym and said Story call to mynde the rigour that thou shewedest vpon Maister Read a Gentleman whom thou diddest vtterly destroye aske God forgeuenesse Story for that wicked déede Another cryed vnto hym and saide Blessed be God Story that hath made thée partaker of suche Breade as thou wast wont to deale to the innocent membres of Iesus Christe Another also cryed out vpon him and saide Story Story the abhominable cup of fornication and filthynes that thou hast geuen other to drinke be heaped vp topfull that thy plagues maye be the greater at the terrible daye of Gods wrath vengeaunce vnlesse thou aske mercy for thy filthy corrupte stinkyng lyfe And yet agayne another cryed out vnto hym and said I pray God that thy hart be not hardened as was Pharaos and made harder then the Adamant stone or the stéele that when he woulde he could not repent and call for grace And among al the rest one came to him at London Stone and saluted him with this Méeter saiyng Maister Doctor Story For you they are right sory The Court of Louaine and Rome Your holy father the Pope Cannot saue you from the rope The Hangman must haue your gown◠To whom he answered not one word ▪ THe first daye of Iune the saide Story was drawen vpon an herdell from the Tower of London vnto Tiborn wher was prepared for him a newe payre of Gallowes made in triangle maner And by the way as he went many people spake vnto hym and called vpon hym to repent his Tirrannie and wickednes and wylled him to call vpon God for mercy But he lay as though he had ben a sleepe woulde not speake to any person And when he was taken frō the herdell and set in a carte he made there a solempne protestation and said ¶ I am come hither to die and truely if this death were ten times more fierce and sharpe then it is I haue deserued it I haue lyued the space of thréescore vij yeres and now my body must abyde this temporall payne and punisshement prouyded for mée here in this lyfe by meane wherof my daies shal be cut off But where at the first I stoode in feare of death I thanke God this night passed I haue ben so comforted with good and godly men that the feare of death is taken from my sight And nowe I appeale to God the Father trustyng in the Passion of his Sonne Christ Iesus and hopynge by the sheding of his blood only to be saued And althoughe of a longe time I coulde not applie the vertue of his Passion and death to the vse benefite of my soule because of my longe houerynge in feare Yet nowe I thanke God I know how to applye this medicyne as for example A Pothecarye maye haue a Medicine liyng in his shop .vij. yeares that maye helpe a sicke or diseased man by the counsayle of a Physicion But if this medicyne be not applyed to the pacient but styl remaineth in the Apothecaries shop it profiteth nothyng No more said he coulde the benefite of Christes Death healpe mée because though I knew the medicyne good I did not applie it vnto my Soule helth But now that it hath pleased Almightye God to call mée to accompt of my .lxvij. yeres which now must haue an end and this corrupt body must féele a temporall punisshement for my sinnes haue deserued it as I said before I am now come to the proofe of this Medicine Dauid when he had commytted Adulterie with Barsabe the wyfe of Vrias whose Husbād also he caused to be put in the Front of the Battell and so was he murthered he for that trespasse felt a temporall punishment by the losse of the life of his son which he loued tenderly Also when he nombred his people he greatly displeased God And for his offence and transgression he felt a temporall payne and choyce was geuen vnto him from aboue to choose one of these .iij temporall and bodily punyshments that is to saye Thrée daies Pestilence the Sworde that is to saye bloody Battell .vij. yeres or Famyne .vij. yeres And he thought to choose the least and he chose thrée daies Pestilence But this Scourge tooke away an infinite nombre of his subiectes So nowe as my sinnes deserue a temporall payne whiche here haue an ende euen in this flesh I am of the same minde that the Prophet Dauid was And with hym I agrée saiyng Inuoco te Domine c. Lord I call vpon thée in this day of my trouble heare mée O Lorde out of thy dwellynge place c. But nowe to speake a litle of my arraignment when I was at Westminster I alleaged in my plea that I was no Subiect of this Realme as I did likewise before the Quenes Cōmissioners Sir Thomas Wroth Maister Thomas Wilbraham late Recorder of the Citie of London M. Peter Osborne
Maister Marshe and M. Doctor Wattes where the Recorder of London made lyke demaunde as was demaunded of mée at Westminster and that was whether I was borne in Englande or no Whervnto I aunswered I was Then sayde he it foloweth that you are and ought to continue the Quenes faithfull subiect Wherunto I replied then as I do now saiyng I am sworne to the noble Kyng Defendour of the auncient Catholique Faith Kyng Philip Kyng of Spaine And he is sworne again by a solempne and corporall Othe to maintayne and defende the Vniuersitie of Louaine wherof I am a member and therfore no subiect of this Realme no yet subiect to any Lawes therof For it is well knowen that I departed this Realme beynge fréelye licensed therunto by the Quéene who accompted mée an abiect and castawaye and I came not hether agayne of myne owne accorde but I was betrayed And although I had an inckelyng geuen mée before of such a thing pretended towardes mée yet I coulde not shun nor escape it For sure it was God that made dym myne vnderstandyng and blynded myne eyes so that I could not perceyue it But holye writ coÌ„maundeth mée to loue my enemies here I forgeue them fréely with all my hart beséechyng God that they take no harme for mée in another Countrey I would be right sorye they should although they betrayed me I trauayled with them from Ship to Ship by the space of eight daies and mistrusted no perill to be at hand vntyll I was clapt fast vnder the Hatches But sure sure it was God that wrought it Yea and although I was accompted a Poller of the Englysshe men of your countrey I stand now here before God and by the death I shall die I had neuer out of any Ship more then two Péeces of Golde and fortie Dallers that was laid in my hand But once agayne to my arraignmeÌ„t where there were certain Letters laid to my charge wherin I should go about to prouoke the Nortons the Neuiles othâ—â— to rebell I neuer ment it Yet wyll I discharge my conscience fréely frankly and tell you trueth There was a Commission for a lyke matter sent into Scotland which I wrote with myne owne hande But it conteyned a Prouiso wherin the Quéene of England and her Dominions were excepted There are yet two thynges that I purpose to talke of namely for that ther are here present a great nombre of Youth And I woulde to God I might saye or speke that which might bring all men to the vnitie of the Church for there is but one Church one Flocke and one Shepherde If I could this do I would think my selfe to haue wrought a good worke The first Poinct toucheth my crueltie wherwith I am sore burdened And the second concerneth my Religion As touchyng the first there were thrée in Commission of the which I was one that might do least for I was the last of the thrée And thoughe I might by perswasion assaye to cause them to reuoke the articles that they had maintayned and to confesse the presence wherin I stande Ye know that he that chydeth is not worthy to bée condemned for fightyng No more am I worthy to be couÌ„ted cruell for chydynge It was the Bisshop that pronounced the Sentence ExcoÌ„municamus and against that I could not do for I was one of the Layetie Yet often times the Bisshop to whom I was SeruaÌ„t was bold with mée when he had so many Prisoners that he could not well bestow them For at one time the Lorde Riche sent him out of Essex xxviij And at another time .xxiiij. Also at another time .xvi. and .xiiij. and some of them were sent to mée whiche I kepte in my House with suche fare as I had prouided for my selfe and my Famylie at myne owne cost and charge And to proue that I was not so cruell as I am reported to bée let this one tale suffise There were at one tyme .xxviij condempned to the Fire and I moued the Deane of Paules to tender and pitie their estate whiche after was Abbot of Westminster a very pitiful minded maÌ„ I thincke the moste parte of you know him it is M. Fecknam and we went vp and perswaded with them and we fouÌ„d them very tractable And Master Fecknam and I laboured to the Lorde Cardinall Poole shewynge that they were Nescientes qùid fecerunt The Cardinall we did sue together to the Quene layd both the Swordes together and so we obteyned pardon for them all sauynge an olde woman that dwelt aboute Paules Churchyard shée would not conuert and therfore she was burned There 〈◊〉 of them receyued absolucion and that with al reuerence serch theÌ„ Register and you shall finde it Yea it was my procurement that there should be no more burnt in London for I sawe well that it woulde not preuaile and therfore we sent them into odde corners into the countrey Wherfore I pray you name me not cruell I would be loth to haue any suche slaunder to ron on mée But sith I dye in charitie I pray you al of charitie to pray for mee that God maye strengthen mee with patience to suffer my death to the whiche I yelde most wyllyngly And here I make a peticion to you my frendes that woulde haue bestowed anythyng on mée I beséeche you for charitie sake bestow it yerely on my wife who hath foure small children and God hath now taken me away that was her staffâ— and stay And now my Doughter Weston and her three chyldren are gone ouer â—nto her and I know not how they shal do for foode vnlesse they go a beggynge fâ—â—m doore to doore for it although in dede no English persons do begge but of English beyng helped by the Lady Dorm â—nd Sir Francisco I haue good hope that you wyll be good vnto her for she is the faythfullest wife the louyngest and constantest that euer man had And twise we haue lost all that euer we had and nowe she hath lost mée to her great griefe I knowe The second poynct that I thought to speke of is concernyng my Religion for that I know many are desirous to know what faith I wyll dye in the whiche I wyll briefely touch I saye with Sainct Iherome that auncient father and piller of the old auncient catholique and Apostolicke Churche grounded vpon the Patriarâ—es Prophetes and Apostles that in the same faith that I was borne in I pâ—rpose to dye And as the Arcke that Noe and his Famyly did possesse figured the ship of Christes Church out of which â—hyp who soeuer is can not be saued In thaâ— shyp am I Example A shyp that 〈◊〉 tossed on the floods is often in daunger of losse on the sandes and somtimes on the rocke But when the men that are in the ship espye present peryll at hande there is a Cockboat at the tayle of the ship wherunto they flye for succour So likewise I beynge in the Ship of Christ once fell out of the same ship and was in present peryl and great danger But then I folowynge the example of a good Maryner tooke the Cockboat thinkynge to driue to lande and at the last beyng in the boat I espied thrée Oares that is to wit Contricion Confession AbsolutioÌ„ And I held al these fast and euer sence I haue continued in the ship of Christ of whiche the Apostle Peter is the guide and principall in the faith catholike of my kynge I die Then sayd the Earle of Bedford are you not the Quéenes subiect No sayd Story yet I do not exclude the Quene but I pray for her her Counsaile and the Nobilitie of this Realme longe to continue Then said the Lorde Honsdon Are you not the Quéenes Subiect you were borne in Englande Then sayde Story Euery man is frée borne and he hath the whole face of the Earth before him to dwell abyde in where he liketh best and if he can not lyue here he may go els where Then was there as I thinke one of the Ministers hearyng him to make so light of our noble Quene and Countrey demaunded of him whether she were not next and immediatlye vnder God Supreme head of the Churches of Englande and Irelande wherunto he aunswered I come not hether to dispute but if shée bée shée is my nay wyll not preuayle to proue it otherwise And then they cryed awaye with the â—arte And so he was hanged according to his iudgement An Epilogue or a briefe Conclusion of the lyfe of the aforesaid Iohn Story THe aforesaid Iohn Storie beside that he was an obstinat Papist and a rancke Traitour he was also in Quéene Maryes time the cruellest tirant persecutor of the innocent membres and blessed professors of Christ that euer was to his power sithen that cruell tirant Nero. For his whole delectacion and pleasure was in racking stockyng whippyng manaklyng and burnyng of innocents without respect either of age vertue learnyng weakenes of wyt or of a simple boye or childish wenche and all was fish that came to the net And he often and openly saide in the herynge of many in the time of Quéene Mary that the burnynge of Heretiques as he termed them was to gentle a deth for they had too muche scope to prate and talke what they lust But sayd he if I lyue I wyll haue a cloâ—e Cage of Iron made for them with a doore in the side lyke to the Brasen Bull of perillus where they shal be enclosed and the doore made fast and the fire to be made vnder them And then said he they shall know what friyng is and their mouthes shal be stopped from blowyng out their pestilent Doctrine So that by the premisses it maye manifestly appéere that there hath not ben a wickeder man towarde God his Prince countrey then he hath ben ¶ God saue the Queene and confounde her enemies Storyes yeares were many and euill spent Hys hand is to the contrary I lye before the Commssioners Storyes hand is to the contrarye of hys voluntarye confession Story was not betrayed but by Gods prouision delyuered to be cut off as a naughty corrupt member Here Storye before he was war hath tolde you that he was a ranke Traytour A prety tale and it were long inough and true inough Which is not the church wherein S. Hierome liued ¶ Séene and allowed c.